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Texas State Parks Day is Nov. 5 — how to get free entry

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas State Parks Day will be celebrated on Nov. 5, and now visitors will have free day pass entrance to explore the great outdoors of the Lone Star State.All Texas state parks will have free daily entry available with more than 80 statewide parks. Day-use activities can include wildlife watching, walking, hiking, parks programming, camping, biking, swimming, paddleboarding and other activities, per the release. A complete list of activities and events is available online. ICYMI: Celebrating 100 years, what you may not know about the Texas State Parks system Those interested are advised to make a reservation online, especially since parks will operate at established capacity limits. Other fees still apply for non-day pass use.“Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wants to continue to connect everyone to our beautiful parklands, and we hope that Texas State Parks Day will give someone new the opportunity to discover what makes our state parks special,” State Parks Di...

Austin Parks & Rec ends burning restrictions in all parklands

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) ended the burning restrictions for all city parks. Texas Burn Bans Map “PARD is committed to protecting the City’s parks and surrounding communities and will continue to evaluate the wildfire risk on an ongoing basis,” the department said in a release.According to the city, if conditions get worse and there was an increased risk of wildfires, the burning restriction would be reinstated.

Harmony Public Schools deliver 5% bonus to full-time staff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Harmony Public Schools, a Texas-based public charter system, announced a 5% appreciation bonus for its full-time staff Thursday.The bonus will be paid the week before Thanksgiving, school officials said in a news release. Approximately 5,000 staff members statewide will receive the bonus, officials added, equating to a minimum of $2,700 added for Harmony teachers. RELATED: Harmony Public Schools finds success with teacher retention program Alongside the bonus given to full-time members, a $300 flat amount will be paid to qualifying temporary workers, such as interns, tutors and crossing guards. Substitute teachers, however, do not qualify for that flat amount bonus. Those temporary employees who are eligible "must have received a paycheck at the end of October and remain actively employed as of Nov. 10.“I commend our Board and administrators for being outstanding stewards of our finances and allowing us to show our gratitude to our dedicated staff in this special w...

Vikings’ Danielle Hunter, Jordan Addison bring home monthly awards

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

Though franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins was the driving force behind the Vikings turning things around over the past month, star pass rusher Danielle Hunter and rookie receiver Jordan Addison did their fair share of work, as well.As a result, on Thursday. Hunter was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month, and Addison was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month.The monthly award was very much deserved for both players, as Hunter had five sacks and a pair of force fumbled in October, while Addison had 23 catches for 297 yards and five touchdowns.That production helped the Vikings finished 4-1 last month, scoring wins over the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers. Not only are the Vikings now 4-4 and right back in the NFC North race, they have won three straight games, the longest active streak among all teams in the NFC.Related ArticlesMinnesota Vikings | Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talks Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Justin Jeff...

St. Paul City Council seeks bigger recurring investment in library materials

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

Acting as chair of the St. Paul Library Board, City Council Member Rebecca Noecker introduced a resolution on Wednesday aimed at stating, in no uncertain terms, that the city needs to put more money each year into acquiring new library books, music and movies.Aside from last-minute emergency cash infusions, the St. Paul Public Library system’s collections budget hasn’t grown with time, even as inflation has greatly increased the cost of acquiring new materials, she said.A likely dedicated funding source, she said, could be the city’s Cultural Star grant program, which provides grants and loans to cultural organizations with funding from the city’s half-cent sales tax. The council has scrambled almost annually to find ways to boost the library system’s collections budget, or at least offset cuts, dipping into the $2 million Cultural Star grant program for $175,000 both last year and years prior. A similar grant amount is likely on the table later this ye...

Opponents petition courts for environmental review of proposed St. Thomas arena in St. Paul

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

Neighborhood residents have petitioned the Minnesota Court of Appeals in an attempt to block the University of St. Thomas from building a new college sports arena at Cretin and Grand avenues in St. Paul.With the goal of hosting men’s and women’s hockey, basketball and other functions, the university has proposed a sports and entertainment facility spanning 270,000 square feet on its south campus.Residents banding together under the title “Advocates for Responsible Development” have called the project’s Environmental Assessment Worksheet, or EAW, “inadequate, incomplete and misleading,” and asked the court to require a more elaborate review known as an Environmental Impact Statement.Among their concerns, the worksheet focused on the environmental impact of what the university described as a typical game drawing some 2,100 fans, instead of basing their figures on near-capacity games, which would feature up to 5,500 or 6,000 fans depending upon...

Loons CEO Shari Ballard ‘really pleased’ with club’s GM candidates

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

Minnesota United’s pursuit of a new general manager has been progressing, and CEO Shari Ballard has given an update on the process this week.Ballard, during an interview on the Sound of the Loons podcast, said the club is reorganizing its sporting structure to be led by a GM, with a separate head coach reporting up to the GM. That to-be-named GM will likely take a title of Chief Soccer Officer (CSO) or Sporting Director.Ballard wants a clear separation of powers between the role of CSO and the head coach, with a “heathy tension” between short-term goals of the head coach and long-term vision of the CSO, rather than having those duties consolidated in one job, as it was under manager Adrian Heath over the past four years. MNUFC fired Heath and his No. 2, technical director Mark Watson, in early October, two games before the 2023 season ended.The hiring of the CSO will come first, and the Pioneer Press understands a list of candidates was put together internally — drawing a pool from ...

A sales tax hike to pay for St. Paul roads, parks is on Tuesday’s ballot. How would it work?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

In addition to electing a new city council member from their political ward and four new school board members, St. Paul voters will find a question on the Nov. 7 ballot asking them whether to increase the city’s sales tax to pay for 44 miles of arterial road reconstruction, as well as major parks improvements.The increase — 1 percentage point, or a penny on every dollar — is expected to raise $984 million over 20 years, with 75% of the money going toward some two-dozen designated road and bridge projects.Mayor Melvin Carter is urging residents to vote “yes” to capture revenue from thousands of daily visitors who use the city’s roads without paying for their upkeep. He’s noted the city has limited other funding options when punishing winters leave moon-like craters in major thoroughfares, and that without a quick cash infusion, the city would likely be forced to raise property taxes to rebuild arterial streets.Park maintenance is suffering a ...

St. Paul Park city election: 7 candidates for 2 council seats; plus a mayor departs while another returns

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

With seven candidates running for two open seats on the city council and a new mayor about to be elected, there could be a sea change in leadership in St. Paul Park next year.Sandi Dingle, mayor since 2017, is retiring at the end of the year; former mayor and state Rep. Keith Franke is running unopposed Tuesday for the city’s top elected spot.St. Paul Park Mayor Sandi Dingle, left, is retiring at the end of 2023. Former mayor Keith Franke is running unopposed on Tuesday, Nov. 9, for the position. (Courtesy photos)Dingle, 60, said a breast-cancer diagnosis a few years ago spurred her to think about how much time she spends on city government. “It made me take a step back,” she said. “It made me realize that life is short, and that I want to spend more time with and focus on my family.  It’s been 18 years, I want to give somebody else a shot. I do believe in fresh blood. With fresh blood comes fresh ideas.”Dingle, who works in community development for the Metropolitan Council, was fi...

Schenectady Trading Company finds new owners

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:18 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Originally set to close, The Schenectady Trading Company at 609 Union Street will be continuing on with new owners. Entrepreneurs Tom and Ali Bland will be taking over the store. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! At the beginning of September, owner Caroline Bardwell announced the store would be closing so she could focus on her own well-being. On Wednesday, Bardwell announced the marketplace would be staying open as the Blands would be taking over operations."The store will not be closing and will be open for the holidays," said Bardwell. "They'll get a crash course in running the store with me still at the helm and the opportunity to engage with customers during peak season." Alltown Fresh opens on Route 9 in Fort Edward According to the announcement, Tom Bland is a woodworker from Schoharie and Ali Bland is a Home and Landscape Designer from Duanesburg. Together, they run the business Anything B...