Austin news

• Blame wages and turtle doves: ’12 Days’ now costs $34,363

  01-12-2016 22:57 via kxan.com
  
  PITTSBURGH (AP) — The slow recovery of the U.S. economy is continuing to keep the cost of Christmas — or at least the gifts listed in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” — from spiraling out of control.
  The price of two turtle doves jumped from $290 to $375 this year, but nine of the other 12 gifts listed in the carol stayed the same price or became cheaper, including a partridge in a pear tree, according to the 33rd annual PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index rel
  
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• Trump’s Cabinet: ‘Draining the swamp’ or diving right in?

  01-12-2016 22:35 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON — Donald Trump promised to “drain the swamp” in the nation’s capital. Instead, he’s diving right in.
  So far, the president-elect is tapping people with deep ties to Washington and Wall Street as he fills out his Cabinet, turning to two power centers he vilified as greedy, corrupt and out of touch with Americans during his White House campaign. His choices have won praise from Republicans relieved by his more conventional choices, but could risk angering v
  
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• Gov. Abbott will cut funding to any Texas ‘sanctuary’ college

  01-12-2016 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned he will cut funding to any state college campus that establishes sanctuary status.
  Last week, a petition at Texas State University called for a sanctuary status on campus to protect students and staff who are undocumented immigrants. The governor responded to a tweet Thursday afternoon asking if he would cut off funding to “sanctuary campuses” following news of the petition at Texas State.
  “Texas will not tolerate san
  
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• Woman wakes up to find man at foot of her bed, petting her cat

  01-12-2016 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A St. Pete man is accused of a disturbing crime.
  Police say on Nov. 20, a Shore Acres woman woke up to find Jasper Firoenza, 24, standing at the foot of her bed.
  The woman yelled at Fiorenza to get out of her house.
  Fiorenza hid at the end of her bed, not moving and petting the woman’s cat.
  The woman yelled at him Fiorenza, telling him to get out of her house, according to an arrest affidavit.
  Fiorenza then stood up and said, “Hey” and then b
  
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• Target ‘targets’ college crowd, will open inside Dobie Twenty21

  01-12-2016 21:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a few years, the old Dobie Mall along The Drag will be transformed from a drab building into a retail development that will house Target as one of its main stores.
  On Thursday, the large retailer announced it’s opening a 22,000-square-foot store in the now-dubbed Dobie Twenty21. The smaller footprint store will cater to University of Texas at Austin students, faculty and surrounding residents. The store will have fresh groceries, dorm and apartment essentials,
  
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• Austin swim coach accused of sexually assaulting student

  01-12-2016 20:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An esteemed Austin swim coach is in hot water for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student on his swim team over the course of several years, according to Austin police.
  Francis Timothy O’Brien, 49, is accused of indecency with a child by contact, which is a second-degree felony. The victim, who is now 26 years old, recently made an outcry to police claiming she was assaulted at age 15 by O’Brien. The relationship between the coach and student la
  
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• Son of murdered police officer receives teddy bears made from dad’s uniform

  01-12-2016 20:51 via kxan.com
  
  CLAYTON, MO (WCMH) – The widow of a slain Missouri police officer shared photos Tuesday of her son holding two teddy bears made from his dad’s old uniforms.
  On October 6, Officer Blake Snyder, 33, was shot point-blank after encountering a man accused of causing the disturbance in a normally quiet, middle-class suburban neighborhood in Green Park, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said.Tuesday, Officer Snyder’s widow, Elizabeth Snyder, shared a picture of her son holding
  
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• Westlake’s Ehlinger out for Lake Travis game

  01-12-2016 20:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Westlake High School quarterback Sam Ehlinger will not play in Friday’s 6A State quarterfinal game against Lake Travis. Ehlinger suffered a wrist injury in their win over Laredo United on Friday.
  The University of Texas commit has gone through a season filled with injuries, playing in just five games. It started with a knee injury in their opener against Katy. Ehlinger came back against Lake Travis in October, but suffered a thumb injury early in the game. Sophomore T
  
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• Researchers say lying to your kids about Santa is bad for their mental health

  01-12-2016 20:15 via kxan.com
  
  EXETER, England (NEWS10) –Lying to children about Santa may be bad for their mental health, according to researchers at the University of Exeter.
  Psychologist Christopher Boyle and mental health researcher Kathy McKay say children’s trust in their parents may be undermined by the Santa lie.
  “If they are capable of lying about something so special and magical, can they be relied upon to continue as the guardians of wisdom and truth?” they wrote.
  Boyle and McKay say that ly
  
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• Mother’s concern of ‘divided nation’ forces school to pull classic books

  01-12-2016 19:38 via kxan.com
  
  ACCOMAC, Va. (WAVY) — Two classic American novels have been temporarily pulled from book shelves in Accomack County Public Schools.
  Superintendent Warren Holland confirmed to 10 On Your Side that a parent filed a complaint about “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
  Earlier this month, a parent voiced concerns to the school board about racial slurs in both of the novels.
  “Right now, we are a nation divided as it is,” the moth
  
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• Police: Woman’s ex-boyfriend opens fire on her brother, killing him

  01-12-2016 19:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSITN (KXAN) — A nasty break-up led to a shooting that killed one and injured two others in central Austin Tuesday evening.
  Jabari Mitchell, 25, is accused of luring his ex-girlfriend’s brother, 21-year-old Trelin Reed, to a convenience store at the corner of Interstate 35 and St. John’s Avenue and opening fire on his SUV, according to an arrest affidavit. Police say Reed, along with his girlfriend and his cousin, were scheduled to meet Mitchell around 8 p.m. to potentially fi
  
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• Student dies after East Texas school van hit by a truck

  01-12-2016 18:57 via kxan.com
  
  TRINITY, Texas (AP) — Officials say one student has been killed and 10 hurt when an East Texas school van was rear-ended while stopped to pick up children.
  The Department of Public Safety says the Trinity Independent School District van was struck by a pickup truck Thursday morning, 5 miles west of Trinity. That’s 75 miles north of Houston.
  Students in both vehicles were hurt. A spokeswoman for East Texas Medical Center in Trinity says 10 children and the school van driver were in fa
  
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• Jurors deliberating ex-officer’s fate in deadly South Carolina shooting

  01-12-2016 17:53 via kxan.com
  
  CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Jurors in the Michael Slager murder trial will resume deliberating the fate of the white former South Carolina patrolman charged with killing a black motorist.
  Circuit Judge Clifton Newman gave the jury instructions on the law and now the panel will consider the case after a month-long trial.
  Michael Slager is charged with murder after shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott during a traffic stop last year in North Charleston. The shooting was captured on dramatic cellpho
  
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• Dollywood to give $1,000 per month to families who lost everything in wildfire

  01-12-2016 17:23 via kxan.com
  
  PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) – Dolly Parton’s The Dollywood Foundation announced Wednesday it would be giving $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost everything in the wildfires.
  Parton issued a statement on the foundation’s website saying she was starting the “My People Fund” to help provide a hand up to families affected by the fires.
  LIST: Sites damaged by Gatlinburg, East Tennessee wildfires
  As you may know by now, there have been terrible wildfires i
  
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• Trump to announce Carrier deal to keep 1,000 jobs in Indianapolis

  01-12-2016 16:17 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Air conditioning company Carrier said Tuesday that it had reached a deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indiana. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence planned to travel to the state Thursday to unveil the agreement alongside company officials.
  Trump spent much of his campaign pledging to keep companies like Carrier from moving jobs overseas. His focus on manufacturing jobs contributed to his unexpected appeal with working-class voters i
  
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• Roadside memorial honors Lake Travis mother, son killed on Hwy 71

  01-12-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Lake Travis mother and son killed in a crash on State Highway 71 are being remembered on Thursday.
  Lake Travis High School senior Santiago Vega, 17, and his mom Cynthia, 46, were hit Monday morning by a driver that police say was speeding and driving recklessly.
  At 11 a.m., friends and family will gather at the area of the crash on Hwy 71 in the Spicewood area. A funeral for both the mother and son will be held on Friday in Marble Falls at 4 p.m. at the Wilcox Funera
  
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• PHOTOS: Family, friends to gather on SH 71 to remember mother, son killed

  01-12-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Lake Travis mother and son killed in a crash on State Highway 71 are being remembered on Thursday.
  Lake Travis High School senior Santiago Vega, 17, and his mom Cynthia, 46, were hit Monday morning by a driver that police say was speeding and driving recklessly.
  At 11 a.m., friends and family will gather at the area of the crash on Hwy 71 in the Spicewood area. A funeral for both the mother and son will be held on Friday in Marble Falls at 4 p.m. at the Wilcox Funera
  
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• PHOTOS: Family, friends gather on SH 71 to remember mother, son killed

  01-12-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Lake Travis mother and son killed in a crash on State Highway 71 are being remembered on Thursday.
  Lake Travis High School senior Santiago Vega, 17, and his mom Cynthia, 46, were hit Monday morning by a driver that police say was speeding and driving recklessly.
  At 11 a.m., friends and family will gather at the area of the crash on Hwy 71 in the Spicewood area. A funeral for both the mother and son will be held on Friday in Marble Falls at 4 p.m. at the Wilcox Funera
  
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• Family, friends to gather on SH 71 to remember mother, son killed

  01-12-2016 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Lake Travis mother and son killed in a crash on State Highway 71 are being remembered on Thursday.
  Lake Travis High School senior Santiago Vega, 17, and his mom Cynthia, 46, were hit Monday morning by a driver that police say was speeding and driving recklessly.
  At 11 a.m., friends and family will gather at the area of the crash on Hwy 71 in the Spicewood area. A funeral for both the mother and son will be held on Friday in Marble Falls at 4 p.m. at the Wilcox Funera
  
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• City owes man nearly $900,000 after wrongly tackled by police

  01-12-2016 15:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The attorney of a man wrongly tackled by police will ask the City Council to pay him nearly $900,000 the city of Austin owes him.
  In February, a federal jury awarded Pete Hernandez $877,000 in an excessive force lawsuit settlement after an APD officer tackled him to the ground in 2012. The officer thought he had stolen a car, but it turned out Hernandez was not the person they were looking for.
  On June 7, 2012, Hernandez walked out of a South Austin Walmart with a bag
  
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• AISD bus rear-ended on Cameron Road

  01-12-2016 15:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin ISD school bus was blocking the eastbound lanes of Cameron Road at the Anderson Lane service road after it was rear-ended just before 7 a.m.. The road is now open.
  There were no students on board at the time of the crash and the bus driver was not injured.
  The driver of the SUV that hit the bus has minor injuries.
  
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• AISD bus rear-ended, blocking lanes of Cameron Road

  01-12-2016 15:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin ISD school bus is blocking the eastbound lanes of Cameron Road at the Anderson Lane service road after it was rear-ended.
  There were no students on board at the time of the crash and the bus driver was not injured.
  The driver of the SUV that hit the bus has minor injuries.
  
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• Austin city council to take on library funding, speed limits, anti-discrimination policies

  01-12-2016 14:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin City Council is scheduled to discuss a slew of topics at its meeting Thursday. Here are some of the top items that stick out:
  READ: Full Austin City Council Agenda
  Authorize additional funding for the New Central Library Project ($5.5 million)
  The library plans to ask city council to approve $5 million more to pay for construction. The taxpayer dollars have already been allocated to this project, the library is just wanting to use more of that money that&rs
  
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• Water treatment plant leaking at Four Points

  01-12-2016 14:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department has reopened the eastbound lanes of Bullick Hollow Road after reports of “white sludge along the road,” by a 911 caller.
  According to Austin police, there is a chance the Environmental Protection Agency may have to be called because of the watershed. It has not been confirmed if the EPA has been called.
  Police are investigating at North FM 620.
  We have a KXAN crew on the way to the scene. 
  
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• Water treatment plant leak under control at Four Points

  01-12-2016 14:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department has reopened the eastbound lanes of Bullick Hollow Road after reports of “white sludge along the road,” by a 911 caller.
  According to Austin police, there was a chance the Environmental Protection Agency would have to be called because of the watershed. It has not been confirmed if the EPA has been called.
  Police are investigating at North FM 620.
  
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• Leak at water treatment plant under control at Four Points

  01-12-2016 14:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department has reopened the eastbound lanes of Bullick Hollow Road after reports of “white sludge along the road,” by a 911 caller.
  According to Austin police, the “sludge” came from a truck that was sitting in the parking lot of the water treatment plant. Firefighters were able to wash away the liquid at North FM 620.
  
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• Wife suing Austin Energy after husband dies helping victims of 2011 fire

  01-12-2016 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The wife of 38-year-old Travis County Deputy Constable Kevin Aigner is suing Austin Energy after he died in the line of duty.
  Austin City Council members will discuss settling the lawsuit from the 2011 wildfire in Steiner Ranch. The lawsuit contends Aigner worked non-stop in record heat to assist fire fighters and help families evacuate. A week after the fire he died from a brain stem stroke.
  The lawsuit claims Austin Energy caused the fire and therefore Aigner’s deat
  
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• Council settles lawsuit after man dies helping victims of 2011 fire

  01-12-2016 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin City Council has agreed to settle a lawsuit involving the death of a Travis County Deputy Constable who died in 2011.
  The wife of 38-year-old Kevin Aigner filed a lawsuit against Austin Energy after her husband died as a result of the wildfires in Steiner Ranch. The lawsuit says Aigner worked non-stop in record heat to assist firefighters and help families evacuate. A week after the fire he died from a brain stem stroke.
  According to the lawsuit, Austin
  
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• Tacoma officer shot multiple times dies

  01-12-2016 12:59 via kxan.com
  
  TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that he and his wife Trudi send their thoughts and prayers to the family and loved ones of the Tacoma police officer killed in the line of duty during a domestic violence call.
  Inslee said Wednesday night that “All of Washington grieves with Tacoma.” The suspect was killed during a shoot out around 5 a.m.
  Tacoma Police spokeswoman Loretta Cool says the officer was pronounced dead at the hospital Wednesday
  
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• Police: Suspect in Tacoma officer’s death shot, killed

  01-12-2016 12:59 via kxan.com
  
  SEATTLE (AP) — The suspect in the fatal shooting of a Tacoma officer has been shot and killed by police after a lengthy barricade situation, authorities said early Thursday.
  Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer says the suspect was shot at approximately 3:30 a.m. Thursday, ending an 11-hour standoff. The suspect has not been identified.
  Troyer said the suspect refused to surrender during negotiations with officials, and that the man was using two children as human s
  
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• Some AISD schools may shut down due to conditions, enrollment

  01-12-2016 12:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — At least 10 schools in Austin ISD have been identified for potential closure, according to a consultant’s report given to the AISD’s Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee.
  Consultants recommend the closure, reconstruction, or consolidation of 10 schools in the district based on various reasons such as the school’s condition, enrollment numbers and future needs of the district.
  Overnight, the district posted a message to their Facebook page saying
  
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• Some AISD schools may shut down due to bad conditions

  01-12-2016 12:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — At least ten schools in Austin ISD will either be shut down or completely rebuilt after a report found that they are in very bad condition.
  Consultants recommend the closure, reconstruction, or consolidation of ten schools in the district. Overnight the district posted a message to their Facebook page saying the group in charge of the district’s planning “received preliminary options that will help address the needs of the district for the next 20 to 25 years. T
  
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• SWAT situation ends after man accused of pistol-whipping woman

  01-12-2016 12:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A four hour SWAT standoff ended peacefully after a man allegedly pistol whipped a woman at an apartment complex.
  A 911 call at 12:29 a.m. informed police of a fight between two women that caused a man to come out of his apartment and hit one of the women in the face with a gun. The man then barricaded himself inside his apartment at Twin Crest Drive and East St. John’s Avenue, not far from Webb Middle School.
  Austin police called the SWAT team after the man refus
  
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• UT Tower lit orange for 100 years of BEVO

  01-12-2016 05:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Wednesday marks 100 years since the first BEVO, UT Austin’s famous mascot, made his debut at a Thanksgiving Day football game.
  The UT tower was showered in orange light to mark the occasion. A total of 15 steers have served as the university’s mascot. Earlier this fall, BEVO XV made his debut during the school’s 50-47 win over Notre Dame. “Bevo XV has all of the characteristics that we were looking for — he is a beautiful steer with great
  
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• Senator hopes to revolutionize mental health care with Dell Med School

  01-12-2016 05:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the future of the Austin State Hospital (ASH) still largely uncertain, one Texas lawmaker says its fate should be decided while reforming the mental health care system on a larger scale.
  “We have to do something about the Austin State Hospital. It’s unsalvageable. We need to rebuild it,” said Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin. His approach? Spend the next two years planning to create “an MD Anderson of the brain.”
  “Brain health, at least in
  
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• Man finds 8-foot-long cobra in his toilet

  01-12-2016 04:46 via kxan.com
  
  PRETORIA, South Africa (WCMH) – Video from a South African man shows a large snouted cobra emerging from a toilet before escaping back into the sewer system.
  Video posted to YouTube by Anton Meijer shows a snake handler trying to remove the more than 8-foot long snake from a toilet. Meijer said it got agitated and fought back before escaping back into the sewage pipe.
  Residents along the block of flats now have no idea where the snake could pop up next.
  Video: Thief stuffs snake in his pa
  
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• APD memo: DNA lab freezer broken for 6 days, reaching 80 degrees

  01-12-2016 03:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police DNA lab has been shut down since June, due to a lack of properly trained staff, but a memo obtained by KXAN shows problems with the lab also extend to equipment failure.
  According to the memo dated March 17, an analyst told the interim DNA technical leader/supervisor that the walk-in freezer was very warm. The freezer’s normal temperatures should range from -13 degrees Fahrenheit to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. The day the analyst repor
  
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• Little Woodrow’s no longer bans neck, face tattoos after backlash

  01-12-2016 02:59 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (KXAN) — Little Woodrow’s, a restaurant and bar chain with five locations in Austin, has rescinded a no face and neck tattoos policy after facing growing backlash.
  It started in Midland earlier this month, when Joeseff Rivera posted a Facebook video outside the bar complaining he was denied entry because of his tattoos, even though, he noted, the bouncer was “tattooed up.”
  Wednesday, following a stream of criticism on social media, the company said the policy exist
  
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• Austin DNA lab problems could raise taxes

  01-12-2016 02:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The problems at the Austin Police Department DNA lab could eventually cost you, the taxpayer.
  In an interview with KXAN Wednesday, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt outlined rough estimates revealing that retesting DNA samples could cost millions of dollars in the most drastic scenario. She says the costs could mean an increase in property taxes.
  However, the exact outcome is still uncertain. Officials are trying to narrow down costs and the exact number of cases that need
  
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• Therapists brace for lower rates, hoping lawmakers reverse them

  01-12-2016 02:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – More than a year after they were originally ordered, the state will pay lower rates for some therapy for disabled children. After a legal fight, the state of Texas will pay $350 million less for services for disabled and foster children.
  New rates originally were planned for Oct. 1, 2015, but a lawsuit delayed the issue until a judge through it out.
  Child occupational and speech therapists just got official word, the state will cut their reimbursement rates, start
  
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• Religious liberty, limiting federal power among Lt. Gov.’s priorities

  01-12-2016 01:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A commitment to life, liberty and conservative government promoting prosperity. It’s the basis of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s five additional pieces of legislation that will get high priority in the 2017 legislative session.
  The five bills include Senate Bill 21, “Convention of States,” which calls for limits to the power of the federal government. SB-23, E-Verify, will continue the efforts of the legislature in the electronic verification of employment a
  
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• UT Austin breakthrough could mean better flu vaccine in future

  01-12-2016 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Out of all the vaccines created to protect us, there’s only one doctors say we need to get every year: the flu shot. A team of engineers and scientists with the University of Texas at Austin are working to change that. They envision a day where one shot will protect you for life, and recently had a breakthrough which could help improve current vaccines.
  “Half a million people every year die from flu globally,” said Jiwon Lee, a doctoral student in the Cock
  
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• Austin considers lowering neighborhood speed limits

  01-12-2016 00:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Bill Berman spent Wednesday afternoon stringing his holiday lights at the intersection of fast and dangerous.
  “There are a lot of speeding cars and construction trucks and traffic,” he said. The speed limit down his Mueller street? Thirty miles per hour.
  “I think 30 is too fast for a neighborhood like this with how dense it is and has so much pedestrians,” Berman said. The Pedestrian Advisory Council, Walk Austin, Vision Zero ATX and several oth
  
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