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Texas bill allows secretary of state to overturn elections

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

(The Hill) - Texas lawmakers advanced a bill this week that would allow the secretary of state, who is handpicked by the governor, to overturn the results of an election in the state's largest county and order a new one.The bill targets Harris County, the largest in the state and the third-largest in the U.S., which includes Houston and has a population of around 4.7 million. It would allow the secretary of state, currently Republican Jane Nelson, to order a new election in the county if 2 percent or more of the polling locations ran out of ballot paper for more than an hour.Written to apply to counties with a population over 2.7 million — which only applies to Harris County in the state — the bill follows criticism by Republican lawmakers over polling issues in the county in the 2022 midterm elections. It passed the state Senate on Tuesday, and now must be considered in the House.Democratic-leaning Harris County faced a number of difficulties in the midterm elections, including tec...

California state senator arrested on drunk driving charge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

(KTLA) – California State Sen. Dave Min faces a misdemeanor DUI charge after he was pulled over for driving without headlights on and running through a red light in Sacramento, officials said.According to a statement from the Capitol Protection Section of the California Highway Patrol, CHP officers noticed Min’s silver Toyota Camry traveling southbound just blocks from the State Capitol without headlights around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday.“The officers followed the vehicle to 9th St. at Broadway where they observed the vehicle stop at a red light momentarily but then proceed into the intersection while the light remained red,” the agency said in a statement.Officers pulled over Min and noticed “signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication.” He was arrested after officers determined he was over the legal limit, CHP said.It was unclear if he was administered a breathalyzer test.Min was cited for misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence with Blood Alcohol Content .08% or greater. He was book...

Dean's A-List Interviews: Rebecca Ferguson in 'Silo'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

Dean sits down with Rebecca Ferguson her role in 'Silo' which comes to Apple TV+ Friday.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Dean's A-List Interviews: Tim Robbins in Silo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

Dean sits down with Tim Robbins on his role in 'Silo' which comes to Apple TV+ Friday.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

Lost dog found over 400 miles from Florida home returns 2 years later

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

DADE CITY, Fla. (WFLA) – A dog that went missing from Dade City, Florida, two years ago was reunited with his owners Monday after a good Samaritan picked him up on the other side of the state. Jasmine Noffsinger and her sister spotted Hamm on the street in Pensacola while they were driving home from Starbucks. She said the dog looked thin, and she knew he needed help. "Something told me that we needed to grab him, so my sister pulled over and we got him in the car," Noffsinger said. Giant orange grasshoppers take over Florida home A veterinarian scanned Hamm's microchip. After contacting the company the chip was registered with, the dog's owner was determined to be Patricia DeWit — who lives nearly 450 miles away from Pensacola, in Dade City. When Noffsinger contacted the dog's owner, she said DeWit couldn't believe it. She told Noffdinger that Hamm had been missing since 2021.They agreed to meet in Tallahassee — halfway between Pensacola and Dade City — that same day.Hamm is enjo...

Austin City Council: Nixing parking requirements, addressing flooding issues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council will meet Thursday. With dozens of items on the agenda, here's some of what we're watching: Nixing parking requirements Austin City Council could start the process of stripping mandatory parking minimums from its overarching zoning requirements. Council Member Zohaib Qadri put forward a resolution that could change the city’s land development code (LDC).Right now, the city mandates how many parking spots you’re required to have on a property. Transit and affordable housing advocates have for years asked the city to strip those requirements from the LDC to promote different forms of transit and allow for developers and small businesses to utilize land differently.“The science shows that arbitrary parking mandates encourage climate-killing car-dependence, induce suburban sprawl, drive up the cost of housing, and actively discourage new housing development,” Qadri said. READ THE FULL STORY: Austin could get rid of minimum parking requirements city...

Victim, suspect identified in April 27 suspected murder-suicide investigation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department released an update surrounding an April 27 homicide investigation.APD said officers responded at approximately 12:12 p.m. to the 1200 block of Kenyon Drive in reference to a welfare check.Police said the caller had not heard from 47-year-old Shannon Norton and requested officers to check on her. According to a release, the caller also stated Norton lived with her boyfriend, 52-year-old James Flom. PAST COVERAGE: APD says south Austin double homicide was ‘domestic violence incident’ At the residence, APD said officers entered the home and found Norton and Flom each with a gunshot wound.“Investigators determined that Flom shot and killed Norton and then shot and killed himself,” APD said. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? Austin Police said this case was being investigated as Austin's 26th homicide of 2023.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can get help by calling the National Domestic V...

Video: Travis County ESD No. 2 ambulance collides with car in north Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect it was a Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 ambulance.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On-board video showed an ambulance crashing into another vehicle at an intersection in north Austin Wednesday, Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 confirmed in a statement to KXAN.Shortly before 8:45 a.m., a vehicle with three people inside collided with a Travis County ESD No. 2 ambulance at the intersection of Burnet Road and Shoreline Drive in north Austin, the statement said.One person was taken to St. David's Hospital Round Rock for further assessment, and no other injuries were reported for the three ESD No. 2 medics, the statement said.Officials said a reserve ambulance is now in service to replace the ambulance involved in the crash."We are thankful the accident was not more severe and wish the individual a speedy recovery," ESD No. 2 said in the statement.

Congress Mobile Home Park tenants sue developer over intimidation, coercion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Former residents of the Congress Mobile Home Park filed a lawsuit Wednesday against California developer Reza Paydar, claiming he violated the Deceptive Trade Practice Act (DTPA). Specifically, the plaintiffs claim they were not given the legal amount of time to move out of their former homes.KXAN reached out to Paydar for comment and will update the article when it's received. Assisting the plaintiffs are lawyers from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Austin Community Law Center and organizers with Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA)."The developer we are suing today forced our clients out of their homes much faster than the law allowed, just to speed up their project and their profits," said Austin Community Law Center in a press release. "The developer's ongoing, callous indifference to the harm they inflicted is obscene. Our clients should not have been forced to abandon their homes and community on short notice. Their strength in standing up and standi...

21 apply to become UMN interim president

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:45:54 GMT

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is meeting Thursday morning to select finalists from a pool of 21 applicants to become the U’s interim president.Board chair Janie Mayeron said she thought the one-week window for applicants, which closed Monday, could hurt the pool, but that didn’t seem to be the case.“I am thrilled with the applicant pool that we have received. And I am actually floored with the number of applications we received in such a short period of time,” she said Thursday.Under state law, the applicants’ names are not public until they become finalists.Thursday’s meeting is public, so the regents are discussing the applicants in an anonymized fashion.Each of the 12 regents was given six initial votes to allocate among the 21 applicants. They quickly eliminated 15 who failed to garner interest from at least half the board, then moved on to discussing the six who remained.President Joan Gabel is leaving next month to become chancellor at the University of Pittsbur...