Austin news

• Texas film industry rallies to keep funding for incentives program

  03-02-2017 23:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin film production crews, vendors and small business owners are coming together to fight for a state program they rely on. The Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) was designed to entice big productions to do business in Texas, creating local jobs and spurring the economy. It’s used to attract television, video game and film productions to the state.
  In 2013 the program got a big boost from the legislature, over $90 million, t
  
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• Texas film incentive program at risk of being abolished

  03-02-2017 23:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin film production crews, vendors and small business owners are coming together to fight for a state program they rely on. The Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) was designed to entice big productions to do business in Texas, creating local jobs and spurring the economy. It’s used to attract television, video game and film productions to the state.
  In 2013, the program got a big boost from the legislature, over $90 million,
  
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• ‘El Chapo’ lawyers say jail conditions are too strict in NYC

  03-02-2017 23:30 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — He’s locked up 23 hours a day. His wife can’t visit him. He can’t call anyone, except his lawyers. He even was denied water, his lawyers say.
  The strict jail conditions for notorious Mexican drug lord and escape artist Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman were outlined on Friday by defense attorneys in a failed bid to get a judge to loosen them.
  Guzman smiled at his common-law wife, Emma Coronel, as he was led into the Brooklyn courtroom under heavy guard
  
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• ‘We are legend’: Navy bids farewell to ‘unmatched’ U.S.S. Enterprise

  03-02-2017 23:14 via kxan.com
  
  NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — The U.S. Navy on Friday said farewell to the USS Enterprise (CVN 65), after more than five decades, in a decommissioning ceremony at Newport News Shipbuilding.
  The ceremony was held on a cold and overcast day in February, one day before the 59th anniversary of the ship’s keel being laid.
  It was a small and humble ceremony — compared to the larger one in 2012 when the Enterprise was made inactive — that was focused on the “Enterprise Family
  
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• Study: Death likely within 5 years of loss of smell

  03-02-2017 22:17 via kxan.com
  
  LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) – A new study finds there is a strong link between the loss of sense of smell and death.
  Dr. Samuel Sprehe, ENT and allergist with the Memorial Medical Group, says it is normal to have some reduction in smell function, but a study called Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts 5-Year Mortality in Older Adults, published in the Public Library of Science, shows a five year mortality for older adults who totally lose their sense of smell.
  “It’s about to happen and y
  
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• ‘The dog was fine, my friend is not’ – Round Rock blast victim still recovering

  03-02-2017 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — An employee was seriously burned in an explosion at a Round Rock business on Friday.
  Police were initially asking people to avoid the area of Sam Bass Road between Woods Boulevard and Chisolm Trail. Friday night, the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad was at the scene.
  Emergency crews were called to Energetic Materials & Products, Inc. located at 1413 Brandi Ln. at 2:05 p.m. Two employees were working inside the building when the explosion happened. One empl
  
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• Explosion at Round Rock business seriously injures employee

  03-02-2017 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Police are asking people to avoid the area of Sam Bass Road between Woods Boulevard and Chisolm Trail due to an explosion at a Round Rock business.
  Emergency crews were called to Energetic Materials & Products, Inc. located at 1413 Brandi Ln. at 2:05 p.m. Initial information indicates two employees were working inside the building when the explosion happened. One employee suffered serious burns and was flown by helicopter to Brooke Army Medical Center in San
  
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• ATF: ‘No indication’ Round Rock business where explosion happened unsafe

  03-02-2017 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — An employee was seriously burned in an explosion at a Round Rock business on Friday.
  Police were initially asking people to avoid the area of Sam Bass Road between Woods Boulevard and Chisolm Trail. Friday night, the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad was at the scene.
  Emergency crews were called to Energetic Materials & Products, Inc. located at 1413 Brandi Ln. at 2:05 p.m. Two employees were working inside the building when the explosion happened. One empl
  
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• ‘Toxic explosion’ in Pflugerville neighborhood contained

  03-02-2017 20:32 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Residents near Wiseman Drive and Dashwood Creek Drive in Pflugerville were asked to stay indoors Friday following what Austin-Travis County EMS called a “toxic explosion.” At around 2:07 p.m., the shelter in place was lifted and the site was contained.
  The Pflugerville Fire Department was called to the WestPark at Heatherwilde neighborhood around 12:40 p.m. The city of Plfugerville says they asked residents within a half mile radius of Wiseman
  
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• State says fewer than 60,000 visas revoked under order

  03-02-2017 19:56 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says fewer than 60,000 foreigners from seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas provisionally canceled after President Donald Trump’s executive order blocked them from traveling to the U.S.
  That figure contradicts a Justice Department lawyer’s claim Friday during a hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said that about 100,000 visas were revoked.
  The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes dipl
  
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• Baseball owners look at rule changes to speed up game

  03-02-2017 19:21 via kxan.com
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — For those rooting for baseball to speed up the game, Commissioner Rob Manfred says: have patience.
  Owners and players ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in December, but they’re still negotiating innovations designed to improve the pace of play. Owners discussed the issue during two days of meetings that concluded Friday.
  “We did review some rule changes largely related to pace of game that are being discussed with the players’ associat
  
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• Leading cancer researcher hired for UT/Livestrong partnership

  03-02-2017 18:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two years after announcing a partnership with the Livestrong Foundation, the Dell Medical School has hired a leading cancer researcher to run the Livestrong Cancer Institutes.
  Dr. Gail Eckhardt says the partnership with Livestrong is what lured her away from the University of Colorado.
  “I came here because Livestrong has a very long history in the area of patient support and survivorship,” said Eckhardt.
  For years, Livestrong has focused on helping people w
  
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• Suspect accused of sexually assaulting mom with toddler in car

  03-02-2017 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The suspect accused of sexually assaulting a mom in Austin with her toddler in the backseat, is now in custody
  The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Juan Lopez, 46, Thursday night. The victim told police she knew Lopez for a year and he allowed her to borrow his car while he was out of town if she could drop him off an an unknown location on Jan. 16.
  With her young child in the backseat, the mother drove Lopez along Interstate 35 as he instructed her to take the C
  
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• Ex-Westlake High teacher pleads guilty to having relationships with students

  03-02-2017 17:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A former Westlake High School teacher has pled guilty to two counts of improper relationship between educator and student after one of her students came forward and told authorities he had sex with her in 2015. Haeli Noelle Wey, 29, resigned from Westlake High School in October 2015.
  As part of the plea deal, Wey’s attorney says his client will be sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication probation; she will not spend any time in jail.
  The Travis County Sheriff
  
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• Ex-Westlake High teacher gets probation for having relationship with students

  03-02-2017 17:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A former Westlake High School teacher has pled guilty to two counts of improper relationship between educator and student after one of her students came forward and told authorities he had sex with her in 2015. Haeli Noelle Wey, 29, resigned from Westlake High School in October 2015.
  As part of the plea deal, Wey’s attorney says his client will be sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication probation; she will not spend any time in jail.
  The Travis County Sheriff
  
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• Lock out at Connally High School lifted

  03-02-2017 17:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  The lock out at Connally High School has been lifted, according to police.
  The high school was on lock out at 10 a.m. due to police presence in the area. Officers say there was a 911 call for shots fired on Scofield Farms Drive.
  One person has been detained and police are looking for a second suspect.
  The high school is located on North Lamar Boulevard in north Austin.
  
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• Construction begins on E. MLK Blvd. for next 6 months

  03-02-2017 16:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drivers should be aware of some construction coming to East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in east Austin that will last the next six months.
  Starting on Friday, between Tannehill Lane and Regency Drive, MLK Blvd. will be reduced to one lane in both directions. The goal is make room for a wider bridge at US 183, as a part of the 183 South Project.
  The first step is to re-stripe MLK Blvd to move traffic in the westbound direction over to one of the eastbound lanes. Drivers
  
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• HEB partnering with Farmshare to bring healthy food to Del Valle

  03-02-2017 16:16 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — HEB is working bring healthy food to Del Valle, which is known as a food desert lacking a grocery store and affordable options.
  While HEB has plans to build a full grocery store in Del Valle, in the meantime they have donated $15,000 to create a Mobile Market. Alongside the nonprofit Farmshare, the funds will also be used to explore farming initiatives on the 17-acres of land HEB has purchased for the grocery store.
  In-Depth: Where the food deserts are located
  The
  
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• National Wear Red Day: Raising awareness about womens’ heart health

  03-02-2017 14:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Friday is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about women and heart attacks.
  The focus is on women under the age of 55. Dr. Yan Lieu from the Heart Hospital of Austin joined us in the KXAN studio.
  A recent report says one in five young and middle age women didn’t have chest pain with their heart attack. Now there is an effort to get younger women screened for heart health.
  Signs of heart attack:
  Chest pain (uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in t
  
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• National Wear Red Day: Raising awareness about women heart health

  03-02-2017 14:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Friday is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about women and heart attacks.
  The focus is on women under the age of 55. Dr. Yan Liu from the Heart Hospital of Austin joined us in the KXAN studio.
  A recent report says one in five young and middle age women didn’t have chest pain with their heart attack. Now there is an effort to get younger women screened for heart health.
  Signs of heart attack:
  Chest pain (uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in th
  
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• ‘Unsettled’ documentary sheds light on business of asbestos lawsuits

  03-02-2017 14:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Paul Johnson, the director of the new documentary “Unsettled,” joined us in the KXAN studio to discuss the business of asbestos lawsuits.
  A Dallas-based law firm made a name representing plaintiffs in asbestos cases. More than two decades later, a memo from that firm is at the heart of a legal battle playing out here in Travis County.
  Earlier this week a judge ruled that the court did not have jurisdiction to unseal testimony in the case.
   
  
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• Houston students caught doing Nazi salute in class photo

  03-02-2017 14:11 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KXAN) — A Houston area high school plans to punish students caught on senior class photo day doing Nazi salutes, according to KPRC.
  Pictures from Tuesday’s incident are circulating on Twitter. The first photo was supposed to be a serious class photo at Cypress Ranch High School. The second photo was meant to be silly.
  Instead of sticking out their tongues or holding up bunny ears, some say at least 70 students raised their arms in the air and started shouting &ld
  
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• YETI touting legal win against competitor over similar products

  03-02-2017 13:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin-based company YETI Coolers is touting a legal win against one of their competitors.
  According to a press release, YETI officials say they settled against RTIC Coolers and their owners brothers John and Jim Jacobsen. RTIC advertises itself on their website as half the price of YETI and able to hold more ice.
  The lawsuit was filed against products said to be “too similar.” RTIC must now pay YETI, stop all sales on products in the lawsuit, and re-design
  
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• Austin police warn Super Bowl fans to party responsibly

  03-02-2017 13:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just in time for the Super Bowl on Sunday, Austin police are kicking off their no refusal initiative.
  If you are suspected of drunk driving and do no cooperate police can get a warrant on the spot to draw your blood. The initiative starts at 9 p.m. Friday night and runs every night through Monday morning at 5 a.m.
  Options to get home safely:
  CapMetro: Nigh Owl bus runs from midnight to 3 a.m.
  Designated Driving services: Sober Monkeys or BeMyDD will get you home after
  
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• Court filing details former Baylor football coach’s conduct

  03-02-2017 12:42 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — A new court filing detailed allegations that former Baylor University football coach Art Briles ignored sexual assaults by players, failed to alert university officials or discipline athletes and allowed them to continue playing.
  The filing is in response to a lawsuit against Baylor and several officials including interim President David Garland by former assistant athletic director Colin Shillinglaw, who said he was falsely accused of mishandling several incidents.
  It s
  
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• Foster children will rally at Capitol for lawmakers to change CPS

  03-02-2017 12:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lawmakers are fast-tracking a bill designed to overhaul the state’s child protective system.
  This comes just a few days after the governor says the agency is on his top-priority list. On Friday, current and former foster children will rally for lawmakers to make swift changes to Child Protective Services.
  Lawmakers backing this bill say they have to act fast, as more than 100 children died in the state’s care last year. Senator Charles Schwertner, R-Texas, wrote
  
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• Tiny houses a game changer for big game tailgating

  03-02-2017 12:30 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (MEDIA GENERAL) — Tiny houses are changing the way fans tailgate at the big game for the better.
  (Nexstar Media)Located across from NRG Stadium in Houston sits a lot with several tiny houses ready for fans attending Sunday’s matchup between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.
  The 12-by-30 foot houses come equipped with a small kitchen, a sitting area with a couch, bathroom and deck.
  There are three TVs inside, including one in the half-bath, and one the deck where y
  
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• French soldier shoots man who attacked them outside Louvre

  03-02-2017 12:29 via kxan.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — A French soldier shot and seriously wounded a man in a shopping mall beneath the Louvre Museum on Friday after he tried to attack them and shouted “Allahu akbar,” officials said.
  The man was carrying two backpacks, and he had two machetes, and when soldiers and police officers on patrol told the man that he could not come in with his bags, he attacked, said Yves Lefebvre, a police union official.
  “That’s when he got the knife out and that’s when h
  
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• Senate committee passes bill cracking down sanctuary cities

  03-02-2017 12:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a 16 hour public hearing wrapped up just before 1 a.m. Friday morning, a vote from the Senate State Affairs means Senate Bill 4 will now head to the full Senate.
  The bill, passed with a seven to two vote, is aimed at cracking down on sanctuary cities in Texas. Under the bill, local authorities are required to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It would punish those who don’t comply with the bill by taking away grant funding.
  A vote could co
  
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• Bill cracking down on sanctuary cities passes, now heading to full Senate

  03-02-2017 12:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a 16 hour public hearing wrapped up just before 1 a.m. Friday morning, a vote from Senate State Affairs means Senate Bill 4 will now head to the full Senate.
  The bill, passed with a seven to two vote, is aimed at cracking down on sanctuary cities in Texas. Under the bill, local authorities are required to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It would punish those who don’t comply with the bill by taking away grant funding.
  A vote could come a
  
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• Bill cracking down on sanctuary cities passes, heads to full Senate

  03-02-2017 12:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a 16-hour public hearing wrapped up just before 1 a.m. Friday morning, a vote from Senate State Affairs means Senate Bill 4 will now head to the full Senate.
  The bill, passed with a seven to two vote, is aimed at cracking down on sanctuary cities in Texas. Under the bill, local authorities are required to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It would punish those who don’t comply with the bill by taking away grant funding.
  More than 500 peopl
  
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• Lady Gaga promises halftime show to remember

  03-02-2017 11:44 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (NEXSTAR) — Lady Gaga is the first performer to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl and then immediately turn around and become the halftime show performer the following year.
  Gaga was asked to reveal details about her performance during Thursday’s press conference, but she was adamant about keeping it all a secret.
  “I don’t want to give away also how many costume change I’m doing. I don’t want to give it away. I don’t want to give away an
  
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• First lady leads Alzheimer’s advocacy day at the Capitol

  03-02-2017 06:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — People from across Texas gathered at the State Capitol Thursday to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s, including the state’s first lady, Cecilia Abbott.
  “I hope to help inspire more Texans like you to answer the call to serve — volunteer and give back in their own communities,” she said.
  Thursday was advocacy day at the Capitol. About 340,000 people suffer form Alzheimer’s in Texas.
  From the archives: Edith Royal turns 90, raises fund
  
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• Several Austin ISD schools in desperate need of more mentors

  03-02-2017 05:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — They can be two of the most valuable gifts someone can give a child — time and attention.
  Austin Partners in Education teams up with the Austin Independent School District to provide volunteer mentors who eat lunch and talk one-on-one with their student each week.
  The deadline to volunteer this school year is Sunday, Feb. 5, and APIE says some campuses are in desperate need of mentors.
  Deborah Webster, 60, started mentoring students at Kealing Middle School
  
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• Homeless camp overwhelms south Austin greenbelt

  03-02-2017 04:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — South Austin neighbors reached out to us to make their concerns known, sending in video of hazards right behind their homes, calling it a problem the city needs to pay more attention to. A homeless camp that has only grown with time.
  The area: the Williamson Creek Greenbelt, between Stassney Lane and William Cannon.
  “We can hear voices all the time from that camp,” Richard Sigmon said. It following those voices, to get an idea what was going on behind his h
  
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• Teachers’ union wants students to get ‘know your rights’ immigration training

  03-02-2017 04:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Amid recent concerns over potential raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in Central Texas, teachers’ union Education Austin is pushing to implement so-called “Know Your Rights” immigration education in every school in the Austin Independent School District.
  “It’s very important that the families are prepared,” said Montserrat Garibay, the Vice President for Certified Employees at Education Austin.
  “Because if a raid
  
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• McConaughey: It’s time to embrace the fact that Trump is president

  03-02-2017 02:39 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (KXAN) — Matthew McConaughey says it’s time for Americans, even those strongly opposed to President Trump, to embrace the fact he’s president and work to be constructive.
  In an interview on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, McConaughey was asked about his upcoming film, “Gold,” an underdog story about a man searching for gold while “sticking it to the man.”
  Marr asked McConaughey, “Every single American actor or archetype who comes
  
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• Cedar Park students make 3D prosthetic hand for schoolmate

  03-02-2017 02:15 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Summit Christian Academy in Cedar Park is using its 3D printer to help kids in need of a prosthetic hand. On Thursday, fifth-grade students were working on computers, adjusting designs to print prosthetic hands. Engineering students then put the pieces together to form a functional hand.
  Senior Paris Varnier got the first finished product. She flexes her wrist which allows the prosthetic hand to open and close. But there’s a learning curve, especially after
  
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• Austin prospective parents shocked by adoption agency closing

  03-02-2017 02:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ashley and Brandon Falkenburg had their baby’s nursery nearly complete.
  “We have a friend that gave us their infant car seat, my sister-in-law gave us our nephew’s bobby,” Ashley said.
  The Austin couple and high school sweethearts have been trying to become parents for roughly five years now. “When we got married, we decided to try and have a family of our own and went through some very hard times getting there and we finally decided
  
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• Repeal of health law could mean women pay more for less

  03-02-2017 01:39 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — From a return to higher premiums based on gender, to gaps in coverage for birth control and breast pumps, experts say women could end up paying more for less if the Obama-era health care law is repealed.
  The 2010 law ended a common industry practice of charging women more than men for policies purchased directly from an insurer. It made maternity and newborn care a required benefit for individual health plans. And it set a list of preventive services to be provided at no
  
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• Eight cows escape pasture, struck by cars in North Texas

  03-02-2017 00:53 via kxan.com
  
  WICHITA COUNTY, Texas (KFDX) — While stray cows are pretty normal around Texas, the scene along Interstate 44 north of Wichita Falls late Wednesday night was quite unusual. Authorities say eight head of cattle were hit and strewn across the highway.
  The Burkburnett Police Department received a call from Wichita County asking for help cleaning up the mess about a mile south of the Burkburnett city limits. Authorities say the cows were killed right before midnight and officers and volunteer
  
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• Girl Scout gives brutally honest review of cookies

  03-02-2017 00:41 via kxan.com
  
  SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (KRON) — The orders are rolling in for a New Jersey Girl Scout after she gave a brutally honest review of the cookies she is selling.
  Charlotte McCourt, of South Orange, was interested in buying cookies for troops stationed overseas.
  When she learned that her father’s friend is “very rich,” she emailed him.
  That friend happened to be tv personality, Mike Rowe, host of shows such as “Dirty Jobs.”
  In her email, she told Rowe that some of
  
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• Police: Man used multiple online personas to get girl to send nude photos

  03-02-2017 00:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man accused of forcing a girl to send nude photos was caught by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in Austin, Wednesday.
  Michael Paul Heath, 39, was seen driving a white Chevrolet truck along the 9600 block of South Interstate 35, near Slaughter Lane, at around 6:30 p.m. Task Force officers had been watching multiple locations throughout the day.
  Police surrounded the truck and quickly took Heath into custody.
  Detectives began their investigation into Heath in July 2016 fo
  
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