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'We can't afford it': Property appraisal values up 24% in Hays County

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Thousands of Hays County residents should be getting their appraisal notices any day now, and they likely will be higher than last year. The Hays Central Appraisal District said it mailed out 121,500 appraisal notices on Tuesday. They said property appraisal values in the county have gone up by 24% this year. The overall market value of Hays County's 2023 preliminary appraisal roll increased to $69.89 billion.'It's dragging us down badly'Charie Valois and her husband have lived in their Buda home for seven years now. In that time, she said their property value has nearly doubled from less than $300,000 to $550,000. It's a growing price she said she and her husband aren't sure they can afford for much longer. "It's kind of hard. I just don't know where it's gonna stop," Valois said. While Valois hasn't received her property appraisal just yet, she said she's already dreading it. "One more day of waiting to see what we're gonna have to pay," Valois said. Wh...

Texas baseball thrashes Abilene Christian, scores highest run total of the season

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 14 Texas baseball left absolutely no doubt in their midweek game with against Abilene Christian, beating the Wildcats 20-0 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas (27-12 overall, 8-4 in Big 12) started the scoring with a Garrett Guillemette two-run home run and a Porter Brown solo shot in the first.The second inning is where the Longhorns blew the game wide open, scoring eight runs. The lead continued to climb as Texas scored four runs in the third, and five runs in the fifth. The large margin Texas allowed Texas to work several pitchers. Kobe Minchey got the start and pitched three scoreless innings only allowing one hit. Zane Morehouse, Charlie Hurley and Andre Duplantier all took the mound after Minchey's time was done, and the three of them allowed no runs and one hit in relief. The 20 runs Texas scored is the most they've scored this season, three more than their total in their 17-11 win over Incarnate Word back on March 21st. Texas will return to Big 12 play to beg...

Minnesotans will soon have an eighth area code to dial: the 924

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

Residents of southern Minnesota will soon have a second area code option, in addition to the longstanding 507.With 507 numbers poised to run out in the next few years, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has approved 924 as an additional area code for the region that includes Rochester, Austin, Winona, Mankato, Worthington and Marshall.There’ll be no change for people who currently have 507 numbers. But starting soon, any new or additional lines in southern Minnesota may be assigned the new 924 area code in what’s called an area code overlay.It’ll be the state’s eighth area code, and the first new area code in Minnesota since 763 and 952 were introduced in the Twin Cities suburbs back in 2000.And it may not be the last. A PUC document said the 218 area code in northern Minnesota is poised to run out of numbers by the end of 2026, though the commission hasn’t announced plans for addressing that shortage.Minnesota’s other area codes are forecast to have enough numbers for at lea...

Albany police car involved in crash

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Three people were sent to the hospital after a crash involving an Albany police car Wednesday night. The crash took place on Hudson Avenue. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Officials said a police car and another vehicle collided. Two officers sustained minor injuries. The driver of the other vehicle also complained of minor leg pain.All three were taken to the hospital for evaluations. The investigation is ongoing.

Watervliet police sergeant passes away

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Watervliet Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their own. The police department said Sgt. Marc Langlais died unexpectedly.He joined the force in 2004 and was promoted to sergeant in 2015. He spent nearly two decades with the department. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Sgt. Langlais was a law enforcement training instructor, and outside of work, those close to him said he loved movies and trivia.He leaves behind a wife and children.

Fallen Marine's family gets bill for I-70 memorial sign

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. – FOX 2 has learned the state of Missouri honored Marine Corps hero, Jared Schmitz, with a new memorial sign on Interstate 70 in Wentzville, but then sent a bill for the sign to his family.Missouri lawmakers are now pushing to make this the last time it ever happens.Schmitz’s father is so grateful for the sign naming the overpass at I-70 and the David Hoekel Parkway after Jared.The Missouri Department of Transportation recently erected the signs on eastbound and westbound I-70, naming the overpass the Marine Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz Memorial Bridge. Top Story: When and where to expect storms Thursday near St. Louis The honor means the world to his family, but getting a bill from MoDOT was unforeseen.“We were a little shocked to get a bill in the mail for $3,200 to pay for our own signs,” Mark Schmitz said.His state representative and state senator, who presented the family with an official state proclamation at the sign dedication a few weeks ago, were a little...

Woman tracks stolen AirPods, but says St. Louis police can’t help

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Car windows were busted in and belongings were stolen while people were at a concert in downtown St. Louis, and even though officers could've tracked down the suspect afterward, they did not.Francesca Biundo said her SUV was in the parking lot across from the Enterprise Center Friday night when thieves smashed her backseat window and grabbed her purse, which had her AirPods in it."Helpless, scared, and really, really mad," Biundo said.Biundo said she's still finding pieces of shattered glass in her vehicle."Tons of glass. I've vacuumed three or four times," Biundo said.Biundo said 15 to 20 other vehicles were also targeted. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW She called the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, who returned h...

New apartment complex approved in St. Charles County, despite opposition from residents

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - The Dardenne Prairie Board of Aldermen approved a new apartment complex Wednesday despite strong concerns from residents.The new four-story apartment building will sit at the corner of Bryan and Feise roads. It will hold 190 apartments along with shops and restaurants. Funding for the project is coming from $68 million in bonds. Trending: Former prosecutor turned star witness says she won’t be silenced The Wentzville School District superintendent, Dr. Danielle Tormala, addressed the concerns at Wednesday's meeting over the 12-year abatement period. She said that after discussions with the developer, the district is supporting the development.“Our biggest concern from the school district was to protect that revenue as best we can," Tormala said. "So we have come to an agreement that will allow for some of that revenue to be contributed back to the district and also an agreement around conversations for any future developments, we will be at the table."

Supply chain lessons learned; preparing for the next disruption

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

ST. LOUIS – “The stresses that were put on the supply chain were extreme. It definitely was a giant stress test,” said Logan Cooper, senior regional traffic manager at OEC Group’s St. Louis bureau.Logistical nightmares Cooper and his colleagues navigated that don’t yet feel like distant dreams.“Containers coming into the West Coast. Trying to get them on the rail was a huge challenge. We had containers that sat for six months in some cases,” Cooper said.Cooper says the experience helped them better understand what worked, what didn’t, and what needed to change. A tall order, even for one of the leading cargo logistics providers from Asia to North America. Top Story: When and where to expect storms Thursday near St. Louis “One of the big things for us is what we call transloads. A container that’s coming to the Midwest, instead of using rail to get to the Midwest, which is going to be one of those choke points, we will transload it,” he said. “We will unload the cargo container, pu...

Stampede in Yemen at Ramadan charity event kills at least 78

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:08:35 GMT

By AHMED AL-HAJ and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)SANAA, Yemen (AP) — A crowd apparently spooked by gunfire and an electrical explosion stampeded at an event to distribute financial aid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Yemen’s capital late Wednesday, killing at least 78 people and injuring at least 73 others, according to witnesses and Houthi rebel officials.The tragedy was Yemen’s deadliest in years that was not related to the country’s long-running war, and came ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan later this week.Armed Houthis fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, apparently striking an electrical wire and causing it to explode, according to two witnesses, Abdel-Rahman Ahmed and Yahia Mohsen. That sparked a panic, and people, including many women and children, began stampeding, they said.Video posted on social media showed dozens of bodies, some motionless, and others screaming as people tried to ...