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Austin Fire union, city reach labor contract through arbitrator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An arbitrator has ruled on a labor contract between the City of Austin and the Austin Firefighters Association (AFA). The contract is effective as of Friday and does not require approval from the AFA or city council. The contract will be in place until October 2025. Because the fire association's contract expired roughly a year ago, the contract factors in back pay and is considered a 3-year contract starting in October 2022. Firefighters will be paid roughly 4% more year-over-year for the duration of the contract starting in October of last year, according to the city. Because the contract covers the past year, firefighters will see a roughly 8% wage increase starting in October 2023. Assistant fire chiefs and firefighters in specialized units -- the wildfire battalion, arson division and dispatch division -- will get stipends. “This arbitration has been a new and rather protracted process, but we are pleased with the arbitrator panel’s decision and award. We belie...

DPS driver's license offices to reopen Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Driver License (DL) Offices will reopen Monday after they were closed for a week due to a system upgrade, a DPS news release said Friday. Online services will also be available, the agency said.Over the Labor Day weekend, offices closed for a driver's license system upgrade, the release said. The offices closed Sept. 1 and were scheduled to open Tuesday. However, "a capacity issue caused by the upgrade overloaded the system, and services were unavailable," according to DPS."We understand the frustration the extended upgrade has caused to those customers who had their appointments cancelled this week, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Our customer service team is contacting impacted Texans via preferred email or phone to give them priority rebooking as quickly as possible," the release said. Need a driver’s license? Get in line Offices will extend hours in high-volume areas in order to help with rebooked appointment...

What's happening with Austin first responder contracts? A break down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- At the start of the week, the City of Austin was working on contracts with all three of its first responder unions. Here's where they're at as of Friday. Austin Fire Department An arbitrator ruled on a labor contract between the City of Austin and the Austin Firefighters Association (AFA) Friday night. The contract is effective as of Friday and does not require approval from the AFA or city council. The contract will be in place until October 2025. Because the fire association's contract expired roughly a year ago, the contract factors in back pay and is considered a 3-year contract starting in October 2022. Austin Fire union, city reach labor contract through arbitrator Firefighters will be paid roughly 4% more year-over-year for the duration of the contract starting in October of last year, according to the City of Austin. Because the contract covers the past year, firefighters will see a roughly 8% wage increase starting in October 2023. “This arbitration has ...

Twins: Byron Buxton’s rehab setback not unexpected

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

When asked Friday about what the designated hitter spot will look like as the Twins try to close out an American League Central Division title over the last 22 regular-season games, manager Rocco Baldelli mentioned a large handful of infielders.Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, Jorge Polanco, and even Alex Kirilloff, who returned Friday from a 34-game stint on the injured list with a right shoulder strain.Asked what that meant for Byron Buxton, the Twins’ regular DH until being placed on the IL Aug. 4 with right hamstring strain, Baldelli said, “Well, nothing yet. I mean, he’s not ready to play yet.”Buxton left a rehab game in St. Paul last Friday after two at-bats as the designated hitter because of soreness in his right knee. Two nights before — with a day off in between — Buxton had played seven innings in center field, his first game in the outfield since Aug. 22, 2022.Asked if Buxton suffered a setback, Baldelli said, “Well, he was sore. His knee was sore. There was no specific inju...

Mounds View seeks commission volunteers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

The city of Mounds View is in need of volunteers.The Economic Development Commission, Planning Commission, and Parks, Recreation and Forestry Commission all have vacancies in need of filling for 2024.Prospective volunteers must be residents of Mounds View and attend meetings regularly and, according to a press release from the city, should have “an interest in our community.”Applications can be found at moundsviewmn.org or at Mounds View City Hall. The application deadline is Oct. 19.Related ArticlesLocal News | Chauvin trial witness wanted in domestic abuse no-contact order case Local News | Despite hot weather, MN State Fair attendance ranks sixth-highest Local News | Minnesota’s getting $540M from opioid settlements. Here’s how east-metro cities are spending it. Local News | Raspberry Island murder charges: Man shot 20-year-old after telling him to turn off song associated with rival gang Loca...

Former Baytown Township board member dies of injuries in e-bike crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

Brian Nichols was known as being somewhat frugal, a voice of common sense around Baytown Township, where he lived for nearly six decades and spent more than half of those years serving on the town board of supervisors.Case in point: Nichols and farmer Bill Nelsen, who was also on the township board, used to take pride in being a two-man pothole patrol in Baytown. They’d drive around in Nichols’ pickup truck with bags of asphalt and shovels and fill potholes, saving taxpayers money by not hiring a road contractor.Brian Nichols (Courtesy photo)“Someone once called and said, ‘I’ve been hitting that pothole for two years,'” Nichols told the Pioneer Press in a 2006 interview. “I said, ‘I know just where it is. I’ve been missing it for two years.'”Nichols died Wednesday of injuries he suffered after he was hit by a car Sunday while riding his e-bike about a mile and half from his Baytown home. He was 85.The crash occurred in front of the Was...

Vikings don’t have lengthy injury report. It was all part of the plan.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

When the Vikings released their injury report after Friday’s practice, pass rusher Marcus Davenport was the only player whose name was on it. He was limited with an ankle injury and is officially listed as questionable for the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium.The fact that Davenport is the only player with an injury designation speaks to a plan the Vikings have had in place throughout the summer. Though they had an intense training camp thanks in part to the arrival of new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings always seemed to put player health at the forefront.Need proof? Look no further than the preseason finale when head coach Kevin O’Connell rested more than 40 players.“It was a little bit more of a demanding training camp from a physicality standpoint,” O’Connell said. “We were able to go about that throughout that month and have a short injury report going into the season opene...

Duchesne football game canceled after COVID-19 outbreak

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Officials have canceled Friday's football game at Duchesne Catholic High School as the scheduled hosts deal with an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. Duchesne was expected to play Cardinal Ritter on Friday evening, though the team cannot field enough players after a rise in COVID-19 cases. When at full strength, the football team has 27 players. Three are out with injuries, and 10 are out with COVID-19. Almost half the team was unavailable, and officials decided to cancel the game. FOX 2 photographer run over after community threatens to tow cars Susan Noonan, president of Duchesne High School, says the school will continue to monitor the health of students. No decisions regarding future games on the schedule have been made. The canceled game comes at the St. Louis region deals with the spread of a new COVID-19 variant. According to the most recent data from the St. Louis Department of Health, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by roughly 137 percent ...

Broncos offensive linemen have a new favorite practice period: Catching go-balls on Friday afternoons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

The Broncos’ offensive line has a new favorite practice drill.Friday pat-and-go.The big fellas each got a couple of turns defeating press coverage off the line of scrimmage and catching passes from the quarterbacks Friday during the portion of practice open to reporters.The results? Surprisingly good, actually.Maybe not aesthetically pleasing or athletically overwhelming, but pretty good.“We had no idea we were going to be doing it today. It was fun,” right guard Quinn Meinerz said. “They just said, ‘O-line, pat-and-go,’ and all of a sudden we were running go balls and catching them. I’m sitting there with my thumbs taped having a hard time, but it’s fine.”Policies governing what reporters can convey from practice prohibit detailed stat-keeping, but the only drop one reporter witnessed was off the hands of reserve center Luke Wattenberg.“He had one, but I’ll take Luke. I’m still going to throw it to him,” Meinerz said.Meinerz took the hit when asked who he was least confident in.“I ...

Denver deputy suspended 10 days for punching inmate in the face

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:42:42 GMT

A Denver sheriff’s deputy will be suspended for at least 10 days for punching an inmate in the face during an altercation at the Downtown Detention Center in November 2022.Deputy Diego Villalpando-Hernandez is receiving a lesser penalty for using inappropriate force because he expressed remorse and learned from the experience, according to a decision letter issued by the Denver Department of Public Safety in August.Villalpando-Hernandez was attempting to lock down an inmate, referred to in the decision letter as JS, on Nov. 9, 2022, when the inmate began acting aggressively toward him and adopting a “fighting stance,” according to witness statements.Villalpando-Hernandez then also took a fighting stance and hit JS once in the face before they went to the ground and the inmate was detained by Villalpando-Hernandez and other deputies.Villalpando-Hernandez will be suspended for 10 days in September and October, with an additional eight-day suspension held off for one year. The suspende...