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Bill to ban cat declawing introduced in Illinois State Capitol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) – A bill that would ban cat declawing and similar procedures has been introduced in the State Capitol. If the bill passes, anyone who violates it could pay $500 for the first violation, $1,000 for the second and $2,500 for the third. “I bet a pound of catnip many owners that know how painful and inhumane this action is to cats,” Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora), the bill’s sponsor, said on Twitter. “Declawing a cat just because someone doesn’t want them to scratch the furniture is unacceptable.”The decision of whether to declaw a cat is one many cat owners including Becca Bebar, the hospital manager of Northgate Pet Clinic, have faced.  Illinois bill would make driving with pet in your lap illegal “Growing up, I had cats and we always just declawed them because my parents were like, ‘We don't want them tearing up our furniture,’” Bebar said. When she moved out on her own, Bebar had older cats that had been declawed."Then when I adopted a new on...

Kroll report finds APD Training Academy fails to establish police-community collaboration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A review of the Austin Police Department's training curriculum recommended creating two advisory bodies to review it, including members of the community and professionals.Additionally, the report said if APD wanted to continue its current process, "it should be re-formulated with a more defined scope and better protocols.""Whichever model is selected, we recommend that APD leadership also convene regular neighborhood strategic planning meetings within each APD sector," Kroll Associates, Inc. wrote in its report.Kroll Associates, Inc. is a consulting firm that focuses on risk management decisions, according to the report. Kroll helps clients make "decisions through a wide range of investigations, cyber security, due diligence and compliance, physical and operational security, and data and information management services," the report states.In a memorandum to the City of Austin mayor and city council, Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills provided the completed r...

Pro pickleball tournament being held in Austin this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The world's best pickleball players are in Austin this weekend for the ONIX Austin Showdown. It's a professional and amateur tournament and a stop on the Professional Pickleball Association tour, taking place March 16-19 at the Elevation Athletic Club. The tournament will feature 1,100 registered athletes across multiple divisions: men's singles/doubles, women's singles/doubles, and age brackets categories 19, 35, 50, 60, 70.World’s top male and female pros, including Anna Leigh Waters (Women’s No. 1), Ben Johns (Men’s No. 1), Riley Newman (Men’s No. 2) and Catherine Parenteau (Women’s No. 2), will be competing Professional Purse: $238,314 in prize money.This will be the sixth event of a professional calendar of 25 events during the 2023 season. The PPA Tour is returning to the Austin area after debuting the Austin Showdown in 2022.On average, PPA Tour events have an estimated total...

Wisconsin Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette resigns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

Wisconsin’s longtime Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette resigned on Friday, saying he was leaving with a “heavy heart” three months into his 11th consecutive term in office after he watched the office be stripped of its power over the past 50 years.Gov. Tony Evers appointed former Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who ran for U.S. Senate last year but lost in the primary, to fill out the four-year term. Wisconsin’s secretary of state has not been in charge of elections since 1974 and has almost no official duties.“It is with a heavy heart that I submit my resignation,” the 82-year-old La Follette said in his resignation letter. “After many years of frustration, I’ve decided that I don’t want to spend the next three and a half years trying to run an office without adequate resources and staffing levels.”He did not immediately return a telephone message left seeking comment. In his resignation letter, La Follette said “I must now focus on my personal needs...

After her Oscar win, will Michelle Yeoh get to lead again?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

We’re conditioned to think of an Oscar win as the endpoint to a journey. For some actors, holding that trophy is the realization of a dream held since childhood. For others, it’s the culmination of a well-deserved comeback.But what happens after that win? In our eagerness to treat Oscar victories as career capstones, do we pay too little attention to the opportunities that are supposed to come afterward, yet often don’t?I’ve been mulling that over since Sunday night, when Michelle Yeoh took the best actress Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” It happened at the 95th edition of the Academy Awards, the kind of big, tantalizing milestone that prods you to contemplate what has come before, and Yeoh’s win proved especially historic: The first Asian star to win best actress, she was greeted onstage by Halle Berry, the first Black woman to have pulled off that feat.Asking Berry to announce the winner with Jessica Chastain (the previous year’s winner) was a gamble twice over. If ...

Code Blue alert declared in Albany

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS) has announced a Code Blue alert for Friday, March 17, through Tuesday, March 21. While daytime highs are expected to be warmer than 32 degrees, temperatures are expected to drop overnight, reaching as low as the mid 20's on some nights. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Homeless residents of Albany County in need of shelter can go to the Capital City Rescue Mission at 259 South Pearl Street, the Emergency Overflow Shelter at 646 State Street 12206 (Lutheran Church), or the IPH Safe Haven at 26 South Swan Street 12210. Those in need can also call the HATAS Homeless Hotline at 518.463.2124. 

Easter Bunny Hop Train rides return to Hoosac Valley

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

ADAMS, Mass. (NEWS10) -- The annual Easter Bunny Hop Trains will be returning for the weekends of March 25-26 and April 1 and 2. The roundtrip train rides from Adams will depart at noon, 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. from 5 Hoosac St. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to Tim Doherty of the Hoosac Valley Train Ride, each train will feature a costumed Easter Bunny greeting kids and giving out colored eggs. "There's a type of nostalgia that comes with the experience of riding a vintage train," said Doherty. “The Easter Bunny Hop Train Ride provides a great way for families to ride a train together."Ticket prices are $15 for kids ages 3-13, $20 for ages 14 and older, and $2 for kids under 3 riding on a lap. Tickets can be purchased here.

Pedestrian killed in Highland Park hit-and-run crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

A pedestrian was fatally struck by a suspected hit-and-run driver in Highland Park Friday morning.The crash was reported around 9 a.m. in the 5600 block of Aldama Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.Police blocked off the street in the residential neighborhood and a canopy was set up where the victim was killed, aerial video from Sky5 showed.An LAPD unit was also stationed in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store.No further details about the crash have been released.

Dozens of streets, freeway ramps closed Sunday morning for the L.A. Marathon

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

Los Angeles Marathon 2023 Course Map. (lamarathon.com)The 38th running of the Los Angeles Marathon will result in widespread road and freeway ramp closures throughout the city on Sunday morning into the early afternoon.The 26.2-mile race begins at Dodger Stadium, ends on Avenue of the Stars in Century City, and passes through some of L.A.'s most historic neighborhoods including Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Hollywood, West Hollywood, parts of Historic Route 66, and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.Freeway ramp closures include (times vary):Northbound 110:Hill Street/Stadium Way110 N/B to 101 S/B Temple StreetSouthbound 110:Hill StreetStadium WaySunset Boulevard Southbound 101:Temple StreetBroadwayHighland BoulevardVine Street (Right turn lane)Gower Sttreet (Right turn lane)Hollywood BoulevardNorthbound 101:Spring StreetGrand AvenueEcho Park Avenue/Glendale BoulevardHollywood BoulevardGower Street (Left turn lane)Southbound 405:Santa Monica Boulevard(Left lane)Wilshire Boulevard(eastbound)Wil...

Mervyn Alphonso Robinson Dies in Pedestrian Accident on MLK Boulevard [Las Vegas, NV]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:26:52 GMT

Man Fatally Struck by Two Vehicles in Pedestrian Crash near Alexander RoadLAS VEGAS, NV (March 17, 2023) – Thursday night, 42-year-old Mervyn Alphonso Robinson lost his life in pedestrian accident on MLK Boulevard.The incident took place along MLK and Alexander Road around 6:00 p.m., on February 23rd.According to reports, the male pedestrian was walking westbound on MLK when he was struck by a northbound white 2015 Toyota 4-Runner.The pedestrian was then struck by a second vehicle, a white 2012 Honda Civic.Despite life-saving efforts, first responders pronounced the victim dead on scene. Police later identified the victim as 42-year-old Robinson.Meanwhile, the drivers remained and cooperated with the authorities. At this time, it is unknown whether impairment played a factor, however, an active investigation is underway.No words can mend the broken hearts and sorrow felt during this delicate moment. The Sweet James team sends their deepest condolences and sympathies to the fam...