Austin news

• Firefighters battling 30-acre brush fire in Manor

  27-07-2017 23:48 via kxan.com
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Firefighters are battling a 30-acre brush fire along Old Highway 20 in Manor.
  Fire crews were called to the scene at 13115 Old Highway 20, near Old Kimbro Road, around 3:55 p.m.
  Additional details weren’t available. Drivers should seek alternate routes due to fire activity in the area. STAR Flight has been called to help.
  A brush fire in Manor near the 13000 block of Old Highway 20, just off Old Kimbro Road. July 27, 2017 (KXAN Viewer Photo)
  
  Read more

• 35-acre brush fire contained in Manor

  27-07-2017 23:48 via kxan.com
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Firefighters battled a 35-acre brush fire along Old Highway 20 in Manor, Thursday. Five agencies were involved in fighting the fire, as some remain at the scene to make the sure the fire stays out.
  Fire crews were called at 13115 Old Highway 20, near Old Kimbro Road, around 3:55 p.m. No structures were damaged and no one was injured.
  STAR Flight and Austin police helicopters were called to help. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
  
  Read more

• Police search for suspect after man is shot in south Austin

  27-07-2017 23:34 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man has non-life threatening injuries after he was shot near the intersection of South First Street and William Cannon Drive in south Austin.
  Austin police were called at 3:09 p.m. for the report of a disturbance. A police K-9 and helicopter are looking for the suspect or suspects involved. Officers have taped off an area in the H-E-B parking lot at 600 W. William Cannon Dr.
  Three people were shot in two separate shootings in Austin on Wednesday, killing one.
  Additional i
  
  Read more

• One dead in 18-wheeler rollover fire on SH 71 in Smithville

  27-07-2017 22:46 via kxan.com
  SMITHVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A person has died in an 18-wheeler rollover crash on State Highway 71 in Smithville.
  The crash, which has closed the eastbound lanes of SH 71 at Eighth Street, happened around 3 p.m., according to Bastrop County dispatchers.
  A photo from the scene, adjacent Seton Smithville Regional Hospital, shows heavy smoke coming from the crash.
  Additional information on the crash wasn’t immediately available.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Marine dog with cancer gets tear-filled farewell

  27-07-2017 22:30 via kxan.com
  MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of people in Michigan came together to salute and say a tear-filled final goodbye to a cancer-stricken dog who served three tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines.
  Cena the black lab received a hero’s farewell Wednesday before being euthanized at a museum ship in Muskegon and carried off in a flag-draped coffin.
  Cena was a bomb-sniffer for the Marines until his retirement in 2014. He then became a service dog for Lance Cpl. Jeff DeYoung, Cena&rsquo
  
  Read more

• Dallas-area boy, 4, reunited with lost Teddy Bear at airport

  27-07-2017 22:09 via kxan.com
  DALLAS (AP) — A 4-year-old North Texas boy has been reunited with his beloved teddy bear nearly a week after the furry friend was forgotten at Dallas Love Field.
  Luke Swofford of Rockwall got his favorite stuffed toy, appropriately named Teddy Bear, back on Wednesday after extensive efforts that included an airport search and online pleas for assistance.
  Family members say Luke and some relatives on July 20 flew home to Texas after a visit to Colorado, but the boy forgot his bear on a benc
  
  Read more

• Motorcycle group claims San Marcos PD is profiling riders

  27-07-2017 20:05 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – A motorcycle group is claiming the San Marcos Police Department may be profiling individuals wearing motorcycle-related insignia or colors.
  Earlier in July, the police department told KXAN more motorcycle gangs have been making their way into downtown San Marcos. After learning of the increased presence, the San Marcos Downtown Association sent out an email to local businesses telling them to “keep an eye out and consider implementing strategies to make the
  
  Read more

• Women killed in Paige mobile home fire identified

  27-07-2017 19:50 via kxan.com
  PAIGE, Texas (KXAN) — The two women who died in a mobile home fire in Paige early Wednesday morning have been identified.
  The Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office says Candy Sullivan, 41, and Dare Davis, 44, both died from what it appears to be smoke inhalation, but they’re still waiting on an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
  Firefighters with the Bastrop County ESD No. 2  originally responded to the fire on Cooke Road around 1 a.m. Wednesday. When firefighters
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Victims in deadly Ohio State Fair ride accident identified

  27-07-2017 19:33 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The Ohio State Highway Patrol has identified the victims involved in the ride accident at the Ohio State Fair.
  Tyler Jarrell, 18, of Columbus, has been identified as the person killed during the accident at the fair, Wednesday.
  According to the Marine Corps Recruiting South Columbus Ohio Facebook page, Jarrell had recently enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a senior at Franklin Heights High School.
  The following people were injured and taken
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Military chief says transgender policy to remain

  27-07-2017 19:10 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s decision to bar transgender people from serving in the military (all times local):
  11:00 a.m.
  The nation’s top military officer says U.S. policy on transgender individuals serving in uniform has not — and will not — change until Defense Secretary Jim Mattis receives the president’s policy direction and Mattis determines how to implement it.
  Gen. Joseph Dunford is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Du
  
  Read more

• PHOTOS: Armed robber targets pharmacies for drugs

  27-07-2017 18:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since the beginning of this month, the Austin Police Department says one suspect has gone into five pharmacies and demanded prescription drugs.
  In all the robberies, the suspect is armed with a handgun. Police say no one has been hurt. While the suspect has mainly targeted Walgreens, he has also hit a Randalls and a CVS. The robberies have mainly been along the central Austin corridor except for the Walgreens located at 11724 Research Blvd.
  The robberies have occurred at:
  R
  
  Read more

• PHOTOS: Armed robber demanding drugs from pharmacies

  27-07-2017 18:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since the beginning of this month, the Austin Police Department says one suspect has gone into five pharmacies and demanded prescription drugs.
  In all the robberies, the suspect is armed with a handgun. Police say no one has been hurt. While the suspect has mainly targeted Walgreens, he has also hit a Randalls and a CVS. The robberies have mainly been along the central Austin corridor except for the Walgreens located at 11724 Research Blvd.
  The robberies have occurred at:
  R
  
  Read more

• Judge approves plan for Charlie Gard to be sent to hospice

  27-07-2017 18:13 via kxan.com
  LONDON (AP) — A British judge ordered Thursday that critically ill infant Charlie Gard should be moved from a hospital to a hospice, where he will “inevitably” die within a short time.
  Judge Nicholas Francis made the order after Charlie’s parents and the hospital treating him failed to meet a deadline to agree on an end-of-life care plan that could have seen the baby kept alive for several more days.
  The judge said that meant 11-month-old Charlie, who has a rare genetic d
  
  Read more

• Mobile Loaves & Fishes receives $2 million donation

  27-07-2017 18:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Downtown Austin Alliance is donating $2 million to Mobile Loaves & Fishes for Community First! Village, a 27-acre, master-planned community geared towards the chronically homeless, on Thursday. It is the largest grant that Mobile Loaves & Fishes has ever received.
  Homelessness has become a critical issue in Austin and affordable housing has become an increasingly popular possible solution to the problem. The grant will be used to expand and improve Community Fir
  
  Read more

• Austin police identify suspect in series of Bread Basket robberies

  27-07-2017 17:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police believe they have identified the person responsible for robbing six convenience stores over the span of five months last year.
  According to an arrest warrant, Jonathon David Tran, 33, is connected to four Bread Basket robberies (three in Austin and one in Kyle) and two robberies of Exxon gas stations. All of the robberies in Austin were on the east side and in a couple of the cases the victims were assaulted.
  Investigators believe Tran worked with other suspec
  
  Read more

• State Dept. warns of possibly tainted alcohol in Mexico

  27-07-2017 17:01 via kxan.com
  MILWAUKEE (AP) — The U.S. State Department is warning tourists going to Mexico about reports of tainted or substandard alcohol causing drinkers to become sick or pass out.
  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  recently reported about travelers becoming sick after drinking alcohol at Mexican resorts. In January, a 20-year-old Wisconsin woman vacationing in Mexico with her family died after she was pulled from a resort pool.
  The State Department added the warning to its travel site for Mexico
  
  Read more

• State Dept. issues travel warning for Mexico

  27-07-2017 17:01 via kxan.com
  MILWAUKEE (AP) — The U.S. State Department is warning tourists going to Mexico about reports of tainted or substandard alcohol causing drinkers to become sick or pass out.
  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  recently reported about travelers becoming sick after drinking alcohol at Mexican resorts. In January, a 20-year-old Wisconsin woman vacationing in Mexico with her family died after she was pulled from a resort pool.
  The State Department added the warning to its travel site for Mexico
  
  Read more

• Jeff Bezos is currently the richest man in the world

  27-07-2017 16:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Bill Gates has been ousted as the richest man in the world by another tech giant, Jeff Bezos.
  According to Forbes, when markets opened on Thursday, Bezos had a net worth of $90.6 billion, putting him $500 million ahead of Microsoft founder Gates.
  While Bezos is having a good week, Whole Foods–the grocery store Amazon is in the process of purchasing–saw sales fall 1.9 percent for the past three months that ended July 2. Facing pressure from investors to improve,
  
  Read more

• Mississippi police raid wrong home, kill man inside

  27-07-2017 15:34 via kxan.com
  (WMC) — Documents show Southaven, Mississippi police officers went to the wrong house to serve a warrant on Monday, which resulted in the shooting death of a man who did not have any active warrants out for his arrest.
  A warrant out of Tate County shows Samuel Pearman was wanted for domestic assault. But, when Southaven officers arrived on Surrey Lane to arrest Pearman, they did not show up to the correct house.
  Instead, officers missed their target by 36 feet. Those 36 feet made all the d
  
  Read more

• Homeless man loses toes, testicle in alligator attack

  27-07-2017 15:33 via kxan.com
  PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WBBH) — A man attacked by an alligator in a Port Charlotte, Florida pond Monday morning is on the mend.
  Fredric Iman, 68, said he checked the pond before he jumped in to take a bath–which he says isn’t unusual for him since he’s homeless. Iman said he didn’t see the alligator until it attacked him from behind.
  “I turned around, and I know I punched it in the eye,” he said. “I tried to get it away, and it tried to pull me in.&r
  
  Read more

• Police: Bieber accidentally hits paparazzi with pickup truck

  27-07-2017 14:54 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Justin Bieber left a photographer with minor injuries after police in California say the singer accidentally hit the man with his pickup truck.
  Beverly Hills police Sgt. Matthew Stout tells The Associated Press the 57-year-old photographer was hospitalized following the Wednesday night incident.
  Video posted by ABC News shows Bieber getting into a large pickup truck with a crowd of photographers around him. As he pulls away, one of them steps toward the truck and is hit
  
  Read more

• US 183 through Lockhart now wider, better lit

  27-07-2017 14:40 via kxan.com
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — The next time you drive to Lockhart for some good ol’ Texas barbeque, you’ll notice a few changes along the main highway used to get there.
  US 183 in Lockhart now has two travel lanes in each direction as well as a dedicated continuous center-turn lane. The $14.5 million widening project also included sidewalks on each side of the road and a new traffic light was added at Hickory Street.
  “This project has transformed US 183, as far as the safety,
  
  Read more

• PHOTOS: Double rainbow appears after scattered rain in Austin

  27-07-2017 14:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A short-lived shower near downtown Austin on Wednesday gave way to a beautiful double rainbow. Others in Lockhart and Luling also spotted a rainbow as well.
  Once that rainbow appeared, KXAN viewers were quick to snap a picture of it.
  Record breaking heat expected this weekend Rainbow on July 26, 2017 Rainbow over Lady Bird Lake on July 26, 2017. (Edward Leach)Rainbow in downtown Austin on July 26, 2017 (Report It:Toma Clancy)Rainbow in downtown Austin on July 26, 2017 (Repo
  
  Read more

• Spinning Ohio State Fair ride breaks apart; 1 dead, 7 hurt

  27-07-2017 13:43 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A swinging and spinning amusement park ride called the Fire Ball broke apart on the opening day of the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday, hurtling people through the air, killing at least one and injuring seven others.
  Three of the injured remained hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday night, authorities said at a late-night news conference.
  “The fair is about the best things in life, and tonight with this accident it becomes a terrible, terrible tragedy,&rdqu
  
  Read more

• Scalise discharged from hospital, beginning rehabilitation

  27-07-2017 13:20 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was critically wounded in a shooting at a baseball practice last month, has been discharged from a Washington hospital.
  MedStar Washington Hospital Center said Wednesday that the six-term Louisiana Republican was released from the hospital on Tuesday and is beginning “intensive inpatient rehabilitation.” It did not identify the rehabilitation facility.
  “Congressman Steve Scalise has made excellent progress in his re
  
  Read more

• Now hiring at Amazon: Thousands of people in 1 day

  27-07-2017 13:14 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon plans to make thousands of job offers in just one day as it holds a giant job fair next week at nearly a dozen warehouses across the U.S.
  Those offered jobs on the spot will pack or sort boxes and help ship them to customers. Nearly 40,000 of the 50,000 jobs will be full time. Most of these jobs will count toward Amazon’s previously announced goal of adding 100,000 full-time workers by the middle of next year.
  The hiring spree is yet another sign of Amazon&rsqu
  
  Read more

• Girls Who Code: Getting women to love computer science

  27-07-2017 13:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s not your typical summer camp. On Thursday, 19 Austin girls are getting ready to graduate from a seven-week program aimed at computer science.
  The ‘Girls Who Code‘ Summer Immersion Program, hosted at AT&T’s office in Austin, offered rising 11th and 12th-grade girls 300-plus hours of immersive instruction in web development and design, robotics and mobile development with mentorship and exposure to top female engineers and entrepreneurs.
  &ldqu
  
  Read more

• Pflugerville police reporting uptick in car burglaries this summer

  27-07-2017 12:56 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Pflugerville police recently arrested three teenagers accused of breaking into vehicles and stealing items inside.
  The Pflugerville Police Department says the number of reported burglary of vehicles jumped from 17 in June to 44 for the month of July–and the month isn’t over. Authorities have arrested, Michael Abrego, 19; Cobey Hill, 18, and a male juvenile in connection with nine vehicle burglaries in the Gatlinburg subdivision on Monday night.
  Whil
  
  Read more

• Pflugerville police nab car burglary suspects as cases spike

  27-07-2017 12:56 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Pflugerville police recently arrested three teenagers accused of breaking into vehicles and stealing items inside.
  The Pflugerville Police Department says the number of reported burglary of vehicles jumped from 17 in June to 44 for the month of July–and the month isn’t over. Authorities have arrested, Michael Abrego, 19; Cobey Hill, 18, and a male juvenile in connection with nine vehicle burglaries in the Gatlinburg subdivision on Monday night.
  Offi
  
  Read more

• APD considers pulling all Ford SUVs from service

  27-07-2017 12:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are now considering pulling all of its 397 Ford SUVs off the streets. This comes after more than 20 officers have been treated and released for possible carbon monoxide poisoning. A city spokesperson tells KXAN discontinuing the use of its Ford Explorers is just one of the options they’re considering.
  This week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration along with representatives from Ford have been in Austin investigating the vehicles. Ford clai
  
  Read more

• DACA recipients, students face uncertainty as political pressures grow

  27-07-2017 06:21 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients headed back to college this fall, they’re worrying about more than just class schedules and buying textbooks. The current political climate has left them with uncertainty about their futures.
  Concerns about the status of the DACA program bubbled up in different places Wednesday. As a group, among whom were several DACA recipients, staged a sit-in at the Texas Capitol, they blocked a street in an effort to sen
  
  Read more

• Texas senators acting fast to pass new abortion restrictions

  27-07-2017 06:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new bill passed Wednesday would force women to pay a separate health insurance premium to get coverage for abortions, as Texas senators act fast to pass new abortion restrictions.
  Supporters say the majority of Texans don’t want to subsidize abortions, but opponents say no one plans to get an abortion and this is an attack on women.
  Denee Booker was in a car crash that changed the course of her family tree. “I was singing along to Nickelback, ‘
  
  Read more

• SI’s Andy Staples joins More than the score

  27-07-2017 05:07 via kxan.com
  FRISCO (KXAN) — Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples joins Chris Tavarez on More than the score to talk Texas football, the Big 12 and Central Texas BBQ
  
  Read more

• Man critically injured in second Austin shooting of the night

  27-07-2017 04:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man has been critically injured in a shooting on East Cesar Chavez Street in east Austin, just as officers were holding a press conference for a separate, deadly shooting in central Austin.
  Austin-Travis County EMS was called to the shooting in the 2200 block of Cesar Chavez, at Mildred Street, around 9:34 p.m.
  The victim, in his 40s, has been taken to Dell Seton Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
  Information on a possible suspect was not immediately available
  
  Read more

• Cowboys’ Elliott smiles for fans, shuns media as issues loom

  27-07-2017 04:33 via kxan.com
  OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Ezekiel Elliott stopped for a few moments to greet military personnel and pose for a few pictures on the opening day of training camp.Just like that, the star running back of the Dallas Cowboys darted out of a large crowd of reporters and ran toward a fence to sign a few autographs.
  Last year’s NFL rushing leader as a rookie isn’t talking to media members because of lingering issues off the field, but Elliott is still hamming it up with adoring fans.
  
  Read more

• Watt relieved to return to practice field for Houston Texans

  27-07-2017 04:23 via kxan.com
  WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (AP) — A year after missing all of the preseason on his way to an injury-shortened regular season, J.J. Watt made his return to training camp for the Houston Texans on Wednesday.Practice never felt quite so good for the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
  “It’s just good to be back on the field, be back playing football, be back with my teammates,” Watt said. “It’s just — it feels good. It feels like where
  
  Read more

• Fired TCSO deputy fighting to get his job back

  27-07-2017 04:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s been nearly three years since Travis County Sheriff’s deputy Jessica Hollis was swept away and killed by floodwaters during a major storm.
  Her death had a direct impact on the entire sheriff’s office, but one former deputy, John Loughran, who was her supervisor on the night she died, says her death was so traumatic that it affected his employment with the sheriff’s office.
  A Civil Service Commission hearing was held Wednesday to determine w
  
  Read more

• After a year of bicycle safety enforcement, APD wants to see more education

  27-07-2017 04:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — About a year into a new bike safety enforcement program, the Austin Police Department’s safe biking coordinator says the department still needs to educate drivers.
  The weekly patrols targeting people who get too close to cyclists are generating dozens of tickets — and that’s the problem.
  APD officers set out Wednesday during the morning commute once again in patrol cars, on bicycles and on motorcycles to track down and ticket drivers coming too close to cy
  
  Read more

• Austin leaders to transgender soldiers who could lose jobs: apply for APD

  27-07-2017 03:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the fate of thousands of active transgender troops now unknown, city leaders in Austin are extending an invitation to join the force at the Austin Police Department.
  “The city of Austin and its police force would benefit greatly for any members of the military that served with honor and distinction to join our force here in Austin,” said City Councilman Jimmy Flannigan, District 6.
  Mayor Stever Adler says their basis on how they choose someone for the job i
  
  Read more

• Police: Guadalupe Street murder was a ‘targeted’ attack

  27-07-2017 03:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was shot and killed in what police are calling a “targeted” attack in a central Austin parking lot Wednesday evening.
  Officers were first called for the report of a disturbance in the front parking lot of AAA Fire & Safety at 6700 Guadalupe St., near Airport Boulevard around 7:48 p.m. When officers arrived at the business, they found Majid Hemmasi, 59, in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds.
  A woman who worked at AAA Fire & Safety had also
  
  Read more

• Man killed, woman critically wounded in central Austin shooting

  27-07-2017 03:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man has been killed and a woman critically injured in a shooting in central Austin, Wednesday evening.
  Austin-Travis County EMS was called to the 6700 block of Guadalupe Street at 7:48 p.m., near Airport Boulevard. Medics were initially performing CPR on a man, who died from his injuries at the scene.
  A woman has life-threatening injuries and was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center.
  KXAN has a crew on the way to the scene. We’ll update this story as we get additional
  
  Read more

• Push to lower maternal mortality among blacks gets second chance

  27-07-2017 02:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The number of women who die after giving birth in Texas is at an alarming rate, on par with developing countries. Black women in Texas are at the greatest risk.
  The reasons why have stumped the health community. On Wednesday, one state lawmaker unveiled a bill that could find the answers.
  Cheryl Perkins says her 21-year-old daughter, Cassaundra, knew something was wrong a few days after delivering premature twins by Cesarean section.
  “She just said, ‘Mom I&
  
  Read more

• After son’s suicide, family pledges to make others smile

  27-07-2017 02:26 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — After losing one of her own children to suicide after he was bullied for years, a San Marcos mom is making it her goal to educate the public about bullying and its consequences.
  However, for the week of his birthday she’s not doing that through seminars, her family has taken the pledge to make others smile.
  On July 26, Isaac Yocom would have celebrated his 16th birthday, it was a day the whole family took to be together. But now, the Yocom family is ce
  
  Read more

• Fire burns 60 acres outside of Lexington in Lee County

  27-07-2017 00:10 via kxan.com
  LEXINGTON, Texas (KXAN) — A wooded area of about 60 acres just south of the town of Lexington in Lee County was on fire Wednesday, the Tanglewood Volunteer Fire Department. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the fire is completely contained.
  Crews were called just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, as a number of houses and barns were initially threatened. A storage building was destroyed in the fire.
  The fire was started by a hay cutter.
  It’s the third brush fire in Central Texas Wednesday
  
  Read more

• Fire burns 30 acres outside of Lexington in Lee County

  27-07-2017 00:10 via kxan.com
  LEXINGTON, Texas (KXAN) — A wooded area of about 30 acres just south of the town of Lexington in Lee County was burned Wednesday, the Tanglewood Volunteer Fire Department. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the fire is completely contained.
  Crews were called just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, as a number of houses and barns were initially threatened. A storage building was destroyed in the fire.
  The fire was started by a hay cutter.
  It’s the third brush fire in Central Texas Wednesday,
  
  Read more

• 60 acres burning outside of Lexington in Lee County

  27-07-2017 00:10 via kxan.com
  LEXINGTON, Texas (KXAN) — A wooded area of about 60 acres just south of the town of Lexington in Lee County is on fire, the Tanglewood Volunteer Fire Department says. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the fire is 50 percent contained.
  Crews were called just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, as a number of houses and barns were initially threatened. A storage building was destroyed in the fire.
  It’s the third brush fire in Central Texas Wednesday, following fires in east Austin and Cedar C
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!