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Child given new teddy bear with late mom's heartbeat after accidental donation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Thanks to a group effort between Build-A-Bear, a radio station and Goodwill, a 4-year-old girl has received a new teddy bear with her mother's heartbeat after her bear was lost last month.In mid-April, the girl's father told WATE that the bear belonging to his daughter was accidentally donated to a Goodwill Store in Tazewell, Tennessee. The girl's mother passed away, and her grandmother made her a bear with her mom's heartbeat in it, he explained. Toddler with rare condition is called ‘Little Ninja Turtle’ Local radio station WRIL said that the father went to the Goodwill to see if the bear was still there, but it was not, so a sign was placed at the store. The radio station shared a photo of that sign and the bear on social media, which garnered national attention. During the search for the bear, Build-A-Bear contacted WRIL for a description of the custom stuffed animal, and Public Relations Director Jamie Ludwig shared that they were heartbroken to hear...

Texas House gallery cleared after protests against bill to ban gender-affirming care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The issue of transgender rights brought new conflict at the Texas Capitol Monday, as Texas House lawmakers were scheduled to take up a senate bill that would ban gender-affirming healthcare for minors. LGBTQ advocates rally at Texas Capitol as House prepares to debate ban on gender care for trans kids More specifically, Senate Bill 14 would prohibit trans youth from getting puberty blockers and hormone therapy — care that medical groups say is vital to their mental health — in order to transition, according to the Texas Tribune. Trans kids who are already accessing these treatments for gender-affirming purposes would have to be “weaned off” in a “medically appropriate” manner. The bill would also prohibit transition-related surgeries, though these are rarely performed on kids. The Senate has already passed a version of the bill, and a majority of state representatives — all of them Republicans — support the measure, the Tribune said.Protests and a parliamentary mo...

LGBTQ advocates booted from Texas Capitol; vote delayed for bill banning gender care for kids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) -- Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan abruptly cleared the public from the chamber's gallery Tuesday, after LGBTQ Texans and parents of transgender kids chanted in opposition of a bill that would ban transition-related care for children.Phelan ordered state police to clear the gallery just as Senate Bill 14 came to the House floor and as opponents began their chants and unrolled banners in support of trans kids. As bill opponents started filing out of the gallery, they chanted, “Trans rights are human rights.”Minutes later, an expected vote on the bill was delayed until later in the week after a parliamentary concern was raised.Shortly after state police cleared the gallery, protesters continued to chant in the lobby outside the chamber on the third floor. After several minutes, a trooper with a bullhorn directed the group to leave, and state police began to usher protesters down the stairs and out to the rotunda. During this event, several troopers and...

Where the buffalo roam: A look back on a Texas mascot, and how to see one today

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

"Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam, where the Deer and the Antelope play; Where seldom is heard a discouraging word, and the sky is not cloudy all day." While it was first published in a Kansas newspaper in 1876, Dr. Brewster Higley's "My Western Home," also known as "Home on the Range," has been an evocative staple across the rolling hills and storied high plains of Texas. Icon and subject of everything from Abilene's Frontier Texas to the mascot of West Texas A&M University, the American buffalo is a cornerstone figure in the history and culture of the Southwest and stands as the national mammal of the U.S.However, despite their ubiquity in iconography, many Texans have never seen a living buffalo. What happened to them, and where do they roam today? A look back at the American buffalo Occupying sprawling grasslands and green hills, environmental historians have reported that as many as 60 million buffalo once roamed the Great Plains of North America. Known among the l...

MN House set to vote on paid family and medical leave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

Minnesota is taking another step toward creating a tax-funded, state-administered paid family and medical leave program backed by Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers.Members of the Minnesota House on Tuesday were set to pass a bill to create a new state program that would offer 12 weeks of family leave and 12 weeks of medical leave. All businesses would be required to participate or offer equivalent benefits, though existing union collective bargaining agreements would be exempt.Low-wage workers often do not have access to the same benefits as higher-paid members of the workforce. Advocates say one-third of Minnesota workers — about 900,000 people — don’t have any paid time off. House bill sponsor Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, said access to leave shouldn’t depend on where a person works. She pointed out the U.S. is the only wealthy country that does not have a national paid leave mandate.“At the heart of this bill is a recognition of our universal human...

Wrist quelled, Alex Kirilloff tries to forge a path back to Twins through Saints

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

Alex Kirilloff has a few obstacles in his way before he can get back into the Twins’ lineup. The good news is that his right wrist isn’t one of them.The nagging wrist injury that haunted Kirilloff for the better part of two years appears to be taken care of after a second surgery last August that, in simplest terms, shortened the ulna in his right arm so it would stop rubbing against his wrist.It was nearly a year ago when Kirilloff first told a couple of reporters about a surgery known as an ulnar shortening osteotomy, and at the time added, “I really hope it doesn’t get to that.”But it did, and all in all, Kirilloff is glad he had the procedure.“I’m happy we did it and happy we did it at the time that we did it. I like the spot that I’m in right now,” Kirilloff said Tuesday after the Saints’ 11-5 loss to Nashville at CHS Field.“I feel like it’s probably in a better spot than it has been probably the last two years.”Now, the only thing keeping Kirlloff in St. Paul is room on the Tw...

Tom Menas agrees in principal to return to Empire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany Empire are looking back to move forward. Tom Menas, the former Albany Empire coach, tells NEWS10 Sports Director Griffin Haas he has agreed in principal to return as the team's head coach. Menas won back to back championships for the Empire, but was fired on April 6th, just 10 days before the team's season opener. Menas said at the time that the new owner, former NFL All-Pro Antonio Brown, wanted to go in another direction, but added he only positive interactions with the Brown family. This move comes just one day after interim head coach Damon Ware and six players left the team. Ware told NEWS10 he and the players were not being paid, and they were not given keys to their hotel rooms. Here's another twist: Menas tells me Ware will also return to the team. He will serve as the Empire's offensive head coordinator and assistant head coach. Last year’s MVP Darius Prince, captains Nick Haag, Brandon Sesay, and Dwayne Hollis, quarterback Sam Castranova...

Senators spar over proposal for Supreme Court ethics laws

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Criticism of the Supreme Court is mounting after accusations that some justices have acted unethically. On Tuesday, a Senate committee held a hearing to discuss possible ethics reform for the high court. Senator Chris Murphy is among those who are pushing to pass legislation to institute new ethics rules. "You got to stand up and call wrong when you see it," Murphy said. "This court is poisoning their legitimacy." Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Recent reporting by ProPublica revealed Justice Clarence Thomas took undisclosed luxury trips paid for by a conservative billionaire. Shortly after that, Politico found that Justice Neil Gorsuch didn't disclose that the head of an influential law firm brought property for him just after he joined the high court. "The Supreme Court lacks a clear, enforceable, binding code of ethics," Senator Alex Padilla pointed out. Democratic lawmakers say new ethical co...

St. Louis County man admits to bird smuggling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County man appeared in federal court on Tuesday and admitted to smuggling wild animals.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Michael Amato, 68, and associates smuggled regulated wildlife into the country from Malta, England, Germany, and elsewhere. They did so without declaring said wildlife and without obtaining the proper permits.Amato told the court that between February 2018 and September 2020, he smuggled 67 different birds into the United States. Some of the birds are listed as threatened with extinction. Trending: No standing, sitting or walking on roadways, St. Louis County bill says According to court documents, Amato instructed his comrades abroad how to fill out paperwork in order to avoid detection from federal regulators.Amato pleaded guilty to fraudulently importing protected wildlife. As part of his plea deal, he's agreed to forfeit more than six dozen taxidermy bird mounts that were seized from...

7 deaths in Illinois dust storm, police need help identifying the victims

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:50:33 GMT

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ill. - A blinding dust storm led to seven deaths from a series of crashes involving more than 70 vehicles along Interstate 55 in south central Illinois.Illinois State Police tell FOX 2 that now seven drivers in the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 died from the crash. Investigators have identified one victim as 88-year-old Shirley Harper from Franklin, Wisconsin. ISP says two other victims have tentatively been identified, though authorities are working to confirm with family members. Of the victims who died, ISP is working to identify four other adults. Police have not disclosed the genders or possible ages of those victims. However, one victim was found inside a blue Chrysler 300, while the other was found inside an unknown-colored Hyundai. Trending: No standing, sitting or walking on roadways, St. Louis County bill says If you have any information on these victims, contact ISP at 618-346-3653.Illinois State Police say 37 people were hospitalized and 72 vehic...