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Teacher appreciation? More governors say try better pay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As schools across the country struggle to find teachers to hire, more governors are pushing for pay increases, bonuses and other perks for the beleaguered profession — with some vowing to beat out other states competing for educators.Already in 2023, governors in Georgia and Arkansas have pushed through teacher pay increases. Ahead of Monday’s start of national Teacher Appreciation Week, others — both Republican and Democratic — have proposed doing the same to attract and retain educators.More than half of the states’ governors over the past year — 26 so far — have proposed boosting teacher compensation, according to groups that track it. The nonprofit Teacher Salary Project said it is the most it has seen in nearly two decades of tracking.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r“To...

Abbott announces 'Texas Tactical Border Force' ahead of Title 42 expiration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Gov. Greg Abbott spoke in Austin Monday morning about border security ahead of the expiration of Title 42, a COVID-era migration policy.The governor held a press conference at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to "provide an update on Texas' unprecedented efforts to respond to President Joe Biden's ongoing border crisis," a press release from his office stated. KXAN's Monica Madden was at the press conference and live-tweeted updates from Abbott as he was speaking. The conference came as state leaders are bracing for a potential influx of migrants when Title 42 restrictions expire later this week. RELATED: State of Texas: Bracing for the end of Title 42 Title 42 allows Border Patrol agents to expel migrants seeking asylum. It’s a public health policy with roots in preventing the spread of disease. Former President Donald Trump invoked the policy to deter migration during the COVID-19 pandemic.Abbott said the Biden administration estimates around 13,000 p...

$381M generated from Austin-area tolls last year. Which roads made the most?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

Investigative Summary: This story is part of KXAN’s “TxTag Troubles” investigative project launched May 7, 2023. Following related reports in recent years, our team rededicated its resources to this major consumer issue, after hundreds of viewers complained to us about resurfaced billing and customer service problems with the state’s tollway operator and its contracted vendors. During our reporting, the Texas Department of Transportation began reaching out to viewers who had contacted KXAN to resolve their issues, and state lawmakers renewed their approach to fixing future TxTag problems.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Miriam Kirk knows her way around numbers.The Jarrell resident has been a contract bookkeeper for more than 20 years, helping people resolve issues with their personal and business budgets."I'm excellent at what I do," Kirk said. "I'm very good at it."Still, for someone who's spent decades communicating in calculations, Kirk told KXAN there's one she cannot crack: TxTag.Miriam Kirk l...

'Still happening.' Top TxTag complaints detail double billing, website glitches

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

Investigative Summary: This story is part of KXAN’s “TxTag Troubles” investigative project launched May 7, 2023. Following related reports in recent years, our team rededicated its resources to this major consumer issue, after hundreds of viewers complained to us about resurfaced billing and customer service problems with the state’s tollway operator and its contracted vendors. During our reporting, the Texas Department of Transportation began reaching out to viewers who had contacted KXAN to resolve their issues, and state lawmakers renewed their approach to fixing future TxTag problems.PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Clint Harris and his wife drive the tollways to and from work almost every day. It has also become part of their routine to check their online TxTag account statement for billing mistakes.“A lot of people were complaining about duplicate charges. I was like, 'Interesting, I should probably check ours,'” Harris said. “Sure, enough it didn’t take long to find one or two t...

Person struck by Metro bus Sunday night

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - One person was struck by a Metro bus Sunday night.That was on South 14th Street in East St. Louis. We're working to get more information about the extent of injuries to the person who was h it. Top Story: Quadruple shooting leaves 2 dead in Hyde Park FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

Overnight fire in north St. Louis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A fire overnight destroyed a vacant house on Romaine Place Near Hamilton Avenue.It's in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of north St. Louis. The fire started just after 11:30 p.m. The building collapsed inside. Trending: 8 killed in Texas mall shooting, gunman also dead No one was injured, and investigators are still looking for the cause.FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

For sale: $3 million custom Colorado homes that starred in reality TV show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

Fans of reality television can soon own a piece of HGTV history when Colorado homes from one of the network’s most popular shows hit the market this month.In fall 2022, HGTV came to Berthoud to film season four of “Rock the Block.” The show pits four two-person teams against one another to finish building out identical homes on the same cul-de-sac and whichever team adds the most appraised value wins.RELATED: Why is HGTV filming so many shows in Colorado?HGTV’s “Rock the Block” brings stars from its other shows together for a home renovation competition unlike any other. Designers Anthony Elle and Michel Smith Boyd (right) were dubbed winners of season four. (Provided by HGTV)Each dwelling is more than 5,000 square feet and started with a $1.9 million price tag. After six weeks, during which designers added their own unique styles to floor plans, aesthetics and amenities, the prices now range from $3.15 million to $3.45 million.Designers Michel Smith Boyd and Antho...

16th Street Mall Thai food cart opens brick-and-mortar space in Broomfield

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

Jaepop Pagdee wishes his mom could see him now.This week, he opened Liang’s Thai Food’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant at 155 Nickel St. in Broomfield.“We used to have an old metal food cart on the 16th Street Mall, and now we have two locations,” Pagdee said. “I get a little emotional when I think about how far we’ve come.”His mom, Liang, first started the business as a food cart on 16th Street Mall in 2007, and gained attention, and long lines, over the years. But Liang passed away eight months ago.DENVER, CO – MARCH 8: Cook Chanakun Peckpiboon, left, and Jaepop Pagdee, owner of LiangÕs Thai Food, make orders during a busy lunch hour on the 16th street mall on March 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)Pagdee, who took over five years ago, moved the business from a food cart to a kiosk next to the 16th Street Mall’s Target last year, and he was forced to take some of his mom’s dishes off...

No more free test kits, less data: What the end of the COVID public health emergency means in Colorado

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

Starting this week, at-home tests for COVID-19 will no longer be free, but other changes from the end of the federal government’s public health emergency won’t be as obvious.The public health emergency, declared in January 2020, will lapse Thursday, but many people may not notice a difference. Despite the association between the public health emergency and measures like mask mandates in many people’s minds, nearly all anti-COVID precautions already have been lifted. The end of continuous Medicaid coverage during the pandemic also is no longer linked to the end of the public health emergency, and the state has already started determining who still qualifies.There will be some changes, however. A rule requiring insurance companies to cover eight at-home tests monthly for each member will end, though Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program will cover tests through September 2024. Emergency regulations allowing the Centers for Disease Control and Pre...

Democrats tie in renters to property tax, TABOR refund proposal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:03 GMT

As sounds from Cinco de Mayo celebrations echoed across the street from the Colorado Capitol this past weekend, Democrats in the state legislature pushed along a slate of bills that could nudge Colorado tax policy in a more progressive direction, advocates said.A policy unveiled Saturday would again return taxes collected over the limit set by the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, evenly across all eligible Coloradans next year; an amendment attached to a sister bill Sunday would set aside money specifically for rental assistance — if a decade-long change to property tax rates goes into effect.In the background is Monday night’s looming constitutional deadline for lawmakers to finish their work. The tight timeline brought the Senate into session on a Sunday for the first time in more than 80 years, according to a Republican staffer.The policies so far weathered criticism from the GOP — a super minority in the state House of Representatives and near super minorit...