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Texas Gov. Abbott announces new initiatives to combat fentanyl crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott made addressing the state's "growing fentanyl crisis" one of his key legislative priorities this session. On Thursday, he announced additional steps the state is taking to curb deaths from a drug that took the lives of 2,012 Texas last year. Speaking at a summit with state leaders, stakeholders and families of Texans who died from fentanyl poisoning, Abbott announced the state will be doling out millions of dollars to take immediate action while the legislature works on passing bills aiming to curb the crisis.The Republican governor directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to begin distributing Narcan, an opioid reversal tool, to every county in Texas. Additionally, he announced the state unveiled a $10 million multimedia PSA-style campaign to educate Texans on the dangers of the drug and how to prevent and reverse fentanyl deaths. "We are eager to distribute life-saving medication to counteract the impacts of the fentanyl crisis," said...

City to focus on safety near Rainey Street after recent deaths

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 7, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin said there would be increased safety measures at Rainey Street and the nearby Rainey Street Trailhead at the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail this weekend.The city said Austin Police would be patrolling the area, as well as having additional park rangers stationed along the trail. RELATED: Family of man found dead in Lady Bird Lake in 2018 responds to recent deaths According to a release, the city said the focus on safety was a result of the two recent drowning deaths that occurred this year. Both cases remained under investigation as of Friday, but the city said at this point in the investigations there was no evidence of foul play.“Since 2014, there have been five late-night/overnight drownings near the Rainey Street Trailhead area. Three previous drownings that occurred between 2014 and 2018 were fully investigated and ruled accidental. Autopsies are p...

Report: Russia charges Wall Street Journal reporter with espionage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been charged with espionage in Russia and has entered a formal denial, two Russian news agencies reported Friday.The state news agency Tass and the Interfax news agency said a law enforcement source informed them that Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, had officially charged the American journalist. The news outlets didn’t say in what form Gershkovich was formally charged or when it happened, but generally suspects are presented a paper outlining the accusations. In the Russian legal system, the filing of charges and a response from the accused represent the formal start of a criminal probe, initiating what could be a long and secretive Russian judicial process.Tass quoted its source as saying: “The FSB investigation charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic ac...

Tim Walz takes murder case from Hennepin County, gives it to Keith Ellison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

Gov. Tim Walz has taken the rare step of taking a murder case away from Hennepin County prosecutors and handing it to Attorney General Keith Ellison.Two juveniles, ages 15 and 17, are accused of killing of Zaria McKeever, 23, the mother of a 1-year-old child, in her Brooklyn Park apartment last November at the direction of her ex-boyfriend.Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty had offered the two brothers juvenile plea deals that would spare them lengthy adult sentences in exchange for their testimony against the ex-boyfriend. But McKeever’s family objected. Ellison sought to take over the case amid the public backlash, but Moriarty refused.Ellison criticized the plea deal at a public event Wednesday. Walz used his legal authority Thursday to give the case to Ellison.“While I share the belief that too many juveniles are involved in the adult criminal-justice system, accountability for the seriousness of this crime has been missing in this case,” Ellison said in a statement.The atto...

Relief efforts continue for Grand Street fire victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Three more individuals are now considered displaced by Wednesday's fire that destroyed four rowhomes in Albany's Mansion Area. Initially, the Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross aided 14 after the blaze. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Now, volunteers the Red Cross say additional aid brings the grand total to 17. Immediate aid from the organization came in the form of health services, comfort kits with personal items, blankets, and money for shelter, food, and clothing.Pastor Charlie Muller from Victory Christian Church on Quail Street also lent a helping hand. A press release from the the church said they have $200 WalMart gift cards to help ease the pressure for those who lost everything to the flames. The church said that victims should reach out by phone at (518) 434-6100 to receive this support. Heroic actions by DGS employees save over a dozen in Grand St. fire Representat...

Man arrested in connection with Greenville home invasion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

GREENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A man has been arrested on an arrest warrant in connection with a home invasion in Greenville. The Greene County Sheriff's Office said Robert Viores, 32, of Pownal, Vermont, was arrested on April 7 in Berne. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! This arrest stems from a November 2022 home invasion in which several armed suspects had allegedly entered the home, assaulted two occupants, and stole money. Viores was named a suspect in the case and the five other suspects were previously arrested and charged.ChargesFirst-degree burglary (felony)Second-degree robbery (felony)Second-degree assault (felony)Fourth-degree grand larceny (felony) Troy police investigating shots fired call Viores was arraigned in the Town of Greenville Court. He was remanded to the Greene County Jail without bail.

Capital Region concert roundup: April 7-13

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- This is your weekly roundup of concerts happening around the Capital Region from April 7 to 13. From tribute bands to regional and local favorites, here are the upcoming concerts for the weekend and the following week. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! April 7: KISStory & Monsters of Rock, Cohoes Music Hall, 8 p.m. You can buy tickets on the Cohoes Music Hall website.April 7: Lords of 52nd Street, Rivers Casino, 7 p.m. You can buy tickets on the Rivers website.April 7: Skeeter Creek, Rivers Casino, 8 p.m. Free.April 7: Kaia Kater, Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, 8 p.m. You can buy tickets on the Eventbrite website.April 7: Colony, Seed of Pain, Burning Lord, Godskin Peeler, and Halo Bite, No Fun in Troy, 8 p.m. You can get tickets on the Eventbrite website.April 7: The Proudest Monkeys: a tribute to The Dave Matthews Band, The Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls, 8 p.m. You can buy tickets on the Brown...

SUNY Adirondack twins win chancellor's award

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Two SUNY Adirondack students have been named as 2023's State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence winners. What makes them unique: They're twins, and the first siblings to ever win the award together. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Lucy and Kate McKay were announced this week as the recipients of this year's SUNY award. The pair of identical twins hail from Cambridge in Washington County, and were homeschooled preceding college. They've learned together all their lives, and haven't stopped now - both attending SUNY Adirondack as liberal arts majors, focusing in math and sciences, with a mutual interest in ecology driven by a lifetime of camping and hiking."I've been interested in nature as long as I can remember," said Lucy McKay in an interview with SUNY Adirondack. "So I knew I wanted to study ecology and the environment."The sisters earned a perfect 4.0 GPA across ...

When can I put plants outside? Midwest frost forecast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- When is it safe to leave your plants outside without worrying about frost killing them? A sudden drop in temperature can damage plants or kill tender new growth. Many gardeners protect their plants in the fall and spring by covering them with blankets or moving them indoors until the risk of frost has passed.You should wait until tax day in the St. Louis area to put out your plants. That usually happens in mid-April, around the 15 to the 18 of the month. Trending: Cardinals selling $9 tickets in one-day flash sale Friday That does not mean that your plants are safe from the cold. Meteorologist John Fuller says that a good rule of thumb is to wait until Mother's Day each year. The latest freeze recorded at St. Louis Lambert International Airport was on May 10, 1966. The Freeze Date Tool from the Midwestern Regional Climate Center at Purdue University is a good guide to see when the best time to keep plants indoors. It shows when the first and last freezes have be...

Opinion: Three Colorado abortion bills are likely unconstitutional

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:24:32 GMT

Our right to make our own health care choices will be seriously compromised if Senate Bills 188, 189, and 190 are signed into law. While all three bills will eventually be struck down as unconstitutional under the Colorado and US constitutions, they will, in the meanwhile, deny our right to choose.Senate Bill 189 will force employers to purchase health insurance policies that cover abortion up to birth without copays in violation of the Colorado Constitution which states no public funds may be used directly or indirectly for abortion unless to save the life of the mother with every reasonable effort made to preserve her life and the life of her child. Under SB 189, public funds will be used directly to enforce the abortion mandate and indirectly to force taxpayers to subsidize abortion through their insurance premiums.The bill does not protect employees who consider themselves pro-choice but do not want to pay for abortion or employees who are pro-life. The bill has a narrow excepti...