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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suspending state gas and diesel taxes again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s governor is again suspending state taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, declaring a legal emergency over higher prices.Gov. Brian Kemp signed the executive order Tuesday morning. The suspension of the taxes, at 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel fuel, begins Wednesday and lasts through Oct. 12.Georgia’s government gave up an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue during an earlier suspension over 10 months from March 2022 to January 2023, about $170 million a month.Georgia can easily afford to forgo the cash, which is used mostly for roadbuilding. Not only is its rainy day account full, but it has roughly $10 billion in additional surplus cash in state accounts. The state is also likely to run another multibillion dollar surplus in the budget year that began July 1, unless revenues fall sharply.The move also lets Kemp shift the state’s political conversation, which has been consumed by a Fulton County grand jury...

Work to transform section of Bloor Street West now underway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

Motorists will now find it a tight squeeze along Bloor Street West between Prince Edward Drive and the South Kingsway as a project to reimagine the section of road near the Old Mill begins.Lane restrictions for work on the ‘Bloor Street West Complete Street Project’ went into place on Monday.Traffic is now reduced to a single lane through the work zone, and those lane restrictions are permanent. The project aims to reconfigure the roadway from four lanes to two. This will allow for only one lane of traffic in each direction while adding several other features to make the area more pedestrian and cyclist friendly.“The project will provide road safety improvements, cycle tracks, and public realm upgrades to meet Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety Plan and Climate Change Action Plan goals,” a website for the project says.“Changes to Bloor Street West will be made with materials that can be installed quickly, such as bollards, roadway paint, planters and signage.”A map for th...

Aaron Rodgers' first season with the Jets is over, reports say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The worst-case scenario for Aaron Rodgers has come to pass after being forced to leave his first game with the Jets after just a handful of plays. Per numerous reports, the first from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, an MRI on Tuesday revealed that the quarterback suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter of New York's 22-16 overtime win over the Bills on Monday night at Met Life Stadium.It's expected that 39-year-old Rodgers will miss the remainder of the 2023 season, which was his first with the Jets. Aaron Rodgers injures his left Achilles tendon in his first series for the Jets The team has yet to confirm the results of the MRI, though head coach Robert Saleh did indicate that the team was ready for bad news concerning the quarterback's Achilles injury after the game on Monday.On X on Tuesday morning, the Jets wrote, "Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you've made to this team will continue t...

Author David Levithan's new queer YA romance revisits 'Two Boys Kissing' characters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — New York Times bestselling author David Levithan's newest young adult novel comes 20 years after his popular debut, "Boy Meets Boy" and 10 years following the release of his wildly successful "Two Boys Kissing." The new book, "Ryan and Avery" actually pulls from "Two Boys Kissing" to center on two side characters introduced in it — giving the titular pair a love story of their own. His LGBTQ teen book is one of the most banned in the U.S. Here’s why he keeps writing "Ryan and Avery" follows Avery, a transmasculine boy with pink hair, and Ryan, a blue-haired boy juggling being out in a small town. The novel chronicles their relationship from its beginning — a chance meeting at queer prom — to the 10 dates that follow.The dates are described in poetic detail out of order, building emotional mysteries for each boy — and the reader — to figure out. In a note to readers, Levithan explains he'd expected to write a sprawling epic love story but instead wrote "the most intimat...

Man dies 1 mile short of campground on Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- A 55-year-old man died while attempting a rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon on Saturday, according to National Park Service officials.After starting from the South Rim on Saturday morning, Ranjith Varma, of Manassas, Virginia, was within a mile of Cottonwood Campground on the North Rim when the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center was notified just before 2 p.m. of a hiker in distress, according to an NPS news release on Monday.Varma was unresponsive and bystanders initiated CPR before rescuers arrived. A helicopter was dispatched, but advanced life support efforts failed to resuscitate him, NPS said.A rim-to-rim hike ending on the North Kaibab Trail, where Varma was located, is at least 20 miles with an elevation change of about 5,700 feet. Officials didn't disclose Varma's starting point. North Dakota teen survives nearly 100-foot fall at North Rim of Grand Canyon An investigation into the incident was being conducted by the NPS in coordination with ...

No damage to Colorado Tower after fire at Red Ash restaurant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — There was no damage to the Colorado Tower after reports of a fire at the Red Ash Italia restaurant in downtown Austin on Monday evening, according to Cousins Properties.Around 6:30 p.m., a fire was reported in the restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of Colorado Tower, Cousins said. AFD said at the time firefighters were working to extinguish the fire and remove smoke in a 30-story high-rise building at 303 Colorado Street. "The fire was in the ductwork between the stove and an exterior exhaust vent coming from a restaurant. We have no damage estimate but building representatives and remediation crews were already working on repairs," the Austin Fire Department said Tuesday.There were no injuries in the fire, and the security team and firefighters safely evacuated the entire building, according to Cousins. Furthermore, there was no damage to the building, and all offices can open Tuesday.

City council considers expediting expansion at Austin airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is flying forward as one of the fastest-growing airports in America.This July, AUS experienced its busiest month of all time. AUS Data Hub: How many passengers have flown out of AUS so far this year? On Thursday, Austin City Council will consider expediting expansion at the airport.Local leaders will vote on two separate items during the council meeting, which could fast-track the airport’s ability to expand.One item council will discuss would update the master development ordinance at AUS, allowing it to be considered as a single site.Sam Haynes is the communications and marketing manager at the airport.She says this could speed up construction for the new midfield concourse, which will add 10 gates over the next decade.“Allowing the airport to be permitted as a single site, instead of a bunch of different unique individual project sites,” Haynes explained. “We think that will really expedite our work to expand and improv...

Gophers add Minnetonka wing Tori McKinney to 2024-25 class

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

Brian Cosgriff knows a great basketball player when he sees one, and the Minnetonka girls basketball coach thinks the Gophers got one on Tuesday when Tori McKinney committed to play next season for coach Dawn Plitzuweit.“That’s one thing about getting old,” Cosgriff said, “You’ve experienced a lot. (McKinney) will be the best ever to wear the maroon and gold.”That’s high praise from anyone but especially Cosgriff, who coached a lot of Power 5 players while winning seven state titles in 21 seasons before retiring from Hopkins in 2020, among them Paige Bueckers (UConn), Maya Nnaji (Arizona) and Amaya Battle (Gophers).And the ones he didn’t coach, he tried to contain, such as the Gophers’ Mara Braun.McKinney, a 6-foot1 wing, announced her commitment Tuesday morning via social media with the simple message, “Staying home.” She spent all of her junior season on the bench with a broken tibia; otherwise, Cosgriff said, she would be nationally ranked alongside Minnetonka teammates Aal...

College football: North Carolina hammered NCAA on waiver; Gophers still awaiting decision on Craig McDonald

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

The Gophers play North Carolina on Saturday and both football programs have filed waivers to have a player become eligible immediately after transferring a second time in their collegiate careers.Both programs were, at first, denied the waiver, and both filed appeals. That’s where the two stories diverge.North Carolina receiver Devontez “Tez” Walker had his appeal denied, and he was ruled ineligible to play in 2023. It’s a big setback because the Tar Heels were hoping Walker could be star quarterback Drake Maye’s No. 1 target this fall.North Carolina coach Mack Brown slammed the NCAA for its decision last week.“We’re absolutely crushed to learn that Tez Walker’s eligibility has been denied for this season and he won’t be able to play,” Brown said in a statement. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people, or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now. It’s clear that the NCAA is about process and it couldn’t care less about the young peo...

Puerto Rican restaurant, grocery store opens in Troy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:11 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A new Puerto Rican restaurant, grocery store, and catering business has opened at 697 Hoosick Road in Troy. Viejo San Juan officially opened on Saturday, September 9. Get the latest news, weather, and sports delivered right to your inbox! The business serves Puerto Rican food such as rice, beans, roast pork, stewed chicken, plantains, and empanadas. They also have Spanish sodas and drinks, desserts and pastries, and Hispanic grocery items, as well as catering.Viejo San Juan is looking to eventually expand their grocery selection. The restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.