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Oilfield companies helped to craft Texas’ new waste rules for 2 years before the public got to see them

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — State regulators on Monday released their draft rules for what to do with all the hazardous oilfield waste that’s left over once a well is drilled. The announcement gives the public one month to comment on the new rules — while some industry representatives started giving input more than two years ago, documents and interviews show.Oilfield waste executives and consultants helped write the regulations beginning in 2021. Oil and gas business advocates also gave feedback to the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates the industry.The effort was initiated by a commissioner who has investments in oilfield waste companies. Jim Wright, one of the agency’s three elected commissioners, ran for his seat with an eye on rewriting what’s known as Rule 8. Wright owns stock in several hazardous waste management companies in Texas, according to statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission.In an interview, Wright brushed off critics who suggest his involvement in...

Excessive heat, drought hindered Texas' pumpkin crops this season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's all tricks and no treats this Halloween, as this summer's excessive heatwave and the ongoing drought have negatively impacted pumpkin crops in the Lone Star State.This season's pumpkin yields are far below average crop loads, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extensive Service expert said in the latest Texas Crop and Weather Report released Tuesday.Mark Carroll serves as the AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Floyd County. He said this year's pumpkin product levels are between 20% and 40% lower than expected, as a result of drought conditions in areas where the vast majority of Texas' pumpkin crops are grown.Floyd County is considered the Pumpkin Capital of Texas. Its pumpkin crops were planted in early June, but farmers quickly found the ongoing drought conditions were producing much fewer crop yields, per Texas A&M AgriLife Extensive Service reporting.“This year’s production has been a mixed bag,” Danny Nut, owner of DL Nut Farms in Flo...

Vikings’ Kirk Cousins goes incognito to attend Twins playoff game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

Kirk Cousins opted for the best disguise he could think of on such short notice.A baseball cap and pair of sunglasses.That kept the 35-year-old quarterback incognito for at least a couple of innings on Tuesday night at Target Field as he took in the Twins’ Game 1 playoff game in the Wild Card Series with his wife Julie and their sons Cooper and Turner. It was an off day for the Vikings, so the family bought tickets online at the last minute, then made their way over to downtown Minneapolis.“At first I was like, ‘Do I want to drive in the city and put on a disguise?’ ” Cousins said. “Then I thought, ‘Yeah. let’s do it. This is the playoffs, and I know I’ll look back and be so glad we did.’ ”After watching the Twins snap their 18-game playoff losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Cousins was indeed happy with the decision to go. They arrived at the ballpark a few minutes late and were walking around the concourse when Twins supers...

Watervliet removes bell to preserve town history

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

WATERVLIET, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Watervliet took steps to preserve a piece of the city’s history on Wednesday. A bell that sat in a tower at the former St. Brigid’s Church was carefully removed by crews and plans to display the bell are underway. Mayor Charles Patricelli said preserving the bell is about showcasing Watervliet’s history. The Meneely Bell Foundry made over 65,000 bells and shipped them internationally. “I mean they were well-known, they were one of the best creators of bells in the world actually,” said Patricelli.  Watervliet dedicates Meneely Bell to remembered locals Founder Andrew Meneely established the foundry in 1826 and it operated until 1951. “This is what Watervliet was actually built on, the backs of blue-collar workers. And the foundry made Watervliet such a great place, it was the start of the Industrial Revolution. They were a good part of it,” said Patricelli.On Wednesday, a crane removed a Meneely bell from the tower at the former St. Brigi...

Suspect's fingerprint led to his arrest in kidnapping case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Police crime-solving tools and technology grow more sophisticated every day. But a humble fingerprint from over 20 years ago helped identify Craig Ross, Jr., the suspect who police say abducted a 9-year-old from Moreau Lake State Park.  Missing girl found alive, kidnapper arrested  Saratoga Springs Police Officer Kristen VanWert arrested Craig Ross Jr. in 1999 for a DWI. She captured a perfect fingerprint, ultimately providing the key piece of evidence that saved the victim. “Back then, I believe at the time we were still doing ink and we were rolling their fingers,” VanWert said. “It wasn't computerized at that time.” The search for the girl crisscrossed the park for two days, but law enforcement traced a lead allegedly left in the family’s mailbox miles away. Police said that Ross drove up to their home to leave a ransom featuring that same fingerprint that VanWert had recorded decades before.  Some asylum seekers can now start ...

Opening statements in Mount wrongful death civil trial

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Opening statements were made late Wednesday morning in the Darryl Mount wrongful death civil trail. Lawyers on both sides laid out their cases. Mount was left paralyzed in 2013 after falling from scaffolding while being chased by police. He died in 2014. Jury chosen in Darryl Mount wrongful death civil trialOn Labor Day Weekend 2013, multiple police officers observed Darryl Mount getting into a physical altercation with his girlfriend. This occurred around 3:00 AM in Saratoga Springs. The officers chased after Mount, moments later he was found face down and bloodied near scaffolding in an alleyway.  He died nine months later. The question remains…what happened in that alleyway to cause Mount’s injuries?The plaintiff's case is that Darryl Mount’s coma, incapacitated state and eventual death was caused by a police beating.Evidence? The plaintiffs argued the position of Mount’s face down body on the ground is not indicative of a fall.  Mount family attorne...

St. Charles could flip the switch on inactive water wells with new treatment system

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The City of St. Charles has been down to one functioning well for drinking water since mid-February due to contamination of hazardous chemicals.That could change next week.Utility crews recently installed a granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment system at the city's water treatment plant. On Wednesday, the city asked the Environmental Protection Agency to restart three of its drinking wells on Oct. 10.If approved, wells CW-6, CW-7, and CW-8 will be activated to flush water through those wells for treatment. When the city confirms the treatment at those water wells is successful, it will shut down CW-10, the city's only operating well, for much-needed maintenance. The city will also resume operation at wells CW-5 and CW-9 in order to achieve full capacity. Alderwoman grabs mic after questions about her absence from meetings According to the city, the EPA has promised that Ameren Missouri will conduct immediate and biweekly testing on all the restarted wells fo...

How will summer heat, drought affect fall foliage in St. Louis area?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS – With the drop in temperatures expected this weekend and the feel of fall just around the corner, experts at the Missouri Botanical Garden are discussing how the weather will affect the fall foliage.The leaves have been slow to change colors this year, thanks to a persisting drought we have harbored since this summer.Daria McKelvey, supervisor for the Missouri Botanical Garden’s home gardening section, says the lack of soil moisture and rainfall has effected the speed at which leaves change colors“{In order} to get really good fall color, we need bright sunny days and cool nights, and of course, good soil moisture, and that will start to increase the coloration of some of our fall color species,” she said. “It does vary year-to-year when the plants start actually changing in terms of fall color, so right now, because it is so dry, we’re actually seeing a lot {of plants} change a little bit faster than they normally would.”The Midwest houses some of the best autumn colors ...

Pedestrian killed in Gravois hit-and-run identified

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Police have identified a man who was struck and killed while walking across Gravois at Nebraska early Monday morning. Craig Schuman, 61, was taken to the hospital by an ambulance, where he was later pronounced deceased.Police say that Schuman was crossing Gravois at around 1:15 a.m. when someone driving northbound in a red pickup truck hit him. He was not using a designated crosswalk.The driver in the red pickup truck left the scene. A more detailed description of the driver and the truck has not been released. Police say that there is still an investigation into this fatal collision.

Jefferson County airport announces full shift to unleaded fuel by 2027 — reducing contamination for neighborhoods

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:32 GMT

BROOMFIELD — Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport said Wednesday it will fully shift from the use of toxic leaded aviation gasoline to unleaded fuel at its facility within four years.If the Jefferson County airport meets its target, it will beat by three years a federal mandate that piston engine aircraft switch to unleaded-only fuel by 2030.The announcement comes as neighbors living around the general aviation airport have in recent years decried contamination from lead particles that descend from overhead propeller plane emissions — many of which are flight-school aircraft. They have also complained of continuing noise overhead from all the flights at the airport, though that’s a problem that changing to unleaded fuel won’t mitigate.Rocky Mountain saw nearly 300,000 takeoffs and landings last year, and even more are expected by the end of 2023.“The majority of flight schools can switch to the 94UL,” airport director Paul Anslow said Wednesday, as...