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LIVE: Police ask for help solving north Austin homicide after person found inside vehicle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are asking for the community's help to solve a homicide that happened in north Austin this past weekend. Officers said they found a person inside a vehicle that crashed Saturday evening into a guardrail on the southbound frontage road near the 8500 block of North Interstate 35. Their investigation switched from a crash call to a homicide because the person they discovered had injuries “not consistent with a crash.” MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? Homicide Det. Israel Piña will hold a news conference Tuesday at 4 p.m. to discuss the investigation. KXAN will provide a live stream in this story and on the station's Facebook page. This story will be updated with more information.

Georgetown to spray for mosquitos after trap tests positive for West Nile Virus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — After another mosquito trap tested positive for West Nile Virus, the City of Georgetown will spray for mosquitos Sunday and Monday evenings, the city and county health district said Tuesday. The trap sample was collected Sept. 27 at a site on Yellow Rose Trail in Sun City, according to the city and Williamson County and Cities Health District. According to 2023 season data from the WCCHD, there have been 25 West Nile Virus-positive collections this year in the county. The city will spray for mosquitoes Oct. 8 and 9 in Sun City with truck-mounted spraying. The city and WCCHD said the spraying causes no significant health risk, but people and pets should stay inside if possible while spraying happens. In August, WCCHD reported its first human case of West Nile Virus this year. A woman in north Williamson County was diagnosed with the illness.Last week, Austin Public Health reported the first death from the virus in 2023. How to prevent West Nile Viru...

Austin ranks No. 2 in US for people starting a business, report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- According to a new analysis by LinkedIn's Economic graph team, Austin comes in at No. 2 for recent business-formation growth. Hotspots for new entrepreneurs:AtlantaAustinSeattleSan FranciscoChicagoBostonMiami-Fort LauderdaleNew York CityLos Angeles DenverThe report noted that those metros span all major time zones in the country. "Austin, Texas (No. 2) and Chicago (No. 5) are standouts in the central U.S., while Denver (No. 10) is the Mountain time zone’s presence. On the West Coast, Seattle (No. 3), San Francisco (No. 4) and Los Angeles (No. 9) are leaders," the report said. George Anders, an author of the report, said a few years ago it seemed like fewer Americans wanted to start a business. "From 2007 through 2018, only 1.1 of every 1,000 U.S. residents founded a business each year, down from a more robust 1.6 in 2005, according to the Kauffman Foundation," Anders wrote. However, he pointed out that the pandemic might have "rekindled people's desires t...

Pumpkin season: Patches, fall festivals open around Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's pumpkin picking season, and several pumpkin patches and fall festivals are underway across the Austin area. From pumpkin picking to hayrides to apple cannons, here's a roundup of some Central Texas pumpkin patches. Crowe's Nest Farm FestThe festival in Manor features a pumpkin patch, hayrides, barrel rides, live music, a snake show, barn animals and more. The festival is open on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29. The fall festival is located at 10300 Taylor Lane, Manor. Tickets range from $5 to $15 based on age.Bethany Lutheran ChurchThe church's pumpkin patch will open Oct. 13 and close Oct. 29 or as long as supplies last, according to its Facebook page. The church is located at 3701 W. Slaughter Lane Austin. SoCo Pumpkin Patch The pumpkin patch will open Oct. 16 at Christ Lutheran Church in south Austin. It will stay open through Oct. 31 or whenever pumpkins sell out. The church is located at 212 E. Monroe St., Austin. Dripping Springs Pumpkin FestivalThe ...

ABJ: RetailMeNot seeks to downsize real estate footprint in Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — RetailMeNot Inc. is rethinking its real estate footprint in downtown Austin, but what that means for the digital coupon company’s office space is still up in the air. The company’s lease for 100,055 square feet in the 301 Congress office tower downtown is up in January 2025, said Richard Paddock, office project partner at HPI Real Estate Services & Investments, who handles leasing at the tower. That lease is ending at a time when office users are questioning how much space they really need and where, and RetailMeNot is not immune to that predicament. Read the full story at the Austin Business Journal.

In downtown St. Paul, new mobile medical van aims to entice homeless vets to get healthcare, social services

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

After serving stateside during the Vietnam War, Sidney Patterson found himself sleeping in cars, abandoned buildings and other sites he wasn’t proud to call home.Homeless off and on for 14 years, he finally found stability in 1990 with the help of a church and the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which instructed him as to the kinds of VA services he would qualify for, from housing aid to mental health supports.Getting regular medical check-ups and securing health insurance were the last things on his mind during his time on the streets, said Patterson on Monday, standing in front of a VA Medical Center van outfitted to do exactly those things.Mobile medical unitStaffed by a nurse or nurse practitioner and clinical social worker, the new Minneapolis VA Mobile Medical Unit — or MMU, for short — will be stationed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays outside the Catholic Charities Opportunity Center, previously the site of the Dorothy Day shelter, just off Seve...

Minnesota United crossing itself up this season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Minnesota United is dying by the cross.A key concept in the Loons’ attack comes in the form of crosses — passes from wide areas targeted for inside the 18-yard box. They aren’t connecting on nearly enough of them this season.MNUFC is third in MLS in the amount of crosses (528), but tied for 12th with accuracy percentage (32.6), according to wyscout.Often times, crosses are redirected for goals via headers, and the Loons have only three total goals this season via players’ noggins.“It’s not been good enough,” manager Adrian Heath said Monday. “Our quality into the box has not been what we expect.”Heath subbed out right back D.J. Taylor at halftime of last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with San Jose because he felt Hassani Dotson in that spot would provide a little more quality in the final third.Playin around with playoffsReminder: MLS has moved the goalposts and made it easier to get to this year’s MLS Cup Playoffs.Instead of seven entrants in the Western Conference like last year, the ...

Macalester College plans new dorm at Grand Avenue and Macalester Street

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Macalester College is in the early stages of planning a new on-campus dormitory and welcome center at Grand Avenue and Macalester Street in St. Paul.About half the college’s 2,200 students live on campus, mostly during their first and sophomore years, said spokesman Joe Linstroth, but the college has been unable to provide housing for most students beyond that. Given the high cost of off-campus housing, many comparable colleges around the nation offer on-campus housing all four years.“Our housing options are more limited, and our dorms are old,” Linstroth said.The Macalester Board of Trustees approved a comprehensive campus plan within the last year that includes building a new residence hall and welcome center on land the college already owns. The overall number of students that could be accommodated in a new dorm has not been disclosed.“We are still in the very early stages of discerning what the scope of any project could be, as well as the limitations, in...

How to celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day in Scandia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Is “Cinnamon Bun Day” one of the biggest holidays of the year? Is it like Christmas, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving rolled into one?“It’s a pretty big deal here in Scandia,” said Patti Ray, one of the main organizers behind the city’s observance of the Oct. 4 holiday. “We take our cinnamon buns seriously.”Volunteers Patti Ray, Lynne Moratzka, and Rebecca Skupien pose with a tray of cinnamon buns on Oct. 4, 2022, in downtown Scandia. The women helped hand out 500 buns to celebrate “Cinnamon Bun Day.” (Courtesy of Patti Ray)Officials in Scandia, the north Washington County city founded by Swedish immigrants, will mark the special day by passing out 500 free cinnamon buns from 6 to 8 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Olinda Trail and Oakhill Road in downtown Scandia. “We’re on all four corners,” Ray said. “You can’t miss us.”This is the seventh year that volunteers in Scandia have marked the occasion with a public celebration and bun giveaway. The event was the brainchil...

Jury indicts Kingston man for attempted murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An Ulster County Grand Jury has indicted Corey Marshall, 34, for attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. Marshall is being held at the Ulster County Jail without bail. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The indictment alleges that Marshall fired a handgun six times at a victim on October 6, 2022, in the Town of Esopus. The victim was struck in the hip. Marshall reportedly fled the scene wearing a mask.The case was investigated by the Ulster County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the Town of Ulster Police Department, New York State Police, NY/NJ HIDTA, and the Ulster County District Attorney's Office. Marshall will be arraigned at a future date.