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Austin yard displays greet children heading back to school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's back-to-school season throughout Central Texas, and Austinites might see some colorful new displays welcoming students back to school.Kimmie Klein originally opened Austin Yard Cards in 2014 as a way to put a more unique flair on birthdays, graduations and other celebratory occasions. Last year, Liz Merkel took over the business for Klein, a friend of hers from their neighborhood.Despite the business being nearly a decade old, Merkel remembered the surge in interest at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. She said it served as a great opportunity to share love for friends, family or other community members when in-person gatherings were more limited."For a little short while, it was kind of the best we could do to make sure everyone still felt loved and celebrated," she said. "It was nice to be able to have that during that time."While there was a downturn in sales and interest in late 2021, Merkel said the appetite for yard displays has grown since an initial...

Murder charge dismissed, man gets 5 years for unlawful possession of a firearm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) —  A man was convicted and sentenced Aug. 1 in connection with a May 2022 offense, according to Travis County court documents.Records showed 51-year-old Michael Lance Arendt was sentenced to serve five years in state prison for the unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.Arendt was originally charged with murder, but the charge was dismissed during a plea agreement, according to documents.According to past KXAN coverage, Arendt was arrested in Laredo as a suspect in the May 16, 2022, death of 42-year-old Anthony Israel Yancey.Toward his sentence, documents showed Arendt has received a jail credit of 431 days.

Business People: Optum Health names Amar A. Desai CEO

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

OF NOTEAmar A. DesaiOptum Health, an Eden Prairie-based health care management division of medical insurer UnitedHealth Group, announced that Dr. Amar A. Desai was named chief executive officer. Desai previously served as president of Health Care Delivery at CVS Health. Desai succeeds Dr. Wyatt Decker, who was named executive vice president for UnitedHealth Group and chief physician, Innovation and Value-Based Care. ..ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONSRise and Shine and Partners, a Minneapolis ad agency, announced the advancement or directors Amber Benson and Ishan Dumra to its leadership team. Dumra is director of strategy, insights and culture; Benson is director of media and communications strategy.ATTRACTIONSStearns History Museum, St. Cloud, announced that Executive Director Carie Essig is leaving to pursue an opportunity at Stride Academy, a St. Cloud charter school. Development Director Amy Degerstrom will serve as interim executive director.BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTJacqueline Rambin, a...

Police investigating crash involving bicyclist in Moreau

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

MOREAU, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saratoga County Sheriff's Office is investigating a crash involving a vehicle and a bicycle that occurred on Saturday evening in Moreau. The bicyclist sustained non-life threatening injuries in the incident. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On August 19 at 5:27 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Reservoir Road and Route 32 for the report of an accident. Preliminary investigation revealed that a 2017 Cadillac XT5 had been traveling northbound on Route 32 when it struck a bicycle that was operated by Philip Davis, 65, of Moreau, who had also been traveling northbound. According to police, Davis was transported to Albany Medical Center, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and is currently in stable condition, while the driver of the Cadillac was not injured in the accident. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Man who drove through crowd at Golden bar pleads guilty to murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

The 30-year-old man who killed one man and injured six others when he drove a truck through a crowd outside a Jefferson County bar last year pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday, according to court records.Ruben Marquez also pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of vehicular assault in a plea agreement in which the first-degree murder charge against him and several other charges were dismissed.Marquez drove a truck through a crowd at Rock Rest Lodge in Golden around 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 9. One man, 26-year-old Adrian Ponce, was struck and killed. Another four people were seriously injured, and two suffered minor injuries, authorities said at the time.A chaotic drunken brawl that might have been motivated by a gang dispute preceded the hit-and-run, authorities said. Marquez and his cousin, Ernesto Avila, were both charged in connection with the incident.Related ArticlesCourts | Driver plows through crowd at Golden bar, killing one and inju...

Five easy dinners for peak zucchini

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

By Emily Weinstein, The New York TimesLast week, we talked tomatoes; this week is all about our zeal for zucchini, with recipes devoted to summer’s low-key charmer. While I love zucchini, I do not love mushy, watery zucchini, and so it’s essential to lean on recipes and techniques that best show it off.Don’t ignore zucchini’s other divine purpose: as an ingredient for baking. Zucchini bread, zucchini muffins and chocolate zucchini loaf cake are all worthy of your time. Next week: corn!1. Chilled Zucchini Soup With Lemon and BasilDuring the warmest days, there is no more welcome promise than a no-cook meal. A blender or food processor makes quick work of this peak summer zucchini soup, which requires no cooking and is best served chilled. Cashews thicken the soup while adding a creamy silkiness and a gentle sweetness. Since taste buds don’t register the flavors of cold foods as well as warm ones, chilled soups require generous seasonings. Here, the mellow raw zucchini is bolstered by...

Tropical Storm Hilary live cameras

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

Watch live views of Tropical Storm Hilary as it hits the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Live views will rotate between beach and city cameras, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and other locations. Hilary was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday morning, but it is still expected to dump between two and 10 inches of rain across Southern California and deliver wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour.The U.S. hurricane center posted tropical storm and potential flood warnings for Southern California from the Pacific coast to interior mountains and deserts as far north as eastern Oregon and Idaho. The San Bernardino County sheriff issued evacuation warnings for several mountain and foothill communities ahead of the storm, while Orange County sent out its own alert for anyone living in a wildfire burn scar in the Santa Ana Mountains' Silverado and Williams canyons.Across the region, municipalities ran out of free sandbags and grocery shelves emptied out as ...

How Californians can prepare for Tropical Storm Hilary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

As Tropical Storm Hilary barrels towards Southern California, residents are preparing for the unprecedented storm that made landfall on Sunday.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stressed the importance of staying safe, staying home and staying informed during the storm. She also offered ways that Angelenos can prepare for Tropical Storm Hilary:Stay away from the shoreline and beaches throughout the duration of the stormVisit the National Weather Service website for hurricane safety tips and resourcesFollow @ReadyLA on social media for general resources and informationSign up for NotifyLA to receive emergency updatesVisit the LADOT website to view significant road closures or transportation impactsCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom took to Twitter to remind potentially impacted Californians of five essential steps that can be taken to stay safer during the storm: Stay connected – Check CalAlerts for local updates, call 311 to get help or 911 for a critical emergency and check on vulnerable...

San Mateo County: Man suspected of multiple sexual assaults arrested in San Bruno

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

A 40-year-old San Bruno man suspected of committing multiple sexual assaults was arrested on Saturday.The man, Jaime Garcia Mogollan, is being charged with sexual battery after allegedly initiating “unwarranted physical contact” with two women in Millbrae last week.The first alleged incident occurred on August 13 while a 28-year-old woman was walking on the Spur Trail near Millbrae Avenue. The second alleged assault, two days later, happened just a few blocks away — this time involving a 38-year-old woman walking with her son. Both women described their assailant as a man wearing a black hoodie with white writing on the back.In response to the two incidents, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office said they “saturated the Spur Trail area with undercover decoys and plainclothes detectives.” Uniformed officers also were available to escort community members.Then, on Saturday, the San Bruno Police Department received a call regarding a suspicious person in San Bruno City Park...

Oakland shooting Sunday morning leaves one person dead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:52 GMT

A person was shot just before 6 a.m. Sunday morning on the 9200 block of E Street in Oakland.“Medical personnel arrived on scene and attempted life-saving measures, but unfortunately, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene,” Oakland Police Department spokesperson Rosalia Lopez said in an email to The Bay Area News Group on Sunday.This is the 70th homicide to be investigated by OPD this year, compared to 77 this time last year.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Stray bullet from ‘gun battle’ wounds woman asleep in Oakland home Crime and Public Safety | San Ramon woman shot in West Oakland Crime and Public Safety | San Jose police officer remains hospitalized after shooting Crime and Public Safety | Drive-by shooting targets group walking in East Bay, strikes home with residents inside Crime and Public Safety | Woman found shot to death in hills ...