Austin news

• Woman dead, man injured in Del Valle officer-involved shooting

  15-02-2017 22:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman is dead and a man critically injured in a Del Valle shooting incident that began as a kidnapping in Bastrop County. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirms the incident is a deputy-involved shooting, but have not said if a deputy was injured.
  Both the man and the woman are in their 30s. The injured man has critical, life-threatening injuries and was taken to South Austin Medical Center.
  The shooting happened around 2:52 p.m. on Burch Drive
  
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• Kidnapped woman shot, killed in front of deputies in Del Valle

  15-02-2017 22:26 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — A woman was shot and killed by her accused kidnapper in Del Valle Wednesday afternoon. The shooting happened as deputies approached the male suspect and the woman in a field on Burch Drive, just off State Highway 71.
  Officials say when the suspect shot the woman, a deputy opened fire, and the suspect then shot himself in the head. The suspect has critical, life-threatening injuries and was taken by Austin-Travis County EMS to South Austin Medical Center.
  
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• Del Valle High School students march down SH 71

  15-02-2017 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — Close to a hundred students were blocking traffic as they marched on State Highway 71 in Del Valle near State Highway 130, Wednesday afternoon. A deadly shooting near the high school, on Burch Drive, happened around 2:52 p.m.
  At this point, no connection has been made between the march and the shooting incident.
  Video shows the group of students walking on the highway, with some students walking on the concrete barriers, as they made their way west
  
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• Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary

  15-02-2017 22:16 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrew Puzder says he is withdrawing as President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary.
  The fast food executive says in a statement provided to The Associated Press that he was “honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America’s workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity.”
  Puzder says “while I won’t be serving in the administration, I fully support the P
  
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• TxDOT computer system hacked

  15-02-2017 21:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Department of Transportation says some personal information of employees was compromised last week due to a “security incident.”
  KXAN first learned of the system breach from sources late Tuesday. The department says the breach of TxDOT’s automated administrative system was discovered Friday afternoon. The agency says “a small number of employees” personal information was potentially altered and compromised.
  “TxDOT leaders have w
  
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• Trump sued for delaying bumblebee’s endangered listing

  15-02-2017 21:00 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — An environmental group is suing the Trump administration for delaying an endangered-species designation for the rusty patched bumblebee.
  The Natural Resources Defense Council says the U.S. Department of Interior broke the law by postponing the listing without public notice and comment. It was scheduled to take effect Feb. 10. But one day before that, the department put off the effective date until March 21 because of the administration’s temporary freeze o
  
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• VIDEO: Car engulfed in flames at Texas Jack In The Box drive thru

  15-02-2017 20:37 via kxan.com
  
  GLEEN HEIGHTS, Texas (KXAN) — Things were heating up at a Texas Jack In The Box from more than the spicy chicken sandwich.
  A Gleen Heights police dash camera captured the officer’s quick thinking when he prevented the restaurant from catching on fire. The car going through the drive thru ignited for an unknown reason bursting into flames.
  Jumping the curb with his patrol car, the officer was able to push the car away from the restaurant.
  Police have not said what happened to the
  
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• Elgin ISD superintendent addresses ICE concerns

  15-02-2017 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — The superintendent of Elgin Independent School District is telling parents and students that she takes pride in the district’s diversity and is committed to ensuring every student has “access to a high-quality education, offered in a safe and secure environment,” in response to recent concerns over U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement actions in the area.
  Superintendent Jodi Duron sent the message home to parents on Tuesday. Duron made it clear t
  
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• Voters to decide if $107M will go to San Marcos CISD

  15-02-2017 19:36 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — After a unanimous vote from the San Marcos CISD School Board, it will now be up to voters to decide if the district will get $107.3 million.
  The majority of the bond money would go towards renovating and upgrading campuses. With the money, all of San Marcos’ elementary schools would be renovated, including Goodnight Middle School and Miller Middle School.
  Bond breakdown:
  Facilities: $100 million 
  Transportation: $3.8 million
  Safety and security op
  
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• UT San Antonio president on leave pending review of conduct

  15-02-2017 19:10 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The president of the University of Texas at San Antonio has been placed on leave pending a review of allegations related to his conduct.
  Ricardo Romo was scheduled to retire in August after almost two decades with the university when the University of Texas System chancellor announced the review in a written statement Tuesday. A call to the system’s public affairs department was not immediately returned Wednesday.
  Chancellor William McRaven said in the statement th
  
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• Texas woman, 2 children pulled from rubble left by tornado

  15-02-2017 19:10 via kxan.com
  
  VAN VLECK, Texas (AP) — Residents of a coastal area southwest of Houston are cleaning up debris after at least six tornadoes left a swath of damaged buildings.
  Among the homes destroyed was one where a woman inside held tightly to her two young children.
  Anthony Ovesny told KPRC-TV in Houston that his wife, Ashlie Ovesny, was home Tuesday with their children, ages 1 and 3, when a tornado touched down in Van Vleck.
  The tornado flipped their mobile home and turned it to rubble. Neighbors pul
  
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• Lindsay Lohan: Trump support would be ‘a positive thing’

  15-02-2017 19:08 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Lindsay Lohan says Americans need to come together in support of President Donald Trump.
  When asked about Trump, the actress told the Daily Mail in a video interview last week, “You have to join him. If you can’t beat him, join him.” She said she thinks “it would be a positive thing for America to show their care and support.”
  Lohan is offering her support for Trump despite his comments in 2004 to Howard Stern, in which Trump said of Lohan: &ld
  
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• Texas is first state to support Trump’s travel ban

  15-02-2017 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is openly defending President Donald Trump’s travel ban as he filed an amicus brief on Wednesday.
  Paxton is showing his support for the U.S. Department of Justice’s stance behind the immigration executive order. Under the ban, Trump barred citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. Additionally, he suspended national refugee programs.
  The order hit a road block when a panel of judges with the 9th U
  
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• State offering more reward money for unsolved cases

  15-02-2017 18:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state is hoping the lure of money will help them solve more cold cases. On Wednesday, the Office of the Governor, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Texas Crime Stoppers launched a new reward program related to the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program. Texas Crime SToppers will now pay a reward of up to $3,000 to any person who provides information that leads to an arrest for a cold case listed on the DPS Unsolved Homicides website.
  “It
  
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• Greg Abbott blasts NFL for wading into ‘bathroom bill’ debate

  15-02-2017 17:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) — Gov. Greg Abbott is blasting the NFL for raising the prospect that Texas’ so-called “bathroom bill” could impact future events in the state — wading into a debate he has so far mostly steered clear of.
  “The NFL is walking on thin ice right here,” Abbott told conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Tuesday. “The NFL needs to concentrate on playing football and get the heck out of politics.”
  Almost a week after Housto
  
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• No designer babies, but gene editing to avoid disease? Maybe

  15-02-2017 15:49 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Don’t expect designer babies any time soon — but a major new ethics report leaves open the possibility of one day altering human heredity to fight genetic diseases, with stringent oversight, using new tools that precisely edit genes inside living cells.
  What’s called genome editing already is transforming biological research, and being used to develop treatments for patients struggling with a range of diseases.
  The science is nowhere near ready for a hug
  
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• Proposed Texas abortion laws include requiring burial of fetal remains

  15-02-2017 15:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — State senators are holding a public hearing on Wednesday to discuss proposed abortion laws.
  There are three new proposals a senate committee is going to look at. One proposal would ban late-term abortions. Another bans the sale and research of fetal tissue. The last bill would require fetal remains to be buried or cremated.
  The fight over whether or not Texas can implement the rule requiring hospitals and abortion clinics to bury or cremate fetal remains—rather than d
  
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• Hairdresser receives $160K tip by mistake

  15-02-2017 14:28 via kxan.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque hairdresser received bigger tips than any hairdresser the world has likely ever seen. But there’s a problem; her customers are giving her those tips by accident, and those accidents have led to a maze of problems.
  Inside a modest shopping mall in northwest Albuquerque, longtime hairdresser Dawn Warnack is making a modest living beautifying customers with cuts, colors and style.
  “Sometimes it’s feast or famine,” said War
  
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• Teens from Middle East share message of peace with Austin students

  15-02-2017 14:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two young women from the Middle East are sharing their message of peace with students at Austin High School.
  The young Palestinian and Israeli women are talking about their backgrounds and building last friendships. They say talking to teens here in the U.S. helps their mission back home.
  “It also gives us a lot of hope and motivation because whenever we see students that are interested in the conflict and in what we are doing — that gives us hope — that t
  
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• 800 parents of transgender students plea to Trump for protection

  15-02-2017 13:10 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (KXAN) — The Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to the Trump administration from nearly 800 parents of transgender students. They are asking the President to embrace Obama-era protections for transgender students.
  This comes just one week after Trump called for schools to abandon guidelines that allow students to use bathrooms according to their gender identity. In Texas, the controversial Senate Bill Six, also called the “Bathroom Bill” by critics and the
  
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• Wedding bells ringing at Taco Bell offering cheap nuptial option

  15-02-2017 12:47 via kxan.com
  
  LAS VEGAS, NV (KXAN) — Taco Bells won’t be the only bells ringing at a location in Las Vegas.
  Couples will have the chance to spice up their wedding vows at the Taco Bell Cantina flagship restaurant. The company is already sharing video of what the ceremony could look like.
  A cheaper option to tie the knot, the Taco Bell wedding costs $600. Alongside the Crunchwrap Supremes and burritos, couples can order a wedding off of the menu.
  The money includes:
  Taco Bell garter
  Bow tie
  We
  
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• Austin police to debrief council on how money is spent

  15-02-2017 12:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is presenting a department overview to the Austin City Council Wednesday outlining the department’s funds and needs to help prepare for the budget process.
  The FY 2017 total departmental budget was $401,624,830. A city spokesperson says in order to better prepare for the upcoming budget meetings, the mayor and council are asking for departments to give reviews to “provide insight on how their budget dollars are spent.”
  The Aust
  
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• Austin Police propose smaller budget for next year

  15-02-2017 12:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is presenting next year’s budget to Austin City Council members on Wednesday and it is $15 million less than last year.
  The 2016-2017 budget was recently approved at $401,624,830 and the 2017-2018 is proposed at $386,573,423. The department is requesting less money for recruiting, specialized patrol, event planning, and expense refunds, which are grants for working with other departments.
  The department wouldn’t comment on their prop
  
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• Texas neurosurgeon found guilty of maiming patients

  15-02-2017 12:11 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — A Texas jury has found a neurosurgeon guilty Tuesday of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries.
  The verdict of the Dallas County jury on a first-degree felony charge of injury to an elderly person means 44-year-old Christopher Duntsch of Plano could be sentenced to five to 99 years or life in prison. He also could be given probation. The penalty phase of his trial began Tuesday afternoon.
  The Dallas Morning News (http://bit.ly/2kHy
  
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• Civil trial ordered of Texas prisons, leaders in heat death

  15-02-2017 11:46 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge has ordered a civil trial of the Texas prison system and its leadership in a civil rights lawsuit arising from the heat-related death of an inmate.
  In an 83-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison of Houston criticized the prison system for the 2011 death of Waco-area cab driver Larry Gene McCollum while he was serving a one-year sentence at the Hutchins State Jail near Dallas during the summer of 2011.
  The lawsuit filed by his family accuses the pris
  
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• The First Family of Texas athletics joins MTTS

  15-02-2017 05:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Longhorns Sanya Richards-Ross and Aaron Ross joined Roger on More than the Score to discuss their 3rd Annual Black Excellence Tribute and the latest in the Ross Family.
  
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• VIDEO: Teacher cleared after dragging student down stairs in headlock

  15-02-2017 04:32 via kxan.com
  
  LONGWOOD, Fla. (WESH) — Florida prosecutors have dropped charges against a Lyman High School teacher who was arrested after surveillance video captured him putting a 15-year-old student in a headlock and dragging him down a flight of stairs.
  Wilbert DelaCruz, 38, was arrested last month on a charge of child abuse.
  Surveillance video from inside Lyman High School was released Monday. The video shows the 15-year-old student running down the hall and Delacruz running after him.
  The video show
  
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• City music manager under investigation steps down

  15-02-2017 03:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Don Pitts, the manager of the city’s music and entertainment division, ATX Music, stepped down Tuesday amid an investigation by the City Auditor’s Office.
  Pitts was responsible for an office of seven people charged with fostering the growth of Austin’s music scene. Pitt, who has worked for the city since 2010, was placed on administrative leave around three weeks ago.
  The city would not say what triggered the auditor’s investigation, but kept an
  
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• Man initially held on $4 billion bond freed on reduced bond

  15-02-2017 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  BELTON, Texas (AP) — A murder suspect who had been booked into a Central Texas jail with bond initially set at $4 billion bond has been released after he posted a reduced bond of $151,000.
  The Bell County Sheriff’s Office says Antonio Marquis Willis of Killeen was released Monday afternoon.
  Previous: Killeen judge gives man $4 billion bond, highest in U.S. history
  Bell County Justice of the Peace Claudia Brown said Friday that she set the multibillion-dollar bond as a protest to
  
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• Many families out of homes, large sums of money after builder files for bankruptcy

  15-02-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  Highlights
  Bella Vita Custom Homes started their business in the DFW area in 2010
  Joel and Tracey Lackovich took out nearly $1 million in a construction loan to build their dream home with Bella Vita Custom Homes in the Lakeway-area
  KXAN uncovers there are nine other individuals/businesses who say Bella Vita Custom Homes have failed to deliver on payment or product
  Timeline of Events
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the housing market continues to flourish in Central Texas, the number of families willin
  
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• Many families out of homes, hundreds of thousands of dollars after builder files for bankruptcy

  15-02-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  Highlights
  Bella Vita Custom Homes started their business in the DFW area in 2010Joel and Tracey Lackovich took out nearly $1 million in a construction loan to build their dream home with Bella Vita Custom Homes in Lakeway
  KXAN uncovers there are nine other individuals/businesses who say Bella Vita Custom Homes have failed to deliver on payment or product
  Timeline of Events
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the housing market continues to flourish in Central Texas, the number of families willing to spend
  
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• Wastewater pipeline could run through Williamson Co. preserve

  15-02-2017 02:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Those who go to Berry Springs Park and Preserve off Interstate 35 say it’s their “happy place” with a peaceful atmosphere.
  With a spring-fed pond, the park offers places to walk and run.
  Some are worried their scenic gem will be threatened by a wastewater pipeline. “There could be any leak that could damage the springs which flow through here, which pump out a million gallons of fresh water a day,” says John Drummond, who
  
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• Scenic gem seen as under threat by wastewater pipeline

  15-02-2017 02:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Those who go to Berry Springs Park and Preserve off Interstate 35 say it’s their “happy place” with a peaceful atmosphere.
  With a spring-fed pond, the park offers places to walk and run.
  Some are worried their scenic gem will be threatened by a wastewater pipeline. “There could be any leak that could damage the springs which flow through here, which pump out a million gallons of fresh water a day,” says John Drummond, who
  
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• Sanya and Aaron Ross expecting first child

  15-02-2017 01:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the nation’s most athletic couples is expecting their first child. Four-time Olympic Gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross announced on Wednesday that she and husband Aaron Ross, who played on two New York Giants Super Bowl teams as well as the University of Texas 2005 National Championship Football team, are expecting this summer.
  Both are former Longhorn All Americans—in fact Aaron is back in school working towards his degree.
  The couple appeared on The CW
  
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• Protesters dance at State Capitol to end domestic violence

  15-02-2017 01:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — On Tuesday, dozens of Texans danced on the State Capitol lawn calling for an end to sexual violence against women.
  “It happens throughout the world, every year on Valentine’s Day women across the globe come out into the streets and dance and kind of protest the epidemic proportions of violence against women that are happening,” Maisha Barrett, one of the Austin event’s organizers said.
  It’s part of the global campaign, “One Billion Ris
  
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• State dental board looks toward anesthesia safety, asks state for help

  15-02-2017 01:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state agency that is supposed to be monitoring dentists made its case to Texas lawmakers Tuesday for money it believes is crucial to do its job.
  An ongoing KXAN Investigation first revealed major gaps in a system to inspect dental offices for health and safety concerns. KXAN’s previous coverage found lack of inspections.
  The investigation began after a 14-month-old Austin girl, Daisy Lynn Torres, died last spring as a result of complications from anesthesia during
  
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• Dental board says their hands are tied if cuts are carried out

  15-02-2017 01:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state agency that is supposed to be monitoring dentists made its case to Texas lawmakers Tuesday for money it believes is crucial to do its job.
  An ongoing KXAN Investigation first revealed major gaps in a system to inspect dental offices for health and safety concerns. KXAN’s previous coverage found lack of inspections.
  The investigation began after a 14-month-old Austin girl, Daisy Lynn Torres, died last spring as a result of complications from anesthesia during
  
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• Students design new patch for Hays County constable

  15-02-2017 01:10 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – One Hays County constable is looking to students to help design parts of the official uniform. Precinct two Constable Michael Torres says it’s all about making sure the community knows that they’re heard.
  “They will be forever instilled in our project,” said Torres. The constable has had his title for just over a month, he has a new office, a new badge and for the first time in almost 40 years the department is wearing uniforms.
  “The
  
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• Man who injured ICE officer in northwest Austin faces federal charges

  15-02-2017 00:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The suspect accused of assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Austin last week now faces federal charges.
  The ICE officer pulled over 23-year-old Hugo Baltazar-Ramirez, of Mexico, in a traffic stop on US 183 at Woodland Village Drive on Friday, Feb. 10. The Department of Justice says the officer was acting within the scope of his duty and was arresting the man on information in the official immigration database.
  When the officer told the man that he was
  
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• Less pricey body cameras for Austin police up for consideration

  15-02-2017 00:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Nine months after a district court judge blocked an initial bid for the Austin Police Department to acquire body cameras after a losing competitor challenged the city’s procurement process, the Austin City Council is set to vote, again, on a revised purchase recommendation this week.
  The attorney for the losing vendor Utility Associates tells KXAN News he won a second temporary restraining order in Travis County Tuesday preventing the city from entering into the
  
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• Blue Buffalo recalling cans of dog food due to possible aluminum

  15-02-2017 00:17 via kxan.com
  
  (WFLA) – Blue Buffalo is voluntarily recalling cans of dog food, the company announced on their website on Monday.
  A supplier notified the company of the possible presence of aluminum in a production run of cans.
  The recall affects only Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight, Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables in a 12.5 ounce cans.
  The cans have a UPC code of 8-40243-10017-0 and a best by date of August 3, 2019.
  No other products are involved and the company has not received any r
  
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• Buda lifts Stage 1 drought restrictions

  15-02-2017 00:05 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — After being under Stage 1 drought restrictions for more than a year, the city of Buda is officially lifting the restrictions now that work has been completed on various water infrastructure projects.
  The restrictions were enacted at the end of 2015 to limit water usage during the completion of the Interim Water Improvements project and construction of Well No. 5 at Garlic Creek pump station. Stage 1 restrictions included a twice-per-week sprinkler schedule.
  While the r
  
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