New bike lanes on Barton Springs Road get warm welcome from drivers, cyclists

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

New bike lanes on Barton Springs Road get warm welcome from drivers, cyclists AUSTIN (KXAN) — In late August, the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department reduced Barton Springs Road from two lanes to one between South Lamar Boulevard and Azie Morton Road. That created a dedicated and protected bike lane for cyclists on the right lane of Barton Springs both eastbound and westbound."It's a much safer experience and much more calm experience for such a dense pedestrian-heavy zone within our city," Lewis Leff, with the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department, said.Leff has been watching the flow of traffic on Barton Springs Road since the change went into place."What we were aiming for was a reduction in high-end speeding, and we've seen over an 80% reduction of high-end speeds, which is 10 miles an hour or above the speed limit. So what we've seen is a real significant reduction in high-end speeds and with really minimal impacts to travel time through the corridor," Leff said.Austin resident and transportation expert Meg Merritt does her best...

Structure or not, Timberwolves commit to ball movement for consistent offensive success

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

Structure or not, Timberwolves commit to ball movement for consistent offensive success The Timberwolves’ most majestic offensive performance during the 2022-23 season came when they were down multiple star players.In March at Madison Square Garden, the Wolves — missing Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards — poured in 140 points, assisting on 34 of their 51 buckets in a victory over the Knicks.The ball and bodies were all moving that night, flowing in a perfect rhythm to create one great look after another. Wolves point guard Mike Conley, who had 11 assists that night, said the team called “maybe three” sets all game.“You just got it going and the ball found its way around,” Conley said.That was the ideal form of Timberwolves coach Chris Finch’s offense — players moving in random ways but always cognizant of location for spacing and executing multiple actions within the 24-second shot clock window.The Wolves struggled to execute such an offense at various times throughout last season, especially at critical junctures. They couldn’t maintain proper spacing required fo...

Unseasonably warm day ideal for controlled burn 

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

Unseasonably warm day ideal for controlled burn  ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The warm weather on Friday made for ideal conditions for a controlled burn. Experts said there’s a short timeframe in the Fall when they can find the right conditions to prescribe a burn. 37 acres were burned Friday afternoon at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. The staff worked alongside members of the Nature Conservancy, New York State Forest Rangers and New York State Parks. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “In general, we’re looking to burn on sunny days, low relative humidity. So dry sunny days with light winds, kind of like the forecast is today,” said preserve Fire Manager Tyler Briggs.He said there are two main reasons they prescribe burns at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.“One is for fuel reduction. Burning off the vegetation in a controlled manner, under planned weather, safely reduces the fuel loading and then also we burn for habitat,” said Briggs.The controlled burn helps many plants and animals ...

LED street lights to be installed in Saratoga Springs

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

LED street lights to be installed in Saratoga Springs SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- To be more energy-efficient, the City of Saratoga Springs has purchased new LED cobra head street lights. The new LED lights will reportedly save Saratoga Springs an estimated annual cost of over $270K. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “We are thrilled to have completed this sale as it allows us to replace our street lights with energy-efficient LED technology, reduce street light energy use by as much as 65%, provide a safer and well-lit community, and reduce energy use,” said Mayor Ron Kim. Installation of the LED lights is expected to be completed by June.Once the new street lights are installed, the City can also decide to install new technology to enhance public safety. "Smart City" technology includes cameras, traffic management devices to facilitate traffic flow, and smart parking devices that can interface with apps.

Saratoga Regional YMCA hosts grand opening for new facilities

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

Saratoga Regional YMCA hosts grand opening for new facilities SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Saratoga Regional YMCA celebrated the grand opening of the new 17,000-square-foot Health and Wellness Center expansion at the West Avenue campus. The expansion, which took nearly two years to complete, includes a new gymnasium and a lobby that connects the YMCA to the newly constructed Saratoga Senior Center. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The YMCA was able to raise over $8 million from donors, community partners, volunteers, and members. Notable donors include Stewart's Shops and the Dake Family who donated $3M and the Robert and Lisa Moser Family Foundation, Inc., who donated $1M.The new gymnasium will be able to accommodate expanded youth and childcare programs. Other notable additions include an indoor adventure center, a cycle studio, and a multi-purpose room for evidence-based health initiatives. Members ages 14 and up are welcome to use the new facilities. Click here for informat...

Police: Reckless ATV driver attempts to flee officers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

Police: Reckless ATV driver attempts to flee officers AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A 30-year-old Schenectady man was arrested after allegedly trying to flee from police on an ATV. Kevin M. Fontanez was issued numerous traffic tickets for violations returnable to Amsterdam City Court. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to Amsterdam Police, five ATVs were observed in the roadway on Swan Street. Residents reported that the ATVs were being operated recklessly.The operators reportedly fled the scene. Police were able to locate one of them but while interviewing them, another ATV was seen traveling recklessly on Kline Street towards officers who were on foot. Police say the operator, identified as Fontana, ignored their commands to stop. Fontana allegedly drove towards the officers, forcing them out of the way. Loudonville man killed in motorcycle, car crash Additional units responded and set up a perimeter. Fontana eventually surrendered to the police. He was charged with rec...

St. Louis County officer charged with criminal sexual assault in Illinois

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

St. Louis County officer charged with criminal sexual assault in Illinois ST. LOUIS - Prosecutors have charged a St. Louis County police officer with criminal sexual assault in Illinois.Gavin M. Potthast faces one felony charge in Madison County, Illinois. The St. Louis County Police Department tells FOX 2 that Potthast had been working with the department since December 2021 and was placed on unpaid administrative leave on Friday. According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Potthast used or threatened to use force against a 25-year-old victim. Court documents allege the crime happened on Sept. 23, 2023. Sex offender charged after being found with missing North Carolina girl St. Louis County Police Colonel Kenneth Gregory released the following statement to FOX 2 in connection with Potthast's charges: “We are disturbed by the allegations made regarding our officer’s behavior. We take any allegation seriously and are cooperating fully with the Edwardsville Police Department’s investigation. We are also conducting a thorough internal investigation. T...

St. Louis woman sentenced for running chop shop, owes $40K in restitution

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

St. Louis woman sentenced for running chop shop, owes $40K in restitution ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis woman who once ran a chop shop will spend several years behind bars and owes $40,000 in restitution. A federal judge sentenced Heather Marty, 29, to four and half years in prison on Friday. Marty pled guilty to running a chop shop earlier this year, holding onto stolen vehicles with the intention of disassembling them and selling parts. Sex offender charged after being found with missing North Carolina girl According to her plea, Marty used a warehouse in north St. Louis to house, store and disassemble stolen vehicles. From Oct. 2021 to July 2022, St. Louis officers and detectives found a total of 12 stolen vehicles in or near the building. That included three motorcycles, five pickup trucks, three cars and one SUV, per the plea agreement.In January 2022, authorities spotted Marty at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in a reported stolen truck, leading to her arrest. Inside the truck, a detective found nine license plates, two of which belonged to stolen...

Alexa, help me buy a house: Colorado real estate listings go audible

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

Alexa, help me buy a house: Colorado real estate listings go audible ReColorado, the state’s largest multiple listing service, partnered with Lundy, Inc. to provide audible access to real estate listings using Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled digital assistant.The partners intend to break barriers and change industry norms to help agents and visually impaired homebuyers find and buy Colorado homes.ReColorado powers over 75% of the state’s residential real estate transactions, and real estate agents use the MLS to make listings easily accessible online.Thanks to Lundy’s technology, potential homebuyers can now access ReColorado’s listings using Amazon’s Alexa devices.All they have to do is use prompts like “Alexa, find me a house,” “Alexa, are there any homes for sale near me?” or “Alexa, help me buy a house.”Then, they must enter some standard criteria used to search for any property, like price, location, or number of bedrooms. “When Lundy presented a way to make the ...

Disabled teen missing from Aurora found safe Friday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 02:25:54 GMT

Disabled teen missing from Aurora found safe Friday A disabled teenager who was reported missing on Friday morning was found safe, according to the Aurora Police Department.The 19-year-old had been last seen in the 3700 block of Chambers Road on Friday morning.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Indigenous teen missing from Lakewood since Monday Crime and Public Safety | Endangered man missing from Sheridan found safe She was safely located at approximately 1:30 p.m., according to the department.Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.