Austin news

• Sally Hernandez sworn in as new Travis County sheriff

  04-01-2017 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — At 15 years old, Sally Hernandez says she was on track to end up in jail, after running away from home and dealing with her parent’s alcoholism. Thanks to an early intervention and support of others, that path changed, culminating in her becoming the new Travis County sheriff on Wednesday.
  “I know what it feels like to have to protect yourself, to be afraid and to long for a safe place,” Hernandez said. “We all know the many ways my story could
  
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• Austin Boys & Girls Clubs shows off new bus

  04-01-2017 22:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A week before Christmas, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area was dealt a major blow when someone set fire to the largest bus in their fleet.
  The agency would use the bus to pick up hundreds of children a day from nearby school to come to the club. When KXAN spoke to the CEO of the non-profit back in December, he said he wasn’t expecting much from their insurance claim due to the age of the bus.
  Within days of KXAN airing the story on the bus fire, the outpou
  
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• Chickens escape being fried as nearby car bursts into flames

  04-01-2017 22:40 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A car burst into flames Wednesday afternoon near a chicken coop in Driftwood.
  North Hays County Fire & Rescue released photos from the scene, showing firefighters working to put out the fire at around 1:45 p.m. off of FM 150. The department says there were no injuries and the lucky chickens escaped unharmed.
  Firefighters say a shed caught fire and spread to the car.
  MORE: High school student suspended for ‘theft’ of chicken nugget
  A chi
  
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• Teen wears suit to meet baby niece because ‘first impressions matter’

  04-01-2017 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  PICKERINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) — First impressions matter.
  That’s what Pickerington North High School student Grant Kessler thought when he showed up to the hospital to meet his new baby niece. Grant had the whole ensemble: A jacket and slacks, a tie clip, a pocket square, and a nice watch.
  His sister Iris snapped a photo of her brother, and the Internet loved it. Since 8:42 a.m. Tuesday, the photo has been shared on Twitter almost 78,000 times.my sister is about to have a baby and m
  
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• Lottery scratch-off loser keeps phoning in threats, faces 53 charges

  04-01-2017 21:55 via kxan.com
  
  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A woman who repeatedly aired her frustration at failing to win a jackpot by making obscene and violent threats against Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters faces 53 charges, police said Wednesday.
  Towanda Shields, 47, made dozens of calls over the past eight months to the agency’s offices outside Harrisburg, police in Lower Swatara Township said.
  “From the calls and stuff I’ve listened to, she’s basically completely obsessed with the lottery and
  
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• Reality TV star Omarosa lands White House job

  04-01-2017 21:19 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (KXAN) – A reality TV villain has an official job at the White House. President-elect Donald Trump announced that former The Apprentice contestant Omarosa Manigault will be the new Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison.
  Manigault was one of 11 job announcements made by the President-elect on Wednesday. “These individuals will be key leaders in helping to implement the President-elect’s agenda and bring real chan
  
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• Opinion: Looking back at 8 of the best moments of Obama’s presidency

  04-01-2017 20:34 via kxan.com
  
  This is an opinion piece.
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — Whether you love him or hate him, Barack Obama’s presidency is coming to an end.
  Obama was unique in many ways as our country’s commander-in-chief. He was the first black president. He was the first president to read “Mean Tweets.” To some, he was the first Muslim president who also was born in Kenya and is conspiring with the mole people to destroy the United States by fighting for regulations to combat climate change.
  I
  
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• A look at presidential inaugurations — from FDR to Obama

  04-01-2017 20:34 via kxan.com
  
  (MEDIA GENERAL) — Cut through the pomp and circumstance, and the presidential inauguration is a powerful moment. A peaceful transfer of power to the next leader of the free world.Take a look at some of the frills through this historic photo gallery, including iconic moments and stately fashion trends. Presidential inaugurations — in photos March 4, 1933 -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt takes the oath of office from Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes at his inauguration. Roosevelt was
  
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• Janet Jackson, husband welcome son Eissa Al Mana

  04-01-2017 20:15 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Janet Jackson’s latest escapade: motherhood.
  The 50-year-old pop superstar and husband Wissam Al Mana welcomed their son, Eissa Al Mana, on Tuesday, a representative for the singer said.
  “Janet had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortably. No further details are available at this time,” the statement read.
  Last year Jackson postponed her tour to plan a family. Eissa Al Mana is the singer’s first child.
  Jackson and Al Mana were marrie
  
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• Amarillo mom still critical after home poisoning, 5 improving

  04-01-2017 20:15 via kxan.com
  
  AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — Officials say a Texas father and four of his children hospitalized since an apparent accidental poisoning killed four of their siblings have been upgraded to good condition.
  A spokeswoman at BSA Health System in Amarillo says the five were listed in good and stable condition Wednesday.
  An official with University Medical Center in Lubbock says the man’s wife and the children’s mother, Martha Balderas, remained in critical condition Wednesday.
  Amarillo pol
  
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• Fans start petition to make Leia Organa an official Disney princess

  04-01-2017 19:57 via kxan.com
  
  ORLAND, FL (WFLA) – A Utah man has started a petition to make “Star Wars” character Leia Organa a Disney Princess.
  Cody Christensen, of Cedar City, Utah, started the petition on change.org.
  “After the tragic loss of Carrie Fisher, we feel that is only fitting for Disney to do away with the rule that an official Disney princess must be animated and make Leia a full-fledged princess,” Christensen said in the online petition.
  “What we are asking is that the Walt
  
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• 20 kinds of cat food recalled including 9Lives, EverPet, Special Kitty

  04-01-2017 19:54 via kxan.com
  
  ORRVILLE, OH (WFLA) – The J.M. Smucker Company announced a voluntary recall of certain kinds of 9Lives, EverPet and Special Kitty canned cat food on Wednesday due to possible low levels of thiamine.
  The issue was discovered during a review of production records at a manufacturing facility.
  The affected products include 14 kinds of 9Lives food, EvertPet Mixed Grill Dinner and five kinds of Special Kitty food.
  No illnesses related to the issue have been reported and the product is being reca
  
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• Fight over ‘harboring’ of undocumented immigrants heads to appeals court

  04-01-2017 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas property owners who disagree with the “harboring” provision of the 2015 border security law will make their oral arguments to the U.S. 5th District Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
  During the state’s 84th legislative session, lawmakers passed HB 11, an $800 million border security package meant to stem the tide of people coming to Texas illegally. Part of the law states a person is committing a third-degree felony if they “encourages or induces
  
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• Marijuana advocates to hand out joints at Trump inauguration

  04-01-2017 19:08 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of marijuana legalization advocates plan to hand out thousands of joints during President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
  Pro-marijuana organization DCMJ will begin distributing the 4,200 joints at 8 a.m. on Jan. 20 on the west side of Dupont Circle. The participants will then walk to the National Mall.
  At four minutes and 20 seconds into Mr. Trump’s speech, DCMJ founder Adam Eidinger says protesters will light up.
  He says the giveaway is legal as l
  
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• Motorcyclist killed on FM 1626 linked to deadly hot air balloon crash

  04-01-2017 19:06 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A motorcyclist who died last week while riding on Farm to Market 1626 in Hays County was a crew member of the hot air balloon that crashed in Lockhart in July.The Texas Department of Public Safety says Alan Thomas Lirette, of Buda, died on Dec. 27 when he failed to take a curve properly. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
  On the Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides Facebook page, the business posted the crash took their “beloved Cre
  
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• Cedar counts continue to climb

  04-01-2017 18:42 via kxan.com
  
  As we approach the traditional peak of cedar allergy season, a pair of back-to-back dry cold fronts is only making things worse.
  Today’s pollen count shows an even higher cedar concentration than yesterday. This comes after cedar counts doubled from Monday to Tuesday.
  Pollen count
  The gusty winds, low humidity and lack of precipitation behind last night’s cold front are acting to send cedar tree pollen airborne. Another rain-free cold front is forecast to plow through the area T
  
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• Sen. Ted Cruz proposes term limits for members of Congress

  04-01-2017 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the 115th Congress back in session for one day, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is proposing an amendment to limit the number of terms a member of Congress can serve.
  Along with Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, they both hope the change to the Constitution would mean U.S. senators can only serve two six-year terms and members of the House of Representatives three two-year terms. Cruz claims the amendment is backed by the “American people,” with the Senate an
  
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• San Marcos reverses decision on back-in parking

  04-01-2017 18:20 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — After hearing input from community members and businesses in San Marcos’ town square, the city council is reversing its decision on back-in parking on one side of LBJ Drive.
  The back-in parking along LBJ Drive and Hutchinson Street was implemented back in December of 2013. Over the past year, more than two dozen businesses signed a petition stating the back-in parking adversely affected their business. All the changes with parking and construction were part
  
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• Flurries on Friday? It’s a possibility…

  04-01-2017 18:17 via kxan.com
  
  A blast of cold air combining with a passing upper level storm system Friday may combine to produce the necessary conditions for a few light snow flurries in Central Texas. No travel problems are currently expected.
  Stay with the First Warning Weather Team as we constantly gather new data and fine-tune the predicted impacts.
  The first cold front we are dealing with this week brought sub-freezing wind chills to much of the area early Wednesday. A weak atmospheric disturbance traversing the s
  
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• Police say Facebook postings feud led to gunfire, 4 wounded

  04-01-2017 16:42 via kxan.com
  
  ALLEN, Texas (AP) — Police say four people have been wounded during gunfire in a North Texas neighborhood blamed on a feud over some Facebook postings.
  Allen police on Wednesday arrested one person and detained eight others for questioning following the overnight shootings. Sgt. Jon Felty says an internet disagreement going live on Facebook led to Tuesday night’s altercation.
  Felty had no immediate details on charges or whether other arrests were pending after police say nine people
  
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• Sentencing set for driver who hit bicyclist and left the scene

  04-01-2017 14:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The sentencing phase begins Wednesday morning for a man convicted of hitting a bicyclist with his truck and then driving off in August 2015.
  Julian Luna, 22,  was charged with failure to stop and render aid after hitting Arthur McGuire near North Lamar Boulevard and West Applegate Drive. Luna accepted a plea deal in November 2016 for a lesser charge of accident causing serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony. At the time of the crash, Luna told police he drove awa
  
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• Driver who hit bicyclist and left the scene gets probation

  04-01-2017 14:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who hit a bicyclist with his truck and drove off in August 2015 received six years of supervised probation according to his plea deal.
  Julian Luna, 23,  was charged with failure to stop and render aid after hitting Arthur McGuire near North Lamar Boulevard and West Applegate Drive. Luna accepted a plea deal in November 2016 for a lesser charge of accident causing serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced on Wednesday, Jan. 4 to probation. At
  
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• VIDEO: J.J. Watt surprises injured Texas boy in the hospital

  04-01-2017 14:05 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KXAN) — Houston Texans’ Defensive End, J.J. Watt, delivered a special gift to a boy in the hospital.
  Noah Fulmer, 8, was seriously hurt in a car crash on New Year’s Eve. At the time of the incident, Fulmer was wearing a Watt jersey.
  Medical crews had to cut the jersey off the boy so paramedics could treat him.
  Watt hand-delivered a signed red and blue jersey the eight-year-old boy.
  
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• One dead after rollover crash on US 183

  04-01-2017 13:48 via kxan.com
  
  LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) — A person was pronounced dead after a crash on US 183 Tuesday night around 10:44 p.m.
  The Department of Public Safety says the person died in a single vehicle rollover crash. The gender of the person has not been released.
  The crash was at County Road 258 near Liberty Hill.
  Another person died in a roll over crash on Tuesday in Austin. The driver was killed on North Lamar Boulevard after rolling and hitting a rock retaining wall.
  DPS says they will release more
  
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• One dead after roll over crash on US 183

  04-01-2017 13:48 via kxan.com
  
  LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) — A person was pronounced dead after a crash on US 183 Tuesday night around 10:44 p.m.
  The Department of Public Safety says the person died in a single vehicle roll over crash. The gender of the person has not been released.
  The crash was at County Road 258 near Liberty Hill.
  Another person died in a roll over crash on Tuesday in Austin. The driver was killed on North Lamar Boulevard after rolling and hitting a rock retaining wall.
  DPS says they will release more
  
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• Doctors warn DIY slime toy can be toxic

  04-01-2017 13:39 via kxan.com
  
  NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Hundreds of videos are popping up on YouTube with the newest craze kids showing how to make slime or Gak with Borax, which is used as a cleaning product or pesticide.
  Dr. Richard Uluski said the do-it-yourself toy can be unsafe for children.
  “Something that’s a chemical should not be used as a toy,” said Uluski.
  There are dozens of links with DIY slime using Borax.
  “It’s very popular because it makes the stuff that you see in the stor
  
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• After layoffs, lawsuits Typhoon Texas water park deal finalized

  04-01-2017 13:14 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN  — The city of Plugerville has finalized a deal for a new company to take over the Hawaiian Falls water park.
  Typhoon Texas agreed to a two year deal to take over the lease with an option for renewal in ten years. The company says it will honor season passes purchased in advance before the change.
  The park will open under the new name in May 2017 after a multi-million dollar makeover. Typhoon Texas owns and operates a water park west of Houston in Katy.&
  
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• Texas lawmakers say this congressional session is ‘breath of fresh air’

  04-01-2017 12:42 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (NEXSTAR) — The 115th Congress officially kicked off on Tuesday in Washington D.C., just three weeks before Donald Trump heads to the nation’s capital.
  A few Texas lawmakers says this session will be a “breath of fresh air.” While the congressional session first day tasks were underway most of the lawmakers said this year is going to be different.
  Republicans now have the majority in both the House and the Senate. In just a few short weeks Republicans will
  
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• Pflugerville parents wary of proposed school boundary changes

  04-01-2017 12:27 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Pflugerville is one of the fastest growing cities in Central Texas. Over the past 10 years the city has seen its population double. This growth is causing the school district to looking at changing the school boundaries with a new high school and elementary school slated to open for the 2017-2018 school year.
  On Wednesday, the district will hold another public meeting to gather feedback concerning the proposed changes that will impact:
  Brookhollow Elementary&nb
  
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• Pflugerville gathers feedback on school changes

  04-01-2017 12:27 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Pflugerville is one of the fastest growing cities in Central Texas. Over the past 10 years the city has seen its population double. This growth is causing the school district to looking at changing the school boundaries with a new high school and elementary school slated to open for the 2017-2018 school year.
  On Wednesday, the district will hold another public meeting to gather feedback concerning the proposed changes that will impact Hendrickson High School, K
  
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• ‘Mortified’ Mariah Carey discusses ‘horrible New Year’s Eve’

  04-01-2017 12:18 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Mariah Carey says she was “mortified” in “real time” during her disastrous live performance just before the ball dropped on ABC’s “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve.”
  Carey spoke to Entertainment Weekly in her first interview since the show in which she stumbled through her songs. At many points she stopped singing, even while a prerecorded vocal track played in the background.
  Carey’s publicist blamed show
  
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• Austin could be without a DNA lab for two years, police say

  04-01-2017 05:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two years – that’s how long Austin could be without its own DNA crime lab. That alarm came from an assistant police chief who came under fire from city public safety commissioners Monday. The grilling happened nearly eight months after the lab closed under scrutiny from the Texas Forensic Science Commission.
  “What I really want to know is a sense of urgency prospectively,” asked Commissioner Mike Levy to Asst. Chief Troy Gay. “How are we going
  
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• AISD looks to Anderson High School to pilot virtual classroom

  04-01-2017 05:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District is looking to make sure students are prepared for college by embracing digital technology inside and outside the classroom, beginning with Anderson High School, where they’ve been piloting the Canvas system.
  Canvas is used at colleges and universities across the country for coursework, assignments, access to grades and interactive instruction.
  “It’s a learning positioning system, much like a GPS for your car, but it&r
  
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• New Texas fetal remains rule could have provided family with closure

  04-01-2017 04:51 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A San Marcos mother believes a new Texas rule would have given her closure after losing her baby.
  The rule would require health providers to bury or cremate fetal remains, instead of treating them like “medical waste.” During a hearing Tuesday an abortion rights group challenged the state rule saying it serves no medical purpose.
  Audrey Thornton said it would have meant less heartache, “It would have given us closure right away. We wouldn’
  
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• Bastrop County man’s death in December investigated as suspicious

  04-01-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  RED ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A man found dead in Bastrop County last week is now being investigated as a suspicious incident.
  The Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office said Clifton Wren was found in Red Rock, around 15 miles southwest of the city of Bastrop, on Dec. 29.
  Deputies say they are waiting on the results of an autopsy report before releasing additional information.
  In November, KXAN reported that several murders near Del Valle in Travis and Bastrop counties appeared to be cartel
  
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• Tom Herman completes his coaching staff

  04-01-2017 04:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas coach Tom Herman fills out the remaining voids in his coaching staff naming Tim Beck offensive coordinator and Stan Drayton running backs coach. KXAN’s Roger Wallace and Andrew Schnitker discuss the moves.
  
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• Coors, Miller Lite the drinks of choice on game days at DKR Stadium

  04-01-2017 03:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In six games at the University of Texas’ Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium this past year, more than $3.1 million was brought in with alcohol sales.
  Beer and wine sales started in the stadium in September 2015, after testing similar sales at other sporting events and facilities in early 2014.
  The most beer and wine this past year was sold at the UT vs. Notre Dame game on Sept. 4. At the game, Miller Lite was the winner, but not by much, with 22,950 units sold to
  
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• Woman gives birth to quadruplets while battling cancer

  04-01-2017 03:20 via kxan.com
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A Fort Campbell soldier and his wife have four tiny reasons to celebrate 2017.
  Kayla and Sgt. Charles Gaytan are the proud parents of quadruplets born Friday afternoon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center without fertility treatment of any kind.
  “It was exciting. It was nerve-wracking. But to see them when they all came out and to hear them crying, that was really exciting,” Kayla told News 2.
  Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last January, Ka
  
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• Official: Manson alive amid reports he was hospitalized

  04-01-2017 02:56 via kxan.com
  
  CORCORAN, Calif. (AP) — A California prison official says cult killer Charles Manson is alive following reports that he was hospitalized.
  TMZ reported Tuesday that Manson was taken to a hospital in Bakersfield, about 60 miles south of the California prison where he has been incarcerated.
  California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton declined to say whether the leader of the notorious Manson family has been hospitalized.
  Thornton says Manson is still ass
  
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• VIDEO: Hawaiian lava flow viewing area collapses into ocean

  04-01-2017 02:00 via kxan.com
  
  Hawaii (KHON) – Park rangers say a group of visitors had a close brush with death over the holiday weekend after ignoring warning signs and ducking under ropes on the coastal cliffs of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
  The collapse started around 2:45 p.m. New Year’s Eve Saturday as a section of the 26-acre lava delta collapsed into the ocean at the Kamokuna ocean entry of the park.
  It was an amazing sight as huge plumes of volcanic rock launched into the air. A large section of the la
  
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• Austin sees increase in homicides in 2016, fewer traffic deaths

  04-01-2017 00:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a record number of traffic fatalities in the city of Austin in 2015, 2016 saw a nearly 19 percent decrease in the number of deadly crashes. In 2015, there were 94 crashes that resulted in 102 deaths, whereas in 2016, there were 76 crashes that resulted in 78 deaths. The number of people who died in traffic crashes was down 24 percent in 2016.
  However, the police department did have to investigate more homicides in 2016 than they have in the past nine years. Last year,
  
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• Mom warns parents after TV fell on son, causing traumatic brain injury

  04-01-2017 00:22 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — An old TV stand is kept around the house, serving as a reminder to Danielle Henchcliffe, after a 32-inch box television fell off the stand onto her then-4-year-old son Stanley back in 2013. “He put his feet [in the drawer] and started rocking the drawer and that’s what made that TV fall,” his mother explained.
  Henchcliffe thought Stanley was already asleep, until she and her husband heard a crashing sound come from his room. “He wasn&rsquo
  
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• Three dogs sick, another dead: Woman questions safety of canned food

  04-01-2017 00:17 via kxan.com
  
  WASHOUGAL, WA (WCMH) — A Washington state woman has questions for a pet food company after three of her dogs became suddenly ill and a fourth died unexpectedly.
  Nikki Mael said her four pugs — Tito, Talula, Tinkerbell and Tank —started acting strangely after she fed them Evanger’s Hunk of Beef with au jus canned wet food as a special New Year’s Eve treat. Shortly after, she knew something was horribly wrong.
  “I fed them one can and within 15 minutes, they were
  
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