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'Justice delayed': Hays County has backlog of +5K unfiled criminal cases

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Newly elected Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins said they are dealing with a backlog of more than 5,000 unfiled criminal cases. He said some of those cases date back to the second half of 2021."From, you know, murderers, to smoking a joint, right, I mean, the whole range," Higgins said. How did we get here?Higgins said the cases were so backed up because of the office's intake process from previous administrations. "There's either a warrant or a field arrest without a warrant made, and then a police officer will write a report about that and forward that report to our office. And that's our first look at any case," he said. Higgins said intake coordinators will then look at the case, create a file and start filling it with information a lawyer might want to determine what to do with that case. However, he said they were spending too much time processing information in a way that was "duplicative, redundant and unhelpful." RELATED COVERAGE: 83...

Woodbury eyes sales tax to pay for expansion of public safety campus

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

Woodbury needs to expand its public safety facilities, and it’s hoping regional shoppers will help foot the bill.City officials are seeking legislative approval to increase the local sales taxes to raise funds for the $50 million project.The project includes a makeover of the city’s current Public Safety Building, which was built in 1975, and the purchase of the nearby Washington County Service Center, built in 1986, which would likely be demolished to make way for a new fire station.Mayor Anne Burt said the process of potentially adding a 0.5 percent local sales tax to bankroll the improvements is in its beginning stages. Even if the Legislature approves Woodbury’s request, the Woodbury City Council still must sign off on authorizing a referendum, which could go before voters in November 2024.“It’s just one more tool for our tool box,” Burt said. “It just gives us another option. We feel like we are the retail hub of the east metro — people come from the west, south, east and...

Rudy Gobert sent home mid-game for taking shot at Timberwolves teammate; Jaden McDaniels breaks hand punching wall

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

Frustrations and tension can flare amid big moments of important contests, but things reached a boiling point during a second-quarter timeout of Minnesota’s victory Sunday over New Orleans.Kyle Anderson looked to be calling Rudy Gobert out on a couple missed assignments that contributed to the deficit the Timberwolves were facing at the moment, and Gobert reacted by taking a shot at Anderson. Taurean Prince quickly rose out of his seat to push Gobert, and the center was sent into the tunnel.The Athletic reported that Gobert and Anderson got into another altercation in the locker room at halftime before the team ultimately made the decision to send Gobert home.“His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will continue handling the situation internally,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said in a statement.Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said the decision of whether or not to play Gobert in Minnesota’s first play-in game Tuesday...

Family of Ballwin man who died canoeing sue, blaming dangerous dam

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (AP) — The family of a man who drowned on a canoe trip is suing two state agencies, alleging a dangerous dam was to blame.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Caleb Gage, of Ballwin, was 32 last May when his boat capsized near the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield. His friend survived.The suit, filed on behalf of his parents and young daughter, faults the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Both state departments are tasked with maintaining the Centaur Chute, a waterway that branches off the Missouri River along the Howell Island Conservation Area. Top Story: Police search for Creve Coeur shopping center shooter The suit said the low-head dam near where he capsized was in disrepair and the state failed to remove access to the chute or warn boaters of the unsafe conditions.Low-head dams are known as “drowning machines" because they spawn powerful hydraulics that tend to catch objects, or people, that go over the...

Illinois seeks library pledge against 'banning' books

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois' new secretary of state and Democrats in the General Assembly are pushing back against a rise in challenges to books shelved in libraries.Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is also the state librarian, is spearheading legislation that would make state grants to libraries contingent on their establishing “a written policy prohibiting the practice of banning books.”At stake is about $61 million annually to 1,600 public and school libraries. The legislation, HB2789, sponsored by Naperville Democratic Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, won House approval 69-39 last month and awaits action by the Democratic-controlled Senate.Illinois would be the nation’s first state to adopt such a policy, according to Giannoulias. But it’s far from the only state dealing with contention among the stacks. The American Library Association compiled 1,200 challenges to books nationally in 2022, nearly double the record number a year earlier. And librarians are r...

Churchgoers celebrate Easter across St. Louis

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Worshipers greeted each other and caught up with friends on Easter Sunday ahead of the morning worship service at Twin Rivers Church.Katie Chamberlain said she’s been coming to Twin Rivers Church for 34 years.“Feeling so great! I’ve got my kids here, it’s a beautiful day we’re excited about, we had church, and we’re going to go hang out with family after this, have an egg hunt,” she said.Nolan Manning said coming to church on Easter Sunday is important to him and his family.“To my family, definitely, it’s about [the] relationship with Jesus Christ. I was born and raised in a Christian home, so it’s been something that I didn’t have to do, but it’s something I really wanted to do, which is come to Easter church with my family every year,” he said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Rockies’ Yonathan Daza’s game-saving catch was sweet redemption

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

Yonathan Daza was not going to be denied. Not this time.The center fielder closed out the Rockies’ 7-6 victory over Washington on Sunday with a diving catch on a hard line drive off the bat of speedy CJ Abrams. Had Daza not made the catch, the ball might have rolled to the wall, Dominic Smith certainly would have scored from first to tie the game, and there was a chance that Abrams could have given the Nationals an 8-7 lead with an inside-the-park home run.Manager Bud Black called the play a “game saver.” Daza knew he had to make a play.“Finally, I made a big catch and it was a lot of fun,” he said. “I contributed to the team defensively and I feel really good about that. Every time the ball is in the outfield I’m going to go hard after it. I want to catch every ball out there.”In the third inning of Colorado’s 7-6 loss to the Nationals on Saturday night, Victor Robles led off with a blooper to center where Daza raced in to make ...

Kurtenbach: The Warriors were the last team to make the playoffs. It was all part of the plan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

Good things come for those who wait.And boy, did the Warriors wait.This was anything but a standard campaign for the once-dominant Dubs. No, this season, they used all 82 games of the regular season to clinch a spot in the NBA playoffs.At least they didn’t wait long to complete the job in Sunday’s regular-season finale.The Warriors posted the highest-scoring first quarter in NBA history, 55 points, to open a no-doubt 157-101 win over the Blazers Sunday in Portland, Ore.The win clinched the Western Conference’s final playoff spot for the Warriors.Yes, the Warriors were the last team in.But that’s precisely where they wanted to be.The Warriors’ reward for making the playoffs — and avoiding the NBA’s play-in tournament — is five days off and a first-round matchup with their Northern California rivals, the Sacramento Kings.That’s rest this Warriors team desperately needed and the opponent they wanted to play all along.The reason the Warriors wan...

Draymond Green claps back at Rudy Gobert over punch caught on camera

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

Draymond Green had something to say after the Warriors game in Portland. But not just about the Warriors clinching a playoff spot and his ninth career appearance.Green saw what many NBA fans and players had seen a few hours earlier: Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert punching teammate Kyle Anderson in the chest during a heated argument on the sideline, all caught on television broadcast cameras.Gobert was ruled out for the rest of the Timberwolves’ playoff-seeding-deciding game against the New Orleans Pelicans and reportedly sent home.“Insecurity is always loud…” Green Tweeted from his account.Commenters quickly pointed out on social media that Green was mocking a Tweet Gobert sent out after Green punched Jordan Poole during a Warriors pre-season practice in October.“Insecurity is always loud,” Gobert Tweeted on Oct. 7, the day video leaked of Green’s punch.Green was fined and took a leave of absence from the team following his altercation ...

Preview: Warriors and Kings to make playoff history in first NorCal matchup

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:36:38 GMT

The No. 6 seed Golden State Warriors and No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings will face off for the 2023 NBA playoffs’ first round starting on Saturday night.Not only will it be the first time the two Northern California teams face each other in the playoffs, but the first time the two local teams have been in the playoffs in the same season since the Kings moved out west from Kansas City in 1985.The series will open up at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento at 5:30 p.m. PT. The rest of the series schedule is unknown as of Sunday night.“Everything that we’ve been through this season it’s nice to officially be in the playoffs with a week to prepare and get our minds and body right for it,” Steph Curry said. “The narrative, historical context of it all is just a part of this time of year and it’s awesome to know that we’re back in the fray and have an opportunity and hopefully get off to a good start.”The No. 6 seed is the lowest playoff seed the...