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Austin City Council: Nixing parking requirements, addressing flooding issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council will meet Thursday. With dozens of items on the agenda, here's some of what we're watching: Nixing parking requirements Austin City Council could start the process of stripping mandatory parking minimums from its overarching zoning requirements. Council Member Zohaib Qadri put forward a resolution that could change the city’s land development code (LDC).Right now, the city mandates how many parking spots you’re required to have on a property. Transit and affordable housing advocates have for years asked the city to strip those requirements from the LDC to promote different forms of transit and allow for developers and small businesses to utilize land differently.“The science shows that arbitrary parking mandates encourage climate-killing car-dependence, induce suburban sprawl, drive up the cost of housing, and actively discourage new housing development,” Qadri said. READ THE FULL STORY: Austin could get rid of minimum parking requirements city...

Victim, suspect identified in April 27 suspected murder-suicide investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department released an update surrounding an April 27 homicide investigation.APD said officers responded at approximately 12:12 p.m. to the 1200 block of Kenyon Drive in reference to a welfare check.Police said the caller had not heard from 47-year-old Shannon Norton and requested officers to check on her. According to a release, the caller also stated Norton lived with her boyfriend, 52-year-old James Flom. PAST COVERAGE: APD says south Austin double homicide was ‘domestic violence incident’ At the residence, APD said officers entered the home and found Norton and Flom each with a gunshot wound.“Investigators determined that Flom shot and killed Norton and then shot and killed himself,” APD said. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2023? Austin Police said this case was being investigated as Austin's 26th homicide of 2023.If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can get help by calling the National Domestic V...

Video: Travis County ESD No. 2 ambulance collides with car in north Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect it was a Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 ambulance.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On-board video showed an ambulance crashing into another vehicle at an intersection in north Austin Wednesday, Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2 confirmed in a statement to KXAN.Shortly before 8:45 a.m., a vehicle with three people inside collided with a Travis County ESD No. 2 ambulance at the intersection of Burnet Road and Shoreline Drive in north Austin, the statement said.One person was taken to St. David's Hospital Round Rock for further assessment, and no other injuries were reported for the three ESD No. 2 medics, the statement said.Officials said a reserve ambulance is now in service to replace the ambulance involved in the crash."We are thankful the accident was not more severe and wish the individual a speedy recovery," ESD No. 2 said in the statement.

Congress Mobile Home Park tenants sue developer over intimidation, coercion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Former residents of the Congress Mobile Home Park filed a lawsuit Wednesday against California developer Reza Paydar, claiming he violated the Deceptive Trade Practice Act (DTPA). Specifically, the plaintiffs claim they were not given the legal amount of time to move out of their former homes.KXAN reached out to Paydar for comment and will update the article when it's received. Assisting the plaintiffs are lawyers from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Austin Community Law Center and organizers with Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA)."The developer we are suing today forced our clients out of their homes much faster than the law allowed, just to speed up their project and their profits," said Austin Community Law Center in a press release. "The developer's ongoing, callous indifference to the harm they inflicted is obscene. Our clients should not have been forced to abandon their homes and community on short notice. Their strength in standing up and standi...

21 apply to become UMN interim president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is meeting Thursday morning to select finalists from a pool of 21 applicants to become the U’s interim president.Board chair Janie Mayeron said she thought the one-week window for applicants, which closed Monday, could hurt the pool, but that didn’t seem to be the case.“I am thrilled with the applicant pool that we have received. And I am actually floored with the number of applications we received in such a short period of time,” she said Thursday.Under state law, the applicants’ names are not public until they become finalists.Thursday’s meeting is public, so the regents are discussing the applicants in an anonymized fashion.Each of the 12 regents was given six initial votes to allocate among the 21 applicants. They quickly eliminated 15 who failed to garner interest from at least half the board, then moved on to discussing the six who remained.President Joan Gabel is leaving next month to become chancellor at the University of Pittsbur...

Muza in Troy closes until further notice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Muza, a European restaurant located at 1300 15th Street in Troy, has closed until further notice. The owners made the announcement in a Facebook post on May 3. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "Muza Restaurant is temporarily closed until further notice. Please continue to follow our Facebook or check out our website for any updates we may have. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. As always, thank you for your continued support," read the post.The post originally included that the family hopes to reopen the restaurant in the fall, but that appears to have been edited out. The owners told NEWS10 that they wouldn't be commenting on this further. Miss Adams Diner closes until further notice Muza sells pierogis, gołombkis, kielbasa, schnitzel, potato pancakes, goulash, and crepes. Muza's sister restaurant, The Hill at Muza, has different owners and opens seasonally. The owners of The Hill said the...

Ukraine leader wages political war on Russia on Europe trips

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

By MIKE CORDER (Associated Press)THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took his campaign against Russia to the international war crimes court in the Netherlands on Thursday, saying he was certain Russian President Vladimir Putin would be convicted once his invasion of Ukraine is defeated.In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelenskyy urged the global community to hold Putin accountable and told the ICC judges that Russia’s leader “deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law.”In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court, which circulated a warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.Zelenskyy’s unannounced visit to the Netherlands came a day after he w...

Denver weather: Dry morning, rain and possible thunderstorms Thursday afternoon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

Flashes of lightning through a rainy night gave way to a warm and somewhat gray, cloudy morning Thursday before expected afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms roll across metro Denver.The high temperature in Denver will be 75 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The rain will bring more moisture, probably after 1 p.m., forecasters said, and the low temperature Thursday night will be 44 degrees.On the high plains of eastern Colorado, temperatures likely will exceed 80 degrees Thursday and forecasters anticipate winds gusting at speeds up to 60 miles per hour in a possibly intense afternoon thunderstorm. On Thursday night, rain showers and possible storms are expected to linger.In the mountains, the temperatures Thursday should exceed 50 degrees, topping 60 degrees in many areas, with isolated thunderstorms dropping rain here and there. The weather service issued a flash flood warning for mountain canyons and foothills west of Front Range cities where severe wildfire...

‘Star Wars’ actress to posthumously receive Hollywood star on ‘May the 4th’ day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Legendary actress Carrie Fisher will be honored posthumously Thursday with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Fisher, who died in 2016, will have her star unveiled near the historic El Capitan theatre, and will be in the Motion Pictures category. The event will take place at 11:30 a.m. PST (2:30 p.m. EST) and will be livestreamed online. Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, will accept the star on her mother’s behalf.Fisher, the daughter of legendary Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds, is perhaps best known for her role as Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” movies. May 4, the day of Fisher’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony, is a popular holiday among “Star Wars” fans who quip, “May the 4th be with you,” a pun on the movie’s line, “May the force be with you.”“Fans will be over the moon to know that their favorite movie princess, Carrie Fisher, will be honored with her star on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Hollywood Walk of Fame Producer Ana Martinez sa...

Rain, snow again fall in Southern California

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:21:48 GMT

Southern Californians awoke Thursday to what has become a surprisingly common sight this year: rain.The storms Wednesday night and Thursday morning brought rainfall, snow and even isolated reports of lightning. Southern California Weather The National Weather Service estimated that coastal and valley areas would receive 0.5 to 1 inch of rain, while 1 to 2 inches was expected in mountain and foothill areas. "The threat of debris flows over recent burn areas is minimal to non-existent," the NWS added. "Slippery roads and outdoor activities will be affected. Minor roadway flooding and hazardous driving is possible due to slick roads." High-elevation areas also received some snow, adding to what had already been a historic season."Snow levels will be at about 5,000, 5,500 feet, and we could get 4 to 6 inches of snow above 6,000 feet today," said KTLA's Henry DiCarlo. In isolated areas, up to 14 inches is possible, the NWS added. Rain poured near the Holl...