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Tennessee GOP passes bills targeting trans community, risks more than $2B in federal funds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In the final hours of the 113th General Assembly, Tennessee Republicans passed two bills that target the transgender community and put the state at risk of losing billions in federal funding.One of the bills would allow teachers and public school employees to not use a student's preferred pronouns, which could violate the U.S. Department of Education's 2022 rules on gender identity, sexuality and sex-based discrimination. The other bill would define the word "sex" in Tennessee Code as, "a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth." According to the fiscal notes provided by the Tennessee General Assembly Fiscal Review Committee, the state could lose more than $2 billion in federal funding this upcoming fiscal year as a result of the bills being in violation of federal requirements."Tennessee's federal awards for education total $1,293,583,239," according to Fiscal Review Committee Executive Director...

The Chef's Garden with Farmer Lee Jones

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

To Farmer Lee Jones, every day is Earth Day. He joins WGN Weekend Morning News via Zoom to share more on regenerative farming.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

How to break up with your lawn and boost your home's resale value

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

(NerdWallet) - From rain gardens to xeriscaping, the environmental benefits of resilient landscaping are well documented. Replacing grass with lawn alternatives can save water, attract pollinators and reduce the need for harsh fertilizers and pesticides.But if you’re eventually planning to sell your home, what will potential buyers think?Thankfully, you don’t have to choose between landscaping that’s good for the environment and resale value. Here’s how to ditch your grass thoughtfully.Do: Consider curb appealFirst impressions matter. More than 90% of Realtors recommend that sellers boost their home’s curb appeal before listing, according to a 2023 joint report from the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Landscape Professionals.Whether you’re moving now or in the future, landscaping projects remain a surefire way to produce a positive return on investment. Homeowners can recoup the full value of an overall landscape upgrade, according to the report.For ...

Man pleads guilty to April 2019 fatal hit-and-run in Round Rock

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Kyle man was sentenced in Williamson County for failing to stop and render aid in an accident involving death from an April 2019 incident in Round Rock.According to records, Cory Wayne Ferguson was sentenced Feb. 6 to serve 35 years in state prison after pleading guilty to the charge.Records showed Ferguson had a jail credit of 472 days—roughly a year and four months—at the time of his sentencing. PAST COVERAGE: Hit-and-run suspect found as Round Rock Police track his phone’s geo-data According to a past KXAN report, police investigators used geo-data from Google to find Ferguson after the hit-and-run that killed Cleveland Elliott.In May, investigators received a search warrant for Google, which requested geo-data on all mobile devices near the scene at the time of the crash. That pinged just two devices — both belonged to Ferguson, and both were traveling westbound—in the same direction as the car that hit Elliott.

8 arrested, accused of selling balloons with laughing gas, APD says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

Correction: The arrests were made outside ACL Live at Moody Theater.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Eight people were arrested Thursday in downtown Austin after reports of them selling balloons filled with Nitrous Oxide, also known as laughing gas, according to a news release from the Austin Police Department.At approximately 11:40 p.m., APD officers responded to reports of illegal activity near ACL Live at Moody Theater, 310 W. Second St., the release said. Officers found a group of suspects who arrived in two separate vehicles, who were parked at the intersection of Third Street and Lavaca Street and the 300 block of Second St., police said.According to the release, the suspects waited for the venue's customers to exit the show and then approached them to sell balloons with the laughing gas.Although the release said a total of seven people were arrested, there are a total of eight people listed, with only seven mugshots available.KXAN reached out to APD for clarification via email, and we will u...

Stillwater: Historical Society to celebrate 170 years of Warden’s House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

The house for the warden at the Minnesota Territorial Prison in Stillwater was built in 1853.To mark the occasion of its 170th year, the Washington County Historical Society is holding a free, open house at the site – now known as the Warden’s House Museum – in downtown Stillwater on April 30.The house, located just south of the prison, was home to 13 wardens and their families until 1914, when the prison was moved to Bayport. Deputy Warden Thomas Ross and his family lived at the house for the next 27 years.In 1941, the Washington County Historical Society purchased the home from the state and opened it as a museum.The museum consists of 14 rooms decorated in the late 19th and early 20th century style. Its current exhibition, “Ordering through the Catalog,” highlights household items donated by Washington County residents.“Many of these everyday pieces came from the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog,” said Julianne O’Connell, site manager.Founded as a mail-order watch company in the la...

St. Louis Battlehawks will make playoffs in these three scenarios

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

ST. LOUIS - We've made it to the final weekend of the regular season for the XFL. The St. Louis Battlehawks likely won't know their fate for playoffs until Sunday, but they can improve their odds with a Saturday matinee to end the regular season. The Battlehawks are fighting for the second and final playoff spot in the XFL North Division with the Seattle Sea Dragons. Both carry a 6-3 record and Seattle has a stronger chance to determine their own destiny after a head-to-head win last weekend. RELATED - Albert Pujols confident that 2023 Cardinals will overcome slow start The Sea Dragons won't play their regular season finale until late Sunday evening, leading to a bit of a waiting period for the Battlehawks and perhaps some scoreboard watching after their tilt Saturday. There are at least three scenarios in which the Battlehawks would claim playoffs this week, and league tiebreakers would play a part in at least two. Keep an eye out for these situations...STL: Win, Seattle: LossSt...

Colorado snow totals for April 22, 2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

The following Colorado snow totals have been reported by the National Weather Service for April 22, 2023, as of 10:10 a.m.Alma, CO — 4.5 inches at 7:36 a.m. MDTArapahoe Park, CO — 6 inches at 8:20 a.m. MDTArapahoe Peak, CO — 9 inches at 7:36 a.m. MDTArvada, CO — 3.9 inches at 7:33 a.m. MDTAurora, CO — 4.6 inches at 6 a.m. MDTBailey, CO — 3.5 inches at 7:19 a.m. MDTBerthoud Pass, CO — 9 inches at 7:36 a.m. MDTBerthoud, CO — 1.5 inches at 7 a.m. MDTBeulah, CO — 3 inches at 8:40 a.m. MDTBlue River, CO — 6 inches at 7:36 a.m. MDTRelated ArticlesWeather | Denver weather: How much snow will Denver get from snowstorm hitting city Friday, Saturday? Weather | Colorado’s heavy snowfall toll: CDOT gets $45 million to patch plowing budget, repair roads Weather | Denver weather: Cool and breezy, afternoon clouds expected across sunny blue skies Weather | Cloud seeding catching o...

Saunders: Kris Bryant says he can be the quiet leader Rockies need right now

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

The Rockies paid Kris Bryant a lot of money to speak softly and swing a big stick.They did not give him a seven-year, $182 million contract last March to be a cheerleader or a rah-rah guy. Good thing, because that’s not in Bryant’s nature. It never pays to have a player try to be something he’s not.Owner Dick Monfort is paying Bryant, 31, to be the best hitter on the team, drive in runs and mash 30 or more home runs a season. Injuries limited him to just 42 games last season, so 2023 is a do-over. The early returns are decidedly mixed: .293 average, three homers, four doubles, six RBIs, and a 114 OPS+ entering the weekend. With runners in scoring position, he was hitting .188 with five strikeouts in 16 at-bats.Given Bryant’s talent and track record, and adding in the Coors Field factor, I can see Bryant hitting .300 and launching 30 homers by the end of 2023. Last month, I predicted he would be the team MVP.But the question I’ve struggled with is whethe...

Man arrested day after alleged fatal beating in Huntington Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:29 GMT

The suspect in a deadly beating in Huntington Park has been arrested just over a day after the killing, authorities said. Miguel Angel Zavaleta, 29, was taken into custody by the Huntington Police Department at about 3 a.m. Saturday in the 2500 block of Clarendon Avenue in Huntington Park, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. Zavaleta allegedly beat a man in his 60s outside of outside Pacific Plaza in the 5600 block of Pacific Boulevard a few minutes before 2 a.m. Friday morning.When officers arrived at the scene, they found the unidentified victim suffering from blunt-force trauma to his upper chest, and he was pronounced dead at the scene."Investigators learned the victim was standing outside of a convenience store when he was confronted by the suspect who began to attack him and push him down to the ground," the LASD said in the release. "During the attack, the victim appeared to be kicked and punched by the suspect."Zavaleta was the "sole suspect" ...