Austin news

• Man denied singing at grandmother’s funeral because of ‘gay lifestyle’

  29-11-2016 23:52 via kxan.com
  
  DECATUR, IN (WANE) — A man from Decatur said a priest told him he wasn’t allowed to sing at his grandmother’s funeral because he attended a gay pride rally. The whole thing stemmed from a picture shared on Conner Hakes Facebook page, which was uploaded by a friend last year.
  Hakes said he and his family have been longtime members of St. Mary’s of the Assumption Catholic Church in Decatur. His grandmother lived nearby, and generations before her have been a part of this ch
  
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• Northbound MoPac will shut down each night this week

  29-11-2016 23:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting Tuesday night, all of northbound MoPac Expressway will be shut down each night after 8 p.m.
  What does that mean if you find yourself on northbound MoPac around Lady Bird Lake at 8:05 p.m. this week? First, expect significant traffic delays. Police will be at the Enfield Road intersection directing traffic to help you get out of the mayhem. All traffic will be detoured off the Enfield Road exit, where drivers will pass through the Enfield intersection before re
  
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• New development will transform 3 Austin acres with affordable housing

  29-11-2016 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A project that will transform about three acres at Airport Boulevard and 53rd ½ Street was recently approved by Travis County commissioners.
  The mixed-use development will include retail, office space for the county along with affordable housing. The county says this will help with the growing need for affordable housing in the area through a combination of 1-3 bedroom apartments on four levels.
  During a work session in November, commissioners were told tha
  
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• 3 dead, 5 sick after Thanksgiving meal in California

  29-11-2016 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  ANTIOCH, Calif. (KRON) — Three people are dead and others were hospitalized after having Thanksgiving dinner at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Antioch.
  Eight patients were admitted to Sutter Delta Medical Center with probable foodborne illnesses between Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 26, according to the Center.
  Three patients have died, four patients were treated and released, and one patient is still in the hospital.
  The Contra Costa Health Department is investigating what caused
  
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• IKEA to open San Antonio-area store by 2018

  29-11-2016 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — If the IKEA in Round Rock is too far of a haul for you, the company is hoping its new San Antonio-area store will be more appealing.
  The company announced Tuesday its submitting plans to the City of Live Oak for a store that would increase the company’s presence in Texas to five stores. Live Oak is a suburb just northeast of San Antonio; the same northeast corridor is also home to one of Amazon’s fulfillment centers.
  IKEA hopes to start construc
  
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• KBVO to broadcast Lake Travis and Westlake playoff game

  29-11-2016 22:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 6A Division 1 quarterfinal matchup between Lake Travis (12-1) and Westlake (11-2) will be broadcast live Friday night on KBVO.
  KBVO Local Channels:
  AT&T 1007DirecTV 51Dish Network 5185Grande 818Northland Cable 101Suddenlink 725Time Warner 1525Over the Air 14.1
  The telecast starts at 7:30 p.m. and features KXAN Sports Director, Roger Wallace and Keith Moreland with play-by-play and analysis.
  The Central Texas teams meet in a rematch Friday night where Lake Travi
  
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• As shock of election wears off, many voters roused to action

  29-11-2016 22:09 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Three weeks out from a presidential election result that left them deeply dejected, many liberals now say they’ve been roused to action in new ways, from making donations and volunteering to considering political runs themselves.
  Around the country, even as protests have waned, Democrats say the sting of loss has left an impact unlike any past race, stirring previously passive citizens to push beyond their initial tears and angry Facebook posts following Donald Trump&
  
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• Silver Alert issued for Cedar Park man

  29-11-2016 21:16 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Cedar Park have issued a Silver Alert for an 84-year-old man who is diagnosed with a cognitive impairment.
  Police say Jose Maria Cisneros Jr. was last seen at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 1210 Sugarberry Dr. in Cedar Park. He is driving a tan, 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis with a Texas License Plate DFL0197.
  Description of Cisneros:
  Height: 5’7″
  Weight: 185 lbs.
  Grey/black hair, brown eyes and grey mustache.
  Last seen wearing a plaid shirt, p
  
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• Cellphone data helps lead police to east Austin murder suspect

  29-11-2016 20:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Kenneth K. Johnson, Jr. is in custody facing a murder charge. Andre Pelon Jackson, 34, is being held in the Travis County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
  Police were able to track cellphone data and antennas to identify Jackson as the murder suspect, according to an arrest affidavit.
  Johnson was found dead on Nov. 6 on the side of the road in the 7400 block of Geneva Drive in East Austin. Surveillance video given to
  
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• Less than 100 tickets issued to distracted drivers in Hays County

  29-11-2016 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) – Buda’s Hands Free Ordinance went into effect September 2015. It’s been over a year and the police department says they haven’t issued a single citation.
  Buda Police Chief Bo Kidd says he believes residents are complying. Kidd also adds that large public campaigns from cities like Austin have helped spread awareness.
  “We adopted our ordinance shortly after Austin, there were ads and billboards. Most of our residents go back and forth from Austin
  
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• Pedestrian killed along Interstate 35 at Oltorf

  29-11-2016 19:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Medics are on the scene of a deadly auto versus pedestrian crash near Interstate 35 and Oltorf.
  The northbound lanes of Interstate 35 are closed as first responders work the scene. APD has shutdown flyover from Ben White to northbound Interstate 35.Drivers should seek alternate routes. (You can find live traffic conditions on the Traffic Page of KXAN.com)
  The incident happened just after 12:30 p.m.
  Additional details weren’t immediately available. KXAN News has a crew
  
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• Man hit by truck, killed while crossing I-35 near Oltorf

  29-11-2016 19:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man died after he was struck by a pickup truck pulling a trailer on Interstate 35 near Oltorf Street, Tuesday afternoon.
  The incident happened just after 12:30 p.m. in the 2200 block of S. I-35. The northbound lanes of the interstate were closed for two hours while police investigated the crash.
  Police estimated the man killed, who has not been identified, was 30-40 years old. Officers say it appears he was trying to cross I-35 from the east to the west fro
  
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• Trump suggests jail time or loss of citizenship for flag burning

  29-11-2016 19:39 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (WCMH) — In a tweet Tuesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump suggested anyone who burned the American flag should lose citizenship or possibly face a year in jail.
  “Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag — if they do, there must be consequences — perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!” Trump tweeted.Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag – if they do, there must be consequences – perhaps loss of citizenshi
  
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• Divided highway planned for US 290 from Elgin to Paige

  29-11-2016 19:12 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation plans on spending more money to make various stretches of US 290 safer in Bastrop County safer for drivers.
  A spokesperson for TxDOT says the agency has a divided highway planned for the section of US 290 from Elgin to just west of Paige. Plans are 80 percent complete and utility relocation is expected to begin soon even though no construction funding has been identified. For a lot of drivers, the undivided four-lan
  
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• VIDEO: Woman jumps out of plane at Houston airport

  29-11-2016 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Police in Houston are trying to figure out why a woman opened the emergency exit door of an airplane and jumped off the wing.
  The incident happened on Monday at the Bush Intercontinental Airport. She and the rest of the passengers on the United Airlines plane were waiting for the final taxi to the gate.
  For unknown reasons the woman jumped out and ran toward the terminal.
  “The attendants kept telling everybody you know stay seated, leave their seat-belts on
  
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• PHOTOS: 26-foot-tall Christmas tree arrives at Texas House

  29-11-2016 18:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas House will reopen on Tuesday with the arrival of the annual Christmas tree.
  The Chamber has been closed since April for renovations. Around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday a 26-foot-tall tree that has traveled from Denison, Texas will be moved inside the Chambers.
  The tree was grown from Marshall Cathey’s farm. Members of the House and their families will adorn the tree with lights and ornaments on Friday as a part of the District Ornament Project.
  Julie Stra
  
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• Communities encouraged to donate, volunteer for #GivingTuesday

  29-11-2016 18:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Now that people have saved money from Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the nation is encouraged to give back for Giving Tuesday.
  After a long holiday weekend of shopping, Giving Tuesday is a day Americans are urged to volunteer or make donations to charity. The one-day charitable giving promotion launched in 2012. Most charities generate a vast majority of their contributions at the end of the year, so Giving Tuesday has opened the door to a more organized effort.
  You can par
  
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• Hays County issues burn ban following brush fire in Kyle

  29-11-2016 18:17 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — After a grass fire burned 150 acres near Kyle on Monday, Hays County reinstated its burn ban Tuesday morning.
  The decision was made based on continuing high winds and low humidity through much of the county. The county says dry grass that fueled Monday’s fire has been observed in other parts of the county.
  Investigators determined Monday’s fire started as a trash fire. High wind and dry vegetation made conditions hard for firefighters to put out
  
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• Family shares story of how they were helped by Lights of Love

  29-11-2016 16:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 9th annual Lights of Love is this weekend. The event raises money for families of sick children staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Central Texas.
  One of the families joined us in the KXAN studio to talk about how you can help. Penney Berryman and 1-year-old Amond shared their story.
  Amond was born seven weeks early while Berryman was out of town. He immediately needed neonatal care and was transferred to the Dell Children’s Hospital.
  “The Ronald McDonal
  
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• Video paints devastating tale as wildfires rage in Tennessee

  29-11-2016 16:49 via kxan.com
  
  GATLINBURG, Tenn. (MEDIA GENERAL) — Devastating video is emerging from the Great Smoky Mountains as wildfires spread overnight, forcing the evacuations of thousands from the tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
  Strong winds Monday caused a wildfire on Chimney Top Mountain to grow rapidly, prompting the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) to issue a Level 3 State of Emergency for Sevier County.
  At the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, guests and employees were trapped.
  Sous
  
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• Parents’ push for school zone on FM 969 has been heard

  29-11-2016 16:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After numerous crashes and complaints, the Texas Department of Transportation has tentatively approved creating a special school zone for traffic along Farm to Market 969 near Decker Lane in east Austin.
  The decision to create the special school zone comes after parents raised concerns about the dangers they encounter when they drop their children off at Austin Discovery School and KIPP Austin. Back in June, parents, teachers and community members held their own traffic exp
  
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• Impressive video paints devastating tale as wildfires rage in Tennessee

  29-11-2016 16:49 via kxan.com
  
  GATLINBURG, Tenn. (MEDIA GENERAL) — Impressive and devastating video is emerging from the Great Smoky Mountains as wildfires spread overnight, forcing the evacuations of thousands from the tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.
  Strong winds Monday caused a wildfire on Chimney Top Mountain to grow rapidly, prompting the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) to issue a Level 3 State of Emergency for Sevier County.
  At the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, guests and employees were
  
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• ‘Fire everywhere,’ guests trapped inside Gatlinburg Park Vista hotel

  29-11-2016 16:32 via kxan.com
  
  GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WATE) – Dozens of people were trapped inside the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg as wild fires burn outside the building.
  Logan Baker, a hotel guest who is at the hotel staying with his family, said when he checked-in the hotel was already starting to fill with smoke. He said fire came up to the parking lot of the hotel and firefighters told him it was not safe to leave.
  “The only road to get down from the hotel, trees had fallen down in the road and were just
  
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• Officials say thousands evacuated, 4 injured from Tennessee wildfires

  29-11-2016 16:28 via kxan.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — Tennessee officials say thousands of residents and visitors in the Gatlinburg area have been evacuated and hundreds of structures have been damaged and destroyed by spreading wildfires.
  In a news release Tuesday morning, authorities say three people who suffered severe burns have been transferred from a Knoxville hospital to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, which has a burn unit. A fourth person is being treated for facial burns in Knoxville.
  The Tenne
  
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• First weekend of December will feel like winter

  29-11-2016 14:54 via kxan.com
  
  As you make your weekend plans, you may consider renting a movie and curling up by the fireplace. The first weekend of meteorological winter looks cold and rainy.
  Forecast models are in good agreement, predicting a late Friday cold front and a stalled storm to our west all weekend.
  With cold air sliding in from the northeast and Pacific moisture streaming in on top of it, an “overrunning” pattern will mean damp, cold weather.
  Highs Saturday and Sunday are not expected to escape the 4
  
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• Central Library asking for $5M more after a decade of construction

  29-11-2016 14:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It has been 10 years since Austin voters signed off on the city’s New Central Library project and now they are asking for money.
  Construction still isn’t complete and on Tuesday there will be more talks about the price tag. The library plans to ask the city council to give them $5 million more to pay for construction.
  The taxpayer money has already been allocated to this project, therefore the library isn’t asking for any more outside money. Instead, they
  
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• Matthew McConaughey gives UT students safe ride home with SURE Walk

  29-11-2016 14:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — You can now add driver to the list of volunteer work for actor Matthew McConaughey.
  He surprised a group of University of Texas students getting a ride from the school’s SURE Walk program. The program gives students free rides around and off campus every day from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.
  The actor and UT graduate often stops by his Alma mater. In June there were rumor he would be teaching a film class at UT. While he is not officially Professor McConaughey, he did offer
  
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• New Austin DNA lab Chief will tackle 4,000 cases with contamination concerns

  29-11-2016 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There is a new person in charge of the Austin police DNA lab with a lot on his plate after widespread issues were reported with thousands of cases.
  Scott Milne is now the Chief Forensics Officer. The department’s lab shut down over the summer after a investigation revealed thousands of cases that used flawed science calculating odds in DNA results.
  In depth: Closure of APD’s DNA lab causing crisis in the court system 
  A Texas Forensic Science Commissio
  
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• QB Johnny Manziel sued for alleged assault on 6th St.

  29-11-2016 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former quarterback and Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel is being sued in Travis County accused of breaking a bar employee’s nose.
  According to the lawsuit, the employee says it happened during a private party on Sept. 6 at the New York, New York bar on 6th Street. The attorney claims Manziel had a problem with what the employee said about him, so he punched him in the face.
  The employee said he was talking to a customer who asked what he thought about Manziel. A
  
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• Johnny Manziel sued for alleged 6th St. assault

  29-11-2016 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former quarterback and Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel is being sued in Travis County accused of breaking a bar employee’s nose.
  According to the lawsuit, the employee says it happened during a private party on Sept. 6 at the New York, New York bar on 6th Street. The attorney claims Manziel had a problem with what the employee said about him to a customer, so he punched him in the face.
  The employee said he was talking to a customer who asked what he thought ab
  
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• Only 5 survive Colombian plane crash

  29-11-2016 12:13 via kxan.com
  
  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) —  Colombian police say that five people have survived a plane crash near Medellin’s international airport and the rest of the passengers have been killed.
  A chartered aircraft with 81 people on board, including the Brazilian first division Chapecoense soccer team which was heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport.
  The head of Colombia’s civil aviation agency says that authoritie
  
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• 76 die, only 5 survive Colombian plane crash

  29-11-2016 12:13 via kxan.com
  
  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) —  Colombian police say that five people have survived a plane crash near Medellin’s international airport and the rest of the passengers have been killed.
  A chartered aircraft with 81 people on board, including the Brazilian first division Chapecoense soccer team which was heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport.
  Rescue workers search at the wreckage site of a chartered airplane that
  
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• 5 survivors in deadly Colombian plane crash

  29-11-2016 12:13 via kxan.com
  
  BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) —  Colombian police say that five people have survived a plane crash near Medellin’s international airport and the rest of the passengers have been killed.
  A chartered aircraft with 81 people on board, including the Brazilian first division Chapecoense soccer team which was heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport.
  Rescue workers search at the wreckage site of a chartered airplane that
  
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• Texas senator files measure to expand E-Verify to state contractors

  29-11-2016 05:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, filed a bill Monday to make sure anyone doing business with the state is not hiring workers who came to this country illegally.
  Senate Bill 254 would require all state contractors and sub-contractors to use the E-verify program, which checks if someone is allowed to work in the U.S. It will ensure more than 33,000 contracts — totaling $91 billion — are only worked by United States citizens.
  “This is l
  
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• Austinites traveling to Rio Grande Valley concerned about Zika

  29-11-2016 05:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday, health officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services announced the state’s first Zika virus case by a locally transmitted mosquito. It comes just hours after some Central Texans had just gotten back from spending their holidays in the Rio Grande Valley.
  “The weather was good and we had a lot of fun it’s always with family,” Cris Chappa says. “I just didn’t think [Zika] was going to get to the Valley, I didn&rsq
  
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• Man hit by car while crossing North Austin street dies a week later

  29-11-2016 05:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man hit by a car while crossing a North Austin street earlier this month died at the hospital a week later.
  David Hanner, 57, was crossing the 800 block of Wagon Trail, south of East Braker Lane, at around 8:36 p.m. on Nov. 6 when he fell down in the street.
  A vehicle passing by stopped and tried to block the street. Another vehicle then drove around the car in the road and unknowingly ran over Hanner, Austin police say. He was taken to University Medical Center Brackenri
  
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• New UT MindBody lab gives students chance to unwind

  29-11-2016 03:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With final exams around the corner at UT, there’s another place for students to unwind on campus.
  It’s called the MindBody Lab. The grand opening was Monday at the Student Services Building, one of the most popular places on campus.
  There are guided exercises on muscle relaxation, meditation, sleep issues, and food and body image. A recent report from the American College Health Association finds a quarter of students said anxiety hurt their student pe
  
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• 80 Texas judges take part in local poverty simulation

  29-11-2016 03:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A simulation has local judges taking on the role of a person living in poverty.
  About 80 Texas judges are getting to explore the intersection of poverty and criminal justice in South Austin. The workshop put on by the Texas Justice Court Training Center includes a role-playing exercise where they experience a “day in the life” of a person who gets involved in a court matter.
  “Sometimes, those people just don’t have the money to pay for services,&rdqu
  
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• President-elect Trump threatens to ‘terminate’ new US-Cuba diplomatic ties

  29-11-2016 03:22 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s threat Monday to “terminate” the U.S. detente with Cuba could trigger opposition from some Republican lawmakers and corporate leaders who favor continued engagement with Havana.
  Since 2014, when President Barack Obama began to normalize relations with the island, the United States has taken numerous steps to increase commercial travel, commerce and the flow of information to Cuba. On Monday, the first regularly scheduled co
  
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• Jewish girl’s birthday party marred by swastika cupcakes

  29-11-2016 02:37 via kxan.com
  
  PARADISE VALLEY, AZ (KPNX) — Sweet treats at an Arizona teen’s birthday party turned into an offensive message after young party goers decided to decorate their cupcakes with swastika symbols.
  Pictures of the swastika topping at the Jewish teen’s party began spreading on social media after the teen’s mom posted about what happened on Facebook, writing that she hoped it could be used as a teaching moment for parents.
  According to the post the girls are all friends and told
  
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• VIDEO: Burglar caught on camera kicking in door of Pflugerville home

  29-11-2016 01:33 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A Pflugerville family got an unwanted Thanksgiving surprise when they arrived home that night.
  Erika Guzman and her family got home around 9 p.m. Thursday. They left Wednesday evening to go visit family for the holidays.
  “We just opened the garage and pulled in, we walk inside and my husband, he came this way and he noticed the damage to the door, pieces of the door were on the floor,” Guzman said.
  After noticing the cracked and broken front do
  
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• VIDEO: Burglar caught on camera kicking in door

  29-11-2016 01:33 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A Pflugerville family got an unwanted Thanksgiving surprise when they arrived home that night.
  Erika Guzman and her family got home around 9 p.m. Thursday. They left Wednesday evening to go visit family for the holidays.
  “We just opened the garage and pulled in, we walk inside and my husband, he came this way and he noticed the damage to the door, pieces of the door were on the floor,” Guzman said.
  After noticing the cracked and broken front do
  
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