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Austin City Council votes to increase funding for cemetery operations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin City Council voted Thursday to amend a contract to increase funding for city cemetery operations at the five city-owed cemeteries in Austin. The amended contract will give up to $11 million to the Parks Department and a burial services contractor to provide cemetery services for the next decade. The additional money will help the department overcome lingering economic issues from the COVID-19 pandemic. “A lot of folks have been facing [similar challenges] over these last few years,” said Jason Walker, interim division manager for cemetery operations with the department. “They include staffing issues, there was a hiring freeze, which prevented us from hiring staff and then also training that staff,” he continued. Additionally, like in many other industries, Austin Cemetary Operations dealt with supply chain issues, making it difficult for the department to get all the necessary equipment. Walker said these pandemic-related economic diffi...

High school football: Wisconsin first-round playoff predictions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

Here are some of the top high school football first-round playoff games involving teams from western Wisconsin, (* Teams listed by playoff seeds.)No. 6 River Falls vs. No. 3 Menomonie, at University of Wisconsin-Stout, 7 p.m.Menomonie beat River Falls 39-15 in the regular season just two weeks ago. That victory is the reason the Mustangs are hosting Friday’s game. River Falls enters the game knowing it moved the ball on the ground in the last meeting. But the Wildcats must convert drives into touchdowns, and hope they can slow the game down enough to keep the ball away from Menomonie’s suddenly potent offense. OUR PICK: Menomonie 28, River Falls 24No. 8 Chippewa Falls (4-5) at No, 1 Hudson (8-1), 7 p.m.Hudson had to work to edge Chippewa Falls 13-8 on Sept. 1. But Hudson’s offense clicked shortly after that game, and hasn’t slowed dow since. The Raiders are a lock to score 30-plus points on a nightly basis. Still, you cannot underestimate Chippewa Falls, whic...

State of Gophers linebackers shows what can happen in current college football landscape

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

The roster of Gopher linebackers in 2023 compared to 2022 reveal the realities and ravages of the current state of college football.Inexperienced players Devon Williams and Maverick Baranowski have been thrust into starting roles in all six games this season. A year ago, they were the No. 8 and 9 linebackers on Minnesota’s total tackle list. Williams had two tackles and Baranowski one.How Minnesota was forced to start a redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore this season has been the byproduct of three primary factors:1. Inevitable graduations. Last year spelled the end of college football for top tackler and leader Mariano Sori-Marin as well as backup Josh Aune of St. Paul.2. Injuries. Top returner Cody Lindeberg was expected to be an all-Big Ten-caliber player, but the Anoka native’s leg injury has forced him to miss all six games so far this season. Also, Derik LeCaptain is out for the year with an arm injury.3. Transfer portal. Backups Braelen Oliver and Donald Willis exited th...

No one injured after head-on crash in Pownal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

POWNAL, Vt. (NEWS10) -- A man from Schaghticoke, New York, and North Adams, Massachusetts, escaped a head-on car crash without injury in Pownal on Thursday. Both wore their seatbelts and did not receive medical treatment despite both cars suffering driver-side front-end damage. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Vermont State Police responded to Vermont Route 346 in Pownal for reports of two cars colliding head-on. Upon arrival, police found two cars in a position of uncontrolled rest with one car in the southbound lane and another in the northbound lane. A Nissan Sentra was traveling southbound and a Chevrolet Silverado was traveling northbound.Police say roadway evidence showed the driver of the Nissan crossed the center line and hit the driver of the Chevrolet. Both cars sustained totaling damage and were towed from the scene. Pownal Fire, Pownal Rescue, and All Service Citgo assisted on the scene.

Albany man arrested in grand larceny investigation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Albany man was arrested after allegedly receiving $138K from a victim for construction work and never completing it. Michael Matteo, 57, is charged with second-degree grand larceny. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On August 8, Albany Police received a call from a victim who said he paid Matteo $138K for construction work to be done, but Matteo never completed the work. Through an investigation, Albany Police say they found Matteo received payments from June 21, 2022, through January 11, 2023, to renovate a residence in the City of Albany. Police say Matteo accepted the payment but never completed the work. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Albany City Criminal Court.

A Colorado river guide is on a quest to set a new women’s record for rowing from California to Hawaii

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

BUENA VISTA — Imagine embarking on a road trip from Baltimore to San Francisco — 2,800 rolling miles of American highway ahead, with plentiful stops for sustenance and respite.Now take away the land and the air-conditioned SUV. Replace it with endless miles of ocean and a 28-foot boat powered only by human stamina. Rest comes in the form of a seemingly endless string of two-hour catnaps, wedged between backbreaking shifts pulling oars.No snooze button, no days off, no excuses — just open water from the California coast to Hawaii. Two thousand eight hundred miles.Daunting? Sure. But Buena Vista resident Kelsey Pfendler says she wouldn’t want it any other way. The 29-year-old is a modern-day vagabond who runs rivers as a raft guide, patrols ski slopes when the snow flies and lives out of a revamped 1984 VW Vanagon with 310,000 miles on the odometer.“My whole life has been trying to figure out how to be in the middle of nowhere in a boat,” said Pfend...

East Colfax motel owner gives up license amid police investigations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

The previous owner of an East Colfax Avenue motel has surrendered his lodging license a month after Denver officials suspended it amid rampant criminal activity at the establishment.Denver’s Department of Excise and Licenses on Monday accepted owner Daniel Kim’s request to surrender his license to operate the Regis Motel at 8282 E. Colfax Ave., according to city documents.Kim told The Denver Post last month that he sold the motel earlier this year but forgot to surrender his license. The new owner, Geradette Borrego, never applied for a new license, city officials said. She received a summons from the Denver City Attorney’s Office for operating without a license.The city took the unusual step in September of suspending the Regis Motel’s license, saying it had become a den for prostitution, drug sales, illegal weapons and burglaries, and was the site of a fatal shooting.Police said last month that they were continuing to investigate crimes that occurred at the...

Maria Esquivel Fatally Struck in DUI Collision on Highway 99 [Selma, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

Chui Kyu Shin Arrested after Fatal Two-Vehicle Crash near Mountain View AvenueSELMA, CA (October 19, 2023) – Monday evening, Maria Esquivel lost her life in a collision involving a driver under the influence on Highway 99.Around 9:15 p.m., emergency personnel arrived at the scene on the northbound lanes of the freeway just north of Mountain View Avenue.According to reports, a Chevrolet van collided with the rear of a slowly moving Ford Explorer. This impact caused the Ford to veer off the road and collide with a concrete barrier.Medics arrived and declared the back seat passenger, Maria Esquivel, a 71-year-old resident of Clovis, deceased. The 76-year-old male driver of the Ford and his two female passengers, aged 72 and 26, sustained minor injuries.All three injured individuals were transported to Community Regional Medical Center for medical care.Meanwhile, California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers apprehended the van’s driver for driving under the influence and placed ...

Russell Hawk Dies after Car Crash on Carolina Street [Vallejo, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

Elderly Vallejo Man Killed after Pursuit Ends in Crash near Sonoma BoulevardVALLEJO, CA (October 19, 2023) – A car crash involving a runaway driver on Carolina Street Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of Russell Hawk.Initially, an officer attempted to pull over a reckless driver of a red Ford Fusion around 2:30 p.m. near Sonoma Boulevard and Carolina Street.However, the Ford driver failed to stop and fled west on Carolina Street at a high rate of speed, passing two stop signs.Eventually, the car came to a stop after hitting multiple parked vehicles on the south curb of the roadway. An elderly man standing between two parked cars was crushed from the impact, according to the police.The first responders rushed the man to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Later, the Solano County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased male victim as 76-year-old Russell Hawk.After the crash, witnesses reported that the suspect fled the scene on foot. It remains unclear whether auth...

MISE 店 Opens In Little Tokyo and Daring Delights At Tuk Tuk Thai – Here’s What’s Popping Up

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:27:00 GMT

MISE 店, a culinary and home store dedicated to Japanese cooking, opens on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and will be open from Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., during all special events at the JACCC, and also by appointment. The sleek storefront in the museum lobby arrives on the heels of the JACCC’s new culinary program, which has hosted fine dining concepts Niki Nakayama’s n/soto and currently houses Hansei by Chris Ono.Opening weekend will feature a full weekend of tastings, workshops, and activities led by Japanese artisans from the city of Tsubame Sanjo in the Niigata prefecture, legendary for metal works, to share their craft exclusively at MISE. Highlights include: Knife Sharpening with Tsukasa Hinoura, one of Japan’s most recognized knife makers, will lead a workshop to sharpen and finish Santoku-style Hinoura knives, which have a years-long waitlist. The workshop includes a knife forged by Master Tsu...