Austin news

• St. Edward’s expands emergency preparedness on campus

  02-11-2016 23:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The sound of normalcy was back at St. Edward’s University on Wednesday, after an armed intruder put the school on alert the night before. It’s exactly the kind of emergency campus safety leaders have been preparing for.
  “What we’ve learned in these incidents is seconds count,” said Scott Burnotes, assistant vice president of Campus Safety. “We knew that our officers were responding, there was a risk to the campus, that there was going to
  
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• Suspect wanted for cruelty after dogs abandoned on street corner

  02-11-2016 23:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officers are asking for your help identifying the people responsible for cruelty to two dogs left on a North Austin street corner, Wednesday morning.
  One of the dogs, left in a wire crate in the 600 block of W. Croslin St., was found dead at 8:25 a.m.
  The surviving dog, a 1-year-old female Boxer or Boston Terrier mix, is recovering, but remains in critical condition. She was found wearing a brown collar with rhinestone studs.
  If you have any information on who may have
  
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• Suspect wanted for cruelty after dog abandoned on street corner

  02-11-2016 23:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officers are asking for your help identifying the people responsible for cruelty to a dog left on a North Austin street corner, Wednesday morning.
  The dog, a 1-year-old Boxer or Boston Terrier mix, was left in a wire crate in the 600 block of W. Croslin St. She is recovering, but remains in critical condition. The dog was found wearing a brown collar with rhinestone studs.
  If you have any information on who may have abandoned the dog, or if you reco
  
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• Woman gets 3 years for damaging penis during illegal surgery

  02-11-2016 23:07 via kxan.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida woman has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for damaging a man’s penis during an illegal surgery.
  The Miami Herald reports that 39-year-old Nery Carvajal Gonzalez was sentenced to 40 months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to her part in two botched surgeries.
  Court records show the victim — a man in his 50s — initially went to Gonzalez for facials but eventually agreed to illegal cosmetic surgeries on his buttocks, ch
  
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• Two suspects in Austin FaceTime robbery identified

  02-11-2016 20:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Last week, 19-year-old Gale Gerstein was chatting with his girlfriend on FaceTime when three men burst into his Austin apartment and put a gun to his head. Wednesday, two of the suspects were identified by Austin police.
  Gerstein says when he tried to open the door the men barged in and started beating him with their pistols. “They were hitting me in the head with the pistol saying ‘face down,’” Gerstein said. “Just don’t get shot, just d
  
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• VIDEO: Golfers swing at Clinton, Trump at Texas driving range

  02-11-2016 20:53 via kxan.com
  
  LONGVIEW, Texas (AP) — Stressed voters can swing at Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at a driving range in Longview where photos of the presidential candidates are displayed as targets for speeding golf balls.
  Alpine Target Golf Center in Longview has hung the portraits on round hay bales since late October. The photos show the Democrat and Republican candidates for the White House with mouths wide open, as if ready to catch a ball.
  It’s hard to tell if golf balls count as votes for
  
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• Fort Hood goes green with renewable energy project

  02-11-2016 20:32 via kxan.com
  
  FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAN) — Fort Hood in Killeen will soon be home to the Army’s first hybrid renewable energy project, which includes on-site solar panels and off-site wind turbines. This is also the Army’s largest renewable energy project so far.The solar panels will provide 15 megawatts of energy, and the wind farm will supply 50 more megawatts. On-site, the project will consist of 63,000 solar panels over 132 acres of land. The wind farm will have 20 turbines and wi
  
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• Get ready for the largest Supermoon in nearly 70 years

  02-11-2016 20:27 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Mark your calendars. On the night of Monday, Nov. 14, you’ll see the biggest moon in the sky in 70 years!
  Supermoons aren’t all that rare. They happen when a full moon makes a close pass to earth, making it appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter.
  But the supermoon on November 14 will be very rare.
  “The full moon of November 14 is not only the closest full moon of 2016, but also the closest full moon to date in the 21st century,” NASA said
  
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• Woman found on Wolf Lane in Bastrop Co. died from gunshot wound

  02-11-2016 20:12 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Police say a woman first reported to have been hit and killed by a car near Del Valle on Monday died from a gunshot wound.
  On Oct. 31 at 4:43 a.m., a passerby called authorities to report a woman lying on the road at the intersection of FM 535 and Wolf Lane.
  Arriving deputies determined the woman, identified as Amber Taylor, 28, from Paige, Texas, was dead. An autopsy conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday ind
  
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• Recent murders in Travis, Bastrop Co. could be cartel-related

  02-11-2016 20:12 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Police say a woman first reported to have been hit and killed by a car near Del Valle on Monday died from a gunshot wound.
  On Oct. 31 at 4:43 a.m., a passerby called authorities to report a woman lying on the road at the intersection of FM 535 and Wolf Lane.
  Arriving deputies determined the woman, identified as Amber Taylor, 28, from Paige, Texas, was dead. An autopsy conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday ind
  
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• Texan who refused to give up rifle during protest acquitted

  02-11-2016 19:35 via kxan.com
  
  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A North Texas man has been acquitted of disorderly conduct-related counts for refusing to give up his rifle during a protest over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black suspect by police.
  Jurors Tuesday found LaShadion Shemwell of McKinney not guilty. Arlington police in June arrested Shemwell for disorderly conduct/displaying a weapon in a threatening manner and resisting arrest.
  An attorney for Shemwell said the U.S. was founded on protests and his client was exe
  
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• Missing Pflugerville money tied to game room bust

  02-11-2016 19:33 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Cash missing from the city of Pflugerville’s police evidence room is tied to a police raid of an alleged game room that dates back more than six years, newly-released court filings show. The funds were originally seized as evidence during a joint operation in September of 2010 between Pflugerville police and the State Comptroller’s Office, a city email reveals.
  Travis County property records show at the time, a development company owned the house on
  
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• Slight lane changes for North MoPac drivers

  02-11-2016 19:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As work continues on the rest of the North MoPac toll lanes, drivers will need to get familiar with some small lane changes this week.
  Starting this week, crews will realign the southbound lanes just south of Enfield Road. The new MoPac lanes will pass over a newly constructed Express Lane underpass/exit to downtown Austin. After crossing over the underpass, drivers will be able to exit at a new Cesar Chavez/5th Street exit. The current temporary Cesar Chavez/5th Street exi
  
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• Nutty Brown Cafe won’t move to Round Rock until 2018

  02-11-2016 16:46 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Music will continue flowing from the Nutty Brown Cafe in Dripping Springs for another year.
  In August of 2015, Nutty Brown Cafe owner Mike Farr said the music venue was going to move to an 18.4-acre space in Round Rock after the 2016 season, but that date is getting pushed back to 2018.
  The venue’s current location on US 290 in Dripping Springs was purchased by H-E-B in early 2015 but the company agreed to let Nutty Brown Cafe stay until they sta
  
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• Killeen man jailed, accused of robbing 2 Williamson Co. banks

  02-11-2016 15:39 via kxan.com
  
  GEOGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A 46-year-old Killeen man is in jail accused of robbing two banks back-to-back in Williamson County on Tuesday.
  Georgetown police say Alan David Heji robbed the Capital One Bank at 1011 W. University Ave. at 9:30 a.m. Surveillance video from the bank showed the man came in with a wig on and demanded money from the teller.
  Less than an hour or so later, Round Rock responded to a robbery at the Citizens National Bank. Police say after the suspect robbed the ban
  
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• What the home of a Cowboys super fan looks like

  02-11-2016 14:18 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (KXAS/KXAN) — There are sports super fans, and then, there’s Stoney Kersh.
  He has tricked out rides in his driveway including ones named after Emmitt Smith and Mel Renfro. Underneath his football field-themed back patio there are two seats from Texas stadium.
  As you walk into his house, which is 1.6 miles away from AT&T Stadium, the entryway is covered in turf and everywhere is neatly organized Cowboys gear.
  For Kersh, it’s been 45 years in the making. He s
  
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• Documentary sheds light on toxic stress

  02-11-2016 13:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  A new film that debuted at the University of Texas takes an in-depth look at trauma and the overall effect it can have on your body.
  Resilience by KPJR Films debuted at the Blanton of Art Auditorium, Monday. The documentary looks at a biological syndrome caused by abuse and neglect in childhood, and in turn, leads to toxic stress. James Redford and Karen Pritzker explored the trauma young people face in today’s world in an effort to understand and educate people
  
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• Amber Alert issued for 10-year-old East Texas girl

  02-11-2016 13:34 via kxan.com
  
  BULLARD, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities across the state are searching for a 10-year-old girl who is missing and possibly in danger.
  The Amber Alert was issued for Kayla Gomez just after 1 a.m. from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office which is south of Tyler. KXAS reports Kayla was last seen at the First Assembly of God church along US 69 in Bullard. She was last seen wearing a black racquet and jog shirt with a peach-colored skirt.
  The suspect is driving a red Cadillac SRX. There is no
  
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• Cubs and Indians face-off in 7th and final game

  02-11-2016 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians have gone a combined 176 seasons without winning a World Series. It seems only fitting for the two clubs to send their Fall Classic to a seventh game.
  Addison Russell crushed a grand slam and the Cubs stretched the series to the limit by ripping the Indians, 9-3, in Cleveland, Russell’s blast off reliever Dan Otero put Chicago ahead 7-0 by the third inning and allowed winning pitcher Jake Arrieta to coast.
  The Cubs put together
  
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• Former nail salon owner wins $8M at World Series of Poker

  02-11-2016 13:15 via kxan.com
  
  LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) — Former nail salon owner and failed professional baccarat player Qui Nguyen has won the World Series of Poker Main Event after the longest heads-up matchup in tournament history.
  The 39-year-old in a raccoon baseball cap took the top prize of $8,005,310 and the gold bracelet on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. He eliminated San Francisco poker pro Gordon Vayo on the 364th hand of the final table.
  Nguyen was dealt a king and 10 of clubs. Vayo was down to 53 million chips
  
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• All lanes of SH 71 back open after 18-wheeler crash

  02-11-2016 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Crews have cleared an 18-wheeler that rolled over on State Highway 71 near US 183 in southeast Austin.
  Austin police say the crash happened around 3 a.m. and was blocking one westbound lane of SH 71 for several hours before it was cleared around 7 a.m. The driver was not injured in the crash.
  During the 6 a.m. hour, the traffic going westbound was backed up to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. There might be residual delays in the area, check KXAN’s Traffic Map
  
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• Police searching for driver in deadly hit-and-run in central Austin

  02-11-2016 11:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are searching for a driver who hit and killed a woman in a parking lot along Interstate 35 in central Austin Wednesday morning.
  Austin police say the crash happened around 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Capital Plaza shopping center inbetween the McDonald’s and Walgreens. It is not known if something led up to the deadly hit-and-run but a woman in her 40s was struck by the car. Austin-Travis County EMS said the woman was taken to the hospital where she die
  
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• Argument turns into deadly hit-and-run in central Austin

  02-11-2016 11:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are searching for a driver who hit and killed a woman in a parking lot along Interstate 35 in central Austin Wednesday morning.
  Austin police say the crash happened around 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Capital Plaza shopping center inbetween the McDonald’s and Walgreens. Police say the situation started as a verbal disturbance and escalated into a deadly hit-and-run.  Austin-Travis County EMS said the woman, who is in her 40s, was taken to the hospit
  
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• Suspect in ‘ambush’ style attack on Iowa officers captured

  02-11-2016 11:21 via kxan.com
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say they have captured the man believed to have shot and killed two Des Moines area police officers Wednesday morning. Scott Michael Greene, 46, of Urbandale was originally described as armed and dangerous.
  Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek says Greene was taken into custody without incident Wednesday morning in Dallas County, just west of Des Moines.
  Investigators identified Greene as a suspect as they scrambled to respond to the killings of officers in Ur
  
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• Suspect identified in ‘ambush’ style attack on Iowa officers

  02-11-2016 11:21 via kxan.com
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say they have identified a suspect in the early morning killing of two Des Moines area police officers, warning he is likely armed and should be considered dangerous.
  Police said in a statement Wednesday that they are hunting for 46-year-old Scott Michael Greene, of Urbandale. He is described as white, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 180 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. He was last known to be driving a blue 2011 Ford F-150 pickup truck with Iowa license pl
  
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• Police: 2 officers in Iowa killed in ambush-style attacks

  02-11-2016 11:21 via kxan.com
  
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines, Iowa, say two officers have been shot and killed in ambush-style attacks.
  The Des Moines Police Department said in a news release that the shootings took place early Wednesday. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at about 1:06 a.m. and found an Urbandale Police Department officer who had been shot.
  Des Moines officers responded to assist. About 20 minutes later and 2 miles away, a Des Moines officer was found shot. Both officers have
  
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• Woman dies in rollover crash on I-35 near Pflugerville

  02-11-2016 11:10 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A single rollover crash on the frontage road of Interstate 35 near Grand Avenue Parkway killed one person early Wednesday morning.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened around 2:35 a.m. on the northbound lanes of the frontage road. Austin-Travis County EMS said the driver, a woman in her 40s, died after being ejected from the vehicle.
  The northbound frontage road is closed as of 5 a.m. Tuesday.
  
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• Samsung pumps big money into its Austin facility

  02-11-2016 06:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Samsung Austin Semiconductor plans to pump more money into its Central Texas facility.
  The company says it will invest more than a billion dollars by the first half of next year. KXAN’s John Dabkovich gets some specifics on what kinds of jobs all this money will create.
  “We have a 150,000-square foot building under construction right now,” said Catherine Morse, general counsel and senior director of public affairs for Samsung Austin. “We will hire hu
  
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• TxDOT plans to eliminate stop lights from Loop 360 main lanes

  02-11-2016 06:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — TxDOT is looking at a new plan to get traffic moving on Loop 360, but the plan could take more than a decade to complete.
  One big part of the plan calls for building a series of overpasses to eliminate stop lights on the main lanes of Loop 360. Another goal: adding a lane in each direction on the iconic Pennybacker Bridge.
  Bruce Byron, TxDOT public engagement officer, said, “The whole project concept is based around dealing effectively with the public and what their n
  
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• Texas foster children need homes; state looks to faith community

  02-11-2016 05:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of children need a home right now in Texas. Wednesday, the state is hosting a summit to encourage faith-based groups to play a larger role in the foster care system. The need for foster families is so high, at-risk children are staying in hotels and Child Protective Services office buildings. 
  Last week, DPS troopers were forced to step in and help the state look for at-risk children after the head of the Department of Family and Protective Services, Han
  
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• Foster children need homes; Texas looks to faith community

  02-11-2016 05:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of children need a home right now in Texas. Wednesday, the state is hosting a summit to encourage faith-based groups to play a larger role in the foster care system. The need for foster families is so high, at-risk children are staying in hotels and Child Protective Services office buildings. 
  Last week, DPS troopers were forced to step in and help the state look for at-risk children after the head of the Department of Family and Protective Services, Han
  
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• Bastrop parents calling for crossing guard at dangerous intersection

  02-11-2016 05:11 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Parents of Lost Pine Elementary students say they’re worried a dangerous intersection nearby could cause someone to get seriously hurt.
  They say the intersection of Green Valley Drive and Tiger Woods Drive in Bastrop has no lights, no crosswalk, and sees a heavy amount of not only car traffic, but also bus traffic in the mornings.
  “In the morning, somebody is on their phone, looking and getting ready to drop off their kid and all it’s going to take
  
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• No armed subject was ever found at St. Edward’s University

  02-11-2016 02:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police never found the person who they called an “armed intruder” on the St. Edward’s University campus Tuesday night.
  Austin police say the incident started as an aggravated assault with a gun around 8:14 p.m. in the 2700 block of South Congress. The person with the weapon ran towards in the direction of St. Edward’s which is why the university sent out the alert.
  The campus was placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution, even though it appea
  
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• Armed intruder on St. Edward’s University campus

  02-11-2016 02:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — St. Edward’s University is warning students and staff of an armed intruder on campus.
  St. Edward’s Campus Safety is telling students to seek a secure location on campus. Everyone off campus should avoid the area.
  According to Austin police, who are working an armed robbery call in the area, someone off campus told them an individual pulled a gun on them. It’s believed that person may have made their way on campus. Police are working the situation and are a
  
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• ‘All clear’ after armed suspect reported at St. Edward’s University

  02-11-2016 02:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police were searching for an “armed intruder” on the St. Edward’s University main campus, Tuesday night. An “all clear” was issued at around 10:15 p.m. and students were told they can now leave all buildings.
  Additional university police officers are stationed on campus out of an abundance of caution.
  In an alert, St. Edward’s Campus Safety told students to seek a secure location on campus. At 9:30 p.m., Austin police said they
  
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• Genetic cancer testing becoming more affordable

  02-11-2016 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When actress Angelina Jolie wrote an op-ed in the New York Times in 2013 about her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy after she tested positive for the BRCA1 gene, doctors saw an influx of women turning to their medical providers to see if that test would be available to them. At the time, most companies were charging $3,000 for the blood test, which made it unattainable for some women who were uninsured or whose insurance did not cover the test.
  Fast forward f
  
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• Texas Democrats, Republicans make last minute plea to voters

  02-11-2016 02:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — As of Tuesday, we are exactly one week away from Election Day, and Texans from both parties are calling this home stretch the most crucial part of the campaign.
  Texas Democrats and Republicans aren’t wasting any time, spending the final few days reaching out to voters across the state. “This is crunch time,” Alex Jumeau, a canvasser for the Travis County Democratic Party said. “This is where it matters the most.”
  Central Texas Democrats have
  
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• Man in his 30s killed in rollover crash on Loop 360

  02-11-2016 01:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 30s has been killed in a crash on Loop 360, Tuesday night.
  Only one car was involved in the northbound crash, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Medics say the crash happened in the 100 block of Capital of Texas Highway/Loop 360, just north of Bee Cave Road.
  KXAN will update this story as we get additional information. 
  
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• New video trains emergency responders to recognize child abuse

  02-11-2016 01:37 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Williamson County EMS has put together a 43-minute training video for EMTs, paramedics, firefighters and even law enforcement. It’s more advanced than the basic training they’ve received in the past.
  The training will help emergency responders recognize more than physical injuries they’re used to seeing, but the emotional and behavioral signs of child abuse as well. About 500 first responders throughout Williamson County are expected to b
  
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• Texas election judge fired over Facebook post with slur

  02-11-2016 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — An election judge in Texas has been fired for a Facebook post that included a racial slur.
  The Dallas Morning News reports that during a Dallas County Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, Randy Smith initially told officials he didn’t remember what he had posted.
  A county official displayed an iPad in front of Smith showing comments he had made last summer that included a derogatory term for blacks. Smith then acknowledged he made the comments but asked for leniency.
  
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