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Judge approves mistrial motion for APD officer murder case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A judge granted the defense's motion Friday for a mistrial for an Austin police officer accused of murder in a 2020 deadly shooting, according to a defense attorney involved in the case. The trial was supposed to begin Wednesday, but there were several snags with the jury selection process. Christopher Taylor, 31, is accused of shooting and killing Michael Ramos, 42, during a confrontation with police in a south Austin apartment complex parking lot in April 2020. Taylor is on administrative leave with the department. Moving forward, the court will conduct jury selection differently, according to Ken Ervin, one of Taylor's attorneys. The court will order three panels of 100 potential jurors and move to a bigger courtroom for jury selection.This week, the court chose from jury pools of 80 and 50. "What you're looking for are 12 people who are gonna be fair. It could be that due to pre-trial publicity, there are a number of people who have already heard about the case,...

What do the 20 Articles of Impeachment against Ken Paxton mean?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Late Thursday night, lawmakers received their copies of 20 articles of impeachment. Chairman Andrew Murr said he will put the articles to a vote on Saturday, May 27, at 1:00 pm.The House General Investigating Committee, which has a conservative majority, presented the articles after adopting a formal recommendation that Attorney General Ken Paxton be impeached and removed from office. MORE: What we know about possible impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton The committee has been quietly investigating Paxton since March, following a proposal of his emerged to use state funds to settle a $3.3 million whistleblower lawsuit filed by four former employees who accused Paxton of wrongdoing.Per HR 2377, here are 20 accusations the committee found in their investigation:Favors for wealthy donorArticle 1 accuses Paxton of violating his duties by harming a charitable organization to help a donor, Nate Paul, a wealthy Austin real estate developer. The...

Refugee Services of Texas to permanently close after 'severe' budget issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Refugee Services of Texas, the state's largest refugee resettlement agency, is permanently closing after the agency was strapped with a "severe" budget shortfall.KXAN reported earlier this month the agency was laying off half its staff and closing offices in Fort Worth and Houston.In a press release Friday, the agency said those "drastic measures" were not enough to reduce the budget shortfall. The closure affects a further 150 employees."It is with heavy hearts that we have come to this decision,” said CEO David McKeever. "This agency has faithfully carried out its mission to serve vulnerable populations since its founding in 1978 and has touched thousands of lives along the way. This decision was not made lightly."All current clients are being referred to other state or national resettlement programs, the release said. Refugee families face eviction following budget issues with resettlement agency The Austin location will now be overseen by Episcopal Migration Mi...

Burnsville man sentenced in Eagan teen’s fentanyl death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

One of two men charged with murder in the fentanyl death of an Eagan teen has been sentenced to five years in prison.Dakota County Judge Tracy Perzel sentenced 30-year-old Jamal Ahmed Adan of Burnsville on Thursday in connection with providing the potent synthetic opioid that killed 16-year-old Hunter Vernon Carlson in January 2021.Jamal Ahmed Adan (Courtesy of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)Adan had pleaded guilty to third-degree murder as part of a February agreement with prosecutors that included the 60-month term and dismissing a charge of third-degree sale of a controlled substance.Adan’s sentence was a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines. In giving the lower sentence, Perzel said the crime was “less onerous than usual” for the murder charge. Adan received credit for 399 days already served in custody.His co-defendant, Sadiq Aden Isack, 28, of Bloomington, faces the same two charges and is scheduled for a jury trial in July.Died in bedAccording to the ...

MN Legislature awards $195M for 90 mph train from Duluth to Target Field

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

After decades of advocacy, a long-awaited passenger rail line between Duluth and the Twin Cities has secured state funding and could enter service later in the 2020s.The Northern Lights Express passenger rail line. (Gary Meader / Duluth News Tribune)Minnesota’s new transportation budget signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday has $194.7 million to start up Northern Lights Express rail, or NLX. It’s a huge step forward for the project, but much work still lies ahead, according to the Department of Transportation and rail advocacy group NLX Alliance.“We are so excited about this funding,” said Andrew Johnson, NLX Alliance president and Minneapolis City Council member. “Folks should be able to, hopefully, buy their tickets in about four to five years.”It could be a year or two before final federal funding is secured and construction can begin, Johnson said. Construction is projected to take three years. First, the transportation department must apply for a share of the $1 trillio...

NYS providing Xylazine test strips

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- As a way to combat the ongoing increase of the drug xylazine the state is issuing free xylazine test strips. The drug - which is specifically designed to sedate animal - has been found in the illicit drug market and can cause serious health issues. Debate over chocolate milk in schools continues "Xylazine is a product that drug suppliers are using within the opioid and by doing so they’re able to get more of a product, it’s a cheaper product than the opioid and it does provide a different type of high," said Don Mareno, Schenectady Fire Chief. You cant truly know whether or not someone is under the influence of xylazine until a toxicology report is administered or the drug Narcan does not work as intended. "What we normally do by using Narcan to reverse the effects of an opioid, if we’re not getting the desired response for what we call the normal response, we start anticipating that there’s something else on board, there’s something else going on with that...

Albany man sentenced in illegal gun possession case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany man has been sentenced in regard to an illegal firearm possession case. Marcel Perry, 36, faces 13 years in state prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On March 17, following a jury trial, Perry was convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The indictment alleged that on September 11, 2021, in the area of 138 Hamilton Street in Albany, Perry possessed an illegal and loaded firearm. Perry received the sentencing from Albany County Supreme Court on May 26. Assistant District Attorney Bryanne Perlanski, who handled the prosecution of this case stated that “People in every community deserve to live without the constant fear of gun violence in their neighborhood. Today’s sentence brings us one step closer to the goal of ending our ongoing epidemic of violent crime.”

Debate over chocolate milk in schools continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--Got Chocolate milk? As of now, it’s allowed in many schools, but that could change. To reduce sugar intake, The United States Department of Agriculture has two proposals regarding flavored milk.The first would allow all schools to continue offering fat-free/low-fat flavored and unflavored milk.The second would limit younger children in elementary and middle schools (K-8) to unflavored milk, and only allow flavored milk as an option for high school students (9-12).The second option also asks for public feedback on appropriate age limits for consumption of flavored milk. Flavored milk would have a limit on added sugars under both options. The USDA plans to issue a final rule in time for schools to begin implementing a change in the 2024-2025 school year.Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released a statement last week saying in part, “This is totally unacceptable and I will do everything in my power to stop these efforts. Flavored milk is one the best ways ...

Man gets two life terms for killing ex-girlfriend in St. Louis County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend in St. Louis County nearly three years ago was sentenced to two life terms in prison. A judge sentenced Darius Ware, 30, on Friday to two life terms plus 10 years in the 2020 murder of his ex-girlfriend Lawren Mitchell. $400,000 in watches stolen in St. Louis jewelry heist Investigators say Ware shot Mitchell in the neck and killed her during an argument in the 5200 block of Lucas and Hunt Road. Surveillance video shown during Ware's trial confirmed he was at the scene and arguing with the victim on May 24, 2020, the morning Mitchell was killed. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW "This is yet another tragic case that shows how all these guns in our community cost such ...

Denver school board should set district-wide policy on armed police on campuses, says latest DPS safety plan draft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:28:51 GMT

Denver’s school board should decide whether to station armed police in the city’s comprehensive high schools and other qualifying campuses, according to a new recommendation by Superintendent Alex Marrero, which is a change from his earlier plan that would have left such decisions up to individual schools.The recommendation was released Friday as part of a revised version of Denver Public School’s safety plan, which the Board of Education directed Marrero to create after a student shot two administrators inside East High School in March. The superintendent is expected to release his final draft on June 23. Marrero is recommending the school board set a district-wide policy on whether to staff school resource officers — or SROs — in Denver’s comprehensive high schools and schools with 6th- to 12th-graders, according to the latest version of the safety plan.Opinions varied widely when DPS sought feedback from the community on whether armed police should be stationed ...