Austin news

• Hazing of Luling ISD band students investigated by police

  19-10-2016 23:47 via kxan.com
  
  LULING, Texas (KXAN) — Two freshmen band students in Luling ISD say they were hazed by senior band members.
  On Saturday, Oct. 15, Luling police received a complaint of a sexual assault on a school bus during an out of town trip earlier in the current football season. Police determined no sexual assault was committed, but the reported incident did reveal a pattern of hazing of freshmen band members during band trips over at least the last four years.
  Luling police described the hazing as in
  
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• Police impersonator pulls over AISD school bus

  19-10-2016 21:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who posed as a police officer pulled over an AISD school bus on Tuesday.
  The incident began during dismissal at Murchison Middle School, located 3700 N. Hills Dr. in West Austin. A driver reported that a man, described as white and wearing a red shirt and tan shorts, was taking photos of Murchison students as they used the crosswalk.
  Later Tuesday afternoon, a man with a similar description posed as a law enforcement officer and pulled over a bus that had on
  
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• Police identify man who impersonated police, pulled over AISD bus

  19-10-2016 21:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police have issued an arrest warrant for John Mikel Humphries, 29, the man who they say pulled over an AISD school bus while impersonating a police officer on Tuesday.
  The incident began during dismissal at Murchison Middle School, located 3700 N. Hills Dr. in West Austin. A driver reported that a man, described as white and wearing a red shirt and tan shorts, was taking photos of Murchison students as they used the crosswalk.
  Later Tuesday afternoon, a man with a simi
  
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• Armed police impersonator pulls over AISD school bus

  19-10-2016 21:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man with a gun pulled over an AISD school bus while impersonating a police officer on Tuesday.
  The incident began during dismissal at Murchison Middle School, located 3700 N. Hills Dr. in West Austin. A driver reported that a man, described as white and wearing a red shirt and tan shorts, was taking photos of Murchison students as they used the crosswalk.
  Later Tuesday afternoon, a man with a similar description posed as a law enforcement officer and pulled 
  
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• Georgetown mosquito tests positive for West Nile; city will start spraying

  19-10-2016 21:13 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A mosquito collected last week north of downtown Georgetown has tested positive for West Nile Virus. The city will start spraying insecticide in the area the positive sample was collected.
  In the late evening Wednesday, a city vehicle will use a pyrethrin-based insecticide along the street and in public parks. The insecticide is expected to reduce the adult mosquito population in the area. The city says spraying will only be done if the wind speed is less than 10
  
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• Georgetown’s only brewery to triple in size

  19-10-2016 20:39 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Georgetown’s only brewery can’t keep up with demand. After a year in business, Rentsch Brewery is ready for a major expansion, which includes an outdoor beer garden.
  The expansion will also include a canning operation that will allow Rentsch beer to be sold in packages in stores statewide. The company is adding 3,750 square feet of production space and 3,500 square feet of warehouse and storage space.
  The Georgetown City Council has approved pitching
  
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• Austin police union: Officers lack training in hand-to-hand combat

  19-10-2016 20:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A call from Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo for officers to utilize hand-to-hand combat over weapons when a person is resisting arrest has been met with some backlash from some officers and the Austin Police Association president.
  In cases where an officer is trying to subdue a suspect who isn’t complying, Acevedo is recommending officers should first try to use their fists instead of their weapons, such as a stun gun or firearm. Controlling a subj
  
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• Portland building destroyed in gas explosion, 5 injured

  19-10-2016 19:53 via kxan.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three firefighters and two others were injured in a large gas explosion on Wednesday morning in Northwest Portland.Dosha Salon Spa (Google Street View)The incident happened at NW 23rd and Glisan in the Dosha Salon Spa building. Portland Fire and Rescue confirmed the five injuries and said no one died.
  Gas company NW Natural reports a third party caused damage to a gas line. The cause of the ignition is unknown and the gas is now off. Firefighters were insi
  
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• 14-year-old accused of killing grandparents while they slept

  19-10-2016 19:25 via kxan.com
  
  CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN/KPRC) — A 14-year-old boy in Chambers County is facing two counts of capital murder in the shooting death of his grandparents.
  Police say Chester and Sandra Bienek, both in their 70s, were found Tuesday night lying in their bed, both with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators believe they were shot while they were sleeping, and they had been dead since Sunday.
  “They were both shot with a handgun, we believe with a handgun. There were no signs of
  
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• Man killed in US 290 chain reaction crash identified

  19-10-2016 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who was killed in a crash between four vehicles on US Highway 290 and MoPac on Oct. 13 has been identified as 70-year-old Michael Thomas Sullivan.
  Three vehicles were stopped in traffic on the northbound ramp from 290 to South MoPac, when a Ford Expedition crashed into a Ford 500SL. A chain reaction was sparked between all four vehicles critically injuring Sullivan, who was driving the Ford 500SL that was initially hit.
  Sullivan was taken to the St. Dav
  
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• With 3 weeks left, Clinton buys TV ads in Texas

  19-10-2016 18:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump heats up in Texas, Clinton’s campaign is putting money behind television advertisements in the hopes of tightening the gap even further.
  Clinton’s campaign announced earlier this week that a 30-second commercial will air for one week in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, while also appearing online. According to KXAN’s media partner, the Texas Tribune, Clinton’s campaig
  
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• VIDEO: Taylor Swift rehearsing for Formula 1 performance

  19-10-2016 17:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With Formula 1 less than three days away Taylor Swift is already practicing for her Austin performance.
  The singer/songwriter posted this video on Instagram gearing up for her concert after the race on Saturday.
  Usher and Taylor Swift headlining Formula 1Just last week, The Weeknd backed out as a headliner. He will be replaced by Usher and The Roots on Sunday. In the past headliners performed just on Sunday, but the Circuit of The America’s hopes more
  
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• Cyclists ride from Canada to Mexico for Austin non-profit

  19-10-2016 16:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Back in July, KXAN interviewed two men riding their bikes from Canada to Mexico, to help an Austin non-profit for abused children. They have now finished their ride, but still need help reaching their goal.
  Brad Lankford and Bruce Gleasman took off on Monday, Aug. 1. Lankford joins us in the studio once again to talk about the ride of a lifetime.
  Their goal is to raise money for the Austin non-profit Helping Hand Home. They had 76 days to ride across across t
  
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• Austin’s Home Slice Pizza lands on international list for bargain dining

  19-10-2016 15:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Coming in at number five, Home Slice Pizza has been recognized as one of the best place to dine on a budget.
  The restaurant is the only pizza spot that made the list. A TripAdvisor compiled the list of the best restaurants for the price around the world.
  Each winner was picked by an algorithm that factors in the quality and quantity of reviews from diners.
  Do you agree with this choice? Is there better pizza for the price in Austin? Leave your answer in the comments be
  
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• KXAN team asks Siri: What should I be for Halloween

  19-10-2016 13:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This morning you can have some fun if you’re still searching for Halloween costume ideas.
  Just pull up your iPhone and ask Siri “What should I wear for Halloween?”
  Some of us at KXAN did and here are some of the responses.
  Siri told Candice, our noon producer, to “go as a general relativity theorist, you can distort the perception of time and space that you don’t have to show up.”
  Our morning engineer Mark got the following “Yo
  
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• Asking Siri: What should I be for Halloween

  19-10-2016 13:56 via kxan.com
  
   
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This morning you can have some fun if you’re still searching for Halloween costume ideas.
  Just pull up your iPhone and ask Siri “What should I wear for Halloween?”
  Some of us at KXAN did and here are some of the responses.
  Siri told Candice, our noon producer, to “go as a general relativity theorist, you can distort the perception of time and space that you don’t have to show up.”
   
  Our morning engineer Mark got the follo
  
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• Photo: Thief proves subtlety is NOT his forte

  19-10-2016 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) – Northampton police in England have asked local residents to come forward with information after a man stole a Venetian blind from a housewares store.
  OK, I don’t expect that to grab your attention, but just look at the photo of the suspect caught on the store’s surveillance cameras.
  I mean…
  OK, so the play-by-play is this: The suspect enters the store, places the blind up his jacket and down one of his pant legs, and leaves.
  OK…
  Store employees t
  
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• Educators working to get students ready for kindergarten

  19-10-2016 13:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Educators have been working on kindergarten readiness and how Pre-K plays a big role in preparing for the classroom.
  E3 Alliance found Texas is consistently hitting slightly above 50 percent when it comes to kindergarten readiness. However, last year there was a huge drop bringing the number down to 41 percent. Now, the Texas Association of Business is hosting a Pre-K conference on the issue.
  The TAB is behind the push to improve and expand Pre-K in Texas. Joining us i
  
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• Ghost pepper burns hole in man’s esophagus

  19-10-2016 12:51 via kxan.com
  
  U.S. (KRON)— Imagine eating something so hot that it tears a hole in your esophagus and have to spend more than three weeks in the hospital.
  That is exactly what recently happened to one man.
  The details came out during a study by UCSF.
  The culprit is a ghost pepper.
  The man had eaten a hamburger smothered with a ghost pepper puree as part of contest.
  It was so hot it caused a two-and-a half centimeter tear in his esophagus.
  This is how hot the pepper is.
  In Scoville units, which measures
  
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• Undecided Texans could lead to shift in statewide offices

  19-10-2016 12:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The final Presidential debate takes place Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The latest poll from the University of Houston shows Donald Trump leading in Texas over Hillary Clinton by three points – within the margin of error.
  But 16 percent of those polled stated they were still undecided. A big shift from previous elections where a Republican nominee for President has won Texas by at least 11 points. And that has many political experts looking down the ballot at a possib
  
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• Texans undecided this election could lead to shift in statewide offices

  19-10-2016 12:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The final Presidential debate takes place Wednesday night in Las Vegas. The latest poll from the University of Houston shows Donald Trump leading in Texas over Hillary Clinton by three points – within the margin of error.
  But 16 percent of those polled stated they were still undecided. A big shift from previous elections where a Republican nominee for President has won Texas by at least 11 points. And that has many political experts looking down the ballot at a possib
  
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• Opinion: Vegas is a perfect metaphor for this election

  19-10-2016 12:01 via kxan.com
  
  Las Vegas is a sight to behold. It certainly isn’t for everyone, but its size and appeal make it an exciting experience. It is unique to itself – like Disney World for adults (or at least adults with a spike of adrenaline and some expendable income).
  The bright lights and scenery draw you in. It is intoxicating in its own weird way.
  I’ve honeymooned at Mandalay Bay, I’ve gambled at Caesar’s Palace, and you better believe I’ve taken in the champagne brunch at t
  
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• Woman killed in crash, southbound I-35 reopens

  19-10-2016 11:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman in her early 20s was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 Wednesday morning. The southbound lanes of I-35 from Oltorf Street to Woodland Avenue have now reopened.
  Around 2:23 a.m. Austin Police received several calls about a rollover crash. Multiple witnesses say they saw the car speeding before it crashed into a retaining wall.
  Police believe alcohol and speed played a factor in the crash on I-35 and Oltorf (KXAN Photo/ Gigi Barnett
  
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• Woman killed in crash closing southbound I-35

  19-10-2016 11:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman in her early 20s was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 Wednesday morning closing the highway southbound from Oltorf Street to Woodland Avenue.
  It happened around 2:23 a.m. in the southbound lanes between Oltorf Street and Woodland Avenue. Austin Police received several calls about a rollover. Several witnesses said they saw the car speeding before it crashed into a retaining wall.
  Police believe alcohol and speed played a factor in the cras
  
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• Woman ejected, killed in I-35 crash

  19-10-2016 11:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman in her early 20s was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 Wednesday morning. The southbound lanes of I-35 from Oltorf Street to Woodland Avenue have now reopened.
  Around 2:23 a.m. Austin Police received several calls about a rollover crash. Multiple witnesses say they saw the car speeding before it crashed into a retaining wall.
  Police believe alcohol and speed played a factor in the crash on I-35 and Oltorf (KXAN Photo/ Gigi Barnett
  
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• Still little reporting for sports injuries as football player is hurt

  19-10-2016 05:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 14 year old is recovering Monday night after he was injured during football practice. Eanes ISD tells us the West Ride Middle School student was conscious when STAR flight transported him.
  It highlights a risk we’ve shown you before. We revisited a trauma doctor concerned that no one is keeping track of how many children are getting hurt.
  An hour after an eighth grader was injured on the football field, everything was back to normal. Just do
  
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• Family remembers Wells Branch Parkway shooting victim as a happy soul

  19-10-2016 04:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police are still searching for the suspect or suspects in a deadly shooting in Northeast Austin along Wells Branch Parkway, just east of Heatherwilde Boulevard.
  Police found 20-year-old Alexander Macias-Garcia dead behind the wheel of a car and his oldest brother with wounds laying outside the car they were driving.
  Now, the Macias-Garcia family is asking anyone who has information about their loved one’s murder to come forward.
  “He&rs
  
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• One year after condominium complex fire, some still displaced

  19-10-2016 04:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s been one year since a three-alarm fire ripped through the Dry Creek West Condominiums in northwest Austin. Three firefighters went to the hospital after the second floor collapsed. But after an investigation into what happened and several other delays, homeowners still can’t go home.
  “It’s hard for me to talk about,” said Denise Hurd, one of the displaced homeowners. “It’s not knowing, and this is your home – th
  
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• Austin homeowners still displaced one year after condominium complex fire

  19-10-2016 04:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s been one year since a three-alarm fire ripped through the Dry Creek West Condominiums in northwest Austin. Three firefighters went to the hospital after the second floor collapsed. But after an investigation into what happened and several other delays, homeowners still can’t go home.
  “It’s hard for me to talk about,” said Denise Hurd, one of the displaced homeowners. “It’s not knowing, and this is your home – th
  
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• Stinky headache sickens Bastrop County homeowners

  19-10-2016 04:03 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) ­– Some homeowners in Bastrop County say the air is making them and their pets sick.
  Michael Hill doesn’t spend a lot of time outdoors anymore at his home off of State Highway 21, about five miles southeast of the Circuit of the Americas. In fact, he says he’s grateful for the few days he can actually smell the clean air.
  “When that thing goes off, forget it,” Hill said. “It makes you gag.” Hill is referring to his neighb
  
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• Bastrop Co. neighbors sickened by spraying raw sewage

  19-10-2016 04:03 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) ­– Some homeowners in Bastrop County say the air is making them and their pets sick.
  Michael Hill doesn’t spend a lot of time outdoors anymore at his home off of State Highway 21, about five miles southeast of the Circuit of the Americas. In fact, he says he’s grateful for the few days he can actually smell the clean air.
  “When that thing goes off, forget it,” Hill said. “It makes you gag.” Hill is referring to his neighb
  
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• Trump responds to San Antonio officers wearing his campaign hats

  19-10-2016 03:33 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — The controversy over the San Antonio police officers who wore Donald Trump campaign hats has taken another turn.
  The candidate himself commented on the incident, in which 17 officers and six supervisors were punished, receiving a mix of reprimands and counseling. Calling into a San Antonio radio show Tuesday, Trump said Mayor Ivy Taylor should be “ashamed” of herself.
  Last week, Taylor said she was deeply disappointed by the officers’ lack
  
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• Hundreds of Hays Co. voters have their ballots returned to them

  19-10-2016 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Hundreds of people in Hays County who were looking to vote early by mail sent off their ballot only to have it returned to them a few days later. Hays County election officials say it’s a problem with how the post office is separating mail.
  “We’ve had just under 300 actually that we know of that were returned to people who mailed them with their voting card in it,” said Hays County spokesperson Laureen Chernow.
  On each mail-in ballot ther
  
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• West Nile neuroinvasive case confirmed in Bastrop County

  19-10-2016 01:23 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease has been confirmed in Bastrop County.
  Due to privacy concerns, the Texas Department of State Health Services cannot confirm it as the case of teenager Cody Hopkins, of Elgin, who died Oct. 9. Hopkins’ family told KXAN he died after contracting West Nile Virus. 
  “The doctors. You could see the frustration on their faces and the sadness in their hearts that they couldn’t do more for him,&rdqu
  
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• TEA rejects Turkey’s complaint about Harmony Public Schools

  19-10-2016 01:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP) – The Texas Education Agency has reviewed and rejected a complaint from Turkey alleging a charter school system engaged in employment discrimination and misused public funds.
  Harmony Public Schools has denied the Turkish government’s claims that the system has ties to a moderate Islamic cleric accused of inspiring a July military coup attempt.
  The Texas Education Agency says its review of Houston-based Harmony determined that the complaint, filed in May, was unfounded and
  
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• Travis County pushes early voting to avoid long lines at polls

  19-10-2016 00:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 470,000 people in Travis County are expected to vote in the presidential election on Nov. 8. The Travis County Clerk’s office is asking most of those voters to step up and vote early.
  “We need 30,000 people to vote early every single day of early voting in order to take the pressure off of Election Day,” explains Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir.  “If you’re one of those folks who’s already made up your mind about how yo
  
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• Career Point College students protest after school closes

  19-10-2016 00:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Career Point College students and staff took to the steps of the school Tuesday to protest the college and what they say is its lack of communication after it permanently closed its doors earlier this week.
  Students were shocked Sunday evening by the emails and push alerts they received informing them that their school would be immediately closed.
  “I’ve spent time, energy, tears in this program,” explained Sherry Flemings, a registered nurse student w
  
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• Independent DNA lab being proposed for Austin

  19-10-2016 00:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the Austin Police Department’s DNA lab remains closed until further notice, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt is bringing up the possibility of creating a local, independent lab altogether.
  The lab has been closed since June after a scathing audit found the lab was using outdated and unaccredited DNA testing methods. It could lead to thousands of requests for recalculating of mixed DNA cases and re-testing all together in some, as well as requests for new trials f
  
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• All new homes in Austin must have programmable thermostats

  19-10-2016 00:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s mid-October, the temperature is 91 degrees and your home’s air conditioning unit is still running as if it were the middle of June. When temperatures can fluctuate so wildly like they do in Central Texas, having a programmable thermostat can help you save on your energy bill.
  Since programmable thermostats are becoming more commonplace, Austin Energy amended its energy code this summer requiring all new homes have a programmable thermostat. The new code wen
  
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