Austin news

• Woman passes out 250 sack lunches to Austin homeless

  25-11-2016 23:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jessica Hunek is hard at work inside her tiny kitchen in Downtown Austin. She cleaned lettuce, cut tomatoes and sorted turkey and ham for sandwiches. “We are making them one by one,” said Hunek smiling “hand by hand.”
  Hunek is packing 250 sack lunches for Austin’s homeless. Besides the sandwiches also included: a piece of fruit, pretzels, a breakfast bar and water. “They are in an odd way my neighbors,” said Hunek as she made the ba
  
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• Travis Co. task force reaching young kids to combat underage drinking

  25-11-2016 23:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This holiday season the Travis County Underage Drinking Prevention task force is stepping up their efforts. They’re teaching kids why it’s dangerous for them to drink at a young age, and what to do if the adult they’re with is too intoxicated to drive.
  “Peer pressure is pretty vicious and a lot of times kids are encouraged to do things because the bully wants to test it out on them first,” said Sue Cole, an educator with the Underage Drink
  
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• DPS trooper hit by gunfire from Mexico

  25-11-2016 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  FRONTON, Texas (AP) — A Texas state trooper has been wounded on the Texas-Mexico border by a bullet traced to a gunbattle underway on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
  Lt. Johnny Hernandez of the Texas Department of Public Safety says the trooper was struck in the leg by what may have been an errant bullet from across the river.
  Hernandez says it was unclear if the gunfight involved the Mexican military or state police. The Texas state trooper was hit about 1 p.m. Friday while on foot pa
  
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• DPS trooper, Border Patrol agent hit by gunfire from Mexico

  25-11-2016 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  FRONTON, Texas (AP) — A Texas state trooper and a Rio Grande City Border Patrol agent have been wounded on the Texas-Mexico border by a bullet traced to a gunbattle underway on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
  Lt. Johnny Hernandez of the Texas Department of Public Safety says the trooper was struck in the leg by what may have been an errant bullet from across the river.
  The Rio Grande Valley Public Affairs Office says the border patrol agent was shot in the chest, but the bullet struck
  
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• Extra law enforcement staged at major shopping centers for Black Friday

  25-11-2016 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – San Marcos Police, fire and EMS are all on hand for the biggest shopping day of the year at the San Marcos Outlets.
  An empty retail store at the outlets will be serving as a command post for officers ready to help the public at a moment’s notice. According to the City of San Marcos, a fire truck and ambulance will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
  Management for the Tanger Outlets says sales and traffic are up over last year.
  “W
  
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• Search for missing Pearland boy with autism enters 2nd day

  25-11-2016 21:02 via kxan.com
  
  PEARLAND, Texas (KXAN) — The search for a 9-year-old boy last seen in Pearland, Texas Thursday has entered its second day.
  Marcus McGhee was last seen in the 6700 block of Fite Road in Pearland, located around 15 miles south of downtown Houston, at around 4 p.m. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt with a green Nike swoosh and gray and black sweat pants. Anyone that sees Marcus is asked to call Pearland police at 281-997-4100.
  Teams are briefed during the search for Marcus McGhee
  
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• Improvements made to Austin 311 app following complaints

  25-11-2016 21:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin’s 311 app offers convenience, but has come with concern and confusion, leaving users wondering where service requests really stand. In September, KXAN reported on complaints marked as closed without changes being made.
  After a flurry of feedback, 311 recently launched app improvements, with more changes slated for the start of the year.
  “We’re calling and nothing happens,” Natalie Hulsey, who lives in Franklin Park in southeast Austi
  
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• Parade will close downtown Austin streets Saturday

  25-11-2016 20:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Plan ahead if you’re driving to or through downtown on Saturday.
  Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade will result in street closures beginning as early as 6 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. The parade itself starts at 10:45 a.m.
  Complete road closures start at 6 a.m., including San Jacinto Boulevard from East 10th-15th Streets. The Ann Richards/Congress Avenue Bridge closes at 8 a.m. All other street closures begin at 9 a.m. and include Congress beginning at the C
  
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• Elgin man shot, killed in early morning robbery

  25-11-2016 19:02 via kxan.com
  
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A 35-year-old man was shot during a robbery in Elgin early Friday morning. Raul Garcia was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge where he died an hour later.
  Police were called to the 400 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard at around 1:15 a.m. for a report of a robbery and shooting.
  Arriving officers found Garcia lying on the floor at the entrance to a house with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his abdomen. A witness told Elgin police he was si
  
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• Local shops prepare for Small Business Saturday

  25-11-2016 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Small businesses all over the country will open their doors for Small Business Saturday this weekend. Georgetown has been prepping for weeks, trying to spread the word online.
  John O’Hearn is visiting family in Georgetown for the holidays and stopped by Mesquite Creek Outfitters on the Georgetown Square this week. Even back home in West Texas, he tries to shop local. “I think they’re a lot more unique than your larger, bigger chains, has a littl
  
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• Overnight tailgaters for Longhorns game voice support for Strong

  25-11-2016 18:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s never too early to tailgate. Some UT fans pulled up early Friday morning near the Bullock State History Museum off Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
  Many people are looking forward to the big game at 2:30 p.m., but there’s a lot of anticipation about what will happen to Coach Charlie Strong. Is he staying or going?
  “I’d like to see him stay,” a tailgater, Eddie, told KXAN’s Lauren Kravets. “I think he’s been doing a
  
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• 5-year-old girl found tied up behind San Antonio Burger King

  25-11-2016 17:09 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — A 5-year-old girl was found abandoned and tied up behind a Burger King in San Antonio, Friday morning.
  San Antonio officers have reunited the girl with her father after she was found at the fast food restaurant near Loop 410 and Rigsby Avenue in the city’s southeast side, according to News4 San Antonio. 
  News4 reports a woman called police around 2:30 a.m. to report she found a child tied up. Police confirmed the girl had marks on her wrist consistent with b
  
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• Austinites urged to ‘buy local’ ahead of Small Business Saturday

  25-11-2016 15:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a special effort to emphasize buying local this holiday season, the city of Austin released a special cameo by Mayor Steve Adler as part of their continuing “Spend Smart, Spend Local,” campaign.
  Joining us in the KXAN Studio Friday morning are Rebecca Melancon with the Austin Independent Business Alliance and Matthew Pollars with the Small Business Festival.
  How do dollars staying in the local economy help the average consumer who might have to spend a f
  
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• Texas lawmakers eagerly await Trump’s border wall

  25-11-2016 14:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — In Texas, some lawmakers are eagerly awaiting the border wall promised by President-elect Donald Trump, hopeful it will save the state money.
  The surge of illegal border crossings is saturating America’s immigration system. “The border where we potentially stand the greatest risk is our southern border,” said State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo. “I think we ought to have a secure border.”
  Seilger represents the 31st Texas senate district whic
  
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• Florence Henderson, “The Brady Bunch” mom, dies

  25-11-2016 12:08 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Florence Henderson, who went from Broadway star to become one of America’s most beloved television moms in “The Brady Bunch,” has died, her manager and her publicist said. She was 82.
  Henderson died Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized the day before, said her publicist, David Brokaw. Henderson had suffered heart failure, her manager Kayla Pressman said in a statement.
  Family and friends had surrounded H
  
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• Black Friday weekend begins in Central Texas

  25-11-2016 04:43 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The Black Friday holiday weekend, filled with shopping and savings for customers across the country, officially began the evening of Thanksgiving for thousands of Central Texans.
  Thousands of shoppers made their way Thursday evening to Round Rock Premium Outlets to cash in on promised savings.
  “I’m looking at the shoe stores and the purse stores, like Michael Kors, Calvin Klein,” said Rose Obita, an area shopper who arrived at the outlet when st
  
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• Baby girl born in car amid Thanksgiving traffic on highway

  25-11-2016 04:22 via kxan.com
  
  YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — As many Americans hit the road on Thanksgiving, one baby couldn’t wait to join them.
  Firefighters were called to help a woman in labor in a car on a suburban New York highway on Thursday afternoon. But the baby was born before they got there six minutes later.
  It happened on the Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers, just north of New York City. Fire Lt. Peter Connelly tells The Journal News the woman gave birth in the reclined front seat of an SUV. The father was with
  
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• Neighbor starts fundraiser to help family keep house

  25-11-2016 02:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The home facing foreclosure is in East Austin, and the land value has more than tripled over the last five years. Rising taxes, a higher cost of living, and some bad breaks have put Ramiro Montoya and his family in a tough spot.
  “My wife got sick, I got sick, I had a stroke not too long ago, and just couldn’t make payments on the house,” says Montoya. After 44 years, this could be their last Thanksgiving in their home. The bank is scheduled to foreclose on
  
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• Woman hit, killed on I-35 near US 290

  25-11-2016 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department confirms a woman was killed Thursday shortly after 6:30 p.m. while attempting to cross Interstate 35 and was struck by a vehicle.
  According to APD, the deceased is described as a woman in her 40s.
  The incident happened in the 6100 block of North I-35’s southbound lanes, near St. John’s Ave. south of Hwy. 183.
  
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• Police: Pedestrian killed after attempting to cross I-35

  25-11-2016 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department confirms a woman was killed Thursday shortly after 6:30 p.m. while attempting to cross Interstate 35 and was struck by a vehicle.
  The deceased is described as a woman in her 40s, according to APD.
  There is no other information available at this time.
  
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• Deadly crash shuts down lanes of I-35 near US 290

  25-11-2016 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department confirms a woman was killed Thursday shortly after 6:30 p.m. while attempting to cross Interstate 35 and was struck by a vehicle.
  According to APD, the deceased is described as a woman in her 40s.
  The incident happened in the 6100 block of North I-35’s southbound lanes, near St. John’s Ave. south of Hwy. 183. Closures are expected as APD investigates the situation. Use alternate routes if possible.
   
  This page will be
  
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• Everyone loves a proposal: Policeman pops question at parade

  25-11-2016 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Talk about a memorable trip to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
  The New York Police Department says an officer who was shot on duty last year proposed to his girlfriend at Thursday’s parade. And the NYPD says in a tweet, “She said yes!!!”
  The NYPD tweeted a photo of the happy moment, which unfolded in front of the NYPD band. The Daily News first reported on the tweet and says Officer Andrew Dossi’s family confirms he proposed.
  Dossi was shot
  
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