Austin news

• WATCH: How Austin doctors are helping couples with infertility problems

  28-02-2017 23:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Infertility affects millions of couples in the United States.
  Here in Austin, research is targeting the challenges of having a child. A fertility expert, Dr. Kaylen Silverberg from the Texas Fertility Center, joined us in the KXAN studio to discuss his efforts. This is a story KXAN’s Amanda Brandeis has been researching for an In-Depth piece that will air on KXAN at 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
  Dr. Silverberg says for years and years there wasn’t much t
  
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• Former Texas Tech football players land $2.8 billion oil deal

  28-02-2017 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — In West Texas, striking gold in the oil fields can sometimes be as unpredictable as the weather. It’s a venture that is not for the faint of heart. This February two former Texas Tech football players won big.
  No, neither of them played in Super Bowl 51 like Danny Amendola, but Cody Campbell and John Sellers did hit pay dirt when they landed the Permian Basin’s second largest sale this year. The pair sold 71,000 acres of mineral right for $2.8 billion to
  
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• Texas Senate calls for amending Constitution to limit feds

  28-02-2017 23:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) — The Texas Senate has approved calling a “convention of states” that would amend the U.S. Constitution and impose things like a federal balanced budget requirement and term limits.
  Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has long backed legislatures nationwide bypassing Congress and convening a convention against Washington “overreach.” He made it an “emergency item,” fast-tracking Tuesday’s passage.
  Doing so requires a series of bills that s
  
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• Austin Code will target unlicensed short-term rentals during SXSW

  28-02-2017 23:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Expect to see roving teams of Austin Code Department officers in residential neighborhoods next month during the annual South By Southwest festival.
  The enforcement teams will target addresses where there have been prior year complaints as well as responding to rowdy short-term rental tenants breaking noise or other ordinances, a new memo shows.
  Right now, Austin Code staff are focusing research in the following neighborhoods:
  Barton Springs
  Travis Heights
  Zilker
  West
  
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• Changes coming to Dripping Springs ISD attendance zones

  28-02-2017 22:49 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – New attendance zones will be in place for Dripping Springs ISD students next school year. In August, the district will open two new schools, Sycamore Springs Elementary and Sycamore Springs Middle School.
  The process to determine new elementary and middle school attendance zones began last fall. Six public forums were held from November through January. “Our district population is not distributed in such a way that everyone can attend the school close
  
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• Jeff Sessions: More pot violence than ‘one would think’

  28-02-2017 21:19 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON – The Justice Department will try to adopt “responsible policies” for enforcement of federal anti-marijuana laws, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday, adding that he believes violence surrounds sales and use of the drug in the U.S.
  In a meeting with reporters, Sessions said the department was reviewing an Obama administration Justice Department memo that gave states flexibility in passing marijuana laws.
  “Experts are telling me there’s more violenc
  
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• Two Houston police officers wounded in shooting; suspect at large

  28-02-2017 20:48 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Two police officers in Houston were shot Tuesday afternoon on the city’s southwest side.
  Portion of southwest Houston are under a shelter in place order as police search for a suspect on the run. Neighbors are being told by officers to lock their doors and windows in the affected area.
  The Houston Police Department says the shooting happened on Sterlingame Drive, near the intersection of Airport Boulevard and the Sam Houston Tollway.
  KXAN will update this page a
  
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• 2 Houston officers wounded, suspect killed in shooting

  28-02-2017 20:48 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Two police officers in Houston were shot Tuesday afternoon in the city’s southwest side, leaving one of the officers critically injured and another in stable condition. The suspect who police say shot the officers is dead.
  The neighborhood around the shooting scene on Sterlingame Drive, near the intersection of Airport Boulevard and the Sam Houston Tollway, has been placed under a shelter in place order as police search for the second suspect.
  Houston Police Chi
  
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• Issue with Amazon servers causing worldwide internet outages

  28-02-2017 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — If you’re noticing some of your favorite websites or apps aren’t working properly this afternoon, here’s the reason why.
  AWS, or Amazon Web Services, is having a problem with its cloud service. The company blames “increase error rates” and says “we are actively working to remediate the errors.”Increased Error Rates
  Update at 10:33 AM PST: We’re continuing to work to remediate the availability issues for Amazon S3 in US-EAST-
  
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• Issue with Amazon S3 servers fixed after worldwide internet hiccups

  28-02-2017 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — If you noticed some of your favorite websites or apps weren’t working properly this afternoon, here’s the reason why.
  AWS, or Amazon Web Services, had a problem with its cloud service. As of 1:49 PST, all service was restored.
  Update at 2:08 PM PST: As of 1:49 PM PST, we are fully recovered for operations for adding new objects in S3, which was our last operation showing a high error rate. The Amazon S3 service is operating normally.
  Update at 12:52
  
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• DNA testing shows Subway serving chicken that is 50% chicken

  28-02-2017 20:05 via kxan.com
  
  PETERBOROUGH, ON (WCMH) — Testing of fast food chicken sandwiches recently revealed that the chicken you order may not be all chicken.
  CBC News reported that a team from Trent University’s Wildlife Forensic DNA laboratory did DNA testing at several popular fast food restaurants.
  A piece of chicken purchased from a store would be expected to register as 100% chicken DNA. Adding marinates, seasoning and other processing will bring that number down, CBC reported.
  The results of tests of
  
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• Austin Mobility Bond timeline, priorities identified for 2017

  28-02-2017 19:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday marks the first time Austin City Council will be briefed on how city staff recommends implementing the $720 million mobility bond that voters passed last November. The ambitious timeline calls for completion in eight years. Now, the city has created a clear timeline for year one that becomes more and more uncertain as the years go on.
  City staff has laid out the following items as critical components to deliver on the eight-year timeline:
  Staffing – Organizati
  
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• Texas urging parents to order birth certificates online

  28-02-2017 18:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas is reminding parents that getting certified copies of their child’s birth certificate is easier than ever. Parents can order the document directly from the Texas.gov website.
  The price of ordering a birth certificate online is $22 per record, the same as if you were to order it in person or mail in an application. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) says most orders are processed within 10 to 15 business days.
  The state says while this online op
  
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• The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com

  28-02-2017 18:14 via kxan.com
  
  Audible.com best-sellers for week ending February 24:
  Fiction
  1. Empire’s End by Chuck Wendig, narrated by Marc Thompson (Random House Audio)
  2. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, narrated by the author (HarperAudio)
  3. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth, narrated by Simon Prebble (Blackstone Audio, Inc.)
  4. The Buried Book by D.M. Pulley, narrated by Luke Daniels (Brilliance Audio)
  5. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, narrated by Caroline Lee (Penguin Audio)
  6. An Unattractive Vampi
  
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• Car drives into crowd at Alabama Mardi Gras parade

  28-02-2017 17:46 via kxan.com
  
  GULF SHORES, Ala. (WKRG) – A tragic start to Mardi Gras Day on the Gulf Coast. A car drove into a crowd of people before the start of the parade in Gulf Shores, Ala. The scene in Gulf Shores has turned from carnival revelry to an emergency response.
  A marching band was in the area of the crash. A city spokesperson says there were eleven band members injured in the crash. Three of the band members are in critical condition.
  Video of the scene shows multiple ambulances on scene with several
  
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• What to watch for when Trump makes 1st address to Congress

  28-02-2017 16:43 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential address to Congress is always part policy speech, part political theater. With President Donald Trump, a former reality TV star, there’s extra potential for drama as he makes his first address to Congress.
  After a chaotic start to his presidency, Trump will be trying to project his administration as ready to stride forward on top priorities such as changes to President Barack Obama’s health care law and a tax overhaul. Congressional Democrats, i
  
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• Trump to issue broad call for action on economy, health care

  28-02-2017 16:40 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will issue a broad call for overhauling the nation’s health care system and revving up the U.S. economy when he delivers his first address to Congress Tuesday night. But he could leave anxious lawmakers with few specific guidelines for tackling the complicated legislative priorities that have divided his own Republican Party.
  In one surprise, Trump may also voice support for immigration legislation, a senior administration official said ahead
  
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• Trump to call for action on health care, maybe immigration

  28-02-2017 16:40 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will issue a broad call for overhauling the nation’s health care system and revving up the U.S. economy when he delivers his first address to Congress Tuesday night. But he could leave anxious lawmakers with few specific guidelines for tackling the complicated legislative priorities that have divided his own Republican Party.
  In one surprise, Trump may also voice support for immigration legislation, a senior administration official said ahead
  
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• Presidential Trump says ‘join forces’ for new greatness

  28-02-2017 16:40 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” President Donald Trump issued a broad call for overhauling the nation’s health care system and significantly boosting military spending Tuesday night, swapping his trademark pugnaciousness and personal insults for a more restrained tone as he addressed Congress for the first time.
  In an appeal to American optimism, Trump declared, “The time for small thinking is over.” Still, he employed dark l
  
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• Former UT track star shines in Oscar winner ‘Moonlight’

  28-02-2017 16:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the stars from Moonlight is a former track and field star from the University of Texas at Austin.
  Trevante Rhodes, 27, says he wasn’t sure what to think when they announced Moonlight as the true winner for best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday. The now widely discussed Oscar fiasco had one movie swapped out for another when they wrongly announced La La Land as the winner.
  “We thought it was, it seemed like it was a joke. You know, it&rsqu
  
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• Texas Voter ID law challenges in federal court today

  28-02-2017 15:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A federal court hearing is scheduled on Tuesday about one of the toughest Voter ID laws in the nation.
  According to the Texas Tribune, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonazles Ramos will try to determine if Texas lawmakers knowingly discriminated against minorities by enacting the ID rules. The hearing in Corpus Christi, Texas comes after the Department of Justice announced on Monday that they are dropping the Obama-era challenge to the law.
  The Obama administration argued f
  
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• Hartford to pay $885K to family whose dog was killed by police

  28-02-2017 14:52 via kxan.com
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s capital city has agreed to pay nearly $900,000 to a family whose pet dog was killed by two police officers 11 years ago.
  Hartford police Sgts. Johnmichael O’Hare and Anthony Pia entered a fenced yard without a warrant in 2006 after receiving a bad tip that weapons had been stashed in an abandoned car.
  The officers said they fatally shot one of Glen Harris’ pet Saint Bernards in front of Harris’ daughter when the animal growled an
  
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• North Texas gang members sentenced for sex-trafficking roles

  28-02-2017 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Federal prosecutors say three men with ties to a Fort Worth street gang were sentenced to prison for forcing underage girls to participate in a sex-trafficking ring.
  Authorities said in a statement that the most severe sentence was issued Monday to 26-year-old Deon Bonner, who was sent to prison for 30 years. Bonner pleaded guilty in November to one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.
  Bonner and two other men in their 20s who also were senten
  
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• No immediate ruling made on Dakota Access pipeline work

  28-02-2017 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday that he’ll decide within a week whether to temporarily halt construction of the final section of the Dakota Access pipeline over claims that it violates the religious rights of two Indian tribes.
  U.S. District Judge James Boasberg told lawyers at a hearing that he wants to issue a ruling before oil begins flowing in the pipeline, which could be weeks away.
  Boasberg is considering a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tr
  
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• Judge to hear arguments on Dakota Access oil pipeline work

  28-02-2017 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge will hear arguments Tuesday about whether to stop the final bit of construction on the disputed Dakota Access pipeline, perhaps just days before it could start moving oil.
  U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., will consider a request by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes to order the Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw permission for developer Energy Transfer Partners to lay pipe under Lake Oahe in North Dakota. The str
  
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• Yas, Haterade, Drunk Text added to Oxford Dictionary

  28-02-2017 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cat ladies will be shouting “Yas!” for their furry feline squad goals after Oxford Dictionaries released the 300 funtastic new words added to their collection.
  A few of the most surprising words are listed below. Click here for the full list.
  Biatch — Noun: Affectionate or disparaging address. “Love you biatch!” “Step back you biatch.” 
  Cat Lady — Noun: An older woman living alone with a large number of cats, which she is
  
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• Oxford Dictionary adds Yas, Haterade, Drunk Text to collection

  28-02-2017 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cat ladies will be shouting “Yas!” for their furry feline squad goals after Oxford Dictionaries released the 300 funtastic new words added to their collection.
  A few of the most surprising words are listed below. Click here for the full list.
  Biatch — Noun: Affectionate or disparaging address. “Love you biatch!” “Step back you biatch.” 
  Cat Lady — Noun: An older woman living alone with a large number of cats, which she is
  
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• AISD approves ban on suspensions for youngest students

  28-02-2017 12:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just before 11:30 p.m. on Monday night, the Austin Independent School Board unanimously approved a ban on suspensions for Pre-K through second grade students.
  This means children under third grade will no longer face home suspension, expulsion or placement into an alternative education program. School leaders say the goal is to get to the root of the problem and provide help for students struggling in the classroom instead of forcing them to leave school.
  While researching
  
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• 3 dead, 2 injured in plane that hits houses in California

  28-02-2017 12:07 via kxan.com
  
  RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Three people died and two were injured when a small plane carrying them home from a cheerleading competition crashed into two Southern California homes and sparked a major fire Monday, authorities said.
  A husband, wife and three teenagers were on the plane that had just taken off from Riverside Municipal Airport at 4:40 p.m. intending to return to San Jose after the weekend cheerleading event at Disneyland when it crashed in the residential neighborhood, Riverside
  
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• UT women snap three game skid

  28-02-2017 05:07 via kxan.com
  
  MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Joyner Holmes scored 17 points, Lashann Higgs added 16 and No. 12 Texas beat No. 24 Kansas State 69-61 on Monday night to secure No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament.
  Kelsey Lang hit a baseline jumper with 1:57 to go for a 61-54 lead and she fouled out 13 seconds later. Then Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau picked up her fifth foul with 1:22 left, but Kansas State missed both free throws and trailed 64-55.
  Higgs made four straight free throws with under two minute
  
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• Williamson County DA asks for help with case backlog

  28-02-2017 04:51 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — When Shawn Dick took office as the new district attorney last month, his staff discovered more than 200 cases left behind by the previous DA. At the time, Dick was worried about what kind of cases were put on hold, and now after sorting through them, his office has learned it’s what the district attorney feared.
  “The most serious we found in that stack were sexual assaults of children,” says Dick. “Really since then, it’s been about
  
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• Even with thousands of gang members, Austin gang-related crime stays low

  28-02-2017 04:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the past week, east Austin has seen two shooting incidents involving gang members. LBJ High school students were put on lockdown for hours as police finished up their investigation.
  Austin police say the crimes are not between rival gangs, but they are crimes being committed by people in gangs. It’s information that has neighborhood families on edge.
  “I was in the house, but you know, it’s just scary,” Brittany Lewis, a mother living near Regency
  
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• Salt Lick BBQ at Austin airport doubling in size

  28-02-2017 03:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Anyone flying in and out of Austin airport will soon see a bigger Salt Lick restaurant.
  The restaurant, with locations in Driftwood, Round Rock and DFW Airport, will more than double its current footprint at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
  The airport says Salt Lick will continue to operate during construction at its current location in the west food court across from Gate 12. Its new location will be opposite the existing spot between Gates 12 and 13.
  ABIA says the
  
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• Investigation: 385 non-US citizens registered to vote, 82 cast illegal ballots in Ohio

  28-02-2017 03:33 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced an investigation has uncovered that hundreds of non-US citizens are registered to vote in the state, and dozens of them voted illegally.
  According to a release from Husted, 385 people who are not citizens of the United States are registered to vote in Ohio. Out of those, 82 voted in at least one election in the last year.Husted’s office says the 82 non-citizens who are registered to vote and cast ballots wi
  
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• Woman attacked, dragged by assailant near ACC Riverside

  28-02-2017 02:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman reported an attack that happened on Feb. 15 to Austin Community College Student Services on Thursday.
  The victim says that around 10 p.m. that day, she was walking to her car parked on Grove Boulevard when a man came off the adjacent Riverside Golf Course and fondled her from behind, the college said.
  ACC says the man then dragged her toward a red pickup truck, but she was able to fight back, scratching his face, before getting away and driving off in her car.
  
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• Travis County may ask departments to prepare budget cut plans

  28-02-2017 02:13 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County commissioners are months away from adopting next year’s budget, but discussions have already begun. On Tuesday, commissioners are expected to approve budget guidelines.
  Offices and departments are required to submit their budgets in May. If the guidelines are approved, departments will be asked to supplement their submission with proposed cuts, in the event that up to 5 percent of their target budget cannot be funded.
  They’re als
  
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• Plans for possible Travis Co. budget cuts and their consequences drawn up

  28-02-2017 02:13 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County commissioners are months away from adopting next year’s budget, but discussions have already begun. On Tuesday, commissioners are expected to approve budget guidelines.
  Offices and departments are required to submit their budgets in May. If the guidelines are approved, departments will be asked to supplement their submission with proposed cuts, in the event that up to 5 percent of their target budget cannot be funded.
  They’re als
  
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• Kyle mother angry high risk sex offender fell ‘through the cracks’

  28-02-2017 02:04 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — A mother from Kyle is upset a high risk sex offender from Travis County “slipped through the cracks.”
  A 13-year-old girl was taken last Friday, Feb. 24, by a 26-year-old man she told her mother she had met online. Monday, the girl’s mother told KXAN her daughter is at a treatment center for her trauma while her alleged abductor remains in a West Texas jail where the police caught up with the pair on the weekend after a police chase that ended in
  
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• Use of force policy questions tackled by Human Rights Commission

  28-02-2017 01:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — High profile cases in Austin have brought “use of force” policies into question. Monday night, members of the city’s Human Rights Commission looked into whether those policies should be reexamined, ultimately passing a recommendation calling for greater transparency in formulating police policy.
  Earlier this month, the city approved a record $3.25 million settlement with the mother of David Joseph, the naked, unarmed teenager shot and killed
  
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• Austin’s Human Rights Commission tackles use of force discussions

  28-02-2017 01:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — High profile cases in Austin have brought “use of force” policies into question. Monday night, members of the city’s Human Rights Commission are looking into whether those policies should be reexamined.
  Earlier this month, the city approved a record $3.25 million settlement with the mother of David Joseph, the naked, unarmed teenager shot and killed by an Austin police officer last year.
  President of the Austin Justice Coalition (AJC) Chas Moore says
  
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• Environmental group gives Texas an ‘F’ for protecting students from lead

  28-02-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An analysis released by a state environmental group shows 65 percent of Texas schools that tested for lead in drinking water discovered unsafe levels.
  Environment Texas gave the state an ‘F’ and said it is failing to prevent children’s drinking water from becoming laced with lead at school.
  “Schools should be safe places for our kids to learn and play,” said Luke Metzger, Director of Environment Texas. “Kids’ developi
  
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• Without a fix, teacher healthcare fund is empty next year

  28-02-2017 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This session, the Texas House Committee on Pensions is trying to figure out how to dig out of a billion dollar hole. If major reforms are not made to teacher retirement benefits, the system will run out of money.
  “Well first of all, when I started school it was because of a teacher. My first grade teacher Miss White,” said Kim Henry, who worked as an art teacher for 20 years. “Generally you need a second job if you’re going to be a teacher and y
  
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• Texas PTA members rally to strengthen anti-bullying laws

  28-02-2017 01:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 1,600 Texas Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members and students rallied at the capitol to gain the attention of legislators on Monday.
  They are hoping to gain support for special needs education and adequate school funding, as well as strengthen anti-bullying laws.
  Texas PTA President Lisa Holbrook said, “What has happened often with PTAs is that we — through our fundraising efforts — make up the short fall. And that’s not our j
  
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• Ferret found wandering Cedar Park neighborhood

  28-02-2017 01:03 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A lost ferret is looking for his home after he was found wandering around a Cedar Park neighborhood over the weekend.
  The city of Leander says “Frankie” was found on Saturday near Old Mill and Aster Pass in Cedar Park. The original ferret finder posted on social media and put up fliers about the lost pet but no one has claimed him as of Monday.
  Because the original person wasn’t able to keep the ferret, an off-duty Leander Animal Services Officer i
  
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• Self-driving supercar sets record at Circuit of the Americas

  28-02-2017 00:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As high-tech companies around the world work on creating smarter self-driving vehicles, over at the Silicon Valley-based NIO, they’re also trying to make the fastest autonomous vehicle.
  Last week, the bright blue NIO EP9 supercar set its tires on the Circuit of The Americas, and it was a match made in car heaven. Without a driver or any driver intervention, the supercar set multiple lap records at COTA, including fastest driverless lap and fastest production car lap.
  
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