Austin, TX
KCMO City Manager Brian Platt formally withdraws from consideration for Austin position
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri, City Manager Brian Platt is no longer looking for employment in Austin, Texas.
“I formally withdrew from consideration for Austin’s City Manager search as of this afternoon,” Platt said in a statement.
Platt was named as a finalist for the Austin position on Tuesday.
After the announcement, the KCMO City Council authorized Mayor Quinton Lucas to negotiate a contract extension with Platt through Aug. 1, 2027.
The city manager “represented to the Council that he will withdraw his name from any current pursuits for appointment to any other governmental executive position upon passage of this ordinance,” according to an ordinance the Kansas City, Missouri,City Council passed Thursday.
His decision to withdraw came Sunday.
Platt is contracted with the city through the end of the year.
No terms have been agreed upon and no contracts have been signed regarding an extension.
In his statement announcing the withdrawal, Platt said additional details are forthcoming.
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Austin, TX
Austin hosts the LA Galaxy after shutout win
LA Galaxy (5-1-3, first in the Western Conference) vs. Austin FC (3-3-3, seventh in the Western Conference)
Austin, Texas; Saturday, 1:45 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Los Angeles +135, Austin FC +167, Draw +260; over/under is 3.5 goals
BOTTOM LINE: A game after shutting out the Houston Dynamo 1-0, Austin plays the LA Galaxy.
Austin is 3-2-2 against Western Conference opponents. Austin is 3-2 in one-goal matches.
The Galaxy are 5-1-2 against Western Conference opponents. The Galaxy rank third in the Western Conference with 50 shots on goal, averaging 5.6 per game. The Galaxy are also second in MLS play with 20 goals.
The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sebastian Driussi has scored two goals with one assist for Austin. Guilherme da Trindade Dubas has two goals.
Dejan Joveljic has scored five goals with two assists for the Galaxy. Joseph Paintsil has four goals and three assists.
SEASON SO FAR: Austin: Averaging 1.3 goals, 2.3 shots on goal and 3.9 corner kicks through nine games while allowing 1.4 goals per game.
Galaxy: Averaging 2.2 goals, 5.6 shots on goal and 5.2 corner kicks through nine games while allowing 1.6 goals per game.
NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Austin: Leo Vaisanen (injured).
Galaxy: Eriq Zavaleta (injured).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Austin, TX
Carolina Panthers Pick Texas Longhorns RB Jonathon Brooks No. 46 Overall in NFL Draft
Texas Longhorns star running back Jonathon Brooks has long been considered the No. 1 running back in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Now, that projection has turned into a reality, with Brooks being selected No. 46 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Brooks now becomes the fourth Longhorn taken in the draft, following Bryon Murphy, Xavier Worthy, and T’Vondre Sweat.
Brooks, who became the bell-cow runner for the Longhorns in place of Doak Walker Award winner Bijan Robinson, looked poised to be the consensus RB1 behind a stout offensive line in Austin. The Hallettsville native posted four consecutive 100-yard outings from Week 3-7 before two 99-yard bids ended the streak.
In fact, Brooks was one pace to win Big 12 Running Back of the Year before a torn ACL in Week 10’s win over TCU sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Brooks finished with just over 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per contest.
When healthy, Brooks has a case for being this year’s top rusher. He boasts the size and vision to be a high-volume contributor at the next level. Outside of the ACL injury, Brooks has also remained healthy throughout his career, meaning that his limited usage in college might end up being a blessing in disguise for both him and the Panthers.
He will now join fellow Longhorns running back great Bijan Robinson in the NFC South, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons last season in the first round.
Austin, TX
YMCA of Central Texas faces lawsuit over day care worker who police say injured children
The YMCA of Central Texas faces a lawsuit claiming that one of its day care workers injured a 2-year-old boy.
The day care worker named in the lawsuit, 45-year-old Geraline Browning, was charged this month with four counts of injury to a child and one count of assault in connection to hurting at least three children at a day care in North Austin, according to arrest affidavits.
All of the charges are third-degree felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The day care is operated by the YMCA for full-time staff members of the Pflugerville school district, according to a district website. It said child care is provided for children from age 8 weeks up to 4 years old.
One of the criminal charges against Browning includes the abuse against the 2-year-old in the lawsuit, said Joe Caputo, the lawyer representing the boy’s mother. The lawsuit was filed Friday and seeks more than $1 million in damages.
More: Austin woman charged with injury to child after 3-month-old’s death
The YMCA does not comment on pending litigation, said Dana Driver, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Browning has been fired, said Laura Arredondo, the chief marketing officer for the YMCA.
“We have terminated an employee after reviewing evidence of physical aggression directed at several of our students,” Arredondo said. “We immediately alerted the parents, CPS and the local authorities. The well-being of our students is our utmost priority and fortunately, these children are safe. We follow the state’s guidelines on safety and run extensive background checks before hiring employees. The YMCA of Central Texas is committed to ensuring the safest possible environment for our families and will work tirelessly to that end.”
More: Texas fined $100k per day for failure to investigate foster care abuse
Caputo said Browning chased the 2-year-old boy around the day care and placed hands around his neck in a “choking fashion.” Police began investigating Browning after a Pflugerville school district employee began watching surveillance video of the day care in February because she was looking for a missing pair of shoes, one of the affidavits said.
She saw Browning on a video on Feb. 21 choking a child, the affidavit said. The day care is at Northwest Elementary School, at 14014 Thermal Drive in North Austin, which is in the Pflugerville school district.
The video also showed Browning grabbing a girl by the arm and shaking her, according to the affidavit. Browning later told a Pflugerville police detective she was anxious and “overreacted,” the affidavit said.
Other video surveillance from the day care showed Browning grabbing another child from behind by the neck and spinning the child around before forcing the child to the floor on Feb. 12, an affidavit said. Browning also was seen on Feb. 7 in a video grabbing a child around the neck and chest, according to an affidavit.
More videos in February showed Browning grabbing a 2-year-old girl by the neck and the collarbone and putting her on the floor, and also walking into the same girl causing the child to hit her forehead on a cabinet, an affidavit said. Another video from the day care in January showed Browning yanking the same girl off a stool by her arm, according to an affidavit.
Caputo called the facts in the Browning case “troubling.”
“Families in this community trust that the YMCA will care for their children,” Caputo said. “The YMCA facility betrayed that trust. We intend to get to the bottom of what happened so that this never happens again.”
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