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Senator fueling push for conservative priorities named to budget conference committee

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) - “We’re gearing up to advance one of the most conservative sessions in Texas History,” Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, announced at January’s inauguration ceremony. The line from his speech introducing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick drew applause from the audience outside the Capitol. Since that January day, Creighton has been on the front line of several battles over priority legislation for conservatives. He chairs the Senate Education Committee and authored Senate Bill 8, which would create Education Savings Accounts. The plan to allow parents to use public dollars to go toward private education is a key issue for both Gov. Greg Abbott and Patrick.Creighton also authored bills to end tenure at public universities, as well as a measure to require those institutions to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices. This week, Patrick named Creighton as one of the Senate members who will serve on the budget conference committee. That committee will work to res...

Skywatch: Honey, I shrunk the universe

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

In the history of my column, I’ve bombarded you with many numbers about the sizes and distances of the stars and planets in our night sky. The numbers can get so enormous that it’s impossible to truly grasp their enormousness. I still struggle with these figures and have been into amateur astronomy my entire life.One way to get a mental handle on it is to scale down or miniaturize the universe so its size is a little easier to relate to. For example, you can do that with things around your house, and I especially like to go into my kitchen and use fruits, nuts, and seasonings. First, let’s start with the solar system. Put an orange on the kitchen table and make that our sun. In reality, our sun is nearly 900,000 miles in diameter, so we are really scaling down.The Earth on that scale would be a single grain of salt from your saltshaker. The actual distance from Earth to the sun is about 93 million miles. That’s so far that if you drove your car to the sun at ...

New St. Paul candy store hopes to inspire next generation of Black entrepreneurs

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

The Tooth Fairy Candy Store, owned by Aretta-Rie Johnson, is her latest endeavor to give back to her community. The store’s grand opening is on April 26.Located at 861 Selby Ave., the Tooth Fairy Candy Store will sell candy, chips and pop in an effort to teach young Black girls about entrepreneurship and spread some joy to the community, Johnson said.Although it is a candy store, Johnson said the Tooth Fairy stands apart because of its mission to “serve your sweet tooth responsibly.”In the Black community there are health disparities, Johnson said, which is why the store will advocate for healthy hygiene practices by handing out free toothbrushes at Wednesday’s grand opening. The store also will have occasional visits from local dentists to teach kids how to brush properly, Johnson said.While she is a first-time candy store owner, Johnson wears many hats including launching the DIVINE Institute in St. Paul, which offers educational summer programs for youth and DIVINE Interven...

Frost Advisory and Freeze Warning early Monday morning, temps in 60s through week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS - We'll still be dealing with some cloud cover Sunday at times, with temperature highs a bit warmer than Saturday in the mid to upper 50s. Another concern for a frost and freeze Sunday night as temps fall back down into the low to mid 30s. A Frost Advisory and Freeze Warning will take place from 1:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Monday is looking better, with highs in the low to mid 60s. Rain chances increase later in the day on Tuesday, and last on and off through the rest of the work week. Temps through the week stay in the 60s. 

Nuggets Journal: Aaron Gordon says the quiet part out loud, admitting postseason fate is “on us”

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS – This postseason, the Nuggets can’t blame a torn ACL, a third back surgery, a lack of perimeter defenders or claim that two-time MVP Nikola Jokic ran out of gas without much help.They can’t say Aaron Gordon had too much responsibility on his plate or that their roster was devoid of title experience.Kentavious Caldwell-Pope checks that championship box, and a whole bunch of other invaluable ones, too.In Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown and Christian Braun, Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth added rugged defensive pieces that former president Tim Connelly, who’s now shepherding Denver’s first-round playoff opponent, did not. What’s the difference so far this postseason, as the Nuggets have built a commanding 3-0 lead over Minnesota? It’s the defense.They can’t say the roster didn’t have a healthy balance of veterans, either, with Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan and Ish Smith giving them an unofficial leadership council that can soothe locker room turmoil and set an example for the...

Late nights, position clusters and “a lot of work”: Sean Payton and George Paton’s pre-draft dash has been a football get-to-know-you

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

Mickey Loomis pondered the question, straightened his face and prepared his best deadpan.A year ago, the longtime New Orleans general manager was asked how the pre-draft process changed without Sean Payton, who was settling into what ultimately would be one year away from coaching.“Quieter,” Loomis said, pausing for the laughter he knew was coming from reporters.“I’m making a joke at his expense,” he continued, explaining that he found the Saints’ preparation similar overall but altered without Payton, the veteran coach with a “strong voice.”That strong voice now shares a draft room with Broncos general manager George Paton after 15 years of going through the process with Loomis.In Denver, the pre-draft process is in many ways the ultimate football get-to-know-you between Payton and Paton. The two have not only spent hours together watching prospects ahead of the NFL Draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday, but they’ve bonded over their affinity for the art of scouti...

Kiszla: Broncos need to draft as if the jobs of Russell Wilson and George Paton depend on it

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

The Broncos must approach the NFL draft as if the jobs of two of these three men depend on it: general manager George Paton, quarterback Russell Wilson and coach Sean Payton.With only five picks in the draft, and none until the third round, maybe you think it’s a big ask for the Broncos to improve from 5-12 to the playoffs in a single year.“It is very hard to get an impact player in the third round,” cautions Paton, acting as if the Broncos would be lucky to acquire Tweedledum and Tweedledee with back-to-back selections at Nos. 67 and 68 overall in this draft.Well, then may I humbly suggest Paton must do everything in his power to ensure the Broncos trade up to acquire a player capable of not only starting as an NFL rookie but being a difference-maker.In this draft class, the position to target is a position of definite need for the Broncos: edge-rusher. From Alabama’s Will Anderson, the most sure-fire All-Pro talent on the entire board, to Isaiah Foskey, who sacked the quarterback ...

Ezequiel Tovar struggling but Rockies say he’s not in over his head: “Everybody’s going to get humbled”

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

When shortstop Ezequiel Tovar made his major-league debut late last season, he was 21 years and 53 days old, making him the youngest position player in Rockies history.Maturity was his calling card. Now, Tovar needs every ounce of that maturity as he struggles through a difficult April.He entered the weekend slashing .180/.242/.246 with four doubles, no home runs and just four walks in 66 plate appearances. His road batting average was .115. His defense has been adequate with two errors in 61 chances. He’s failed to turn some tough plays that he’s fully capable of making. But there have been glimpses of the excellence the Rockies expect from him, and over the past few games, he’s played more aggressively, both in the hole and toward the second-base bag, and it’s starting to pay off.“He’s show flashes of what he’s capable of,” general manager Bill Schmidt said.Although Tovar was not in the starting lineup Friday night in Philadelphia, t...

Should Warriors consider having Draymond or Looney come off the bench?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors will get Draymond Green back from league suspension for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon and (likely) beyond. Down 2-1 in a series against the Sacramento Kings that could go the distance, this team desperately needs his experience and voice back.But the way the Warriors beat the Kings in his Game 3 absence informs how they can best flip a stunning first-round series deficit.Playing Kevon Looney as the one big on the floor surrounded by shooters in Game 3 spread the floor and helped limit their turnover count to 11. With Green back in the fold, will Golden State have one of either Looney or Green start off the bench and stagger their minutes to help limit turnovers and optimize the offense?Green wasn’t into the idea that the Warriors’ offense works best with only one of the two bigs on the court at a given time. Their 120.5 offensive rating when paired together throughout the entire regular season supports that perspective.“I think it...

Walters: High living costs solidify California’s two-tier economy

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:18:28 GMT

Why California is what it is – a state with an immense economy but equally immense socioeconomic divisions – is the topic of perpetual academic, media and political debates.There is one factor, both a cause and an effect, that cannot be debated: California is an enormously expensive place in which to live and work. And if anything, the relatively high inflation that has plagued the national economy in recent years has exacerbated the angst that Californians were already feeling as they struggled to make ends meet.Gov. Gavin Newsom’s crusade against gasoline refiners, accusing them of price-gouging, exploits that angst by virtue signaling to his constituents that he’s sympathetic to pain in their wallets. However, the state’s high fuel prices are just a tiny fragment of the state’s high cost of living and its corrosive effects.How high? Insure.com, a website that analyzes insurance costs, recently updated its comprehensive, state-by-state guide to living costs of all kinds, and revea...