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White House announces plans for anti-Islamophobia strategy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — As the White House announced plans to develop a national strategy to combat Islamophobia, leaders in the Muslim community say they need more action following an surge in domestic threats."Islamophobia will continue to grow unless the violence overseas, which is fueling bigotry and unrest, stops," Council on American-Islamic Relations civil rights attorney Edward Ahmed Mitchell saidFederal law enforcement reported a surge in threats to both Muslim and Jewish communities since the war between Hamas and Israel erupted. "We've received 774 complaints in the two weeks after Oct. 7 — that's a 245% increase," Mitchell said.He said reckless rhetoric from Washington has made Muslims a target."A few weeks ago, the administrations language was not even recognizing the humanity of Palestinians or the suffering that Muslims in America were experiencing," Mitchell said.The White House this week announced that the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice are working with...

White Sox hire former big league infielder Paul Janish as director of player development

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Former major league infielder Paul Janish is the Chicago White Sox' new director of player development.The team announced the hire Thursday. Janish, 41, takes over for Chris Getz, who became the team's senior vice president/general manager this past summer. On White Sox World Series title anniversary, Bobby Jenks gets a new baseball job in Chicagoland Janish has been on staff for Rice's baseball team since August 2017 and served as associate head coach for the Owls — where he was a member of the program's 2003 College World Series title — the past two seasons.Janish played in 473 big league games in nine seasons. He was with Cincinnati from 2008-11, Atlanta from 2012-13 and Baltimore from 2015-17."Paul brings a wealth of experience to our organization," Getz said. “He has lived every step of the development ladder.”

At 15, she needs special education and homebound services to learn. For weeks, she got neither

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Madalyn Betts has spent most of her life in special education classrooms, working through the challenges of having dyslexia, a speech impairment, and being on the autism spectrum. At 12, her aunt passed from a medical condition, and her grandmother died from coronavirus during the pandemic. Their deaths had a huge impact on Maddie. Her psychologist diagnosed her with social phobia and depression. She stopped going to Covington Middle School. Instead, she learned from her house as part of the Austin Independent School District homebound program. “Her anxiety popped up, and she was almost agoraphobic about going out,” Maddie’s mom Donna Betts said.  ‘She was struggling’: Austin ISD still working to finish delayed special education evaluations From home, the school’s special education services were inconsistent. State investigators with the Texas Education Agency found when Maddie was in seventh grade, the district violated special education requiremen...

Man sentenced after fatal Austin apartment complex shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, a man was convicted and sentenced in connection with a 2021 fatal shooting at a southeast Austin apartment.According to Travis County court documents, a judge sentenced 20-year-old Jeremiah Crayton to serve 18 years in state prison for murder. RELATED: 18-year-old arrested in connection with murder at southeast Austin apartment The murder charge was in connection with the death of 19-year-old Eshmell Mendez, which occurred in the 2000 block of East Slaughter Lane on April 29, 2021.Mendez’s murder was Austin’s 28th homicide of 2021, according to past coverage.As of Thursday, Crayton remained in the Travis County jail.

Harris County warns border bill could raise local taxes, overcrowd jails

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- As the state's largest county deals with already-overcrowded jails, some county leaders are concerned the legislature's latest proposal to prosecute illegal immigration could incarcerate even more nonviolent residents and increase the cost of housing inmates.House Bill 4 would create a new state crime for illegally entering Texas from a foreign nation, punishable by a Class B misdemeanor or state jail felony for repeat offenders. In a county of immigrants like Harris County, Commissioner Adrian Garcia worries the bill could target nonviolent immigrants and further burden local jails."It is going to make things worse, and we at the local level will ultimately end up footing the bill for it," Commissioner Garcia told Nexstar on Thursday. "This will just shut down jail operations and create a greater public safety concern versus focusing on violent and dangerous criminals."Garcia, who served as Harris County Sheriff from 2009 to 2015, said the Sheriff's Office is al...

Kaitlin Armstrong Day 2: State plays doorbell video where gunshots are heard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Prosecutors will call more witnesses Thursday in the murder trial for Kaitlin Armstrong, who's accused of shooting and killing pro cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson in May 2022.Both sides delivered opening statements Wednesday morning. The state outlined a timeline of evidence gathered from phone and GPS records of Armstrong and Wilson's actions leading up to the shooting. Prosecutors also discussed the relationship between Armstrong, Wilson and Armstrong's then-boyfriend Colin Strickland. Day one of the Kaitlin Armstrong murder trial wraps up The defense's primary argument appears to be the notion that even though there is surveillance of gunshots and her Jeep, there is no camera footage of Armstrong actually shooting Wilson."I want to talk to you about what you didn’t hear about," defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said. "Not one witness saw Kaitlin Armstrong allegedly commit this murder because there isn’t one."Wilson's brother Matt was the first to testify. The s...

What's going on with Texas' AI council?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The surge in artificial intelligence (AI) in the past year influenced the Texas Legislature to establish the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council in the 88th regular session.Set into motion through House Bill 2060, the council is tasked with studying and overseeing the use of AI by Texas state agencies. Its role includes suggesting administrative actions that can be implemented without additional legislative approval and providing recommendations for the 89th Texas Legislature in 2025. READ MORE: UT professors embracing, preparing for AI use in classrooms Members of the council were supposed to be appointed by Oct. 1. However, these appointments have been delayed due to the third special session of the year according to State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, who authored HB 2060."I expect soon after this session is completed that we will have not only this council up and running, but we are continuing to do the work right now," Capriglione said.I...

Why Mariah Carey nearly didn't record "All I Want for Christmas Is You"

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

(NEXSTAR) -- The time of the year has arrived where it’s impossible to escape the sure-to-get-stuck-in-your-head tune that is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”  Over the last decade, it’s skyrocketed into another stratosphere, taking its place among the list of all-time holiday classics like “White Christmas” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”  If you haven’t heard it yet in 2023, it’s only a matter of time.  There’s no reason to think it’ll be dethroned as the year’s most streamed Christmas song and top the Billboard’s list of 100 hottest pop tunes.When the song came out in 1994, it did really well.  But it wasn’t the smash hit it is in 2023.  According the Cosmopolitan, it peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 list in its debut year.  It would reach the mountain top some 25 years later when it landed the top spot in the Hot 100 list.   It actually holds the record for the longest journey to a #1 song, according to Cosm...

Your perfect holiday flower centerpiece comes from… Lego?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.Lego’s Dried Flower arrangement makes the perfect Thanksgiving centerpieceMany of us think of Lego sets as toys — great gifts for kids, but something you age out of. But if that’s how you feel, you haven’t been to a Lego Store lately. Lego sets get huge and complex — so big, in fact, that they’re perfectly suited for adult builders. And some designs are even elevated enough to be geared toward grownups instead of kids. That’s the case with pretty much every set from the Lego Icons line, but especially the Dried Flower Centerpiece, which would look amazing on your Thanksgiving table this year.Shop this article: LEGO Icons Wildflower Bouquet, LEGO Icons Succulents, LEGO Icons Botanical Collection Bird of ParadiseLego’s Dried Flower Centerpiece is home décor that requires zero maintenanceLEGO Icons Dried Flower CenterpieceThe artificial flowers in th...

Twins pick up club options on Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:30 GMT

The offseason has officially begun, and the Twins have made their first big moves, exercising the club options on longtime veterans Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler.Polanco is due $10.5 million next season and Kepler will earn $10 million. It will be Kepler’s last year under contract with the Twins, while Polanco has an additional club option for the 2025 season.The duo’s careers have been intertwined since they were part of the Twins’ 2009 international signing class. Kepler, who hails from Germany, and Polanco, a native of the Dominican Republic, were roommates their very first year in professional baseball.They have been close friends ever since, both inking five-year extensions ahead of the 2019 season, and talked during the playoffs about how meaningful it was to be playing alongside each other on the sport’s biggest stage.“It’s very special to be here with you, bro, at this point,” Kepler said to Polanco during an October press conference. “I think it’s been over...