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Solis to potentially testify in Ed Burke trial as prosecution plans to rest

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

CHICAGO -- Prosecutors are using recordings made by ex-alderman turned FBI mole Danny Solis to make their case against the once powerful Ed Burke.Prosecutors decided months ago to not to put Solis on the stand. Burke's attorneys told the judge they will call Solis to the stand and plan to question him for hours about the recordings alone.Jurors have heard the conversation between Burke and Solis from the Spring of 2017.Prosecutors say "tuna" was business for Burke's private law firm from developers of the Old Post Office. "I think I've got some good news. I talked to Skydell today," Solis says in the recording. Burke responded."So, did we, uh, land the tuna? If we land the tuna, there certainly will be a day of accounting, you can count on that," Burke replied.Over the weekend, the U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion to prevent Solis' testimony, arguing that the defense is simply calling Solis to discredit him.The defense said its questioning of Solis will add context to the secre...

'Mind blown': Delta passengers shocked to learn about airline's 'secret' trading cards

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Forget about baseball players or Pokémon characters: Today’s hottest trading cards are printed with Delta jets.Last month, a Delta passenger named Sarowar Ahmed went viral on TikTok after filming himself asking the captain of his flight for a “trading card” — only for the captain to immediately direct him to the first officer, who handed over two glossy cards printed with photos of Boeing 737 aircraft.“My friend told me that pilots have trading cards and she thought maybe I’d already have them since I’m a frequent flyer, but I definitely did not know about it,” Ahmed told Nexstar. “So I had to try it out myself.” An image provided by Delta shows trading cards from the carrier's current collection. (Delta Air Lines)News of Delta’s trading cards also came as a shock to viewers on TikTok, where the video has amassed over 24 million views since late November.“THEY HAVE TRADING CARDS?!” one commenter responded, summing up the general sentiments of hundreds of other viewe...

'Barbie' leads the pack as 2024 Golden Globe nominations announced

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

(KTLA) - It's a Barbie world! The 2024 Golden Globe nominations were announced Monday morning by Cedric "The Entertainer" and Wilmer Valderrama, and the Greta Gerwig-directed film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling leads the pack with nine nominations. In the meantime, “Oppenheimer,” which was released on the same day, scored eight nominations.Here is the full list of nominations: Best Motion Picture – Drama“Anatomy of a Fall”"Killers of the Flower Moon”“Maestro”“Oppenheimer”“Past Lives”“The Zone Of Interest”Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy“Air”“American Fiction”“Barbie”“The Holdovers”“May December”“Poor Things”Best Motion Picture – Animated“The Boy and The Heron”“Elemental”“Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse”“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”“Suzume”“Wish”Cinematic and Box Office Achievement“Barbie”“Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3”“John Wick: Chapter 4”“Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1”“Oppenheimer”“Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse”“The Super Mario&nb...

Supreme Court wipes rulings on federal employee, military vaccine mandates

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

The Supreme Court wiped a series of rulings implicating the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates for federal employees and military service members, preventing the decisions from holding the weight of precedent in the future.With the mandates rescinded, the justices sided with the Biden administration Monday in agreeing to set aside the lower rulings after deeming the disputes moot, thus providing a clean legal slate for any future vaccine mandates.Courts had come to conflicting conclusions in the cases, but before the Supreme Court could weigh in on any of the appeals, the vaccine requirements were canceled. At issue before the justices was what legal remedy was appropriate given the developments.On the federal employee mandate, two appeals courts had arrived at opposite conclusions about whether federal employees had the ability to challenge the constitutionality of the mandate in court, or whether they were required to instead first go through the Merit Systems Protection...

1 dead after vehicle hits CapMetro bus near Austin airport

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person died after a vehicle struck a CapMetro bus that stopped to pick up a passenger in southeast Austin, police shared Monday morning. The wreck happened at the bus stop on westbound State Highway 71 near Del Valle Street. Police said the crash call came to them at about 9:37 a.m. A vehicle carrying four people inside slammed into the back of the bus. According to police, paramedics from Austin-Travis County EMS took two of those people to the hospital in critical condition, and one of those people died. Police said a few people aboard the bus also got treated by paramedics on the scene. An officer told crews on the scene that some of the westbound lanes of the highway that are currently blocked due to the investigation should reopen in the next 30 minutes. At least six people were involved in a bus crash near Austin-Bergstrom International Aiport Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. (KXAN Photo/Frank Martinez)At least six people were involved in a bus crash near Austin-Berg...

Central Texas shooting spree suspect faces 10 charges, including 4 for capital murder

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Shane James, 34, the suspect connected with a deadly shooting spree in Austin and Bexar County, faces 10 charges, including multiple capital murder and aggravated assault charges, court records state.James is accused of killing six people and injuring three others during a string of violent incidents on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5. RELATED: 6 people dead after shooting spree in Austin, double homicide in Bexar County According to Travis County records, James has been charged with:Capital murder by terror threat/other felonyCapital murder of multiple personsCapital murder by terror threat/other felonyCapital murder of multiple personsAggravated Assault against public servantUnavailable first-degree felonyAggravated Assault against public servantOut-of-county misdemeanorOut-of-county misdemeanorOut-of-county misdemeanorThe Austin Police Department identified four homicide victims who they believe are connected with James. On Dec. 5, APD responded to Shadywood Drive in south Au...

Nicki Minaj to make 'Pink Friday 2' tour stop in Austin next year

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Barbz are buzzing Monday morning over an announcement that Nicki Minaj will make a tour stop in Austin next year. The rapper, who just released her "Pink Friday 2" album, will perform at the Moody Center in downtown Austin on May 12. She posted a message to her fans on Instagram about how excited she is to see them, adding, "It's time for the #GagCity TOUR." Attention all Barbz: Nicki Minaj releases ‘Pink Friday 2,’ 13 years after the original Ahead of the new album's release, Minaj’s loyal fans, called the Barbz, drew a lot of attention when they started creating “Gag City,” which is a pink AI cityscape inspired by the album’s cover.The Moody Center posted on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, that the concert ticket presale for Minaj's show will begin Thursday at 10 a.m. Fans can use the code "ROSEDALE." The tickets then officially go on sale Friday at 9 a.m. The new album just dropped on Friday, which was the 10-time Grammy nominee's 41st b...

Council to decide what to do with $12.5 million in special fund

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council could decide what to do with $12.5 million of taxpayer money associated with a special fund that was used to pay for the redevelopment of the area surrounding the Seaholm Power Plant. City staff has told council members the money can not be touched unless the special fund, known as a TIRZ, is officially closed so the funds can be returned to the General Fund and reallocated. The money could be used to reinvest into the Seaholm area even further or be used to address other projects and needs in the city. What is a TIRZ? A Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone is an economic tool used by cities around the country to provide financing for the redevelopment of a certain area. The city will set a boundary for the zone. For the Seaholm Zone, the city created an original boundary in 2009 and then extended it in 2012. The city of Austin set this boundary to establish the Seaholm Redevelopment Zone (Photo Courtesy: City of Austin).When a TIRZ is formed it will ...

AAA Texas: 9M Texans expected to travel for end-of-year holidays

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new report from AAA Texas released Monday estimates nine million Texans will travel this end-of-year holiday season, a slight uptick from last year's travel levels.While travel volumes are still down 6% from 2019 — the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic — AAA Texas is anticipating a 2% increase from last year's numbers. Nationwide, 115.2 million people are expected to travel during the year-end holiday period, a 10-day stretch running from Dec. 23 through Jan. 1.Texas holiday travel numbers are broken down into the following brackets:Travel by car: 8.3 million peopleTravel by air: 410,000 peopleOther forms of travel: 255,000 peopleVehicular holiday travel is up 2% from 2022, while air travel is up 8% and other forms of travel climbed 12%. Compared to 2019 levels, vehicular travel is down 6%, air travel is down 2% and other forms of travel have slightly risen by 0.5%. RELATED: Holiday crowds at airports and on highways are expected to be even bigger than last ...

Texas Monthly crowns Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick 'Bum Steer of the Year'

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:57:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Facing off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas A&M University and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, Texas Monthly awarded Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick its "Bum Steer of the Year."Last year's award toasted to the "dopes, villains, and terrible ideas that bedeviled our beloved state our the past twelve months," with the City of Austin taking the crown. Previous years' winners included Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Democratic Party and former Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen. Texas Monthly dubs Austin its 2023 ‘Bum Steer of the Year’ In its tribute to Patrick, Texas Monthly referred to the lieutenant governor as "arguably the most powerful politician the state has produced in a quarter century." The article referenced Patrick's oversight over Paxton's impeachment trial, his pushes for school vouchers and reversal of his previous plans to step down in 2027, instead announcing his interest in seeking another term in office."The past year was one of crowning ach...