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Tennessee father asks for help finding daughter's lost teddy bear with heartbeat recording from late mother

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Tennessee father is asking for help to find his daughter's missing teddy bear, which contains a recording of her late mother's heartbeat.Tylor Kennedy told Nexstar's WATE he is hoping to bring the bear back to his 4-year-old daughter after it was accidentally donated to a Goodwill Store in Tazewell, roughly 45 miles north of Knoxville."My daughter's mom passed away and her grandma made her bear with her mom's heartbeat in it," said Kennedy. The sound can be heard when the bear's hand is squeezed. ‘Gloriously gluttonous body’: Fat cat up for adoption weighs 40 pounds Kennedy said the bear, a tie-dyed rainbow teddy bear from Build-a-Bear, is the only thing the little 4-year-old girl has of her mother. The manager of the Goodwill said she believes the bear was bought by a local resident and may still be in the area."Please, if y'all find it or see anybody that has one, just check or turn it in and I believe that somebody will get a reward if they dropped ...

Democrats urge Justice Thomas to step down amid ethics concerns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – Democratic lawmakers are calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to step down after an investigation revealed he accepted lavish trips and was involved in real estate deals with a Republican megadonor.Justice Thomas said these actions were not improper or unethical, however lawmakers such as Rep. Hank Johnson say the justice abused his position on the high court. The ‘blessed, happy’ life of a 1987 Wednesday’s Child Congressman Johnson pointed to the investigations showing Thomas went on lavish vacations and yachts paid for by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.“To live like an out-of-control billionaire baller…Justice Thomas has been brazenly corrupted and compromised by Republican dark money,” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) said.Crow's firm also reportedly purchased properties from and for the Thomas family and Justice Thomas didn't disclose any of it.Democratic Illinois Senator Richard Durbin say he's exploring what action Congress can take to investiga...

FM 620 expansion project looks to ease congestion, but could it impact businesses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

Austin (KXAN) – As Austin grows some of the most popular thoroughfares are seeing more traffic."It's clear that as the northern suburbs like Cedar Park continue to boom, you are going to have more and more strain put on that 620 corridor," said Cedar Park Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin.According to the RM 620 Feasibility Study, motorists traveling on 620 experience significant traffic-related delays during morning and evening peak times which impacts the safety and reduces mobility.Over the next several years TxDOT is looking to expand the busy thoroughfare to improve safety and congestion. The entire project would run from US 183 to Mansfield Dam, but this would take time."The environmental studies take a long time the design takes a long time," said Penniman-Morin.The project was broken up into different sections. RM 2222 and RM 620 bypass road opens Friday TxDOT does not have a set date for the north project from 183 to Mansfield expansion, but they will soon move forward with planni...

Alfred, Adeleke named to April's Bowerman watch list

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two Texas Longhorn athletes are on the watch list for the most prestigious award in NCAA track and field.Julien Alfred and Rhasidat Adeleke are on April's watch list release for The Bowerman, an award recognizing the country's best men's and women's NCAA track and field athletes.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersAlfred, one of the best sprinters in the country, has been on all four list releases while Adeleke, also one of the best sprinters, is on the watch list for the second time this season.Alfred won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, Florida, to open her outdoor season, and she did so in record-breaking fashion. She ran the 200 meters in 21.91 seconds, the fastest time in the world so far this year, and she set a new UT record. Her winning time of 10.72 in the 100 meters, while wind-aided, is the fastest...

Justice for Yia Xiong ‘disturbed’ by 911 calls where officer shot 65-year-old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

Relatives of Yia Xiong, who a St. Paul police officer fatally shot in February, released 911 transcripts Wednesday of calls that led police to the 65-year-old’s apartment building and said they were disturbed by them.One caller reported they were having a birthday party for their daughter at the building off West Seventh Street and a man “with a machete … keeps coming in and out” of a community room where the party was.Another caller reported all her grandchildren were in the community room, the man was “handing them money and they wouldn’t take it. And we tried to get rid of him.” She said the party was for her 1-year-old granddaughter.Snowdon Herr, founder of the Justice for Yia Xiong Coalition, said in a Wednesday statement that “it’s a part of our culture for elders to give money to children and pat their heads.”One of the callers told a 911 operator that her husband was armed, but had put his weapon down.“We were extre...

Watch Gov. Tim Walz’s State of the State address here at 7 p.m.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will give a “State of the State” address to a joint session of the Minnesota Legislature at 7 p.m. Wednesday.It’s the governor’s first address to a joint session of the Legislature since Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party members won a ‘trifecta’ of control of Minnesota government in November. Walz is expected to highlight his priorities for the next state budget and the historic $17.5 billion surplus.The address can be watched here:

Authorities detail events of Pope County deputy’s slaying, ID suspect who opened fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

Authorities have identified the domestic violence suspect who died in a weekend gunfight that also killed a sheriff’s deputy in the small western Minnesota community of Cyrus.The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Bryan Nygard, 34, of Cyrus. He died of multiple gunshot wounds.The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also identified the two Pope County deputies and the Starbuck police officer involved in the Saturday night incident.Deputy Josh Owen died after being shot three times during the exchange of gunfire, according to the BCA. Owen fired his department handgun during the incident.He had 14 years of law enforcement experience and was slain on his 44th birthday.Deputy Brody Merrill fired his department handgun as well. He has four years of law enforcement experience and is on standard administrative leave.Merrill was struck once in the upper chest in the armored vest by a handgun round.Officer Alex Olson was struck once in the ankle by a handgun ...

Albany Empire front office sees multiple departures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Three members of the Albany Empire front office are no longer with the team. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Former majority owners Mike Kwarta, team president Matt Woods, and Director of Media Relations Jeff Levack have all left the organization.Current owner and former NFL player Antonio Brown is now taking over 95 percent of the Empire's ownership.

McCulloch named new St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Less than three weeks after Tim Lohmar's abrupt resignation as St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney, County Executive Steve Ehlmann has appointed a successor.On Wednesday, Ehlmann named Joseph McCulloch the county's next chief prosecutor.“Joe McCulloch is an experienced trial attorney with a broad range of experience in criminal law, ranging from traffic offenses to homicide,” Ehlmann said.The county council has scheduled a confirmation vote for the April 24 meeting. If confirmed, McCulloch's tenure would begin on May 1. His term would end on Dec. 31, 2024. Top Story: When and where to expect storms Thursday near St. Louis According to a statement from the county, McCulloch served 20 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, working as a patrol officer, and advancing to the Special Narcotics Unit, a homicide detective, and an acting commander.McCulloch earned his law degree from Saint Louis University while working full-time as a police ...

20-year sentence for St. Louis man in 2019 deadly drug deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:18 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man pleaded guilty Wednesday during trial and admitted his involvement in a 2019 murder in the city's Walnut Park West neighborhood.Prosecutors with the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office said Earl Payne, 24, along with Teraz Bateman and Cortez McCullough, set up a fake marijuana deal in order to rob associates of cash. The trio met with Charles Lagrone III and others on Aug. 9, 2019, in the 5500 block of Goodfellow Boulevard.At some point during the transaction, Lagrone was shot and killed. He was 22. Top Story: When and where to expect storms Thursday near St. Louis Payne was in the third day of a jury trial when he changed his plea. He pleaded guilty to armed criminal action, robbery, witness tampering, gun theft, and a reduced charge of second-degree murder.A St. Louis Circuit Court judge sentenced Payne to 20 years in state prison.Bateman, 25, was sentenced to life in prison in October 2022 after being convicted of second-degree murder, robbery, and a...