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Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejects Rodney Reed's innocence claims and new trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Texas' highest criminal appeals court on Wednesday rejected death-row inmate Rodney Reed’s most recent applications claiming his innocence and seeking a new trial.The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejections – years in the making – are the culmination of a massive effort by Reed’s defense team that included a two-week evidentiary hearing in Bastrop in July 2021. Dozens of witnesses testified, including the victim Stacey Stites’ mother and her former fiancé Jimmy Fennell. EXPLORE: Full coverage of the Rodney Reed case Reed, now 55, was convicted and sentenced to death in Bastrop County for the murder of 19-year-old Stites in 1996. Reed has maintained his innocence and has fought for years with the legal assistance of the New York-based Innocence Project.Over the years, Reed’s legal team has filed 10 applications for relief with the CCA, and all have failed. On Wednesday the CCA rejected his ninth and tenth applications.Jane Pucher, a staff attorney with the Innoce...

Slow temperature drop begins tomorrow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's been a LONG couple weeks of triple digit heat here in Central Texas... but a bit of relief from the 100°+ temps & dry weather is on the horizon.A mix of Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Warnings continues for much of the area today as 'feels like' temps could climb up to 110°. Sunshine and dry skies will stretch areawide.Heat alerts continue for most of the area WednesdayThe powerful heat dome responsible for the prolonged June heat wave will finally shift east and weaken late week into the weekend. This displacement will allow high temperatures to drop slightly each day, falling below 100° in Austin by early next week.Sub-100° temperatures in Austin late weekend into early next weekThis change in pattern will also allow low daily rain chances to return beginning Sunday. A few isolated storms are possible through the July 4th holiday, with wetter weather possibly persisting through next week.6-10 day precipitation outlookSummer Fan DriveOur Summer Fan Dri...

'Groundhog day:' Second special session convenes with no signs of compromise on property tax cuts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — As the second special legislative commenced Wednesday, lawmakers in the House and Senate hurried through their own familiar plans for property tax relief and showed no signs the two chambers are any closer to a compromise.The House of Representatives convened for less than 20 minutes. The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously passed a property tax relief bill that is identical to the bill that failed in the first special session. The full House is expected to pass it when they convene again Friday morning.The Senate Finance Committee unanimously passed its own plan, which provides a $100,000 homestead exemption and is nearly identical to the version that failed to reach the Governor's desk in the first special session.Gov. Abbott again directed the legislature to consider only property tax relief in this special session. As governor, he alone has the power to convene legislators and define the topics of debate in a special session. His call included two charg...

Former Saratoga Springs motel to be Code Blue shelter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Shelters of Saratoga has secured a lease to operate a Code Blue Winter Shelter for 2023-24 starting in the fall. The shelter will be located in the former Grand Union Motel on South Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! According to a press release, the lease was signed in early June, and will have semi-private rooms for those experiencing homelessness when the temperature is below 32 degrees. Shelters of Saratoga will operate the shelter in partnership with Saratoga County.“In past seasons, the shelter was an open space lined with cots," said Duane Vaughn, executive director of Shelters of Saratoga. “The new location will offer guests additional privacy, critical for restful sleep. Sleep is key to a healthy life, and we are working diligently to make accommodations as comfortable as possible." New 24/7 homeless shelter in Saratoga Springs already at capacity In t...

Ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett drowns in Florida at 35 years old

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — Former quarterback Ryan Mallett—who played for New England, Houston, and Baltimore during five seasons in the NFL—died. He was 35. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Mallett died in an apparent drowning, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Mallett was a football coach at White Hall High School in his native Arkansas, and the school district also confirmed his death in a post on its website on Tuesday.Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said the University of Arkanas—where Mallett was QB of the Razorbacks—“lost an incredibly special person.” He tweeted, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and teammates of Ryan Mallett.” Tri-City wins slugfest over Schaumburg Mallett played for the University of Michigan for one season before finishing his college career at Arkansas. He passed for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns in two seasons with the Razorbacks.“He lived with great e...

Part of Route 85 in Slingerlands to close for a month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

SLINGERLANDS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- As the Albany County Rail Trail Bridge Replacement Project continues in Slingerlands, the Albany County Department of Public Works will be closing both lanes of State Route 85. The closure begins June 30 at 10 a.m. and runs through July 31 at 6 a.m. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The closure will be near the Rail Trail Bridge between Kenwood Avenue and Mullins Road. Traffic will be detoured over Cherry and Kenwood Avenues.The Department of Public Works said the drainage issues under the previous bridge will be addressed. The full road closure will shorten the project and also help ensure the safety of drivers and workers. Stuyvesant Plaza renews leases for three tenants Check out NEWS10's traffic tracker. You can plan your route and see traffic delays in real-time!

2nd Missouri man sentenced in death of woman who was caged, dismembered

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

BUFFALO, Mo. (AP) — A second man has been sentenced to life in prison for the death of a woman who was kept in a cage and dismembered in southwest Missouri in 2021.Timothy Norton was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty in Dallas County court to first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Cassie Rainwater. As part of his plea agreement, charges of kidnapping and abandonment of a corpse were dropped.Another man, James Phelps, entered an Alford plea earlier this year in the same case and was also sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW The two men were arrested in September 2021 after the FBI received a tip about photos showing Rainwater in a cage on Phelps' property near Le...

St. Louis man accused of firebombing neighbor's home over parking space

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man appeared in federal court last week and denied throwing a Molotov cocktail at a home in the Gravois Park neighborhood last year.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Marcus Reece, 31, was indicted in April on one count of damaging or destroying a building by fire and one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device.Reece was arrested on June 22 and pleaded not guilty that same day. A federal judge ordered him to be held in jail until trial. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW According to court documents, the firebombing occurred March 19, 2022, in the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue. Prosecutors claim Reece threw Molotov cocktails at his neighbor's home...

Judge sets $10M cash-only bond for Aurora dentist accused of poisoning, killing his wife

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

AURORA, Colo. — A judge set a $10 million cash-only bond on Wednesday morning for an Aurora dentist accused of poisoning and killing his wife in March.James Toliver Craig, 45, was arrested early on March 19 on a charge of first-degree murder after deliberation in connection with the death of his 43-year-old wife Angela Craig, who died in a hospital the day prior.He practiced dentistry at Summerbrook Dental Group, which is located at 14991 E. Hampden Avenue in Aurora. His bio page from the dental group website states that he has six children with his wife. His dental license was suspended by the state in March.A 52-page arrest affidavit detailed how Angela Craig became sick multiple times in early and mid-March and was hospitalized, but doctors could not determine what was causing her symptoms. During one of the visits, a person alerted a nurse that he believed she had been poisoned, possibly by James Craig, according to the affidavit.Read more on Denver7.Sign up to get crime news se...

CBI issues Missing Indigenous Person Alert for missing Navajo woman last seen in Denver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:00 GMT

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday issued a missing person alert for a 26-year-old Navajo woman who may have been living without housing in Denver.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 65-year-old man missing after raft capsizes in Glenwood Canyon Crime and Public Safety | Missing teen who was last seen Wednesday in Granby has been found safe Crime and Public Safety | CBI alert issued for missing 71-year-old man in Glenwood Springs Crime and Public Safety | El Paso County officials searching for missing at-risk teen, last seen Thursday Crime and Public Safety | Missing Indigenous Person Alert for man believed to be in Colorado Springs area lifted Last heard from on June 13, Shirelle Lucinda Begay was believed to be in Denver, CBI officials said in a bulletin posted on Twitter. Anyone who has seen Begay or has information is asked to contact Denver police at 720-913-2000.Begay is descri...