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The Smiths bass guitarist Andy Rourke dies at 59 after cancer battle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Andy Rourke, bass guitarist of The Smiths, one of the most influential British bands of the 1980s, has died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr said Friday. He was 59.In a lengthy post on Instagram, guitarist and songwriter Marr paid tribute to Rourke, who he first met when both were schoolboys in 1975.“Throughout our teens we played in various bands around south Manchester before making our reputations with The Smiths from 1982 to 1987, and it was on those Smiths records that Andy reinvented what it is to be a bass guitar player," Marr said.During their short time together as a four-piece band, The Smiths deliberately stayed away from the mainstream of popular music, garnering a cult following on the independent music scene.Though much of the attention focused on the song-writing partnership of Marr and frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey, better known as Morrissey, the sound of The Smiths owed much to Rourke's bass and his rh...

$5B 'moon' real estate project proposed for skyscraper-studded Dubai

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Who says you cannot reach for the moon? A proposed $5 billion real estate project wants to take skyscraper-studded Dubai to new heights — by bringing a symbol of the heavens down to Earth.Canadian entrepreneur Michael Henderson envisions building a 274-meter (900-foot) replica of the moon atop a 30-meter (100-foot) building in Dubai, already home to the world's tallest building and other architectural wonders.Henderson's project, dubbed MOON, may sound out of this world, but it could easily fit in this futuristic city-state. Dubai already has a red-hot real estate market, fueled by the wealthy who fled restrictions imposed in their home countries during the coronavirus pandemic and Russians seeking refuge amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine.And even though a previous booms-and-bust cycle saw many grand projects collapse, Henderson and others suggest his vision, funded by Moon World Resorts Inc., where he is the co-founder, might not be that far-fetched.“W...

Police use Taser on 95-year-old Australian woman with dementia who held steak knife

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Police shocked a 95-year-old woman with a stun gun as she approached them with a walking frame and a steak knife in an Australian nursing home, sending her to the hospital.The extraordinary police takedown of Clare Nowland, who has dementia, on Wednesday has prompted a high-level police internal investigation. Nowland was in critical condition Friday.It has also sparked debate about how New South Wales state police use stun guns, which are widely known as Tasers after a major manufacturer. They are a less lethal option than firearms, but have occasionally proved more dangerous than other policing options.Two police officers went to Yallambee Lodge, a nursing home in the town of Cooma that specializes in residents with higher care needs including dementia, after staff reported that Nowland had taken a serrated steak knife from the kitchen.Police Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter declined to say whether he thought a police officer with 12 years experience ...

Feinstein's complications from shingles more serious than previously disclosed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

(The Hill) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) suffered from more serious complications from her shingles diagnosis than previously disclosed.A spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that Feinstein suffered from encephalitis, a rare complication of shingles that causes the brain to swell, as well as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, in which the shingles virus impacts the facial nerve causing facial paralysis and other symptoms.“The senator previously disclosed that she had several complications related to her shingles diagnosis,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding, “While the encephalitis resolved itself shortly after she was released from the hospital in March, she continues to have complications from Ramsay Hunt syndrome.”Feinstein returned to the Senate last week, after a more than two-month absence to recover from the bout of shingles. However, the senator said in a statement that her doctor had advised that she work a “lighter schedule” as she continues to deal with complications.“E...

Internal memos find 'no fault' in suspended Texas Ranger's Uvalde response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN/Nexstar) — Internal records obtained by KXAN show the two highest-ranking Texas Rangers said a suspended Ranger should not face repercussions for his actions after the Robb Elementary mass school shooting in Uvalde — and also provide new details of the widespread misinformation between officials during the response.The Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Texas Rangers, sent a letter to suspended Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell on Jan. 5 stating its intent to terminate him for not “conforming to department standards” during the response to the massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead. DPS Director Steven McCraw signed the termination letter, which was obtained by KXAN. Additionally, the letter said Kindell “took no steps to influence the law enforcement response toward an active shooter posture,” and that “constitutes a failure to perform your duty competently.” KXAN reached out to Kindell's attorney who declined to comment on the matter as K...

This is what $2,000 in rent will get you in these Texas cities 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – In recent years, hunting for an apartment in Austin has probably had many wondering if a California zip code was accidentally input into the real estate search engine rather than an Austin one. While the Austin area has become well known for its soaring rent prices, some Texas metropolitan centers remain more affordable. KXAN looked at five cities in the Lone Star State to see what living accommodations would be available for $2,000 using Zillow and the average fair market rate – the 40th percentile of gross rents in each housing market– in each city. Austin Fall foliage in Austin near Riverside Drive and Interstate 35 (Courtesy: Julio Sattler)It is no secret that people have flooded into the "Live Music Capital" in the past decade. And the rent prices match that population growth – the city consistently ranks towards the top of cities with the fastest-rising rent prices in the country. Rent evaluation: The fair market rent prices for the Austin-Round Rock region are...

Indicted Austin police officer resigns from TCOLE board

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – An Austin Police officer indicted in connection to the 2020 racial injustice protests resigned from a state commission on Wednesday. Justin Berry confirmed to KXAN on Thursday the Senate confirmed his resignation on the floor Wednesday. In August 2022, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Berry to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for a term set to expire August 30, 2027.Earlier in 2022, Berry was indicted, along with 18 other APD officers, on aggravated assault charges related to the May 2020 racial injustice protests in downtown Austin. He previously called the indictment “frivolous.” Berry bonded out on a $1 bond amount.Abbott provided a statement in August in response to questions about the indictment, which said “Here in Texas, we back the blue. Justin Berry is a proven public servant who has selflessly worked to protect his community and his fellow Texans.” Abbott added that officers who responded during protests in Austin “deserve to be ...

Suspects in 2016 Manor death detained in Mexico: U.S. Marshals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The U.S. Marshals said Wednesday two suspects in the 2016 death of a man in Manor will be extradited back to Travis County after they were detained in Mexico. According to the Marshals office, Manor Police were looking for Thomas Bernal, 25, and his mother Dernal Bernal, 51, of Elgin.Thomas Bernal is charged with manslaughter and failure to render aid. Authorities allege Bernal drove away from the scene of a crash on Maria Lane in Manor on July 27, 2016. According to the Marshals Office, the victim, Devon Sanders, who was 19, was hanging from Bernal's vehicle as he drove away. Sanders was pronounced dead at the scene. As KXAN reported, Devon Sanders graduated from Manor New Tech High School that year and had plans to attend University of Houston-Victoria in the fall of 2016. PREVIOUS: Mother of teen killed in hit and run asking for help finding driver The Marshals office said Manor Police got a warrant for Debra Bernal for tampering with physical evidence. Debra Be...

Texas woman gets three years in prison for exporting guns to Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (KXAN) – A Texas woman will spend three years in federal prison for exporting firearms and ammunition, according to an announcement Thursday from the office of the United States Attorney's Southern District of Texas. The office said Brenda Belinda Barba, 33, of Spring, Texas, pleaded guilty on April 7, 2022.At the time of her plea, Barba admitted to attempting to unlawfully exporting a Glock 9mm pistol, Glock .22 caliber pistol, four Glock pistol magazines, and 550 rounds of various caliber ammunition.U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Barba to serve three years in federal prison Thursday to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release, according to the announcement. The U.S. Attorney's office said on Nov. 29, 2021, Barba attempted to exit the United States at the Anzalduas Port of Entry in Mission. At that time, she told law enforcement she had nothing to declare, to include firearms and ammunition. However, upon inspection of the vehicle, au...

Saratoga Springs man accused of sexually abusing child

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:15 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Saratoga Springs man is doing time in Saratoga County Jail after troopers say he inappropriately touched a child under the age of 11. Matthew Breen, 55, was arrested on Tuesday after a week-long investigation. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Troopers were tipped off to the alleged abuse on May 8, around 10:30 a.m. According to police, Breen fondled the child the day before. After his arrest Tuesday, Breen was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child, and forcible touching. He was arraigned at the Saratoga Springs City Court, where bail was set at $5,000 cash, $10,000 bond, or $50,000 partially secured bond. His next court date has not yet been set.