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Nearly $1.3 billion on City Council agenda for convention center expansion

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council is expected to vote on two contracts Thursday worth nearly $1.3 billion to move forward with its Austin Convention Center expansion project. The first contract is with LMN and Page, two companies, for design and engineering. That contract is worth $65 million, according to council documents. The other is for $1.2 billion and will go toward construction and preconstruction. That contract is with JE Dunn and Turner, documents show. Austin Convention Center to undergo 4 years of construction in expansion project The rebuild is expected to cost $1.6 billion overall, KXAN previously reported, and will be funded by convention center revenue and its allocation of the hotel occupancy tax. In 2019, city council approved an increase of the hotel occupancy tax rate of 2% for the expansion project.Austinites will be given the opportunity to weigh in on design options for the new convention center, but the City of Austin has said the design will open up cl...

Plastic recycling can be challenging

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- You may be one of the hundreds, or thousands, of recyclers who may not understand what plastics can or cannot be recycled. You're not alone.Recycling plastics creates confusion trying to figure out what PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS all mean. Combine with the numbers that appear inside the recycle icon and you have a recipe for indecision.Rich Segal spoke with Paul Bestgen from Austin Resource Recovery about what plastics the city takes. He said that recycling in general can be confusing, because there are different rules regarding what materials are recyclable. He added that a lot of basic plastics are accepted in Austin.Water bottles, plastic cups, plastic milk jugs and yogurt cups are some of the containers that Austin Resource Recovery does accept.What about those plastic drinking cups that one gets at a fast food restaurant, those with numbers like five or seven? Paul recommends that questions like this, and many others can be answered with the What I Do Wit...

How did Texas' Congressional delegation vote for Speaker of the House?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video is the live stream of Tuesday's vote from the U.S. House floor. (KXAN) — Following Kevin McCarthy's removal as Speaker of the House on Oct. 3, Republicans have struggled to find a replacement.A vote on the House floor Tuesday would have seen Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, elected to the Speaker position, but he fell short of the 217 votes needed, with 20 Republican defections.The Texas delegation makes up 38 members of Congress: 25 Republicans and 13 Democrats.In Tuesday's first-round vote, 22 Republicans voted for Jordan, while every Democrat voted for their nominee, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York.Two Republicans — Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, voted for Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana. Scalise, the House Majority Leader, had been nominated by the party on Oct. 11, but a vote on the full House floor was not held, as he was well short of the votes needed.Meanwhile, Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, voted for Rep. Mike...

Tesla outlines workforce, ecological programs in Travis County

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A year and a half after it opened its Austin gigafactory, Tesla officials outlined to Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday some of its community programming efforts and education advancements for the region.Giga Texas has invested more than $750,000 in programming through its community partners, including the Austin Area Urban League, Workforce Solutions Teacher Externships and Del Valle ISD. Some collaborations have included educational programs like Austin Voices for Education and Youth, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day and Latinitas, per the presentation.Tesla has also worked on community outreach opportunities through the Austin Independent School District's resource fairs, the Del Valle Community Coalition and Workforce Solutions' job fairs. On the educational front, Tesla officials noted three key programs as part of Giga Texas' educational and workforce development efforts:Manufacturing Development Program: An Austin Community College pa...

South St. Paul receives $800,000 for Wakota Crossing redevelopment project

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

The South St. Paul Economic Development Authority was awarded $800,000 on Tuesday to redevelop a former landfill and water treatment plant into a 182,000-square-foot industrial building.The redevelopment grant, awarded by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, will go toward public infrastructure and ponding of the 15-acre Wakota Crossing industrial site, according to a department news release.The Wakota Crossing project, located southwest of the Wakota Trailhead and near the intersection of U.S. Interstate 494 and Hardman Avenue, is anticipated to create 38 jobs and retain 34, according to DEED. It is also expected to increase the property tax base by $528,491 and leverage $22.2 million in private investment.The redevelopment grants are intended to help communities with the cost of redeveloping industrial, residential or commercial sites and can be used to help cover the cost of services like public land acquisition, building and site demolition, infrastru...

Unisys plans to leave its 32-acre Eagan campus as the city envisions new development

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

Unisys Corp., a technology solutions company, is planning to sell its sprawling Eagan campus and move operations elsewhere in the Twin Cities.The Dakota County property at 3199 Pilot Knob Road spans 32 acres and includes a 312,495-square-foot building that was constructed in 1986. The land is valued at $7.8 million and the building at $5.3 million, according to property records.A spokesperson for Unisys confirmed on Friday that although the company is selling its Eagan campus, it will maintain a foothold in the Twin Cities and continue its operations from a yet-to-be-determined location.The software company, which is headquartered in Blue Bell, Penn., has roots in Minnesota dating back to WWII when former codebreakers launched Engineering Research Associates in St. Paul in 1946.The ERA was at the forefront of computer technology and led to the creation of industry-leading technology firms like UNIVAC, Control Data, Cray Research and Unisys.What does this mean for Eagan?To address th...

High school football: Will this week’s games sort out scrambled section seeding scenarios?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

There may be just one week remaining in the Minnesota high school football regular season, but much is still to be decided when it comes to sectional tournament seedings.Not so much in Class 6A, where section records rule the roost, and intersection games wrapped up prior to last week’s games.The four No. 1 seeds among the big schools figure to be Stillwater, Eden Prairie, Centennial and Lakeville South — by virtue of its head-to-head victory over rival Lakeville North.But things get much more interesting in the other classes.CLASS 5AFor instance, there are three 6-1 teams in Section 3, and none of them played one another. St. Thomas Academy is likely to get the No. 1 seed by virtue of its strong QRF — the Quality Rating Formula produced by Minnesota-Scores.net — so long as the Cadets win in Chaska on Wednesday.But the No. 2 seed, and the first-round bye that comes with it, is entirely up for grabs. Bloomington Jefferson is No. 9 in the Class 5A QRF, and Two Rivers is No. 10. They’r...

Michelle Basham is named director of Ramsey County Social Services

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

Michelle Basham has been named director of Ramsey County Social Services.Michelle Basham has been named director of Ramsey County Social Services. She will join Ramsey County on Nov. 13. (Courtesy of Ramsey County)Basham currently works as a deputy director for Operations and Partnerships for Vocational Rehabilitation Services at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. She is expected to join Ramsey County on Nov. 13. She’ll oversee a department with an annual budget in 2023 of $117.8 million and 683 full-time positions.“We are thrilled to have an innovative leader of Michelle’s caliber stepping into this role,” said Kathy Hedin, deputy county manager of the Health and Wellness Service Team, in a statement. “Throughout her career, Michelle has been a tireless advocate for children and families, youth experiencing homelessness and sexual exploitation, and work to advance racial equity and inclusion.”Besides her work with the state, Basham has held leade...

High school football: Week 8 predictions

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

Here are some of the top high school football games involving East Metro teams over the next two days:WEDNESDAYEagan (2-5) at Eastview (4-3), 4:30 p.m.A rivalry game that is likely to go a long way toward determining the level of success of the season for each of these two programs. For Eastview, it is a chance to show the Lightning are in Eagan’s weight class. For the Wildcats, it’s a chance to re-establish momentum heading into the postseason. OUR PICK: Eagan 24, Eastview 16Central (5-2) at Highland Park (3-4), 5 p.m.The rivalry reigns supreme as the most important thing at stake in this one, but the game also holds postseason implications, with the Minutemen and Scots battling for seeds that bring home games and byes. Central will look to respond to its loss to Two Rivers by re-asserting its running game. OUR PICK: Central 20, Highland Park 10Simley (5-2) at Two Rivers (6-1), 7 p.m.An excellent tuneup for both teams heading into the playoffs, as they are arguably each the best te...

Governor Hochul to travel to Israel

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:56:36 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)---Governor Kathy Hochul is traveling to Israel to meet with diplomatic leaders and communities devastated by the Hamas attacks. Tuesday morning she was in Washington, D.C. and met with the White House Chief of Staff to discuss immigration and U.S. support for Israel."Also, we had a chance to talk about President Biden’s upcoming trip to Israel," said Hochul during a virtual press conference. "We shared our support in our collective vision to support these diplomatic efforts that includes standing in solidarity with Israel and ensuring they have the resources to protect their citizens. But also doing so in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and allows the civilians in Gaza to get humanitarian assistance they need, as long as we are not benefiting Hamas terrorists."Senate Minority Leader, Rob Ortt, went to Israel in back in August. He said he visited the kibbutz where residents were massacred."I’m glad the governor is going over there," said Ortt. "I think ...