Latest news with #RobertHanna
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Clearfield County man facing over 1,250 charges, including rape of a child
CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Clearfield man is facing over 1,000 charges after he allegedly raped a child multiple times. Robert Hanna, 41, is facing charges after someone claimed they saw explicit messages he sent to a minor and reported it to CYS, according to a criminal complaint. Another juvenile reported seeing an inappropriate message from Hanna on the girl's phone and told their parents who then contacted CYS. On Jan. 10, in an interview, a caseworker said they were 'concerned' by the victim's answers and scheduled a forensic interview. According to the affidavit, in the first forensic interview, the alleged victim told police that she had no idea why she was there, and when asked about the message she allegedly told them that Hanna had sent it and claimed it was about another juvenile male sleeping with her. She allegedly told officers that the other juvenile had misunderstood the message Hanna sent. When asked if she still had the message she told officers that it was deleted and that she talked to Hanna through Snapchat and Messenger. Police: Ohio man made plans to meet teen for sex in Jefferson County On Jan. 21, officers spoke with Hanna about the alleged message and also claimed that he sent it in reference to another juvenile. He allegedly admitted to talking about the 'birds and the bees' with the minor but denied having had any relations with the minor. The juvenile who witnessed the message also spoke to police and claimed that the victim admitted to her that Hanna had raped her. On March 3, officers re-interviewed Hanna and spoke with him about 'concerning items' found on his phone, according to court documents. Hanna allegedly said that he did not remember sending any explicit message to the victim and that he was having issues with his memory. He told police that he would never touch a child and then went on to say that he could have been thinking he was talking to his wife. Police also noted that there were multiple searches on Hanna's phone relating to corruption of minor charges and what sentences he would get. They noted that when he was asked about them he allegedly said he wanted to know that if he was charged 'how bad would it f*** up' his life. They continued to question Hanna about searches he made and whether or not he'd done the things he was searching and he told them 'If I did, I don't know.' Police noted that during the interview Hanna was able to recall something from the search warrant, but that when asked why he could not remember if he was inappropriate with the minor he said 'There are certain things that he does not remember' but that new medication he's on is starting to help. Hanna then told officers he was worried he sent the victim something thinking that she was his wife, according to the complaint. He also allegedly lied to officers and said they he never spoke with the victim on Messenger, but police noted that he had attempted to delete messages when they searched his phone. In his interviews, Hanna denied having any physical contact with the victim, but allegedly admitted to having sent sexual messages to her. Police noted he would answer questions with 'if,' 'apparently.' and 'must have' in an attempt to deflect. According to the complaint, the victim was re-interviewed by CYS who allegedly admitted that Hanna had had intercourse with her on multiple occasions. Police said the victim explained she was too afraid to tell the truth in the first interview. She added that she believed Hanna cared for her and that she did not want to get into trouble. According to the affidavit, she admitted that Hanna had sex with her multiple times and gave police a detailed description of the rapes and assaults. Hanna is facing 1,251 charges of indecent assault without consent, corruption of minors, indecent assault of a person less than 13, aggravated indecent assault without consent, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, statutory sexual assault and rape of a child. He's being held in the Clearfield County Prison with bail set at $200,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Abilene City Council to continue discussion on spay/neuter mandate, paid parking downtown
ABILENE, Texas () – Abilene City Council will take up several major issues this week, including a proposed animal ordinance that's sparked debate among pet owners and breeders. The ordinance, which would require spaying and neutering for most cats and dogs over six months old, has drawn pushback from residents concerned about costs, animal health, and its impact on competitive dog shows. The council will also discuss a potential downtown paid parking program, land expansion for the Lancium project, and new vehicle purchases for city departments at Thursday's meeting. Abilene pet owners made their voices heard at the city council meeting on February 14th, sharing their concerns with the council regarding a potential new animal ordinance under Chapter 6, 'Animals and Fowls.' This potential change includes mandating spaying/neutering for all dogs and cats over six months old unless the owner holds a Commercial Breeder's Permit issued by the City. Residents expressed concerns that the ordinance was not based on current research on the health of individual animals, as well as about the cost and how the mandate would affect members of the American Kennel Club who compete in dog shows. City of Abilene considers spay/neuter mandate, 'Aggressive Dog' category At the February 24th city council preview, City Manager Robert Hanna explained that the council has listened to these concerns and is even meeting with A.K.C National to hear more concerns about the wording of the ordinance. This topic will be discussed in more detail at the city council meeting on Thursday, February 27, at 8:30 a.m. at Abilene's City Hall. 'We've got a lot of feedback from people in the community on this, predominantly from the American Kennel Club. I've got a meeting with AKC National just to hear some of their concerns about the language of the ordinance. Our intent is not to diminish people's ability to do a hobby, show the dogs, or those sorts of things, but we want to make sure that we have regulations that are allowing for the responsible pet ownership,' explained Hanna. Hanna hopes that the City is able to make adjustments both parties will be happy with. 'So, we've amended the language to state you and your family make the decision of when [spaying/neutering] is best done for the dog's health and well-being, but it still has to be done eventually unless you're a show person and you can get a permit for that or a breeder,' added Hanna. Abilene city council to discuss tax exemptions for day cares, paid parking, more during annual retreat Another topic to be discussed at this week's city council meeting is a paid parking program for downtown Abilene. This was first introduced back in January at the city council retreat, which is time for the council to work on the goals and changes they want to see in 2025. Assistant City Manager Michael Rice said this potential change could allow more people to visit downtown and shop. 'We are recommending paid parking in a couple of public lots, specifically the lot across from the hotel there between 5th and 6th on Cypress and then the other one would be the lot at the corner of Second and Pine. We learned we've got people that are parking their 24/7 for free. That was not what these lights were created for. It was created, once again, for the parking for customers to come and to shop, and then as they finish, allow additional space for other customers,' shared Rice. If approved, parking will be through an app called Park Mobile, which is already in use in some larger cities in Texas, such as Austin and Fort Worth. Other topics expected to be discussed at Thursday's meeting include absorbing more land into city limits for the Lancium project and the potential purchase of 7 new vehicles for police and other city departments. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RECAP: Abilene's 2025 State of the City roundtable
ABILENE, Texas () – City leaders from across Abilene came together for the annual State of the City address, diving into key topics shaping the daily lives and future of Abileneans. From infrastructure updates to boosting the local economy, here's a recap of the 2025 Abilene State of the City address. Key City progress report: Abilene's State of the City 2025 The event, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Abilene Downtown Convention Center, kicked off with a welcome from City Manager Robert Hanna, setting the stage for Mayor Weldon Hurt's address. Hurt covered key issues like street improvements, water supply, quality of life, and safety projects before a panel of local leaders shared their perspectives on Abilene's future. RECAP: City of Abilene's 2025 State of the City address Following the mayor's remarks, the panel featured local experts offering insights from their areas of expertise, including: Taylor County Judge Phil Crowley Misty Mayo, CEO of the Development Corporation of Abilene Abilene Independent School District Wylie Independent School District Doug Peters with the Chamber of Commerce Weldon Hurt, Mayor Robert Hanna, City Manager Check out our recap of the forum below: City of Abilene Communications & Marketing Director Mari Cockerell kicked off the discussion by asking Mayor Weldon Hurt and City Manager Robert Hanna about securing the water supply and ensuring it meets future demand. Hanna shared, 'We have done a number of things over the last 10 years to really reinvest in our water supplies. The first, of course, was attaching to the Brazos River Authority system with the Possum Kingdom. As we come in and out of different water restrictions, with the lack of rain we've had recently, we're getting ready to activate and start our Possum Kingdom system for the first time. We're probably about maybe 12 months away from that, so we'll be ready to go when we need it… The other thing I would say is the Cedar Ridge reservoir. We paused when we had what we perceived to be perhaps a less favorable administration in the White House on that project, and now we have what we perceive to be a more favorable administration. We also went through COVID during that time, so we're picking the Cedar Ridge project back up and pursuing it in earnest.' He expects the state to issue the draft water rights permit within the next couple of months. After that, it moves to the Corps of Engineers for permitting and dam construction, followed by another water project with the West Texas Water Partnership. 'This is something that was really forward-looking, and Mayor Archibald was one of the main architects behind that. We worked with the city of San Angelo and the city of Midland to pull about 25,000 acre-feet of groundwater in Pecos County, and now we're in the process of engineering and designing how this water gets to the various partner cities,' Hanna explained. 'So these things aren't easy to do. It takes a commitment on elected officials' part throughout the times to do it because every elected official comes in and has a new idea. Still, we've been very consistent and very lucky and very blessed with excellent political leadership, and I would expect that to continue under Mayor Hurt's leadership.' EXPLAINER: Abilene ISD is closing/repurposing two schools, what happens next? Cockerell turned to Abilene ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn to ask him about the recent strategic planning for the district, involving the sunset of two elementary schools and a new choice program for elementary families. 'Abilene ISD has to be an asset for Abilene, Texas… The building Brighter Futures Initiative in Abilene ISD is all about that vision. I came here to work with a very talented team of people to make positive change happen quickly for the good of the city and the good of the people we serve. So, there are four components of building brighter futures,' Kuhn explained. 'The first one is transitioning from 13 elementary schools to 11. That's the hardest part. It's very difficult for people to look and say, we're losing the campus in our community, but for us to operate efficiently and to efficiently utilize taxpayer dollars, which are in limited supply and we don't want to be wasteful, it makes sense for us to transition from 13 to 11 campuses. Those two buildings, Ortiz and Thomas Elementary, will continue to operate next year for second through fifth graders who choose to remain, and for those who choose to transition to their new campuses, there's a process for them to choose the campus they'll go to, and we're doing that right now. Those buildings will continue to be used. We'll continue to honor the Thomas and Ortiz families by keeping those names attached to those buildings, but they're going to be used for different purposes in the future, and that's still being hammered out exactly what we're going to use for, the parental choice pilot, or the school choice pilot that we're operating.' With 'school choice' becoming a political buzzword, Kuhn explained how this program would work within AISD. 'We chose to use the word choice on purpose. We want to co-opt that whole idea. Obviously, most people in this area are opposed to vouchers. I'm opposed to vouchers, and the voucher movement has called itself the school choice movement. It's a misnomer because parents have always had choices. In Texas, you can send your kid to Abilene ISD. You can send your kid to Wiley ISD. You can send your kid to one of the surrounding, smaller school districts. You can homeschool. You can send them to a private school. You can put them on your computer and do K-12 online education,' Kuhn explained. 'So there are tons of choices for parents, and we want to expand that internally, so that if you are at a school and you feel like another school best suits your needs or the needs of your child, that you as a parent feel like you have the freedom to choose between those schools. We want to expand this idea across the entire district. So I mentioned earlier that what we're doing this year involves three schools, Stafford, Purcell, and Martinez, and we're calling that circle one, that is a circle of schools… if the model works, we get all the kinks worked out when it comes to transportation and when it comes to all the logistics of choosing, then we would like to have four circles in the following school year so that wherever you live in Abilene ISD, you have a choice of two or three schools, rather than just the school you're assigned to. Calling it a school choice pilot or a parent choice pilot, we did that deliberately, really, to communicate that inside the public school system, parents have lots of choices, and we're proud of that.' Kuhn mentioned that during a listening tour, they discovered parents desire more opportunities for advanced academics. 'What we are proposing and working towards is to take the Stafford model that many of you may be familiar with… They do the Ron Clark Academy model, which is where kids are in four different houses, and it's almost like schools within a school or little families within a school. Inspired by that model, we want to have more of that. We have a lot of academic specializations, Holland Medical High School, the LIFT, we have the Center for Innovation at McMurry,' Kuhn said. 'Lastly, there are a lot of a lot of grant opportunities through TEA right now to embed things like STEM opportunities and advanced academics in schools. So it's very timely right now to begin looking at how we can offer those things so that we can take advantage of those grant funds to help enhance what we offer the community.' $240 million bond at work: Wylie ISD students now using new amenities with more to come Wylie ISD Superintendent Joey Light provided updates on the expansions of district facilities to accommodate growth, which are funded by a $240 million bond approved in 2023. He noted that while some projects may take time, the district has already made significant progress by purchasing 3,000 Chromebooks, acquiring 11 buses, and beginning construction on 12 tennis courts and a turf field, among other initiatives. 'Our first issue, because of the crowd that we have and the enrollment growth at our high school, was to work towards getting a high school addition as quickly as we could, and we were looking at a 60-classroom addition, but in order to put it where we felt like it needed to be, we first needed to build an AG building. So, we are currently working on an ag building. We're about ready to pour the foundation for that,' Light shared. 'We are also working on a new elementary which is down Buffalo Gap Road… We built basically phase one of our East intermediate, and we'll be building phase two. As we work towards those things, we're also reaching back to the campuses that are over 30 years old, and we're giving them a facelift, we're putting in new flooring, we're painting, and we're also addressing the infrastructure on technology. We're recabling campuses, and we're making sure that we've got Wi-Fi that can handle the load of all these new Chromebooks we bought. So, it's an exciting time to be at Wiley ISD. Our demographers are predicting we'll have about 7,500 kids – we currently have 5,500 – in the next six or seven years, so we've gotta get ready for those kids, and that's what we're doing.' Wylie ISD recently implemented a cell phone ban in the district, which Light said has been very successful. 'At the time this came up, I think there was a groundswell of recognizing that social media and some of the things that come along with cell phones are not good for kids all the time,' Light shared. 'Our high school principal, Reagan Berry, brought it to us. I thought, man, that's a big that's a big issue to take on. She is very strong about her position, and I've been really pleased and surprised at how well it's done. I just think that not only have our students bought into it, but our teachers have bought into it, and it's made it be successful. So I'm thankful that we were able to do that, and I think it's good for our kids, and I look forward to the future with that policy in place.' More student engagement thanks to 'No Cell from Bell to Bell' policy at Wylie ISD Taylor County Judge Phil Crowley addressed the topic of infrastructure in the county, noting that approximately $6.3 million is allocated for roads. In the last budget, they considered an additional $16 million for various infrastructure projects, which include installing new roofing on the jail, repaving the Expo Center, and implementing fiber projects. 'Two more things that kind of want to draw your attention to, something that the county really spends a lot of money on, is law and order… The court system, the law portion, we spend $12 million a year on 15 different courts that hear different cases around the county. But it's not just the court. So you have to support the district clerk and the county clerk; that's another $2 million. You have to support the DA's office that represents the state; that's another $5 million a year. You have to pay court-appointed attorneys for criminal cases or CPS cases; that's another $5 million a year,' Crowley explained. 'Last year, I said that the Taylor County EMS calls, which is a non-profit, have doubled since 2015 so we want to go out for bid and get some more ambulance service. We've now tripled our ambulance service out in the county. So we've gone from one full-time and one part-time ambulance to three full-time stations. You have one in Tuscola, 24/7, for the first time ever. We have one 24/7 station in Merkel, the first time since 2015, and then you also have that View/Caps station 24/7. The moral of the story is that our response times have dropped by almost 50% since October.' Crowley also discussed the funding that supports volunteer fire departments. 'We have 12 volunteer fire departments in Taylor County, and they're phenomenal heroes. Every single one of them, Taylor County, is blessed that the View Fire Chief also just happens to be our Taylor County Sheriff. That definitely comes in handy at times of emergency. So we're thankful for that. They're always prepared, and they're doing a great job. The county does try to support them. In the last three years, the county has funded their requested increase, and then we also passed out about $16,000 in ARPA money to 12 departments before the end of 2024,' Crowley shared. 'The public can definitely support them. Of course, judges can't fundraise, so I'm not telling you to give money to the volunteer fire departments, but that is an option. People like options, right? And also you can serve on a volunteer fire department. And we really need that; volunteers in the department are down among most of them. There are some exceptions to that, but we need people to serve on those because the alternative, if that doesn't happen, is you might have to create an emergency services district that funds paid volunteers and paid firefighters, and that would be another taxing entity. And the county really doesn't want to go down that road. So we hope we can keep this system going.' 'An ounce of prevention': Taylor County fire chiefs say rural subdivisions come with wildfire risks He thanked the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) and the city for bringing in projects like Lancium, which in turn will benefit the county and even local first responders. 'One thing that also ties into it is that I wanted to say: I'm so thankful for DCOA and their board and Misty Mayo and Julie and the whole team for bringing Lancium and all the other projects. I am also thankful to the city for investing in DCOA and letting the county partner with y'all because we're going to use that additional tax revenue each year to invest in emergency services,' Crowley expressed. 'One thing I wanted to point out, and a good example of that, is the sheriff's office, something else that I failed to mention last time that makes it tough. There's SB 22 money, where each county under a certain population gets $500,000 each year from the state, and some of these smaller counties are using that money to invest in salaries. So we now have smaller counties around us that are able to pay their correctional officers more, their deputies more. So what Taylor County has focused on in the budget these last couple of years instead of adding a bunch of new deputies and correctional officers all the time is trying to get those salaries up, and so that's a challenge. And we're using our SB 22 money for things like rifles and equipment that the sheriff's office needs. Maybe we'll be able to afford Lancium money down the line. but we don't have money for right now, so it's really all circular.' Doug Peters from the Chamber of Commerce explained that downtown Abilene is a very unique area. He noted that it was designed and constructed before vehicles were around, which is why some streets are wide enough to turn a team of horses. This historical design, along with other factors, creates unique challenges for the downtown environment. 'A process that we undertook back, I think, in 2016, the chamber was able to bring roughly 1,200 individuals from all around the region, folks that you wouldn't think have any interest in our downtown, but we tried to encourage people to participate in this vision casting exercise by telling them that downtown is really everybody's neighborhood. We had a lot of great participation, a lot of great vision. You can't do all of it. I remember taking that final document over to Robert Hanna, and he said he's going to pay for all that. I said, well, the beauty of this plan is that if we do it right and we do it together, it doesn't need to be a tax-payer burden. It can be driven in large part by the private sector. I think you're seeing a lot of private sector investment in the downtown,' Peters shared. 'It's incumbent on all of us to support those businesses that are downtown, just like we support those businesses along Buffalo Gap Road, the construction process that started back in 1928 out on Buffalo Gap. We have to remember they're there. We have to remember they're struggling. We have to remember that if we don't go there, chances are no one else will either. And that same thing stands true with our own downtown. Downtown, to me, is a very important first impression for folks who visit our community, just like our airport, people make a snap judgment on how well we as a community take care of ourselves when they come into the downtown, and that's why we're so lucky as a community to have People like Judy Matthews and the Dodge Jones Foundation, who laid an incredible foundation for all of us to kind of stand on. There's just so much going on, but I would encourage you to think about how you can be an active part in supporting just one small component of this community. We are so fortunate to have a downtown that is not on a respirator, and that is thriving, but those folks have challenges, just like any other business in any other part of our community, and it takes all of us to help address those.' 2024: Cypress Street to begin improvement project mid-April, complete by December 2025 The chamber also houses the Military Affairs Committee, and Peters noted that, due to partnerships across the county, they are well-prepared to welcome the B-21 Raider, the next generation of bombers. 'We're in a very fortunate place. But you know, with growth and opportunity comes commitment, and about 73 years ago, the war committee of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce converted into the Military Affairs Committee. Since that happened, this community has run alongside the interests of Dyess Air Force Base, our airmen, and their families. Every single day, the Military Affairs Committee led by our vice president, Greg Bridwell, has done an incredible job by utilizing volunteers like Katie Alford, Greg, and the whole crew. In fact, I think they leave tomorrow to go to Washington to tell the Abilene story and to be able to bring back support for Dyess and our Airmen,' Peters explained. 'A lot happens inside that fence that we don't know about, and that's intentional, but I can tell you the fact that we have been able to get… that this community has been able to get the next generation Long Range Strike Bomber and keep the B-1 flying. That impact on this community, the jobs, the relationships that we all have… look next door; odds are you have an airman or a family member living pretty close to you. We go to church with these folks. We go to school with these folks. Having Dyess is a big, big part of this community. Again, I want to publicly acknowledge the fact that we do this as a team, and if not for the support of the city, the county, and certainly the Development Corporation, it would be a much, much more difficult task.' DCOA highlights Abilene's role in Trump's historic $500 billion AI infrastructure project DCOA President and CEO Misty Mayo emphasized that they are 'laser-focused' on two goals that will drive Abilene's growth: 'We're working every day to grow the future for you and your family members… The two things are growing the commercial tax base and growing new jobs because with new jobs and a new tax base, we're able to guarantee the prosperity of our community for years to come,' Mayo explained. 'Lancium, of course, is the most notable, I will say. Over the last five years, we've worked at the DCOA to attract 40 company expansions. That is a record number. Most of the largest projects in the history of our community have happened in the last five years. What I'm talking about is these companies like Lancium and Crusoe are making a commitment to be a part of our community. They're making a commitment to spend their money in Abilene and grow that commercial tax base.' Roundtable: The opportunities & challenges of Abilene's new AI data campus Residents have raised concerns about the project's potential impact on the area's water supply and energy grid. Abilene City Manager Robert Hanna reassured the public that Lancium prioritizes environmental responsibility and plans proactively.'They have a new way, or a responsible way, of cooling their systems with a closed loop system, and we are working with them, and they're working with us to be able to do industrial pre-treatment and the discharge of that water as it leaves the system, so it's available to be used again in other areas as it goes through the nature's process and our treatment facilities. I really want to applaud them publicly for thinking about coming here to West Texas,' Hanna explained. 'We had a citizen come to the councilman today and talk about what's going to happen if we have another winter storm again. The beauty of Lancium's approach is that they're planning ahead for that. They're making sure they have the energy resources and energy production capability to handle their own needs, so they're not going to be this big drain on the grid. So I'm excited that they're here. I'm excited about their community engagement and the responsible nature in which they're growing their business.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Key City progress report: Abilene's State of the City 2025
ABILENE, Texas () – The 2025 Abilene State of the City address featured local city, county, educational, and law enforcement leaders who took the stage at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Downtown Abilene to give a progress report to the public. Mayor Weldon Hurt opened the night with a look at what's to come through project completion in 2025-2026. 'What a great day. Just look around. This is just fantastic that we can come together today.' Said Hurt. Mayor Hurt touched on many ongoing projects such as the Cypress Street improvement project, Street maintenance progress, water and the future of water, quality of life and safety, completion of the Jane and Phil Guitar Pet Adoption and Resource Center (PARC), the new Camp Barkley dog park, Cedar Creek Walkway project, future completion of Abilene Fire Department Station 9 which will expand emergency service accessibility to much of southern Abilene, improvements and expansion at the Abilene Zoo, Development at the Abilene Youth Sports Authority (AYSA) youth sports flat fields, New Recreation Center construction projects at Cesar Chavez & G.V. Daniels parks, and the Rebuild ABI project. RECAP: Mayor Hurt's City of Abilene's 2025 State of the City address One topic the mayor spoke on at length was Abilene's water situation, saying, 'On a recent trip to D.C. City Manager Robert Hanna and Councilman Brian Yates went and met with our legislators in D.C., and 90% of our conversation was about water, whether it be wastewater, some of the PFAS level (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoralkyl substances), things that we're gonna have to deal with as a city: or Cedar Creek Reservoir, or a West Texas coalition. We always want to let everyone know that water is always on our mind. And the future of Abilene depends on water. And we need more sources, and we need to take care of the sources that we have.' Following Mayor Hurt's address, a panel of local leaders took the stage to answer top-of-mind questions concerning their sectors' contributions to the larger goals the City and County are working towards. That panel included: Taylor County Judge Phil Crowley Misty Mayo, CEO of the Development Corporation of Abilene Abilene ISD Superintendent Dr. John Kuhn. Wylie ISD Superintendent Joey Light. Doug Peters with the Chamber of Commerce Weldon Hurt, Mayor Robert Hanna, City Manager City Manager Robert Hanna fielded the first question concerning developments made in the city water supply, speaking on the recent City Council retreat, saying, 'We have done a number of things in the last ten years to really reinvest in our water supplies. The first, of course, was attaching to the Brazos Rivers Authority system at Possum Kingdom. And as we kind of come in and out of different water restrictions with the lack of rain we've had recently, we're getting ready to activate and start our possum kingdom system for the first time. We're probably about maybe 12 months away from that, so we'll be ready to go when we need it. So that's one outcome of the retreat.' Moving on down the line to education, AISD's Dr. John Kuhn spoke on the district's Building Brighter Futures initiative, which he says is a program that works in tandem with the needs of the city and county. 'I've always believed that what's good for a school district is good for a city, and what's good for a city is good for a school district… Abilene needs to make sure that we do our part to be something that people look at and say, I want to be a part of Abilene, Texas. When business owners look at this region and decide whether or not to move a business here, they need to know that we will provide a workforce for them, not just us, Austin, Wylie, and the other schools. And then, when residents are looking at these houses that are infill and are fixing up, they need to say, Am I content? Am I happy with the schools that are available for my children?' Said Kuhn. Kuhn asked about the recent announcement of the sunsetting of two elementary schools and the planned implementation of a school choice program to allow families to choose between multiple schools in their district rather than be restricted to a singular school. Kuhn said the decision to call this a 'school choice' program was deliberate on the district's part. EXPLAINER: Abilene ISD is closing/repurposing two schools, what happens next? 'We chose to use the word choice on purpose. We want to co-opt that whole idea. Obviously, most people in this area are opposed to vouchers; I'm opposed to vouchers. And the the voucher movement has has called itself the school choice movement. And it's a misnomer because parents have always had choices….There's tons of choices for parents, and we want to expand that internally so that if you are at a school and you feel like another school best suits your needs or the needs of your child, you, as a parent, feel like you have the freedom to choose between those schools and we want to expand this idea across the entire district.' Kuhn said. Taylor County Judge Phil Crowley then addressed infrastructure upgrades and maintenance in county school districts, the Jail and other law enforcement centers, and the Taylor County Expo Center. Continuing through to funding for the court system and speaking on the expansion of EMS service in the county. 'Taylor County EMS, which is a nonprofit. Their calls have doubled since 2015. So we want to go out for bid and get some more ambulance service. We've now tripled our ambulance service out in the county. So we've gone from one full-time and one part-time ambulance to three full-time stations. You have one in Tuscola, 24/7, for the first time ever. We have one 24/7 station in Merkel for the first time since 2015. And then you also have that View-Caps Station 24/7 still. And the moral of the story, our response times have dropped by almost 50% since October. So that's another important infrastructure.' Said Crowley. A little later in the night, Crowley mentioned his thanks to the Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) team for their work in attracting and growing the Lancium/Crusoe clean-compute development project. Crowley says the county will benefit from the tax revenue and be able to put that money into emergency response categories. That Lancium project comprises the bulk of DCOA Executive Director Misty Mayo's address. Mayo first mentioned that the DCOA has been responsible for partnering with 40 companies outside the city and local businesses. The Key City's recent White House shout-out was a significant topic of discussion also concerning the DCOA's work. President Donald Trump mentioned Abilene and its role in the ongoing Stargate project. 'We have spent almost five years working with Lancium on the development that apparently has been just an overnight success in the last two weeks,' Mayo told the crowd to laughter and applause. KTAB/KRBC had a chance to speak with Mayo after the event. Regarding the continued interest in Abilene as a leader in the technology industry and national attention on the Lancium Project, she told KTAB/KRBC, 'Quite frankly, it's the most remarkable opportunity I believe has ever had in economic development. And we're working night and day to ensure that we're growing that future for our community.' Closing out the night in his final State of the City address after two decades of service, City Manager Robert Hanna left the audience with a call to action. 'What are you going to do? How are you going to help Abilene be the best version of itself? I'm going to looking at a room full of businesswomen and businessmen, leaders in their field, leaders in their community. Let's roll our sleeves up. Let's make this the best frickin place on the planet. Thanks for your time. Thanks for being here.' Hanna said. All slides used in the Abilene State of the City 2025 address, containing statistics and projects of interest, can be found in PDF format at this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Potential Abilene Convention Center renovations
ABILENE, Texas () – The Abilene City Council recently met for their annual retreat on Friday, January 31. Spending the day reflecting on projects and goals for the upcoming year. One of those projects is renovations to the Abilene Convention Center. It was in May 2024 when City Manager Robert Hanna mentioned that the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Abilene was outperforming the Abilene Convention Center. At the meeting, the council listened to a report made by Garfield Public/Private LLC, who were tasked in the spring of 2024 to create suggestions on what renovations are needed at the convention center to make it work hand in hand with the hotel. Lasting for generations to come. Steve Galbreath represented Garfield Public/Private LLC, sharing ideas like changes to the atrium, green room, and patio area. The atrium creates a modern look perfect for cocktail hour or banquets. The green room renovations make it appealing for other artists and acts to visit Abilene, and the patio area serves as a space for VIP experiences or meet-the-cast social events. However, an extensive renovation will be done to the auditorium to add more aisles, update seating, and make it more ADA-friendly. 'It's very difficult to go anywhere in the convention center if you are not mobile. So right now, if you had your mom or your dad in a wheelchair and you were going to take them to a show and your seats were not in the very back, you will have to take them out the doors into the parking lot around the corner and come back in to get to that space, and that's just not acceptable,' explained Galbreath. With the Hilton Double Tree hotel right next door, Galbreath shares that renovations to the convention center can help make these two sites work together. 'We were with John Kay and the hotel to really figure out how these two pieces work together because that's really the idea. It was to bring in this hotel convention center to maximize high-impact business for the city,' added Galbreath. Galbreath and City Manager Robert Hanna explained competitions like Heritage Square in Abilene, revitalizing an eight-acre tract into a community space. Once construction is complete, it will feature an auditorium space. 'So, let's start with having the heritage square. I think the audience for that particular product is different than the convention space that we're talking about. You've got a highly creative, active-oriented museum and learning center that has an auditorium and auditorium space that's going to be a place for children to learn, hear from experts, and be educated. But they're really intending not to have that competitive environment. They're trying to serve a niche market that we frankly don't serve right now,' shared Hanna. The convention center renovation plan costs about 68 million, but of course, with any construction project, numbers change as months go by. Hanna says there are many ways to go about it. 'Additional hot tax on hotel night stays, so it's not Abileneans that are paying for that. It's the people that are passing through using the facility. The other way of doing it would be asking the voters, and maybe you do both, even maybe you do the venue district, and then you ask the voters to issue bonds in the amount that would be the delta of whatever the total project costs would be,' added Hanna. The council, taking in all these suggestions, meets again later to decide if any action will be taken. You can learn more here: Jan 31, 2025, City Council Retreat – Abilene, TX. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
