Austin news

• Woman sentenced to 18 years in DWI crash that killed two

  20-12-2016 22:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin woman who has a history of driving under the influence will spend 18 years in prison for a 2014 crash that killed two people.
  On Tuesday, Melissa Marshall, 43, pled guilty to two counts of intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of Lynne M. Clopton, 46, and James Clopton. 49.
  Melissa Marshall, right, gets support from her twin sister in court on Dec. 20, 2016. (KXAN Photo/Tom Rapp)On Feb. 4, 2014, police say Marshall was driving her Ford Escape northbound on the s
  
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• Colton Turner’s mother will face jury trial in fall 2017

  20-12-2016 22:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meagan Work, the woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son Colton Turner, will officially face a jury in October 2017. The trial will happen three years after Colton’s body was found in a shallow grave in southeast Austin.
  Police say Work, now 22 years old, changed her story many times about what happened to Colton. During the search for Colton, police held Work and questioned her for hours. In the fall of 2015, Work’s attorneys were able to present enoug
  
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• Common bacteria caused illness that killed 3, sickened others at Thanksgiving meal

  20-12-2016 22:27 via kxan.com
  
  ANTIOCH (KRON) — Officials say a bacteria is to blame for killing three people and sickening several others during a Thanksgiving dinner in Antioch.
  The bacteria Clostridium perfringens was found in stool samples taken from samples taken from people sickened, according to health officials.
  All those affected had eaten the free meal that was prepared by volunteers from the Golden Hills Community Church and served to 835 people at Antioch’s American Legion hall on Thanksgiving Day.
  3 d
  
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• Man stabbed stepmom to death while she watched TV, Austin police say

  20-12-2016 22:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 20-year-old man stabbed his father’s wife to death while she watched television in their South Congress Avenue apartment, Sunday night, according to Austin police.
  Pontrey O’Neal Jones came up behind his stepmother, Magdalena Ruiz, 35, while she was sitting on the couch with Jones’ father. Jones lunged over Ruiz and stabbed her repeatedly as his father tried to stop the attack, police say.
  Officers were called to the Heights on Congress ap
  
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• Man accused of stabbing stepmom to death at South Congress home

  20-12-2016 22:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 20-year-old man stabbed his father’s wife to death while she watched television in their South Congress Avenue apartment, Sunday night, according to Austin police.
  Pontrey O’Neal Jones came up behind his stepmother, Magdalena Ruiz, 35, while she was sitting on the couch with Jones’ father. Jones lunged over Ruiz and stabbed her repeatedly as his father tried to stop the attack, police say.
  Officers were called to the Heights on Congress ap
  
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• Woman making $200 a day selling positive pregnancy tests on Craigslist

  20-12-2016 22:00 via kxan.com
  
  JACKSONVILLE, FL (WCMH) — A Florida woman says she’s been making up to $200 a day by selling positive pregnancy tests on Craigslist.
  The woman, who doesn’t want to be identified, got the idea after looking online for a job she could do while she was pregnant.
  “$200 in a day off, something I have to do no matter what,” the woman told WJAX-TV. “Me being in college working on a bachelor’s and needing all this money to pay for a degree, this w
  
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• EPA: Sickness complaints related to Corpus Christi water unconfirmed

  20-12-2016 21:11 via kxan.com
  
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP/KXAN) – The head of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality says he’s “absolutely” certain a chemical leak occurred to contaminate Corpus Christi’s public water supply although 115 tests have failed to show if an asphalt emulsifying agent made it from an industrial mixing tank to the water supply.
  Richard Hyde tells the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that state and federal authorities are looking for the duration, quantity and where the
  
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• Fisherman hooks 3,000 lb. Great White Shark

  20-12-2016 21:06 via kxan.com
  
  HILTON HEAD, SC (WFLA) – Here in the Tampa Bay area, it’s rare to spot a Great White Shark. Those who see the magnificent fish are often amazed.
  If you are among those who admire the world’s largest predatory fish, you will want to hear a South Carolina man’s amazing tale – and he has an equally amazing photo to go with it.
  Captain Chip Michalove, 40, is the owner and operator of a fishing charter company in Hilton Head called Outcast Sport Fishing.
  He became &ldquo
  
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• Analysis: Hillary Clinton’s miscalculations and mistakes cost her

  20-12-2016 20:32 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) — Bill Clinton, after casting his vote as a New York elector for his wife, carped to reporters on Monday about the multiple reasons why his wife lost.
  The Russians. The FBI.
  In mid-December, Hillary Clinton said much the same when she met with worried and burned donors who funded her billion dollar presidential campaign at a New York hotel.
  What they got for the billion is a campaign that never had an economic message and ran on identity politics.
  There is no dou
  
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• $10M raised to help families of 5 officers slain in Dallas

  20-12-2016 20:28 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS, Texas (AP) — About $10 million has been raised in private donations for the families of five police officers killed last summer by a sniper in Dallas.
  Mayor Mike Rawlings and leaders of two foundations on Tuesday announced the donated money will also benefit nine officers injured in the July 7 attack.
  Five police officers shot dead in downtown Dallas attack
  Gunfire broke out during a downtown Dallas demonstration against police shootings nationwide. Four Dallas officers and a Dalla
  
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• Mother blames 911 for not saving daughter’s life

  20-12-2016 19:41 via kxan.com
  
  SEYMOUR, Ind. (WTHR) — An Indiana mother has serious questions for police. Her daughter lived alone and Friday morning she died alone. Her mother thinks it shouldn’t have happened that way.
  “She laid there for hours,” said Sharon Elswick. “She never wanted to be alone. That was one of her biggest fears.”
  Brooke Engleking suffered severe asthma attacks. Brooke’s cell phone is a record of the last moments of a young nurse’s life.
  “My daughter c
  
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• Google releases top searches of 2016

  20-12-2016 19:38 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — Google has released its top searches of 2016 and this summer’s “Pokemon Go” craze tops the list when looking at searches across the globe. In the United States, no other subject was searched more than Powerball.
  The top five global searches were as follows:
  1. ‘Pokemon Go’
  In this Friday, July 8, 2016, file photo, “Pokemon Go” is displayed on a cell phone in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)“Pokemon Go,”
  
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• Man charged with sex trafficking Austin teen

  20-12-2016 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in the Travis County Jail charged with sex trafficking an Austin teen he met on Seeking Arrangements, according to the affidavit.
  Richard Inserra, 59, is accused of attempting to sex traffic a 16-year-old after agreeing to pay her for sex. Friends of the victim called police several times and led them to his location at the La Quinta Inn on South MoPac where he was arrested on Dec. 17.
  Inserra told police he agreed to pay the teen $300 for sex via PayPal.
  
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• Man charged with sex trafficking an Austin teen

  20-12-2016 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in the Travis County Jail charged with sex trafficking an Austin teen he met on Seeking Arrangements, according to the affidavit.
  Richard Inserra, 59, is accused of attempting to sex traffic a 16-year-old after agreeing to pay her for sex. Friends of the victim called police several times and led them to his location at the La Quinta Inn on South MoPac where he was arrested on Dec. 17.
  Inserra told police he agreed to pay the teen $300 for sex via PayPal.
  
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• Pedestrian dies in chain-reaction crash in downtown Austin

  20-12-2016 18:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man has died after he was hit by a vehicle in a chain reaction crash on 15th Street and San Jacinto Boulevard Tuesday morning.
  The crash happened just after 10 a.m. when a FedEx truck hit a vehicle, which struck the man in the cross walk, according to the Department of Public Safety. The FedEx truck was traveling southbound on San Jacinto when the driver hit an eastbound vehicle on 15th Street. The vehicle spun around and crashed into the pedestrian walking east to w
  
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• Pedestrian critically injured in downtown Austin crash

  20-12-2016 18:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in critical condition after he was hit by a car on 15th Street and San Jacinto Boulevard Tuesday morning.
  The crash happened just after 10 a.m. The pedestrian was taken to UMC Brackenridge for treatment.
  The Department of Public Safety is on the way to the scene of the crash. Drivers are asked to avoid the area while emergency crews are investigating.
  We have a KXAN crew at the scene working to get more information. 
  
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• Increasing wildfire risk as fireworks go on sale today

  20-12-2016 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — New Year’s revelers can start heading to fireworks stores and stands starting Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Texas.
  Thanks to periods of good fall rain, Central Texas is drought-free at this time. That means fireworks enthusiasts can buy and use fireworks (but not in city limits!) without worry of sparking a brush fire.
  The National Weather Service is calling for drought to return to our area in the next two months. A La Niña pattern usually creates a drier winter f
  
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• Fireworks now for sale, as wildfire risk increases

  20-12-2016 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — New Year’s revelers can start heading to fireworks stores and stands starting Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Texas.
  Thanks to periods of good fall rain, Central Texas is drought-free at this time. That means fireworks enthusiasts can buy and use fireworks (but not in city limits!) without worry of sparking a brush fire. However, it’s best if you use up those fireworks quickly.
  The National Weather Service is calling for drought to return to our area in the next two months
  
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• Deadly crash prompts TxDOT to lower speed limit on US 290 near Fredericksburg

  20-12-2016 17:41 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — Within a few weeks after a three-vehicle crash claimed the lives of four people on US 290 in Gillespie County, the Texas Department of Transportation is moving forward with lowering the speed limit on the main artery between Fredericksburg and Stonewall.
  After the Dec. 3 crash, TxDOT says community members requested a speed study on the 14-mile section on US 290. The speed study, which also included information on crash history and roadway conditions, indicat
  
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• Michigan AG: More charges coming in Flint water probe

  20-12-2016 16:27 via kxan.com
  
  FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan attorney general is announcing more criminal charges in the Flint water investigation.
  Nine people so far have been charged in an investigation of Flint’s lead-tainted water system and an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Those nine are eight current or former state employees and a Flint water plant employee.
  Attorney General Bill Schuette has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday.
  In October, an attorney for Nick Lyon, the head of the Michig
  
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• Tupac Shakur, Pearl Jam, Yes to be inducted into Rock Hall

  20-12-2016 15:56 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The late rapper Tupac Shakur and Seattle-based rockers Pearl Jam lead a class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees that also include folkie Joan Baez and 1970s favorites Journey, Yes and Electric Light Orchestra.
  The rock hall also said Tuesday it would give a special award to Nile Rodgers, whose disco-era band Chic failed again to make the cut after its 11th time nominated.
  Baez will be inducted only months after her 1960s paramour, Bob Dylan, was awarded the Nobel Priz
  
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• A Parent’s Guide to Video Games: How games impact children

  20-12-2016 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Chances are most children have a least one video game waiting for them under the Christmas tree.
  Each year many parents worry about how those games will impact their children.
  Dr. Rachel Kowert joined anchor Sally Hernandez in the KXAN studio to discuss her new book “A Parent’s Guide to Video Games.”
  Sally: Does playing online games make kids more anti-social?
  Dr. Kowert: This is a common misconception!
  Online gaming is actually incredibly social
  
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• Austin motorcycle officer injured in crash on I-35

  20-12-2016 14:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin police motorcycle officer is injured after a crash on the southbound Interstate 35 service road and Braker Lane Tuesday morning.
  The call came in to police of a crash around 6:54 a.m. APD says the officer is alert and conscious. He is being taken to UMC Brackenridge to treat his non-life threatening injuries.
  It is not clear at this time if another vehicle was involved or what caused the crash. The scene was cleared just before 8 a.m. There are no road closur
  
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• PHOTOS: Happy Holidays from the KXAN team

  20-12-2016 14:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The KXAN team is wishing our viewers a Happy Holidays! Check out these pictures from Christmas past of our KXAN crew.
  Send us your holidays pictures to [email protected] and they could end up LIVE on TV on The CW Austin. Happy Holidays from the KXAN team KXAN weather reporter Rosie NewberryKXAN reporter Amanda Brandeis The CW Entertainment Reporter Joe Barlow KXAN Reporter Brittany GlasKXAN Repoter Kylie McGivernKXAN reporter Lauren KravetsKXAN meteorologist David YeomansKX
  
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• Selfie gone wrong: Gun goes off in restroom of Florida club

  20-12-2016 14:16 via kxan.com
  
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – A man was arrested after a selfie with a handgun in the bathroom of an adult entertainment club went wrong on Friday.
  St. Petersburg police said Rorn Sorn, 34, went to the bathroom at Club Lust to take a selfie with the gun.
  Somehow, the gun went off and the bullet went through to the women’s restroom next door.
  Police said Sorn tried to run, but officers in the area stopped him.
  They did not say if anyone in the women’s restroom was injured b
  
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• San Antonio students give special needs classmate a surprise

  20-12-2016 13:07 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — Several San Antonio students are becoming a viral sensation thanks to their selfless act of kindness.
  A video has been spreading on social media. The star of the video is a special needs students at Somerset High School.
  J.R. Gilbert’s classmates found out he was wearing sneakers two and a half sized too small. So they raised $180 and surprised him on the last day of school before the break with two new pairs of Nike shoes.
  
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• PHOTOS: ‘Baby it’s cold outside,’ freezing temperatures in Austin-area

  20-12-2016 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday morning was the coldest start to an Austin day since 2015. The coldest Hill Country locations ranged from 12 to 17 degrees.
  A weaker cold front is coming in Wednesday night, dropping temperatures a bit for the end of the week. We are tracking a pair of storm systems that are set to bring a few light showers Friday through Christmas Day. ‘Baby it’s cold outside’ What happens when you leave your sprinklers running to prevent freezing! Haha (KXAN Viewe
  
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• Islamic State claims Berlin Christmas market attack

  20-12-2016 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that German authorities said came right out of the extremist group’s playbook, inflicting mass casualties on a soft target fraught with symbolic meaning.
  The Monday night attack on the popular market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of former West Berlin left 12 dead and 48 injured — the first mass casualty attack by Islamic extremists c
  
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• 12 killed in attack on Berlin Christmas market

  20-12-2016 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) —  At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into the busy market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected “terror attack.”
  Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo says it is “with pain and sadness we received the information that the first victim of this heinous act of violence was a Polish citizen.”
  Police officers inspect the crime scene in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, the day after a truck ran into a cro
  
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• AISD schools frozen to transfers due to overcrowding

  20-12-2016 10:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin ISD has released their list of 23 schools frozen to transfer students, because they are above maximum capacity.
  Starting Jan. 3, students will only be able to request a transfer if they fit into one of three guidelines if the school has space. Students can request a transfer if it will keep all of the kids in one family together. You can also request a majority-to-minority transfer, which would allow kids to go to a more ethnically diverse school. The third requ
  
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• AISD schools frozen to transfers due to over crowding

  20-12-2016 10:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin ISD has released their list of 23 schools frozen to transfer students, because they are above maximum capacity.
  Starting Jan. 3, students will only be able to request a transfer if they fit into one of three guidelines if the school has space. Students can request a transfer if it will keep all of the kids in one family together. You can also request a majority-to-minority transfer, which would allow kids to go to a more ethnically diverse school. The third requ
  
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• Growing concern about harassment along popular bike lane

  20-12-2016 05:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Walkers, runners and cyclists in North Austin say they are dealing with a scary situation that has been escalating for months.
  People in the Allandale neighborhood have been calling police about the same man screaming obscenities and spitting at people going by on Great Northern Boulevard, and say it recently turned physical.
  “He was just kind of being vulgar with people and yelling at people, runners and cyclists,” said neighbor Kevin McRee.
  He freque
  
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• Longhorn basketball player donates $5600 worth of toys

  20-12-2016 05:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Longhorn junior Joe Schwartz finished up a school project on Monday– one he gladly did. The assignment was to do something that exemplifies leadership.
  He raised the bar by raising $5600 through a go fund me account. With that money, he bought toys for patients at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Monday was delivery day.
  
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• Cowboys close in on NFC’s top seed

  20-12-2016 05:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The KXAN Sports crew joins More than the Score to talk Cowboys, Lake Travis and UT basketball. After another impressive win, the Cowboys are in the Super Bowl conversation. The Lake Travis Cavaliers complete their dominating season with a 6A-Division 1 State Championship.
  
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• Security vs. Freedom: How terrorist attacks impact your local government

  20-12-2016 05:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Monday’s attacks could make an impact here in Texas. Many Texans are turning to leaders and policies that reinforce security… but it may fringe on civil liberties..
  The debate between security and freedom played out again with two violent events overseas.
  “It’s very difficult to protect soft target and large gatherings of people and you can only at times – do what you can,” said  Fred Burton, VP of Stratfor. He says departments
  
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• Widow of AT&T worker killed by dump truck sues company

  20-12-2016 04:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The widow of an AT&T technician killed earlier this month when an 18-wheel dump truck tipped over on him is now suing the truck company.
  Sara Jur, on behalf of her juvenile son, is suing 2015 Construction, LLC and the driver of the dump truck for the Dec. 9 incident.
  The truck was hauling sandy loam soil at the construction site on McKay Cove when — the lawsuit claims — the unsecured or unbalanced load caused the semi to tip over. The truck fell on top of Da
  
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• Boys and Girls Clubs seeking donations after bus set on fire

  20-12-2016 03:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A fire burned and destroyed the biggest bus for the area’s Boys and Girls Clubs this weekend.
  Club leaders said investigators believe someone intentionally set the fire, but did not have more details Monday.
  “We’re picking up a hundred kids a day just to come to [the East Austin Club] from nearby schools,” said Mark Kiester, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area. “So we’re going to have to figure out a way to replace this bus
  
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• Texas hires Todd Orlando as defensive coordinator

  20-12-2016 02:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tom Herman added four members to his Longhorn football staff on Monday announcing Todd Orlando as Texas Defensive Coordinator.
  Herman also hired Craig Naivar as Co-Defensive coordinator, Yancy McKnight as Strength and Conditioning coach and Tory Teykl as Director of Football Operations. All coaches join the Longhorns from Herman’s former staff at Houston.
  “I couldn’t be more excited about adding this group of tremendous coaches and staff to our team at Tex
  
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• Burglars hit home while Temple football coach at title game

  20-12-2016 01:43 via kxan.com
  
  TEMPLE, Texas (AP) — Police in Central Texas are investigating the burglary of a high school football coach’s home while his team was playing in a state championship game over the weekend.
  Temple police say an assistant coach at Temple High School, Toby Rumfield, came home Saturday evening with his family to find their home ransacked and jewelry and electronics stolen. Waco television station KWTX reports the items include a watch, video games, a game console, televisions and iPads.
  
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• Leander neighbors frustrated with gas leaks from construction

  20-12-2016 01:38 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — The city of Leander is spearheading a major construction project to widen Old 2243 from two to five lanes, but neighbors say the construction is causing problems.
  “It will surge continuously off and on every couple of minutes for like hours at a time,” explains Christy Ruiz who lives off Old 2243. She says she’s noticed more power outages since construction began this year. The city says crews have been relocating power lines underground and that m
  
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• Video of kids playing with alligator, pythons at daycare prompts investigation

  20-12-2016 00:39 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A video posted on a local child care center’s website of kids playing with an alligator and a python has started an investigation into Captive Born Reptiles.
  The ODA says the undocumented animals were brought to the daycare illegally.
  According to a search warrant, ODA received a complaint of an alligator and a 12 foot constrictor snake being handled by children.
  Terry Wilkins, the owner of the reptiles and Captive Born Reptiles is known showing off his animals to l
  
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• Complaints of cold classrooms hit 21 Austin ISD campuses

  20-12-2016 00:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Central Texas went from near-record heat to near record lows over the weekend, leaving maintenance at the Austin Independent School District dealing with heating problems.
  District officials say Monday alone, they received complaints from 21 campuses across the district, all mostly isolated incidents of single classrooms or libraries and cafeterias that were not warm enough.
  Parents at Burnet Middle school say they had no idea there was an issue.
  “Imagine th
  
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• DPS: We made 466 DWI arrests last holiday season; don’t be one this year

  20-12-2016 00:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — During an 8-day Christmas and New Year holiday period last year, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers made 466 driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrests. Their message: avoid being a statistic by driving sober and using extra caution during the holidays.
  Troopers will be conducting traffic patrols through the 8-day period looking for drunk drivers, speeders, seat belt violators and other dangerous drivers.
  Last year, 9,174 speeding citations, 893 seat bel
  
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