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Safety campaign launched as Texas ranks No. 1 in nation for worst drivers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following a recent report by Forbes where Texas was ranked as the top state in the nation for “worst drivers,” the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) and AAA Texas launched a statewide “Survive the Drive” auto safety campaign.“They say everything is bigger in Texas, which unfortunately also includes the rate of auto collisions, distracted and dangerous driving, and fatal car accidents compared to other states nationwide,” campaign organizers said.The Forbes report centered around the analysis of six metrics that show dangerous driving behavior. The metric included: drunk driving, distracted driving, drowsy driving, wrong-way driving, failure to obey traffic signs and signals, and drivers who looked at a phone. Texas vs. California: Which drivers are worse? “The statistics for dangerous and distracted driving in Texas are staggering and have only increased in severity since Texans spend more time on the roads post-COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rich Johnson, director of com...

New report: Texas could be losing billions of dollars each year, with declining childcare system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)— Texas could be losing billions of dollars as a state, because of a growing childcare issue.A new report from Ready Nation Texas, a bipartisan nonprofit, shows things could be getting worse. And their data shows this will impact more than just families with small kids.Ready Nation said Texas' child care workforce is now 12% smaller than it was before the pandemic. Texans to vote on child-care property tax exemption "Many providers had to close their doors permanently, and too many of those that did reopen did so at reduced capacity," Katie Ferrier, the vice president of Education and Workforce Development for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce said. Access, affordability and quality are factors playing a role in what ready Texas calls a childcare crisis. And it found insufficient childcare for kids under age three specifically, can be a major loss for the economy. Life with three young kids is nothing short of an adventure for Kari Mars.However, behind the laughs a...

Flash flood risk tonight into Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Isolated to widely scattered downpours continue into the early evening across most areas, while we watch an area of widespread rain arriving in the Hill Country.That widespread rain will slowly move eastward bringing a level 3 out of 4 flash flooding risk to most of the Hill Country overnight and into early Thursday. If you're driving in the Hill Country tonight, be extra careful and "turn around, don't drown" if you encounter a flooded road. While 1-3 inches of rain will be widespread west of I-35 tonight, localized 4-6" rainfall amounts could cause problems.Slight to Moderate flood threat for the Hill Country The rain will continue its eastward and approach I-35 during the Thursday morning commute before moving into our eastern counties by late morning. Live, updated rain totals The flash flooding risk is a bit lower closer to I-35 as the storm movement will pick up speed and not stick over any particular area too long. Still, a 2 out of 4 flash flooding risk is...

Forensic Science Dept. addresses concerns from District Attorney's Office

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In July, the Travis County District Attorney's Office sent a letter to the Forensic Science Department expressing concerns of "potential significant violations," primarily centered around material the forensic science department has “previously improperly withheld.”On Wednesday, KXAN received the Forensic Science Department's response through an open records request. The response addressed specific examples in which the DA's office said the Forensic Science Department did not disclose information about certain concerns in a timely manner. Some of the items of concern the DA's office expressed in its original letter include:An email from a supervisor detailing lack of confidence in an analyst to perform their job dutiesCriminal conduct allegations by staff membersWithholding errors discovered by staff membersLack of supervision, which resulted in evidence not entering a chain of custody for two yearsAccording to the Forensic Science Department, the agency did disclos...

CDC: Health care workers facing mental health crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new report from the CDC suggests that burnout and experiences of workplace harassment have been increasing for U.S. healthcare workers in recent years, leading to a mental health crisis. Researchers surveyed healthcare workers in 2018 and 2022. They found that in four years, twice as many health workers reported workplace harassment, feelings of burnout increased by 32%, more healthcare workers endorsed worse mental health conditions and nearly half of the survey respondents were looking for new work, according to the study.The researchers pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic already exacerbated an already burnt-out healthcare workforce. “We depend on our nation’s health workers, and they must be supported. Employers can act now by modifying working conditions associated with burnout and poor mental health outcomes in health settings. And, CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will be launching a national campaign—the Impact Wel...

BYU bringing charitable tailgate to Austin during UT game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In its first season in the Big 12 Conference, Brigham Young University's Cougars are bringing a new kind of tailgating to Longhorns territory.Members of BYU Alumni have organized "Cougs Care" pregame tailgates at away games, coordinating with local nonprofit organizations and community leaders to fundraise and collect food, books, toys and other essential goods. This Saturday, Central Texas BYU alums will host a holiday gift drive in benefit of the Travis County Sheriff's Brown Santa initiative. It'll be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 2111 Parker Lane in Austin.Debbie Talbot, BYU's Austin alumni chair, told KXAN the university has more than 2,000 alumni living in the Central Texas area, along with 174 Central Texas natives attending BYU. She said the tailgates are a means of breathing life into BYU's motto: "Enter to learn, go forth to serve.""Any time we can be together, we like to try and do somet...

Vision Zero report finds drug, alcohol use undercounted in Austin traffic fatality victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An October Vision Zero report found state crash reports undercounted the prevalence in drug and alcohol use in Austin traffic fatality victims compared to toxicology analyses from the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.The research analyzed findings from TCME and compared it to analysis collected by the Texas Department of Transportation's crash records information system database, with those typically referred to as CR-3 forms. While Vision Zero's analysis doesn't mean the presence of drugs or alcohol was "a causal factor in all of these crashes," program officials stressed the need to consider more than just crash reports when looking for trends in fatal traffic crashes.Between Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2022, Vision Zero found there were 448 fatal crash victims within Austin's jurisdiction in Travis County. When broken down, that includes 12 cyclist fatalities, 56 passenger fatalities, 38 motorcyclist fatalities, 175 pedestrian fatalities, 161 driver fataliti...

Twins position breakdown: outfield

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

The Twins traded for Michael A. Taylor in late January, expecting he would serve as a backup for Byron Buxton. Instead, Taylor played in 129 games and Buxton did not see a single inning in center field.Over in the corner outfield spots, right fielder Max Kepler overcame a slow start to the season to become one of the Twins’ most productive players, and Matt Wallner established himself in left field.2023 RECAPWhen the Twins first devised a plan ahead of last season to ease Buxton in, the expectation was that he would start the season at DH and then eventually shift back to the outfield when his knee allowed.That never happened.It wasn’t until the very end of the season that the Twins tried Buxton out in center field — and that was in a single minor-league game. With Buxton out of the center field picture, that opened up every-day playing time for Taylor, where the former Gold Glover played Buxton-level defense and contributed a career-high 21 home runs.Willi Castro also logged more t...

St. Paul Northern Iron and Machine fined over $41K by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

Northern Iron and Machine foundry in St. Paul was fined $41,500 by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for air quality violations.An investigation carried out by the MPCA found Northern Iron had removed, modified or replaced pollution control equipment throughout the facility without updating its permits, according to a Tuesday news release from the agency.The foundry’s violations occurred over 15 years, the MPCA said, and over the course of five separate inspections the facility failed to disclose updates or changes made to the equipment.Located in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood at 867 N. Forest St., Northern Iron is a full service foundry that produces metal castings and machined parts and has St. Paul roots dating back to 1906.The inspections revealed that Northern Iron had removed and replaced emission units and control equipment and failed to recertify hoods after making changes that could lead to less efficient capturing of particulate matter, according to the MPCA.The found...

Drunken driver pleads guilty in South St. Paul crash that killed her ex, injured 2 others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:41 GMT

An Eden Prairie woman has admitted to drunkenly crashing her minivan into an oncoming pickup in South St. Paul, killing her ex-husband and injuring two other people.Bobbie Jo Puttbrese, 53, pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation in the June 5 crash on Concord Street that killed Paul Edward Craven, a 60-year-old from St. Paul who had previously been married to Puttbrese.Bobbie Jo Puttbrese (Courtesy of Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)Puttbrese entered a “straight plea,” meaning there is no agreement between the defense and the prosecution on the terms of her sentence. Her sentencing has been set for Jan. 18.South St. Paul police collected surveillance video from a nearby business that showed Puttbrese’s minivan traveling south on Concord Street, crossing the centerline near Chestnut Street and colliding with the pickup, which was headed north, according to the complaint.A breath test revealed she had a blood-alcohol c...