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Former Illinois family services employee, 14 others charged in $3.2M fraud scheme

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

CHICAGO — A former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services social worker and 14 others have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly participating in a scheme to fraudulently obtain $3.2 million in state funds intended for childcare services.Shauntele Pridgeon, 54, of Chicago, allegedly orchestrated the fraud scheme from 2016 to 2022 while serving as a Community Social Service Planner for the Department of Children Family Services (DCFS) in Chicago.According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Pridgeon fraudulently entered the information of several of her co-defendants into the DCFS computer system and approved them to be paid as providers caring for foster children, the indictment states. Man charged after allegedly writing checks from Naperville Boy Scout troop to himself Pridgeon directed at least $3.2 million in State of Illinois funds to the co-defendants and others, each of whom agreed to receive the money even though they knew that no foster children were actu...

Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking hit historic highs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

(The Hill) – Marijuana and hallucinogen use and binge drinking reached historic highs among adults ages 35-50, according to a new study released Thursday.In the 2022 annual analysis of substance use behavior and attitudes, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, adults, divided into two age groups, reached historically high levels of drug use.Marijuana usage reached an all-time high for adults ages 35-50, with 28 percent reporting past-year use in 2022, an increase from 25 percent in 2021 and from 17 percent in 2017. In 2022, past-year use was more than double what it was 10 years prior, at 13 percent.Nearly half of adults ages 19 to 30 reported past-year usage of marijuana, at 44 percent — also the highest level ever reported, up from 35 percent in 2017 and 28 percent in 2012. That same age group reported record-high daily marijuana usage, 11 percent in 2022, up from 8 percent in 2017 and 6 percent in 2012.Hallucinogen use among adults ages 35-50 reached historically high l...

Travis Early College High School classes canceled after body found on campus

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Crisis counselors are available 24/7.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Classes were canceled Thursday and Friday for Travis Early College High School after a body was found on campus, officials said.Austin-Travis County EMS said a call came in at 7:41 a.m., and medics pronounced one person dead on scene."It is with great sadness that I share with you that early this morning, one of our 11th-grade students was found deceased on our campus. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her, and our hearts go out to her family and friends during this extremely difficult time," Travis ECHS Principal Elizabeth Salinas wrote in a letter to the community.The school will be open as a counseling center from 9 a.m. to noon Friday for students and staff, the letter states.The manner of death remained under investigation, according to police.Travis Early College High School clas...

What's a sun kink? How extreme heat hits Austin railroads

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Austin continues its longest consecutive stretch of triple-digit days in recorded history, it's not just residents who are feeling the heat -- the city's local railroads are, too.When temperatures around the globe peak, rail operations have to adjust services to battle the heat's impacts, CapMetro said in a blog post Thursday. For Austin's transit authority, that means trains must slow down on tracks once the railroads reach 135 degrees or warmer. CAPMETRO NEWS: https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/map-east-5th-improvements-planned-for-capmetro-rail-trail-access/ Along CapMetro's 32-mile Red Line running from downtown Austin to Leander, slower speeds have led to schedule modifications, per the transit agency. The same practice was implemented for the Red Line last summer.“There’s just no way around it,”  said Andy Skabowski, CapMetro's executive vice president and chief operating officer, in the blog. “You have to slow down the trains when it’s hot like this ...

Texas to invest $142B in transportation infrastructure upgrades

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday a $142 billion investment into the state's transportation infrastructure, including $100 billion earmarked for the Texas Department of Transportation's 10-year state roadways plan.This latest investment represented a $25 billion increase over the previous year, according to a TxDOT release Thursday. TxDOT's 10-year state roadways construction plan, or the 2024 Unified Transportation Program, incorporated more than $6 billion allocated to the greater Austin area.The UTP help guides the development and construction of transportation projects statewide, alongside public transportation, maritime, aviation and rail-related initiatives.Project highlights from the Austin District include:$4.5 billion for the I-35 Capital Express Central project, running from U.S. Hwy. 290 East to SH 71 and Ben White Boulevard$383.6 million dedicated to U.S. Hwy. 281 to "improve mobility and enhance safety" between U.S. Hwy. 290 and the Comal County...

Ascension Seton Williamson recognized for sustainability efforts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Ascension Seton Williamson was recognized as a facility leading the way in utilizing environmentally-friendly practices to reduce waste at the hospital. Medexel, an Indianapolis-based provider of health care facilities, recognized five Ascension hospitals around the U.S. that have made significant progress toward environmental sustainability. Medexel and the Ascension system partnered a decade ago to help move the Ascension health care system towards a greener future. There are 139 Ascension hospitals across 19 states in the U.S.“Healthcare facilities actually add up to about 10% of the total emissions within the US,” said Bridget Randazzo, a sustainability analyst for Ascension. “Ascension realized that our actions affect our patients, so [we wanted] make sure we leave a positive impact on our communities and make healthier communities,” she continued. Ascension Steton Williamson in Round Rock was recognized for its successful food waste digestive initiati...

Timberwolves’ schedule: High in rest advantages, low in national TV games

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

The Anthony Edwards hype train apparently has not yet reached network television executives. Released Thursday, the Timberwolves’ schedule features just five true national TV games — three on ESPN and two on TNT.Just one of those five games — a 6:30 p.m. home game with Memphis that will air on ESPN on Feb. 28 — tips off before 8:30 p.m.That five number is exactly half of the 10 nationally-televised games the Timberwolves originally were slated for last season. That comes as a bit of a surprise given Edwards’ continued ascension as the now all-star, who currently is playing for Team USA this summer in World Cup competition, moves into his fourth NBA season.But there was more national intrigue surrounding Minnesota last season in the wake of the Rudy Gobert trade. Now, the Timberwolves are a squad coming off a No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round playoff exit. From afar, that likely doesn’t scream “must-see TV.” Should the Ti...

Hamline plans forum on academic freedom after classroom controversy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Hamline University will host a public forum on academic freedom next month, almost a year after school administrators attracted heavy criticism for siding with a Muslim student who complained about a professor’s use of ancient art that depicted the Prophet Muhammad.“The concepts of academic freedom and recognizing cultural perspectives are vital to higher education institutions, and need not compete with one another,” President Fayneese Miller said in announcing the event Thursday.The Sept. 12 forum, titled “Academic Freedom and Cultural Perspectives — Challenges for Higher Ed Today and Tomorrow,” features a keynote address by Vanderbilt University professor Michael Eric Dyson.The panelists are anti-racism activist Tim Wise and professors David Schultz of Hamline, Robin DiAngelo of Washington University and Stacy Hawkins of Rutgers Law School.The six-hour event is free and open to the public. It will be livestreamed, but those who register to attend in person at Ha...

Gloversville man pleads guilty to bank robbery conspiracy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A 44-year-old resident of Gloversville pled guilty to conspiring to commit a bank robbery at a bank branch in Johnstown. Luke Kenna admitted to having two co-conspirators, Michael Brown Jr., and Brian Tierney. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Kenna admitted that he conducted surveillance of the bank and purchased items to be used during the robbery, including weapons. Kenna, previously convicted of a misdemeanor of domestic violence, was prohibited to possess any firearms.Tierney was arrested and detained pending a trial. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 30. Brown has already pled guilty to the conspiracy and is scheduled for sentencing on November 3.

Caffè Lena to host 20th annual Poetry Festival

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Caffè Lena announced they will be hosting their 20th annual Poetry Festival. The event is scheduled for September 23 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The yearly festival has showcased local and national talent from poets of all kinds since its founding by Carol Graser in 2003. The festivities will begin with a free-to-attend open mic from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the evening will feature readings by headliner and National Book Award winner Martín Espada, as well as poets Regan Good and Roger Wyze Smith. Caffè Lena is located at 47 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs. You can purchase festival tickets and register for the open mic by visiting the venue's website.