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Council member wants crackdown on mail theft in Austin

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly (District 6) issued a memo this week requesting action on preventing mail theft in Austin."The community is angry, not one person is happy that their mail is being stolen," she said. Suspected mail, ID thief arrested; KXAN investigation credited KXAN has covered mail theft sprees all throughout Central Texas. Kelly said constituents' repeated concerns prompted her to elevate the issue, asking the interim city manager to "send a letter to the postmaster general requesting a change of master keys for mailboxes across the city."Kelly noted "changing the master keys would require effort and resources," but believes "the benefits of doing so are numerous." RELATED: Property tax checks worth thousands stolen from Travis County mailboxes She further asked the city to define additional steps that can be taken to prevent mail theft.Theft victims' concernsMail thieves have hit Ashley Hornung's northwest Austin condo complex several tim...

Wimberley farm says they received cease and desist letter from NY restaurant with similar name

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — Produce farmers in Wimberley said they were shocked when they received a cease and desist letter from the attorney of a New York based restaurant with a similar name.Sky Cutler and his dad Mitch started Dirt Candy Farm about three years ago."I like farming small, I think that is the way of the future," said Sky as he walked through fields of produce.The Cutlers said when they decided on the name "Dirt Candy Farm" they didn't have any knowledge that there was a restaurant named "Dirt Candy" in New York."About three to six months later we had heard of the name, but didn't think anything of it because we already did our research and there was no Dirt Candy Farm," Mitch said.The Cutler's told KXAN in early April they received a letter from the attorney of the owner of "Dirt Candy" in New York stating the Cutlers were infringing upon the owner's trademark. The letter also said other valuable rights in the Dirt Candy mark in violation of federal law and state sta...

Tenants discuss next steps to improve living conditions

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The tenants of Parkview Apartments spoke to an attorney Wednesday to talk about the options they have available after they said the living conditions have not improved. The tenants were supposed to meet with the management group of the apartments, but CRM Rental Management did not attend the meeting. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Many of the tenants said they still do not have hot water after a pipe burst in February. Some of the tenants had to stay at a local hotel while the repairs were being made to the pipes in the building. Attorney Adriel Colon-Casaino said everything is still on the table."People have a right to housing, and the only way to enforce that right is to hold landlords accountable," he said. "The landlord is not going to do anything unless it costs them money to fix things."Back in late February, the director of the Department of Buildings in Albany said the Parkview Apartments ...

Video: Alley overgrowth adds to trash crisis in St. Louis

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A new issue in the St. Louis trash crisis is that alleys are so overgrown with brush that it's hard for residents and garbage trucks to even get to the trash dumpsters anymore.FOX 2 obtained a video showing one driver pushing through a jungle of brush in a narrow alley to empty multiple dumpsters in brush so thick you couldn’t even see the garbage being dumped into the truck.The alley was behind the 4400 block of Anderson near O’Fallon Park in St. Louis's new 11th Ward.“Yeah, there are spots where trucks cannot safely pass through,” said Alderwoman Laura Keys. Top Story: Mushroom hunter describes discovering body in the woods She urged people to report such things to her or the Citizens Service Bureau. Otherwise, they won’t be addressed. She said she is adamant about it, sharing her cell phone number with residents in her ward.“I want to know what’s happening and to be as proactive as possible to get the work done," Keys said. "To make city services aware that this is ...

Local women's group raises money for cancer research at event

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Hundreds of women helped raise money for cancer research in our community at the third annual Women's Event with the St. Louis Men's Group Against Cancer on Wednesday.Women who attended the event listened to a powerful message from a woman very familiar with cancer."It's up to us as women, the ones who take care of everyone else in our lives, to put us on our to-do list," said Joan Lunden, a breast cancer survivor.Lunden is a longtime journalist and breast cancer survivor. She's using her voice to spread information to women across the country. Top Story: Mushroom hunter describes discovering body in the woods "I instantly knew after my diagnosis that it was not just going to be my cancer story," Lunden said. "It was going to become my new mission, and it was an amazing opportunity to carry on the legacy of my dad, who was a prominent cancer surgeon."She said she wants women everywhere to be aware of their health."I never thought I would be the person diagnosed because...

Missouri Senate spends hours discussing diversity during budget debate

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After nearly 12 hours of debate, the Missouri Senate passed a $50 billion budget early Wednesday morning. Members spent a majority of the time debating language that would prohibit state government for paying for staff, contractors, training or programs associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion. The provision was offered by Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg during discussion on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) $10 billion budget. The amendment would have banned diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives in funding for public schools. "When we look at some of these programs that deal with diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, I don't think they are right," Hoskins said. "I think we have some of these concepts that are going on in our state agencies right now, some of these woke concepts." Top Story: Mushroom hunter describes discovering body in the woods The House originally added the language to ever...

Three Kings Public House employee reacts to Wednesday's fire 

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Hours after Three Kings Public House server Isabella Torregrossa helped close the bar, St. Louis City and County firefighters fought a fire that engulfed the building. Torregrossa has worked at the Delmar Loop bar for about a year and left Tuesday at 10 p.m. after what she called a normal shift. On Wednesday morning, her roommate and coworker woke her up to tell her, “Our work is on fire.” “When me and my roommate came here, it was silent," Torregrossa said. "There was not a word; all you see is the smoke and the firetrucks. You see some of them fist-bumping each other like, 'OK, we got this figured out,' and then other times you saw them, and they just look disturbed.” This St. Louis restaurant has the best soul food in Missouri, food writers say There are apartments just above the bar, but no injuries were reported except a minor injury to one of the firefighters. Torregrossa said she was devastated and felt mostly bad for her coworkers. “It was just d...

Clarksville community prepares for potential flooding 

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

CLARKSVILLE, Mo. - Clarksville’s emergency management committee met Wednesday night to prepare for the possibility of flooding. River levels are expected to crest in the moderate flood zone for Clarksville, Missouri. Mayor Jo Anne Smiley said it’s too soon to know what impact potential flooding could have on Clarksville but added that it’s not too soon to prepare. One of the attendees at Wednesday’s meeting was Jerry Manfredonia. He moved from Hackensack, New Jersey, to Clarksville and has been impressed with the sense of community and the determination to battle floods. “The whole community comes together,” Manfredonia said.  This St. Louis restaurant has the best soul food in Missouri, food writers say Gary Cecil lives in an area of Clarksville where flooding has been a problem. He’s taking precautions in case there is flooding this spring. “I’ve got a generator,” Cecil said. “I’ve got a three-inch waste pump to pump water of the basement when that’s necessar...

Investigating the timeshare industry ahead of summer vacation season

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Joe Mason’s timeshare trouble in Branson, Missouri, started innocently enough.“When we first signed up for this, this isn’t a timeshare. We’re a vacation package, you know, a destination kind of package," Mason said. "We’re not a timeshare at all. They preached that to us 100 different times.”The Topeka, Kansas, resident is now fighting to get out of the deal.“You broke the contract with us. We want our money back. And they won’t listen to us," Mason said. "They won’t do anything about it. They’re just, keep paying us; you’re stuck in it. That’s it.”Stories like Mason’s are peppered throughout the latest Better Business Bureau investigation into timeshares and vacation clubs. Top Story: Mushroom hunter describes discovering body in the woods “We’re really seeing that consumers feel they’re pressured into contracts that they don’t quite understand," said Brian Edwards, a BBB investigator. "That they are signing up for these timeshares being told they are very easy to re...

Metro Transit explains how real time camera center helped catch suspect in attempted rapes

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 14:17:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - The new security technology from Metro Transit played a major role in catching a suspect who is charged with attempting to rape and sexually assault two of their riders.The Metro Transit security team is scrolling, watching, and analyzing 900 camera feeds in front of them.In the last three months, Metro's “Real Time Camera System” has bolstered safety and security for riders on MetroLink, MetroBus, and Call-A-Ride. Top Story: Mushroom hunter describes discovering body in the woods "These are basically the eyes on the system,” said Kevin Scott, general manager of security for Bi-State Development. “By taking it and building it out in its own component in a real-life center, we're using that closed-circuit television in a proactive instead of a reactive format.”The new technology is already showing results. Last week, the cameras were used to identify a Cahokia Heights, Illinois, man who attempted to rape two women at MetroLink stations in downtown St. Louis....