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State of Texas: White House backs Texas mayor's fight for local control

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined President Biden during a White House announcement of extreme heat protections Thursday, stressing his advocacy for local regulations as his city sues the state of Texas over local control."Texas cities are in a battle with the state for local control," the mayor told the president. San Antonio joined Houston this week in suing the state over a new law that will preempt a wide range of local ordinances in favor of uniform standards in Texas law. Cities sue Texas over ‘Death Star’ preemption law in latest power struggle "We're going to do everything possible to protect our most vulnerable workers, especially those outdoor workers, for basic things like being able to access water breaks," Nirenberg said.House Bill 2127 asserts the state's dominance across sweeping areas of law including labor, employment, and environmental codes, preventing local governments from regulating those areas in ways that may conflict with state law....

Baddeley in contention to end victory drought at 3M Open

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

Aaron Baddeley has been on the PGA Tour since 2003 and is a four-time winner, but he has mostly been on the fringes since his last win in 2016 at the Barbasol Championship.The 42-year-old Australian had missed two cuts in a row coming into the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. Steady improvement in Minnesota has Baddeley in position to challenge for another PGA victory.Baddeley has shot 69-66-65 and will start Sunday’s final round in fourth place, seven shots behind Lee Hodges. Baddeley’s 6-under 65 in the third round on Saturday was tied with Sam Ryder for the best round of the day.“I felt like I’ve been sort of really close to putting a week like this together,” Baddeley said. “Like I said before, I missed a few cuts, but it hasn’t reflected how I’ve been playing. Felt like this year’s been sort of close and actually feel like the putter hasn’t quite cooperated as well as I would have liked.”Baddeley made a change in his swing coach in 2021 that h...

Meet the St. Paul woman who once staged a play for J. Robert Oppenheimer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

Kathy Hanousek holds a family photo of her father, Dr. Charles Rea, holding her, right, and her sister, Molly, at her St. Paul home on Friday, July 28, 2023. Charles Rea was assigned as a doctor with the Manhattan Project at the Oak Ridge, Tenn. location, where he and his family, including oldest daughter Kathy, met many famous people, among them nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. (Pioneer Press)In the new film “Oppenheimer,” Cillian Murphy portrays the title character, physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, as a profoundly complex man who on one hand was an ego-driven womanizer and on the other a deeply troubled genius drowning in self-doubt and regret.Kathy Hanousek remembers Oppenheimer as the guy in a suit and a hat for whom she once staged a play with the help of her friends in Oak Ridge, Tenn.“I was just a kid,” Hanousek said with a laugh. “What did I know? But who else can say they did a play for Oppenheimer? It seemed like the thing to do at the time.”Hanousek is a lifelong ...

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins wants to play long enough for his sons to remember it

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins loves to tell the story about the time his wife Julie brought their oldest son Cooper to a game against the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) greets a fan as he runs onto the field for an NFL football practice Saturday, July 29, 2023, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)It was a memorable game for most fans because the Vikings somehow lost to the winless Lions on the final play of regulation. It was a memorable game for Julie because while Kirk was busy playing in the game, Cooper had completely lost interest shortly after halftime.“He’s just laying on the floor coloring like, ‘Why am I here?’ ” Cousins said with a laugh. “My wife got home from that game, and she was like, ‘Never again will I take a 4-year-old to a game.'”Now that Cooper is getting older, he’s slowly starting to grasp the gravity of each game. As much as a kindergartner can anyways. That...

Widespread outages: 120K-plus without power in St. Louis area after storms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Strong storms in the St. Louis area have led to widespread power outages. Ameren crews are working to restore power to tens of thousands of customers without power. As of 6:30 p.m. Saturday, there are around 83,000 Ameren customers without service in Missouri and 43,000 in the state of Illinois. Severe storms from the west of the St. Louis region packed lightning, rain and winds up to 70 miles per hour. To check out Ameren's outage map or report a power outage, click here. Current customers without power in Missouri:St. Charles County – 15,200St. Louis County – 48,000St. Louis City – 8,600Jefferson County – 5,400Current customers without power in Illinois:Madison County - 13,000St. Clair County - 6,000

Missouri Disabled Water Ski Association hosts inspirational summer splash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - July is Disability Pride Month, and this weekend marked an opportunity for athletes of all ages and abilities to show off their skills on the water.Before Saturday's storms and despite the heat, the Missouri Disabled Water Ski Association hosted its annual summer splash event at Creve Coeur Lake. "I used to do some skiing and a lot of sailing with a good friend of mine," said Glenn Gilliam. She says an Uber stranded her, then things really got weird Gilliam has been in a wheelchair since his stroke in 2006. But thanks to dozens of volunteers out at the annual summer splash, he is able to water ski again. "It helps with your attitude," he explained. "You're able to get out and do things that you weren't sure you were going to be able to do. There's more and more events like this coming up all the time. It really makes life a lot nicer."People were swimming, boating, jet-skiing, tubing and water-skiing with adaptive devices. "It's really a nice event," ...

Relatives of slain man gather in Douglas County to celebrate his life, be his voice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

Relatives of a man who allegedly was shot dead by his wife inside their Highlands Ranch home gathered in Lone Tree on Saturday to celebrate his life and dedicate a memorial garden and pond.On July 18, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies found Colin Grice, 57, inside his Timber Hawk Circle home. Victorine Galvan Grice, 55, his wife, who was charged with second-degree murder and domestic violence in his death, was found dead Friday in a Douglas County jail cell.Colin Grice was remembered Saturday as a kind, gentle and loving man, by family members who traveled across the country to memorialize him.Aden Beavers of Virginia Beach, Va., Colin Grice’s younger sister by 12 years, said he took her to her first rock concert, by the band Extreme, and her first college football game, Florida vs. Florida State. She said he introduced her tennis, a sport she still loves and plays.“He always was just a great big brother,” Beavers recalled. “He always wanted to be with ...

Teen hospitalized after shooting at Oxnard shopping district

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

A teenager was hospitalized after shots rang out at a busy shopping district in Oxnard on Friday night.Oxnard police responded to reports of a shooting victim at The Collection at Riverpark on the 2700 block of Seaglass Way around 8:50 p.m.Arriving officers found the victim, a 15-year-old boy, with a gunshot wound to his lower leg. He was located on the first floor of the parking structure next to the Cinemark Century Riverpark movie theater. The teen was transported to a local hospital where he remains in stable condition.Parking structure at The Collection at Riverpark shopping and dining district in Oxnard. (Google Earth)Parking structure at The Collection at Riverpark shopping and dining district in Oxnard. (Google Earth)Parking structure at The Collection at Riverpark shopping and dining district in Oxnard. (Google Earth)The Collection at Riverpark shopping and dining district in Oxnard. (Google Earth)The parking structure was blocked off as the outdoor shopping and dining dist...

Oakland’s 61st homicide discovered in a church parking lot

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

A 21-year-old man was found shot to death Saturday morning outside Oakland’s Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church.Authorities believe he was shot around 11:04 a.m. in the church parking lot, which is in the 600 block of Alma Avenue near Oakland High School. His name has not yet been released. The deceased, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was found by a neighborhood resident.Police are trying to determine a motive for the killing and why the victim, who resides in another part of Oakland, was in that neighborhood. No arrests have been made.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Death of woman at Oakland homeless camp being investigated as a homicide Crime and Public Safety | Three men shot in Oakland in a single hour Crime and Public Safety | Person, dog killed in East Bay fire Crime and Public Safety | East Bay woman charged with murdering husband Crime and Public Safety | Convicted by his missi...

Union, county officials avert strike by reaching tentative deal on new contract

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:45:38 GMT

(BCN) -- Santa Clara County's largest public sector union says it has reached a tentative agreement with county officials on a new contract which includes the biggest wage increase for its workers in over 20 years, averting a planned strike. The Service Employees International Union Local 521, representing more than 12,000 public-sector workers in Santa Clara County, said in statement Friday that it has struck a deal to potentially secure a 13 percent wage increase for workers over three years as well as a one-time lump sum payment of $1,200 per worker. The tentative agreement averts a strike, which was authorized by SEIU Local 521 members in mid-June. One killed in East Palo Alto hit-and-run crash The deal also promises to include equity raises and additional wage gains for positions whose wages lag behind market rates, like public health nurses, to make these positions more attractive and help address staffing shortages. Union members are expected to ratify the new ag...