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House Republicans promise vote on 'Parents Bill of Rights' at end of March

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- House Republicans are bringing their 'Parents Bill of Rights' to the House floor."We are putting power back in the hands of parents who deserve a seat at the table in their kids' education," Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY.) said.Stefanik and Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) say they are answering the call from parents across the country, with a plan to pass a new Parents Bill of Rights."It's about transparency and accountability," Letlow said.The bill says parents have a right to know what their kids are being taught, review a school's budget and meet in person with teachers at least twice per year."It's actually astounding to me that we have to have legislation that would protect parents' Bill of Rights, but here we are," Letlow said.However, Democrats say the bill isn't necessary and does nothing to help schools, kids, or parents."What are we talking about here," Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) said.Bowman says parents already have a voice in their children's education throug...

Chiefs legend Otis Taylor dead at 80

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) -- Otis Taylor, one of the most prolific wide receivers in Kansas City Chiefs history, has died, sources WDAF. He was 80 years old. Taylor is a Chiefs Hall of Famer whose name appears in the franchise record books 32 times. He still holds records for most games with 100 or more receiving yards in a season (Tied with six others with six) and highest receiving average in a season (22.36 yards per catch in 1966). Isiah Pacheco’s Chiefs helmet now in Pro Football Hall of Fame He and Len Dawson connected for 46 touchdowns, tied with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce for most in Chiefs history. Among many other notable numbers, his 7,306 receiving yards are third in franchise history, and his 20 career games with at least 100 or more receiving yards are also third. A 93-yard strike from Mike Livingston on Oct. 19, 1969, against the Miami Dolphins was the longest Chiefs pass completion for a touchdown until Trent Green hit Marc Boerigter for a 99-yard TD on Dec. 2...

A seesaw of temperatures with little rain

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After last night's cold front came through with little fanfare, we're noticeably cooler today.Still, as more breaks of sun come through the clouds this afternoon we'll see temperatures climbing close to seasonable norms this time of year. For Austin, normal highs for March 10 is 72º and we think we'll get there.A surge of warmth pushes back in for Saturday as we jump back into the middle and even upper 80s, but don't blink...because we cool back down into the 70s again for Sunday.Both days this weekend should feature clouds and sun, with more clouds in the morning than the afternoon.Weekend forecastSaturday won't just be warm, but also humid. The humidity drops through the day on Sunday setting us up for some comfortable, but even cooler days to start next week.Our best chance of rain doesn't return until late next week, but some stronger storms could come with it. 7 Day Rainfall ChancesStay tuned as we refine the forecast for severe weather. NEW BLOG: La Niña has...

Senate bill to give detailed look into Republicans' plans for 'school choice'

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — State Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), chair of the Senate Committee on Education, will file Senate Bill 8 Friday afternoon, giving a detailed look into top Republicans' priority to subsidize private education.Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick chose Senate Bill 8 to carry one of his top 30 priorities of "empowering parental rights -- including school choice." Governor Greg Abbott has advocated for creating state-funded "education savings accounts" that will give money to Texans to pay for education-related expenses, including private school tuition. Lt. Gov. voices support for special sessions to ‘pass school choice’ "We've seen [education savings accounts] work very effectively in other states, and we've also already seen them work here in the state of Texas," Gov. Greg Abbott told a crowd in Tyler Thursday night, referring to state-subsidized tuition for special needs students. "What we want to do this session is expand that program so that every parent wil...

City removes permit-parking sign originally clipped over handicap parking

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 10, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A KXAN viewer sent in a picture showing a sign for permitted parking clipped over a handicap-accessible parking sign near the convention center in downtown Austin. The viewer said he struggled to find parking, and ultimately found a spot six blocks away, while "walking for [him] is quite difficult." How to get to, from South by Southwest for 2023 festival KXAN reached out to the City about the signage. The Austin Transportation Department (ATD) said during special events, such as SXSW, the City has to remove some on-street parking spots to accommodate temporary road closures and vehicles that need to load and unload for the event.ATD added: "When possible, the City prioritizes closing blocks without any Americans with Disability Act (ADA)-accessible parking. However, occasionally the City does have to temporarily remove ADA-accessible on-street spots to allow event operations t...

Steve Sarkisian's takeaways from Ewers, Manning and 1 week of spring football

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the biggest names in recent college football recruiting is on campus and practicing for the University of Texas. Quarterback Arch Manning and the rest of the Longhorns football team wrapped up the first week of spring practice."We make a big deal out of the guy losing his ID twice the first couple weeks of school," Steve Sarkisian said with a smile about growing pains with Manning. "He's a freshman in college, but he does take it seriously and wants to be really good." Texas beats feisty Oklahoma State to advance to Big 12 Tournament semifinals Manning enters a quarterback room with returning starter Quinn Ewers. Sarkisian has been clear he wants improvement from the passing game after a subpar 2022. Ewers missed three full games with a shoulder injury last fall. When he was on the field, the now-redshirt sophomore tallied 2,177 yards passing, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions."This winter, it just feels natural," Sarkisian said about Ewers. "He's throwing...

SXSW: Can milk and meat save us from climate change?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the big topics at this year's South-by-Southwest is the battle against climate change. While transportation and the energy sector play a huge role in global warming, another vital piece of our lives has a major role: meat and agriculture.A recent report published in the scientific journal Nature found that around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions were produced by agriculture. According to the report, food consumption alone could cause the global temperature to raise by 1 degree Celsius by 2100."I think there's an increasing understanding that food and agriculture has a big impact on climate," said Marcus Lovell Smith, CEO of Neutral Foods. "With food and agriculture, you can you can make choices every single day in a grocery store."Finding a solution for this problem may be found in an unlikely place: Cows.Cows and Climate ChangeNeutral Foods produces carbon-neutral milk. "We work directly with dairy farmers all across the country. We work with the cows d...

Silicon Valley Bank seized after run by depositors

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

By KEN SWEET (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S rushed to seize the assets of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after a run on the bank, the largest failure of a financial institution since Washington Mutual during the height of the financial crisis more than a decade ago. Silicon Valley, the nation’s 16th largest bank, failed after depositors — mostly technology workers and venture capital-backed companies — hurried to withdraw their money this week as anxiety over the bank’s situation spread. Silicon Valley was heavily exposed to tech industry and there is little chance of contagion in the banking sector similar to the chaos in the months leading up to the Great Recession more than a decade ago. In 2007, the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression rippled across the globe after mortgage-backed securities tied to ill-advised housing loans rippled from the U.S. to Asia and Europe. The panic on Wall Street led to the collapse of the stor...

UMN-Twin Cities students could see 7% tuition hike if Legislature rejects U’s budget proposal

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

Twin Cities undergraduates could face anywhere from a tuition freeze to a 7 percent increase this fall, depending on what the Legislature does with the University of Minnesota’s latest budget request.Budget director Julie Tonneson said the U’s budget projections usually are highly accurate, but they’re off by 3 percent this year because of lower than expected enrollment. “We simply just didn’t get it right,” she told the Board of Regents on Friday.Earlier in the week, Tonneson told a legislative committee the U system is seeing fewer freshmen, transfers from other colleges, and graduate and nonresident students while also struggling to retain its own students; and, she said, students who do graduate are doing so more quickly than they used to.The U initially had penciled in a 3.5 percent tuition increase for its flagship campus and 1 percent at the four out-state campuses for the 2023-24 school year. But those numbers have been revised to 7 and 3.5 percent, respectively, in response...

Downtown St. Paul will be busy this weekend. Here’s some ways to navigate it.

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:20:56 GMT

Motorists traveling into downtown St. Paul this weekend should be aware of likely traffic congestion.The Minnesota Boys Hockey State Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center, the “Let’s Play Hockey” Expo and the “Show Me Reptile & Exotics” show both at the RiverCentre and Minnesota Roller Derby at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium are all scheduled for this weekend.It’s also worth keeping in mind that the National Weather Service is forecasting 2 to 4 inches of snow for Saturday.Xcel Energy Center offiicals also note that streets surrounding Rice Park will be closed Friday through Sunday. Those include Washington Street from Fifth Street to Kellogg Boulevard, and Fourth Street from Market Street to Washington Street.Those seeking parking should look to downtown parking ramps and lots, Xcel Energy Center officials said. For more information on parking go to the city of St. Paul’s website.Xcel Energy Center officials also offered these tips:• St. Pau...