Austin news

• Annual Jingle Bell 5K run benefits MADD

  11-12-2016 22:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, (KXAN) — Over a thousand runners kicked off the holiday season Sunday morning with the annual Jingle Bell 5K.
  Runners met just before 8 a.m. at the Domain for the race. In time for the holiday season, participants dressed in their most festive Christmas attire for a chance to enjoy time with their families and even hang out with Santa.
  Now in its 20th year, the run benefits Austin’s Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which works to protect families from drunk driving, drugge
  
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• Trump rejects intel briefings, lawmakers vow probe of Russia hacking

  11-12-2016 21:25 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called a recent CIA assessment of Russian hacking “ridiculous” and says he’s not interested in getting daily intelligence briefings — an unprecedented rejection of the nation’s massive and sophisticated intelligence apparatus.
  Trump’s remarks come as key congressional Republicans joined Democrats in demanding a bipartisan investigation into the Kremlin’s activities and questioned consideratio
  
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• Texas to launch massive youth-athlete concussion study

  11-12-2016 21:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — This week, Texas will launch what state officials say is the nation’s largest effort to track brain injuries among young athletes.
  The University Interscholastic League, Texas’ governing body for public high school sports, is partnering with the O’Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center for the project, from which they hope to gauge whether rules or equipment changes are improving player safety and what more can be done to protect at
  
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• Texas launches massive youth-athlete concussion study

  11-12-2016 21:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — This week, Texas will launch what state officials say is the nation’s largest effort to track brain injuries among young athletes.
  The University Interscholastic League, Texas’ governing body for public high school sports, is partnering with the O’Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center for the project, from which they hope to gauge whether rules or equipment changes are improving player safety and what more can be done to protect at
  
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• Baylor gets warning from accreditation group

  11-12-2016 21:19 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — A leading university-accrediting body has issued a “warning” to Baylor University that the school’s compliance with the body’s standards will be closely monitored for the next year.
  Baylor said in a statement it was notified by the Southern Association of College and Schools earlier this month that it will monitor the university’s compliance with three standards: whether university student support services are adequate, institutional control
  
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• From Longhorn to Bull: Strong is new South Florida coach

  11-12-2016 18:32 via kxan.com
  
  Former Texas coach Charlie Strong has been hired by South Florida, returning to a conference and a region where he has deep roots and a history of success.
  Strong was fired the day after coaching his final game with the Longhorns last month, and it took him three weeks to land another job. At No. 25 USF, he will replace Willie Taggart, who left to become coach at Oregon just a few days ago.
  The Bulls went 10-2 this season and finished second in the American Athletic Conference East division to l
  
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• Austin’s newest lawmaker moves from school board to Texas house

  11-12-2016 18:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin will have someone new representing part of the city in the next session of the Texas Legislature.  Gina Hinojosa will make the move from Austin’s school board to the state House.  Hinojosa is a Democrat who won the House District 49 seat, which has been held for the past 26 years by Democrat Elliott Naishtat.  Representative-elect spoke with KXAN anchor Shannon Wolfson on Sunday morning for State of Texas: In-Depth.
  Since the election, Hinojosa h
  
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• Advocates: Revamp Texas adoption care after mistreated teens

  11-12-2016 17:06 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The child-protection system in Texas should be revamped to better monitor adoptions and prevent a reoccurrence of the seven special-needs children found near Houston isolated and living in filthy conditions, child advocates say.
  Authorities have described the discovery last month of the disabled adopted teenagers as “heartbreaking,” detailing an oppressive existence in which they were kept in a bedroom, fed two daily meals of rice and beans and disciplined for thi
  
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• Christmas tree farmer returns wedding band lost 15 years ago

  11-12-2016 14:42 via kxan.com
  
  WHITE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — A Christmas tree farmer has found and returned a wedding ring that slipped off a New Jersey man’s finger roughly 15 years ago.
  David Penner lost the ring during a visit with his wife to Wyckoff’s Tree Farm in White Township. He returned and searched, but the ring was nowhere to be found.
  “I thought it was a miracle,” Penner said of the farmer’s find.
  John Wyckoff, a third-generation tree farmer, told NJ.com (http://bit.ly/2gXBMXt )
  
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• Mack leads Texas past Long Beach

  11-12-2016 05:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After Eric Davis Jr. finally made some shots and emerged from a season-long slump, teammate Tevin Mack turned to him and said, “Welcome back, E.D.”Back indeed, at least temporarily. Davis scored 16 points to help Texas erase a 12-point deficit and defeat Long Beach State 71-65 on Saturday.
  Mack scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Kendal Yancy added 11 points and some critical hustle.
  Davis, a sophomore, hit 3 of 7 3-pointers, a marked improvement
  
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• Highway construction doesn’t stop Trail of Lights visitors

  11-12-2016 05:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The continued construction on MoPac has traffic backed up as visitors head to Austin’s Trail of Lights. The annual event brings in thousands each year, those working for the city and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority say they are doing everything to eliminate some traffic.
  “I would say it took us a little bit longer than we were planning when we were heading down here,” said Trail of Lights visitor Samantha Muschi.
  Muschi estimates that lane cl
  
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• Austin Trail of Lights now open to the public

  11-12-2016 03:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, (KXAN) — The 52nd annual Austin Trail of Lights grand opening ceremony kicked off Saturday evening and the trail will now be open to the public until Dec. 23.
  People of all ages will be able to enjoy the holiday atmosphere of lights, music and hot chocolate for the next two weeks at Zilker Park. The first week of the trail will be free while select nights require admission. Additionally, you can buy zip passes to skip the line.
  KXAN’s John Dabkovich and Sally Hernandez emceed
  
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• Texas deputy who died in sinkhole fondly remembered

  11-12-2016 03:13 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A San Antonio-area deputy who died this week after her vehicle plunged into a water-filled sinkhole is being remembered as a caring and giving person.
  The San Antonio Express-News reports (http://bit.ly/2hdJJ8A ) a funeral service was held Friday night for 68-year-old Deputy Dora Linda Nishihara (nee-shee-HAR’-uh).
  Nishihara was a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy who worked as a courthouse bailiff. In her law enforcement career, she had also worked for th
  
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• Two vehicle crash causes FM 1431 shutdown

  11-12-2016 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A two vehicle collision on Farm Market 1431 in Jonestown has caused the road to be completely shutdown Saturday evening.
  According to a tweet by Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, the crash occurred just after 6 p.m. Saturday.
  STAR flight transported two injured children to Dell Children’s Medical Center with serious but non-life threatening injuries, according to ATCEMS. There were also two adults, male and female that were transporte
  
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• Deadly twin bomb attack strikes police near Istanbul stadium

  11-12-2016 00:47 via kxan.com
  
  ISTANBUL (AP) — Two explosions struck Saturday night outside a major soccer stadium in Istanbul after fans had gone home, in an attack that caused fatalities and wounded at least 20 police officers, Turkish authorities said. A private television channel put the wounded at nearly 70.
  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement saying “unfortunately we have martyrs and wounded” but did not specify the number.
  One of the blasts was thought to be a car bomb and the se
  
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