Austin news

• How Samsung’s recent product malfunctions will impact Austin facility

  11-10-2016 23:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Samsung is done with the Galaxy Note 7 phone.
  Last month, it recalled millions of the phones after some caught fire. Then, batteries in the replacement phones started exploding.
  The Samsung facility in Austin makes components for all of the company’s smart phones. KXAN’s John Dabkovich talked to a tech industry analyst to get an in-depth look at the possible fallout for local workers.
  Patrick Moorhead says, “The bigger picture here is how Sa
  
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• Man brought back to life comes face to face with his rescuers

  11-10-2016 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just over two weeks ago, Atwood Kenjura was walking with his family to the start line of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Austin when he began to feel dizzy.
  Kenjura’s daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago and is now cancer-free. The race became an annual family tradition. The last thing Kenjura remembers while standing at the start line was putting his arms out, his head down and then lights out.
  A bystander wen
  
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• Cruz says he’s still standing by Trump after vulgar video

  11-10-2016 22:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Sen. Ted Cruz says he’s standing by Donald Trump, refusing to withdraw support that he offered in a surprising about-face barely two weeks ago.
  Cruz said while visiting the small Texas town of Muleshoe on Monday, “I am supporting the Republican nominee because I think Hillary Clinton is an absolute disaster.”
  He didn’t name Trump, but added that he’d “articulated at great length” his differences with the businessman during the
  
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• Rap song mocking police gets Texas BBQ employees fired

  11-10-2016 22:28 via kxan.com
  
  CROSBY, Texas (KPRC) — A Facebook post recounting a law enforcement officer’s experience at a barbecue restaurant prompted the firing of two employees and a wealth of outrage.
  The post said a derogatory rap song was played by employees in the kitchen of Going’s BBQ while police officers were inside the restaurant.
  The person who wrote the post explained how he and a law enforcement officer had been eating at the restaurant when they heard a rap song, “F— tha Police,
  
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• Please don’t stop the music: Austin tests new sound mitigation system

  11-10-2016 22:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the city dubbed the Live Music Capital of the World, you almost expect to hear music creeping out of every building as you stroll certain city streets. While some districts are known for their live music venues, some areas are seeing more complaints regarding noise violations.
  In an effort to have music venues get along with their non-music venue neighbors, the city is hosting a company that builds sound mitigation systems. The city says the purpose of the demonstration
  
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• Mom finds maggots in can of baby formula

  11-10-2016 21:48 via kxan.com
  
  INDEPENDENCE, MO (KSHB) Taylor Seyler from Independence, Missouri became a first-time mom when her son Keighan was born two months ago.
  She breastfeeds exclusively, but needed a little help to supplement. That’s when she bought a can of Similac baby formula and made a bottle for her son.
  “Two ounces down I noticed the worms and I was like oh. That’s great,” she said. “Took it from his mouth, went and put a napkin over the faucet and we poured it down the drain
  
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• Firefighters battling house fire in East Travis County

  11-10-2016 21:24 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Firefighters are busy tackling a house fire near SH 130 just east of Walter E. Long Park in eastern Travis County.
  The fire started just before 2 p.m. in the 7500 block of Nez Perce Trace. Initial information indicates the fire was upgraded to a 2-alarm fire approximately 10 minutes later.
  Travis County ESD No. 12 said when firefighters arrived at the home there was heavy fire coming from the home. Firefighters are fighting the fire defensively. No one was inj
  
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• Fire destroys home in East Travis County

  11-10-2016 21:24 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Firefighters are still putting out hot spots on a house fire near SH 130 just east of Walter E. Long Park in eastern Travis County.
  The fire started just before 2 p.m. in the 7500 block of Nez Perce Trace. Initial information indicates the fire was upgraded to a 2-alarm fire approximately 10 minutes later.
  Travis County ESD No. 12 said when firefighters arrived at the home there was heavy fire coming from the home. Firefighters fought the fire defensively and
  
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• WATCH: Texas mailman charged, video shows him pepper spraying dogs

  11-10-2016 20:12 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, TX (WCMH) — The dogs suffered irritated eyes and discolored coats after the mailman sprayed them from the other side of the fence where they were barking.
  “It was pretty bad what he did,” the dogs’ owner Jose Cruz told KTRK.
  The video shows the U.S. Postal Service worker, John O’Veal, 21, using what appears to be pepper spray on the little dogs that are barking from the other side of the locked gate and mailbox.
  Police say O’Veal now faces three
  
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• WATCH: Houston mailman pepper spraying dogs

  11-10-2016 20:12 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, TX (WCMH) — The dogs suffered irritated eyes and discolored coats after the mailman sprayed them from the other side of the fence where they were barking.
  “It was pretty bad what he did,” the dogs’ owner Jose Cruz told KTRK.
  The video shows the U.S. Postal Service worker, John O’Veal, 21, using what appears to be pepper spray on the little dogs that are barking from the other side of the locked gate and mailbox.
  MORE: Meter reader accused of hitting do
  
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• Ronald McDonald to keep low profile while creepy clown sightings continue

  11-10-2016 20:12 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald’s says Ronald McDonald is keeping a low profile with reports of creepy clown sightings on the rise.
  McDonald’s Corp. said Tuesday that it is being “thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald’s participation in community events” as a result of the “current climate around clown sightings in communities.” The company did not provide any other details about how often its red-haired mascot makes appearances, and how that will chan
  
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• Cops: Mom malnourished baby with vegan diet

  11-10-2016 19:48 via kxan.com
  
  FARMINGTON, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with endangering her 11-month-old son by restricting him to a vegan diet of fruits and nuts.
  State police say 30-year-old Elizabeth Hawk, of Farmington, became “obsessed” with the vegan diet, which prompted her estranged husband to contact Fayette County child welfare workers.
  A police complaint says the baby developed a rash “so bad that the child was scratching his skin off.” Hawk allegedly refused to us
  
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• Bandidos gang leader pleads guilty to racketeering in Texas

  11-10-2016 18:22 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP/KXAN) — Prosecutors say a Bandidos biker gang leader has pleaded guilty to racketeering, drug trafficking and extortion charges in Texas and faces up to life in federal prison.
  Sergeant-at-arms Justin Cole Forster remains in custody in San Antonio pending sentencing next year.A gunfight in May 2015 during a bikers’ meeting in Waco left nine people dead and led to more than 170 arrests. Prosecutors in January announced Forster was among several Bandidos leaders indicte
  
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• Cuddly care: Austin police giving kids teddy bears during emergencies

  11-10-2016 18:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a traumatic event children cling to any kind of comfort. The flashing lights and uniformed officers can seem scary.
  To help keep kids calm during a fire, crash, or medical emergency, Austin police will be giving out teddy bears. Providing a child with something soft and cuddly can ease the stress felt in these situations.
  The teddy bears were given to the police force by the Austin Junior Forum, a non-profit volunteer-based organization. The group works to support w
  
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• Texas partnering with China for $3B investment summit

  11-10-2016 16:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The first Texas-China investment summit will take place this week here in Austin.
  Angelos Angelou is the co-chair of Angelou Economics, which will be one of the groups putting on the summit. Angelou joins us in the KXAN studio to preview the event and its impact on the state.
  As one of the fastest growing states in the country in population growth as well as employment, Angelou explains why Texas was chosen for the international investment.
  “The aim is to bring many C
  
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• Police need help finding armed Walmart robbery suspect

  11-10-2016 16:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are asking for help finding an armed suspect who robbed a Walmart customer in south Austin on Oct. 2.
  The suspect was seen driving a silver minivan at the 9300 block of the South Interstate 35 service road, near West Slaughter Lane. Police say after he entered the store the suspect approached a customer in the parking lot around 2 p.m. The suspect pulled out a gun and demanded the person give him money.
  Minivan the Walmart robbery suspect was seen dr
  
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• Teal Pumpkin Project

  11-10-2016 15:53 via kxan.com
  
  Halloween is supposed to be frightening and fun, but families with food allergies may be more familiar with the frightening aspects of receiving treats their kiddos can’t have. Enter: Teal Pumpkin Project.
  The brightly-colored pumpkins sitting on porches and stoops across America are a signal the home has allergy-safe goodies for trick-or-treators.
  “Chances are pretty good that a child right down the street from you, right down the block, has a potentially life-threatening food aller
  
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• Planning on Social Security? Better plan on paying taxes.

  11-10-2016 15:25 via kxan.com
  
  You’ve been growing your retirement accounts for years but, do you have a plan for withdrawing money from those accounts to manage tax obligations? In this week’s episode Chris Heerlein explains the need for a payout strategy.
  Chris’ latest book, “4 Tax Strategies for Retirement,” is free. All you need to do is sent a note to [email protected] for more information.LEARN MORE
  Sponsored by REAP Financial. The information, advice and answers displayed in the 512
  
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• ACC Elgin campus expanding with new classrooms, clinics

  11-10-2016 14:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Community College is breaking ground on Tuesday at 10 a.m. for a project to expand the Elgin campus.
  The project includes a building with new classrooms, a surgical clinic and a place to house small animals for students of the Veterinary Technology program. The school is also constructing a 11,000-square-foot new outbuilding for Sustainable Agricultural Entrepreneurship students. There will also be a new processing kitchen for the food grown on the campus&r
  
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• Advocates say Harris County Jail keeps poor defendants too long

  11-10-2016 13:38 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KXAN) — The biggest county in Texas is working to reform its bail system.
  Criminal Justice Reform advocates allege the current system unfairly keeps poor defendants in custody for too long.
  A study in July by the University of Pennsylvania law school found more than 50 percent of misdemeanor defendants in Harris County are detained until the conclusion of their case.
  Many can’t afford to pay their bail. In November, instead of using a set bail schedule, judges wi
  
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• Surfer bitten by shark at Oregon Park

  11-10-2016 12:54 via kxan.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A surfer was attacked by a shark at Ecola State Park on Monday afternoon.
  Oregon State Police said 29-year-old Joseph Tanner was surfing at Indian Beach on October 10 when the attacked happened. He and Steve Gehrig were sitting on their boards out in the ocean when Gehrig noticed Tanner had gone under.
  “He kind of just lurched real funny – it looked like he had slipped off his board but a little more violently than you would see someo
  
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• Trump heading to Texas campaigning for millions

  11-10-2016 12:44 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — Presidential candidate Donald Trump is headed to Texas on Tuesday for two fundraisers.
  He is making his first stop in San Antonio at the Grand Hyatt Hotel downtown around noon and then heading to Dallas later in the afternoon. Campaign organizers expect to raise millions in Texas.
  However, he has some work to do among voters. In a four-way ballot, Clinton is leading Trump by 11 points among likely voters, according to the latest NBC News and Wall Street Journal
  
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• Austin firefighter suspended for trying to kick in ex-wife’s door

  11-10-2016 05:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin firefighter who kicked in his ex-wife’s front door during an incident in March has been suspended from duty.
  Firefighter Robert Garcia’s suspension will last nine days, beginning on Oct. 16 and ending on Oct. 25.
  Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr made the decision, according to a memo to the city’s director of civil service, following an incident in March and Garcia’s arrest in June.
  On June 23, Garcia went to a San Antonio Police Departm
  
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• Premiere Lady Fitness closes second location; clients wait for refunds

  11-10-2016 04:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Premiere Lady Fitness’s North Austin location is open at least until Friday. The popular neighborhood gym’s south location abruptly closed in July.
  Carrie Reese has been going to the gym for more than a decade. “I’m disappointed, because I love coming here. I love the atmosphere,” Reese said.
  A KXAN investigation revealed dozens of members were out a lot of money. The gym owner said customers could go to their second location, bu
  
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• State Capitol vandalism comes after DPS request for security boost

  11-10-2016 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Public Safety was in the process of asking for a boost in security staffing under the next state budget, as a man vandalized the Texas Capitol.
  Tanner Christian Graeber, 22, of Fort Worth, bonded out of jail, but still faces felony charges after breaking into the Texas Capitol and damaging a painting early Sunday morning.
  DPS is in charge of security at the Capitol. KXAN examined a budget request the department submitted to the state last month.
  
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• DPS asks for security staffing boost in next budget

  11-10-2016 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Public Safety was in the process of asking for a boost in security staffing under the next state budget, as a man vandalized the Texas Capitol.
  Tanner Christian Graeber, 22, of Fort Worth, bonded out of jail, but still faces felony charges after breaking into the Texas Capitol and damaging a painting early Sunday morning.
  DPS is in charge of security at the Capitol. KXAN examined a budget request the department submitted to the state last month.
  
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• City failed to send out ‘street service fee’ exemptions for 7 years

  11-10-2016 02:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Public Works Department has failed to send out any kind of notice for the “transportation user fee” senior exemption for at least seven years. So if you know, you know. If you don’t, you just keep paying.
  To add to confusion, the fee is labeled “street service fee” on utility bills themselves. The fee funds street maintenance and repair and annual street overlay and striping, along with other necessary measures 
  
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• Murder case that began with gay slur ends with not guilty verdict

  11-10-2016 02:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday, a Travis County jury found Bryan Juarez, 23, not guilty of murder in the death of Christopher Lee Burton.
  Juarez called 911 to report he accidentally shot someone on Aug. 3, 2015 in the 2800 block of Lyons Road, just north of the North Pleasant Valley Road and East Seventh Street intersection.
  According to the arrest affidavit, Juarez approached Burton with a gun after Burton greeted him with a gay slur. A witness told officers the two men got into a struggle
  
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• Texas now included on list of Blue Bell recall

  11-10-2016 01:26 via kxan.com
  
  GARNER, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa company is recalling the cookie dough it sold to other companies because it may be contaminated with listeria bacteria.
  Aspen Hills notified customers about the recall on Sunday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether any of the cookie dough had reached consumers because the Garner, Iowa, based company doesn’t sell directly to consumers.
  PREVIOUS: Supplier: No listeria in product before going to Blue Bell
  Aspen Hills’ cookie dough was implicat
  
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• Blue Bell cookie dough supplier issues recall after denying contamination

  11-10-2016 01:26 via kxan.com
  
  GARNER, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa company is recalling the cookie dough it sold to other companies because it may be contaminated with listeria bacteria.
  Aspen Hills notified customers about the recall on Sunday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether any of the cookie dough had reached consumers because the Garner, Iowa, based company doesn’t sell directly to consumers.
  PREVIOUS: Supplier: No listeria in product before going to Blue Bell
  Aspen Hills’ cookie dough was implicat
  
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• 90 percent of Travis County eligible voters now registered

  11-10-2016 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ninety percent of Travis County eligible voters are now registered to vote, Travis County Voter Registrar Bruce Elfant announced Monday.
  The county expects to exceed their 90 percent goal in the final rush to register on Tuesday. That percentage amounts to 713,871 people in Travis County. The tax office says they were backlogged with more than 11,000 voter registration cards to process Monday morning.
  “It is likely that by midnight Tuesday, 100,000 more Travis County
  
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• Samsung halts sales of Galaxy Note 7 after new troubles

  11-10-2016 00:48 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung said it is halting sales of the star-crossed Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after a spate of fires involving new devices that were supposed to be safe replacements for recalled models.
  In a statement issued late Monday, Samsung said consumers with original Note 7 devices or replacements they obtained after the recall should turn off the power and seek a refund or exchange them for different phones.
  Separately, South Korean authorities said in a statement that they fo
  
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• Longhorns coming home on three game skid

  11-10-2016 00:40 via kxan.com
  
  JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports Writer
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas coach Charlie Strong took over his defense to get things fixed and save the season.
  He designed new coverages. He tried different ways to get pressure on the opposing quarterback. None of it worked.
  Strong’s gamble on himself failed and the Longhorns have lost three straight, including an 0-2 start in the Big 12. Strong is facing open speculation that he’ll be out of a job after the season if he doesn’t pull off a m
  
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• Homeopathic teething tablets, gels can pose serious risks

  11-10-2016 00:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Parents putting a few drops of a homeopathic remedy in their child’s mouth to ease the pain of teething are being told to look closely at the ingredients label.
  The medical director and division chief at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin has issued a warning to parents who use or have considered using homeopathic teething tablets, gels and liquids.
  Dr. Eric Higginbotham says while you can buy these remedies over the counter, they’re not regulated by
  
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