Austin news

• Austin’s first mobile meditation center opens this weekend

  05-01-2017 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — We all know how much Austinites love their food trucks. But how about a food truck for the brain? Enter Peace Box.
  The shipping container turned meditation studio just south of downtown Austin is hosting its grand opening this weekend. The pop-up mobile center was born from an idea and a bit of intention from Stacy Thrash.
  “I was 30 years working in the corporate world as a sales manager for a major publishing company. My company had a downsizing in June of last year
  
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• Austin’s first mobile meditation center opens

  05-01-2017 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — We all know how much Austinites love their food trucks. But how about a food truck for the brain? Enter Peace Box.
  The shipping container turned meditation studio just south of downtown Austin hosted its grand opening Saturday. The pop-up mobile center was born from an idea and a bit of intention from Stacy Thrash.
  “I was 30 years working in the corporate world as a sales manager for a major publishing company. My company had a downsizing in June of last year and
  
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• Round Rock teen joins exclusive club of students with perfect ACT score

  05-01-2017 23:42 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A Westwood High School junior was one of just 2,235 students in the United States that scored a perfect 36 on the 2016 ACT test. In Texas, only 194 students accomplished the feat.
  Ryan Sze’s secret to success was alternating between PSAT mock tests and past ACT exams to prepare for a variety of test questions. “It was a smart way to study simply because it combines skills from both tests,” Ryan said. “I used skills that I learned
  
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• Corpus Christi prosecutor sworn in wearing Cowboys jersey

  05-01-2017 23:28 via kxan.com
  
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — A newly elected prosecutor in South Texas wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey during a private swearing-in ceremony on a game day.
  The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports Nueces County District Attorney Mark Gonzalez wore a No. 11 jersey on Sunday, as Philadelphia beat Dallas 27-13.
  Gonzalez, who’s a fan of wide receiver Cole Beasley, later tweeted a photo of himself wearing the jersey.
  Gonzalez says he’s received some criticism for wearing the jersey whil
  
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• Austin chiropractor accused of sexually assaulting employee

  05-01-2017 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin chiropractor who has been accused of sexually assaulting a patient in 2007, is now facing a civil lawsuit from a former employee claiming he sexually assaulted her.
  The suit claims 45-year-old Thuy Pete Nguyen, owner and operator of Texas Pain Network, harassed his chiropractic assistant when she was hired in early 2015. The plaintiff said within two weeks of being hired, Nguyen asked her to go to his house (which was connected to the south Austin office) and have
  
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• Megabus debuts new stop closer to downtown Austin

  05-01-2017 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Megabus stop on San Jacinto Boulevard in downtown is now open and ready for business.
  The stop, replacing the previous location on Whittis Avenue, offers an indoor waiting area for up to 80 people, WiFi, multiple bathrooms and air conditioning.
  Megabus.com is offering routes from Austin to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Austin City Council decided in September 2015 to approve the terminal moving away from the University of Texas campus close
  
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• Nearly 6 years in development, Terrence Malick’s latest to premiere at SXSW

  05-01-2017 22:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin-based director Terrence Malick’s latest film, in development since 2011, is set to premiere during the opening night South by Southwest film festival in March.
  The film, titled Song to Song, is said to be a “modern love story set against the Austin music scene.”
  Cast members include Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman.
  The film will see a wide release on March 17th, after its March 10th debut.
   
  
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• Scratch-off lands Dripping Springs man a $1 million payout

  05-01-2017 21:55 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Guillermo Castaneda is having a good week. A scratch-off Texas Lottery ticket the Dripping Springs man bought at an Austin gas station landed him a $1 million prize.
  For selling the winning ticket, Oak Hills Food Mart, located where the US 290 freeway ends — at 6134 W. US 290 — is now eligible for a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
  Castaneda claimed the third of six top prizes worth $1 million available in the game. The Mi
  
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• Giving peanut-based foods to babies early prevents allergies

  05-01-2017 21:38 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – Most babies should start eating peanut-containing foods well before their first birthday, say guidelines released Thursday that aim to protect high-risk tots and other youngsters, too, from developing the dangerous food allergy.
  The new guidelines from the National Institutes of Health mark a shift in dietary advice, based on landmark research that found early exposure dramatically lowers a baby’s chances of becoming allergic.
  The recommendations spell out exactly h
  
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• Top priority safety improvements on SH 21 still years away

  05-01-2017 21:34 via kxan.com
  
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Christopher Limon grew up along State Highway 21 between Uhland and Niederwald. He says what was once a country road is now a treacherous stretch of highway.
  “Twenty-one has become like a little IH-35. This road was never made for that much traffic,” said Limon.
  Those who live along SH 21 have met twice with Texas Department of Transportation officials to express their concerns. Their top priorities for improvements include: widening the road, lo
  
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• VIDEO: Vehicle just misses diners when it plows through restaurant

  05-01-2017 21:16 via kxan.com
  
  FOWERVILLE, Michigan (NBC News) — Amazingly, no one was injured when a vehicle crashed into a restaurant in Michigan.
  At about 6:40pm, Tuesday, diners were enjoying their meals at the Fowlerville Farms Restaurant, when an SUV came plowing into the building.
  The vehicle just barely missed some customers who were sitting at a nearby booth.
  Police say the woman driving the SUV was headed towards the restaurant with her mother and children when she accidentally hit the gas instead of the
  
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• San Marcos teenager accused of lying about crash that killed friend

  05-01-2017 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – A 19-year-old San Marcos woman has been arrested and charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault with a vehicle for a deadly crash that happened in 2015.
  According to court documents, Lorena Hernandez was involved in deadly crash on Jan. 1, 2015 that killed one of her friends, Ruben Trevino Jr., and severely injured two others. Hernandez was 17 years old at the time of the crash.
  Police say the driver was traveling o
  
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• Houston MD Anderson Cancer Center cutting 1,000 jobs

  05-01-2017 18:48 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — One of the nation’s top cancer hospitals, Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center, is cutting about 1,000 employees to address millions of dollars in operating losses.
  Officials say the reductions, through layoffs and retirements, account for about 5 percent of the hospital’s workforce and will not include doctors and nurses.
  During the September-November quarter of 2016, the hospital reported losses of $110 million. Officials say factors include higher insuran
  
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• Travis County inmate dies while in custody

  05-01-2017 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are investigating the cause of death for a Travis County inmate that died at a local hospital on Dec. 29.
  Jacqueline Key, 55, told a Corrections Officer that she needed medical treatment on Dec. 28. It was immediately assessed by the Jail Medical Staff that she needed to go to the hospital.
  Key was transported to UMC Brackenridge where she was rushed into a medical procedure. The next day Key died at 8:34 a.m. while she was in the ICU.
  Officers say she wa
  
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• Police need help finding Yellow Rose robbery suspect

  05-01-2017 15:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are asking for the communities’ help to locate a suspect from a robbery on Dec. 10 at a local strip club.
  Around 3:30 a.m. at the Yellow Rose, located at 6528 North Lamar Blvd., police received a call about a man threatening and robbing two people in the parking lot. The suspect then got into the passenger seat of a dark maroon sedan and left the scene.
  The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 20s approximately 5’7″ to 5’11&rdq
  
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• Lt. Gov introducing bathroom bill targeting transgender women

  05-01-2017 15:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is expected to introduce an anti-LGBTQ bill on Thursday that could become Texas’ version of a bathroom bill.
  Patrick plans to officially file Senate Bill 6, which would ban transgender women from using the bathroom of the gender they identify with. The Texas Association of Business opposes the ban, saying it could cost Texas businesses $8 billion in revenue.
  “The message from the Texas business community is loud and clear,” Ch
  
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• Lt. Gov introducing ‘bathroom bill’ aimed at transgender people

  05-01-2017 15:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is expected to introduce Senate Bill 6, Woman’s Privacy Act, on Thursday that could become Texas’ version of a “bathroom bill.”
  “A majority of Texans in both political parties and in every ethnic and demographic group believe that women and girls should have privacy and safety in their restrooms, showers and locker rooms,” said Patrick in 2016.
  Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, is authoring SB 6, which would ban tra
  
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• Dan Patrick introduces ‘bathroom bill’ aimed at transgender people

  05-01-2017 15:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is introducing Senate Bill 6, Woman’s Privacy Act, on Thursday that could become Texas’ version of a “bathroom bill.”
  “A majority of Texans in both political parties and in every ethnic and demographic group believe that women and girls should have privacy and safety in their restrooms, showers and locker rooms,” said Patrick in 2016.
  Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, is authoring SB 6, which would ban transge
  
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• ‘Bathroom bill’ filed, aimed at transgender people

  05-01-2017 15:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is introducing Senate Bill 6, Woman’s Privacy Act, on Thursday that could become Texas’ version of a “bathroom bill.”
  “A majority of Texans in both political parties and in every ethnic and demographic group believe that women and girls should have privacy and safety in their restrooms, showers and locker rooms,” said Patrick in 2016.
  Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, is authoring SB 6, which would ban transge
  
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• Woman gives birth during auto shop oil change

  05-01-2017 14:41 via kxan.com
  
  DORMONT, Pa. (AP) — Some auto shops offer 10-minute oil change service. That still would have been about seven minutes too long for a Pennsylvania woman who gave birth while the oil in her husband’s pickup was being changed at an auto dealership.
  Amanda Sherman, 24, gave birth Monday when she went to the restroom Monday at #1 Cochran Nissan of South Hills in suburban Pittsburgh.
  Sherman and her husband Adam, also 24, spoke with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Wednesday, when Amanda
  
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• Unrest over Mexico gas price hike erupts into looting

  05-01-2017 13:46 via kxan.com
  
  XALAPA, Mexico (AP) — Protests over a sharp gasoline price hike erupted into looting of gas stations and stores in various parts of Mexico on Wednesday, with dozens of businesses reportedly sacked.
  Protesters also continued to block highways, burn tires and seize gas stations, snarling traffic and jeopardizing fuel supplies across the country.
  The National Association of Self-Service and Department Stores of Mexico said in a statement that 79 stores had been looted and 170 were closed or b
  
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• Coast Guard: Fire burns on oil platform in Gulf of Mexico

  05-01-2017 13:30 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Coast Guard says it’s responding to a fire on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.
  A Coast Guard news release says the fire was reported around 2:30 a.m. Thursday on an oil platform about 80 miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana.
  The Coast Guard says four people aboard the platform evacuated and were rescued by a supply vessel. No injuries have been reported.
  Four vessels are fighting the fire and the cause is under investigation.
  An
  
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• VIDEO: Chicago teens broadcast beating, kidnapping on Facebook

  05-01-2017 13:13 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP/KXAN) — Chicago police say charges are expected against four people who beat a man in an assault that was broadcast live on Facebook.
  The victim is a suburban resident who Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says has “mental health challenges.” The teens kidnapped the victim and tortured him for an hour by cutting his clothes and hair with a knife.
  Johnson called the attack and the video “sickening” at a news conference Wednesday. Johnson questioned
  
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• Hate-crime charges filed in attack on mentally disabled man

  05-01-2017 13:13 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Four black people were charged with hate crimes Thursday in connection with a video broadcast live on Facebook that showed a mentally disabled white man being beaten and taunted, threatened with a knife and forced to drink from a toilet.
  The assault went on for hours, until Chicago police found the disoriented victim walking along a street, authorities said.
  The suspects, who were jailed, can be heard on the video using profanities against white people and President-elect Do
  
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• Rising number of Texas parents opting out of measles vaccines

  05-01-2017 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas medical researcher is raising concerns about a potential large-scale comeback of the measles.
  Peter Hotez, Baylor College researcher, says Texas is on the verge of a measles out-break. The main reason is because parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children.
  Immunizations are a highly debated topic. State lawmakers from Austin want to change the trend of opting out of immunizations.
  Measles creates rashes on the skin.Austin Democrat Donna Howard plans to
  
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• Measles making a comeback in Texas as parents opt out of vaccines

  05-01-2017 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas medical researcher is raising concerns about the potential comeback of the measles.
  Experts say they expect to see a rise in measles next year. The main reason is because parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children.
  Immunizations are a highly debated topic. State lawmakers from Austin want to change the trend of opting out of immunizations.
  Measles creates rashes on the skin.Austin Democrat Donna Howard plans to push a bill this legislative session. It
  
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• Austin one step closer to creating innovation zone

  05-01-2017 12:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin’s blueprint for an innovation zone is years in the making, but now one step closer to reality. Other bigger cities like Boston, Chicago and Atlanta already have major innovation districts.
  The project is a residential and business zone that combines science, education and art. On Thursday, organizers are headed to Atlanta to get more ideas on how to launch it.
  Imagine a state-of-the-art hospital and medical school surrounded by apartments, office buildings, int
  
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• Texas wins Big 12 home-opener thanks to career night from Mack

  05-01-2017 06:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — On a team that has only two seniors, Texas coach Shaka Smart needs to lean on his three sophomores.
  They came through for him on Wednesday night. Tevin Mack scored 16 of his career-best 27 points in the second half, lifting Texas to an 82-79 victory over Oklahoma State.
  Eric Davis Jr. scored 16 points for Texas — 14 in the second half. Kerwin Roach Jr. added 11 points, six assists and impressive defense.
  “This is the first time (this season) where all three
  
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• Texas wineries, vineyards worried about new herbicide

  05-01-2017 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the United States Environmental Protection Agency looks to approve a new herbicide for use in Texas, winegrowers across the state grow more nervous.
  It’s called Enlist Duo and contains what’s called “2, 4-D.” Currently it’s used in 15 states on genetically engineered (GE) corn and soybean crops. Now the EPA is proposing to allow its use on GE cotton, as well as in 19 more states, including Texas.
  The herbicide would be a great asse
  
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• Texas wineries and vineyards worried new herbicide will hurt industry

  05-01-2017 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the United States Environmental Protection Agency looks to approve a new herbicide for use in Texas, winegrowers across the state grow more nervous.
  It’s called Enlist Duo and contains what’s called “2, 4-D.” Currently it’s used in 15 states on genetically engineered (GE) corn and soybean crops. Now the EPA is proposing to allow its use on GE cotton, as well as in 19 more states, including Texas.
  The herbicide would be a great asse
  
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• Family loses home in Bastrop apartment fire caused by cigarette

  05-01-2017 05:09 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Some residents of a Bastrop apartment complex are out of their home Wednesday.
  A fire ripped through a unit at the Walnut Ridge Apartments on Pecan Street, near the intersection of State Highway 95 and Chestnut Street.
  KXAN spoke with the man who lives there. He told us his wife fell asleep and dropped a lit cigarette, which caught tubes from an oxygen tank on fire. “She yelled, ‘Fire!’ and so I came over and tried to put it out.” Steve
  
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• Austin mayor proposes ‘invitation to plan’ ARCH future, downtown homeless

  05-01-2017 04:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Mayor Steve Adler hopes to tackle homelessness in 2017. It’s a key priority to solving what he’s calling the “downtown puzzle.” A large piece of that puzzle, arguably, lies with concerns at the ARCH homeless shelter downtown.
  In a letter Mayor Adler wrote to his colleagues on the city council, he said, “My understanding is that best practices indicate a continuing need for the ARCH to be the downtown shelter. Rightsizing the ARCH and housing th
  
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• Security guard shot at party sues UT fraternity, suspect

  05-01-2017 04:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A security guard injured in a shooting at a University of Texas at Austin fraternity party last September is now suing the fraternity and the accused shooter.
  Edward Leroy Earls, a Specialized Worldwide Protection security guard hired for the party on Sept 11, 2016, claims members of the fraternity failed to alert police to the suspect. The lawsuit argues they knew a violent crime against Earls was imminent but failed to take any preventative measures.
  Police say Danie
  
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• Bill aims to require background checks for gun show sales

  05-01-2017 03:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas bill could require private sellers at gun shows to conduct federal background checks before allowing a buyer to purchase a firearm.
  Currently, private sellers do not have to do so, which is commonly referred to as the “gun show loophole” by some critics.
  “Right now any criminal, domestic abuser, other person that may be violent that’s already prohibited by law from buying a gun can go to a booth at a gun show — that is not a licensed de
  
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• Judge Kocurek attack suspect accused of trying to silence 6 witnesses

  05-01-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Chimene Onyeri, one of the suspects in the shooting of Travis County District Judge Julie Kocurek outside her Austin home on Nov. 6, 2015, is now accused of trying to persuade witnesses from speaking with authorities.
  From around Sept. 24 to Sept. 28, Onyeri provided a note to an inmate while at the Travis County Jail, with instructions to contact six witness, according to new counts in an indictment filed on Dec. 20.
  The note asked witnesses, identified only by their
  
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• Chimene Onyeri accused of trying to silence 6 witnesses

  05-01-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Chimene Onyeri, one of the suspects in the shooting of Travis County District Judge Julie Kocurek outside her Austin home on Nov. 6, 2015, is now accused of trying to persuade witnesses from speaking with authorities.
  From around Sept. 24 to Sept. 28, Onyeri provided a note to an inmate while at the Travis County Jail, with instructions to contact six witness, according to new counts in an indictment filed on Dec. 20.
  The note asked witnesses, identified only by their
  
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• Cedar Park intersection one of the most dangerous in Texas

  05-01-2017 01:44 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Some of the most dangerous intersections in the state are located in Central Texas. A Houston attorney used TxDOT crash data to compile the list. The office of Brian White identified 279 Texas intersections where 48 or more collisions occurred between 2012 and 2015.
  One of the busiest intersections in Cedar Park is Toll road 183A and East Whitestone Boulevard, also known as Ranch to Market 1431. The spot is labeled as one of the most dangerous intersections in Te
  
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• Pediatricians worried about spike in respiratory virus cases

  05-01-2017 01:31 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) – Pediatricians with Baylor Scott & White are seeing a spike in the number of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases. The virus can be deadly for infants and small children.
  The hospital said they had more than 122 cases in Central Texas over the past week and that’s up from 90 cases the week before. “RSV can cause pneumonia and respiratory failure, and it causes several thousand deaths a year both in infants and even in the elderly population,&rdq
  
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• Pedestrian dies nearly 1 month after being hit

  05-01-2017 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A pedestrian who was hit by a car while walking on South Congress Avenue on Nov. 25 died from his injuries nearly one month later.
  Austin police say John Anderson, 52, was crossing Sheraton Avenue when a driver going southbound on South Congress Avenue struck him. Police say the driver had the green light.
  Anderson was taken to the hospital in critical condition; he died from his injuries on Dec. 24. The driver stayed at the scene and no charges are expected in this case.
  L
  
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• Police: Northwest Austin marijuana deal ends in murder

  05-01-2017 01:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man shot and killed in northwest Austin last week has been identified by police. The incident was the last homicide in the city in 2016.
  Anthony E. Brown, 26, was shot around 1:28 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, on Quinn Trail, near the intersection of West Parmer Lane and McNeil Drive.
  Officers arrived to find a man performing CPR on Brown, who had obvious trauma to his body. He was taken to St. David’s Medical Center in Round Rock by Austin-Travis County EMS where he
  
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• Murder suspect accused of kidnapping San Marcos dealership employee

  05-01-2017 00:38 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A man who is currently in the Bexar County Jail in San Antonio charged with murder is also a suspect in a San Marcos kidnapping.
  San Marcos police say on Dec. 26, Antonio Brown, 41, came to the Chuck Nash dealership to trade-in his vehicle to buy a new vehicle. After he was told he was unable to qualify for a loan to buy the new vehicle, Brown went to the parts and service department where he started speaking to a female employee.
  The victim told police Brow
  
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• Federal judge may be casting doubt on new fetal remains rules

  05-01-2017 00:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) — After two days of testimony, a federal judge won’t make a decision on Texas’ new rule requiring burial or cremation of fetal remains until the end of January. The rule requires hospitals and abortion clinics to bury or cremate fetal remains rather than disposing of them in a sanitary landfill, as they most often currently do with such remains and other biological medical waste.
  U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks says it means drawing a distinction betwe
  
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• Woman rescued after wheelchair goes into river in San Angelo

  05-01-2017 00:09 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) — A West Texas woman has been rescued from the Concho River after her motorized wheelchair malfunctioned, went off a 6-foot bank and both fell into the water.
  San Angelo police Officer Tracy Gonzalez said Wednesday that the 67-year-old woman, whose name wasn’t released, was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening. Officials aren’t sure what caused her wheelchair to veer off a path Tuesday afternoon near her home.
  PHOTOS from May floods: W
  
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