Austin news

• 5-year-old pulls brother, 2, from fiery truck wreck in Houston

  14-10-2016 23:44 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Police in Houston say a 5-year-old boy pulled his 2-year-old brother out of a burning tractor trailer following a crash that killed their father.
  KPRC-TV reports the truck was a moving van and the family was relocating to Galveston, Texas, when the crash occurred.
  Police say the boys were passengers in the truck being driven by their father on Interstate 45 early Friday morning when the vehicle ran into a guardrail and a metal pillar. The truck rolled over and burst into fla
  
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• Becker Elementary teacher named 2017 Texas Teacher of the Year

  14-10-2016 23:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Allison Ashley, a third grade dual-language teacher at South Austin’s Becker Elementary, has been named the Texas Teacher of the Year for 2017.
  She will now go on to represent Texas in the National Teacher of the Year program.
  “Ms. Ashley is an exceptional teacher. She is smart and caring, and when you are in her classroom, you can see the connection she has with students. Ms. Ashley brings passion and enthusiasm to her dual-language classroo
  
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• Manor woman joins call for ‘speed limiters’ on big rigs after crash

  14-10-2016 22:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Amanda Hendrickson says her life was changed after being rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. For almost two months, Hendrickson hasn’t been able to return to work due to her injuries. “I hurt everywhere, my back, my neck, my arm. To get out of bed is a process now.”
  After being involved in the five-car pileup involving an 18-wheeler on Aug. 25, Hendrickson is advocating for safer roads by supporting the U.S. Department of Transportation’
  
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• After surviving big rig crash, woman joins calls for ‘speed limiters’

  14-10-2016 22:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Amanda Hendrickson says her life was changed after being rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. For almost two months, Hendrickson hasn’t been able to return to work due to her injuries. “I hurt everywhere, my back, my neck, my arm. It is a task even getting out of bed.”
  After being involved in the five-car pileup involving an 18-wheeler on Aug. 25, Hendrickson is advocating for safer roads by supporting the U.S. Department of Transportation&rsqu
  
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• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 banned from all U.S. flights

  14-10-2016 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department is issuing an emergency order banning passengers and flight crews from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones on airline flights in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
  The order goes into effect Saturday at noon eastern time. It says the phone may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from the United States or within the country. The phones also can’t be shipped as air cargo.
  The department
  
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• Make sure you give bicyclists space, APD is watching

  14-10-2016 22:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A typical day for Senior Police Officer Rheannon Cunningham usually requires spending a few hours of her work day either talking about bicycle safety or even getting on a bike herself, which she doesn’t mind at all since she’s already an avid cyclist. As the Austin Police Department’s first and only officer dedicated to bicycle safety, Cunningham’s ultimate objective is to make the roads safer for all users, not just bicyclists.
  “I’m
  
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• Cameron Road, US 183 safety upgrade construction to start next week

  14-10-2016 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Frontage roads at Cameron Road and US 183, identified as one of the five most dangerous intersections in Austin, will be getting new safety features for pedestrians and drivers.
  City contractors will begin rerouting traffic on Sunday and begin constructing the project on Monday, Oct. 17. They anticipate the estimated $268,000 project will be completed in mid-November. The good news: there will be no daytime closures to the main lanes of the US 183 frontage roads. There
  
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• Caught on camera: Car flies over three trains at rail yard

  14-10-2016 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  BELEN, New Mexico (KRQE) – It was an incredible scene, and even more incredible the driver is still alive. Workers at the rail yard couldn’t believe their eyes when a car came flying out of nowhere — over three different trains.
  The car came flying down Baca which is a dead-end at 1st Street in Belen. Police said the driver hit this small embankment and landed on the other aside of those trains. They said the driver was doing almost 100 miles per hour down Baca T
  
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• WATCH: Judge rips off robe, helps subdue man in court

  14-10-2016 21:47 via kxan.com
  
  JACKSON, Michigan (WLNS) – He’s a judge who has a reputation for being outspoken.
  Now Jackson Circuit Court Judge John McBain has taken that to a new level.
  Video provided to 6 News by Chief Judge Thomas Wilson shows an increasingly aggravated McBain dealing with a defiant man during a personal protection order violation hearing.
  Jacob Larson had been talking back to the judge and blamed his alleged stalking behavior on the woman he was pursuing.
  McBain had originally ordered th
  
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• Mom: ‘Uncertainty’ after surgery on twins joined at head

  14-10-2016 21:30 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The mother of a set of conjoined twins who were attached at the head says they have been separated following a procedure at a New York City hospital.
  Nicole McDonald wrote in a Friday morning Facebook that her 13-month old sons, Jadon and Anias, were separated following 16 hours of surgery at Montefiore Medical Center. She later posted a picture of Jadon alone in a hospital bed. She said Anias was still undergoing surgery to reconstruct his skull and make it whole.
  &ld
  
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• Retirement home owner gets 2 days for sex abuse of 12 women

  14-10-2016 20:30 via kxan.com
  
  FOREST GROVE, Ore. (AP) – The owner of a retirement community west of Portland will serve two days in jail and five years of probation for sexually abusing 12 women.
  The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 73-year-old Herbert “Howard” Sahnow was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to 11 counts of third-degree sex abuse and one count of attempted third-degree sexual abuse.
  Over two dozen other sexual abuse and other charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement, which lawy
  
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• Driver killed in southeast Austin rollover crash identified

  14-10-2016 19:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The man who died in a crash in southeast Austin Wednesday night near Burleson Road and Metropolis Drive has been identified as 30-year-old Gerardo Martinez Gonzalez.
  Police say a security guard found the driver underneath the Ford F-150 truck after it flipped over. Gonzalez was traveling at high speeds and failed to negotiate a turn on Metropolis Drive. According to investigators, Gonzalez was ejected from the truck after it hit a guardrail and
  
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• Free fun in Austin for Oct. 14 through 16

  14-10-2016 19:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From movies in the park to a Beatles tribute band, here is the free fun Austin has in store for you this weekend.
  Movies in the park — Alice in Wonderland: You and the family can watch Alice in Wonderland Friday night in Mueller Park at 6:30 p.m. There will be a meet and greet with Alice and the Mad Hatter along with free tea and cookies.
  Who you gonna call — Ghostbusters: Don’t miss members of the ATX Ghostbusters on Friday at the screening of G
  
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• VIDEO: Snook ISD instructor reportedly grabbing, pushing child

  14-10-2016 19:45 via kxan.com
  
  BURLESON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A video circulating on social media of a Snook Independent School District employee trying to discipline and control a young student is causing the district to take a close look at the teacher.
  The video was posted on Thursday by a mother whose son attends the elementary school. In her post, she said her son recorded the incident as it was happening. In the video, you can see the teacher grab the child by his arms and push him into a bean bag chair, he does
  
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• Stalled train blocks South Austin intersection

  14-10-2016 19:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A broken down Union Pacific train is causing some issues for drivers in South Austin Friday.
  The train is blocking the intersection of West Oltorf Street at South Lamar Boulevard. A spokesperson for Union Pacific says the train had to stop around 11:30 a.m. due to mechanical issues. The train was placed into emergency mode and another train is being brought in to help push the train pass the intersection, but it could take up to three hours before the train is moved.
  &
  
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• South Austin intersection cleared of stalled train

  14-10-2016 19:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A broken down Union Pacific train caused some issues for drivers in South Austin Friday.
  The train blocked the intersection of West Oltorf Street at South Lamar Boulevard for nearly three hours. A spokesperson for Union Pacific says the train had to stop around 11:30 a.m. due to mechanical issues. The train was placed into emergency mode and another train was brought in to help push the train pass the intersection.
  “We are working as quickly as we can to find a s
  
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• These national stores will be closed on Thanksgiving

  14-10-2016 19:15 via kxan.com
  
   
  AUSTIN (WBAY) –
  Retailers closed on Thanksgiving
  A.C. MooreAmerican GirlAT&TBarnes & NobleBed Bath & Beyond (Select locations; shoppers should call their local store)BJ’s Wholesale ClubBlaine’s Farm & FleetBurlingtonCabela’s (call centers still open)Christmas Tree Shops (Select locations; shoppers should call their local store)CostcoCrate and BarrelDillard’sGameStopGardner-White FurnitureGuitar CenterHarbor FreighthhgreggHobby LobbyHome DepotH
  
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• Snow cone stand owner accused of illegally booting cars on Guadalupe

  14-10-2016 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police need your help finding a suspect who is illegally booting cars on Guadalupe in the Spider House Lounge parking lot.
  The suspect, William Wade Brugier, owns the snow cone stand Wacky Wade’s Wicked World of Snowballs, on 2915 Guadalupe. Police believe he targeted multiple cars on Sept. 30 after a victim came forward. There are six additional victims out there who were targeted, but so far no one else has talked to police.
  The victim told police h
  
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• UT ceremony honors Haruka Weiser with a safety message

  14-10-2016 16:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas student murdered on campus is being honored in a flag-lowering ceremony with a safety message on Friday less than a year after her death.
  Haruka Weiser’s family will return to Austin six months after the death of their daughter, who was killed walking home from a UT theater building on April 3. The freshman student told her roommate she was on her way home, but was never seen alive again.
  University leaders will give students a safety message w
  
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• Furry friends preparing for annual Dogtoberfest in Austin

  14-10-2016 15:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dogs will take over the Domain on Saturday for Dogtoberfest, a celebration of our four-legged friends and a chance to bring awareness to the animals needing to be adopted in Austin.
  Dogtoberfest 2013 – Courtesy of Nicole Mlakar PhotographyThere will be 50 pet vendors, a silent auction, wiener dog races, and a canine costume contest. Stan Parish, co-founder of Dogtoberfest, joins us in the KXAN studio to preview the event.
  Click here for more information 
  Make sur
  
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• PHOTOS: Semi-truck slams into overpass on Hwy 290

  14-10-2016 15:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A semi-truck hit the overpass on Highway 290 at the Berkman Drive U-turn ramp.
  A KXAN viewer sent us a picture of the crash just before 8 a.m. Traffic reporter Amanda Dugan says the semi drove up onto the side of the ramp which caused the trailer to rise up and slam into the overpass.
  The U-turn ramp is shut down at this time. A tow truck is at the scene clearing the semi out of the roadway.
  We are working to get more information. APD and DPS both did not have any informati
  
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• Rowling announces ‘Fantastic Beasts’ series of Potter prequels will be five movies

  14-10-2016 15:04 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) – Good news, Harry Potter fans! There is more Rowling canon headed your way.
  On Thursday, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling announced the upcoming film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a prequel to the Harry Potter series due out in November, is actually the first of five prequels expected to be released in the coming years.
  At a fan event in London, Rowling told fans in attendance that the original trilogy is expected to be stretched out to five films.
  
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• Doctor says your cold symptoms could be a respiratory virus

  14-10-2016 14:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — November begins the season for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
  Dr. Goddy Corpuz, pediatrician at the Baylor Scott and White Clinic in Cedar Park, joins us in the KXAN studio. Dr. Corpuz says this is the perfect time for parents to get their kids vaccinated.
  RSV usually causes the same symptoms as a cold, including:
  Cough
  Stuffy or running nose
  Mild sore throat
  Earache
  Fever
  Babies with RSV:
  Have no energy
  Act fussy or cranky
  Less hungry than usual
  If your child has RSV D
  
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• Largest alligator ever found in Texas has new home

  14-10-2016 13:49 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KXAN) — “This is the highlight of my career, this is a really big alligator,” said  alligator hunter Gary Saurage.
  Record-breaking alligator caught near HoustonThe largest alligator ever found in the state of Texas has a new home. A team of alligator hunters caught the record-breaking gator in Champion Lake, East of Houston.
  At nearly 14 feet long, the alligator weighs more than 900 pounds. Wildlife officers brought the team in to catch and move t
  
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• Texas legislature proposes cuts to CPS, financial aid, angering Austinites

  14-10-2016 12:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — State agencies across Texas are being told they may have to make some big cuts to basic services next year. The state legislature is proposing to cut the budget for agencies like Child Protective Services, financial aid, and food stamps by four percent.
  As a result The Texas State Employees Union is holding a rally on the south steps of the State Capitol Friday at 5 p.m. They say state agencies are in crisis mode right now and any cuts could be devastating.
  According to the
  
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• Rally against proposed state budget cuts planned for tonight

  14-10-2016 12:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several state agencies across Texas are being told they may have to make some big cuts to basic services in 2018 and 2019. The state legislature is proposing to cut the budget by four percent.
  As a result The Texas State Employees Union is holding a rally on the south steps of the State Capitol Friday at 5 p.m. They say state agencies are in crisis mode right now and any cuts could be devastating.
  According to the union, that has 11,000 members, the turnover rate at state a
  
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• Austinites rallying against proposed state budget cuts

  14-10-2016 12:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — State agencies across Texas are being told they may have to make some big cuts to basic services next year. The state legislature is proposing to cut the budget for agencies like Child Protective Services, financial aid, and food stamps by four percent.
  As a result The Texas State Employees Union is holding a rally on the south steps of the State Capitol Friday at 5 p.m. They say state agencies are in crisis mode right now and any cuts could be devastating.
  According to the
  
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• Semi-truck back on its wheels after dangling off McNeil Bridge

  14-10-2016 11:52 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) — The semi-truck that was dangling off Interstate 35 has now been put back on its wheels after a close call in Round Rock.
  All lanes of I-35 have reopened near McNeil Road. Tow trucks were able to free the semi-truck that was hanging off the McNeil Bridge around 4:50 a.m. It took crews five hours to remove the truck and then just 20 minutes to clear the scene.
  Police say the driver lost control of the truck around midnight near the bridg
  
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• Man killed in East Travis County crash identified

  14-10-2016 11:45 via kxan.com
  
  GARFIELD, Texas (KXAN) — A car crash ejected and killed a man in East Travis County Friday morning.
  The medical examiner’s office identified the victim as Dominick Daniel Rodriguez, 39, of Del Valle. The crash happened around 12:40 a.m. on Wolf Lane Road, off Highway 71 in Garfield.
  Police say there is no word on what caused the crash. The Department of Public Safety and Medical Examiner are investigating.
  
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• Man killed in East Travis County crash

  14-10-2016 11:45 via kxan.com
  
  GARFIELD, Texas (KXAN) — A car crash ejected and killed a man in East Travis County Friday morning.
  The crash happened around 12:40 a.m. on Wolf Lane Road, off Highway 71 in Garfield.
  Police say there is no word on what caused the crash. The Department of Public Safety is investigating.
  
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• AISD, city, county collaborate to identify land for affordable housing

  14-10-2016 06:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Not surprisingly, affordability pushes people to Hays and Williamson counties, where a home can cost $100,000 less than it would in Austin. That fact hasn’t escaped Austin Independent School District. AISD’s Board of Trustees, Austin City Council and Travis County Commissioners Court are coming together to identify public land that can be used for affordable housing. The City Council voted to approve its portion of the agreemen
  
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• Texas GOP and Democrats expect Latino voting to be key

  14-10-2016 05:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A record 15 million people are now registered to vote in Texas and a young and growing voting block could play a big role in the November election. The National Council of La Raza led a roundtable discussion Thursday at East Austin College Prep with political leaders and the Austin Latino community.
  Sixty percent of Latinos polled did not have a major political party contact them asking for their vote. “I think there are missed opportunities that we&rsq
  
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• Woman who went missing in Burnet found safe

  14-10-2016 04:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Burnet Police Department was looking for a missing woman Thursday. She has been found safe.
  She was the third woman reported missing in the Austin-area in less than a day. All three were found safe, after Silver Alerts were issued by law enforcement for two of the women.
  Priscilla Truelove was last seen Thursday around 4 p.m. at the Highlander Restaurant, located at 401 Buchanan Dr., in Burnet. Police believe Truelove may be suffering from a medical condition.
  
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• Manor ISD building 3 new schools to handle projected population boom

  14-10-2016 04:32 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — The Manor Independent School District is preparing to double in size in the next five years.
  New superintendent Dr. Royce Avery says their student population is projected to grow from 9,000 students to 18,000. Thursday night, the district held a groundbreaking ceremony for three new campuses — an elementary, middle and high school.
  Most groundbreakings happen before the dirt has been touched, but construction is well underway on all three building
  
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• Olympians, Austin elementary students aim to be Marathon Kids

  14-10-2016 04:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Olympians and top athletes stood side-by-side with students on the track at Oak Springs Elementary, Thursday morning.
  Fifth grader Marques Amador, relieved to be outside running around rather than in the classroom, said, “I’m happy because they came out today.” His takeaway: Olympians are fast and give a lot of effort.
  Amanda Bingson, who was in the 2012 Olympic Games competing in the hammer throw, said, “You can never start too early, you know,
  
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• Oversight in place to safeguard against Austin 911 hang ups

  14-10-2016 03:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After accusations that a Houston 911 operator hung up on thousands of emergency calls, emergency officials in Travis County outlined safeguards in Central Texas.
  Austin police track the length of individual calls, according to a department spokesperson. Someone who is hanging up on people regularly should start to show a lower call times than data for an operator typically shows. Supervisors can also live monitor calls and they randomly review call takers. Finally, APD will
  
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• Police search for missing woman, 73, with cognitive impairment

  14-10-2016 02:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Silver Alert has been issued for a missing 73-year-old woman diagnosed with dementia, last seen in West Austin.
  Carolyn Williamson is described by Austin police as 5 feet tall, 130 pounds, with gray hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes and carrying a purse with a Native American design pattern. She walks with a limp and uses a cane.
  Williamson was last seen at 1 p.m. Thursday driving a maroon, 2013 Ford Edge with
  
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• Missing woman, 73, with cognitive impairment found safe

  14-10-2016 02:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Silver Alert was issued for a missing 73-year-old woman diagnosed with dementia, Thursday. She was found safe by authorities less than two hours later in Caldwell County.
  Carolyn Williamson is described by Austin police as 5 feet tall, 130 pounds, with gray hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes and carrying a purse with a Native American design pattern. She walks with a limp and uses a cane.
  Williamson was last&nb
  
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• Popular Kik app offers teenagers, predators anonymity

  14-10-2016 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When your child opens up a social media app on their smartphones, who are they really chatting with? Concerns over the chatting app ‘Kik’ surfaced after a Cedar Park man was arrested Wednesday, accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl he met and chatted with on the app.
  Kik was founded in 2009 at the University of Waterloo near Toronto, Canada. According to the app’s website, 300 million people have signed up for Kik in 230 countries worldwid
  
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• One section of North MoPac toll will open this weekend

  14-10-2016 01:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While the MoPac Improvement Project is more than a year behind schedule, there appears to be light at the end of the toll road.
  The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority confirms to KXAN News the northbound toll lane from Ranch to Market 2222 to Parmer Lane will officially open this weekend. The agency can’t give the exact day the lane will be operational, however, a KXAN employee did see crews removing the “express lane closed” signs Thursda
  
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• New treatment destroys skin cancer cells more precisely, without surgery

  14-10-2016 01:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On a lake, with fishing rod in hand, Eugene Hester’s in his happy place.
  “You catch fish every 20 to 30 percent of the time you go out, the rest of the time you’re going to work for it,” said Hester. “That’s what makes it worth it, that you worked for it.”
  But during his 74 years of fishing and other outdoor activities, sunscreen was never an accessory. “My wife and I have both had skin cancer and I’m pretty co
  
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• Pflugerville chief will retire as longest tenured city employee ever

  14-10-2016 01:08 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Police Chief Chuck Hooker announced his retirement from the department on Thursday.
  Hooker’s final day on the job will be Friday, Jan. 6, making him the longest tenured city employee in history. Assistant Chief Jim Mclean will take over as acting chief.
  Mayor Jeff Coleman said Chief Hooker has been instrumental in building the police department into a professional agency that truly understands the benefit of community policing. “I applaud
  
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• Lago Vista residents will vote whether to keep CapMetro bus route

  14-10-2016 01:03 via kxan.com
  
  LAGO VISTA, Texas (KXAN) — Thomas Gordon relies on Capital Metro’s 214 bus route to run his daily business errands between Jonestown and Lago Vista.
  “I pride myself on fast turn around, my customers appreciate it,” says Gordon. While public transportation is valuable to Gordon, Lago Vista city officials believe they can save money by eliminating the route; but they’re leaving the final vote up to Lago Vista residents in November.
  The 214 route has been a part of the
  
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• Austin fentanyl dealer sentenced to 14 years for role in 2 deaths

  14-10-2016 00:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man who pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl, leading to the deaths of two Westlake High School graduates, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.
  In May 2016, Sylvester Orlowski, 27, sold fentanyl to Clayton Wimberley, 26, and Anthony Zane Paduano, 25, both graduates of Westlake, leading to their deaths.
  U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel, in an order Thursday, said Orlowski will pay restitution to the families of both victims to cover funeral expenses.
  
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