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Texas must remove floating barrier from Rio Grande, Fifth Circuit Court orders

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Texas on Friday to remove the floating barrier it deployed in the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass this summer, affirming a lower court’s ruling.In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the court found that the river is navigable where the barrier was placed and that it is “an obstruction,” meaning that Texas needed to receive permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — which regulates activities in waterways and wetlands under federal law — before deploying it.Judge Don Willett, a Trump appointee, was the dissenting vote in the ruling, arguing that the Rio Grande cannot accommodate commercial boat traffic and is therefore not navigable.Texas argued that the barrier was also meant to save lives and force migrants to cross the border at ports of entry, but Willet said Texas hasn’t proved that’s the case.“At this stage, however, Texas has not offered concrete evidence that the barrier has saved lives or reduced illegal cross...

Extended stretch of dry, pleasant weather

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An extended stretch of dry, comfortable weather starts now in Central Texas and looks to last for a full week.While other parts of the country are dealing with rain and snow, these storm systems will have little impact on our local weather. Cooler nights in the 40s are expected this weekend with pleasant daytime highs in the 70s.Next week, a weak cool front knocks temperatures down slightly on Monday, but a steady warming trend takes hold through the remainder of the week.No rainfall is expected for the next week, so now may be a good time to wash your vehicle if you have been holding off. Wetter weather is expected to return in our 8-14 day outlook. NEW BLOG: NOAA updates December, winter forecasts Winter Weather Outlook: What a strong El Niño could mean for rainfall and ice risk Austin Interactive Weather Stats (2023) FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Stay up-...

Loons let go of underperforming forward Mender Garcia and seven others

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

Mender Garcia’s tenure with Minnesota United was underwhelming, and on Friday, the Loons declined the 24-year-old Colombian’s contract for next season.Mender, who scored four MLS goals in 1,561 minutes since arriving on a Designated Player contract in August 2022, led a list of eight players MNUFC did not renew for the 2024 season. The seven others: Bakaye Dibassy, Jan Gregus, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, Fred Emmings, Eric Dick, Emmanuel Iwe and Ryen Jiba, according to the club.Three players are out of contract: Wil Trapp, Brent Kallman and Cam Dunbar.But the club said it is in negotiations with Trapp, Tajori-Shradi, Dunbar and Emmings, a homegrown goalkeeper from St. Paul.The Loons exercised options on five players: Michael Boxall, Kevin Arriaga, Joseph Rosales, Zarek Valentin and Tani Oluwaseyi. The complete current roster of 21 players is listed below.CEO Shari Ballard told reporters on Nov. 15 that while new Chief Soccer Officer Khaled El-Ahmad is still working for English club Barns...

MN Department of Health adds new medical cannabis delivery option

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

A new delivery method for patients who use medical cannabis was approved by the Minnesota Department of Health this week.Dry herb vaporization, a process commonly used in vape pens that heats plant material — cannabis in this case — so that the essential oils become inhalable vapor, joins other already available delivery methods for those who use medical cannabis such as sublingual tinctures, oil-based vaporizers and combustible smoking.The decision to add dry herb vaporization was based on petitions received by the health department’s Office of Medical Cannabis from the public during the months of June and July in 2023.According to a press release, the office also received petitions to add plants, concentrates, oil and weed nuggets, and rosin based delivery methods, but these were rejected due to not being “supported by peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate evidence of benefit to patients.”Petitions also called for additional conditions that could mak...

Metro Transit to begin $35 non-criminal citations, new code of conduct

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

Beginning Monday, Metro Transit’s community service officers will issue citations ranging from $35 to $100 to transit riders who fail to pay their fare, with a heavy focus on the two light rail lines that traverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.A first-time offense would result in a $35 non-criminal fine, which can be paid off within 90 days. The public transit authority offers other means of getting the fine waived or reduced, such as watching an educational video at a service site in downtown Minneapolis or downtown St. Paul or loading pre-payments onto a Go To card or transit fare app.Subsequent offenses will result in fines of $55, $75 and then $100, as well as suspensions from accessing transit service for 60 days after the third offense or 120 days after the fourth offense. More information is online at metrotransit.org/citations.Transit advocates have long called for a non-carceral approach toward fare enforcement and improvements to the overall rider experience, which suffer...

Mahtomedi rallies around hockey player injured in crash

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

The hockey community in Mahtomedi is rallying around a player who was critically injured in a three-car accident in Grant on Wednesday morning.Sources said Samson Walters, 16, of Hugo, a Junior Gold 16 player with Mahtomedi Youth Hockey, remained in critical condition Friday at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. He was injured in a head-on collision that occurred around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday on Jamaca Avenue near the intersection of Justen Trail.Hockey families around Mahtomedi have been putting hockey sticks out on their front porches and turning on their porch lights to show support for Samson Walters, 16, of Hugo, who was critically injured in a head-on collision in Grant on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (Courtesy of Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association)The hockey community in Mahtomedi was rocked by the news of the accident, said Alex Rogosheske, president of the Mahtomedi Youth Hockey Association. A prayer service for Samson was held Friday morning at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in M...

Missouri lawmakers propose 'Blair's Law' again after veto

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers are once again introducing a bill to impose tougher penalties for people who fire celebratory gunshots. But after it was vetoed as part of a larger crime bill earlier this year, this time it appears "Blair's Law" will stand on its own. Trio sneaks into abandoned STL prison, gets trapped in cell Missouri state Reps. Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City) and Sherri Gallick (R-Belton) have each pre-filed bills to establish Blair's Law across the state. It's named after 11-year-old Blair Shanahan Lane, who was killed on the Fourth of July in 2011 after someone in Kansas City shot bullets into the sky. Under Blair’s Law, it would be a crime of unlawful discharge of a firearm to shoot a gun with criminal negligence within a city’s limits. “It’s hard, but for a few weeks in July, it’s harder,” Blair’s mom, Michele Shanahan DeMoss, said this summer. “It deserves to be a law. People that commit that crime deserve to have a punishment gr...

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy cleared to play vs. Texans as Denver’s run of good health continues

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

The Broncos will be near full strength for a critical AFC showdown Sunday afternoon in Houston.Every active player on Denver’s roster practiced fully on Friday except for reserve cornerback Damarri Mathis (back), who didn’t practice at all.He wasn’t spotted on the practice field during the portion open to reporters, though he was briefly in the locker room afterward.Mathis is listed as questionable for the matchup of 6-5 teams, but everybody else cleared off the injury report and should play.That, of course, includes wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who said he had a groin issue pop up a couple of weeks ago while running a route.“I felt good,” Jeudy said.Jeudy, like the rest of the Broncos, is looking forward to playing meaningful football as December gets going.“This gives us a better chance to make the playoffs,” he said. “We take every game seriously, but this game here gives us a better chance of making the playoffs and that makes it more important.”Does it feel like a playoff-type ga...

Colorado middle schoolers voting to name reintroduced gray wolves

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

Although they were not old enough to vote on bringing gray wolves back to the state, Colorado middle school students will have a say in the wolf naming process.The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center has announced a naming contest for the first gray wolves that will be reintroduced into their original native range. Until Dec. 20, middle school students in grades five through eight will have the opportunity to vote once for their favorite name from a list of 14, with the results to be finalized no later than Jan.1.Related ArticlesColorado News | Westbound & Down Brewing buys two other Colorado beer makers Colorado News | Pedestrian hit by RTD train in Thornton, temporarily halting N Line service Colorado News | One killed in shooting near Denver’s Cheesman Park Colorado News | Freshman state representative from metro Denver resigns, citing “sensationalistic and vitriolic” politics Colorado News | ...

Lifestyle, location keep Colorado’s housing market popular (and expensive)

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:50:01 GMT

Denver continues to be a popular destination for homebuyers.U.S. News & World Report named the Denver metro the healthiest housing market in America, surpassing Raleigh, North Carolina.MetroIntelligence compiled the ranking using the Housing Market Index for June 2023, an interactive data set that aggregates public and private data points categorized by impact on housing demand, supply, and financing.“When we looked at the data sets for June, it was pretty clear that Denver jumped to the front of the line due to one key factor: demand. With its mile-high elevation and proximity to the Rockies, it’s not surprising to see more consumers looking to maximize their lifestyle options by relocating or opting to stay in Denver,” said Patrick S. Duffy, the principal real estate economist for MetroIntelligence, who analyzed the data for U.S. News & World Report.But that continued popularity comes at a cost. Housing prices continue to climb in Colorado.According to a ...