Austin news

• ‘Post-truth’ chosen as Oxford Dictionaries word of year

  16-11-2016 23:42 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Oxford dictionary editors have chosen their word of the year: “post-truth,” a term sometimes used to describe the current political climate.
  Oxford Dictionaries said Wednesday that use of the term rose 2,000 percent between 2015 and 2016, often in discussions of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and the campaign of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
  It’s often used in the phrase “post-truth politics” and is defined as belonging
  
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• Possible suspect in custody after deadly shooting at I-35 apartment

  16-11-2016 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say a man was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex on North Interstate 35.
  Police arrived to the Avesta Solano Apartments at 8800 I-35 southbound service road, near Rundberg Lane, at 2:40 p.m. The victim, described as a man in his 20s, was taken to University Medical Center by Austin-Travis County EMS where he later died.
  Officers say they have a possible suspect in custody, but are holding off in calling the death a homicide until
  
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• Police investigating suspicious death near I-35

  16-11-2016 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say they are investigating a suspicious death after they were called to Interstate 35, Wednesday afternoon.
  Police were initially called for a report of someone shot in the 8800 block of North I-35, just south of Rundberg Lane, at 2:40 p.m. The victim was taken to University Medical Center by Austin-Travis County EMS with CPR in progress. The person later died.
  Officers did not have any information available on a possible suspect.
  KXAN has a crew on the way to
  
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• Ex-child psychiatrist gets 40 years for sexual assault of a child

  16-11-2016 22:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dr. Charles Fischer was found guilty on multiple charges of sexual assault of a child, Wednesday afternoon. Thursday, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
  Fischer, 64, was also found guilty of indecency with a child by contact and indecency with a child by exposure.
  The ex-child psychiatrist was fired from the Austin State Hospital in 2011 when the accusations surfaced. His attorneys deny the allegations, saying many of Fischer’s patients suffered from &l
  
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• Ex-child psychiatrist found guilty of sexual assault of a child

  16-11-2016 22:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dr. Charles Fischer has been found guilty on multiple charges of sexual assault of a child, Wednesday afternoon.
  Fischer was fired from the Austin State Hospital in 2011 when the accusations surfaced. His attorneys deny the allegations, saying many of Fischer’s patients suffered from “sexual identity issues,” which made him a target.
  Prosecutors argue Fischer took advantage of his young, sick patients and his authority over them as their psychiatrist,
  
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• Trooper dragged by car, shoots and kills driver

  16-11-2016 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  EMIGSVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) – A 25-year-old Virginia man was shot and killed on Interstate 83 in York County after he dragged a trooper while fleeing a traffic stop, the coroner said.
  York County Coroner Pam Gay identified the driver as Rasheem Singletary, of Petersburg, Virginia, following an autopsy Wednesday.
  Gay said the cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death is homicide, but she pointed out that a coroner’s determination of homicide – or death at the
  
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• Judge says he’ll throw out pimping charges against Backpage.com CEO

  16-11-2016 20:28 via kxan.com
  
  SACRAMENTO, CA (AP) – A California judge tentatively rejected pimping charges Wednesday against the operators of a major international website that advertises escort services.
  Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman said the state attorney general’s office cannot continue prosecuting Backpage.com’s CEO Carl Ferrer and two former owners.
  Bowman set a hearing on his ruling later Wednesday before making his decision final.
  The men were charged by California Attorney
  
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• Teen found malnourished, close to death after held in basement by adoptive parents

  16-11-2016 18:55 via kxan.com
  HELENA, Ala. (WIAT) — A 14-year-old boy is gravely ill at a local hospital after being deprived of food and medical attention and kept in isolation for an extended period of time, allegedly by his adoptive parents.
  Helena police were alerted to the child abuse case early Sunday morning by Shelby County DHR who were called by a hospital after admitting a severely and chronically malnourished and dehydrated child suffering from acute respiratory distress, shock, hypothermia, hypothyroid diso
  
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• CPS advocates to testify while ’emergency funding’ in negotiation

  16-11-2016 18:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lawmakers will soon hear testimony on how Child Protective Services is failing abused and neglected children and what can be done to fix the department.
  State leaders are negotiating how much money and when the struggling agency will receive it. Last month, the Department of Family and Protective services released information on how CPS failed to see hundreds of Texas children every day where a call came in of abuse or neglect. Even more were seen by a child caseworker afte
  
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• CPS advocates testify while ’emergency funding’ in negotiation

  16-11-2016 18:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lawmakers will soon hear testimony on how Child Protective Services is failing abused and neglected children and what can be done to fix the department.
  State leaders are negotiating how much money and when the struggling agency will receive it. Last month, the Department of Family and Protective services released information on how CPS failed to see hundreds of Texas children every day where a call came in of abuse or neglect. Even more were seen by a child caseworker afte
  
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• Who needs a press secretary? President-elect doubles down on Twitter

  16-11-2016 17:11 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) — A week after becoming president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump continues to depend on social media to reach out to critics, his allies, and the world.
  During the 2016 campaign, Trump was often questioned about his decision to use Twitter to attack his rivals and question news reports. Traditionally candidates will use a spokesperson or televised press conference to shape their message, instead Trump prefers to share his 140 characters at a time.
  
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• Business leaders gathering in Austin for Global Entrepreneurship Week

  16-11-2016 16:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Business leaders and the city of Austin will take part in Global Entrepreneurship Week.
  Casey Smith, with the city’s Economic Development Department, joined us in the KXAN studio along with Matthew Pollard, the executive director of the Small Business Festival, which is happening in May.
  “There are thousands of events that happening over 160 countries, it’s really about educating entrepreneurs about how to make more money, how to grow,” said Pol
  
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• Hatchimals top list of hard-to-find toys for 2016 holiday season

  16-11-2016 16:03 via kxan.com
  
  FAIRFIELD, Conn. (WTNH) — Hatchimals are the break out toy of the season, literally.
  Manufactured by Spin Master, the interactive birdlike toy busts out of its egg and “ages” as kids take care of it, from an infant to a toddler to a little bird-like kid.
  They’re flying off store shelves. At big box stores like Target, Walmart and Toys R Us, the toy retails for around $50 but they’re nearly impossible to find.
  (Media General)When they are in stock online, there&rsquo
  
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• Suspect in HEB slashing pleads guilty, sentenced to 45 years

  16-11-2016 15:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — “I was just soaked in blood, just covered,” said the victim of a 2015 stabbing at a south Austin HEB. ” It was seven major cuts and the seventh one must have broke the blade off.”
  Her attacker, 49-year-old Edward Bennett, has plead guilty and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. The woman was leaving the HEB just after 1:30 a.m. when Bennett approached her and demanded a ride. She refused, and that’s when Bennett allegedly tried
  
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• Mayor Adler creates taskforce to ‘root out’ institutional racism

  16-11-2016 14:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Steve Adler is unveiling a plan to create a task force to address institutional racism across the city.
  The announcement will be made at City Hall on Wednesday. Adler says he recognized the issue after several high-profile incidents involving Austin police officers. Institutional racism is discrimination typically found in social groups, schools, banks and the law.
  “Violent incidents involving our police officers and communities of color are and shou
  
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• Mayor Adler creates task force to ‘root out’ institutional racism

  16-11-2016 14:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Steve Adler unveiled a plan to create a task force to address institutional racism across the city.
  The announcement was made at City Hall on Wednesday. Adler says he recognized the issue after several high-profile incidents involving Austin police officers. Institutional racism is discrimination typically found in social groups, schools, banks and the law.
  “It does not mean that we are racist here in Austin or that we have a racist society, but what
  
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• Austin Mayor creates taskforce to ‘root out’ institutional racism

  16-11-2016 14:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Steve Adler is unveiling a plan to create a task force to address institutional racism across the city.
  The announcement will be made at City Hall on Wednesday. Adler says he recognized the issue after several high-profile incidents involving Austin police officers. Institutional racism is discrimination typically found in social groups, schools, banks and the law.
  “Violent incidents involving our police officers and communities of color are and shou
  
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• PHOTOS: Car stuck in large pile of dirt on Cesar Chavez

  16-11-2016 13:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A car is currently stranded in the road after it drove over a large pile of dirt and was unable to move.
  The car is stuck in the eastbound lanes of Cesar Chavez at Guadalupe Street in downtown Austin. It is unclear how the dirt pile got on the roadway.
  Austin police are on their way to the scene.
  Car stuck on dirt pile on Cesar Chavez (KXAN Photo/ Daniel Guerrero)Car stuck on dirt pile on Cesar Chavez (KXAN Photo/ Daniel Guerrero)
  
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• New plan to fix Austin’s DNA Lab after closure due to widespread issues

  16-11-2016 13:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County leaders have a new plan to correct the widespread problems that shut down Austin police’s DNA lab over the summer.
  In a letter obtained by KXAN, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt carefully explains to the legal community, including the incoming District Attorney and Sheriff County Judge, the “major downstream effect” caused by the problems uncovered at the Austin Police Department’s DNA lab. The widespread issues at the crime lab
  
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• Pedestrian dies in I-35, 290 crash in north Austin

  16-11-2016 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are on the scene of a crash that killed one pedestrian on Interstate 35 and east Highway 290.
  Officers say all of the southbound lanes of I-35 are closed at 51st Street, just south of 290. The call came in to police around 5:55 a.m.
  The man was pronounced dead by Austin/Travis County EMS around 6:09 a.m.
  KXAN Traffic Map: Detours 
  Traffic is being detoured to the frontage road at the 290 flyover. Amanda Dugan, KXAN traffic reporter, says to avoid southbou
  
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• Pedestrian dies in I-35, 290 crash causing major morning delays

  16-11-2016 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are investigating after a pedestrian died in a crash on Interstate 35 and east Highway 290 Wednesday morning.
  All of the I-35 southbound lanes have reopened after they were shut down for several hours at 51st Street, just south of 290. The call came in to police around 5:55 a.m. and the road reopened around 10 a.m.
  The man was pronounced dead by Austin/Travis County EMS at 6:09 a.m. after he was hit by two vehicles. Police say the African-American man was cros
  
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• Pedestrian dies in I-35, 290 crash causing major delays

  16-11-2016 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are investigating after a pedestrian died in a crash on Interstate 35 and east Highway 290 Wednesday morning.
  All of the I-35 southbound lanes have reopened after they were shut down for hours at 51st Street, just south of 290. The call came in to police around 5:55 a.m.
  The man was pronounced dead by Austin/Travis County EMS around 6:09 a.m. after he was hit by two vehicles. Police say the African-American man was crossing I-35 from west to east.
  Both of the
  
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• A not-so-objective ranking of Thanksgiving dishes

  16-11-2016 12:57 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) – Full disclosure, Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday. Christmas has its flashy charms and summer holidays allow me to show off my semi-professional grilling techniques, but Thanksgiving is a day devoted to spending time with family, relaxing, stuffing your face and watching football – three of my favorite things to do! (Kidding, mom!)
  The menu sets Thanksgiving apart from every other holiday and is part of what makes it great. I love a strong, traditional Than
  
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• Cap Metro looks to eliminate route used by students

  16-11-2016 12:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Capital Metro has one bus route that runs through the Eanes ISD and Wednesday the board will look to make some changes that could impact special education students within the district.
  The stop located along Walsh Tarlton is one block from the Adult Transitional Service provided by Eanes ISD. Students use the bus every day to get to the center and it offers independence as they enter adulthood. District officials say they built the center in this area because of the bus rou
  
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• East Austin package theft caught on camera

  16-11-2016 11:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police are investigating after a package was stolen from a doorstep in east Austin.
  A viewer sent KXAN a Report It video of the crime in the University Hills neighborhood.
  The video shows a Toyota Corolla entering the driveway of the victim’s home. Someone, possibly a teenager, gets out of the passenger side and walks up the walkway to the front door.
  The car leaves the driveway, then turns around and pulls back in. The passenger took a brown package and then g
  
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• APD investigating package theft in East Austin

  16-11-2016 11:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)- Austin Police are investigating after a package was stolen from a doorstep in East Austin. A viewer sent KXAN a Report It video of the crime in the University Hills neighborhood.
  The video shows a Toyota Corolla entering the driveway of the victim’s home. Someone, possibly a teenager, gets out of the passenger side and walks up the walkway to the front door. The car leaves the driveway and then turns around and pulls back in. The passenger takes a brown package and then gets
  
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• House move blocks South Austin street for a second time

  16-11-2016 09:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)- Crews moving a house from a South Austin neighborhood Tuesday night say it took them three and a half hours to clear the same location where another house was stuck in early October. Workers were moving the house to Lockhart around 9 p.m. when wires blocked their path at the intersection of Brackenridge and East Live Oak Streets. Crewmembers got on top of the roof and used a pole called a jumper to raise the set of wires while they slowly moved the home out of the way. They w
  
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• Austin fire chief recognizes man who jumped into action

  16-11-2016 05:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — He’s exactly the kind of person you want living in your city.
  The Austin Fire Department recognized a man Tuesday who literally leaped into action when he saw smoke.
  Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr read part of a letter Bryan McLaughlin’s girlfriend wrote about the day of the fire last August. He spotted smoke coming out of an apartment complex.
  We pulled over, jumped out, and discovered that a fire had burned through the third story porch and onto the second sto
  
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• Two officers injured in South Austin dog attack

  16-11-2016 04:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin police officer was attacked by a dog while responding to an emergency call in South Austin, Tuesday evening. The dog was shot by an officer, but not killed. Another officer was injured when hit by bullet fragments.
  At 6:15 p.m., officers were called to Powell Circle, just west of St. Edward’s University, for a report of a family member being attacked by a dog. The dog turned on the officers and injured one.
  A young girl was taken to Dell Children&r
  
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• Officer, two others injured in South Austin dog attack

  16-11-2016 04:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin police officer was attacked by a dog while responding to an emergency call in South Austin, Tuesday evening. The dog was shot by an officer, but not killed.
  At 6:15 p.m., officers were called to Powell Circle, just west of St. Edward’s University, for a report of a family member being attacked by a dog. The dog turned on the officers and injured one.
  A young girl was taken to Dell Children’s Medical Center with serious, non-life threatening i
  
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• Girl and two officers injured in South Austin dog attack

  16-11-2016 04:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A young girl is recovering after being attacked by the family dog in South Austin, Tuesday. Two Austin police officers were also injured while responding to the emergency call.
  The dog was shot and killed by an APD field training officer who has been with the department for four years. Another officer, who has been out of the academy for only a month, was injured when hit by ricocheting bullet fragments.
  At 6:15 p.m., officers were called to Powell Circl
  
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• Denver first city in nation to allow pot in bars, restaurants

  16-11-2016 03:42 via kxan.com
  
  DENVER (AP) — Denver has approved a first-in-the-nation law allowing people to use marijuana at bars, restaurants and other public spaces such as art galleries or yoga studios.
  The catch: Patrons could use pot as long as it isn’t smoked and the locations would have to seek the approval of neighbors.
  Denver voters approved Proposition 300 as eight other states legalized marijuana for medical or recreational purposes last week. The Denver vote was so close that it took an entire week f
  
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• Officials: ‘Good Samaritan’ shoots man attacking deputy

  16-11-2016 02:50 via kxan.com
  
  FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a “Good Samaritan” fatally shot a man who was attacking a deputy near a southwest Florida highway.
  The News-Press reports that Lee County Sheriff’s Office says Deputy Dean Bardes was assisting Florida Highway Patrol with a crash Monday morning on Interstate 75 when 53-year-old Edward Strother nearly hit the deputy with his car. Bardes, thinking the near-miss was intentional, pursued Strother and the man eventually pulled over.
  The s
  
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• Officials: ‘Good Samaritan’ fatally shoots man attacking deputy

  16-11-2016 02:50 via kxan.com
  
  FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a “Good Samaritan” fatally shot a man who was attacking a deputy near a southwest Florida highway.
  The News-Press reports that Lee County Sheriff’s Office says Deputy Dean Bardes was assisting Florida Highway Patrol with a crash Monday morning on Interstate 75 when 53-year-old Edward Strother nearly hit the deputy with his car.
  Bardes, thinking the near-miss was intentional, pursued Strother and the man eventually pulled over.
  The s
  
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• Google releases app to digitize boxes of old photo prints

  16-11-2016 02:18 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Google wants to make digitizing your many boxes of old photo prints as easy as opening an app.
  The PhotoScan app for iPhones and Android phones will use the phone’s camera to capture an old photo in four sections and stitch them together, much like a panorama shot. Google says this approach helps eliminate glare that can mar attempts to digitize a print by simply photographing the whole photo.
  The app will make minor adjustments to restore color in faded photos and to
  
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• Dripping Springs looks to tackle drainage problems

  16-11-2016 01:58 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — After last year’s historic flood, many cities all over Central Texas realized they had a problem with their drainage system. In Hays County, major cities are combating the problem in their own unique ways.
  In the city of San Marcos, they’re preparing to split up a $25.08 million federal grant that will specifically go to projects that will prevent future flooding. In Kyle, the city is looking to charge each resident a $5 drainage fee that w
  
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• West Nile Virus may be more deadly than previously thought

  16-11-2016 01:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While West Nile Virus has been a health concern for years, there’s still a lot unknown about the disease. There’s still no treatment, no vaccine and little research on the long-term effects of the disease.
  Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have been studying the virus for years, and have uncovered a frightening trend. They followed patients in the months and years after they contracted the disease and found it can continue causing dangerous health p
  
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• Anti-racism groups pushes for changes to Confederate memorial

  16-11-2016 01:13 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of the Confederate statue on the south side of the old Williamson County Courthouse.
  The anti-racism group Courageous Conversations wants to put a plaque next to the statue addressing slavery as part of the Civil War. Members say the statue, in its current state, represents slavery.
  Currently, another plaque sits outside the courthouse referring to African-Americans as ‘pioneer settlers.’
  “I
  
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