Austin news

• Houston police officer shoots K9 that bit his thigh during chase

  22-02-2017 23:53 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — A Houston officer shot a police K9 dog after it bit the officer and latched onto his thigh.
  At around 12 p.m., officers were watching a car that was reported stolen during an aggravated robbery, when a juvenile male and female got inside the vehicle. When police moved in to arrest them, the driver backed into the patrol car and sped away.
  Officers chased the vehicle for a short time until they reached a field on Gears Road in north Houston, not far from George Bu
  
  Read more

• Former white supremacists help others leave hate groups

  22-02-2017 23:47 via kxan.com
  
  ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The Celtic cross tattoo on Shannon Martinez’s leg gives away her past.
  A victim of sexual assault at age 14 and never quite able to meet her parents’ expectations, Martinez sought out other angry teens. By 16, she was a skinhead spouting white supremacist rhetoric, giving stiff-armed Nazi salutes and tagging public property with swastikas. She favored racist fashion statements – like the symbol on her right calf.
  In this Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017 photo,
  
  Read more

• Rio Grande leaders skeptical of border wall benefits

  22-02-2017 23:10 via kxan.com
  
  McALLEN, Texas (KXAN) — Business leaders fear a border wall would lead the Trump administration to tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement, which bans high tariffs from country to country.
  Much of the Texas-Mexico border is a steel fence with a 20-foot drop down to Mexico on the other side, but if America is going to wall this country off, business leaders in South Texas have major concerns. The plan for Mexico to pay for the border wall would be a tax on products built in Mex
  
  Read more

• Motorcyclist killed after falling onto US 290 from flyover

  22-02-2017 22:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A motorcyclist was killed Wednesday afternoon after crashing and falling off a flyover onto US 290.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says they were called to the crash at 3:15 p.m., involving an adult female falling from an elevated roadway. Medics say the woman died at the scene and no one else was injured.
  Find detours with the KXAN Traffic Map
  Austin police say eastbound 290 to southbound I-35 flyover is closed, as well as eastbound Koenig Lane.
  In June 2014, a woman r
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Motorcyclist killed after falling off Koenig Lane, I-35 flyover

  22-02-2017 22:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A motorcyclist was killed after crashing and falling off the flyover from Koenig Lane above Interstate 35.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says they were called to the crash at 3:15 p.m., involving an adult female falling from an elevated roadway. Medics say the woman died at the scene and no one else was injured.
  Find detours with the KXAN Traffic Map
  TxDOT says eastbound Koenig Lane is closed at Airport Boulevard due to the crash.
  In June 2014, a woman died after
  
  Read more

• Motorcyclist killed after falling from US 290 flyover

  22-02-2017 22:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A motorcyclist was killed Wednesday afternoon after crashing and falling off the US 290 westbound flyover onto Koenig Lane.
  The woman, who was found dead at the scene, fell around 111 ft., the equivalent of 10-11 stories, police say.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says they were called to the crash at 3:15 p.m. No one else was injured in the crash and police believe no other vehicle was involved.
  Cpl. Chad Martinka with the Austin Police Department says the woman i
  
  Read more

• Texas bill would bar immigration enforcement in ‘safe zones’

  22-02-2017 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A collection of Democratic state senators has proposed legislation prohibiting police from enforcing federal immigration laws in hospitals, schools, churches, courthouses and colleges and universities across Texas.
  Houston Sen. Sylvia Garcia announced her “safe zones” bill Wednesday flanked by co-sponsors. She said such places “are supposed to be safe for everyone.”
  The proposal follows authorities recently detaining on immigration charges a wom
  
  Read more

• Forecasters say parts of Texas face critical wildfire danger

  22-02-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — Forecasters say parts of the Texas Plains face critical wildfire danger conditions through Friday.
  The Texas A&M Forest Service on Wednesday announced the areas of concern are Abilene, Amarillo, El Paso, Fort Stockton, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, San Angelo and Wichita Falls.
  The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued an alert describing western portions of Texas as having an extreme threat for wildfires.
  Experts raised concerns about sustained wind
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 7 Earth-size worlds found orbiting star; could hold life

  22-02-2017 20:51 via kxan.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — For the first time ever, astronomers have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a nearby star — and these new worlds could hold life.
  This cluster of planets is less than 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius, according to NASA and the Belgian-led research team who announced the discovery Wednesday.
  The planets circle tightly around a dim dwarf star called Trappist-1, barely the size of Jupiter. Three are in the so-called habitable zone,
  
  Read more

• UT town hall on campus climate reveals student anger

  22-02-2017 20:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — UT student voices rose in anger and deep rooted concern Wednesday over the view campus authorities are not addressing their safety seriously enough.
  “I think the lackluster and evasive statements that the administration has released are actually part of a much larger issue of this administration continually turning a blind eye to the oppressive realities of students on this campus,” said one passion-filled student who stepped up to the microphone in a packed aud
  
  Read more

• UT hosts town hall on campus climate

  22-02-2017 20:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When students and staff showed up to class or work at the University of Texas at Austin last week, they were inundated with fliers aimed at Muslims, undocumented immigrants and minorities.
  The fliers were taped to buildings and poles throughout campus. A white supremacy group called American Vanguard claimed responsibility for the fliers.
  In a statement to the campus, President Greg Fenves said the fliers were “hateful, divisive and deeply offensive.” The s
  
  Read more

• Biologists find weird cave life that may be 50,000 years old

  22-02-2017 20:06 via kxan.com
  
  BOSTON (AP) — In a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both Fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old.
  The bizarre and ancient microbes were found dormant in caves in Naica, Mexico, and were able to exist by living on minerals such as iron and manganese, said Penelope Boston, head of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute. .
  “It’s super life,” said Boston, who presented the discovery Friday a
  
  Read more

• Pflugerville ISD superintendent exited with salary, glowing recommendation

  22-02-2017 19:35 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — As former Pflugerville ISD Superintendent Alex Torrez left his post midway through the 2016-2017 school year, he took with him $155,000 left in his employment contract and a couple glowing letters of praise, according to records obtained by KXAN.
  Torrez resigned effective Jan. 31, according to the separation agreement obtained by KXAN through the Texas Public Information Act. It is not clear exactly what spurred Torrez’s departure.
  KXAN asked the school d
  
  Read more

• Veterans plea to Texas lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana

  22-02-2017 19:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic pain are just a few of the service-related conditions veterans return home with.
  The group gathered by the Vietnam Veterans Monument at the Texas State Capitol Wednesday to push for medical marijuana legislation. This is where the veterans launched their campaign Operation Trapped in 2015. The purpose of the operation is to gain grass-roots support for marijuana as a safe treatment option for veterans.
  A
  
  Read more

• South Texas jailer charged with smuggling drugs into lockup

  22-02-2017 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Investigators say a South Texas jailer has been arrested and charged with smuggling crack cocaine into the lockup.
  Nueces(nyoo-AY’-sis) County jail records show 22-year-old Ryan Rodriguez was being held Wednesday on a felony charge of taking a prohibited substance into a correctional facility. Bond was set at $10,000.
  Prosecutors say an informant last week tipped officers about a jailer allegedly transporting cocaine into the facility in Corpus Christi.
  S
  
  Read more

• Trump administration to lift transgender bathroom guidance

  22-02-2017 18:52 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will revoke federal guidelines that tell public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their chosen gender identity, the White House said Wednesday.
  The decision would be a reversal of an Obama-era directive advising public schools to grant bathroom access to students in line with their expressed gender identity and not necessarily the gender on their birth certificate.
  White House spokesman Sean Spicer said We
  
  Read more

• Trump administration lifts transgender bathroom guidance

  22-02-2017 18:52 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday ended federal protections for transgender students that instructed schools to allow them to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities.
  Stepping into an emotional national debate, the administration came down on the side of states’ rights, lifting federal guidelines that had been issued by the Obama administration and characterized by Republicans as a legal overreach.
  Without the Obama directive, it will be
  
  Read more

• Official: Trump to revoke transgender bathroom guidance

  22-02-2017 18:52 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A government official says the Trump administration will revoke guidelines that say transgender students should be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their chosen gender identity.
  The decision would be a reversal of an Obama-era directive issued in May. It required public schools to grant bathroom access even if student records differ or others are uncomfortable. The White House says President Donald Trump believes the issue is for the states to decide wit
  
  Read more

• Nike launches Kevin Durant Texas-themed kicks

  22-02-2017 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The first ever official Nike Kevin Durant University of Texas at Austin themed shoe is going on sale March 10.
  The Nike Zoom KD9 pays homage to Kevin Durant’s alma mater. The shoes are white with Nike’s trademark swoosh in burnt orange and the soles also have an orange tint. If you’re looking to add these shoes to your collection, you’ll pay anywhere from $120 to $150.
  “Attending UT was one of the best experiences of my life and launc
  
  Read more

• Woman’s warning about shirt on windshield goes viral for very good reason

  22-02-2017 18:10 via kxan.com
  
  FLINT, Mich. (NEXSTAR MEDIA) — A young woman in Michigan’s warning about a flannel shirt left on the windshield of her car is going viral for a very good reason.
  Nineteen-year-old Ashley Hardacre works at the Genesee Valley Mall in Flint. Last Thursday night, after her shift, she walked out to her car to find the shirt tucked in her windshield wiper.
  Already seated in the driver’s seat, Hardacre at first thought it was odd that someone had thrown the shirt on her car.
  After she
  
  Read more

• SpaceX aborts approach to space station, delivery delayed

  22-02-2017 18:04 via kxan.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A navigation error forced SpaceX to delay its shipment to the International Space Station on Wednesday, following an otherwise smooth flight from NASA’s historic moon pad.
  SpaceX’s supply ship, the Dragon, was less than a mile from the orbiting outpost when a problem cropped up in the GPS system. The approach was aborted, and the Dragon backed away. NASA said neither the station nor its six-person crew was in any danger, and another attempt would be
  
  Read more

• Police: Man who shot himself after shooting ex-girlfriend in Del Valle dies

  22-02-2017 17:11 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — The man who authorities say kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and then shot her to death in front of Travis County Sheriff’s deputies has died from his self-inflicted gunshot wound.
  Charles Werchan, 26, from Elgin, was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Ibeth Lopez, 26, last week in Del Valle.  Around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 15, authorities say Werchan entered SportClips Haircuts in Bastrop and demanded Lopez, who worked there, come with him. When she resist
  
  Read more

• Texas officer found dead at law enforcement shooting range

  22-02-2017 16:42 via kxan.com
  
  LAREDO, Texas (AP) — Authorities in South Texas are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a police officer whose body was found at a shooting range used by law enforcement personnel.
  Officials say a U.S. Border Patrol agent discovered the body of Lt. David Medina at the range Tuesday in Laredo. Medina was an officer with the Laredo school district.
  KGNS-TV reports the Webb County sheriff’s office said Medina died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
  Sheriff&rs
  
  Read more

• Laredo officer found dead at law enforcement shooting range

  22-02-2017 16:42 via kxan.com
  
  LAREDO, Texas (AP) — Authorities in South Texas are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a police officer whose body was found at a shooting range used by law enforcement personnel.
  Officials say a U.S. Border Patrol agent discovered the body of Lt. David Medina at the range Tuesday in Laredo. Medina was an officer with the Laredo school district.
  KGNS-TV reports the Webb County sheriff’s office said Medina died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
  Sheriff&rs
  
  Read more

• Look inside a Berkeley marijuana manufacturing company’s lab

  22-02-2017 16:22 via kxan.com
  
  BERKELEY (KRON) — It is being called the new gold rush, as the cannabis industry ramps up to begin selling legal weed in California next year.
  While most associate marijuana with something smoked, a growing part of the industry involves turning the plant into an oil. But that process involves chemicals and can be dangerous.
  KRON4’s Maureen Kelly got an inside look at a lab in Berkeley that is believed to be the first permitted marijuana manufacturing company in the state.
  The ch
  
  Read more

• Cheers! It’s National Margarita Day

  22-02-2017 14:56 via kxan.com
  
  App users can watch the video here.
  (NEXSTAR MEDIA) — Wednesday, February 22 is National Margarita Day!
  The unofficial holiday was founded by Todd McCalla as a way to spread his love for the tequila, triple sec and lime drink around the world.
  McCalla’s website, NationalMargaritaDay.com, which touts itself as the “official website of National Margarita Day,” offers a collection of margarita drink recipes and even a list of restaurants, broken down by state, that are plan
  
  Read more

• Life expectancy dramatically rising worldwide

  22-02-2017 14:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While humans have only been a part of the Earth’s timeline for the past 200,000 years, their life expectancies are rising, marking one of the greatest achievements of the 21st century, according to the National Institute on Aging. 
  The life expectancy rate is continuing to increase at a rapid rate around the world. Those born in rich countries are expected to live longer by the year 2030.
  Women in South Korea have a life expectancy of nearly 91-years-old. Me
  
  Read more

• ‘School choice’ support differs based on where students live

  22-02-2017 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Most parents living in rural, suburban and urban areas in Austin are against the state’s proposed school choice bill, according to a new poll by The Texas Tribune and the University of Texas released Wednesday.
  If passed, Senate Bill 3, also called the School Choice Bill, opens the door for parents to use state dollars to fund private or parochial education. Of the 1,200 people who responded, 35 percent of them support the bill, while 44 percent say they’re
  
  Read more

• Louisiana man arrested after found in hollowed-out couch

  22-02-2017 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  EUNICE, LA (KLFY) — James Rozas, Jr., 28, of Eunice was arrested on multiple counts, including simple escape and illegal possession of stolen firearms
  According to Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz, “On February 17, 2017, St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office received information on the location of a fugitive spotlighted on Crime Stoppers. Sheriff’s Deputies, along with officers from the Eunice City Marshal’s Office and the sheriff’s K-9 Unit arrived a
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: DWI suspect does cartwheels during sobriety test

  22-02-2017 13:22 via kxan.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A typical sobriety test usually requires walking in a straight line, but one Albuquerque woman took the test in a different direction, displaying her acrobatic skills instead.
  “Where’s this direction? Face that direction for me, with your whole body. We’re not doing yoga. I don’t know what you’re doing, put your hands down,” an officer said.
  Police say Bryelle Marshall was seen sleeping in her car near Zuni and Pennsylvania Fri
  
  Read more

• Lawsuit: Family says Fort Hood soldier’s gun access led to murder-suicide

  22-02-2017 13:14 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (KXAN) — One day away from the two year anniversary of a Killeen murder-suicide, a family is suing the U.S. government for giving a Fort Hood soldier access to a gun.
  In the lawsuit filed at an Austin federal court, the family claims weapon access led to the murder of three people and suicide of the soldier. In February 2015, police say, Atase Giffa shot and killed his wife and two neighbors before killing himself.
  According to the lawsuit, days before the murders
  
  Read more

• Lawsuit claims soldier’s gun access led to murder-suicide in Killeen

  22-02-2017 13:14 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (KXAN) — One day away from the two year anniversary of a Killeen murder-suicide, a family is suing the U.S. government for failing to report a Fort Hood soldier’s restraining order violations, which allowed him to purchase a gun.
  In the lawsuit filed at an Austin federal court, the family claims weapon access led to the murder of three people and suicide of the soldier. In February 2015, police say, Atase Giffa shot and killed his wife and two neighbors
  
  Read more

• Austin ranks in top 50 most dangerous cities to walk in

  22-02-2017 12:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the past two years nearly 60 people in Austin have died after being hit by a car. Now a new study ranks Austin as one of the most dangerous cities to walk in.
  Smart Growth America, a national organization that advocates for better development within cities, ranks Austin 47 when it comes to the most dangerous places to walk. The study looked at the top 104 largest metropolitan cities and counted the number of pedestrian deaths from 2005 to 2014. It then breaks down the nu
  
  Read more

• State senator proposes revising Texas’ tough voter ID law

  22-02-2017 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A top Texas state senator has proposed legislation revising a strict law requiring photo ID at the polls.
  Filed Tuesday, Republican Sen. Joan Huffman’s bill seeks to comply with a federal court’s ruling last year that found Texas’ law discriminatory.
  The proposal keeps the current law the same. But it would make permanent an option ordered by a federal appeals court allowing people without an accepted ID to vote by signing an affidavit declaring that
  
  Read more

• Handbags for Hope collecting purses for domestic violence survivors

  22-02-2017 10:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)- A woman’s purse is more than just an accessory. It’s a life-saving tool for survivors of domestic violence. Wednesday, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with the Texas Advocacy Project to make their annual call for donated purses.The “Handbags for Hope” by collecting purses. Once the purses are collected, organizers make sure each handbag has a hotline number inside. It’s designed for women to have easy access to the hotline. The
  
  Read more

• Suspects sought in shooting of man and woman in Del Valle

  22-02-2017 05:32 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Tuesday night shooting that left a man and woman in the hospital with gunshot wounds.
  The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. in the 8600 block of Linden Road, just east of the Circuit of the Americas. Deputies say the man has multiple gunshot wounds and the woman was shot once. Austin-Travis County EMS says the man and woman were taken to two different hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.
  Th
  
  Read more

• Man shot, woman injured in Del Valle shooting

  22-02-2017 05:32 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Tuesday night shooting that left a man in the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
  The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. in the 8600 block of Linden Road, just east of the Circuit of the Americas. A woman was also injured during the incident.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says the man and woman were taken to two different hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. While they could not specify her in
  
  Read more

• Injuries reported in Del Valle shooting

  22-02-2017 05:32 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — Injuries have been reported in a shooting in Del Valle, just east of the Circuit of the Americas.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says they are setting up a perimeter around the scene in the 8600 block of Linden Road. Deputies say they cannot confirm the number of people with gunshot wounds.
  KXAN will update this page as we get additional information. 
  In September 2016, four people were found dead after a house fire on Linden Road, in what authoriti
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: ‘Bored teenagers’ build backyard roller coaster

  22-02-2017 04:53 via kxan.com
  
  DELAFIELD, Wis. (WTMJ) — When you’re hours away from the nearest amusement park, what else can you do but build your own roller coaster?
  JT Nejedlo and Aidan Deavon of Delafield, Wisconsin were normal bored teenagers one summer when they came up with the idea.
  “We decided to build a roller coaster because it would be fun,” said Nejedlo.
  As you can imagine, it was easier said than done, but with a dad who used to be a physics professor, they were given the green light to t
  
  Read more

• Voice of the Longhorns Craig Way visits More Than the Score

  22-02-2017 04:51 via kxan.com
  
  Austin (KXAN) — Longtime voice of the Texas Longhorns Craig Way stopped was a guest on Tuesday’s More Than the Score.Way and Roger Wallace talk a late night/early morning with UT hoops and how Shaka Smart is handling his losing season as a head coach.
  
  Read more

• State can’t help with most unpaid insurance claims

  22-02-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of Insurance claims it can help resolve complaints against insurance companies and boasts of helping Texas consumers get millions of dollars in unpaid claims every year. However, a KXAN Investigation finds that only happens in certain situations and most of the time the state has no power to do anything at all, leaving you—the consumer—without much recourse.
  In the spring of 2013, a storm swept through pummeling hail down on Carol
  
  Read more

• Texas dog makes 2,000 mile journey home from Virginia

  22-02-2017 03:04 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A Borderland dog has made her way back home from Virginia with the help of dozens of volunteers.
  Carla Baker with Cherished K-9 in Las Cruces says Gracie and her mom were rescued from a dog hoarding house in Chaparral back in 2013.
  Baker says both dogs were adopted by the same family, but years later, Gracie’s mom turned up at a shelter in El Paso without Gracie.
  “That’s when we knew we didn’t know where Gracie was,” says Baker.
  MORE: K
  
  Read more

• Immigrants rushing to apply for U.S. citizenship after travel ban

  22-02-2017 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Andres Dorantes has long been content with the green card that lets him live in the U.S. and work as a tattoo artist in Los Angeles.
  That changed when Donald Trump became president and swiftly made executive orders to crack down on immigrants and ban travel from certain countries. Dorantes, a Mexican immigrant, made an appointment at a naturalization workshop to start the process of becoming an American citizen.
  “I wanted to do it for a long time but I was always b
  
  Read more

• Two more Austin-area tornadoes confirmed to have hit Hays Co., Mustang Ridge

  22-02-2017 01:57 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A third and fourth tornado were confirmed to have hit the Austin-area late Sunday night.
  The National Weather Service says an EF-1 rated tornado touched down seven miles northwest of San Marcos at 11:26 p.m. on Feb. 19, and another tornado hit Niederwald and Mustang Ridge minutes later.
  The Hays County tornado traveled for almost 10 miles with estimated peak winds of 100 mph before lifting 2 miles southwest of Kyle. Officials say the tornado’s pa
  
  Read more

• Third Austin-area tornado confirmed to have hit Hays County

  22-02-2017 01:57 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A third tornado was confirmed to have hit the Austin-area late Sunday night.
  The National Weather Service says the EF-1 rated tornado touched down seven miles northwest of San Marcos at 11:26 p.m. on Feb. 19.
  It traveled for almost 10 miles with estimated peak winds of 100 mph before lifting 2 miles southwest of Kyle. Officials say the tornado’s path was around 300 yards wide. The National Weather Service survey, released Tuesday, was primarily done along
  
  Read more

• Deportation fears mount along the border as enforcement ramps up

  22-02-2017 01:44 via kxan.com
  
  MCALLEN, Texas (KXAN) — Memos from the Department of Homeland Security show the Trump Administration is following through with President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of increasing and speeding up deportation of people here illegally. While he says criminals will be priorities, people who don’t have a criminal record in the Rio Grande Valley are still on edge.
  Fearing deportation, Florensia granted KXAN an interview, but only if we agreed to not show her face and no
  
  Read more

• Hazardous Materials route options under scrutiny in Austin

  22-02-2017 00:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The public is getting a chance to weigh in on draft options for trucks carrying hazardous cargo through Austin.
  Interstate 35 is the busiest freeway through Austin and right now, any truck—no matter its cargo—can freely move through the corridor unimpeded. But city project managers say finding a route for high-risk loads must take into account proximity to homes and businesses and schools.
  KXAN first reported in 2015 how the state mandates every city bigger than
  
  Read more

• Supreme Court appears divided over case of Mexican boy’s death near border

  22-02-2017 00:54 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court appears to be evenly divided about the right of Mexican parents to use American courts to sue a U.S. Border Patrol agent who fired across the U.S.-Mexican border and killed their teenage son.
  Justice Anthony Kennedy and other conservative justices suggested during argument Tuesday that the boy’s death on the Mexican side of the border was enough to keep the matter out of U.S. courts.
  The four liberal justices indicated they would support the parent
  
  Read more

• Tecolote Farm working to rebuild after severe storm damage

  22-02-2017 00:50 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — More than 24 hours after storms hit Central Texas, we’re still getting a handle on the full extent of the damage. Tecolote Farm, an organic farm in Manor, is working to rebuild after suffering what owners estimate was a $130,000 hit from straight line winds.
  Spend a minute with Katie Pitre and you’ll realize she hardly has a minute to spare after the recent storm.
  “You can see there’s crops planted and we’ve got a greenhouse ful
  
  Read more

• Organic farm in Manor ripped apart by storm, works to rebuild

  22-02-2017 00:50 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — More than 24 hours after storms hit Central Texas, we’re still getting a handle on the full extent of the damage. Tecolote Farm, an organic farm in Manor, is working to rebuild after suffering what owners estimate was a $130,000 hit from straight line winds.
  Spend a minute with Katie Pitre and you’ll realize she hardly has a minute to spare after the recent storm.
  “You can see there’s crops planted and we’ve got a greenhouse ful
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!