Austin news

• Debbie Reynolds dies a day after her daughter, reports say

  28-12-2016 23:12 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KXAN) — The day after Carrie Fisher’s death, her mother, Debbie Reynolds has died, TMZ reports. Reynolds, who became world famous with the hit musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” was 84 years old.
  She was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after a suspected stroke.
  Reynolds, who was born in El Paso, was at her son Todd Fisher’s home in Beverly Hills when someone from the home called 911. TMZ states Reynold’s was at her son’s home
  
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• Debbie Reynolds dies a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher

  28-12-2016 23:12 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Debbie Reynolds, the star of the 1952 classic movie “Singin’ in the Rain” has died one day after the death of her daughter, actress-writer Carrie Fisher. Reynolds was 84.
  Her son, Todd Fisher, said Reynolds died Wednesday.
  “She’s now with Carrie and we’re all heartbroken,” Fisher said from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where his mother was taken by ambulance earlier Wednesday.
  He said the stress of his sister’s death
  
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• Carrie Fisher’s mother rushed to the hospital, TMZ reports

  28-12-2016 23:12 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KXAN) — The day after Carrie Fisher’s death, her mom, Debbie Reynolds, was rushed to the hospital due to a possible stroke, TMZ reports.
  Reynolds, 84, was at her son Todd Fisher’s home in Beverly Hills when someone from the home called 911. TMZ states Reynold’s was at her son’s home discussing funeral plans for Fisher, who died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack on Friday.
  Fisher starred with her mother in a documentary set to air on HBO
  
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• Man’s body found floating in Lady Bird Lake near I-35

  28-12-2016 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 40s was found dead in Lady Bird Lake Wednesday afternoon.
  Austin-Travis County EMS were called to the lake near Interstate 35 at 3:24 p.m. for a report of a body floating in the water.
  Austin firefighters located the body near the I-35 bridge and Holiday Inn Austin-Town Lake.
  KXAN has a crew on the way to the scene. We’ll update this page as we get additional information. 
  
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• Dallas Cowboys playoff tickets sell out within minutes

  28-12-2016 22:40 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (KXAN) — Tickets ranging from $200 to $560 for the Dallas Cowboys’ first playoff game sold out within minutes of becoming available, Wednesday.
  Season ticket holders have already snapped up most of the playoff tickets, according to NBC DFW, while many are selling online for thousands of dollars.
  Tuesday night, one ticket in the Hall of Fame Suite was being offered online for $25,477. The limited number of public tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. for the game durin
  
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• Law enforcement from Austin to San Antonio seek help for one of their own

  28-12-2016 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Norma Villarreal doesn’t wear a badge to work, but she’s one of the many civilians who make up the backbone of the Austin Police Department. Villarreal wakes up every day at 4:30 a.m. to commute from San Antonio to Austin, where she works at the Combined Transportation, Emergency and Communications Center (CTECC). That’s where the county’s 911 call takers and dispatchers are stationed.
  Villarreal says she’s always wanted to serve, and does that
  
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• San Antonio Uber driver criticizes Mack Brown while he’s in the car

  28-12-2016 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — Chit chatting with your Uber driver is a common occurrence, but one conversation a San Antonio Uber driver had with his passengers will be one he’ll definitely remember.
  On Tuesday night, ESPN commentator Adam Amin took to Twitter to recount a conversation he had with his driver. The driver was unaware that sitting next to Amin was former Longhorn Coach Mack Brown.
  In his conversation, the driver asked about what they thought about the new Texas coach, add
  
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• Death of 21-year-old Fort Hood soldier under investigation

  28-12-2016 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAN) — The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is investigating the death of a 21-year-old soldier on Fort Hood.
  Pvt. Paige Elizabeth Briles, 21, whose home of record is listed as Kaplan, Louisiana, was found unresponsive at an on-post residence on Saturday, Dec. 24.
  Briles entered active-duty military service in February 2015 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and was assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center since November 2016
  
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• Austin man charged with killing mother of his children in Cuero

  28-12-2016 21:37 via kxan.com
  
  CUERO, Texas (AP) — A 27-year-old man has been charged with fatally shooting the mother of his children on Christmas Day in South Texas, then taking off with his two young sons before losing control of his vehicle and crashing as authorities chased him.
  The Victoria Advocate reports Quentin Levander Darks of Austin was arraigned Tuesday. He’s charged with murder, abandoning or endangering a child criminal negligence, evading arrest and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
  Cue
  
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• Cinnabon apologizes for tweet regarding Carrie Fisher

  28-12-2016 20:15 via kxan.com
  
  (KRON) — Cinnabon is apologizing for posting a tribute to the late Carrie Fisher.
  It reads: “RIP Carrie Fisher, you’ll always have the best buns in the galaxy.”
  Many people took to Twitter saying the message was seen as using a death to promote their product.
  The baked goods company apologized saying: “Our deleted tweet was genuinely meant as a tribute, but we shouldn’t have posted it. We are truly sorry.”Our deleted tweet was genuinely meant as a tribut
  
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• Suspects target Houston breakfast joints in overnight robberies

  28-12-2016 19:51 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Houston police are searching for three men who they say went on a robbery spree targeting Denny’s and IHOP restaurants late Tuesday night into Wednesday.
  KPRC reports the suspects, all masked and armed with guns, originally stole a car around 11 p.m. in southeast Houston. Shortly after that, they robbed a Denny’s on Westheimer Road at Dunvale Road around midnight.
  The group then robbed an IHOP in west Houston. Police said the robbers shot at customers but no on
  
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• VIDEO: Buda police help man propose to his girlfriend

  28-12-2016 19:50 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — What started out as a traffic stop ended with a “yes” after a man proposed to his girlfriend with the help of the Buda Police Department.
  Officers conducted a fake traffic stop to pull over the couple in the parking lot of a Cabela’s. When they were asked to get out of the car, his girlfriend was surprised to see her boyfriend get down on one knee and pull out a ring.
  The girl says yes and laughs that he has to put the ring on her finger. She said whe
  
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• Round Rock parents found passed out with heroin, 2 babies in car

  28-12-2016 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Two Round Rock parents were arrested after police found them passed out in possession of black tar heroin with two young children in the car, according to the affidavit.
  On Dec. 22, Cory Holloman, 26, was found by police asleep in a Target parking lot along with a 1-month-old baby, a 1-year-old child, and their mother Amirah Silver. Police say when they arrived they saw the car turned on with two children in car seats while Holloman was passed out with
  
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• Parents found passed out with heroin, 2 babies in car

  28-12-2016 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Two Austin-area parents were arrested after police found them passed out in possession of black tar heroin with two young children in the car, according to the affidavit.
  On Dec. 22, Cory Holloman, 26, was found by police asleep in a Target parking lot along with a 1-month-old baby, a 1-year-old child, and their mother Amirah Silver, 23. Police say when they arrived they saw the car turned on with two children in car seats while Holloman was passed
  
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• When ‘old’ tech toys become new again

  28-12-2016 18:45 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK CITY (NBC News) — Devices that were recently considered old and out of fashion are making new noise in the holiday marketplace this year.
  Names like the NES Classic, Pokemon, and vinyl records are rolling of the tongues of teens everywhere as some popular technology from the past gets a new look…and a lot of new fans.
  “Consumers are now buying and adopting instant cameras like they were back when Polaroid was in its heyday,” said Polaroid President and CEO, Scot
  
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• Possible grenade found in the middle of north Austin street

  28-12-2016 17:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are investigating a possible hand grenade found in the middle of a street in north Austin Wednesday morning.
  Austin police say they received a call just before 9 a.m. stating there was an abandoned hand grenade in the 13300 block of Lamplight Village Avenue, in between Magazine Street and Rodeo Drive.
  The bomb squad says it is an old, rusty grenade. The scene is now clear.
  
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• Novelty grenade found in the middle of north Austin street

  28-12-2016 17:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police say a possible hand grenade found in the middle of a street in north Austin Wednesday morning turned out to be a novelty toy.
  Austin police say they received a call just before 9 a.m. stating there was an abandoned hand grenade in the 13300 block of Lamplight Village Avenue, in between Magazine Street and Rodeo Drive.
  The bomb squad says it looked like an old, rusty grenade. They took it away just to make sure it wasn’t active. The scene cleared aroun
  
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• Alcoa burning 9,000 acres in Central Texas

  28-12-2016 17:26 via kxan.com
  
  MILAM COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — People who live in Milam and Lee counties should be aware of a large controlled burn over the next two months.
  Alcoa, an aluminum refining company, gave notice that they will be conducting a 9,000-acre burn from the end of December through the end of February. The company owns 33,700 acres in that particular area of Central Texas.
  The burning will occur no earlier than one hour after sunrise and completing on the same day not later than one hour before sunset.
  
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• Trump tweets criticism of Obama

  28-12-2016 16:10 via kxan.com
  
  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama seems to be getting under his successor’s skin.
  President-elect Donald Trump says on Twitter that he’s doing his “best” to “disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.”
  He says he “Thought it was going to be a smooth transition – NOT!”
  Obama told his former White House adviser David Axelrod in a podcast released Monday that he believes he could have won
  
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• No popping of fireworks in city limits!

  28-12-2016 15:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Fireworks light the sky summoning the new year around the world.
  In Austin and San Marcos, the fire department is reminding the community that fireworks are illegal within city limits. While people toast the new year, fireworks spark hundreds of fires in Texas.
  Nationwide, more than 10,000 people are injured from fireworks every year. Among the injured 40 percent are children ages 10 to 14.
  If you plan on sparking some fun in the sky, you must be at least 5,000 feet outside
  
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• Fire Dept. reminds Austin fireworks are illegal in city limits

  28-12-2016 15:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Fireworks light the sky summoning the new year around the world.
  In Austin, the fire department is reminding the community that fireworks are illegal within city limits. While people toast the new year, fireworks spark hundreds of fires in Texas.
  Nationwide, more than 10,000 people are injured from fireworks every year. Among the injured 40 percent are children ages 10 to 14.
  If you plan on sparking some fun in the sky, you must be at least 5,000 feet outside of Austin to u
  
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• Escaped inmate killed by officers in South Texas shootout

  28-12-2016 15:02 via kxan.com
  
  CAMPBELLTON, Texas (AP) — Law officers in South Texas have fatally shot a man who escaped from a county jail on Christmas Eve after injuring several guards.
  The Live Oak County sheriff’s office says 36-year-old Jake Childers was killed in a shootout Tuesday night in Campbellton, about 50 miles south of San Antonio.
  Sheriff Larry Busby told KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi that Childers last week was involved in an altercation with jail guards and briefly took one hostage before he was subdu
  
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• Germany: Tunisian contact of Berlin attacker arrested

  28-12-2016 14:39 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors say they’ve detained a Tunisian man they think may have been involved in last week’s truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.
  Federal prosecutors said Wednesday the 40-year-old was detained during a search of his home and business.
  They said that the man’s number was saved in the cellphone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on Dec. 19, and that “further investigations indicate that he
  
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• GoFundMe to ‘protect Betty White from 2016’ goes viral

  28-12-2016 14:24 via kxan.com
  
  SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA) – A Spartanburg man’s humorous GoFundMe campaign to “protect Betty White from 2016” has gone viral.
  The campaign, aiming to protect the 94-year-old ‘Golden Girls’ actress until the new year, has thousands of shares on Facebook.
  Demetrios Hrysikos, the campaign’s creator, wrote that he plans to donate the money raised to the Spartanburg Little Theater to “help craft new stars of stage and screen” if White does not want h
  
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• Gym memberships spike, then sharply decline after New Year

  28-12-2016 14:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the ball drops in Time Square summoning a new year, people will begin to plan their resolutions for change.
  According to Gold’s Gym, their traffic jumps 40 percent between December and January. Then the number of memberships dips back down significantly in February.
  With the unseasonable warm weather in Austin, the Barton Creek Greenbelt has been packed with people getting out for a nice jog. Once the new year hits you can expect the trails to get even busier
  
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• Versace sued over alleged racist ‘secret code’

  28-12-2016 13:42 via kxan.com
  
  (KRON)—Versace is being sued by a former employee for unfair business practices at their Livermore outlet store.
  Christopher Sampino says during his training period, he was instructed by a manager to casually say “d-410” to alert co-workers when a black customer entered the store.
  Sampino says he told the manager that he identifies as African American.
  READ: Versace lawsuit over alleged racist “secret code”
  Sampino claims he was treated differently and not give
  
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• American hiker dies after fall in Swiss Alps excursion

  28-12-2016 13:19 via kxan.com
  
  GENEVA (AP) — Police in southern Switzerland say the body of an American hiker who apparently fell 150 meters (nearly 500 feet) has been found in the region known for the famed Matterhorn peak.
  The cantonal, or regional, police department in the southern Valais region said Wednesday that the accident took place two days earlier near ski slopes above the town of Zermatt. Police say they have identified the man but declined to release his name or home, citing Swiss privacy laws.
  The police s
  
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• Doctor gives advice on beating allergies as cedar plagues the city

  28-12-2016 12:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time this winter Cedar pollen has climbed into the “high” concentration.
  Austin has a very high per capita growth of cedar trees and as many allergy sufferers know, they have started releasing their pollen. Cedar season always begins in December, but experts say this year cedar could last even longer than usual.
  Cedar season is typically the third week of December through the end of February. However, this year, cedar could last through the first w
  
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• Activists: at least 20 killed in Syria airstrike

  28-12-2016 12:41 via kxan.com
  
  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists say at least 20 civilians have been killed in an airstrike on an Islamic State-held village in Deir el-Zour province in eastern Syria.
  The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported Wednesday that several unknown warplanes bombed the village of Hajna the night before, killing 12 people from one family and 10 from another. It said at least 10 children were killed.
  The activist group Deir Ezzor 24 said no one in the two fam
  
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• Texas lawmaker hopes to keep couples together, ending ‘no-fault’ divorces

  28-12-2016 04:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Center for Disease Control says three out of every seven marriages in Texas end in divorce. A Fort Worth representative says it’s too easy for people to get divorced and wants to change state law to make it harder.
  Currently, fault-based divorces in Texas must fall into one of six categories: adultery, cruelty, abandonment and a felony conviction, living apart for at least three years or confinement to a mental hospital.
  Family lawyer with the Zinda Law Group
  
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• Outgoing Rep. Elliott Naishtat lights menorah at Texas Capitol

  28-12-2016 04:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Jewish community gathered outside the state Capitol Tuesday evening for a lighting ceremony to celebrate the fourth night of Hanukkah.
  Retiring State Representative Elliot Naishtat had the honors. Naishtat, D-Austin, started the tradition outside the Capitol when he first became a lawmaker in 1990.
  He says it took him a while to get the green light from the state Preservation Board, but they finally agreed but only if the group used an electric menorah. The electri
  
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• Longhorns lose to Kent State

  28-12-2016 04:17 via kxan.com
  
  MARK ROSNER, Associated Press
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) —When Kent State’s best scorer and rebounder was temporarily assigned to the bench with foul trouble early in the second half on Tuesday night, the Golden Flashes did not fall apart.
  Instead, they thrived. Jaylin Walker scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, helping Kent State overcome a six-point deficit and defeat Texas 63-58.
  Deon Edwin scored 15 for Kent State (8-5), including 13 in the second half, and grabbed 12 rebounds.
  
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• Theft of ambulances is not uncommon

  28-12-2016 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Austin police confirm officers arrested Rashard Williams, 28, for stealing an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance with the crew and a patient still inside over the weekend.
  According to an ATCEMS spokesperson, the medic crew was on scene of a call at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) in downtown Austin when an individual stole the ambulance while the medic team was tending to a patient. The medic crew was able to provide location and situational d
  
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• Ambulances getting stolen is not uncommon

  28-12-2016 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Austin police confirm officers arrested Rashard Williams, 28, for stealing an Austin-Travis County EMS ambulance with the crew and a patient still inside over the weekend.
  According to an ATCEMS spokesperson, the medic crew was on scene of a call at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) in downtown Austin when an individual stole the ambulance while the medic team was tending to a patient. The medic crew was able to provide location and situational d
  
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• Alamo Drafthouse organizes lightsaber vigil in honor of Carrie Fisher

  28-12-2016 02:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In honor of Carrie Fisher, the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar Boulevard is hosting a lightsaber vigil for our fearless Princess Leia.
  The vigil is being held at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 28. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Star Wars characters and bring along as many lightsabers as they can possibly carry. If you don’t have any lightsabers sitting around, feel free to bring a flashlight or a glow stick.
  Alamo Drafthouse says they want the gue
  
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• Sen. Ted Cruz expected to reintroduce First Amendment Defense Act

  28-12-2016 01:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The controversial First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) could be re-introduced this year, according to the bill’s Republican co-sponsors Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who say they still fully support the once-failed legislation. FADA, which protects people or businesses who refuse services to LGBTQ individuals, was introduced in 2015, but never made it past the first congressional hearing.
  The bill’s text says the refusal of service ca
  
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• Sen. Cruz pushing for bill to allow refusal of service to LGBTQs

  28-12-2016 01:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The controversial First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) could be re-introduced this year, according to the bill’s Republican co-sponsors Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who say they still fully support the once-failed legislation. FADA, which protects people or businesses who refuse services to LGBTQ individuals, was introduced in 2015, but never made it past the first congressional hearing.
  The bill’s text says the refusal of service ca
  
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• Treatment for chronic wounds simulates being 33 feet below sea level

  28-12-2016 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Every 30 seconds someone loses their leg because of complications with diabetes. Poor circulation and nerve damage make diabetics more vulnerable to infections, sores and ulcers. If they’re not treated properly, it can lead to amputation. And it’s not just diabetics, chronic wounds affect 6.5 million Americans. 
  “Chronic wounds are a very big problem,” said Dr. Shannon Mitchel, Medical Director of Wound Care for Cornerstone Hospi
  
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• 3 Lehman High students chosen to perform at Tournament of Roses Parade

  28-12-2016 01:20 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — Three Lehman High School seniors are getting the opportunity of a lifetime: performing at the 2017 Tournament of Roses Parade. Caroline Salas, Maija Solis and Edgar Blandon were selected by Music for All to be a member of the Bands of America (BOA) Honor Band.
  “I’m most excited about meeting people from across the nation,” says Solis, who plays clarinet. “For all three of us, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us to be doing this.”
  
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• ‘Hatchimals’ prove to be Christmas disappointment

  28-12-2016 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (CNN) – One of the most sought-after toys of the holiday season is leaving some kids disappointed.
  Some parents said the “Hatchimals” their children received on Christmas morning will not hatch.
  The toy is supposed to “hatch” from an egg when children knock, tap, or rub on the shell after about 30 minutes of playtime.
  The Hatchimal inside responds with lights and sounds and eventually hatches into a creature kids can talk and engage with.
  It was a tough find
  
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• Caught on camera: Million dollar fur heist

  28-12-2016 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK CITY (KXAN) — For customers in New York City who were hoping to purchase a fur coat to give as a Christmas gift, one particular store had less inventory than normal due to a brazen smash-and-grab burglary.
  On Christmas Eve morning, the burglars broke the front-door glass at Dennis Basso Inc. on Madison Avenue and made a mad dash for the expensive coats. A falling bar hit one of the burglars on the head but he still managed to make off with the goods.
  According to the manager, the
  
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• Buda to resume putting fluoride in water

  28-12-2016 00:02 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) – In the coming weeks, the city of Buda will resume putting fluoride in the city’s water supply. Buda’s water has been fluoridated since the city became a Guadalupe Blanco River Authority customer in 2002, but that changed late last year.
  Buda receives their water from the San Marcos treatment plant; when the city of San Marcos voted to remove fluoride from their water in November 2015, the fluoride in Buda’s water was also removed. Since 2015, Buda has
  
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