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Gov. Abbott expected to sign bill restricting college sports teams transgender athletes can join

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Governor Greg Abbott will be holding a bill signing ceremony Thursday afternoon to sign legislation designed to "protect women's sports," according to an office press release. While it does not specify which legislation, it is highly likely one of those bills is Senate Bill 15 — which bans collegiate-level transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that do not align with their biological sex assigned at birth. SB 15 would expand similar restrictions that were signed into law two years ago, applying to sports play for Texas public schools grades K-12. During the regular legislative session, Republican women like bill sponsor Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring said the bill is to ensure competition is fair for female athletes. “This legislation is not about participation. This legislation is not about restricting anyone’s opportunities,” Swanson said in May. “It is not fair that young women are watching their records get broken, accolades taken and sc...

CapMetro offers complimentary rides to cooling centers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — CapMetro said it would offer free rides this summer to anyone in need of going to a cooling center in Austin.“CapMetro is here to assist our community, especially during these weather events that leave people vulnerable to harsh conditions,” the public transit system said.The metro system said anyone seeking a cooling center without the means to pay the fare would still be given a ride.“No one will be denied service to a cooling center,” CapMetro said. “Nothing is more important than your safety and serving our community.”The City of Austin said due to extreme heat, all parks and library facilities would serve as cooling centers during normal operating hours.

Smoke expected to moderate in time for Grandma’s Marathon events in Duluth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

Smoke from Canadian wildfires should not be a major problem for runners for the 47th Grandma’s Marathon series of events in Duluth on Friday and Saturday.Forecasters say some smoke may still linger in the air this weekend, but that most of it should stay higher in the atmosphere.“There will still be smoke aloft, most likely, but the near-surface smoke should be much better than what we saw’’ on Wednesday, said Bryan Howell, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Duluth.The William A. Irvin 5K begins at 6 p.m. Friday in Canal Park. On Saturday, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon starts at 5:50 a.m. on Scenic Highway 61, between Two Harbors and Duluth, and Grandma’s Marathon begins at 7:35 a.m. just south of Two Harbors, also on Scenic Highway 61.The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency forecasts a “moderate” air quality index for Saturday for Duluth, which means air quality is acceptable and should not pose breathing issues for most people.Still, runners may notic...

Minnesota 36 motorists can expect delays starting Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

Motorists who use Minnesota 36 between Little Canada and Stillwater can expect delays over the next few weeks as crews install permanent lane markings to make them easier to see, Minnesota Department of Transportation officials said Thursday.Crews will be staging the work, which will be done during evening and early-morning hours. First up is eastbound Minnesota 36 between Edgerton Street and White Bear Avenue, which will be reduced to a single lane from 7 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday; from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday, June 22, and from 7 p.m. Thursday, June 22, to 5 a.m. Friday, June 23. From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly those same dates, eastbound Minnesota 36 will be reduced to a single lane between Century Avenue and Interstate 694.Westbound Minnesota 36 also will be reduced to a single lane between I-694 and Edgerton Street from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night beginning Monday through June 23 and on June 25.Finally, there will be intermittent left-lane closures in both directi...

Twins activate Byron Buxton, option Trevor Larnach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

The Twins on Thursday activated Byron Buxton from the 10-day injured list and, to make room on the 26-man active roster, optioned outfielder Trevor Larnach to Class AAA St. Paul.The move was made ahead of Thursday’s 6:10 p.m. start against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field.Buxton was placed on the IL on June 6 because of a rib contusion suffered when he was hit by a pitch from Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee on June 1. He missed 11 games. The Twins’ designated hitter this season, Buxton is hitting .220 with 10 home runs and 23 RBIs.Larnach has hit .211 with 13 extra-base hits in 47 games with the big-league club this season. His 31 RBIs rank second on the team to shortstop Carlos Correa (34).Air quality concernsThe Twins are monitoring air quality in the Twin Cities, which on Wednesday was the nation’s worst as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted across Minnesota. As of Thursday morning, the Twins expected to play tonight’s game.Related ArticlesMinnesota Twins | Saints ride t...

Twin Cities seeing record-low precipitation as drought continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

The Twin Cities have seen record-low precipitation over the last few weeks.In the 31 days ending Wednesday, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport recorded just 0.26 inches of rain. That’s the lowest amount for that time frame in records going back to 1871, according to the National Weather Service.The second lowest rain total over those 31 days was in 1988, when 0.62 was recorded.June so far has seen just 0.09 inches of rain at the airport — nearly 2 inches below what is considered normal for this point in the month.May saw 1.62 inches at the airport, the official weather observation point for the Twin Cities. That was 2.29 inches below what is considered normal.(U.S. Drought Monitor)The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map doesn’t show many changes for drought in the state since last week, although some counties in central Minnesota are now in a severe drought.Much of the northern half of the Twin Cities metro remains in a moderate drought, while much of the s...

Longtime St. Paul restaurants Alary’s and Fasika to close by the end of the week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

Two longtime St. Paul restaurants are closing before the end of the month.Fasika, which has been serving Ethiopian favorites for the past 22 years out of a storefront on Snelling Avenue, will close up shop after service on Saturday, June 17.The restaurant, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, posted simply on its social media pages that it would close and thanked customers.Ethiopian immigrants Atnafu Yeshidagne and Menderen Gebretsadik opened the restaurant in 2001, serving spongy injera bread and stewed vegetables and meats along with other East African favorites.And Alary’s, which has been operating in downtown St. Paul since 1949, will close after service on Sunday, June 18.Current owner Nick Peterson has sold the building, and the new owners will close Alary’s and rebrand it. The new owners are hoping to be up and running before the next Wild season starts.Stay tuned for information on who the next owners are and what the concept will be.Related ArticlesRe...

Village of Barons elects new councillor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

Southern Alberta NewspapersThe Village of Barons has elected Clinton Bishop as a councillor for the Village of Barons. The by-election was held on June 5, and saw 89 of 200 eligible village voters show up to cast their ballot. Clinton received 64 out of the 89 votes cast. The by-election came after former Mayor Ed Weistra resigned as Mayor in March 2023. While the recent by-election was for the position of Village Councillor, council will hold an organizational meeting to determine who will take the position as mayor and deputy mayor on June 13.

Stand up for what you believe in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

Fellow Citizens:During the tragedy of Hitler’s war 1939-1945, a concerned leading citizen, Mr. Niemoller, (whose) Christian moral principles were opposed to what was happening in his country, landed in a concentration camp. He made a famous confessional statement, “First they came for the Jews, I was silent, I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists, I was silent, I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, I was silent, I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me (and) there was no one left to speak for me,” so said Niemoller.In today’s world, “first they came to abort this child, I was silent, I was not that child. Then they came for the disturbed 14-year-old child, and offer this child a sex change using hormones and surgeries, I was silent it was not my son or daughter. Then they came and tried to take my freedom of speech away, on publicly speaking my opinion on these issues.” But thankfully, I know I don’t stand alone, we still have many Niemo...

Lethbridge College joins the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:32 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsFollowing the launch of the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network (PCSFN) in 2021, Lethbridge College is the latest institution to join the network which is a collaborative network working together to enhance efficiencies, sustainability, and tech solutions in the agriculture industry across Canada.The network, led by Olds College, currently has representation for three provinces, but is working toward securing members from every geographic area in the country. Members also include University of Saskatchewan, Lakeland College, Discovery Farm Langham, Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc., and  Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative.Dr. Joy Agnew, the-Vice President of Research at Olds College, welcomed Lethbridge College into the PCSFN last week. In a June 7 press release, Agnew praised Lethbridge College for its, “expertise in irrigated crop production, grain storage management, and hortic...