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Austin police chief responds to criticisms about deadly shooting spree response

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department shared its first major update Tuesday about a sweeping investigation into a deadly shooting spree that left six people dead and three others injured one week ago. Central Texas shooting spree suspect faces 10 charges, including 4 for capital murder APD Interim Chief Robin Henderson responded to criticism raised by some of the victims' families as well as neighbors about the lack of an alert about the various shootings across the city. She told reporters the department did not connect the incidents to the same suspect until later in the evening on Dec. 5, the day the various shootings happened across Austin and San Antonio. "The descriptions we were working on throughout the day were different. Each vehicle used was different," Henderson explained, "so while it might have seemed that it was obvious, there was no indication based on the information and intelligence that we had at the time the incidents were unfolding that they were relat...

What could Texas Supreme Court ruling mean for future abortion exception cases?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas Supreme Court ruling in the case of a Dallas woman who sought an emergency abortion amid pregnancy complications is raising new questions about what conditions doctors may perform the procedure under Texas law. Last week, a Travis County court ruled Kate Cox could receive an abortion under the medical exceptions in the state's abortion law, which bans nearly all abortions after six weeks. Cox received a fatal fetal diagnosis at 20 weeks of pregnancy called trisomy 18. The fetus is unable to sustain life, and Cox argued her health and future fertility would be at risk if she gave birth. The Travis County ruling was put on pause Friday after Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an emergency opinion to the highest court in Texas. While the state Supreme Court evaluated the merits of the case, attorneys for Cox said her condition worsened — saying she visited the emergency room four times and experienced elevated vitals and risked a uterine rupture, which could...

One-on-one with Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

AUSTIN (NEXSTAR0 – Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht joined Ryan Chandler on Dec. 7 for an extensive interview analyzing his legacy on the high court, his concerns for the politicization of the judiciary, and the fate of major abortion cases awaiting judgment. Watch the full interview on the video player above.

Kate Cox attorney: TX Supreme Court ruling disappointing, but leaves room for optimism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Kaplan – an attorney for Kate Cox, the 31-year-old Dallas woman at the center of a landmark challenge to Texas' abortion ban – sat down with Ryan Chandler just after the Texas Supreme Court blocked a lower court ruling that would have allowed her to have a medical abortion. Kaplan breaks down their reaction to the ruling and explains what it could mean for other women with challenges in front of the high court.Watch the full interview in the video player above.

Roland Gutierrez on his race to take on Ted Cruz

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, joined Ryan Chandler to talk through the issues forming his race against Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.Gutierrez talked about his experience fighting for Uvalde families, his push to codify abortion nationwide, and his split with his primary challenger on the Israel-Hamas War.Watch the full interview on the video player above.

Circle K Stores and Holiday fined $200,000 for gas storage tank violations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

Holiday Stationstores and Circle K Stores must pay a $200,000 fine and spend more than $3.25 million to upgrade equipment after being found guilty of violations by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.MPCA officials say the fine was levied after an enforcement investigation found that Holiday, based in Bloomington, and Circle K, based in Charlotte, N.C., failed to properly “test, report and fix or replace corrosion protection equipment between 2019 and 2022 at five Minnesota gas station convenience stores owned by the companies,” according to a press release. The stores are located in Northfield, Owatonna, Pine City, Rochester and Walker, according to the MPCA.The equipment, known as cathodic protection, is designed to protect older underground tank systems from corrosion that can increase the chance of leaks and petroleum releases to area soils and groundwater sources, according to the MPCA.Operating permits granted by the MPCA require companies to test the equipment at least ann...

Injured Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins shows off his ‘Dad Swag’ on ‘ManningCast’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

Vikings franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins has become known for his Dad Swag.It started when he rocked a short-sleeve buttoned-up shirt at the podium last season after the Vikings earned a Week 1 win over the Packers. On that particular day, Twin Cities radio personality Dana Wessel tweeted a screenshot of Cousins with the caption, “You just know this dude is rolling in Kohl’s Cash.” The movement took off from there with Cousins actually partnering with Kohl’s in response.Maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Cousins, who is out for the rest of the season with an injury, used his appearance on this week’s “ManningCast” to further promote his Dad Swag. He released a promo video before he went on with Manning brothers — Peyton and Eli host an alternative broadcast of Monday Night Football — during which he filmed himself in his closet trying on different outfits.“Just bought this one,” Cousins said of the cardigan h...

Ramsey County commissioners approve 2024 budget, 6.8% property tax levy increase

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a 2024 budget of nearly $808.5 million, along with a 6.8 percent increase in the property tax levy to help fund it.The tax hike, which is more than double the average increase imposed by the county over the past decade, has drawn sharp criticism from property owners during public hearings.While the median increase in tax bills countywide will be 3.8 percent, some residents will see theirs jump double digits. The median St. Paul property owner, for example, will see their tax bill increase only 0.5 percent, but their counterpart in Lauderdale will see an increase of 10.1 percent, according to information released by the county.Ramsey County manager Ryan O’Connor, who will soon leave his post for a job as regional administrator of the Metropolitan Council, said in an August report to commissioners that the move was necessary to shore up the county’s finances after the board kept tax increases to a minimum during ...

Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips vows to learn from arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since being arrested on suspicion of DWI over the weekend.“I do understand that as a coach in this league there are standards from the NFL, and from the Minnesota Vikings, and I didn’t live up to those standards,” Phillips said. “The last thing I would ever want to do is detract from the attention being on the great things that these guys do on the field.”According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Phillips, 44, was pulled over for speeding on I-394 in Minneapolis at approximately 9:45 p.m. on Friday. He showed signs of impairment at the time and ultimately tested with a blood alcohol content of 0.10. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08.“It doesn’t really matter where I was at,” Phillips said in regards to his blood alcohol content. “The important thing is to learn from the mistakes that were made.”After being notified of the arrest on...

Hip-hop star Nicki Minaj to play her first local headlining arena show in April

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:00 GMT

Hip-hop star Nicki Minaj will make her local debut as an arena headliner on April 27 when she plays Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster. Citi cardholders have access to a presale that runs through 9 p.m. Thursday. Neither the venue nor the promoter announced ticket prices.Minaj was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982 to gospel-singing parents. Her mother earned a green card and moved to the Bronx to attend Monroe College. When Minaj was five, her mother brought her, her two brothers and father to live with her in Queens. As a teen, Minaj attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. After graduating, she pursued an acting career and landed a role in the Off-Broadway play “In Case You Forget” in 2001.After struggling to find further acting work — and getting fired from more than 15 restaurant and other jobs due to her rude attitude — Minaj began rapping, initially with the quart...