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Kinne trying to 'take back Texas' in 1st year as Texas State Bobcats head football coach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a dazzling display of offense last season in the FCS ranks, GJ Kinne is taking his high-octane brand of football to San Marcos in an attempt to bring some life to the Texas State Bobcats.Kinne led Incarnate Word to a 12-2 record, the FCS semifinals and the Cardinals piled up 51.5 points per game to lead all FCS programs in 2022. Kinne was a finalist for the FCS Coach of the Year award and the Cards barely missed playing for the FCS national title. Now, he's taking over an FBS program that hasn't won four or more games in eight consecutive seasons and was picked to finish fifth out of seven teams in the Sun Belt Conference West Division.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersKinne was hired in December 2022 after TXST parted ways with Jake Spavital, and this is just his second year as a head coach at any level. What makes Kinne think he can give the Bobca...

Saints storm past Mud Hens 9-7 on Kyle Garlick’s grand slam for mom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

When St. Paul Saints outfielder/first baseman Kyle Garlick stepped to the plate in the seventh inning of a 5-5 game on Wednesday at CHS Field, he did not allow himself to think about adding to the parade of grand slams the Saints have hit this season.But in what has become the norm, he did think about his mom, Cary, who died of cancer on February 18 at the age of 61.“I swing Old Hickory bats,” Garlick said. “Every breath I take before I get into the (batter’s) box, I look at the ‘c,’ and I think of my mom. So yeah, she’s been with me.”Garlick delivered in the clutch, connecting on a grand slam as the Saints beat the Toledo Mud Hens, 9-7, and the emotions were evident afterward as he continues to deal with her loss.Cary Garlick battled cancer for nine years.“She beat it twice and it came back a third time,” Garlick said.His mother’s death weighed heavily on Garlick through the first three months of the season, and it contributed to his slow start, both with the Saints and the T...

Alex McKinney tapped to be new Washington County parks director

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

Ask Alex McKinney, Washington County’s new parks director, to rank the county’s parks against one another – and he’ll politely decline the request.“I can’t pick a favorite,” said McKinney, who was named to the position in June after serving as interim parks director since March. “But I can give a shout out to a few of them.”Alex McKinney cross-country skiing in Lake Elmo Park Reserve. (Courtesy of Washington County Public Works)Somewhere near the top of the list would be Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park, a 515-acre space that features hills and heavily wooded ravines with occasional clearings of old field and prairie. “You’re in Cottage Grove, and you turn in the park, and you go down this steep ravine, and there’s this beautiful lake at the bottom,” he said. “You’re surrounded by these oak/maple forests and, in the fall, it’s absolutely beautiful.”The 2,165-acre Lake Elmo Park Reserve is “one of the gemstones” of the county parks system, according to McKinney. “It’s mostly ...

Storms brought damage but needed rain. Thursday will bring dangerous heat in the Twin Cities.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

Severe storms overnight produced winds in excess of 70 mph across a swath of western and central Minnesota, downing trees and power lines.Xcel Energy, Otter Tail Power and other Minnesota utilities reported more than 15,000 homes and businesses were without power across the state as of 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.The National Weather Service received reports of large trees and power poles snapped in New London as a line of storms — a “bow echo” on radar — passed through about 11 p.m. Tuesday. There also were reports of pontoon boats flipped over.In an update posted midmorning Wednesday, fire officials in New London urged people to conserve water due to ongoing power outages in the community.Wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph were reported near Belgrade around 11 p.m. Tuesday.The Belgrade/Brooten Police Department reported that public works and fire crews were out clearing storm debris from streets in those communities Wednesday morning. The department reported damage to power poles and lines in the...

Lawmakers fight over solutions to post-pandemic learning loss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — As students grapple with the long-lasting impacts of pandemic school shutdowns, lawmakers are looking to help kids get back on track. They held a hearing on Wednesday focused on COVID learning loss. Almost immediately the division between parties was clear. While Democrats argue the school shutdowns were a necessity, Republicans disagree. They say classrooms were forced to stay closed for far too long.  Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "If we would have kept schools open more, people would have died due to COVID," Congressman Jamaal Bowman said. "We must demand accountability for those responsible. We must decentralize the decision-making power for education in this country and above all that means school choice," Congressman Aaron Bean said. Bean says the pandemic demonstrated the need to give parents more of a say. He believes the federal government should focus their i...

UFO whistleblower makes explosive claims, but wary of divulging details

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

WASHINGTON -- Former intelligence official David Grusch made far-reaching claims about possible U.S. government cover-ups of contact with UFOs and non-human pilots in a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.But Grusch could not offer any hard evidence to substantiate his claims — largely due to his fears of prosecution for sharing classified data in a public setting, he told Congress.“As a former intelligence officer, I go to jail for revealing classified information,” he told the members. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Lawmakers on the national security subcommittee noted that evasion is not the same thing as Grusch admitting he doesn’t have proof. “We should remind viewers and witnesses — and I think is really important — that we also cannot share classified information in public settings,” Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said.Members repeatedly complained that they had been denied access to a secure...

Scary moment for McConnell raises questions for GOP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is helped by Senators and staff after McConnell unexpectedly pauses while speaking to reporters after the weekly policy luncheon on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Greg Nash)Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) froze in front of television cameras for about 20 seconds Wednesday as he battled a bout of lightheadedness that forced him to walk away briefly from a press conference.The scary moment, which prompted members of his leadership team to suggest that he take a rest, raises new questions about the 81-year-old Republican leader’s future.  “Are you good, Mitch?” asked Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Joni Ernst (Iowa), putting her hand on the back of his arm.  Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (Wyo.), who is a doctor, ushered McConnell away from the podium after the leader was unable to get more than a couple of sentences into his opening statement.  “Let’s go back to y...

Cardinals overpower Diamondbacks with 5 home runs in 11-7 victory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Nolan Gorman hit two of St. Louis’ five home runs in the Cardinals' 11-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.Gorman connected leading off the second against All-Star starter Zac Gallen, then hit a two-run blast to dead center in the eighth off Scott McGough. Gorman has two multi-homer games this season and 22 homers on the season.Lars Nootbaar, Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Knizner also homered to give the Cardinals the series victory over the slumping Diamondbacks, who have lost six of seven and are 3-9 since the All-Star break.Andre Pallante (3-1) pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief of Jack Flaherty, who made his final start for the Cardinals before the trade deadline Tuesday.Flaherty, who will be a free agent after the season, pitched five-plus innings, allowing eight hits and three runs. He walked two and struck out four.Gallen (11-5) lost for the first time at home in 11 starts this season. He pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, seven hits and two...

Want to see Pat Benatar at the Colorado State Fair? Until today, you had to buy lottery tickets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

Pat BenatarLegendary rocker Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo are headlining the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo over Labor Day weekend.But until Wednesday, fans couldn’t purchase actual tickets for the show.That’s because the Sept. 3 concert is being sponsored by the Colorado Lottery. Instead of purchasing a ticket, fans were required to buy at least $30 in Powerball, Mega Millions, Colorado Lotto+ or Lucky for Life slips. Without buying lottery tickets, would-be concertgoers were out of luck.But lottery officials backpedaled Wednesday afternoon after The Denver Post relayed concerns from gambling awareness organizations, who expressed outrage over how this tactic might impact those battling addiction. Earlier in the day, a lottery spokesperson defended the practice, saying the organization had sponsored concerts at the State Fair for years.Now, though, people interested in attending Benatar’s show without playing the lottery will be able to purchase $45 tick...

Conservative group sues Colorado House, Senate, alleging internal voting system breaks state law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:46:26 GMT

A conservative group is suing the Colorado House and Senate, plus their Democratic leadership and three lawmakers, for allegedly violating the state’s transparency law via the use of an internal voting system to rank Democratic legislators’ budgetary priorities.The suit, announced Wednesday, was filed by the Public Trust Institute, a conservative nonprofit, and David Fornof, a Douglas County resident who’s being represented by the conservative Advance Colorado Institute. The suit accuses the Democratic members of the state House and Senate of breaking the state’s open-meeting law by using a “quadratic voting system” that allows legislators to privately rank legislation that will require state money. The practice, reported by KUNC earlier this year, lets Democratic lawmakers internally prioritize how to spend limited state funding on their various bills, which can then influence what bills are passed, pared back or shelved entirely.Using a digital ...