Austin news

• Pope Francis open to married men becoming priests

  10-03-2017 22:44 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — Pope Francis says the church must study whether it’s possible to ordain married men to minister in remote communities facing priest shortages.
  In an interview published Thursday with Germany’s Die Zeit, Francis stressed that removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Church’s priest shortage. But he expressed an openness to studying whether so-called “viri probati” — or married men of proven faith — could be ordained
  
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• Woman swept away in flooding outside San Antonio found dead

  10-03-2017 22:17 via kxan.com
  
  CIBOLO, Texas (KXAN) — The body of a woman swept away in floodwaters outside of San Antonio on Friday has been recovered, according to News 4 San Antonio. 
  Police in the suburb of Cibolo, just northeast of San Antonio, say a family member called for help overnight after the victim, identified by News 4 as Shireal Boulanger, 58, said she was in a car surrounded by water.
  Transportation officials later heard a man — the woman’s husband — screaming for help near an Inte
  
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• Investigator: Suspect in Victoria mosque fire feared Muslims

  10-03-2017 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — A federal agent says a man suspected of burning down a Texas mosque in January allegedly believed those who worshipped there were terrorists.
  Rick Miller, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified Thursday that based on social media messages, Marq Vincent Perez monitored the Islamic center in Victoria, about 125 miles southwest of Houston, before setting fire to it Jan. 28.
  Miller says an informant said Perez believ
  
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• 8 year old boy says angels helped him save dad’s life

  10-03-2017 21:17 via kxan.com
  
  IDAHO FALLS, ID (WCMH) — His family is calling him a hero for saving his dad’s life, but 8-year-old J.T. Parker said he had help.
  “The things he did was beyond his capabilities,” J.T’s dad Stephen Parker tells EastIdahoNews.com of the incident that happened last July.
  Stephen was working on the family’s Toyota Prius, when he got underneath the car to remove an axle. Suddenly, the car fell on his chest.
  Before Stephen passed out he yelled for J.T. to jack
  
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• Man who won $25M for police misconduct used it to build a street gang

  10-03-2017 20:54 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago man who used a $25 million settlement of his wrongful murder conviction lawsuit for purchases of guns, expensive cars and to rebuild his street gang is heading back to prison after a judge sentenced him to more than nine years on federal weapons charges.
  The Chicago Tribune reports that at a hearing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber sentenced Thaddeus Jimenez after watching a video — shot on an iPhone by his co-defendant from the front s
  
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• Woman needing doctor on flight to Houston learns she’s surrounded by them

  10-03-2017 20:11 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC) — A woman on board a Southwest flight from Atlanta to Houston had to scream for a doctor when her husband started to lose consciousness.
  To everyone’s surprise, a lot of passengers on the plane stood up.
  “We were returning to Houston from an annual meeting at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, so there were probably more than usual number of doctors on this particular flight,” says Texas Children’s Hospital immunologist D
  
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• Woman needing doctor on flight to Houston finds she’s surrounded by them

  10-03-2017 20:11 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC) — A woman on board a Southwest flight from Atlanta to Houston had to scream for a doctor when her husband started to lose consciousness.
  To everyone’s surprise, a lot of passengers on the plane stood up.
  “We were returning to Houston from an annual meeting at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, so there were probably more than usual number of doctors on this particular flight,” says Texas Children’s Hospital immunologist D
  
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• Walmart giving away free cupcakes to everyone on Sunday

  10-03-2017 19:52 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Walmart will be giving away free cupcakes all across the country this Sunday in an attempt to celebrate “everyone’s birthday everywhere.”
  The free treats will be available at Walmart Supercenters nationwide on Sunday, March 12th, but only between the hours of noon at 4:00pm. Each customer will be able to choose between one free chocolate or vanilla cupcake.
  It doesn’t matter when your birthday is because you’ll still be able to get a free cup
  
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• Ex-Westlake teacher gets 10 years probation for relationships with students

  10-03-2017 18:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Westlake High School teacher, Haeli Wey, has been sentenced to 10 years of deferred adjudication probation after pleading guilty to having improper relationships with students.
  Wey, 29, faced 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. As a part of her plea deal, Wey will not spend any time in jail and under her deferred probation if she comple
  
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• Texas unemployment rate for January holds at 4.8 percent

  10-03-2017 17:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — State labor officials say the Texas unemployment rate held steady in January at a seasonally adjusted 4.8 percent.
  The Texas Workforce Commission on Friday announced the jobless figure for the latest statewide reporting period. Nationwide unemployment during February, the latest U.S. reporting period, was 4.7 percent.
  A TWC statement says Amarillo and Lubbock had the lowest unemployment in Texas during January at 3.4 percent. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the s
  
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• 14-year-old sexually assaulted on CapMetro train

  10-03-2017 17:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in jail accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old on a Capital Metro train on March 7, around 3:44 p.m.
  The teen told police he was on his way to the Lakeline area when a man sat down next to him and began inappropriately touching him. According to the affidavit, Tomas Garcia, 53, first asked the teen to borrow his cell phone to make a call.
  After calling his roommate, the teen said Garcia asked for his name and age. When the teen told Garcia he was 14, the affi
  
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• Texas Film Awards honors Shirley MacLaine, Tye Sheridan

  10-03-2017 16:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday Austin’s South by Southwest kicked off the Texas Film Awards. Awards were handed out to stars such as Shirley MacLaine.
  MacLaine is known for her success in taking home an Academy Award for her performance in Terms of Endearment and for starring in Richard Linklater’s film Bernie.
  This year, Shirley was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Texas Film Awards also gave the Star of Texas Award to the movie Bernie.
  Other awards and movies were a s
  
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• Egypt archaeologists discover massive statue in Cairo slum

  10-03-2017 16:25 via kxan.com
  
  CAIRO (AP) — Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a massive statue in a Cairo slum that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the country’s most famous ancient rulers.
  The colossus, whose head was pulled from mud and groundwater by a bulldozer and seen by The Associated Press on Friday, is around eight meters (yards) high and was discovered by a German-Egyptian team.
  Egyptologist Khaled Nabil Osman said the statue was an “impressive find” and the area is likely full of other
  
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• 80-year-old man and dog duo stop would-be car thief

  10-03-2017 15:29 via kxan.com
  
  ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE) – It was an errand day an 80-year-old Roswell man will not soon forget. This, after he came face to face with a would-be thief who was trying to steal his car with his best friend inside.
  “He started going forward so I ran around and jumped in front of the car,” said Roswell resident Troy Teague.
  Teague had no time to think.
  “I was yelling at him and everything else,” said Teague.
  Someone was trying to steal Teague’s car with his
  
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• Starbucks releasing first-ever spring cups

  10-03-2017 14:14 via kxan.com
  
  (WFLA) – Starbucks is celebrating the spring season with its first-ever spring hot beverage cup.
  The cups will be available beginning March 16 at Starbucks stores in the US and Canada for a limited time.
  Each cup gets its own cheerful color with white dogs and hand-drawn designs.
  The cups will be available in stores for just a few days, the company said.
  Spring officially arrives March 20.
  New Spring Starbucks cups (Starbucks )New Spring Starbucks cups (Starbucks )
  
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• AMBER ALERT: 9 and 10-year-old children taken from El Paso

  10-03-2017 13:27 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO, Texas (KXAN) — An Amber Alert has been issued for two children, ages 9 and 10 last seen in El Paso, Texas.
  Suspect Brenda Estrada (Amber Alert)The missing children are thought to be in danger. The missing 9-year-old girl is Ashley Michelle Estrada and her 10-year-old brother Brandon Jesus Estrada.
  Police believe the children were taken by their mother, Brenda Estrada. The suspect accused of abducting the children is driving a blue/green 2001 Acura vehicle with the license plate HG
  
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• 9 and 10-year-old children taken from El Paso have been found

  10-03-2017 13:27 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO, Texas (KXAN) — An Amber Alert has been discontinued for two children, ages 9 and 10 taken from El Paso, Texas after they were found around 9:53 a.m.
  Suspect Brenda Estrada (Amber Alert)The missing children were thought to be in danger. The missing 9-year-old girl is Ashley Michelle Estrada and her 10-year-old brother Brandon Jesus Estrada.
  Police believed the children were taken by their mother, Brenda Estrada, 31. The suspect accused of abducting the children is driving a bl
  
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• SXSW Interactive spotlights solutions to Austin’s treacherous traffic

  10-03-2017 13:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The South by Southwest interactive festival is putting the spotlight on finding solutions to the traffic Austin drivers face everyday.
  The week-long festival kicks off on Friday and attendees will immediately find themselves trapped in Austin’s mobility issues trying to navigate SXSW. With a spike in the number of visitors to Austin, one group is focusing on the way you get around and how technology is changing your commute.
  The C3 Group, an automotive industry w
  
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• AP Explains: How to transform GOP health care plan into law

  10-03-2017 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans’ long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has cleared a couple hurdles in the House. The GOP still must navigate a complicated path to turn its 123-page proposal from legislation to law.
  A look at the process and the politics:
  ___
  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
  Republicans have set an aggressive timetable for moving the bill.
  Two House committees — Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce — moved ahead on the legislation Thursday. On
  
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• Guide to SXSW: Transportation options, big events, road closures

  10-03-2017 12:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is preparing for crowded roads as the city’s population will swell with newcomers from around the world for South by Southwest.
  Road closures
  Road closures will begin Friday, March 10 and last until March 20 for SXSW events. There will be full closures of Trinity Street and San Jacinto between their Fifth and Sixth Street intersections from 3 a.m. on March 10 until 8 a.m. March 19.
  MAP: Full street closure map for SXSW
  A full closure of Sixth Street b
  
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• Teen hit by Union Pacific train in south Austin

  10-03-2017 12:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Medical crews are treating a teenage female hit by a Union Pacific train on Friday morning in south Austin.
  According to Austin/Travis County EMS, the pedestrian was hit at West Stassney Lane and Rose Hill Circle. A Union Pacific spokesperson says the teen was walking along the tracks when she was hit. The crew on the train tried to stop and signal the teen with the train’s horn, but she did not move out of the way in time.
  The teen is conscious with injuries to the l
  
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• Crockett High student hit by Union Pacific train in south Austin

  10-03-2017 12:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 15-year-old female from Crockett High School has serious injuries after she was hit by a Union Pacific train on Friday morning in south Austin.
  According to Austin/Travis County EMS, the pedestrian was hit at West Stassney Lane and Rose Hill Circle. A Union Pacific spokesperson says the teen was walking along the tracks when she was hit. The crew on the train tried to stop and signal the teen with the train’s horn, but she did not move out of the way in time.
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• Crocket High student hit by Union Pacific train in south Austin

  10-03-2017 12:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 15-year-old female from Crockett High School has serious injuries after she was hit by a Union Pacific train on Friday morning in south Austin.
  According to Austin/Travis County EMS, the pedestrian was hit at West Stassney Lane and Rose Hill Circle. A Union Pacific spokesperson says the teen was walking along the tracks when she was hit. The crew on the train tried to stop and signal the teen with the train’s horn, but she did not move out of the way in time.
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• Police: Off-duty officer kills armed woman amid disturbance

  10-03-2017 12:08 via kxan.com
  
  GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Authorities in Galveston say an off-duty police officer shot and killed a woman following a disturbance.
  Galveston police Lt. Joshua Schirard tells KHOU-TV (http://bit.ly/2mHjGLX ) the incident occurred Thursday evening. He says the officer was out with family members when he spotted the disturbance and confronted an armed female.
  During the confrontation, Schirard says the officer fired shots at the woman, who later died at a hospital. Her name has not been release
  
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• Biloxi crash victims sue bus operator, train company involved

  10-03-2017 05:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A second lawsuit has been filed against the bus company involved in the Biloxi bus and train crash that left four Texans dead.
  Darwyn and Marie Hanna were both injured when a train hit their Echo Transportation-operated bus Tuesday. The lawsuit also names the train company, CSX Transportation, arguing the train crew failed to keep a proper lookout and stop in time.
  The Hannas say they’ll likely face pain and suffering for the rest of their lives and believe
  
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• Austin ISD testing out new GPS tech that keeps track of school bus riders

  10-03-2017 05:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearly 1,000 parents in the Austin Independent School District whose children ride the school bus received a letter this week informing them they will be part of a new pilot program.
  On March 27, the first Monday after Spring Break, 960 children will get their own ID card to start scanning every time they get on and off their bus. New card readers have been installed on 20 school buses that serve the following campuses:
  Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
  
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• City granting appeals to for-hire drivers who failed background checks

  10-03-2017 04:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Many people will be heading to the airport over the next week for Spring Break and others, are getting in on the action South by Southwest has to offer. That means drivers are in high demand. 
  We have learned of 26 appeals from drivers who previously failed the city’s criminal background checks. Austin’s transportation director has approved 15 and denied 11.
  KXAN met Austinite Erin Emmitt as she was getting ready to fly out of
  
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• Longhorns season comes to an end at Big 12 tournament

  10-03-2017 04:01 via kxan.com
  
  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — West Virginia’s Bob Huggins sure sounds motivated by last year’s runner-up finish at the Big 12 Tournament, but don’t ask the often-irascible coach whether his players feel the same way.
  “I don’t know, man. You’re asking me to know what they’re thinking,” Huggins said after his No. 11 Mountaineers cruised to a 63-53 win over Texas in the quarterfinals Thursday night. “I wish I knew.”
  He should at least feel
  
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• Correctional officer jailed after showing up to work drunk, deputies say

  10-03-2017 02:48 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Williamson County Sheriff’s Office correctional officer was arrested and charged with public intoxication Thursday after showing up to work drunk, deputies say.
  At around 4:45 p.m., the officer, who has not been named, showed up to work and other officers determined he was intoxicated. They then escorted him to the administrative offices where senior command staff worked to verify if he was drunk.
  Sheriff Robert Chody decided, based on that review,
  
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• Correctional officer arrested after showing up to work drunk fired from job

  10-03-2017 02:48 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Williamson County Sheriff’s Office correctional officer was arrested and ultimately fire for public intoxication on the job Thursday.
  At around 4:45 p.m., Officer Gregory Nelson showed up to work and other officers determined he was intoxicated. They then escorted him to the administrative offices where senior command staff worked to verify if he was drunk.
  Sheriff Robert Chody decided, based on that review, to place the officer under arrest in the
  
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• Man who lost wife, daughter in crash advocates for statewide texting ban

  10-03-2017 02:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — The House Committee on Transportation unanimously approved House Bill 62, a bill that would make texting and driving illegal statewide, during a hearing Thursday morning.
  HB 62 allows drivers to text in emergency situations and the bill does not include using GPS. Violators could be fined up to $99 for a first offense and a maximum $200 for any offense after that.
  This is the fourth time lawmakers have attempted to pass this type of legislation in Texas.
  The bill’s
  
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• Mother claims she’s receiving threats from son’s accused killer

  10-03-2017 01:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A grieving mother is still trying to find justice after her son, 30-year-old Brandon Grant, a father of two, was found shot and stabbed in the middle of Johnny Morris Road last July.
  Now, the woman is terrified the man charged with the murder could walk free. “Well, the detective told us that the evidence they had and the witnesses weren’t good enough,” Grant’s mother says.
  Court documents show an uncle of Joseph Sterling, who was already i
  
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• AISD says realtor tours are making a difference in enrollment

  10-03-2017 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Aging buildings, budget problems and shrinking enrollment — phrases and headlines that have damaged the reputation of Austin schools. Austin Independent School District is working to change that, using an opportunity to sell itself to the hundreds of new families moving to Austin every day.
  The strategy is simple: selling the seller.
  “It’s a great learning opportunity for us to bring realtors into the schools and teach them about our schools, wha
  
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• Ride Austin prepares for SXSW with more drivers

  10-03-2017 01:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As tens of thousands of people descend on Austin for South By Southwest, ride-hailing companies are gearing up. This is the festival’s first year since Uber and Lyft left Austin. Last May, voters approved stricter rules for drivers, including fingerprint background checks.
  One of the new companies that stepped in is Ride Austin, who just gave their one millionth ride.
  “Fortunately our app didn’t go down during ACL, so we actually had huge volumes and
  
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• Ride Austin adding 40-50 new drivers a day to prepare for SXSW

  10-03-2017 01:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As tens of thousands of people descend on Austin for South By Southwest, ride-hailing companies are gearing up. This is the festival’s first year since Uber and Lyft left Austin. Last May, voters approved stricter rules for drivers, including fingerprint background checks.
  One of the new companies that stepped in is Ride Austin, who just gave their one millionth ride.
  “Fortunately our app didn’t go down during ACL, so we actually had huge volumes and
  
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• Neighbors urged to help decide the future of Anderson Mill Rd.

  10-03-2017 01:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — People who live along Anderson Mill Road between Farm to Market 620 and US 183 will have an opportunity this weekend to voice their concerns about the road. Like many roads in Austin, growth in the area has added congestion to the main lanes.
  Karen Grampp has lived off of Anderson Mill Road for 40 years. “183 was a much smaller highway, it was referred commonly as the suicide highway in this direction.”
  Grampp says that same name could now apply to And
  
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• Man deported five times since 1998 charged in deadly hit and run crash

  10-03-2017 01:30 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Mexican immigrant in the U.S. illegally despite being deported repeatedly is facing murder and other charges in the traffic-collision death of a Los Angeles woman, the Southern California News Group reported.
  Estuardo Alvarado, 45, is accused of killing Sandra Duran, 42, in a T-bone collision while fleeing the scene of another crash on the rainy afternoon of Feb. 19 in North Hills.
  He was charged with five felonies including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter whil
  
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• How can Anderson Mill Road be improved? The city wants neighbors’ input

  10-03-2017 01:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — People who live along Anderson Mill Road between Farm to Market 620 and US 183 will have an opportunity this weekend to voice their concerns about the road. Like many roads in Austin, growth in the area has added congestion to the main lanes.
  Karen Grampp has lived off of Anderson Mill Road for 40 years. “183 was a much smaller highway, it was referred commonly as the suicide highway in this direction.”
  Grampp says that same name could now apply to And
  
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• Bus that collided with train in Biloxi wasn’t on planned route

  10-03-2017 01:00 via kxan.com
  
  BILOXI, Miss. (KXAN) — The bus driver involved in a collision with a train in Biloxi on Tuesday, with senior citizens from the Austin area on board, was not on his planned route, officials said Thursday.
  The bus driver ended up at the intersection of Esther’s Boulevard and Main Street in Biloxi, which was not the route sent to him by a tour operator.
  Robert Sumwalt, board member with the National Transportation Safety Board, said Wednesday and Thursday had been very productive f
  
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• Bastrop deputies seek Sunny Food Mart robber

  10-03-2017 00:54 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR CREEK, Texas (KXAN) — Deputies are asking for the public’s help identifying the man who robbed the Sunny Food Mart in Cedar Creek at gunpoint early last month.
  Surveillance photos from 10:20 p.m. on February 6, show the robber behind the counter and trying to work the register. He’s described as slim, standing 5-foot-8-inches tall. He appears to be in his late teens to early 20’s.
  He was wearing a black baseball cap which possibly had his hair tucked under, a solid
  
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• Buda wants to add 5 new warning systems to save lives during floods

  10-03-2017 00:44 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) – The city of Buda is looking to add five new flood warning systems by April of next year with the goal of making flood-prone areas a little safer for drivers.
  “Everybody in Central Texas has seen historic flooding and we’re not immune to that,” said the City of Buda Spokesperson David Marino.
  Buda has been hit hard by multiple flooding events over the past few years. Now, a grant provided by the Texas Water Development Board will help the city pay for
  
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• Man turns self in for February BB gun road rage incident

  10-03-2017 00:29 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) – A man who, Manor police say, shot an airsoft BB gun at another driver in a road rage episode at the end of February, has turned himself in to authorities after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
  On Feb. 27 around 6:30 a.m., Manor police say Michael Sewell, 52, shot at a man driving on US 290 East near Riata Ford, hitting the man’s car.
  Investigators found an airsoft gun at the Giles exit on the US 290 toll.
  Authorities originally said the v
  
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