Austin news

• What we know about Terry Miles, man accused of abducting Round Rock girls

  02-01-2018 23:32 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Police across the region are still searching for two girls whose mother was found dead Sunday inside their home.
  Police say Terry Miles, 44, is a person of interest in the disappearance of 7-year-old Lulu Bandera-Margret and 14-year-old Lili Griffith, and the death of their mother, Tonya Bates, 44.
  Miles has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the disappearance of the girls or their mother’s death, but Round Rock Police Department officials
  
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• Tracking wintry weather’s impact on roads Tuesday afternoon

  02-01-2018 23:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As people make their way home Tuesday afternoon, it might be a messy one as light freezing mist is being reported. While the precipitation is not expected to be significant enough to warrant any advisories at this point, drivers should slow down and be aware of ice possibly forming on bridges and overpasses.Latest Road Conditions & Weather reports
  
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• Road closures and wintry weather reports

  02-01-2018 23:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As people make their way home Tuesday afternoon, it was a messy one as light freezing mist was reported. Drivers should slow down and be aware of ice possibly forming on bridges and overpasses.Latest Road Conditions & Weather reports
  
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• LIVE BLOG: Road closures and wintry weather reports

  02-01-2018 23:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As people make their way home Tuesday afternoon, it might be a messy one as light freezing mist is being reported. While the precipitation is not expected to be significant enough to warrant any advisories at this point, drivers should slow down and be aware of ice possibly forming on bridges and overpasses.Latest Road Conditions & Weather reports
  
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• APD’s last ‘No Refusal’ of the year nets 210 DWI arrests

  02-01-2018 22:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department’s “No Refusal” initiative that ran the last two weeks of the year netted 210 DWI arrests.
  The initiative ran daily from Dec. 15 to Jan. 2, 2018 from 3 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  Out of the 210 DWI arrests, officers asked for 95 blood search warrants. Twenty-one of the people arrested had two or more prior DWI convictions. Three people had children in the car.
  During the December holiday No Refusal in 2016, APD arrested 230 people for DWI.
  
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• A third of AISD campuses will not have class Wednesday due to staff day

  02-01-2018 22:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re an Austin ISD parent and your child attends school at one of the 43 campuses having a staff professional development day Wednesday, your student won’t have school.
  The extra professional development days were able to be held because AISD is a District of Innovation, which according to AISD’s website, gives traditional public schools many of the flexibilities available to charter schools in Texas.
  Additional staff development days involving a
  
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• WATCH: Squirrel takes aim at officer trying to catch it

  02-01-2018 21:31 via kxan.com
  BROCKPORT, N.Y. (KXAN) — Body cameras are useful in criminal investigations, but sometimes they just catch some of the more “unusual” calls that officers are summoned to investigate.
  On Friday, officers in Brockport, New York responded to the report of a squirrel that had gotten inside a house and was making itself at home. The squirrel was reported to have stolen several cookies.
  When one of the officers walked into the kitchen, he joked about the radio being on, which the hom
  
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• Valero in southeast Austin robbed twice in two weeks by same suspect

  02-01-2018 21:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are looking to identify a man who they say robbed the same gas station twice less than 10 days apart.
  The first robbery happened on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 12:38 a.m. at the Valero in the 2200 block of East Oltorf Street. The second robbery happened on Thursday, Dec. 28 just before 1:30 a.m.
  Police say the suspect threatened the clerk both times and, in one of the robberies, he was able to get away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
  The suspect is described
  
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• Rebuilding after Harvey and Republican control: a 2018 political outlook

  02-01-2018 20:49 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texans kick off the first week of 2018, themes from last year are not soon forgotten.
  The year 2017 was memorable for many. President Donald Trump took office and shook up what most Americans thought they knew about government, and the Texas Legislature held a special session to tackle a list of nearly two dozen issues, half of which never made it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for a signature.
  Laws about sanctuary cities, abortion and rights for LGBT community members
  
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• Get a pencil: California’s marijuana-tracking system delayed

  02-01-2018 20:47 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s legal pot economy was supposed to operate under the umbrella of a vast computerized system to track marijuana from seed to storefronts, ensuring that plants are followed throughout the supply chain and don’t drift into the black market.
  But recreational cannabis sales began this week without the computer system. Instead, businesses are being asked to document sales and transfers of pot manually, using paper invoices or shipping manifests. That ra
  
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• Get a pencil: California marijuana-tracking system not used

  02-01-2018 20:47 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s legal pot economy was supposed to operate under the umbrella of a vast computerized system to track marijuana from seed to storefronts, ensuring that plants are followed throughout the supply chain and don’t drift into the black market.
  But recreational cannabis sales began this week without the computer system in use for pot businesses.Instead, they are being asked to document sales and transfers of pot manually, using paper invoices or shipping
  
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• California starts recreational pot sales, clients jam stores

  02-01-2018 20:47 via kxan.com
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — From a pot shop in Santa Cruz that hung a banner proclaiming “Prohibition is Over!” to one in San Diego handing out T-shirts showing the first moon landing and declaring a “giant leap for mankind,” the Golden State turned a shade greener with its first sales of recreational marijuana.
  Ceremonial ribbon cuttings marked the occasion Monday as the nation’s biggest producer of illicit marijuana moved from the shadows toward a regulated ma
  
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• Timeline of Round Rock girls’ disappearance and their mother’s death

  02-01-2018 20:33 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — As authorities across the country are searching for two girls who police say were abducted by their mother’s roommate, Round Rock police are working on figuring out what led up to the death of the girls’ mother Tonya Bates.
  Here’s what we know so far about the calls made to 911 regarding Bates.
  Home on Leslie Court in Round Rock where a woman was found dead and two girls were abducted on Dec. 31, 2017. (KXAN Photo/Lauren Kravets)
  Saturday, Dec.
  
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• Family of three killed in West Texas house fire

  02-01-2018 20:24 via kxan.com
  MATADOR, Texas (KLBK) — Three people died in a house fire in West Texas on New Year’s Day.
  A family member confirmed to EverythingLubbock.com that a man, his fiancée and their 1-month-old baby died in the fire in the town of Matador, which is northeast of Lubbock.
  Authorities say the fire started about 2:30 a.m. The Matador County Sheriff’s Office said it would not confirm how many people died in the fire, and autopsies were scheduled for Thursday in Lubbock.
  Three
  
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• Texas prison officials monitoring inmate hunger strike

  02-01-2018 20:00 via kxan.com
  IOWA PARK, Texas (AP) — A spokesman for the Texas prison system says officials are “closely monitoring” a hunger strike involving about 40 inmates that started eight days ago.
  Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst said by email Tuesday that 37 prisoners in segregation are participating. The number has fallen since Sunday, when he told the Houston Chronicle that 45 inmates were involved.
  The inmates refusing meals are housed at the Allred Unit in Iowa Park,
  
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• Inmates at North Texas prison refusing to accept meals

  02-01-2018 20:00 via kxan.com
  IOWA PARK, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a variety of complaints has prompted inmates at a North Texas prison to refuse accepting meals.
  The Texas Department of Criminal Justice initially said 45 prisoners in administrative segregation had begun a hunger strike but TDCJ spokesman Robert Hurst said Tuesday the number stood at 37.
  Inmates in administrative segregation are isolated from the general prison population because they’re deemed a security risk or danger to others.
  The inmates
  
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• Documentary on actress-activist Rose McGowan coming to E!

  02-01-2018 19:58 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Actress and activist Rose McGowan will be the subject of a new documentary TV series.
  E! said Tuesday it will air the first part of “Citizen Rose” on Jan. 30, which coincides with the release of her memoir, “Brave.” Four more episodes will air in the spring.
  McGowan helped open a national public discussion about sexual harassment and abuse when she accused Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein of raping her. Weinstein has repeatedly denied “allegati
  
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• Austin couple accused of having oral sex at Baby A’s restaurant

  02-01-2018 18:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin police arrested a man and woman last Saturday after a manager at a Baby Acapulco Restaurant told police the pair was “engaged in oral sex” while sitting in a booth.
  The sex act happened inside the restaurant located on Interstate 35 and Howard Lane around 10:24 p.m.
  Two witnesses told officers they were eating at the restaurant with their children when they saw the public lewdness. One witness said she “saw the female’s head bobbing up and dow
  
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• El Paso man uses lowrider to propose to his girlfirend

  02-01-2018 18:25 via kxan.com
  EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – One El Paso man is making national headlines for his creative proposal to his girlfriend.
  With the push of a button, Erick Carrillo goes from showing off his red lowrider car to dropping down on one knee to pop the question.
  The video, which was uploaded to Instagram on Dec. 19, shows the car lifting upward to reveal the message, “Will you marry me?” underneath.
  Carrillo’s girlfriend, who shares his affinity for lowrider culture, said “yes&rd
  
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• Suspect leaves baby on the side of the road after stealing car

  02-01-2018 17:44 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities in the Houston-area are searching for a man who they say stole a car with a baby inside.
  On Jan. 1, a woman told the Harris County Constable Precinct 4 Office she left her car running with her 7-month-old child inside as she went into the Shell gas station located in the 21500 block of Aldine Westfield — which is northeast Harris County. While inside the store, an unknown man got into her car and took off with the baby inside.
  Deputies began immedi
  
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• WATCH: Near-miss as car slides by Texas officer on icy highway

  02-01-2018 17:32 via kxan.com
  HURST, Texas (KXAN) — Slick roads posed a problem to drivers and those trying to help people who slid off the road over the weekend. One officer narrowly avoided being hit in Hurst, Texas.
  The Hurst Police Department released dash cam video, showing an officer near a car that crashed because of ice on Highway 121. The officer carefully walked near the car just as another car slid toward him. He slipped and fell, but managed to get out of the way in time.
  That driver did not received a tick
  
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• Man arrested in connection with southeast Austin shooting

  02-01-2018 17:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man faces an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge for allegedly shooting a woman in southeast Austin on Dec. 28.
  Mister Hernandez, 17, was arrested Dec. 29, one day after police were called out to the 2000 block of Burton Drive around 5:33 p.m. They found a woman nearby who was shot in her torso and taken to the hospital. According to an affidavit, she had a life-threatening gunshot wound to the spiral cord.
  The victim told police she agreed to meet Hernandez in
  
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• Texas closes Gulf Coast spots to protect fish during freeze

  02-01-2018 16:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is suspending saltwater fishing along parts of the Gulf Coast to protect coastal species amid plunging temperatures.
  The decision Monday adds to the precautions for a cold front that has dropped temperatures into the 20s and teens. Texas Department of Transportation workers last week pre-treated 10,000 miles of roads to keep ice from sticking, but accidents have still racked up on slick highways.
  The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says the state has roughly
  
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• Unoccupied house catches on fire east of Austin

  02-01-2018 16:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Half of a home east of Austin was heavily involved in fire, but no one was home when crews responded to put it out Tuesday.
  Around 4 a.m. a neighbor called 911, saying they saw brown smoke coming out from the house on the 4000 block of Reeders Drive — east of State Highway 130 and Farm to Market Road 969 — according to Todd Pomeroy with the Austin Fire Department.
  “The dispatchers encouraged them to go and knock on the door to wake people up and get them t
  
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• California twins born in different years

  02-01-2018 15:24 via kxan.com
  BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Maria Flores and her brand new babies have already done a lot this year.
  At 11:58 P.M. on the last day of 2017, Flores delivered the first of her twins, Joaquin Jr. Ontiveros. He was the last baby born in 2017 in Kern County, California.
  And at 12:16 A.M., Flores had the second of the twins. Baby girl Aitana de Jesus Ontiveros was the first baby born in 2018 in Kern County.
  The twins are separated by only 18 minutes on the clock, but a
  
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• PHOTOS: Animals explore donated Christmas trees at Austin Zoo

  02-01-2018 14:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Christmas is just starting for some in Central Texas, and you can help them celebrate with your holiday leftovers.
  The Austin Zoo is collecting Christmas trees to give to its animals to play with and hunt through for food. You can donate your tree — once you remove all the ornaments, tinsel, and other non-natural items — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day at the front of the zoo’s gift shop, and employees will re-purpose it into a treat for the animals there.
  
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• Hoda Kotb will be the new TODAY co-anchor

  02-01-2018 13:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — NBC’s morning news show has a new co-anchor, but a familiar face, in Hoda Kotb.
  “It’s 2018 and we are kicking off the year right because Hoda is officially the co-anchor of TODAY,” said co-anchor Savannah Guthrie Tuesday during the show. “Let’s give her a round of applause.”
  NBC News announced Kotb would join Guthrie for the first two hours of TODAY, and will also continue with her current role co-hosting the fourth hour of TODAY wi
  
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• Gretchen Carlson named chair of Miss America organization

  02-01-2018 13:00 via kxan.com
  ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Former Fox News Channel anchor and 1989 Miss America Gretchen Carlson was named chairwoman of the Miss America Organization’s board of directors Monday, and three other past pageant winners will join her on the board.
  The new leadership comes less than two weeks after leaked emails surfaced showing CEO Sam Haskell and others disparaging the appearance, intellect and sex lives of former Miss Americas. Haskell resigned Dec. 23, along with two other top leader
  
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• ‘Free Week’ kicking off with free Lyft rides for musicians

  02-01-2018 06:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Now is your chance to see some of Austin’s hottest bands for free. “Free Week” runs Jan. 1-7  night at a number of live music venues.
  Ridesharing company Lyft is taking the savings a step further by offering musicians a ride to and from their gigs at no charge.
  Seasoned singer-songwriter Brian Broussard, who plays in the band Mayeux & Broussard, will be the first to tell you being a musician is not always a glamorous gig.
  Just haul
  
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• Parents welcome first baby born in 2018 at Seton Medical Center

  02-01-2018 03:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The first baby of 2018 to be born at Seton Medical Center Austin is Harrison Gaines Kilpatrick, who was born at 3:16 a.m., said Shahreen Abedin, a spokesperson for the hospital network.
  He was born premature at 29 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 15 ounces.
  “He’s doing exceptionally well in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU),” Abedin said. “SMCA is Seton’s Center of Excellence for mother-baby care.”
  He is the first child for parents Suzann
  
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• Round Rock Police search for dead woman’s roommate and her two children

  02-01-2018 00:44 via kxan.com
  A photo released by police of Luluvioletta Mariposo Bandera-Magret and Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith, who are the subject of an Amber Alert issued Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (Photo: Round Rock Police Department)ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Police are still looking for two girls who were last seen Sunday at noon. They say 44-year-old Terry Miles has 7-year-old Luluvioletta Mariposo Bandera-Margret and Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith, 14. Miles is also a person of interest in a suspicious dea
  
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• Neighbor spoke with suspect in Round Rock abduction

  02-01-2018 00:44 via kxan.com
  A photo released by police of Luluvioletta Mariposo Bandera-Magret and Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith, who are the subject of an Amber Alert issued Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. (Photo: Round Rock Police Department)
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Police are still looking for two girls who were last seen Sunday at noon. They say 44-year-old Terry Miles has 7-year-old Luluvioletta Mariposo Bandera-Margret and Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith, 14. Miles is also person of interest in a suspicious death
  
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• Dead woman’s two children, roommate still missing from Round Rock

  02-01-2018 00:44 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Police are still looking for two girls who were last seen Sunday at noon. They say 44-year-old Terry Miles has 7-year-old Luluvioletta Mariposo Bandera-Margret and Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith, 14. Miles is also a person of interest in a suspicious death of 44-year-old Tonya Bates at the 2300 block of Leslie Court in Round Rock.
  Miles was Bates’s roommate.  Miles is not charged with any crime as of yet but Round Rock police do believe the girls are
  
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• Hundreds turn out for shivery, New Year’s Day plunge into Barton Springs Pool

  02-01-2018 00:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — No, they weren’t pushed. Hundreds of people made the conscious decision to go out this cold New Year’s Day morning to take the Polar Bear Splash into Barton Springs Pool.
  This was the 38th year to take the plunge, and admission to the pool was free all day Monday.
  With its constant 68-degree temperature – it seems the water may have felt nice.
  “The water — once you jump in — is pretty warm,” said Austin Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo. &l
  
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• Bomb-like package left near NW Austin gym, police summon bomb squad

  02-01-2018 00:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police said someone tried to make a suspicious package look like a bomb outside a northwest Austin gym.
  Around 9:30 a.m., police were called to the 24 Hour Fitness on US 183 and Lake Creek Parkway.
  Officers then called the bomb squad.
  They said the package had some components of an explosive device but was not actually an explosive.
  But they said someone wanted to make it look like it was.
  Police are now trying to figure out who left the package there.
  
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