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Hays CISD 'heartbroken' after elementary student passes away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - A Camino Real Elementary school student died on April 28, according to Hays CISD. In a Facebook message posted Monday, the district said it is heartbroken for the family of the young boy, Jonathan Velazquez. They said he was a first-grader. Hays CISD linked the family's GoFundMe page to help with memorial and funeral expenses. A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she lives in the same subdivision as the family. She said Jonathan drowned in the subdivision's pool. "We were in mourning. I mean, it hits so close to home. It was in the community pool, right next door where there were a lot of people present," she said.The neighbor said she attended a vigil for the family last Thursday where dozens came to give their condolences. "The family needs more support. They need financial support. They need emotional support," she said.The Hays County Sheriff's Office said it received a call of an unresponsive 7-year-old who was found in the community pool at...

Nurses, advocates of hospital staffing requirements decry Mayo Clinic’s ‘blackmail tactics’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

Minnesota Nurses Association members and sponsors of legislation to require hospitals to establish staffing levels took aim at Mayo Clinic on Monday for what they called “blackmail tactics” over the bills.Late last week, a Mayo Clinic official in an email to Gov. Tim Walz and lawmakers said the health system would cancel billions of dollars in investments in Minnesota if the state enacts staffing requirements and a health care cost board. The Minnesota Reformer revealed the email in a story published Friday.At a Monday news conference, Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, and union members railed against Mayo for deciding to outright oppose the bills and deliver an “ultimatum” at the “11th hour.” There are just two weeks left of the 2023 legislative session. Murphy said she hoped Mayo would stay in Minnesota and help be part of the solution to ongoing nursing shortages beleaguering the health care system.“It’s not the first time that a powerful corporation has threatened to leave M...

Up-and-coming mixed martial arts performer killed in Fargo-Moorhead crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

MOORHEAD, Minn. — A two-vehicle crash on the Interstate 94 bridge that links Moorhead and Fargo, N.D., killed a Breckenridge woman who was a standout high school athlete and rising star in mixed martial arts.Shalie Lipp, 21, died as a result of the crash in the eastbound lanes of the interstate, reported at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday.The Minnesota State Patrol has not explained the circumstances surrounding the crash, but in an updated report Monday, the agency said Lipp was the only person involved who was not restrained by a seat belt.The crash occurred between a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu, with Lipp being a passenger in the Chevrolet. All other occupants of the two vehicles were wearing seat belts and were not injured, the patrol said.The patrol’s updated report added that the Chevrolet made contact with the Jeep.Lipp trained at the Academy of Combat Arts in Fargo and was scheduled for an amateur fight on May 20 on the “No Mercy 11” MMA card at ...

Lawmakers pass tax breaks for Missouri seniors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's senior homeowners would be spared from rate hikes on property taxes under a bill passed by state lawmakers Monday.If signed by Republican Gov. Mike Parson, it would be up to counties to approve the property tax breaks. The freeze on property tax rates would only apply to the primary residences of people age 65 and older.“Our seniors need that safety to know that when they're paying into that system, they should be able to get it on the back end and enjoy a secure retirement," Republican House Speaker Dean Plocher said in a rare speech on the floor. Cherokee Street shooting: Police release images of suspects The legislation also would end state taxes on Social Security benefits beginning in 2024. Currently, Missouri residents only pay taxes on Social Security if they make more than $85,000 a year or, if married, they make $100,000 a year or more. Lawmakers extended the tax break to all seniors.“It helps some of our seniors who need that help, a...

Video shows Columbia, Missouri officer punch man on ground 5 times

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Two police officers in Missouri are under investigation after someone posted video online showing one of the officers repeatedly punching a man as police had him pinned to the ground.Columbia police Chief Geoff Jones said in a statement Monday that he asked the Boone County Sheriff's Department to conduct a criminal investigation into his officers' actions early Sunday morning while they were responding to a disturbance outside a bar. The Columbia Police Department will also conduct an internal investigation.The video last about 9 seconds and shows one officer pinning a man to the ground while a second officer punches the man in the face five times, causing the man to bleed. Check the radar - Severe weather expected In the background, someone can be heard saying, “He's punching him in the face. Oh my God.”Jones said he is thankful that someone brought the officers' conduct to his attention.“Police use of force must be reasonable,” Jones said. ”We have a high e...

Missouri lawmakers enter final week of session with major GOP priorities unfinished

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri lawmakers must adjourn for the year at 6 p.m. on Friday, leaving just five days to complete work on some of the highest-profile — and controversial — items on the GOP supermajority’s agenda. And while the last two legislative sessions were defined in their final week by the simmering tension between Republicans in the Senate, this year it will likely be clashes between the two legislative chambers that decides the fate of a laundry list of proposals. For weeks, House Speaker Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, has lamented the slow pace of the Senate, complaining that top GOP priorities approved by the House languished across the Capitol rotunda in the Senate. “We continue to look for action out of the Senate,” Plocher told reporters late last month. “The House has lived up to the expectations of the conservative voters of this state… we’re just waiting for the Senate.” Missouri lawmakers approve largest budget in state history — almost $51 billi...

Children ages 10 to 12 can still be arrested in Colorado after lawmakers gut bill to raise minimum age of prosecution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

Children between the ages of 10 and 12 will still be subject to arrest in Colorado after a bill seeking to raise the minimum age for criminal prosecution was drastically rewritten in the final 24 hours of the legislative session.The first version of the bipartisan bill, HB23-1249, would have banned the arrest and prosecution of kids ages 10 through 12 for any crimes other than homicide and instead proposed that a network of multi-disciplinary social services teams handle criminal behavior among that age group.The rewritten version passed by both the House and Senate on Monday does not raise the minimum age for arrest. Instead, it increases funding for the social services teams and requires the collection of data to assess the efficacy of services children are receiving under the current system.“This bill would’ve allowed us to invest in solutions that are proven to prevent crime, to protect our kids and to build safe communities,” sponsor Sen. James Coleman, D-Denv...

Flaunt Your Dad Bod: Most Women Prefer a Little Pooch Over Six-Pack Abs!

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

Move over gym bros! We have nothing but admiration for your hard work to attain those “gains” — but it’s time for the dad bod to shine! As it turns out, more women prefer this body type than physiques with washboard abs.Is the dad bod the new thing?Beauty is found in both men and women of all shapes and sizes. And what counts as beautiful, sexy, or alluring often changes. Though we can’t say if the dad bod will remain trendy, Advanced Dermatology commissioned a survey, and they found out that 70% of the women who were polled said they like the dad bod, 61% said this body type is attractive, and 49% said that it’s just straight up sexy!The admiration for the dad bod may be here to stay — 93% of the surveyed Americans said that they don’t judge people with this body type. In fact, they call it “the new six-pack.” But it’s not just the women who are swooning over this type of physique. Even men like seeing and/or having a dad bod. 49% of the men who were surveyed said that they prefer ...

Ex Sex: Why We Want It and What It Means

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

They say people tend to want what they can’t have. There may be some truth to that. However, sometimes, the things we want are the things we already had — in this case, it’s a person, our exes! But not all of them or the relationship we had with them. In some cases, ex sex is what people seek from their former flame — and it’s quite a common occurrence.Does ex sex help someone move on or does it do the opposite?In a study published by Archives of Sexual Behavior, they found out that it’s common for people to hook up with their former lover — while they’re still moving on from the *same* said partner! The researchers conducted two surveys. One was for the participants to provide a daily report about how they feel they’re moving on from their exes — from day 1 to 2 months post-breakup; the second survey was for participants to answer questions regarding their attempts to initiate rebound ex sex — and how it ultimately turned out for them. Most participants reported that ex sex did occ...

Explainer: What’s behind Syria’s return to the Arab League?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:26 GMT

By Kareem Chehayeb and Abby Sewell | Associated PressBEIRUT — The Arab League’s decision to re-admit Syria after shunning it for 12 years was a significant symbolic victory for Damascus, part of a larger regional realignment and an indication of the United States’ waning role, analysts say.But it may not immediately bring the reconstruction dollars that Syrian President Bashar Assad is hoping for. Nor is it likely to bring the changes Syria’s neighbors want, such as an agreement on refugee returns and moves to reduce drug trafficking.Syria is returning to the Arab fold even though there is no sign of a resolution to the country’s uprising-turned-civil war, now in its 13th year. The long-stalemated conflict has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. Multiple mediation attempts have failed.The league approved Syria’s readmission at a closed-door meeting in Cairo on S...