Austin news

• Texas A&M student tells officer she rammed his car taking topless selfie

  28-10-2016 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Police say a 19-year-old Texas A&M University student who rear-ended a squad car told an officer she was taking a topless selfie.
  Miranda Kay Rader posted $200 bond after she was charged with drunken driving and possessing alcohol as a minor.
  A police report says an officer was checking a reported disturbance when he heard brakes squeal and an SUV slam into the patrol car behind him. Rader told the officer she was taking a topless selfie of herself to Snapchat to he
  
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• Austin police look for grant money to fund officer iPhones

  28-10-2016 22:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A $5 million plan to purchase iPhones for Austin police officers did not make the final round of the city budget. Now, Austin police are looking for grant money to cover the program executives say will make an officer’s job more efficient, records show.
  “We hope at some point we’ll be able to identify funding in the future, but I don’t think the sky is going to fall,” Chief of Police Operations Brian Manley told a council budget meeti
  
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• FBI rescues 82 children in nationwide sex trafficking sting

  28-10-2016 21:44 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS(WCMH/AP) — The FBI says dozens of pimps, prostitutes and associates have been arrested under international efforts to combat underage human trafficking.
  The FBI says 239 child-sex traffickers and their associates were arrested and 82 children were rescued from Oct. 13 to 16 as part of Operation Cross Country X.
  “This is a depressing day in law enforcement,” said FBI Director Comey, “because this is the world we live in and the work we have to do.” But it i
  
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• Boil water order lifted for west Travis/Hays county line

  28-10-2016 21:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The boil water notice put in place Wednesday for some West Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) customers along the Travis and Hays county lines has been lifted. The water is now safe to drink.
  The utility said customers on either side of U.S. 290 between Circle Drive and the county line experienced low water pressure or an outage stemming from a water main break.
  The following neighborhoods were affected: Scenic Brook Estates Subdivision, Ledgestone Terrace Ro
  
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• Burnet police searching for hit-and-run suspect

  28-10-2016 20:23 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — Burnet police are seeking any information on a driver who hit a woman and took off Friday morning.
  The crash happened on Wood Street near the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District bus barn around 6:20 a.m. The victim will have to undergo surgery but police say her injuries are non-life threatening.
  Police say the suspect vehicle is a black passenger car, possibly a Chrysler 300, and was last seen in the area of the H-E-B grocery store. The vehicle may have
  
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• Burnet police have found hit-and-run suspect

  28-10-2016 20:23 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — Burnet police have found the driver who hit a woman and took off Friday morning.
  The crash happened on Wood Street near the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District bus barn around 6:20 a.m. The victim will have to undergo surgery but police say her injuries are non-life threatening.
  Police say the suspect vehicle is a black passenger car, possibly a Chrysler 300, and was last seen in the area of the H-E-B grocery store. The vehicle may have front-end dam
  
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• Excitement buzzing around Wrigley Field for Game 3 of World Series

  28-10-2016 20:04 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — For the first time in a long time a World Series game is being played in Chicago’s Wrigley Field tonight. The National League Champion Cubs are playing host to the American League Champion Indians. The clubs split the first two games played in Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
  On the mound this evening for the home team is Kyle Hendricks with Josh Tomlin going for Cleveland.
  To get around the loss of not having a designated hitter, the Indians plan on using Carlos S
  
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• Woman’s burning body found on the side of road in southeast Texas

  28-10-2016 19:47 via kxan.com
  
  BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — Investigators have identified a body found burning on a Southeast Texas road as a woman from Beaumont.
  The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Friday identified the homicide victim as 50-year-old Cordy Simmons. Officials identified Simmons through fingerprints.
  Sheriff’s officials say the body was located Wednesday night near Beaumont after a motorist called 911 to report seeing what appeared to be a mannequin or a person on fire. 12News reports the body
  
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• FBI: New Clinton emails prompt further investigation

  28-10-2016 19:41 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is telling Congress it is investigating whether new emails that may contain classified information have emerged in its probe of Hillary Clinton’s private server. The FBI said in July its investigation was finished.
  The disclosure raises the possibility of the FBI reopening the criminal investigation involving the Democratic presidential nominee just days before the election. Clinton’s campaign didn’t immediately respond.
  In a letter sent Friday t
  
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• Jennifer Lopez will lead “Bye Bye, Birdie Live!” on NBC in 2017

  28-10-2016 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — What’s the story, morning glory? Say hello to Jennifer Lopez in NBC’s forthcoming “Bye Bye Birdie.”
  NBC says the actress-singer will headline its 2017 live holiday musical. She will play Rosie, the role originated on Broadway in 1960 by Chita Rivera.
  Tony Award-winning Harvey Fierstein will write the script.
  “Bye Bye Birdie Live!” airs a year from now as the next in NBC’s annual live-musical tradition. “Hairspray Live!,”
  
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• Green means go for ATX Co-op Taxi

  28-10-2016 19:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Most people are familiar with the yellow and blue-colored taxis around town, but how about the green cabs around town?
  The green taxis are part of the new ATX Co-op Taxi, which started rolling down Austin streets this month. Earlier this year, the Austin City Council approved the fourth cab company, which joins Yellow Cab, Austin Cab and Lone Star Cab.
  ATX Co-op board member Hassan Aruri says “this is a significant change in every cab drivers life here in Austin,
  
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• Texas State issues warning after another student sexually assaulted

  28-10-2016 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Texas State University Police are investigating another sexual assault case that reportedly happened on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
  Police say a suspect has been identified in the assault at San Gabriel Hall dormitory, but they are not releasing any more information while the case is active. In September police launched another investigation into a reported sexual assault on campus at Bexar Hall.
  If you or anyone you know is sexually assaulted at Texas State you c
  
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• Free fun in Austin for Halloween weekend

  28-10-2016 16:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From a Spooktacular to two Day of the Dead festivals, here is the free fun Austin has in store for you this Halloween weekend.
  Spooktacular: Create glow in the dark art with a scientific twist. You can also explore the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum after hours in your Halloween costume. The Spooktacular is from 5 to 8 p.m. at the museum on North Congress Avenue.
  Viva la Vida Parade and Festival: Celebrate Austin’s largest and longest running Day of the D
  
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• Enjoy 80’s themed ice cream, drag show with Lick’s Birthday Bash

  28-10-2016 16:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — You have a chance to dance to some 80’s grooves while enjoying ice cream and helping a local cause.
  Anthony Sobotik joined us in the KXAN studio to discuss the Lick’s Ladies of the 80’s Birthday Bash. Sobotik is the chef and co-owner of Lick Honest Ice Creams. This year is the fifth birthday party for Lick.
  Tickets to the event are $10. All of the proceeds will go to the Hill Country Ride for Aids, which is a local charity.
  Buy tickets here 
  “We
  
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• Williamson Co. investigating possible West Nile virus case

  28-10-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A possible case of West Nile virus is currently being investigated in Williamson County. The city Health District says they are waiting for test results to come back from the Texas Department of State Health Services lab.
  On Friday night, the city of Georgetown is doing their final spraying for mosquitoes at 9 p.m. This is after a second mosquito tested positive for West Nile last week.
  The species that tested positive, Culex quinquefasciatus, al
  
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• Williamson Co. investigating possible human case of West Nile Virus

  28-10-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A possible human case of West Nile virus is currently being investigated in Williamson County. A spokesperson for the Williamson County and Cities Health District says they are waiting for test results to come back from the Texas Department of State Health Services lab to determine if the person is infected. Due to privacy reasons, the health department can’t say if the individual is a man or a woman or the person’s age.
  On Friday night, the ci
  
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• PHOTOS: Austinites having a Happy Halloween

  28-10-2016 15:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For one night a year people shed their daily looks and adopt a new identity. From princesses to cowboys, Halloween is a time to show your creative side while getting some candy.
  Send us your Halloween pictures to [email protected]. Happy Halloween Carly and their new puppy Hercules (KXAN Photo/ Tami J)7 month old Eloise at the pumpkin patch- Cinderella looking for her magic pumpkin to take her to the ball (KXAN Viewer Photo/ Abby Smith)This adorable Energizer Bunny is ready
  
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• Leander park controversy has residents upset

  28-10-2016 13:44 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — People in one Leander neighborhood are upset about a plan to add a new entrance to a local park.
  The city of Leander held a meeting Thursday night to let people who live near Lakewood park learn more about their plan. Neighbors say the plan for the park includes an entrance inside their subdivision, which they were not properly informed of.
  Leander’s City manager says the entrance would be temporary and the main entrance has not changed from the original
  
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• New officers join APD force, department still understaffed

  28-10-2016 13:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police departments is welcoming a new recruit class to its force on Friday.
  The 65 officers are from two separate cadet classes. Their commencement ceremony took place at Austin Life Church in the southwestern part of the city.
  The last time the city say a new cadet class join the force was in July. However, even with this latest class, the department is still understaffed. The department needs at least 100 officers, said Austin Police Association Presi
  
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• Have a horrifying Halloween visiting these haunted places in Austin

  28-10-2016 13:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A chill runs down your spine as you whip your head around to see that no one is there. Your heart pounds in your ears as your face becomes flushed with the titillating excitement of a scare just around the corner.
  If you want spend this spooky holiday immersed in the strange and abnormal consider checking out these haunted places in Austin.
  The Driskill (Melissa Hinkle/KXAN)Feel a thrill at the Driskill Hotel: Three loud and deliberate knocks can be heard outside
  
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• Rundberg hosting safe Trick or Treat event

  28-10-2016 12:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Halloween may not be until Monday but starting on Friday night Halloween will be in full force along Rundberg Lane between Lamar and Cameron as 24 businesses will hand out candy.
  The idea is to offer a safe place for kids and their families to trick or treat. Businesses, schools, churches, and the community will come together to continue the conversation of keeping the streets safe. Eight Austin Police officers who provide community policing to this area every day will
  
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• As crime declines on Rundberg Ln police hosting safe Trick-or-Treat event

  28-10-2016 12:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Halloween may not be until Monday but starting on Friday night Halloween will be in full force along Rundberg Lane between Lamar and Cameron as 24 businesses will hand out candy.
  The idea is to offer a safe place for kids and their families to trick or treat. Businesses, schools, churches, and the community will come together to continue the conversation of keeping the streets safe. Eight Austin Police officers who provide community policing to this area every day will
  
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• Mayor, police join to prevent hate crimes in Central Texas

  28-10-2016 05:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Steve Adler met with several groups Thursday to talk about how to prevent hate crimes in Central Texas.
  The mayor, the Austin Police Department and the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association hosted a forum.
  Mayor Adler says it’s important to recognize everything the community is doing to stop hate crimes, and look at ways to keep improving.
  “Crimes themselves are horrible enough, but it becomes horrific when somebody is engaging in a crime
  
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• Speaker of the House asks TEA to halt controversial special ed rule

  28-10-2016 05:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The leader of the Texas House of Representatives, Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, asked the Texas Education Agency to make a change to it’s controversial special education rule.
  A recent Houston Chronicle investigation found Texas schools deny tens of thousands of students from special education serves. Many in the investigation laid the blame on a TEA rule that 8.5 percent of students get services. That’s among the lowest rate int he country.
  Straus asked the agency
  
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• AISD polling locations to have extra security on hand

  28-10-2016 05:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Across the country, several municipalities have called off school on Election Day in case of any problems at polling locations. In Travis County, about 100 schools will have voting stations on campus. KXAN spoke with Austin ISD Police Chief Eric Mendez, to learn what safety precautions the department is taking locally.
  “We’re always concerned about what could occur at a polling location and so with the general election, with this election, we know that
  
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• UT Nursing students practice worst case scenarios in disaster drill

  28-10-2016 04:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin Nursing School is trying to help students know what to do if they ever face a large disaster like an earthquake.
  They hosted a mock disaster drill, pretending to treat victims after a tornado hit a large football stadium. Nursing students provided first aid.
  Social work students helped panicking victims and bystanders. They say it’s important training to maybe one day save your life.
  Taylor Critendon said, “You want to know
  
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• Most consumers not getting refunds when state cracks down on bad businesses

  28-10-2016 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas consumers file an average of 24,000 complaints a year with the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection division. The complaints range from issues with debt collectors to fraudulent companies. The Attorney General’s Office often boasts of shutting down companies and winning huge financial penalties and restitution for consumers, but a KXAN investigation reveals the AG may never actually help get your money back when you’re the victim of a scam, In fac
  
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• Emergency CPS plan calls for $1,000/month pay raise

  28-10-2016 03:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An updated emergency plan from the Department of Family and Protective Services calls for a $1,000 a month pay increase for Child Protective Services caseworkers, supervisors and program directors across the state. That brings the total close to $62 million in additional money for new staff ahead of the 2017 legislative session.
  The department submitted a plan to lawmakers to fund 550 additional front line workers to locate hundreds of unseen at-risk children.
  “A glar
  
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• Two deadly crashes caused by medical issues in past week

  28-10-2016 03:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say two fatal crashes in the past week were caused by medical issues. Neither death will be considered a traffic fatality by the police department.
  On Saturday, Oct. 22, a driver in his 60s died after crashing with a Capital Metro bus in Northeast Austin. Austin-Travis County EMS performed CPR on the driver after the crash in the 4600 block of Pecan Brook Drive in northeast Austin, but the man died at the hospital.
  A deadly crash on Airport Boulevard on M
  
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• Paxton: Texas receives $2.8 million in Hyundai, Kia settlement

  28-10-2016 02:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday that his office’s Consumer Protection Division won for the state $2.8 million of a $41.2 million multistate settlement with automakers Hyundai and Kia
  An investigation proved that the automakers misrepresented mileage and fuel economy ratings for a number of their 2011-2013 vehicles, the period in time where gas prices were at their highest.
  “Hyundai and Kia intentionally falsified fuel economy ratings in order to mislea
  
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• Mike Pence campaign plane slides off New York airport runway

  28-10-2016 02:25 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence’s campaign plane slid off the runway during a rainstorm at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Thursday, tearing up two tracks of concrete before coming to rest on a patch of grass.
  Pence told reporters that no one had been injured.
  “We can see mud on the front windows,” a calm Pence said in the press cabin about a minute after the plane came to rest. He said he felt fine.
  After a bumpy approach, the plane r
  
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• Jury finds 7 Oregon occupiers not guilty of conspiracy

  28-10-2016 01:48 via kxan.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — About 10 months after the 41-day takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a jury found 7 occupiers not guilty of conspiring to impede federal workers from doing their jobs at the refuge.
  The verdict came one day after a juror was dismissed due to concerns over his impartiality.
  Ammon Bundy’s attorney Marcus Mumford was tackled to the ground in court after arguing his client should be free to go in light of the verdict. Ammon and Ryan Bundy are still u
  
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• Pflugerville voters inundated with ballot propositions

  28-10-2016 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – This November, Pflugerville voters will head to the polling booths to cast their vote for president, mayor and a few other local issues. They will also be hit with a blizzard of ballot propositions.
  This year there are 28 propositions to vote on for those who live in Pflugerville — the second highest in the city’s history.
  While many people wait in hour-long lines during this early voting period, the hefty list of propositions adds even more time to
  
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• Pflugerville voters face flurry of ballot propositions

  28-10-2016 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – This November, Pflugerville voters will head to the polling booths to cast their vote for president, mayor and a few other local issues. They will also be hit with a blizzard of ballot propositions.
  This year there are 28 propositions to vote on for those who live in Pflugerville — the second highest in the city’s history.
  While many people wait in hour-long lines during this early voting period, the hefty list of propositions adds even more time to
  
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• Halloween forecast is the best in four years

  28-10-2016 00:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This year will feature a Halloween that, for the first time in four years, will be dry and pleasant.
  Central Texas has a history of deadly flooding on or around the holiday. Multiple moisture sources can combine from the Pacific and the Atlantic, and the passage of a cold front can force heavy rain development in our area. This setup is common in late October and again in late May.
  On top of the usual wet pattern during October, the larger global pattern has either been El
  
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• Pflugerville lieutenant subject to internal affairs investigation

  28-10-2016 00:10 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – A longtime member of the Pflugerville Police Department, Lt. Laura Wilkes, is the subject of an internal affairs investigation into unspecified allegations dating back to mid-September, KXAN News has learned.
  Lt. Wilkes remains on the job overseeing the Records Division while the process plays out, a city spokesperson confirmed. Terri Toledo also said an outside investigator was brought in last week at the request of the city manager.
  “Due to my desires t
  
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• National Weather Service criticized for moving away from local forecasts

  28-10-2016 00:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Big changes are in the works for the National Weather Service in the near future. The NWS Employees Organization says it all could be a huge mistake that could cost lives.
  The government agency is planning to go from a full to a part-time operation, while moving away from local forecasts.
  This is all part of a new “Evolve” initiative the NWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) are planning to roll out.
  Currently, any weather-rel
  
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• National Weather Service blasted for moving away from local forecasts

  28-10-2016 00:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Big changes are in the works for the National Weather Service in the near future. The NWS Employees Organization says it all could be a huge mistake that could cost lives.
  The government agency is planning to go from a full to a part-time operation, while moving away from local forecasts.
  This is all part of a new “Evolve” initiative the NWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) are planning to roll out.
  Currently, any weather-rel
  
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• Critics worry National Weather Service cuts endanger lives

  28-10-2016 00:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Big changes are in the works for the National Weather Service in the near future. The NWS Employees Organization says it all could be a huge mistake that could cost lives.
  The government agency is planning to go from a full to a part-time operation, while moving away from local forecasts.
  This is all part of a new “Evolve” initiative the NWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) are planning to roll out.
  Currently, any weather-rel
  
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