Austin news

• Texas wins $5 million federal grant to combat Zika virus

  12-12-2016 23:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas has won a $5 million Centers for Disease Control grant to combat the Zika virus.
  In a statement Monday, Abbott said the money was awarded as part of supplemental Zika funding approved by Congress to increase preparedness and response efforts.
  Word of the grant comes three days after state health officials confirmed four more cases of Zika in Texas that were likely transmitted by mosquito bites.
  Florida is the only other state with locally sp
  
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• Man seriously wounded in stabbing at St. John’s Ave. gas station

  12-12-2016 23:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 40s was seriously wounded Monday afternoon after being stabbed at a gas station off of Interstate 35 in North Austin.
  Officers were called to the Valero at 704 E. St. John’s Ave. at 2:38 p.m. Medics with Austin-Travis County EMS took the man, who has potentially life-threatening injuries, to University Medical Center Brackenridge.
  Police did not have any information on a possible suspect or what happened before the stabbing. Officers were still at th
  
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• Trump’s victory in Wisconsin affirmed following recount

  12-12-2016 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) – Republican Donald Trump’s victory in Wisconsin was reaffirmed Monday following a recount that showed him defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton by more than 22,000 votes.
  Wisconsin finalized its recount on the same day that a federal judge issued a stinging rejection of a Green Party-backed request to recount paper ballots in Pennsylvania’s presidential election and scan some counties’ election systems for signs of hacking.
  Green Party candidate Jill
  
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• Widening of RM 620 expected to ease flow of traffic

  12-12-2016 22:40 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) —  Under Phase 2 of the Williamson County and Texas Department of Transportation partnership, crews will widen 2.7 miles of Ranch to Market Road 620 between Cornerwood Drive and Deep Wood Drive, west of Interstate 35.
  The project will be done in two segments. Segment 1 runs from Cornerwood Drive to Wyoming Springs Drive. The TxDot portion will re-stripe the existing four-lane section, using the 14-foot shoulders to create six traffic lanes. There a
  
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• DA-elect plans to streamline domestic violence caseload

  12-12-2016 22:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A tide of felony family violence cases continues to fill Travis County’s jail. Now, victim advocates are cautiously watching to see a promised fix from the new district attorney-elect can help protect survivors in a busy judicial system.
  “It’s my concern that those crimes will be dismissed and pleaded down because they can’t possibly prosecute the number of cases they’re charged with,” says Emily Leblanc with Safe Alliance a victims&rsquo
  
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• U-Haul driver arrested for alleged hit-and-run on I-35

  12-12-2016 22:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An alleged hit-and-run crash on Monday morning ended with an arrest after one witness decided to follow the U-Haul rental truck that reportedly left the scene.
  The Austin Police Department confirms the call came in Monday at 9:44 a.m. in the 5000 block of North Interstate 35 southbound, near 51st Street.
  Multiple drivers called 911 to report the collision. At least one person was arrested.
  KXAN’s Brittany Glas spoke with the witness. She has his story tonight on
  
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• Window washer falls from 2nd floor of UMC Brackenridge

  12-12-2016 21:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 60s fell from the second floor of University Medical Center Brackenridge on Monday.
  The hospital said the man who fell is a contracted window washer.
  Police were called to the scene at 2:07 p.m. Callers to 911 initially reported the man fell from the fourth floor, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Hospital staff treated the man and took him inside the hospital. Information on the man’s condition was not immediately available.
  
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• Window washer falls 2 stories from UMC Brackenridge

  12-12-2016 21:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 60s fell from the second floor of University Medical Center Brackenridge on Monday.
  The hospital said the man was a contracted window washer. Information on his condition was not available. People who called 911 initially reported the man fell from the fourth floor, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Hospital staff treated the man and took him inside the hospital.
  UMC Brackenridge, located at 601 E. 15th St., is one of Austin’s two Level I trauma
  
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• Family finds balloon sent from young boy to his dad in heaven

  12-12-2016 21:25 via kxan.com
  
  WALTON COUNTY, GA (WCMH) – A Georgia family turned to social media after finding a balloon in their back yard with a heartwarming message.
  “I saw an object in our yard and didn’t know what it was,” Suzanne Edwards told WAGA. “It was raining all day on Tuesday, so we didn’t go outside, so we were able to retrieve the object this morning.”
  The object turned out to be a balloon. It contained a picture and a note written by a young boy, addressed to his fath
  
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• Wreath laying at Texas Capitol honors fallen military members

  12-12-2016 20:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The widow of Chris Kyle, the U.S. Navy Seal who became known as the “American Sniper,” Tara Kyle, laid the first wreath at the Texas Capitol Monday morning as part of the 12th Annual Wreaths Across America.
  The ceremony was hosted by the Texas Funeral Directors and included a presentation of the colors by the Texas Department of Public Safety Color Guard. The ceremony honors military members who have died in the line of duty.
  After the ceremony at the capit
  
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• Dripping Springs ISD: Don’t grade schools based on STAAR

  12-12-2016 20:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday night, the Dripping Springs ISD school board will vote on a resolution against the new state accountability system which will give specific schools a grade A through F. The system will go into plate next school year as part of House Bill 2804, which passed in 2015.
  Supporters say it will give parents more information about how well schools perform but DSISD says the system would be unreliable because a large portion of the grade will be based on students’ score
  
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• Terminally ill 5-year-old boy dies in Santa’s arms

  12-12-2016 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee Santa Claus says a terminally ill 5-year-old boy died in his arms after he gave the child a present in the hospital.
  The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports Eric Schmitt-Matzen, who does about 80 events a year as Santa, was asked a few weeks ago to visit the dying boy.
  Schmitt-Matzen says he gave the child a toy. He says the boy gave him a big hug, asked “Santa, can you help me?” and died in his arms.
  “I cried all the way home,” Schmi
  
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• Best Buy employees buy Wii U for teen who played demo unit daily

  12-12-2016 19:35 via kxan.com
  
  VALLEY STREAM, NY (WCMH) – When employees of a New York Best Buy noticed a teen coming in to play a Wii U demo unit every single day, they decided to give him a little gift.
  Video of the act of kindness was posted to YouTube by Rahiem Storr.
  “On behalf of all of us here at Best Buy, we got you a Wii U, so you don’t have to come here every day to play,” said an employee to the teen. “This is something we did for you, everybody here that you see, we all got toget
  
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• Supreme Court leaves $1B NFL concussion settlement in place

  12-12-2016 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected challenges to the estimated $1 billion plan by the NFL to settle thousands of concussion lawsuits filed by former players, clearing the way for payouts to begin to those who have been diagnosed with brain injuries linked to repeated concussions.
  The settlement covers more than 20,000 retired NFL players for the next 65 years. The league estimates that 6,000 former players, or nearly three in 10, could develop Alzheimer’s disease
  
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• Top GOP leader: Senate to probe reports of Russia hacking

  12-12-2016 18:44 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The top Senate Republican said Monday that Congress will investigate a CIA assessment that Russia interfered in the November election on behalf of Donald Trump, an intelligence conclusion that the incoming commander in chief has called “ridiculous.”
  Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that an inquiry would be conducted by the Senate intelligence panel. Two key Senate Republicans — John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a le
  
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• General Motors to recall nearly 50,000 police SUVs

  12-12-2016 18:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) General Motors plans to recall nearly 50,000 sport utility vehicles made for police departments and other government agencies because of a hazard in the cooling system.
  The problem affects the 2010 through 2014 models of the Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit SUV.
  A GM notice sent to government regulators warned that the affected vehicles’ cooling fan could trigger an electrical short circuit due to corrosion from fluids leaking into the system. The notice says the short circu
  
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• HGTV’s ‘Flip or Flop’ hosts split months after police called

  12-12-2016 17:15 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The husband and wife team behind HGTV’s “Flip or Flop” have announced their separation six months after police were called to their home over what the couple called an “unfortunate misunderstanding.”
  Tarek and Christina El Moussa say in a statement that police were called out of “an abundance of caution.” They say there was no violence and no charges were filed.
  The couple says the incident prompted them to seek counseling and th
  
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• Dripping Springs burglary suspect caught on camera

  12-12-2016 16:25 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Police are searching for a person who burglarized two homes in Dripping Springs earlier this month.
  The Hays County Sheriff’s Office says the burglaries happened in the early morning hours on Old Mill Road. Police say the suspect gained access to the homes through unlocked garage doors; both homeowners were home at the time of the burglaries.
  The suspect was seen leaving in a late model, possibly white General Motors SUV.
  If you have any information r
  
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• Free Fun in Austin: Dec. 12-Dec. 16

  12-12-2016 15:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here is a list of events going on that Free Fun in Austin is highlighting this week:
  Trail of Lights – Monday, Dec.12 – Friday, Dec.16 from 7-10 p.m. The Austin holiday tradition returns for its 52nd year. Gate tickets are FREE through Dec. 16. Find parking and shuttle information here. Read tips for planning your trip here. Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin.
  FREE Admission to the Mexic-Arte Museum – Monday, Dec. 12
  
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• Yankee Candle recalls thousands of candles due to hazard

  12-12-2016 15:03 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — Yankee Candle is recalling 31,000 candles that pose a potential hazard.
  The company says the glass jars of their Luminous Candle Collection fragrance candles can crack when lit. The company has received 16 reports of the glass jar cracking but no one has been injured.
  The candles were exclusively sold at Yankee Candle stores nationwide and online at http://www.yankeecandle.com between September and November 2016.
  Customers should immediately stop using the recalled cand
  
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• Toyota tops vehicle safety list

  12-12-2016 14:33 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (NBC News) — After putting dozens of new, 2017 cars through its battery of battering crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released comforting numbers and an encouraging message: Cars are safer across the board.
  “You don’t have to buy luxury to get safety, nearly every vehicle size and price class is represented,” says IIHS President Adrian Lund.
  Every major automobile manufacturer in the country is represented on the list. Eighty-two vehicl
  
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• WATCH: Golden Globes nominations revealed

  12-12-2016 14:06 via kxan.com
  
  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Nominations for the 74th annual Golden Globes will be announced Monday morning from Beverly Hills, California.
  The nominations will be streamed live online, beginning at 8:20 a.m. EST. Actors Don Cheadle, Laura Dern and Anna Kendrick will reveal the nominees.
  Among the films expected to take in a number of nods are the nostalgic Los Angeles musical “La La Land,” the lyrical coming-of-age tale “Moonlight” and the August Wilson adaptation
  
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• Golden Globes nominations revealed

  12-12-2016 14:06 via kxan.com
  
  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on nominations for the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards announced Monday in Beverly Hills, California (all times local):
  7:05 a.m.
  Mel Gibson is back in the awards season mix after the Golden Globe Awards nominated him for best director for “Hacksaw Ridge.”
  The actor has largely been a pariah in Hollywood since his 2006 drunken driving arrest in which he launched into an anti-Semitic tirade. “Hacksaw Ridge” is the first film Gi
  
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• Police raids across Turkey after deadly bombing attack

  12-12-2016 13:52 via kxan.com
  
  ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s police rounded up more than 200 members of a Kurdish political party on Monday as the country mourned the dozens killed in a bombing attack near an Istanbul soccer stadium, state media reported.
  The state-run Anadolu Agency there were 235 arrests in 11 cities on terrorism-related charges and for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.
  The report did not specify the name of the organization targeted or whether the individuals rounded up were suspected
  
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• Stony Point High coach killed in crash will be laid to rest in Iowa

  12-12-2016 13:40 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A beloved Round Rock Independent School District coach will be laid to rest Monday morning in his home state of Iowa.
  Sean Kelley, 43, died on Dec. 2 when he was hit by a truck police say was being driven by 33-year-old Javier Morales-Ramirez. Round Rock police say Morales-Ramirez left the scene of the crash but they found him a short time later. He is currently charged with failure to stop and render aid in connection with Kelley’s death.
  Kelley&rsquo
  
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• Man shot dead in road-rage confrontation after Houston crash

  12-12-2016 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A wee-hours fender-bender on a Houston freeway led to a deadly confrontation that left a man dead.
  Houston police say the incident happened shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday near downtown Houston on U.S. 59/Southwest Freeway near the Spur 527 split. A woman called 911 to report her husband had just shot a man on the highway.
  Investigators learned the couple was in their car when their car was struck from behind by another vehicle. The driver of that car got out and got into an arg
  
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• China says Trump’s Taiwan comments cause ‘serious concern’

  12-12-2016 12:43 via kxan.com
  
  BEIJING (AP) — China says it has “serious concern” about President-elect Donald Trump’s latest comments suggesting he is reconsidering America’s relationship with Taiwan.
  Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Monday that Trump’s comments in a television interview over the weekend raised the possibility that U.S.-China relations would be “badly affected.” Geng said the “one China” policy was the “political
  
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• Police investigate suspicious death in South Austin

  12-12-2016 10:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Police are investigating a suspicious death in South Austin.
  Officers were called to 501 East Stassney Lane after 1 a.m. Monday.
  Police say someone died at the scene but aren’t releasing anymore details.
  We have a crew on the way and will update as police release more information.
  
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• Man shot to death in south Austin, suspect in custody

  12-12-2016 10:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A shooting at a south Austin apartment complex overnight left one man dead and another man in custody. Austin police say they were called to the Austin City Lights at 501 E. Stassney Lane around 1 a.m. Monday.
  When they arrived, they found a white man with a gunshot wound, he died at the scene. Police say the suspect and victim were acquaintances.
  Police say there is no danger to the public at this time.
  This case is one of several homicides Austin police had to respon
  
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• Man charged with manslaughter for shooting friend during birthday party

  12-12-2016 10:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly shooting his friend during a birthday celebration at a South Austin apartment complex.
  Austin police say they were called to the Austin City Lights complex, located at 501 E. Stassney Lane, at 1:11 a.m. Monday. Officers found Aaron P. Moore, 24, with a gunshot wound. Police immediately began CPR and continued until EMS took over. Moore was pronounced dead at the scene.
  Homicide detectives determined Moore and Fis
  
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• Cowboys’ streak snapped, Dallas loses for second time to New York

  12-12-2016 07:01 via kxan.com
  
  EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With a no-huddle offense and no-fooling-around defense, the New York Giants snapped the Cowboys’ 11-game winning streak with a 10-7 victory Sunday night, preventing Dallas from clinching the NFC East.
  Dallas (11-2) hadn’t lost since the season opener against the Giants (9-4), who solidified their position in the NFC playoff chase as the top-wild card team. New York still hopes to catch Dallas in the division, and it can thank a stingy, aggressive de
  
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• Freshmen reserves help Texas women beat Tennessee

  12-12-2016 06:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Freshmen Jada Underwood and Joyner Holmes came off the bench to combine for 25 points and both made a pair of free throws in the last 10 seconds to help No. 17 Texas hold off Tennessee 72-67 on Sunday.Holmes made two free throws with 10 seconds left, four seconds after a 3-pointer by Alexa Middleton pulled the Lady Vols within 68-64. Underwood’s free throws came six seconds after a Diamond DeShields 3 made it 70-67.
  Underwood and Brooke McCarty, who made two free
  
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• Students hope new Longhorns coach boosts game attendance

  12-12-2016 05:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Season tickets for Longhorn football go on sale Monday and students hope new coach Tom Herman will bring out crowds in record numbers.
  Texas attendance still struggles through a slump from the Charlie Strong era. The last few years of Mack Brown had an average home attendance more than 100,000 people until his last year, at almost 99,000.
  Strong’s three years were well below that hitting a low of 90,000 in 2015 according to Texas Athletics.
  But a record-breaking
  
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• Students hope Herman brings boost in game attendance

  12-12-2016 05:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Season tickets for UT-Longhorn football go on-sale Monday and students hope new coach Tom Herman will bring out crowds in record numbers.
  Texas attendance still struggles through a slump from the Strong era. The last few years of Mack Brown had an average home attendance over 100,000 people until his last year, at almost 99,000.
  Charlie Strong’s three years were well below that hitting a low of 90,000 in 2015 according to Texas Athletics.
  But a record breaking at
  
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• Will the Trail of Lights hit a record this year for the most marriage proposals?

  12-12-2016 04:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s the ideal place to take the kids, but Austin’s Trail of Lights is also becoming a popular spot for something else.
  Mark Pascual’s friends caught his marriage proposal on camera when he asked his wife Kristine the big question on the trail in 2012. He believes there were three other proposals that same night.
  Last year, Ceasar Jeffery had the same bright idea, but it didn’t go exactly as planned.
  “Every time I got ready to pr
  
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• Shorter drive times mirror projections along new MoPac toll lane

  12-12-2016 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Nearly three months after the opening of Austin’s first express lane segment on North MoPac, drive times on the freeway remain faster than before commuters had the option of the pay-to-drive lane. And projections for the next 20 years fall in line with that new pattern for both paying and non-paying commuters, an examination of public records shows.
  Prior to the express lane opening in mid-October, a volume of 180,000 cars a day meant it took an average 19-minute
  
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• Orlando marks 6-month anniversary of nightclub massacre

  12-12-2016 02:58 via kxan.com
  
  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Survivors, staff and family members of victims who were killed during the Orlando nightclub massacre are gathering outside Pulse to mark the six-month anniversary of the rampage.
  They are gathering in the early hours Monday for a moment of silence at 2:02 a.m., the exact time gunman Omar Mateen started shooting inside the gay nightclub.
  The early-morning memorial at Pulse is not open to the public but just those with a direct connection to the shooting.
  Later in the da
  
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• Rick Perry said to be top candidate for Trump’s Energy Secretary

  12-12-2016 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  Bloomberg Politics (New York City, New York) – President-Elect Donald Trump has narrowed his search down to four candidates for Energy Secretary and former Texas Governor Rick Perry is said to be at the top.
  According to Bloomberg, Trump met with Perry and other candidates while attending the Army vs. Navy football game in Baltimore on Saturday.  It was the second time he spoke with him about potential roles in the new administration.
  Democratic Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North D
  
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• Police: Burglars return to Southwest Austin house to steal car

  12-12-2016 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The attempted burglary happened just after midnight Friday morning, on Gerald Allen Loop in Southwest Austin. Investigators say the homeowner, Ricardo Maldonado was awoken by noises outside his home.
  “They were taking off that screen in the back,” explains Maldonado. “You just want to catch them so you’re thinking what do I need to do not to scare him off.” Maldonado says saw when he came down the stairs he saw a man trying to open one of his k
  
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• Austin Firefighter rings broken bell after 40 years

  12-12-2016 00:13 via kxan.com
  
  Austin, (KXAN) – Sunday morning, an Austin firefighter rang a bell for the first time in over 40 years that he fixed himself.
  Rev. Sylvester Chase of the Wesley United Methodist Church asked AFD Firefighter Dan Herman to ring the bell after he took it upon himself to fix the bell tower. Chase says when Herman found out that the bell tower at the church was not operational, he took time one day to climb up a ladder and fix the tower.
  “He came on his off time, away from work to ensure
  
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