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SXSW means big bucks for Airbnb hosts, but are they licensed?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) —With thousands of people coming to Austin for South by Southwest, many will choose to stay in Airbnb's around the city, but there are rules if someone is operating one.Joe Arenella has been renting his Airbnb out for eight years, each year he makes sure to get his license to operate in Austin."We are booked for SXSW, ACL, Formula 1," said Arenella.He expects to make a lot of money during these big weekends. With so many people coming to town, Arenella said he is usually booked. Austin City Council members approve crackdown on short-term rentals, like Airbnbs "For locals in Austin, South by Southwest represents a significant economic opportunity with hosts collectively earning more than $13 million over lasts years festival," said Haven Thorn, a spokesperson for Airbnb.To operate a short term rental, the City of Austin requires owners to get a new license yearly.In December, the city's code department said there are about 11,000 short-term rentals in Austin, but only...

2 fatally shot in Andover home, but Anoka County sheriff says there’s no public threat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Authorities are investigating in Andover after they say a man and a woman were found fatally shot in a home early Friday.According to the Anoka County sheriff’s office, deputies responded shortly before 6:30 a.m. to the residence in the 14900 block of Osage Street Northwest on a report of two unconscious individuals.Deputies found the man and woman dead of apparent gunshot wounds. None of the other occupants in the home were injured.The sheriff’s office said that while the investigation was continuing, there was no threat to the public.The deceased individuals were not immediately identified.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Food organizations in Minnesota and North Dakota brace for end of E-SNAP food benefits Crime & Public Safety | Fridley woman, 68, struck by hit-and-run driver dies 9 days later Crime & Public Safety | Workers at Federal Ammunition in Anoka urged to test for lead exposure

Kirkwood elementary school custodian saves student with Heimlich maneuver 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

KIRKWOOD, Mo. - On February 28, Robinson Elementary School head custodian Bryan Freeman became a hero, but if you ask him, he just did what anyone else would have done.“I think it was great that I was able to help,” Freeman said. “But a hero? Not really.”Freeman was watching over students in the school cafeteria when a third-grader started to choke. Without hesitation, Freeman rushed to the student’s aid.“He was sitting at the table, kind of bent over, and he was pulling on his shirt,” Freeman said. “Tears were rolling down and spit was coming out of his mouth.” Top story: Battlehawks athletic trainer dies at team hotel He said he started the Heimlich maneuver, and about 25 seconds later, the student was able to breathe again.“He is always quick to respond,” said Angeline O'Neal-Hogrefe, principal of Robinson Elementary School. “I was not surprised at all when I heard he was the one to take action.”The student was taken to the nurse’s office, and his parents were notified. The nex...

St. Louis fire chief warning to railroads, hand over life-saving supplies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson says he’s been battling for about a decade for the railroads to bring critical safety supplies closer to the city.He said there’s no question we’ll need those supplies.“It’s not if, it’s when. We know it’s going to happen,” Jenkerson said.He was referring to the explosive train derailment in Ohio. He said it’s almost always on his mind.“We’ve got an issue right now,” Jenkerson said. Top story: Battlehawks athletic trainer dies at team hotel He explained that certain toxic chemicals need specific fire suppression agents to combat.“We tried imploring the railroad to… give us the products," Jenkerson said. "Give us the equipment to provide foam and provide fire-fighting type supplies on top of these trains, and it was like, 'Okay, we’re going to do it.' It never materialized.”On the other side of the state, the railroads are currently storing those fire suppression chemicals, according to Jenkerson.“Everything’s still in Kansas City, ...

You Paid For It: Alton mayor speaks out about journey since taking office

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

ALTON, Ill. - Alton's former pastor turned mayor spoke out about his journey since taking office.David Goins gave up being a pastor at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church to run for the city's top job, which he won in 2021.After nearly two years as Alton’s first African American mayor, he said he’s making progress but has not accomplished all he set out to do."If there’s any failure, it’s just that we have not been able to address all the streets that we would like to address," Goins said. “If you want to try to consider that a failure, there are still a lot of derelict homes.” Top story: Battlehawks athletic trainer dies at team hotel He said Alton is dealing with a $1.6 million budget shortfall. However, Goins said it was $3.8 million when he took office.When the city received $21.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, it gave the city a big boost, Goins said.Alton spent $7 million of the ARPA funds to upgrade the HVAC systems in the city buildings. The city boug...

6 teens arrested for alleged hate crime attack in Westminster

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

Six teenage boys were arrested for an alleged hate-crime-fueled attack in Westminster.The victim was a 15-year-old boy, according to the Westminster Police Department.The male suspects were three 15-year-olds, two 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old, all from Westminster or Garden Grove.The attack took place on Feb. 21 when a school resource officer was notified of a fight at Gillespie Park around 11:20 a.m.The victim told police around 10 suspects “jumped him in the park” when they thought he was filming them with his cell phone.The group of suspects kicked and assaulted the victim “numerous times in the head, face, and torso while yelling racial slurs at him,” authorities said.The attack left the victim with abrasions on his face, police said.On March 3, investigators tracked down and arrested six suspects allegedly involved in the assault and theft of the victim's cellphone.All suspects were arrested on charges of Robbery, Assault with a Deadly Weapon: Not Firearm, and Hate Crime/Vi...

Man charged with murder of Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus singer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

OAKLAND – Prosecutors on Friday charged a 38-year-old man with the murder of an Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus singer.Curtis Marsh was found unresponsive with “multiple lacerations and trauma” at an apartment complex in the 200 block of Vernon St., near Lake Merritt, on the morning of March 4, according to court records. Officers had gone to the complex to investigate reports of a man calling for help and smoke coming from inside an apartment.Marsh was pronounced dead at the scene.Authorities identified Oakland resident Sweven Waterman as a suspect based on surveillance footage, witness statements and electronic data, according to court records.On Thursday, Waterman was arrested in Berkeley and taken to the Oakland Police Department Criminal Investigations Division, where he “provided investigators with a denial statement to where he was during the murder,” according to court records.Waterman has half a dozen convictions for crimes including second-degree robbery, forgery and evading.In a...

Mission accomplished: Oakland Tech girls win Division I state championship

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

SACRAMENTO — Oakland Tech’s girls basketball team craved one final challenge.For this supremely successful group of Bulldogs, there was a coveted piece of hardware missing from the seniors’ trophy case.A Division I state title.The Bulldogs had already won Division IV in 2019 and Division III in 2022.In 2020, the group conquered NorCal as a Division II team, only to have the state championship game canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Coach Leroy Hurt knew his team could compete against stronger competition if given a chance and said as much after the 2022 title game.A year later, Tech took the Golden 1 Center court as NorCal’s representative in the Division I title game against Santiago-Corona. And just as the team had done so many times over the last four years, the Bulldogs buried their opponent in the fourth quarter en route to a 75-52 victory.It was the school’s first Division I state championship since the great Alexis Gray-Lawson led Tech to consecutive Divisi...

Atherton police search for suspect vehicle linked to attempted home burglary

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

ATHERTON, Calif. (KRON) -- Police are searching for a vehicle linked to an attempted burglary at a home Tuesday night, the Atherton Police Department announced in a news release. Police said a possible suspect vehicle was a dark-colored sedan. Currys oppose townhome project in their Atherton neighborhood, citing ‘safety and privacy’ The attempted burglary happened around 7:24 p.m. at a home on the 100 block of Burns Avenue. The suspects went inside the home by breaking a sliding glass door in the master bedroom, the news release said.The residence had an active alarm with motion sensors, which was triggered by the suspects' entry. The sound of the alarm caused the suspects to run away from the home, according to police.Atherton police are asking residents who live around Burns Avenue to check their surveillance video and report any possible leads at 650-688-6500.The 100 block of Burns Avenue is approximately 1.5 miles away from 23 Oakwood where Warriors star Stephen Curry opposed ...

Montour scores in OT, Panthers beat Blackhawks 4-3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:02 GMT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Montour scored at 2:43 of overtime to give the Florida Panthers a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.Eetu Luostarinen had a goal and an assist, and Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart also scored, and Matthew Tkachuk had three assists for the Panthers, who have won three straight. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 21 saves.Caleb Jones, Cole Guttman and Boris Katchouk scored goals, and Jujhar Khaira had two assists for the Blackhawks, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Petr Mrazek stopped 39 shots.Florida trailed 2-0 going into the third period before Bennett and Reinhart scored 29 seconds apart to tie the score near the midpoint of the period.“We did not like our start, it was a little sleepy,’’ Montour said. “But we are a resilient group and we believe in ourselves. We were getting chances so it was just bound to happen for us.”Bennett scored from in front of the net off a pass from Tkachuk off the back boards to get the Panthers on the ...