Austin news

• Elaborately hidden $50K seized by K9 Lobos during traffic stop

  03-11-2016 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — K9 Lobos and partner Sgt. Randy Thumann, of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Canine Unit, seized 10 bundles of U.S. currency during a traffic stop.
  At around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sgt. Thumann pulled over a car on Interstate 10 in Fayette County at mile marker 661 for a traffic violation. The sergeant noticed several inconsistencies in the driver’s travel itinerary.
  After being given consent to search the vehicle, Sgt. Thumann found an
  
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• More than the Score: high school football and women’s basketball

  03-11-2016 22:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Rick Cantu from the Austin American-Statesman joins Roger Wallace on more than the score to talk high school football and UT women’s basketball.
  
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• Student removed from class for ‘Hillary for Prison’ t-shirt

  03-11-2016 21:45 via kxan.com
  
  BOCA RATON, FL (WPTV) —  A Florida high school student was tossed out of class and threatened with suspension for wearing a shirt that says “Hillary for Prison 2016” to school.
  Maxine Yeakle said she was told by Boca Raton High School administrators she did not get in trouble for wearing the shirt. Instead, she was asked to change her shirt because of the disruption it caused in class.
  She says she was told to change her shirt or go to in school suspension for the rest of
  
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• Travis County inmates training shelter dogs

  03-11-2016 21:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Inmates at the Travis County Correctional Complex are getting a new understanding of mannerisms, behavior, health and wellness through the eyes of a dog. Pups from the Austin Animal Center are coming to the complex once a week to visit with inmates who have qualified for training classes. These inmates get to have hands-on coaching with the dogs, teaching them to be house-trained, sit, lie down and walk on a leash.
  The program benefits all parties involved, accord
  
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• Woman sues veteran after she hits, kills his beloved dog with her car

  03-11-2016 21:00 via kxan.com
  
  LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) A Kentucky woman who hit and killed a man’s dog is now claiming he owes her nearly $1,000.
  The dog was a 4-year-old, 100 pound German Shepherd named Corporal Dakota Rambo Higgins. Its owner is 30-year Marine veteran and retired Colonel Ken Herrington.
  Their bond was so close, Herrington called Dakota a therapy dog.
  “”He was just a good friend, a son I never had,” he said.
  The accident happened October 29, 2015. The driver, Maggie Cassaro, is the only
  
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• Water deal moves forward between San Marcos and Kyle

  03-11-2016 19:50 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — San Marcos City Council members are moving forward with a deal to sell water to the city of Kyle. The contract will allow the city of Kyle to take up to 500,000 gallons of treated water per day.
  San Marcos has been working with Kyle since 2008, providing the city with treated water on an “as needed basis.” Jon Clack, assistant director of Public Services for Kyle, says he does not consider San Marcos as a big source of water.
  Clack says in the past tw
  
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• Austin police searching for driver who ran over 62-year-old woman

  03-11-2016 19:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — What started as a verbal argument in a parking lot along Interstate 35 in central Austin Wednesday morning turned into a deadly hit-and-run.
  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. Witnesses told police a woman, identified as 62-year-old Mary Piette, got out of her car and confronted a driver in another car.
  The driver, along with his two passengers, got out o
  
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• VIDEO: Deputies training get instant real world experience when plane crashes

  03-11-2016 19:29 via kxan.com
  
  SEMINOLE COUNTY, Florida (NBC News) – Sheriff’s deputies in Florida were training on a driving track Wednesday when they noticed a single engine airplane flying low.
  Instructors with the sheriff’s office heard the plane’s engine begin to sputter and noticed the plane descending rapidly.
  They quickly ordered everyone off the driving track to clear for a possible emergency landing.
  The sheriff’s Alert One flight crew captured the video as the plane landed and the
  
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• Man shot, killed during south Austin fight identified

  03-11-2016 19:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 20-year-old man who was shot and killed during a fight in south Austin early Sunday morning has been identified as Jacob Camacho.
  Austin police say they responded to the 1200 block of Armadillo Road just before 1 a.m. for shots being fired. Witnesses told police a white vehicle was speeding up and down the street when he hit several parked cars and a pedestrian. The driver, identified as Camacho, then crashed into a tree. Police say Camacho and his passengers got out
  
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• Police: Fake cop targeted Hispanic men in north Austin

  03-11-2016 18:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who police say dressed up like a cop and went around specifically targeting and robbing Spanish-speaking Hispanic men in north Austin is now in custody. According to an arrest affidavit, authorities were able to connect 35-year-old Harold McClain to three robberies, that all occurred at the end of May, through fingerprints he left on a gift card he was trying to steal.
  The first robbery happened on May 23 in the 10000 block of North Lamar Boulevard. The victim told po
  
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• Police: Naked man drove with wires attached to penis

  03-11-2016 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Police say a South Florida man was caught naked driving slowly through a neighborhood with children in it. They found he had electrical wires protruding from his penis.
  News outlets report 56-year-old Kurt Jenkins faces lewd and lascivious exhibition, exposure of sexual organs and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence charges.
  A Boynton Beach police report shows a witness Monday said the naked man, identified as Jenkins, drove by him, gesturing for
  
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• Burglars ransack, then have sex, at Houston woman’s new home

  03-11-2016 18:15 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston woman says a surveillance camera at her new condo shows a female burglar accompanied by a male partner had sex on her bed and that the female thief tried on her clothes and left wearing her lingerie.
  Trisha Magee says the burglary duo also fled with jewelry and purses after spending about three hours ransacking her place just a day after she moved in.
  Magee said she’s horrified and disgusted. She says the female burglar treated her closet “like her own
  
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• Teen killed in crash receives posthumous diploma from Manor ISD

  03-11-2016 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — The family of a Manor Excel Academy student who died in a car crash last year accepted a posthumous diploma on his behalf Thursday morning.
  Lance Thomas, 17, died on Nov. 3, 2015 when he crashed his car on US 290 near Harris Branch Parkway. Thomas was a former Manor High School student who was a senior at Manor Excel High School at the time of his death. The district says Thomas played both football and basketball while at Manor High.
  To remember the one-year ann
  
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• Lawsuit targets school bus camera tickets in 2 Texas cities

  03-11-2016 17:16 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — A lawsuit contends that two Texas cities are illegally using cameras to ticket drivers alleged to have ignored extended stop arms on school buses, arguing that among other issues, the state Legislature hasn’t authorized cities to take such action.
  The recently filed lawsuit says Texas law already has a criminal penalty for ignoring school bus stop arms. It says local authorities can’t enact a conflicting ordinance without authorization. The lawsuit says Dallas and
  
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• PHOTOS: Cubs fans celebrate World Series victory!

  03-11-2016 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  Cubs fans celebrate historic World Series victory Chicago Cubs fans celebrate in front ofWrigley Field in Chicago on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, after the Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7 of the Major League World Series in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)Chicago Cubs fans Ricky Urbina Jr. and Ricky Urbina Sr. Celebrate during a watch party after Game 7 of the baseball World Series between the Indians and the Chicago Cubs, outside Progressive Field, early Thursday, Nov. 3, 20
  
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• Texas politicians making waves one week before Election Day

  03-11-2016 14:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the presidential race makes its way to the finish line, Texas politicians are making their voice heard on who they want sitting in the Oval Office.
  Texas Tribune’s Alana Rocha joins KXAN News Today to talk about all that happened in Texas politics this week. The biggest scandal? Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s Twitter account tweeting out an obscene word to describe Hillary Clinton. His office said it was an accident and apologized for the tweet.
  Congre
  
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• 19-year-old charged with murder after tip leads police to skeletal remains

  03-11-2016 14:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Skeletal remains that were found in southeast Travis County over the weekend has been identified as a man who was reported missing in mid-July.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says on Oct. 25, detectives received a tip indicating that 33-year-old Paul Michael Longoria, of Creedmoor, was murdered and his remains could be found in a wooded area off Maha Loop. Five days later, TEXSAR cadaver dogs discovered a rolled-up tarp, which contained human remains, underneath a
  
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• Seminar takes on science behind distracted driving

  03-11-2016 12:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Scientists say the answer to texting while driving may be locked in the brain. A Texas Department of Transportation seminar Thursday is designed to explore the issue of distracted driving.
  “[Our] goal is to educate people about the dangers of distracted driving,” said TxDOT Spokeswoman Kelli Reyna. “One out of every five crashes in Texas is due to distracted driving. We are trying to get the message out.”
  The seminar will also focus on how science a
  
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• Seminar looks at ideas on how to prevent distracted driving

  03-11-2016 12:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Scientists say the answer to texting while driving may be locked in the brain. A Texas Department of Transportation seminar Thursday is designed to explore the issue of distracted driving.
  “[Our] goal is to educate people about the dangers of distracted driving,” said TxDOT Spokeswoman Kelli Reyna. “One out of every five crashes in Texas is due to distracted driving. We are trying to get the message out.”
  The seminar will also focus on how science a
  
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• San Marcos holds town hall to address policing and race

  03-11-2016 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — In order to have an open and frank dialogue about policing and race relations, the city of San Marcos along with Hispanic leaders are holding a community town hall Thursday evening.
  “Trust and open dialogue is an essential element in the relationship between the police department and the community,” said San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp. “We hope these conversations will build upon our current foundation of mutual respect between our departme
  
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• NATO says 2 US service members killed in Afghanistan

  03-11-2016 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP/KXAN) — NATO says two U.S. service members have been killed and two others have been wounded fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province. NATO made the announcement in a statement on Thursday.
  The coalition says the “service members came under fire during a train, advise and assist mission with our Afghan partners to clear a Taliban position and disrupt the group’s operations in Kunduz district” in the province of the same name.
  NATO
  
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• About 3,000 drivers using MoPac toll lane every weekday

  03-11-2016 12:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The people behind the MoPac Improvement Project says the new toll lane that opened in mid-October is helping move some people faster.
  A spokesperson for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority says in general, about 3,000 drivers are using the northbound toll lane between Ranch to Market 2222 to Parmer Lane every weekday. During normal peak hours from about 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. the agency is processing about 800 vehicles per hour.
  Due to a crash on the nor
  
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• Cubs win 1st Series title since 1908, fans rejoice

  03-11-2016 11:10 via kxan.com
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series championship since 1908 when Ben Zobrist hit a go-ahead double in the 10th inning, beating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in a thrilling Game 7 delayed by rain early Thursday.
  Lovable losers for generations, the Cubs nearly let this one get away, too. All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman blew a three-run lead with two outs in the eighth when Rajai Davis hit a tying homer.
  But the Cubs, after tormenting their fans one more time, came rig
  
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• Student Mental Health Conference in Williamson County

  03-11-2016 09:24 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN (KXAN)- Thursday and Friday, child behavioral experts and psychologists will be talking about the mental health of children in Williamson County schools. The 6th annual Mental Health in Schools Conference is titled “Revisiting the Three Rs: Relationships, Respect and Resilience”. The meetings will focus on preventing bullying, how to discipline a student by resorting them rather than just punish them as well as intervening when students suffer trauma outside of s
  
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• Gas rates, AFD female locker rooms on council agenda

  03-11-2016 08:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin City Council is expected to discuss several big items at this week’s meeting.
  Agreement with Dallas County for forensic services
  There’s a backlog of DNA that needs to be tested, so the city is turning to Dallas County for some help. Council members will decide whether to authorize a 12-month interlocal agreement with Dallas County, acting through the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences at Dallas, for forensic services not to exceed $1,600,000
  
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• City council grants permission for shelter to sterilize animals on first visit

  03-11-2016 08:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City council voted to let the animal shelter spay or neuter cats and dogs the first time they show up at their door.
  Sterilization of Austin Animal Shelter animals – APPROVED AS AMENDED 
  The ordinance is designed to help lower the number of stray pets you see on the street and alleviate overcrowding at the Austin Animal Center, aiding the city’s “No Kill” policy. This resolution asks the city manager to amend the city code and allow the ani
  
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• Police chiefs, community leaders discuss racial profiling

  03-11-2016 05:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several community leaders and police chiefs got together to discuss racial profiling, Wednesday night.
  The forum was held at the Carver Museum in East Austin. It covered filing complaints and how to move forward as well as how to bring people together.
  “We never stop working together collaboratively and we work constructively, not destructively,” Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said.
  Austin Mayor Steve Adler, along with other police chiefs and sheriffs
  
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• Travis County DA candidates promise change, trust in new admin.

  03-11-2016 02:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Both candidates in the race for Travis County district attorney are faced with the task of convincing voters that, if elected, the integrity of the office will be restored.
  Democratic candidate and front runner in the historically Democrat position, Margaret Moore, told KXAN it is her number one priority. “Clearly, the number one mission for a new district attorney here in Travis County is to restore the public’s confidence in the office,” said M
  
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• Open for only a month, NLand surf park closes for repairs

  03-11-2016 02:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Neighbors of a new surf park outside Austin say the park is making waves next door, spilling water into their neighborhood. On Monday, the park said they were closing for a week after finding damage under the lagoon. The park, which opened Oct. 7, says they will drain the lagoon and then make repairs.
  The Austin Watershed Protection Department confirmed a release of water from the park spread onto nearby property.
  “The Watershed Protection Department Spills Team inves
  
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• Two injured as car crashes through farmer’s market in Wimberley

  03-11-2016 01:39 via kxan.com
  
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — First responders are at the scene of a major crash at a farmer’s market in Wimberley, Wednesday evening.
  The crash happened at Ranch Road 12 and River Road at around 4:38 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Two people were taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries. One of those injured was airlifted from the scene. A witness at the scene tells KXAN the car accelerated through one of the market booths.
  
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• Texas church groups hope to stem foster parent turnover

  03-11-2016 01:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — High turnover plagues many aspects of the Texas foster care system as thousands of abused and neglected children wait for homes in Texas.
  The Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services, a faith-based child placement agency, says half of foster parents nationwide quit after the first year, 75 percent by the second year.
  Kayla and Ryan North have taken on 30 foster children in their life, now they have six kids in the house. “It’s like going from m
  
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• EPA, UT announce project to help with water quality and flood concerns

  03-11-2016 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Flooding concerns are no stranger to those in Central Texas. However, another issue that can arise with flooding are problems within the storm drainage system and the impacts that could have on our water quality. A new water research grant could have the University of Texas playing a big role in better addressing those issues in the future.
  A $3.9 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency has recently been awarded to the Cockrell School of Engine
  
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• Small police departments get much needed active shooter training

  03-11-2016 00:49 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – A new law signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year will help police departments with little funding train for big events like active shooter situations.
  The bill was pushed forward by Senator John Cornyn and Congressman John Carter. On Wednesday Carter had the chance to see some of the training these departments could receive in action.
  “It’s impressive. We have a little range out there in Temple that has a tire house with two rooms in it an
  
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• As son was dying in hot car, man sent teen sex texts

  03-11-2016 00:10 via kxan.com
  
  BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man swapped sexual text messages with a teenage girl while his toddler son sat dying in the back seat of the father’s sweltering SUV, his young texting partner testified in court Friday.
  Jurors at the trial of Justin Ross Harris also watched police video Friday of Harris just a few hours after his 22-month-old son, Cooper, died. In a police interrogation room, Harris and his wife discuss having more children. Before that, Harris tells detectives: &ldqu
  
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