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Leander sets property tax rate, approves budget

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Leander approved its property tax rate and next year's budget. The tax rate was unanimously approved and set at 41.7282 cents per every $100 of property valuation. The tax rate is about 1.5 cents lower than the previous tax rate, but homeowners will be paying more because property values have gone up. The city is growing fast. In 2010, there were about 26,000 people living in Leander, but that number today is closer to 90,000, according to Leander city manager Rick Beverlin. What's in the budget? Half of the general fund is dedicated to public safety. There is $125,000 allotted in the budget for a public safety efficiency study that will be conducted by a third-party company. The study will look at both the fire and police departments to make sure they are operating the best they can. That includes the way shifts are scheduled and the use of technology. Beverlin said it is important to make sure those departments are running properly as they will...

Local brewery to donate skateboards to Austin 5th graders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Workers and volunteers at an Austin-area brewery took part in a program with a national non-profit Sunday to bring skateboards to children at one Austin elementary school. Oskar Blues Austin workers and volunteers built 60 skateboards to donate to the entire 5th grade class at Pillow Elementary School in north central Austin. The skateboards will be delivered to the class on Monday morning. Workers and volunteers at Oskar Blues Austin construct skateboards for children at Pillow Elementary. (KXAN: Frank Martinez)Workers and volunteers at Oskar Blues Austin construct skateboards for children at Pillow Elementary. (KXAN: Frank Martinez)Workers and volunteers at Oskar Blues Austin construct skateboards for children at Pillow Elementary. (KXAN: Frank Martinez)The brewery built the boards as part of the Can'd Aid's Tread + Trails program. Can'd Aid said more than 17,800 skateboards and bikes have been built and donated to children in disadvantaged communities.Brian Ball ...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, setting stage for a meeting with Putin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

By KIM TONG-HYUNG (Associated Press)SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia, both countries said Monday, and he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.A brief statement on the Kremlin’s website said the visit is at Putin’s invitation and would take place “in the coming days.” It also was reported by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, which said the leaders would meet — without specifying when and where.“The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un will meet and have a talk with Comrade Putin during the visit,” it said.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said delegations from both countries will meet but didn’t confirm plans for a bilateral session between Putin and Kim, saying the leaders will meet one-on-one “if necessary.”Associated Pres...

Watervliet man tried to meet minor for sexual exploitation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Watervliet man was arrested on Thursday, August 29, after trying to meet a child he believed to be 12 years old in Colonie for sexual exploitation. Abhay Shukla, 44, is charged with first-degree attempted criminal sex act. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! Investigators with assistance from Troop G Computer Crimes Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested Shukla after an investigation found he made arrangements and traveled to an agreed-upon location in Colonie with a child he believed to be 12 years old, according to New York State Police. Shukla was arrested and processed by Latham State Police. He was arraigned at the Colonie Town Court and is held at the Albany County Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 cash, a $200,000 bond, or a $250,000 partially secured bond.

5 things to know this Monday, September 11

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today marks 22 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Today, we look back to honor the over 3,000 lives lost. We shall never forget those who perished and the first responders who selflessly braved the unknown that day. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! According to Meteorologist Jill Szwed, we're going to be seeing similar weather to the weekend. A stalled front will keep us cloudy, humid, and unsettled.The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a drowning that happened at Great Sacandaga Lake around 12:35 Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Troy Police Department responded to a stabbing near 1st Street shortly after 8 p.m. on Sunday. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Monday morning. 1. SCSO investigating Great Sacandaga Lake drowningThe Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a drowning that happened at Great Sacandaga Lake around 12:35 Sunday afternoon....

What St. Louis was like on Sept. 11, 2001

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Monday marks 22 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, one of the deadliest days in the nation's history known as 9/11. Two planes crashed into each of the World Trade Center towers in New York, one crashed into the side of the Pentagon in Virginia, and another crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All told, 2,977 Americans lost their lives during the attacks. For many who lived through 9/11, the events that unfolded that day will never be forgotten. On that day, FOX 2 followed the emerging details of the tragedy closely and documented the response around St. Louis through several localized stories. What happened in St. Louis on 9/11? According to stories from FOX 2's archives...St. Louis Lambert International Airport stopped flights early that morning in compliance with orders from an FAA security plan. Throughout the day, increased security and police patrols, plus bomb-sniffing dogs, surveyed the area to ensure safety and ease wor...

Adam Wainwright's bizarre story around the 9/11 attacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

NEW YORK - Adam Wainwright is weeks away from calling it a career. Years before he debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals, he had a bizarre experience and perhaps a life-saving twist of fate around the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The story was first told by Cardinals beat writer Derrick Goold in a September 2011 report for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By early September 2001, Wainwright had finished his first full season as a prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization. He planned a guys' trip to New York City with his brother, Trey, from Sept. 10-11. The two initially planned to see Roger Clemens pitch at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10. That game was postponed due to rain. 25 years later: Remembering Mark McGwire’s record-setting 62nd home run Instead, the brothers decided to visit the Empire State Building on Sept. 10. Somewhere in Adam's personal collection, according to the Post-Dispatch report, he has a photo dated Sept. 10, 2001, on top of the Empire State Building with the W...

Troy, Missouri announces boil order after Sunday evening water main break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

TROY, Mo. - Troy, Missouri, is now under a boil order as of Monday morning. This was announced after crews restored water services to locals after a water main break Sunday evening. The boil order will last 48 hours and is set to expire Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Once a St. Louis County subdivision, now a disc golf course FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

8-year-old gets surprise during bake sale to raise money for surgery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS - 8-year-old Brier Whitley has a rare bone disease called 'XLH' that will require major surgery. He joined FOX 2 at 9 a.m. last week to help promote his bake sale to raise money. FOX 2's Ty Hawkins shared more about the incredible turnout and his story.Brier shared that he's had a lot of people come up to him and ask, 'Why are you so short?' He tells them, 'I have this bone disease called XLH. My legs are bent and yours are straight.'Brier's family is doing everything they can to cover his medical expenses, but with the cost of traveling for this big surgery coming up, they needed a little help. So this past weekend, they held a bake sale. Tri My Best adaptive triathlon: empowering kids and raising funds for a cause Brier came on the 9 a.m. show last Thursday to tell us all about it. His wit and personality were a hit. On Saturday afternoon, FOX 2 staff stopped by the sale. So did Lamborghini's from 'Holman Motor Cars St. Louis' and the 'Lamborghini Owner's Club.'"L...

Pedestrian killed in crash with motorist in Aurora late Sunday night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:15:58 GMT

Police are investigating a Sunday night crash involving a motorist and a pedestrian in Aurora that left one person dead.The crash occurred on Peoria Street at about 10:20 p.m., closing the roadway from 19th Avenue to Montview Boulevard, the Aurora Police Department said on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.#APDTrafficAlert: APD’s Traffic Unit is investigating a fatal crash on Peoria Street involving a motorist and a pedestrian that happened about 10:20p. Driver/vehicle remained on scene. Peoria is closed between 19th and Montview. pic.twitter.com/92HI06p3UA— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) September 11, 2023The driver and vehicle remained on scene after the crash, police said.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | After Maui fire, Denver to start using emergency sirens for more than just tornadoes Crashes and Disasters | Colorado trucking company in I-25 crash that killed 5 family members tried to buy insurance hours after wrec...