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Texas House passes bill reducing penalties for low-level marijuana possession

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 27, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill that would reduce the penalty for possession of small amounts of marijuana.In addition to marijuana, House Bill 218 also relates to the possession of certain tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), certain synthetic cannabinoids and drug paraphernalia.The bill would reclassify the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana or cannabis concentrate as a Class C misdemeanor, which is a citable offense, but it is not subject to an arrest. There could, however, be a fine of up to $500.HB 218 was approved after a third reading by members of the House Thursday. The bill now heads to the Texas Senate for review.

Harm reduction group clashes with Texas lawmakers over fentanyl legislation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Crammed into Texas Sen. Joan Huffman's office chanting "shame," a group of Texans confronted staffers on Thursday, demanding the senator uses her leadership role to take action on legislation related to addressing the fentanyl crisis.The Texas Harm Reduction Alliance is calling on Huffman — who chairs the Criminal Justice Committee — to advance several bills that aim to decriminalize the use of fentanyl testing strips. Currently, under the Texas Controlled Substances Act drug testing equipment such as these strips are classified as drug paraphernalia, making it illegal for people to recreationally test.The test strips cost roughly a dollar and can be used to test drugs, powders and pills for the presence of fentanyl, which is significantly more powerful than other drugs and can be fatal. Earlier this month, the Texas representatives overwhelmingly passed House Bill 362, which would allow people to safely test their drugs for fentanyl "without the risk of pros...

UT researchers create e-tattoo that could help detect heart disease

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An electronic tattoo could help save your heart. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed an ultrathin, lightweight electronic tattoo, or e-tattoo, that attaches to the chest for continuous, mobile heart monitoring outside of a clinical setting. It's a continuation of an earlier chest e-tattoo project, according to a release from UT. It's wireless and mobile and is enabled by a series of small active circuits and sensors carefully arranged and linked by stretchable interconnections and conforms to the chest via a medical dressing, the release said. The clear devices are less intrusive than other monitoring systems and more comfortable for patients. Related: UT, Texas A&M researchers make e-tattoos to show if someone is stressed The e-tattoo includes two sensors that together provide a clear picture of heart health, giving clinicians a better chance to catch red flags for heart disease early.UT researchers create e-tattoo that could help ...

New Project Connect renderings feature light rail buildout opportunities in the future

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After debuting five light rail design options last month, Austin's Project Connect leaders have released new renderings that highlight future expansion and light rail buildout opportunities under each proposal.Austin Transit Partnership, CapMetro and city leaders shared the updated renderings during the city's Housing and Planning Committee meeting Tuesday. All three entities are currently gathering public feedback on the options through May 2, with a final version set to be announced in June. PREVIOUS REPORTING: Project Connect debuts 5 scaled down light rail options "The full vision is there, and will be completed," said Annick Beaudet with the City of Austin's Project Connect office. "We're committed to that. It's just, because of funding constraints we've talked about extensively over the past year, we're building a core system as an initial investment."Both Austin Mayor Pro-Tem Paige Ellis and Austin City Council Member José “Chito” Vela have requested more c...

Texas House passes sweeping bills on teacher pay, school funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas House passed sweeping legislation on Thursday impacting school funding, teacher pay, and the way new educators will prepare to enter the classroom. The legislation is in response to a steep increase in the number of teachers leaving the profession.The most recent data from the Texas Education Agency shows 16% more educators left the profession in 2021-22 than in the previous school year. The previous school year saw a 26% increase from the year before.House Bill 100, filed by Rep. Ken King, R- Canadian, would move to calculate the amount of money districts receive from the state based on enrollment – and not attendance, and raise the per pupil funding, or the student allotment, from $6,160 to $6,250. The Exit: Teachers Leave. Students Suffer. The bill would also raise and restructure the law which determines the minimum salary a district can offer a teacher. The salary schedule proposed would require districts to pay educators more based on both experienc...

Dungeons & Dragons was invented in this Wisconsin town. Why no statue?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

Christopher Borrelli | Chicago TribuneWhen Ed Schwinn thinks about the history of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin — and as president of the board of directors for the Geneva Lake Museum, he thinks about it quite a bit — he thinks of a summer retreat, a tourist town that has fewer than 10,000 year-round residents. He thinks of his own family living there year-round for 34 years. He thinks of his grandfather, who helped steer the Schwinn Bicycle Company into becoming a household name, buying a second home on the lakefront in the 1920s. He notes that a lot of summer families have long since become permanent residents, though “when I grew up on Lake Geneva, people with homes on the lakefront shut off the water on Labor Day, slipped a key under the mat and went home until May.”He thinks of all those wealthy, famous names associated with the history of the town — the Schwinns, the Wrigleys, the Maytags, the Wards — then admits, “No matter how many well-known families have been coming here a centur...

Wild send clear message ahead of Game 6 against Stars: ‘This series isn’t over’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

The question was simple as Matt Dumba stood in the Wild locker room following a blowout loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 5.What gave him the confidence that the Wild could keep their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup alive in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series?“This series isn’t over,” Dumba said. “Simple as that.”No, it’s not, and on Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center, the Wild understand the task at hand. If they win, they will force a do-or-die Game 7 in Dallas. If they lose, they will be going home.“We have to go through this adversity to get to where we want to go,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “This is a good opportunity for us to play our best hockey right now.”There have been stretches of good and bad from the Wild throughout the first-round series with the Stars.They were fantastic in a Game 1 victory, with No. 2 goaltender Filip Gustavsson making a franchise-record 51 saves. They were erratic in a Game ...

Humane Society’s ‘Walk for Animals’ at Fairgrounds to proceed without pooches because of canine flu guidelines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

The Animal Humane Society’s annual “Walk for Animals” will still take place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds next week — minus man’s best friend.The Animal Humane Society, which was forced to temporarily shutter its adoption centers in Woodbury, Golden Valley and Coon Rapids following an outbreak of canine influenza, said the Minnesota Board of Animal Health has issued a new public guidance to prevent the spread of the canine influenza.The state board is calling for COVID-like precautions, including keeping six feet between dogs and avoiding areas and events with large concentrations of pooches. That’s put a damper on but not a halt to the planned May 6 walk, which will begin at the Fairgrounds’ International Bazaar.“While the walk is still moving forward, we’re asking participants not to bring their dogs this year,” reads a written notice from the Golden Valley-based humane society. “Once again, we’ve been faced with a d...

FDA approval for treatment marks ‘pivotal moment in ALS research’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

Massachusetts-based Biogen has gotten the green light for a breakthrough ALS treatment that targets a devastating, ultra-rare genetic form of the progressive neurodegenerative disease.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted approval of Qalsody for the treatment of ALS in adults who have a mutation in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene. Biogen’s treatment is the first approved treatment to target a genetic cause of ALS.“For more than a decade, Biogen has been steadfast in our commitment to pursuing treatments for ALS, and I want to thank the scientists as well as the entire ALS community who have all worked tirelessly to bring this first-of-its-kind treatment to people with SOD1-ALS,” said Christopher Viehbacher, Biogen’s president and CEO.About 30,000 people in the U.S. have ALS, according to estimates. SOD1-ALS is diagnosed in about 2% of all ALS cases, with about 330 people in the U.S. living with the disease.The FDA approval for the treatment was based on the...

Troy man sentenced 13 years as a second felony offender

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:05:52 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Thursday, Bryan Wright, 33, was sentenced to 13 years in prison and 3 years of post-release supervision. Wright is a second felony offender and was found guilty of two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! When he was arrested, Wright was on parole. He was found to be in possession of over a half-ounce of cocaine and almost $3,000 in currency.“Mr. Wright has a history of recidivism. He was convicted of a violent assault in 2014. Less than a year after being released to parole in 2020, he was again arrested and ultimately convicted on new charges for which he served a one-year jail sentence. He was released and placed back under parole supervision in 2021. Within weeks of release, he was arrested on the crimes he was sentenced for today. He was not held in custody after that arrest and, while those charges were pending, he was ch...