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Report: Qualified lifeguards could have been turned away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Every Summer the City of Austin relies on hundreds of lifeguards to watch over city pools.The hiring process begins in November and to successfully run all 34 pools the city needs about 860 lifeguards.In 2022, over 1,000 people applied to be lifeguards, PARD hired about 422, and over 200 lifeguards returned from earlier seasons, but some qualified candidates were turned away according to a recent report.The report states: “We found that 95% of lifeguard applicants received notices that they were not selected for the position. These notices were not usually an accurate reflection of the applicant’s status. For example, 93% of the 422 lifeguards eventually hired by PARD received an inaccurate notice of non-selection.”There is a process that potential candidates must go through which includes a background check, a lifeguard certification course and additional paperwork for employment.Candidates apply on the city job portal, eCareer, and once their application is receive...

‘Black Panther’ director Ryan Coogler to develop ‘X-Files’ reboot with ‘diverse cast’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

By Karu F. Daniels“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler has his next job already on deck — a reboot of “The X-Files.”Chris Carter, the eight-time Emmy-nominated creator of the seminal 1990s sci-fi series, let the cat out of the bag during an interview celebrating the 30th anniversary of the show.“I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount ‘The X-Files’ with a diverse cast,” he revealed on CBC radio show “On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko” this week. “He’s got his work cut out for him because we covered so much territory.”Carter said Coogler, whose latest movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’’ received five 2023 Oscar nominations, will have to contend with today’s cultural landscape — a stark contrast from when the series premiered 30 years ago.“We’re so steeped in conspiracies now,” Carter added. “The X-Files dealt with a central conspiracy, but now the world is so full of conspiracies that I think that it would be a different show.”Originally l...

St. Paul to invite bars and restaurants to a ‘SAC’ lottery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

The city of St. Paul is inviting restaurants, bars, breweries and micro-distilleries to participate in one of the most unusual lotteries around — a proverbial roll of the dice for a “SAC” credit.When a business expands, the Metropolitan Council, the metro’s regional planning agency, requires municipalities to pay a one-time “sewer availability charge” to cover the added cost to wastewater maintenance and infrastructure. That little-understood charge, which is passed along by the city, often takes new restaurant and bar owners by surprise, especially when they suddenly incur what can be a sizable charge for installing outdoor seating.The Met Council calculates SAC differently for various types of uses, but one “SAC” credit covering up to 1,200 square feet of outdoor seating area for a restaurant or bar is currently $2,485. The same credit would cover up to 3,000 square feet of outdoor seating area for a micro-distillery. A new business ...

Hastings school board member gets probation for DWI

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

A Hastings school board member has been sentenced to probation and 40 hours of community service for drunken driving.Mark Zuzek, 58, admitted he drank vodka in his garage and then drove to Woodbury, where a police officer stopped his car at 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 17, according to court records. A breath test indicated his blood alcohol level was .18, more than twice the legal limit to drive.courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's OfficeA booking photo of Mark Zuzek of Hastings following his arrest on Nov. 17, 2022. (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)He pleaded guilty March 14 to fourth-degree DWI, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced the same day.Washington County District Judge Douglas Meslow gave Zuzek a 90-day suspended jail sentence with credit for the two days already served and two years of supervised probation. Other terms include paying $512 in fines and fees, attending a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel and using an ignition locking d...

Schenectady man sentenced to 7 years on drug and gun charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Thursday, Brandon Prawl, 28, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 7 years in prison. Prawl was convicted of distributing heroin, possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On October 4, 2019, Prawl was found to be in possession of a .45 caliber pistol and loaded magazine, over 21 grams of heroin, and drug distribution paraphernalia. Prawl will also serve a 3-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.

Crossgates Mall roundabout construction starts April 3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The CDTA is constructing a new roundabout at Crossgates Mall for access to and from the I-87 Northway as part of its Purple Line Project. Construction begins on Monday, April 3 and is expected to finish by the end of July. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Traffic signals will also be upgraded on Crossgates Mall Road along with repaving, restriping, and updated landscaping. The CDTA explains the improvements will help with the flow of buses in and around the mall and future developments in the area. CDTA reports that the Purple Line is its third bus rapid transit line. It will operate along Washington and Western Avenues, connecting downtown Albany, the Harriman Office campus, UAlbany and Crossgates Mall. It will also connect to the existing Red and Blue Lines, providing CDTA customers with great access to destinations across the Capital Region. Construction schedulePhase 1A April 3 – April 21: On ram...

Cuomo on Nashville shooting: 'You don't hunt with an assault weapon, you don't need it for self-defense'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (HILL) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo weighed in on gun control in the wake of a mass shooting in Nashville where three children and three adults were killed at an elementary school. He argued that assault-style weapons aren’t needed for self defense and should be banned. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Even the National Rifle Association (NRA) supported the country’s 1930s move to outlaw machine guns, Cuomo said in an interview with John Catsimatidis, “because we as a society said, ‘It’s too dangerous to take the risk. Maybe somebody who is mentally ill could get a machine gun and could be on the corner and could kill 100 people before anyone could do anything.’” “So, we outlawed machine guns. Why can’t we bring that same intelligent, rational thought today? A machine gun and an assault weapon are basically the same issue,” Cuomo said. "Why run the risk of having weapons that are so dangerous? You don’t h...

St. Louis County man found not guilty in deaths of 5 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis County man has been found not guilty in the deaths of five people who were shot at an apartment complex in 2019.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a jury deliberated less than two hours Wednesday before acquitting 33-year-old Anthony Watkins of five counts of first-degree murder and five weapons charges.Prosecutors said Watkins and another man, Terrance Wesley, were seeking missing drugs before they killed five men in a partially boarded-up apartment known for drug deals on July 6, 2019. But Watkins' attorney, Robert Taaffe, said Wesley was behind the killings and tried to implicate Watkins in an effort to get leniency.Wesley reached a plea deal in July in exchange for his cooperation and testimony during the trial. He pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree murder and weapons offenses and is awaiting sentencing.St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement that prosecutors struggled with witness availabi...

TikTok ban pushed by Missouri's Hawley blocked in Senate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley tried to force a Senate vote Wednesday on legislation that would ban TikTok from operating in the United States, but he was blocked by a fellow Republican as lawmakers in both chambers are still trying to figure out what action, if any, is appropriate against the social media app.In trying to force a vote — a move that rarely works in the Senate, since one senator’s objection can block it — Hawley called TikTok “digital fentanyl” and argued it could give the Chinese government access to data from 150 million American users. His bill would block and prohibit U.S. transactions with TikTok’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., within 30 days.The bill “sends the message to Communist China that you cannot buy us,” Hawley said. Top Stories: Man accused of plowing into officers should not have been driving Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky objected to Hawley’s motion, arguing that trying to ban an app would violate the Constitutio...

March Madness: South Carolina favored against Clark’s Iowa

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

By The Associated PressMarch Madness is down to the Women’s Final Four. Defending champion South Carolina remains on track to repeat and complete the 10th undefeated season in the women’s game after its 86-75 win over Maryland. Virginia Tech became the second top seed to make it to Dallas with its 84-74 victory over Ohio State to round out the regional finals. With the Hokies advancing, it is the seventh time in the last 10 years there will be a first-time participant in the Final Four. LSU and Iowa won on Sunday to break long droughts. Here is what to know:GAMES TO WATCHNo. 3 LSU (33-2) vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech (31-4), Friday, 7 p.m. EDT, ESPNLSU has completed its rapid rise with Kim Mulkey, reaching the Final Four in its second season under the former Baylor coach. The Tigers are in the Final Four for the first time in 15 years after beating Miami 54-42. The Hokies have won 15 straight games and are in the Final Four for the first time in school history. Elizabeth Kitle...