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Where did Texas' record budget surplus come from?

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — You've heard us talk about the state's record budget surplus of $32.7 billion dollars. A viewer reached out to KXAN via Report!t asking where the money came from.The surplus is money expected to be left over at the end of this fiscal year. State Comptroller Glenn Hegar has said you can thank inflation for a lot of it; people paying more for goods and services means more sales tax pouring into the state. Hegar also pointed to spikes in energy and gas prices for some of the surplus. In total, lawmakers will have about $188 billion in revenue to spend for the 2024-25 biennium, an increase of 26% from the last go-around.But Hegar has said don't expect the state to see money like this again any time soon."Bluntly, don't count on me announcing another big revenue jump two years from now," Hegar said back in January. "The revenue increases that we've seen have been, in many ways, unprecedented, and we cannot reasonably expect a repeat.""This budgeting session is trul...

Possible designs for Project Connect's light rail system to be unveiled Tuesday

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Transit Partnership, the entity responsible for delivering Austin's Project Connect, will unveil several options to the public on the scope and design of a new light rail system during an open house on Tuesday night. The open house will be from 4-7 p.m. at the Austin Public Library’s Central location at 710 W. Cesar Chavez St.The design of the public transit system was put on hold in the summer of 2022 because ATP discovered the cost of building two light rail lines would be a lot more expensive than originally thought. Originally, the cost of a blue line, designed to connect north Austin to the airport, and an orange line, designed to connect north and south Austin, would cost the city $5.8 billion. In April, ATP projected the cost for the two rail lines to be $10.3 billion. KXAN has put together a complete timeline of this project since it was accepted in 2020. Realistic options for the public ATP has been holding conversations with community groups and...

Did you know UT's art program has 28 artworks borrowed from The Met museum?

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you've spent time on the University of Texas at Austin campus, you've most likely taken a look at the school's public art program—which includes many pieces borrowed from the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. UT's public art program, called Landmarks, started in 2008 with 28 borrowed works from the Met. Since then, it has grown to 46 installations across campus and at the Dell Medical School. How does ‘tip creeping’ affect Texans? The collection includes commissions from admired or promising artists. Kathleen Stimpert, the program's deputy director, said each piece is picked to fit the space, such as art that mimics binary code at the computer sciences building or a feminine sculpture outside the former women's gym. Many of the selected artists are well-known in the art world, Stimpert said. The university is celebrating the program's 15 years. On a typical day, the art gets over 160,000 views plus 75,000 visits to the program's "crown jewel," the Tu...

Fire breaks out in Troy parking garage

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A parking garage fire in Troy broke out around 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The fire happened near 2751 5th Avenue. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Fire officials say no one was injured as a result of the fire, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Stick with NEWS10 as more information regarding the fire becomes available.

5 things to know this Tuesday, March 21

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Happy Tuesday! On this first full day of spring, we can expect some warmer weather. After a chilly morning, afternoon temperatures will be within the mid-50s for the Capital Region. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! A 13-year-old is in grave condition, according to Troy police, after a mini-bike crash on Sunday night. Also, a Troy man will serve 20 years in prison after admitting to pulling the trigger in the fatal shooting of his own brother. The man claimed the shooting was not intentional. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Tuesday morning. 1. Troy man sentenced to 20 years for killing brotherA Troy man who admitted to pulling the trigger in the fatal shooting of his own brother was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison. Prior to the judge handing down her sentence, Jatae Gourrier-Lewis apologized to his family and asked for leniency saying the shoo...

Deadline for priests to submit inputs protecting parishioners from consolidation today

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis priests can make one last plea to keep their parish doors open. The deadline to make that request is Tuesday.Parishioners are not happy about the changes, but the archdiocese says attendance is simply down and they also are seeing fewer priests.In the archdiocese, along with decreasing priests keeping churches running, they shared that they are also short-staffed for the day-to-day operations. The archdiocese said they've been collecting data and talking with priests about restructuring the 178 parishes for more than a year and a half for the all things new plan. Trending: Remains in Crawford County possibly of woman missing since 2014 They revealed data showed mass attendance is down, they're seeing fewer baptisms, and they also have 74 priests that are eligible to retire in the next 10 years. These are some of the many reasons why the archdiocese explained that restructuring for the church is necessary.The specifics about the parishes that are going to per...

Missouri House moves one step closer to legalizing sports betting

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - With March Madness in full swing, many Missourians are forced to drive across state lines to place a bet on their favorite team, but after the House gave first-round approval to a bill Monday evening, sports wagering is one step closer to becoming legal. During the NFL season, there were roughly 10 million attempts to place a sports bet in Missouri, according to GeoComply. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say that Missouri is playing a losing hand after not legalizing sports betting. The House took the first step Monday towards making it legal to place wagers on college and professional sports teams. "I hear from people every day when I'm out and about why hasn't Missouri done this yet and quite frankly, we're starting to look silly," Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, said. While all of Missouri's neighboring states are betting on their favorite team, Missourians are getting denied and are crossin...

St. Louis County Fields Foods grand opening happening today

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Another Fields foods location is opening. It replaces the old Save-A-Lot on Page Avenue that closed in 2021. Trending: Remains in Crawford County possibly of woman missing since 2014 A grand opening ceremony for the new Fields Foods is at 5:00 p.m. This is the sixth location in the St. Louis metro area, and the first one in St. Louis County.

Raising Cane's grand opening in Wentzville this evening

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - A new Raising Cane's is opening in Wentzville Tuesday.It's at 1580 Wentzville Parkway. The grand opening will have fun activities, giveaways, and live music. Trending: Remains in Crawford County possibly of woman missing since 2014 It starts at 9:00 a.m. and Fredbird will join the event at 4:00 p.m.

Candidate forum taking place in East St. Louis today

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:01:12 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - There's a candidate forum in East St. Louis Tuesday.Candidates for mayor, councilman, school board, and treasurer will all answer questions. Top story: Search for missing St. Charles woman leads to abandoned car It's at the Macedonia Baptist Church, located on1400 East Broadway, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.