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14 CPS employees fired, resigned in PPP fraud investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

CHICAGO — Twelve Chicago Public Schools employees have resigned or been fired for defrauding a federal pandemic relief program. Two more are in the process of being fired.According to the CPS Office of the Inspector General, the investigation is ongoing.The OIG reports the employees, most of which had six-figure salaries with the district, used false loan applications to get up to $21,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans.Those loans are primarily meant to help business owners pay their employees during the height of the pandemic.The OIG reports of the 14 employees, many admitted to making false statements on the loan applications.At least one of the CPS employees involved worked in the central office and got a $75,000 loan. At the time, the employee made more than $200,000 a year.The report also says that many of the 14 employees include school administrators and managers.The OIG says close to 800 full-time CPS employees received PPP loans. Some of course are legitima...

'Mr. Brightside,' 'Shake It Off,' 'Jolene' among 2024 candidates' favorite songs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

(The Hill) – “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Shake It Off” and “Fast Car” are among the songs that some of the 2024 GOP presidential candidates say bring them “instant joy.”About half of the 13 Republican White House hopefuls answered an inquiry from Politico Magazine published Wednesday about a viral social media post that asked users on X (formerly Twitter) to share 20 of their “all-time fav tracks.”“Not the ‘best’ songs, the ones that bring you instant joy the second you hear the first note, the ones that give other people the best insight into what stirs your soul,” the August post said.Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie heavily represented the Garden State with his musical picks, selecting Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road.” Also making the cut on Christie’s list: The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Pressure” by Billy Joel, “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran, and The Eagles’ classic “Hotel California.” Biden campaign predicts GOP candidates...

All Texas DPS driver license appointments canceled Wednesday due to system outage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

TEXAS (KXAN) — An outage in the Texas Department of Public Safety's driver license system led to cancellations of all driver license appointments all day Wednesday, a news release confirmed Tuesday.The cancellations were originally expected to only last through noon on Wednesday. According to DPS, all appointments Wednesday were canceled statewide, and customers are being notified of the cancellation via email or the phone number used when creating their appointment.Driver's license offices across the state closed Friday through Labor Day weekend for a system update, DPS said previously."The department is working to identify the issue, which is related to the driver's license system update that took place over the weekend, and get it fixed as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience," the spokesperson added.The outage is impacting all driver license services provided by Texas DPS, including renewing or replacing licenses or identification cards, obtaining a driver rec...

New laws help food service industry, Texas Restaurant Association says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) --- The food service industry in Texas is now operating under a series of new and amended laws.According to the Texas Restaurant Association, many of them are streamlining regulations and reducing costs for restaurants and their employees. "These laws will benefit the 55,000 foodservice establishments that employ more than 1.4 million Texans, plus the communities they serve," the TRA said in a press release. The association said major themes of the new laws include:Fewer permit feesClearer health codesProperty tax reliefWorkforce developmentDecline in dine-in customersThis comes as the TRA said restaurants have seen a decline in dine-in customers because of the extreme heat. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Extreme heat hurts local eateries, Texas Restaurant Association says "According to OpenTable, Texas’ seated diner traffic has decreased 3-5% compared to Summer 2022," the TRA said. Simultaneously, the association said there's been an increase in food and labor costs. "For thes...

Texan purchases $2M winning lottery ticket in Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A Texas resident was named a $2 million Powerball prize winner following an Aug. 30 drawing. The anonymous winner -- from Wharton, a city southwest of Houston -- purchased the winning ticket at Players Cafe, located at 7801 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. E216 in Austin.This isn't the first time Players Cafe has sold a winning lottery ticket. Back in June, a $1 million prize was sold to a Dallas resident who purchased it in Austin ahead of a June 30 drawing. RELATED: $1 million winning lottery ticket sold in Austin The winning ticket had the player match all five white ball numbers from the Aug. 30 drawing -- 4-13-35-61-69 -- but didn't match the Powerball number, per a release. The claimant also received an additional $8 prize on the same ticket, per the release.Powerball Grand Prizes begin at $20 million and continue until a jackpot is won, per the release. The release added that players win the grand prize by matching the five numbers from a field of 69 total numbers and ...

Dozens of Bastrop dogs saved days before renovations could have led to euthanasia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens of dogs at a Bastrop kennel were adopted or fostered out over the weekend ahead of a deadline that put some at risk for euthanasia.The Bastrop County Animal Shelter told KXAN last week it was remodeling one of its largest kennels and needed to empty it by Tuesday. It said 49 dogs were at risk.Take Me Home, which advocates for and helps coordinate transporting pets from "over-crowded shelters to no-kill shelters that have adoption wait lists," told KXAN's David Yeomans over the weekend it was prepared to send two vans to help pick up any dogs that hadn't been adopted and take them out of state.But, it said the Bastrop shelter told it that between an on-site event and another at a pet store in Austin, all the dogs were able to be adopted or fostered.Wendy Ballard, the animal services coordinator at the Bastrop shelter, said all animals were relieved from the kennel through either adoption, pre-adoption, being moved to other kennels because pets in those were ado...

Williamson County adds new EMS resources to Round Rock

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for Sept. 6, 2023WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- New emergency medical services resources are en route to Round Rock to help the city manage its growth and increased call volumes, Williamson County officials announced Wednesday.Williamson County Emergency Medical Services said in a release it would be expanding resources to its station at 1781 E. Old Settlers Blvd. in Round Rock, beginning Wednesday. The EMS station is located next to Williamson County's J.B. and Hallie Jester Annex. A second 24-hour ambulance has been added to the station "in order to better serve the residents in that growing area," per the release. The expansion also includes the addition of six medics to the station, the release added.Williamson County EMS is also partnering with the Round Rock Fire Department to add an ambulance at RRFD's Fire Station 6, located at 2919 Joe DiMaggio Blvd. near Dell Diamond. The goal of the additional ambula...

Where former Gophers stack up going into a new NFL season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

The Gophers have 14 former players on active NFL rosters going into the 2023 season.Here’s how the U alums performed in the league last season, their projected spots on franchise depth charts via ESPN and their overall NFL grade from Pro Football Focus.Antoine Winfield Jr., Buccaneers safetyThe fourth-year pro is the best established former Gopher in the league. Coming off a Pro Bowl year in 2021, he had 80 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and one interception across 13 games in 2022. Grade: 77.8De’Vondre Campbell, Packers linebackerAfter a career year in 2021 — when he became the first former Gophers player to be named NFL All-Pro since kicker Chip Lohmiller in 1991 — he saw his tackle total drop from 146 to 96 as he played three fewer games (13) in 2022. He’s now 30. Grade: 75.6Boye Mafe, Seahawks linebackerThe Hopkins graduate had 41 tackles, three sacks and 10 total pressures in 17 games as a rookie last fall. The second-round draft pick is set up to be a starter at ...

Lanes back open after water main break in Queensbury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - On Wednesday, the town of Queensbury announced that all lanes were back open following a water main break on Tuesday. The break affected Aviation Road and its intersection with Route 9. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The break shut down the western portion of the intersection at State Route 9 and State Route 254 to traffic on Tuesday, with traffic through the intersection limited due to extensive roadway damage. The limited lanes created significant traffic backup on Tuesday.The Warren County Sheriff's Office was on the scene assisting the New York State Department of Transportation and the Town of Queensbury Water Department.

15 college students rescued out of Essex County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

MINERVA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A group of 15 college students were rescued on Monday after being stranded where the Boreas and Hudson Rivers meet. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says the incident took place around 10 p.m. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! New York State Police requested the assistance of Forest Rangers when a group of 15 college students became stranded at the confluence of the Boreas and Hudson Rivers. The DEC says the group was rafting the Hudson Gorge when they got stuck a short distance upstream from the confluence railroad bridge. Rescue personnel reached the group and provided them with headlamps. The DEC says no injuries were reported, and the group was helped back to the tracks where they pedaled back using the Revolution Rail Company. All resources were cleared at 1:15 a.m.