Austin news

• H-E-B recalls baby food cups after finding rubber pieces in container

  18-11-2016 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — H-E-B announced a precautionary recall Friday of its entire H-E-B Baby Food 2 pack 4 oz. cups.
  The grocery store company removed the products from their shelves out of an abundance of caution due to a customer report of a small piece of rubber found inside a single container.
  H-E-B says there have been no reports of injuries or illnesses associated with the “isolated incident.”
  “Though we have only received one report of a foreign material in H-E-B Ba
  
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• Texas electoral college member harassed for backing Trump

  18-11-2016 23:33 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS, TEXAS (NBC News) – The presidential election isn’t officially over until the electoral votes are cast in mid-December, and that includes the 38 votes from Texas.
  Many Texas electors are facing mounting pressure to not vote for Trump, some even receiving death threats.
  Long after his Fort Worth law office has closed, Alex Kim is still answering emails. “It’s constant,” Kim said. His inbox isn’t full of client requests.
  He’s actually responding to
  
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• Pedestrian hit, killed by two cars on I-35 identified

  18-11-2016 23:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The man killed while trying to cross Interstate 35 early Wednesday morning has been identified.
  James Arthur Gantt, 61, was hit by two cars near 51st Street, just south of U.S. 290. All of the southbound lanes of I-35 were closed for several hours following the incident. Police were called to the scene of the crash at 5:55 a.m.
  Gantt was pronounced dead by Austin-Travis County EMS. Both of the drivers stayed at the scene of the crash.#atxtraffic: TRAFFIC ! SB traffic i
  
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• Woman hit, killed while crossing U.S. 290 in Elgin

  18-11-2016 22:48 via kxan.com
  
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A woman killed while crossing U.S. 290 in Elgin Thursday night has been identified.
  Elgin Assistant Chief Phillip Taylor says Christy Ann Massingill, 44, of Elgin and Manor, was found lying in the ditch on the north side of the 300 block of U.S. 290, near West Cleveland Street, with injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle.
  Elgin Fire and EMS responded to the scene and a justice of the peace pronounced the woman deceased. A witness said Massingill was trying to
  
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• Trump agrees to $25M settlement to resolve Trump U lawsuits

  18-11-2016 22:34 via kxan.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to a $25 million settlement to resolve three lawsuits over Trump University, his former school for real estate investors.
  The deal announced Friday by New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman would settle a lawsuit he filed three years ago, plus two class-action lawsuits in California filed on behalf of former Trump University students.
  The suits allege that Trump University failed to deliver on its promise to teach success
  
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• 24 years later, mom, boyfriend charged with kids’ murders

  18-11-2016 22:25 via kxan.com
  
  GENEVA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A woman and man are accused of intentionally setting fire to a Bangor-area apartment nearly 24 years ago, killing the woman’s two young children.
  Krysta McFadden and Clint Dunning each face two counts of open murder in the deaths of 3-year-old Robert Rainey and 5-year-old Amber Rainey.
  On Nov. 29, 1992, McFadden’s apartment home in Geneva Township burned down. Robert’s body was found in the apartment after the fire. Amber was rescued from t
  
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• Get ready, it’s going to be a bad cedar season

  18-11-2016 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cedar is notorious for being one of Central Texans’ worst allergens, and the upcoming cedar season could possibly be “the worst we’ve ever seen,” according to a local allergist with more than 30 years of experience in the field.
  Dr. Robert Cook with Central Texas Allergy & Asthma says this year’s cedar season has actually been two years in the making. Last year, Central Texas finally emerged from a half-decade drought, but tr
  
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• Approaching cedar season could be ‘worst we’ve ever seen’

  18-11-2016 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cedar is notorious for being one of Central Texans’ worst allergens, and the upcoming cedar season could possibly be “the worst we’ve ever seen,” according to a local allergist with more than 30 years of experience in the field.
  Dr. Robert Cook with Central Texas Allergy & Asthma says this year’s cedar season has actually been two years in the making. Last year, Central Texas finally emerged from a half-decade drought, but tr
  
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• Texas easily handles Eastern Washington to improve to 3-0

  18-11-2016 21:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Three wins in seven days was just about the perfect start to the season for No. 23 Texas’ new starting lineup.
  The rest of the schedule promises to be much more challenging. And it starts right away, far away from the comforts of home.
  Tevin Mack scored 19 points and Texas rolled to an easy 85-52 victory over Eastern Washington on Thursday night as the Longhorns started smoothing out the rough edges in their 3-0 start.
  “Now the question is, ‘Can we go
  
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• ‘Text neck’ could lead to permanent damage

  18-11-2016 20:59 via kxan.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – If you’re looking down at your phone, you may want to put it down at least for this story.
  You’re causing something called text neck, it’s a real thing, and could lead to permanent damage in your spine. The scary part is, it’s happening to younger and younger kids.
  It can be hard to take your eyes off a glowing screen reading, playing a game, or writing a message to your friend, but all that time you spend hunched over looking down is hurting
  
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• Dying girl convinces judge to let body be frozen until cancer cured

  18-11-2016 20:01 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) – The teenage girl’s instructions were direct: She didn’t want to be buried, but to be frozen – with the hope she can continue her life in the future when cancer is cured.
  “I want to live and live longer and I think that in the future they may find a cure for my cancer and wake me up,” the 14-year-old wrote to a British judge before her recent death.
  She said “being cryo-preserved gives me a chance to be cured and woken up – even in hun
  
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• Michelle Obama gives Austin program award for student achievements

  18-11-2016 19:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin Mexic-Arte museum received a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award on Tuesday from first lady Michelle Obama.
  The museum was recognized for its “Screen it” program, which introduces students to screen printing, mentor-ships and how to make academic achievements. The arts program allows students to learn about screen printing within the Mexican-American community.
  “We really hope that this award will increase the visibility of this pro
  
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• Hearing examines Lockhart air balloon crash that killed 16

  18-11-2016 19:08 via kxan.com
  
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — A hot air balloon ride took a deadly turn when it crashed killing everyone on board. 
  Federal regulators in Washington D.C. want to take a closer look at the hot air balloon crash that killed 16 people near Lockhart this summer. The hot air balloon crashed after hitting high voltage power lines killing every single passenger including the pilot.The National Transportation Safety Board announced that they will hold an investigative hearing on Dec. 9.&
  
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• Teary-eyed Acevedo says goodbye

  18-11-2016 17:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A day following the announcement he would be taking a new role as chief of police in Houston, current Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo addressed the media and Austinites saying APD has never quit moving forward.
  “My goal when I got here was to be here for 10 years,” Acevedo said. The Austin Police Department was very much like the City Austin, “it had not realized it hadd grown from a midsized…sleepy police department to a major city’s police d
  
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• EXCLUSIVE: City could fast-track hiring for Austin police chief

  18-11-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Steve Adler shared new information with anchor Sally Hernandez on the process of hiring a new police chief on KXAN News. Art Acevedo announced on Thursday that he has accpeted a new job as the head of the Houston Police Department. 
  The Mayor says hiring a City Manager first is key before hiring a new Police Chief to ensure a cohesive relationship. That is because the Police Chief answers directly to the City Manager.
  The search for a City Manager is still
  
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• EXCLUSIVE: Brian Manley named as interim Austin Police Chief

  18-11-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a press conference about the news of Art Acevedo leaving the Austin police department Elaine Hart has announced Chief Brian Manley as the interim police chief.
  Art Acevedo announced on Thursday that he has accepted a new job as the head of the Houston Police Department. 
  Austin Mayor Steve Adler shared new information with anchor Sally Hernandez on the process of hiring a new police chief on KXAN News. The Mayor says hiring a City Manager first is key before hiring
  
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• Brian Manley named as interim Austin Police Chief

  18-11-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a press conference about the news of Art Acevedo leaving the Austin police department City Manager Elaine Hart has announced Brian Manley as the interim police chief.
  Art Acevedo announced on Thursday that he has accepted a new job as the head of the Houston Police Department. 
  “To the community I’m not going to be Art Acevedo,” said Manley. “Although I can’t be him in personality I am committed to being him in the passion for this job.
  
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• LASA High School students robbed at gunpoint near campus

  18-11-2016 15:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three students were robbed at gunpoint near the LASA High School campus on Thursday afternoon.
  The aggravated robbery happened around 4:30 p.m. less than one mile away from the school at the Crystal Brook Drive and Purple Sage Drive intersection. The students were released by the suspect and able to flag down an AISD police officer who was passing by.
  The suspect was immediately detained by the officer who found the handgun used to rob the students. All of the items taken f
  
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• 3 students robbed at gunpoint near LASA High School campus

  18-11-2016 15:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three students were robbed at gunpoint near the LASA High School campus on Thursday afternoon.
  The aggravated robbery happened around 4:30 p.m. less than one mile away from the school at the Crystal Brook Drive and Purple Sage Drive intersection. The victims told police the suspect, 17-year-old Kelvin Holmes, approached them and demanded they give him marijuana. When the victims said no, the affidavit states, the suspect took a gun out of his pants and pointed it at the stu
  
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• TSA airport travel tips to avoid holiday headaches

  18-11-2016 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — The holidays mean fun and family, but for many Americans, it also means traveling. Airlines for America projects more than 27 million people will fly on U.S. airlines during the Thanksgiving travel period, up 2.5 percent from last year.
  To make things as easy as possible for your trips through airports this holiday season, follow these tips from the Transportation Security Administration.
  Arrive at least two hours early
  The TSA suggests you arrive at least two hours befor
  
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• How the concept of giant parade balloons got off the ground

  18-11-2016 15:09 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — From Felix the Cat to Snoopy and SpongeBob, countless fictional icons have floated across some of America’s most popular roadways. But an American parade tradition actually started with a German immigrant with a passion for puppeteering and an eye for entertainment.
  Anthony Sarg, known professionally as Tony Sarg, is widely credited with developing the prototypes for one of America’s proud parade traditions. Sarg, of German descent, moved stateside with his wi
  
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• Trump said to pick Sen. Jeff Sessions for AG

  18-11-2016 14:11 via kxan.com
  
  U.S. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is offering the post of attorney general to Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, one of the Trump’s closest and most consistent allies.
  That’s according to a senior Trump official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the conversation.
  The official on Friday wouldn’t say whether Sessions had accepted the job, which left open the possibility that the arrangement was not finalized.
  Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump and
  
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• Trump offers Flynn national security adviser job

  18-11-2016 14:03 via kxan.com
  
  U.S. (AP) — Donald Trump has offered retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn the job of national security adviser.
  That’s according to a senior Trump official. The official wouldn’t say whether Flynn has officially accepted the job. Flynn has been a close adviser to Trump throughout the presidential campaign and has worked with him on national security issues during the transition.
  The national security adviser does not require Senate confirmation. The job is based in the White House an
  
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• 8th grader paddled for allegedly writing ‘Trump’ on chalkboard

  18-11-2016 13:53 via kxan.com
  
  CHILDERSBURG, Ala. (WIAT) — “I don’t have a problem with paddling, I signed the consent form, it just needs to fit the crime,” said Troy Stephenson, a parent of the student who was paddled for allegedly writing the name ‘Trump’ on his classroom chalkboard.
  His son’s teacher had given class assignments to the students to pay close attention to the presidential election, but that teacher was not happy when his son wrote the president’s elect&rsq
  
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• Final vote to be made on ‘racist’ Mexican-American studies textbook

  18-11-2016 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A final vote will be made on Friday from the State Board of Education on the controversial history textbook about Mexican-Americans.
  The textbook, which has been called “racist,” is expected to be voted down after a committee of educators found more than 400 factual errors. On Wednesday, the board took a preliminary vote and every board member said “no.”
  Education leaders discuss controversial Mexican American heritage textbook (KXAN Photo/ Todd Bail
  
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• Final vote rejects ‘racist’ Mexican-American studies textbook

  18-11-2016 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A final vote from the State Board of Education has rejected the controversial history textbook about Mexican-Americans in a 14 – 0 vote.
  The textbook, which has been called “racist,” was voted down after a committee of educators found more than 400 factual errors. On Wednesday, the board took a preliminary vote and every board member said “no.”
  Protesters rally to keep the controversial Mexican-American Heritage textbook out of Texas classrooms
  
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• VIDEO: Leander SWAT team takes on the #MannequinChallenge

  18-11-2016 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — The Leander SWAT team took the #MannequinChallenge to the next level with the daring video of them hanging off a bridge.
  The members of the Central Texas Regional SWAT team captured video of them suspended in the air while rappelling.
  If you have been living under a rock and missed the latest viral video challenge, the #MannequinChallenge is  where participants freeze in place in what looks like a still video.
  Leander SWAT team takes on the Mannequin Challenge
  
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• Suspect escapes after lengthy SWAT standoff in Round Rock

  18-11-2016 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Round Rock police are searching for a man who was at the center of a SWAT stand off Thursday night.
  It happened at a home on the 1100 block of McNeil Road, a mile north of the 45 toll road. Police say they got a 911 call just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday night that a man had fired a gun near a family member.
  Officers believe the man ran to the home on McNeil. After a four hour long standoff, police went into the house and found it empty. The situation was over by 11
  
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• PHOTOS: Time picks 100 most influential images of all time

  18-11-2016 06:00 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A single drop of milk. A newborn baby. The ravages of war and terrorism. The defiance of those who protest and the fear of those entrapped.
  All are included in a multimedia project featuring Time magazine’s most influential images of all time , released Thursday through a new book, videos and a website.
  Many of the photos or frames from films are familiar, engrained in the collective conscious, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Falling Man,” taken on 9
  
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• Uber proposes optional fingerprinting structure to Austin city leaders

  18-11-2016 05:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Uber says they could be operating in Austin again either right before the legislative session reconvenes in January, or right after the sessions ends. The company left Austin in May over objections to the city’s fingerprinting requirement.
  That’s what Uber’s Public Affairs Lead for Texas, Trevor Theunissen, told KXAN Thursday night before a Q&A in downtown Austin for riders and drivers.
  The gathering at The Ginger Man, hosted by KUT, the Austin Mo
  
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• Round Rock ISD board moves ahead with new school boundary lines

  18-11-2016 05:34 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — In front of a standing room-only meeting with anxious parents, Round Rock ISD board members decided to move forward with new school boundary lines. The vote was unanimous, 7 – 0.
  Eight hundred students will head to a new middle school next year, following the unanimous vote. Pearson Ranch Middle School will open its doors to students fall 2017. It is the district’s 11th middle school.
  The school is currently under construction in the Avery Ranch
  
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• Crime rates down under Chief Acevedo’s watch

  18-11-2016 05:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Austin begins the search for a new police chief, KXAN took a look at safety moving forward, digging into crime statistics from the last nine years under Chief Art Acevedo’s watch as he prepares to head to Houston. We found crime rates have dropped significantly.
  According to APD data, robbery burglary and theft cases are all down from 2007-2015 overall. Robbery and burglary cases are down close to 40 percent. That’s despite a population growth of cl
  
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• Detroit utility executive tapped to be next Hutto city manager

  18-11-2016 03:48 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — Hutto City Council has announced Odis Jones as its next city manager. Jones comes to Hutto from Detroit, Michigan, where he served as CEO of the Public Lighting Authority, responsible for the reconstruction of the city’s power and street lighting grid.
  Mayor Doug Gaul lauded Jones as an expert in expanding local economies. “Hutto will benefit greatly from his leadership and knowledge of development, finance and infrastructure,” the mayor said.
  Hutto&
  
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• New voices continue to shake Rodney Reed case

  18-11-2016 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Rodney Reed’s death-row case is 20 years old, but new individuals related to the trial continue to come forward with concerns about the verdict.
  A Bastrop jury sentenced Reed to death for the 1996 rape and strangulation murder of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. Reed has always maintained his innocence. Over the years, Reed’s defense has repeatedly brought pieces of new evidence to light, including forensic analysis and witnesses that appear to undermine the s
  
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• 26 percent drop in veteran homelessness in Texas this year

  18-11-2016 03:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Veteran homelessness is down by more than a quarter in Texas, according to new numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
  The agency, headed by former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, said there has been a 34.2 percent decline in overall homelessness in the state since 2010. In August, the city of Austin announced they accomplished their task of housing all homeless veterans, after Mayor Steve Adler took the challenge of finding homes for about 200 v
  
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• San Antonio students condemned for ‘mock assassination’ of Trump

  18-11-2016 02:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A “mock assassination” at a San Antonio high school is being condemned by parents and drawing calls for the suspension of the students involved.
  The San Antonio Express-News reports the incident happened at John Marshall High School during a skit entitled, “The Assassination of Donald Trump,” when a student pretended to shoot another student playing the president-elect.
  While the teacher has apologized and the two sophomore students were reprima
  
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• Six chiefs who could temporarily take over APD

  18-11-2016 02:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Who will lead the Austin Police Department in the interim after Art Acevedo leaves? 
  Interim City Manager Elaine Hart says we could know as soon as Friday or next week.
  As for beginning the search for a full-time chief, Hart says there’s the matter of finding her replacement. Soon she will recommend to council the city not hire a new police chief until a new city manager has been chosen. And that search has just begun, meaning it could be as long as a year before
  
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• San Marcos CISD looks at changes to bilingual program

  18-11-2016 01:36 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – School leaders say students who speak two languages when they graduate high school have a higher chance of being successful. In San Marcos, the school district said a new dual language program could set their students up for that path.
  “The research shows that students who are bi-literate, meaning that they can write, read and speak in multiple languages, are academically successful and they are given additional enrichment opportunities throughout their cur
  
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• The impact of Chief Acevedo’s departure on race relations

  18-11-2016 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After learning of Chief Art Acevedo’s departure from Austin, activists and grassroots organizations who’ve been working with him to address racial issues in the city, are left wondering if the next chief will continue that work.
  “I think a lot of the local organizations were hurt and sad to see him go,” said Alan-Michael Johnson, with the Austin Justice Coalition. “We need a police chief that will be able to recognize that we all have
  
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• Impact of Chief Acevedo’s departure on race relations

  18-11-2016 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After learning of Chief Art Acevedo’s departure from Austin, activists and grassroots organizations who’ve been working with him to address racial issues in the city, are left wondering if the next chief will continue that work.
  “I think a lot of the local organizations were hurt and sad to see him go,” said Alan-Michael Johnson, with the Austin Justice Coalition. “We need a police chief that will be able to recognize that we all have
  
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• Top 4 things new Austin PD chief will have to look at in new contract

  18-11-2016 00:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With Chief Art Acevedo out, another uncertainty facing the department is the contract between the city and its police officers. That was originally set for re-negotiation September of 2017.
  The contract between the city of Austin and the Austin Police Association is an important one, it determine the pay, benefits, the hiring process for officers and citizen oversight of the police department.
  Chief Acevedo’s predecessor, former Chief Stan Knee, says the contract will
  
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• Caught on camera: Train crashes into tow truck

  18-11-2016 00:22 via kxan.com
  
  WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A tow truck driver was able to escape serious injuries after his truck was hit by a train. It happened around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at 63rd Street South and K-15. A dash camera caught the moment the train crashed into the tow truck.
  According to a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy, two tow trucks were working to clean up an accident involving four cars when the train came through.
  “Clearly, one of the tow trucks ended up being too close to the railroad
  
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