Austin news

• Travis County working against the clock for Election Day prep

  07-11-2016 23:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the final countdown is underway for Election Day 2016, the Travis County Clerk’s office is busy making last minute preparations to ensure things run smoothly on Tuesday.
  Monday, the last training for poll workers was held around midday and paperwork filing continued to make sure all polling places are ready to go.
  “This is all our last minute efforts to make sure that all of our election judges in the field have all of the paperwork a
  
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• Arson suspect in southwest Austin duplex fire arrested

  07-11-2016 23:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The suspect in a southwest Austin apartment arson case on Sunday has been arrested.
  Patrick Lee Corley was arrested by the Austin Fire Department’s Investigations section, along with the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, U.S. Marshal’s Service and the Austin Police Department.
  After making threats via text message to his ex-girlfriend, Corley allegedly set fire to the apartment building, causing almost $250,000 in damages. No one was injured in the fire on Hil
  
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• 1st biker trial over 2015 Waco shootings set for January

  07-11-2016 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — A judge has set a 2017 date for the first trial over a Central Texas gunfight between motorcycle gangs that left nine people dead and more than 150 bikers charged.
  The Waco Tribune-Herald reports James Rosas of Selma faces trial Jan. 23 on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity.
  Rosas attorney Tom Clarke denies wrongdoing by his client during the May 2015 incident at a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco.
  Judge Matt Johnson set the date after Clarke said he was re
  
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• Group of Baylor supporters demand change to regents

  07-11-2016 22:35 via kxan.com
  
  Some of Baylor University’s most prominent supporters, including the billionaire businessman whose name is on the football stadium, are calling for a shakeup of the school’s board of regents in the wake of the campus sexual assault scandal.
  The months of criticism over the nation’s largest Baptist university’s response to sex assault reports led to the firing of school president Ken Starr and popular football coach Art Briles.
  The “Bears for Leadership” group
  
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• K9 Lobos busts teenager with 468 pounds of marijuana

  07-11-2016 22:30 via kxan.com
  
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — It has been a busy year for Fayette County’s most famous K9. Lobos has tracked down a missing elderly man with dementia, uncovered $50,000 in laundered money hidden in an elaborate compartment and sniffed out $6 million worth of cocaine in a traffic stop.
  On Friday, Nov. 4 at 11:48 a.m., Lobos and his partner Sgt. Randy Thumann added to their long record of trafficking busts. The duo pulled over 19-year-old Gilberto Torres, Jr., of L
  
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• Earnhardt Jr. pulled over for speeding driving to Texas NASCAR race

  07-11-2016 22:03 via kxan.com
  
  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still driving fast, even though he has been sidelined from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series because of a concussion.
  Earnhardt was pulled over for speeding while driving to Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday morning before the AAA Texas 500.
  His fiancee, Amy Reimann, who was in the car with him, posted a picture on Twitter of a police officer writing out a warning for NASCAR’s most popular driver. According to her tweet, Earnhardt didn’t g
  
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• PHOTOS: Wall collapses at a south Austin apartment complex

  07-11-2016 20:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Investigators are working to learn what caused a wall to collapse at a south Austin Apartment complex Monday morning.
  Police say around 7 a.m. someone called 911 saying an entire stone wall collapsed and damaged an AC unit at the Flagstone Terrace Condominiums off Deatonhill Drive. The Austin Fire Department was called to the scene because there was a Freon leak when the wall hit the AC unit.
  Officers are requesting a code inspector come out and investigate the bu
  
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• 3 jailed after shot rings out in Academy heist

  07-11-2016 20:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three men from San Antonio are in the Travis County Jail after police say one of them fired a shot as they fled from a shoplifting attempt Saturday at an Academy Sports and Outdoors store at Interstate 35 and HWY 183.
  Emilio Garza, Lazaro Cisneros and Adolfo Espinoza were all arrested on charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon following Saturday’s incident and are being held on $100,000 bond each.
  According to the affidavit for their arrest, Garza told an A
  
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• Austin utility worker accused of exposing himself to a minor

  07-11-2016 19:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin utility worker has been arrested and accused of exposing himself to a minor in northwest Austin on Nov. 1.
  The 16-year-old victim told police she was walking to the community mail boxes on Water Oak Lane when she was summoned by a man in a Corix Utilities vehicle. The man identified by police as Joshua James Campbell, 33, allegedly summoned the girl over to his vehicle. At first she said no, but as he continued to ask she walked over and they started talking.
  
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• Austin utility contractor accused of exposing himself to a minor

  07-11-2016 19:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin utility contractor has been arrested and accused of exposing himself to a minor in northwest Austin on Nov. 1.
  The 16-year-old victim told police she was walking to the community mail boxes on Water Oak Lane when she was summoned by a man, identified as Joshua James Campbell, 33, in a Corix Utilities vehicle. At first she said no, but as he continued to ask she walked over and they started talking.
  According to the victim, Campbell asked her four times t
  
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• Employees fend off would be ‘Batman’ robber

  07-11-2016 19:38 via kxan.com
  
  BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) — Police are asking for your help identifying a man who tried to rob Twin Liquors at Highway 71 and Bee Caves Road Saturday evening.
  The man was armed with a knife and wearing a Batman mask, police said on their Facebook page. Employees fought the man off and he ran out of the store.
  Bee Cave Police ask anyone with information about the man’s identity to call 512-767-6662. 
  
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• Killeen toddler shot, killed

  07-11-2016 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — Police say a Central Texas woman has been charged in the fatal shooting of her 2-year-old cousin as she argued with the boy’s mother.
  Killeen police say 26-year-old Shayla Dearinge of Killeen was being held Monday on a murder charge, with bond at $1 million.
  Police spokeswoman Carroll Smith says the shooting happened Saturday at Dearinge’s home when she and her aunt — the boy’s mother — got into an argument. Smith says the aunt and her so
  
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• Stepfather accused of slamming three-month-old to ground

  07-11-2016 18:52 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) — A step father is in custody accused of injuring a 3-month-old baby causing bruising, hemorrhaging, fluid collection in the brain, and a spinal fracture.
  Round Rock police were called to a home on Sept. 10 for a welfare check. Arriving officers discovered the step son of Jamie Jesse Coddington injured and in need of immediate medical treatment. The baby was transported to the Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin.
  The great Aunt of the child told police she noticed br
  
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• 3-month-old’s severe injuries lead to stepfather’s arrest

  07-11-2016 18:52 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) — A step father is in custody accused of injuring a 3-month-old baby causing bruising, hemorrhaging, fluid collection in the brain, and a spinal fracture.
  Round Rock police were called to a home on Sept. 10 for a welfare check. Arriving officers discovered the step son of Jamie Jesse Coddington injured and in need of immediate medical treatment. The baby was transported to the Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin.
  The great Aunt of the child told police she noticed br
  
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• SH 45SW construction begins this week

  07-11-2016 18:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – After exhaustive legal proceedings and years of planning, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will break ground on SH 45SW this week.
  The new, 3.6-mile toll road will connect MoPac to FM 1626 in Hays County providing enhanced access between Downtown Austin and southwest Travis and northern Hays Counties.
  “Central Texas’ natural beauty is one reason so many people relocate here, and this is one of the most sensitive environmental areas in the
  
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• Election Day deals, freebies for voters

  07-11-2016 17:37 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) – Americans will vote for our next president on Tuesday and several restaurants and businesses are offering Election Day deals and freebies to those who cast their ballot.
  Here are a few:
  Krispy Kreme: Show your “I voted” sticker at participating Krispy Kreme locations and get a free doughnut.Wear an I VOTED sticker on #ElectionDay 11/8 and get any doughnut FREE. https://t.co/vlgu5PubNW#EverybodyWins #GoVote #Ivoted pic.twitter.com/eZFWyG9Wca
  — krispykreme
  
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• Saying goodbye to Black Friday

  07-11-2016 16:39 via kxan.com
  
  SEATTLE, WA (NBC News) — Amazon, the world’s largest retailer, is among those no longer waiting for the single-day shopping bonanza known as “Black Friday”.
  They’re joining the trend of those taking part in “Black November” instead.
  “They’re taking advantage of this trend and wanting to make sure they’re engaging the consumer that’s already eager to shop for the holiday season,” notes Ana Serafin Smith of the National Retail
  
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• Should speed limits be lowered for big rigs? Officials want your thoughts

  07-11-2016 16:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday is your last chance to voice your opinion on reducing the mandatory speed limits for big rigs.
  The Department of Transportation says it could be dropped to somewhere between 60 and 68 miles per hour on highways. If passed, the proposal would only impact trucks over 26,000 pounds.
  While there are proposed reduced speeds, the exact number is still being debated. A federal study says lowering semi-truck speeds to 68 miles per hour would save between 27 and 96 lives ever
  
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• Public input asked for reducing semi-truck speed limits

  07-11-2016 16:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday is your last chance to voice your opinion on reducing the mandatory speed limits for big rigs.
  The Department of Transportation says it could be dropped to somewhere between 60 and 68 miles per hour on highways. If passed, the proposal would only impact trucks over 26,000 pounds.
  While there are proposed reduced speeds, the exact number is still being debated. A federal study says lowering semi-truck speeds to 68 miles per hour would save between 27 and 96 lives ever
  
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• Kerrville soldier among dead in Jordan attack

  07-11-2016 16:10 via kxan.com
  
  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Defense Department has identified three soldiers killed in a shooting this week outside a military base in Jordan.
  The department said Sunday that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, died Friday after the convoy they were in came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base.
  The Defense Department is inv
  
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• Missing Texas girl found dead in well

  07-11-2016 14:13 via kxan.com
  
  BULLARD, Texas (KXAN) — A 10-year-old from east Texas was found dead after an Amber Alert was issued when she disappeared last Tuesday and a family member is in custody in connection with her death.
  Kayla Gomez was the focus of a nationwide search after she went missing. Police said a tip led them to her body on Sunday just outside of Bullard, near Tyler in northeast Texas. She was found close to the First Assembly of God church where she was last seen alive.
  Smith County Sheriff
  
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• Missing Texas 10-year-old found dead

  07-11-2016 14:13 via kxan.com
  
  BULLARD, Texas (KXAN) — A 10-year-old from east Texas was found dead after an Amber Alert was issued when she disappeared last Tuesday.
  Kayla Gomez was the focus of a nationwide search after she went missing. Police said a tip led them to her body on Saturday just outside of Bullard, near Tyler in northeast Texas. She was found close to the First Assembly of God church where she was last seen alive.
  On Sunday, flowers and ribbons with Kayla’s name filled the sanctuary.
  “It
  
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• Timeline: A history of voting rights in America

  07-11-2016 14:01 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — It’s been a rough election cycle, to say the least. America’s faith in both candidates and the electoral system is seemingly at an all-time low. In actuality, voting has always been a bit of a touchy subject in the U.S.
  In fact, the process as we know it today has only existed for a few decades. 
  It has taken us 240 years (and counting), not to mention the hard work of millions of Americans throughout history, to get where we are today. That&rsq
  
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• Video: Police department honors retired officer with escort, salute as he enters hospice care

  07-11-2016 13:43 via kxan.com
  
  For app readers, watch the video here.COON RAPIDS, Minn. (MEDIA GENERAL) — An emotional video posted by Tami Serna, of Otsego, Minnesota, is going viral today.The video, shared to the “Love What Matters” Facebook page, shows the Coon Rapids Police Department offering Serna’s father, Denny Preston, a final salute.Tami shared the video, taken Monday, Oct. 24, outside of Preston’s house. According to Serna, after a long battle with cancer, Preston had made the decisio
  
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• Former Attorney General Janet Reno dies at 78

  07-11-2016 11:15 via kxan.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — Janet Reno, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, has died. She was 78.
  Reno died early Monday from complications of Parkinson’s disease, her goddaughter Gabrielle D’Alemberte said. D’Alemberte said Reno spent her final days at home in Miami surrounded by family and friends.
  Reno, a former Miami prosecutor who famously told reporters “I don’t do spin,&rdqu
  
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• Man dies in Highway 71 wrong-way crash

  07-11-2016 11:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 30’s died Monday morning after a two-car crash on eastbound Highway 71.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says the crash happened around 3:15 a.m. on the 4900 block of 71 near Navarro Creek Road, near the Nland Surf Park. A Nissan Maxima was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes when the driver collided with a Ford F-250. The Nissan driver died at the scene.
  The crash is an estimated three miles east of State Highway 130. The eastbound lanes of
  
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• Man dies in Highway 71 crash closing lanes

  07-11-2016 11:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 30’s died Monday morning after a two-car crash on eastbound Highway 71.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says the crash happened around 3:15 a.m. on the 4900 block of 71 near Navarro Creek Road, near the Nland Surf Park. The crash is an estimated three miles east of State Highway 130.
  Detours 
  EMS says a woman was taken to South Austin Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Roads are currently closed in the area, so EMS says to be
  
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• Man dies in Highway 71 crash

  07-11-2016 11:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)- A man in his 30’s died Monday morning after a two-car crash on eastbound Highway 71. Austin-Travis County EMS says the crash happened around 3:15 a.m. on 71 near Navarro Creek Road. That’s located at the Nland Surf Park. It’s about three miles east of State Highway 130. EMS says a woman was taken to South Austin Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. EMS says roads are currently closed so be careful driving in the area.
   
  
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• Free Fun for the week of November 7

  07-11-2016 09:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)- Making plans for the week? Don’t want to spend any money? Here are some ideas from our partners at Free Fun in Austin.
  Movies in the Park: The Goonies – Thursday, November 10 from 4:30-10:00 p.m. Movies in the Park is a series of free films brought to you by the Austin Parks Foundation, and presented by the Alamo Drafthouse. Pease Park Conservancy is hosting an epic season closer with a pre-show scavenger hunt. Movie begins at 7:00 p.m. Dogs, p
  
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• Prescott, Cowboys overpower winless Browns 35-10

  07-11-2016 07:02 via kxan.com
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes and kept any talk for Tony Romo unnecessary, leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 35-10 win on Sunday over the winless Cleveland Browns.
  Rookie Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 92 yards and scored twice and durable tight end Jason Witten had 134 yards receiving for the Cowboys, off to their best start since 2007.
  Prescott has won seven straight starts since losing the season opener, and with the Cowboys (7-1) leading the NF
  
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• Police investigating body found in Northeast Austin

  07-11-2016 05:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are investigating after a body was found in Northeast Austin.
  Police responded to a call at 8:53 p.m. on the 7400 block of Geneva Drive.
  There was no indication on whether the body found was of a man or a woman, or how the person died.
  KXAN has a crew on the way to the scene. We will update the story when more information becomes available. 
  
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• Police investigating after man’s body found in Northeast Austin

  07-11-2016 05:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are investigating after a body was found in Northeast Austin.
  Police responded to a check welfare call at 8:53 p.m. on the 7400 block of Geneva Drive. According to Senior Police Officer Marcus Davis, several people called APD about a person down. The person was described as a black male, approximately 20-years-old.
  When officers arrived on scene, they began performing CPR. Based on injuries found on the body, Davis said the homicide unit was caused to investigate. He
  
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• Poll watching and voter protection fight to start election day

  07-11-2016 04:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – In the last days before the election, local political parties will gear up to keep an eye on one another.  As the public’s eye has been focused on allegations of fraud and misinformation keeping people from the polls, Donald Trump continues to claim this election will be “rigged.”
  But there will be hundreds of people spread throughout Central Texas eyeing voting locations for mischief.
  The Travis County Republican Party runs a late night phone bank fo
  
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• Georgetown woman still voting at 96 years old

  07-11-2016 04:25 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Doris Griffith has cast her ballot in 19 presidential elections. She still has a newspaper from 1945 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away. Roosevelt was the first president Griffith ever voted for.
  “I just think it’s my duty to vote, ya know,” Griffith said.
  At 96 years old, the 2016 presidential election is no different. Griffith cast her ballot on the first day of early voting. Griffith and her daughter woke up early and were the f
  
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• Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hits central Oklahoma

  07-11-2016 03:32 via kxan.com
  
  CUSHING, Okla. (AP) — A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has shaken central Oklahoma.
  The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake struck at 7:44 p.m. CST, with an epicenter located one mile west of Cushing, about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
  The quake was felt as far away as Kansas City, Missouri, and Little Rock, Arkansas.
  A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern part of Oklahoma last week, with an epicenter near Pawnee.
  Scientists have linked Oklahoma’s sharp increase
  
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• Churches transform into literary temples at Texas Book Festival

  07-11-2016 03:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A “homoerotic comic book” featuring actors Chris Pratt and Nick Offerman is most likely not a standard refrain at the First Baptist Church of Austin. Likewise, the description of the boiled brain of a Native American man, during a discussion about Ethan Hawke and Greg Ruth’s graphic novel, “Indeh,” is probably not something you normally hear at First United Methodist.
  But for the two days of the Texas Book Festival, churches open thei
  
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