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Del Valle student awarded $40K Amazon engineering scholarship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) -- A Del Valle High School student was named a recipient of the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, which includes a $40,000 scholarship to study computer science or engineering at their school of choice, as well as a paid Amazon internship following their freshman year of college.Del Valle High School senior Noel Mendez was just one of 400 high school seniors across the country named as a recipient. The scholarship sought out eligible students from underserved communities.And Mendez has plenty to celebrate: He found out in mid-April he has been accepted into Harvard University, where he will attend in the fall following his graduation from Del Valle ISD later this month.Statewide, 52 students from Texas were awarded the scholarship, with more than 70% of recipients identifying as Black, Latino or Native American. Of the 400 high school seniors, 50% identified as a woman or nonbinary, per an Amazon news release.Recipients were selected based on their academic...

Rapper 50 Cent will headline Xcel Energy Center on tour marking 20th anniversary of debut album

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

Rapper/actor/entrepreneur Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson will celebrate the 20th anniversary of his multi-platinum debut album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” with an extensive world tour that lands at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center on Sept. 15.Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. May 12 through Ticketmaster, which is using the Verified Fan program. Fans can register through Sunday for a presale that starts May 10. Neither the venue nor the promoter announced ticket prices. Busta Rhymes and Jeremih will open, with additional special guests to be added.Raised by his grandparents, Jackson boxed and sold drugs as a teenager. His 1994 arrest inspired his stage name, a metaphor for change. Two years later, he met Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, who taught him how to write songs. He landed a deal with Columbia Records and recorded the album “Power of the Dollar.” But after Jackson was attacked and shot nine times outside his grandmother’s home in 2000, the label dropped Jackson and left the record...

St. Paul: Hamline-Midway Library to close May 28, with demolition this fall. Preservationists: No.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

Two sides in an escalating fight over the uncertain fate of the Hamline-Midway Library launched separate salvos on Thursday, with the city announcing a closing date this month in advance of planned demolition, and historic preservationists organizing a party on the library’s front lawn in advance of likely legal action to stop it.The St. Paul Public Library system issued a written statement Thursday indicating the library will close to the public on May 28 for decommissioning. All books and materials will be moved into storage over the course of several months in advance of demolition and construction of a new building, which could begin this fall and take up to 18 months.The library system has $8.1 million, obtained through the city’s capital investment budget, to put toward a new structure, which was designed with greater accessibility for the disabled, safety features, community spaces and modern technology in mind, as well an outdoor reading garden and interactive ch...

Rail Explorers Cooperstown takes 'first ride' of summer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

MILFORD, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Before the summer tourism season gets into full swing, Rail Explorers Cooperstown took a "first ride" Thursday morning. There, Mary Joy Lu helped people ride the rails like never before. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "What you can expect is to be immersed in the beautiful hills of Cherry Valley here in Cooperstown and Milford," said Lu. "And you ride with friends, family, whoever you want to bring, and just really enjoy yourself." Alex Catchpoole works with Lu, giving riders a break from the norm. "The great thing about this company, I think, is that every day is different," he noted. "Every day is a different challenge. And it's all good fun." Repairs underway on bridge dripping sticky substance Fun, and easy as pie—thanks to the company's custom-built bikes. "Riding one of these Rail Explorers vehicles is so different from riding a bike," added Catchpoole. "Once you get going, it's like skat...

SUNY Adirondack unveils a new home for the Timberwolves

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Next to the residence halls, something shines a new shade of green against the nature of SUNY Adirondack. For the first time in the college's history, its student-athletes won't have to play outdoor sports on uneven grass. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On Thursday, SUNY Adirondack cut the ribbon on a new, $5.7 million turf field. Emblazoned with the forest green and white of the Adirondack Timberwolves, the field is ready for use by softball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse - creating a new opportunity for the school's own sports teams, as well as visiting teams and regional events."Just having a facility of this size and this quality is an attractor for our students and athletes, and lets us recruit more who enroll not just from Warren and Washington counties, but from places across the world," said SUNY Adirondack President Dr. Kristine Duffy. "We know that it becomes a recruitment tool for us....

NY thruway will need more funding in coming years

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Whether it's pot-holes or bridges that need a little TLC, the New York thruway system requires maintenance and money. A new report from the National Transportation Research Nonprofit (TRIP) shows New York’s thruway system needs about $1.2 billion over the next eight years to maintain safety and service levels. New York proposes a Thruway toll price hike According to TRIP, travels among the 570-mile thruway system have returned to pre-pandemic levels and are expected to grow. "The thruway is one of the most critical pieces of infrastructure in New York State, clearly in the Albany area, in fact the busiest intersection on the New York thruway is in Albany it’s carrying 14 million vehicles a day," said Rocky Moretti, Director of Policy & Research with TRIP. He said the health of our thruway system is critical. Funding comes from profits made from rest areas and tolls, which are expected to increase next January. Moretti said while the toll hike will help ...

Budget measures to address affordability concerns

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--Rising costs due to inflation have made things harder on New Yorkers. At a press conference in New York City, Governor Kathy Hochul said this newly passed budget will financially help families with young children."Families with kids under the age of 5, they were not entitled to a tax credit that’s available for families with 5 year-olds and up," said Hochul. "And I’m thinking wait a minute, the most expensive time is when they are outgrowing their clothes every 6 months, the baby food, the formula, the diapers, everything you have to buy and those families were left behind. So I said no more, no more."Now, the state’s child tax credit will be expanded to families with kids ages 0-3 years-old."This is really going to help almost 630,000 additional children in the State of New York, so we are very excited to see this child tax credit expanded," explained Ron Deutsch, Director for New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness.New York’s minimum wage will be increasing as well....

Accused shooter denied bail in Kaylin Gillis death

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

HEBRON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Hebron man accused of fatally shooting a Schuylerville woman, when she and a group of friends accidentally drove up the wrong driveway, was denied bail once again. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! A Washington County judge had earlier denied bail to Kevin Monahan, who’s charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis.The judge cited the seriousness of the charge and a history of gun use. The district attorney pointed to a recent incident at a DMV office where he says Monahan was observed yelling at customers and taking pictures of staff. Read the latest on the fatal shooting of Kaylin Gillis On Thursday, the local contractor appeared before a state Supreme Court justice in Warren County, where he’s being held, asking that judge to grant him bail. His attorney stated that his client is not a flight risk due to his strong ties to his wife and community.In the end, t...

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigns, effective June 1

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS - After months of calls, requests, and demands for her to resign, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is stepping down. Her resignation is effective June 1.Gardner, the city's first African American chief prosecutor, tweeted her resignation letter to city residents at 3:44 p.m. In the letter, she drew a connection to her presence in power and the Missouri Legislature's efforts to take over both the circuit attorney's office and turn control of the city's police force back over to the state."It is not the first time the legislature has proposed bills that would take away our city's power -- that has happened in nearly every legislative session since I took office. It is also clear to me, however, that as long as I remain in the office, it will not be the last," Gardner said."...I can absorb those attacks, and I have. But I can neither enable nor allow the outright disenfranchisement of the people of the City of St. Louis, nor can I allow these outsiders to effectively sh...

I-70 plan, tax cut demands slow Missouri budget talks as deadline looms

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:15:17 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Legislative budget negotiations hit an impasse as Friday’s constitutional deadline approached, with Missouri House leadership demanding the Senate pass a massive tax cut in exchange for agreeing to fund improvements on Interstate 70.Formal negotiating sessions were delayed three times as House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Lincoln Hough worked to reach preliminary agreements on differences between the chambers. The latest delay in the formal meeting came late Tuesday, when Hough refused to endorse a plan to cut corporate and personal income taxes demanded by the House leadership, sources close to the talks told The Independent.House Speaker Dean Plocher, who has made tax cuts a session-long priority, met with Hough on Wednesday morning. Plocher declined to comment on his discussion with Hough as he returned to his office to have a private meeting with Smith. Prosecutor from Kim Gardner’s office dies on ...