Austin news

• Judge declares mistrial in Texas manslaughter case of ex-officer

  19-12-2016 23:40 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — A state district judge has declared a mistrial in the case of a former North Texas police officer charged with manslaughter after shooting 41 times at a fleeing suspect.
  Judge Quay Parker declared the mistrial Monday after being told by jurors they were hung and further deliberations would not help.
  Former Garland officer Patrick Tuter was on trial for the 2012 shooting death of Michael Vincent Allen.
  Allen was wanted for running from police days earlier. Dashboard cameras re
  
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• Round Rock moves forward in bringing waterpark resort to city

  19-12-2016 23:08 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — City Council has taken a significant step forward in bringing a nearly 1,000-room water park resort to the city.
  Of the 10 agreements making up more than 1,000 pages, the city broke them down into five highlights: 
  1. Kalahari Resorts will invest at least $350 million and employ a minimum of 700 people for the resort, convention center and indoor-outdoor water park.
  2. All revenue sharing and public debt related to the project will be paid using se
  
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• Planned Kalahari waterpark resort in Round Rock moves forward

  19-12-2016 23:08 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — City Council has taken a significant step forward in bringing a nearly 1,000-room water park resort to the city.
  Of the 10 agreements making up more than 1,000 pages, the city broke them down into five highlights: 
  1. Kalahari Resorts will invest at least $350 million and employ a minimum of 700 people for the resort, convention center and indoor-outdoor water park.
  2. All revenue sharing and public debt related to the project will be paid using se
  
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• Global leaders react to ‘attacks’ in Germany, Turkey

  19-12-2016 22:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) — International leaders reached out to two grieving nations on Monday following apparent attacks in Germany and Turkey that left at least nine civilians and an ambassador dead.
  While billions of people prepare for holiday celebrations around the world, the tragedies threw the nations into chaos and millions of citizens into mourning.
  The motivation for the attacks, or any connection to extremist groups, has yet to be firmly established, although the assassin
  
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• San Antonio lands CONCACAF Gold Cup

  19-12-2016 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP/KXAN) — The United States opens the CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 8 at Nashville, Tennessee. It plays four days later at Tampa, Florida, and closes Group B play in the first round on July 15 at Cleveland.
  The regional body said Monday that defending champion Mexico, seeded in Group C, opens July 9 at San Diego. It plays four days later at Denver and completes group play July 16 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game in San Antonio will be the city’s first CONCACA
  
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• Judge cleared of misconduct for sentencing Brock Turner to 6 months in jail for sex assault

  19-12-2016 22:09 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California agency that oversees judicial discipline in the state ruled Monday that a judge committed no misconduct when he sentenced former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a young woman on campus.
  The California Commission on Judicial Performance said was evidence that Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky displayed bias in handing down a sentence decried as too lenient by critics across the country.
  “The c
  
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• Truck rams into German Christmas market, killing 12 people

  19-12-2016 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 as it smashed through tables and wooden stands. Police said a suspect believed to be the driver was arrested nearby and a passenger died as paramedics were treating him.
  The popular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was filled with a mix of tourists and locals when the large Scania truck hurtled into it. Germany’s top sec
  
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• At least 9 killed after truck hits German Christmas Market

  19-12-2016 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin on Monday evening killing at least nine people, and causing multiple injuries, police said.
  The truck crashed into the market outside the capital’s popular Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
  AP Television footage showed a large Scania truck with its windshield smashed out on the sidewalk alongside the market, with a swarm of ambulances nearby. A large Christmas tree with a gold s
  
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• US women increasingly use pot during pregnancy, study finds

  19-12-2016 21:12 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. women are increasingly using marijuana during pregnancy, sometimes to treat morning sickness, new reports suggest. Though the actual numbers are small, the trend raises concerns because of evidence linking the drug with low birth weights and other problems.
  In 2014, almost 4 percent of pregnant women said they’d recently used marijuana, up from 2.4 percent in 2002, according to an analysis of annual drug use surveys.
  Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Insti
  
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• AISD special education class transforms coursework into a business

  19-12-2016 19:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday through Friday, five students make their way into Room 334 at Akins High School. They are greeted by their teacher Mr. Jeff Schafer and two aides.
  “Even if two students have the same disability, the way it expresses itself is really different,” said Schafer.
  They’ve embraced an important mindset in the classroom, focusing not on their disabilities but rather their abilities. However, earlier in the year, it was more of a struggle. Lessons consi
  
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• Man tries to take photos up woman’s skirt at New Braunfels Target

  19-12-2016 19:33 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — Police in New Braunfels need help identifying a man they say tried to take photographs up a woman’s skirt last week.
  The incident happened around 7 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the Target on Creekside Way. Witnesses say they saw a man try to take the photos without the woman’s consent. When the witnesses confronted the suspect, he immediately left the store.
  Video surveillance cameras captured the suspect leaving the store. Anyone with information on th
  
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• Boy, 3, out shopping with grandma dies in road rage shooting

  19-12-2016 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  LITTLE ROCK, AR (AP) — A 3-year-old boy being taken on a shopping trip by his grandmother was killed in a road rage shooting when a driver opened fire on the grandmother’s car because he thought she “wasn’t moving fast enough at a stop sign,” police said.
  The boy and his grandmother were at the stop sign in southwest Little Rock on Saturday evening when a driver apparently angry about the delay stepped out of his car and opened fire, police said. The boy was struck
  
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• Police: Drunk Leander mom passes out in movie theater with kids

  19-12-2016 19:12 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — A Leander mom is facing charges for endangering a child after she passed out in the stairs of a movie theater on Dec. 17.
  Kaylan Walker, 36, is accused of drinking so much that she passed out and left four children unattended, according to the affidavit. Three of the children were Walker’s kids ranging from 2 to 4 years old; the fourth child belonged to a neighbor.
  Movie theater staff told police a 4-year-old child informed them that her mom was a
  
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• Space heater to blame in southeast Austin house fire

  19-12-2016 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A space heater is to blame for a house fire in southeast Austin Monday morning.
  The Austin Fire Department says the fire started around 11:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Ware Road. When crews arrived, there was fire coming from the home. Everyone was able to get out of the home.
  Within 20 minutes, the fire was under control. 
  
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• Firefighters put out house fire in southeast Austin

  19-12-2016 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighters have put out a fire that started in a house in southeast Austin Monday morning.
  The Austin Fire Department says the fire started around 11:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Ware Road. When crews arrived, there was fire coming from the home. Everyone was able to get out of the home.
  Within 20 minutes, the fire was under control. A cause has not been determined at this time. 
  
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• Russian ambassador to Turkey gunned down, dies

  19-12-2016 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Russian official says that the country’s ambassador to Turkey has died after being shot by a gunman in Ankara.
  Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the announcement in a live televised statement.
  An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. (AP Photo/
  
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• NFL won’t fine Ezekiel Elliott for Salvation Army kettle stunt

  19-12-2016 18:14 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS, Texas (KXAN) — A celebratory jump into the jumbo-sized Salvation Army kettle won’t cost Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott anything.
  During Sunday’s game in against the Tamba Bay Buccaneers, Ezekiel jumped into the kettle to celebrate a touchdown he scored on a running play in the first half of the game.
  “I think the Salvation Army should give him the highest award,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game, via ESPN. “My dream would be for the
  
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• Bicyclist injured in crash, driver charged with intoxication assault

  19-12-2016 17:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  A man is charged with intoxication assault, accused of running into a bicyclist in north Austin Friday evening.
  According to an arrest affidavit, Anthony Onorato, 35, was on Parkfield Drive waiting to turn onto Neans Drive when he struck the bicyclist around 7:30 p.m. When police spoke to Onorato, he said he was focused on waiting for northbound traffic to clear and as he turned, he didn’t notice the bicyclist until it was too late.
  Officers conducted a field so
  
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• Prescribed burns scheduled for Pace Bend Park

  19-12-2016 17:11 via kxan.com
  
  SPICEWOOD, Texas (KXAN) — Over the next couple of days, Travis County Parks will conduct several prescribed burns at Pace Bend Park.
  The burns will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. The prescribed burns will take approximately two to four hours to complete.
  The county says the prescribed burns will help maintain the area by removing invading shrubs, reducing the number of exotic species and enhancing the health and diversity of the native plant community.
  The park
  
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• Mobile home destroyed in Caldwell Co. fire

  19-12-2016 16:02 via kxan.com
  
  CALDWELL COUNTY (KXAN) — A mobile home was destroyed Monday morning in a Caldwell County fire around 7:20 a.m.
  The residents were able to escape the flames before firefighters arrived at the scene. The mobile home caught fire on the 1100 block of St. John’s Rd.
  Multiple fire departments responded for additional help. So far there is no word on what started the fire.
  Mobile home destroyed in Caldwell County fire on the 1100 block of St. John’s Road (Courtesy: Caldwell Co. Fire D
  
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• Trump picks Viola for Army secretary

  19-12-2016 15:28 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald J. Trump has picked Vincent Viola as secretary of the Army. Viola is the founder of several businesses, including Virtu Financial, an electronic trading firm. He also owns the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers and is a past chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
  In a statement Monday, Trump said Viola is “living proof of the American dream.” Viola grew up in a family of Italian immigrants in Brooklyn. His father
  
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• Austinites help raise enough money for Tiny Tim’s rare surgery

  19-12-2016 14:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Pet’s Alive put out a plea for Austinites to give from their hearts this holiday season to help a puppy in need of a rare surgery. Now 7-month-old Tiny Tim has enough money to cover the surgery to correct his deformed hind legs so he can walk normally.
  The puppy spent most of his life in a tiny crate by his previous owners; causing his knee caps to grow on the side of his legs. The cost of the ground-breaking new surgery is $2,000 and has officially b
  
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• Florida teacher hits 2 pedestrians while playing Pokemon Go

  19-12-2016 14:05 via kxan.com
  
  DUNEDIN, Fla. (WFLA) – A 38-year-old middle school teacher is facing a variety of charges after deputies say he struck two pedestrians on a sidewalk Sunday afternoon in Dunedin.
  Vincent Edward Barone, Clearwater teacher was playing ‘Pokemon Go’ when he hit 2 pedestrians (Courtesy: WFLA)Vincent Edward Barone of Clearwater admitted he ‘panicked,’ after hitting Sherman Puckett and Sheree Dean near the intersection of State Road 580 and County Road 1 at 2:20 pm. Witness
  
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• 9 books to put on your holiday gift list

  19-12-2016 13:43 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — According to a recent Pew Research survey, Americans read about one book each month. And in 2016, Bookstores sales went up 6 percent, proving people still find value in holding an actual book every now and then, too. You can never go wrong with giving the gift of a book, as long as you pick the right one. Here are nine books perfect for the different personalities left on your holiday shopping list: 1. FOR THE STORYTELLER: Moonglow by Michael Chabon
  It show
  
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• North Texas man gets 10 year sentence for stealing ambulance

  19-12-2016 13:31 via kxan.com
  
  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A Fort Worth man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing an ambulance last year and later crashing it.
  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that 31-year-old Kenneth Golightly was convicted last week of aggravated robbery.
  Authorities say Golightly took the ambulance at knifepoint in March 2015 from a crew that was finishing paperwork after completing a call at a hospital.
  Golightly then drove off, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph through city streets b
  
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• Garfield teaching kids about cyber safety

  19-12-2016 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  U.S. (KXAN) — Cyber security experts are trying to help kids learn how to safely use the Internet with a lovable cartoon.
  Garfield creator Jim Davis partnered with the Cyber Safety Center to write scripts for the videos and comic books. They will use the famous cartoon cat and the rest of the comic cast to teach kids how to stay safe online.
  “The kids are giving out their phone numbers to strangers. They’re contacting strangers online. It’s shocking and it’s a very
  
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• Russia, Turkey, Iran to meet in Moscow on Syria

  19-12-2016 12:55 via kxan.com
  
  BEIRUT (AP) — The Russian military says defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran will meet in Moscow to discuss Syria.
  The meeting, due Tuesday, will coincide with the meeting of the three nation’s foreign ministers, also in the Russian capital. The military said on Monday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will host his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan and Turkey’s Fikri Isik.
  It says they will discuss ways to resolve the Syrian conflict and help implement
  
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• Good samaritan pays huge vet bill for a retired vet’s dog

  19-12-2016 12:43 via kxan.com
  
  BERNALILLO, NM. (KRQE) – One good samaritan’s faith restored another’s faith in humanity — with a truly good deed. A complete stranger paid a huge veterinary hospital bill for a retired veteran.
  Cheryl Buck and her service dog had been in New Mexico for less than a week when her dog, Sgt. Mable, got hit by a car. Mabel was rushed to the veterinary hospital, that is when Buck said she met an angel.
  Buck just moved into a house in Bernalillo, and she said a yard was a
  
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• Cowboys get back on track with 26-20 win over Tampa Bay

  19-12-2016 07:09 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ezekiel Elliott ran faster after he crossed the goal line than he did looking for a hole to get in the end zone from the 2-yard line.
  Dallas’ rookie sensation and NFL rushing leader had his eyes on an oversized Salvation Army red kettle in front of the stands. He jumped in, then disappeared when he crouched down.
  Elliott rushed for a career-high 159 yards and that short score and the Cowboys closed in on home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with a
  
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• Woman killed in South Austin stabbing

  19-12-2016 07:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin police are working a homicide in South Austin.  It’s on the 2700 block of Congress, near Oltorf.  Police aren’t releasing many details right now, but Austin-Travis County EMS tells KXAN a woman in her 40s was taken to the hospital with a stab wound to the chest.
  We have a crew at the scene and will keep updating.
  
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• Woman dies in stabbing on South Congress

  19-12-2016 07:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman is dead after a stabbing on South Congress, near Oltorf Street.
  Austin police are working to learn more about the homicide in South Austin, at the Heights at South Congress apartment complex just before midnight on Sunday.  Police aren’t releasing many details right now, but Austin/Travis County EMS tells KXAN a woman in her 40s was taken to the hospital with a stab wound to the chest. The woman was pronounced dead at the hospital.
  Crime scene units did n
  
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• Fire damages Round Rock home

  19-12-2016 05:50 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) – A home in Round Rock is damaged after a fire Sunday morning.
  At around 10 a.m. the Sam Bass Fire Department was called to the home on Deer Tract Street, near RM 1431.
  Crews from Cedar Park, Jollyville and Round Rock fire departments assisted in taking down the fire.
  The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but investigators say it appears to be accidental.
  
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• Longhorn Dusty Renfro gives ultimate gift to his father

  19-12-2016 05:45 via kxan.com
  
  LAGO VISTA (KXAN) — The connection between father and son is a bond greater than most. Throughout his football career, former Longhorn linebacker Dusty Renfro has relied on his dad.
  Renfro played for the Longhorns from 1995 to 1998, leading Texas in tackles in his junior season. During this holiday season, Renfro gave his dad a priceless gift.
  He gave him a future.
  On a house boat in Lago Vista, Dusty Renfro ditched traffic for Lake Travis. In some ways, a return to the quiet cal
  
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• Mom of “Ryan the Lion” helping family who just lost a son to cancer

  19-12-2016 05:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — During Christmas last year we shared an inspiring story about Samsung employees rallying around a family with a child battling bone cancer.
  Ryan Longoria became known as “Ryan the Lion” due to his strength and courage, but he lost his valiant fight less than a month later shortly after the holidays.
  Now his mother, Illiana Echols, is trying to help another family whose son did not make it to Christmas this year.
  Langston, a 13-year-old boy from Austin took his f
  
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• WATCH: Texas electors cast their votes for President of the United States

  19-12-2016 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  On Monday, the 538 select voters will cast their ballots for the President of the United States. In November’s election, Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, including all 38 from Texas.
  Monday’s vote would officially make him the President-elect, but some people in Austin want electors to change their vote. During role call, the Secretary of State Carlos Cascos determined there were four open seats: one resignation and three absences (two are
  
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• Texas electors cast 36 out of 38 votes for Donald Trump

  19-12-2016 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  On Monday, the 538 select voters will cast their ballots for the President of the United States. In November’s election, Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, including all 38 from Texas.
  Monday’s vote would officially make him the President-elect, but some people in Austin want electors to change their vote. During role call, the Secretary of State Carlos Cascos determined there were four open seats: one resignation and three absences (two are
  
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• Rallies, protests planned at Texas Capitol during Electoral College vote

  19-12-2016 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) –  On Monday, the 538 select voters will elect the President of the United States. In November’s election, Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, including all 38 from Texas.
  Monday’s vote will officially make him the President-elect but some people in Austin want electors to change their vote.
  Dozens of demonstrators were out Sunday braving the cold, pushing to not vote for Trump. While they do not support him, organizers say they are not trying to
  
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• Protests, rallies at Texas Capitol while Electoral College makes final vote

  19-12-2016 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  On Monday, the 538 select voters will cast their ballots for the President of the United States. In November’s election, Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, including all 38 from Texas.
  Monday’s vote would officially make him the President-elect, but some people in Austin want electors to change their vote. A group is planning a rally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday at the Texas Capitol. Electors will cast their ballots in the Ho
  
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• Protests planned at Texas Capitol while Electoral College makes final vote

  19-12-2016 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  On Monday, the 538 select voters will cast their ballots for the President of the United States. In November’s election, Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, including all 38 from Texas.
  Monday’s vote would officially make him the President-elect, but some people in Austin want electors to change their vote. A group is planning a rally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday at the Texas Capitol. Electors will cast their ballots in the Ho
  
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• Protests at Texas Capitol while Electoral College makes final vote

  19-12-2016 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  On Monday, the 538 select voters will cast their ballots for the President of the United States. In November’s election, Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes, including all 38 from Texas.
  Monday’s vote would officially make him the President-elect, but some people in Austin want electors to change their vote. A group is rallying from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday at the Texas Capitol. They are calling for the electors to vote for some
  
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• New warnings about vaping, smoking cigarettes

  19-12-2016 04:03 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. surgeon general is calling e-cigarettes an emerging public health threat to the nation’s youth.
  In a report released Thursday, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy acknowledged a need for more research into the health effects of “vaping,” but said e-cigarettes aren’t harmless and too many teens are using them.
  “My concern is e-cigarettes have the potential to create a whole new generation of kids who are addicted to nicotine,” Murthy t
  
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• Austin Pets Alive! will get new heating units after plea to the community

  19-12-2016 03:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The weekend cold front caused the heaters at Austin Pets Alive! to break down, leaving a run of kennels with insufficient heat. After asking for help from the community the animal shelter will now have new heating units from Radiant Plumbing and Air Conditioning.
  Donations from the community helped fund the new heaters, in addition to the discount provided by Radiant Plumbing to keep Austin’s furry friends warm for the holidays. The shelter needed $10,000 to replace t
  
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• Austin Pets Alive! needs help after heater breaks down

  19-12-2016 03:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The weekend cold front has caused a decades-old heater at Austin Pets Alive! to break down, leaving a run of kennels with insufficient heat.
  In addition to the space heater breaking, APA! has also been asked to take in 15 puppies Sunday afternoon. Five from one litter needs round-the-clock bottle feeding for a few weeks, others will go to get parvovirus treatment and some of the puppies will need a foster home for a few weeks before they can be adopted.
  Now, the T
  
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• Texans win after QB change

  19-12-2016 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer
  HOUSTON (AP) — Tom Savage hadn’t played in a meaningful game in more than two years before coming in for the Houston Texans after Brock Osweiler was benched Sunday.
  The long layoff didn’t appear to slow him as he threw for 260 yards in less than three quarters to help Houston rally for a 21-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
  “It was nuts,” Savage said. “But I think the guys did a good job of rallying around me and making som
  
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• TxDMV reports nearly 20 statewide computer outages

  19-12-2016 03:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some drivers have shown up to county offices to transfer their car titles or renew their registrations, only to find out the computer system wasn’t working properly and they would have to come back another day.
  Now, a Texas Department of Motor Vehicles report obtained by KXAN shows that as the TxDMV rolled out a modernized titling and registration system, it experienced 19 statewide outages of the system. The down time ranged from 10 minutes to nine hours while office
  
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• Jet-setting Hungarian actress Zsa Zsa Gabor dies at age 99

  19-12-2016 01:47 via kxan.com
  
  Zsa Zsa Gabor, the jet-setting Hungarian actress and socialite who helped invent a new kind of fame out of multiple marriages, conspicuous wealth and jaded wisdom about the glamorous life, died Sunday at her home, her husband said. She was 99.
  The middle and most famous of the sisters Gabor died of a heart attack at her Los Angeles home, Frederic von Anhalt said.
  Gabor had been hospitalized repeatedly since she broke her right hip in July 2010 after a fall at her home. She already had to use a w
  
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• Giant Santa letter on display in Austin neighborhood

  19-12-2016 00:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Two local artists are displaying a Christmas message of compassion in a big way.
  Artists Marj Wormald and Caro d’Offay constructed a 10-foot letter made of plywood outside Wormald’s house near Windsor Park. The display features a letter to Santa from Lucinda who is the mother of a fictional young-boy named Bobby who sometimes acts out and is learning how compassion and understanding can affect others while dealing with his own problems.
  The letter is in honor of
  
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• Cedar Park boy collects socks for homeless

  19-12-2016 00:35 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Instead of birthday presents this year, Christian Oviedo asked for socks, and friends and family delivered. The eight-year-old boy collected 1,319 pairs, much more than his goal of 250 pairs.
  “It feels incredible,” said Christian.
  Christian and his mother spent part of the day loading up a mobile truck to deliver the socks and meals Monday morning. “I’m just amazed at what he’s been wanting to do,” explains Yvette Oviedo,
  
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• Baptism by ice: Alaskans make annual plunge into frigid lake

  19-12-2016 00:10 via kxan.com
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — More than a thousand people in Alaska dressed up as elves or in other elaborate costumes, while some stripped down to barely anything to take part in a polar plunge.
  The fundraiser for Special Olympics Alaska took place Saturday at Goose Lake in Anchorage, where ice was cut from a large portion of the lake to allow the plungers room to do their favorite dive, like a cannonball. Other more timid plungers stepped into the frigid water, and others got a helping hand f
  
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