Austin news

• Obama commutes sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked Army docs

  17-01-2017 22:44 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP/KXAN) — President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked Army documents and is serving 35 years, on Tuesday.
  Manning, a former Army intelligence officer, was serving a 35-year sentence for giving classified information to WikiLeaks.
  NBC News reports that Manning will be freed May 17, seven years into her sentence. The White House has said there was a “stark difference” in what Manning did and Edward Snowden’s actions, calling
  
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• Two sisters taken in 1985 found in Houston; mother arrested

  17-01-2017 22:13 via kxan.com
  
  SCITUATE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island State Police say two children reported missing in 1985 have been located in the Houston area and their mother has been charged with snatching them.
  Police said Tuesday an anonymous tip two days before Christmas led them to Kimberly and Kelly Yates, and their 69-year-old mother, Elaine.
  They said the mother had been living in Houston under the name Leina Waldberg. She was arrested on Monday without incident and faces arraignment Wednesday in Rhode Island o
  
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• Rangers caravan rolls through Dell Diamond

  17-01-2017 21:54 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK–(KXAN)– The Texas Rangers winter caravan made a stop at the home of its triple “A” affiliate, the Round Rock Express on Tuesday. Manager Jeff Banister was joined by pitchers Sam Dyson Keone Kela along with outfielder Delino Deshields and bench coach Steve Buechele.
  “There’s always some anticipation (before the season), excitement starts when we actually start spring training,” Banister said.
  The Rangers are coming off a season where they had t
  
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• Suspect shot, killed by Austin police officer identified

  17-01-2017 21:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The man shot and killed by an Austin police officer in northwest Austin over the weekend has been identified.
  Scott Laurance Gilpin, 47, was shot by Office Jesse Lane after police responded to reports of two men fighting in a strip mall parking lot on Anderson Mill Road at Olson Drive. When officers arrived just after 1 a.m. Saturday, the suspect had left the scene.
  Police say he later returned with a shotgun and an AR15 assault rifle and started firing gunshots in the air.
  
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• Round Rock wants to add fixed bus routes to Austin

  17-01-2017 21:11 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — One of the fastest growing cities in Central Texas is looking at options on how and where they would implement mass transit. The city of Round Rock wants residents to weigh in on four proposed fixed bus routes.
  One route would travel to the Capital Metro MetroRail Howard Station with several stops along the way, including the Premium Outlet Mall. A second route would circulate to St. David’s Round Rock Hospital and the Walmart at Interstate 35 and SH 45. A
  
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• City of Round Rock wants input on proposed bus routes

  17-01-2017 21:11 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — One of the fastest growing cities in Central Texas is looking at options on how and where they would implement mass transit. The city of Round Rock wants residents to weigh in on four proposed fixed bus routes.
  One route would travel to the Capital Metro MetroRail Howard Station with several stops along the way, including the Premium Outlet Mall. A second route would circulate to St. David’s Round Rock Hospital and the Walmart at Interstate 35 and SH 45. A
  
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• Report: No school choice measures in Texas without accountability

  17-01-2017 20:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas legislature this session will decide if taxpayer funds should help families pay for private school and home school supplies. Between the 2015 and 2017 legislative sessions, a select group of House members looked into the issue and highlighted what could be the key issue in the debate: accountability.
  School choice advocates believe Education Savings Accounts would be the best way to directly impact students in failing schools and will lead to higher quality e
  
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• HEB announces $100M investment to improve Texas education

  17-01-2017 19:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A leadership institute is coming to Austin aimed to improve education in Texas classrooms.
  On Tuesday, HEB Chairman and CEO Charles Butt announced a $100 million investment to create The Holdsworth Center in Austin. The institute will provide leadership training for 1,200 Texas public school leaders, from principals to superintendents.
  Attendees at the announcement of the Holdsworth Center on Jan. 17, 2017 (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)Operating as a non-profit, the center plans
  
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• List of Democratic lawmakers boycotting inauguration grows

  17-01-2017 18:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro is the latest Democratic lawmaker to opt out of attending this year’s inauguration ceremony.
  In a press release, Castro said, “Every American should respect the office of the presidency and the fact that Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. But winning an election does not mean a man can show contempt for millions of Americans and then expect those very people to celebrate him.”
  While he won&r
  
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• Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett boycotts inauguration

  17-01-2017 18:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three Texas Democratic lawmakers are opting out of attending this year’s inauguration ceremony.
  Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett and San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro both announced Tuesday they will not be attending the ceremony on Friday. Doggett tweeted that he will not be at the inauguration because Trump’s actions to unite the country have only further divided it and “we are in for a long struggle.”
  In a press release, Castro said, “
  
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• Wal-Mart to add about 10,000 retail jobs in the US

  17-01-2017 18:19 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart plans to add about 10,000 retail jobs in the U.S. as it opens new stores and expands existing locations. The world’s biggest retailer said Tuesday that its plans will also generate about 24,000 construction jobs.
  The jobs will come from the opening of 59 new, expanded and relocated Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club locations as well as e-commerce services that were previously announced.
  Wal-Mart is opening fewer stores this year, but still adding jobs as it offer
  
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• Lineup released for 2017 iHeartCountry Festival

  17-01-2017 18:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Country music fans can click their boots together, because the lineup for the 2017 iHeartCountry Festival has been released.
  The event is on May 6 at the Frank Erwin Center. For the fourth year in a row, the festival is bringing some of country’s biggest names to Austin.
  “The iHeartCountry Festival has become an annual family reunion for the biggest stars in country music,” said John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises, iHeartMedia. “These
  
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• Your personal information is on the web for everyone to see for free

  17-01-2017 17:39 via kxan.com
  
  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (FOX21) — Anyone can go to a website called FamilyTreeNow.com and find personal information on you, such as who your relatives are and all of your past and current addresses.
  If that doesn’t scare you, one computer expert said it should.
  “It’s just really a breeding ground for criminals to be able to go in and access that information,” said computer expert Danelle Osborne.
  FamilyTreeNow.com is only one of more than 2,500 websites that co
  
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• Kingsland Post Office collection box burglarized

  17-01-2017 16:48 via kxan.com
  
  KINGSLAND, Texas (KXAN) — A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for any information on the person or persons responsible for breaking into a postal collection box in Kingsland.
  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says the collection box outside the Kingsland Post Office at 1901 W. Ranch Road 1431, was broken into on Thursday, Jan. 12. Nothing was stolen from the post office, just the collection box.
  In early 2014, similar crimes happened at the Lampasas Post Office. Officials say suspec
  
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• Study: Drug-resistant superbug spreading wider than thought

  17-01-2017 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  U.S. (KXAN) — While it sounds like a cape-wearing super-sickness, a new study is raising concerns over a potentially deadly strain of drug-resistant superbugs.
  The National Academy of Science study says the superbug may be spreading wider than previously thought. The superbug is known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae or CRE and it tends to spread in hospitals or long term care facilities.
  The Center for Disease Control says it causes an estimated 9,300 infections and 60
  
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• Donald Trump praises wrong Ivanka in Twitter shout-out

  17-01-2017 14:07 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wanted to praise his daughter on Twitter — instead he accidentally sent his message to another Ivanka.
  Trump retweeted a message from a Twitter user that said his daughter was “great, a woman with real character and class.”
  But the user tagged the wrong Ivanka, a mistake repeated by Trump — and the message was directed to a woman named Ivanka Majic in Brighton, southern England.
  The tweet quickly gained attention, with
  
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• Police: Child dies after being hit by MLK Day parade float

  17-01-2017 13:54 via kxan.com
  
  ABBEVILLE, La. (AP) — Authorities say a child has died after being struck by a float during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Louisiana.
  Police say the child was hit by the float sometime after the parade started in Abbeville on Monday morning.
  Officials have not released the child’s name or age.
  KATC-TV reports that witnesses say the child was struck by the vehicle pulling the float after the child entered the roadway, perhaps for a piece of candy.
  KATC says the parade was stop
  
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• Prosecutors presenting case against Dawnna Dukes, accused of misusing funds

  17-01-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County Prosecutors are set to present their case against State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, to a grand jury on Tuesday.
  Dukes is accused of using public resources for private purposes. She said she would resign her House District 46 seat on the first day of the Legislative Session, but changed her mind.
  Before the November election Dukes said she was stepping down because of health issues relating to a car crash from 2013. She was absent from the 2015 legis
  
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• Dawnna Dukes accused of misusing funds, case moves forward

  17-01-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County prosecutors along with the Texas Rangers are set to present their case against State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, to a grand jury on Tuesday afternoon.
  Dukes is accused of using public resources for private purposes. She said she would resign her House District 46 seat on the first day of the Legislative Session, but changed her mind.
  Before the November election Dukes said she was stepping down because of health issues relating to a car crash from 2013.&
  
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• British leader: UK to make clean break from EU

  17-01-2017 13:22 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) —  The pound is rallying on British Prime Minister Theresa May’s focus on keeping Britain open to global trade.
  Though her speech Tuesday indicates that Britain will leave the European Union’s single market, she stressed her government’s desire to make the country open to new trade opportunities in the global economy. May added that Britain will seek a free trade deal with the EU after leaving it. Such deals, however, typically take years to negotiate.
  Th
  
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• Forever a mystery? MH370 search ends after nearly 3 years

  17-01-2017 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  SYDNEY (AP) — The nearly three-year search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 ended Tuesday, possibly forever — not because investigators have run out of leads, but because the countries involved in the expensive and vast deep-sea hunt have shown no appetite for opening another phase.
  Late last year, as ships with high-tech search equipment covered the last strips of the 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) search zone, experts concluded they should have been searching a small
  
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• $300M face lift proposed for Eiffel Tower

  17-01-2017 13:11 via kxan.com
  
  PARIS, France (KXAN) — Changes could soon be coming to one of Paris’ most iconic attractions.
  The Mayor of Paris is proposing a more than $300 million face lift for the Eiffel Tower. The price tag would include upgrades for better security, new elevators, and refurbished lighting.
  The project comes as Paris competes with Budapest and Los Angeles in a bid for the 2024 Olympic Games. That decision will be made by the International Olympic Committee in September.  The proposed upgr
  
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• VIDEO: Close call for Houston driver as tornado leaves wake of damage

  17-01-2017 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KXAN) — There was a close call for drivers in the Houston-area on Monday.
  A cell phone video captured an encroaching small tornado as a driver tried to avoid the strong winds on the roadway.
  Wet weather forecast in Austin
  Houston tornado damage (NBC)This is an aerial view on what the storm left behind. While Monday’s tornado may have been small, it left a lot of damage to cleanup on Tuesday morning.
  On Friday, a Williamson County tornado damaged businesses and ho
  
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• Official: Istanbul nightclub attack executed in IS’ name

  17-01-2017 12:07 via kxan.com
  
  ISTANBUL (AP) —  Istanbul’s governor says that the New Year’s nightclub attack that killed 39 people was executed on behalf of the Islamic State group.
  Vasip Sahin told reporters that “It is clear that this was carried out in the name of Daesh.” He was using an Arabic acronym for the militant group.
  Sahin also confirmed the identity of the suspected gunman, who is now in custody and being questioned, saying he is an Uzbekistan national who had trained in Afghan
  
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• Air Force: PTSD, other factors led airman to kill commander

  17-01-2017 04:29 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — An investigation has found that post-traumatic stress disorder and the unraveling of a distinguished military career led an airman to fatally shoot his commander last year at a San Antonio base before killing himself.
  The April shooting at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland prompted a lockdown and officials to abruptly end a nearby military training parade with thousands of spectators.
  Air Force investigators determined Tech. Sgt. Steven Bellino confronted Lt. Col. William
  
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• Group protests Sen. Cruz’s support of Obamacare repeal

  17-01-2017 04:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Outside of Ted Cruz’s downtown office Monday, a group protested the planned repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.
  Last week the Senate took the first steps toward repealing the act, passing a measure that could dismantle the health care law as early as next month. Cruz voted in favor of the measure.
  Instead of ousting Obamacare completely, protesters are calling on lawmakers to replace it with laws that offer similar coverage, including all
  
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• STAR Flight fees could increase in Travis County

  17-01-2017 04:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A $600 increase for Travis County residents to be taken to the hospital in a STAR Flight helicopter will be up for decision at the Travis County Commissioner’s court meeting on Tuesday.
  We rely on STAR Flight aircraft in cases where an ambulance can’t respond, but what if one day the availability of an aircraft was not there. It’s a big reason why Casey Ping, the STAR Flight program director, is asking for more funds to maintain their fleet.
  Ping says
  
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• SXSW wristbands for Austin-area residents now on sale

  17-01-2017 03:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Get them while you can. South by Southwest fest wristbands go on sale Tuesday morning.
  The wristbands, priced at $169, are available only to Austin-area residents. Those unlucky enough not to have an Austin-area zip code are currently paying at least $1,225 for a film, music or interactive badge.
  Fair warning: Wristbands do not guarantee entry to every SXSW screening or show. Badge-holders get priority.
  The wristbands, which go on sell at 10:30 a.m., are expected to sell ou
  
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• SXSW wristbands for Austin-area residents go on sale Tuesday morning

  17-01-2017 03:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Get them while you can. South by Southwest fest wristbands go on sale Tuesday morning.
  The wristbands, priced at $169, are available only to Austin-area residents. Those unlucky enough not to have an Austin-area zip code are currently paying at least $1,225 for a film, music or interactive badge.
  Fair warning: Wristbands do not guarantee entry to every SXSW screening or show. Badge-holders get priority.
  The wristbands, which go on sell at 10:30 a.m., are expected to sell ou
  
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• Texas lawmakers keep close eye on soon-to-be President Trump

  17-01-2017 02:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — State lawmakers face a big question mark during the 85th Legislative Session as legislators can only wonder how changes at the federal level might impact Texas.
  “We watch Washington here very, very carefully because we need to know where they are going to mess things up next,” said State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo.
  President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States in Washington D.C. Friday.
  “President-elect Trump
  
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• Ebony Acres pushes for historic district to prevent demolition

  17-01-2017 02:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the midst of east Austin’s patchwork of old and new, development and gentrification. neighbors of Ebony Acres are pushing for preservation through a historic district. People who live in the neighborhood told KXAN they fear demolition could be the area’s demise.
  As homeowner Danny Fowler explained, the story of Ebony Acres starts in its name. “This was established as a place where African-Americans were welcome to come, buy homes, and establish the
  
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• One killed in crash on County Road 112 in Round Rock

  17-01-2017 02:03 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — One person is dead following a crash on County Road 112 north of Round Rock, Monday afternoon.
  The Department of Public Safety says the one-vehicle crash happened near the intersection of County Road 117 and 112 at around 4:45 p.m., just east of Seton Medical Center Williamson.
  Troopers say the driver went off the road and into a creek. Law enforcement is at the scene investigating the crash. Additional information on the victim and crash were not immediately ava
  
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• Lawmaker aims to lower the cost for churches that want security officers

  17-01-2017 02:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Each week, Austin Christian Fellowship opens their doors for families to worship. When they do, Scott Newman is always ready to serve.
  “I prayed about it and just felt like this was something I could do with my skills to help protect my church,” said Newman.
  He’s a husband, father and former military who felt led to volunteer on his church security team six months ago. The position required him to get licensed to carry a handgun and go through ho
  
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• Texas and Planned Parenthood face off in court again this week

  17-01-2017 01:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This week, Planned Parenthood could lose $3 million in state and federal funding. Tuesday, the woman’s health organization will try to keep that from happening by taking the state to federal court.
  It began in the summer of 2015 when an anti-abortion group, the Center for Medical Progress, released undercover videos showing workers talking about reimbursement programs for aborted fetal tissue used in medical research. A grand jury later indicted two members of th
  
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• Eight shot during MLK Jr. Day celebration in Miami park

  17-01-2017 01:13 via kxan.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — Miami-Dade police say eight people — five of them juveniles — have been wounded in a shooting at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park.
  Police Department spokesman Detective Daniel Ferrin says in a news release that two suspects are being questioned about the Monday afternoon shooting. He says two firearms were recovered and the active investigation is continuing.
  The Miami Herald reports that hundreds of people had gathered in the park after the annual MLK Day para
  
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