Austin news

• Washington boy dies during dental visit

  14-03-2017 23:23 via kxan.com
  
  VANCOUVER, Wash. (KGW) — A 4-year-old Washington boy died after what seemed like a routine dentist visit last week.
  Mykel Peterson was put under with anesthesia to fill a cavity, but never woke up. The dental office where it happened, Must Love Kids, was closed Monday. An employee who came to the door, said it was out of support for employees and the boy’s family after what happened Friday.
  The Washington State Department of Health says it’s now reviewing the case to decid
  
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• Texas congressmen Facebook Live road trip to Washington, DC

  14-03-2017 23:22 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — A Republican and Democrat are stuck together in a car on a 1,600-mile road trip.
  It’s not the start of a joke, but the reality for two Texas congressmen forced to drive to Washington, D.C. from San Antonio because of the winter storm hitting the Northeast. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, and U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, got a late start after getting stuck in traffic around Waco.
  Just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, the congressmen were approaching the T
  
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• Missing funds from Pflugerville evidence room up for review

  14-03-2017 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — On Wednesday, a hearing will be held to determine who will receive ownership of property seized during an illegal game room operation in Pflugerville in 2010.
  In October, KXAN first reported that an unknown amount of cash was reported missing from the evidence room at the Pflugerville Police Department. At the time, City Manager Brandon Wade said the whole situation stemmed from what he called unusual circumstances.
  In anticipation of the hearing, Wade iss
  
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• Driver killed in crash on Burleson Road identified

  14-03-2017 21:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The driver killed in a two-car crash in southeast Austin on Saturday has been identified.
  A Honda Accord was heading eastbound in the 7100 block of Burleson Road in the inside lane, as a Toyota Corolla, driven by 37-year-old Anael Alfredo Contreras Vasquez, was pulling out from a stop sign at Felter Lane at around 6:38 p.m.
  Police say Vasquez didn’t yield the right of way while trying to turn westbound.
  The front of the Honda hit the driver’s side of the To
  
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• WATCH: Austin musician Sammie Zonana on The Voice

  14-03-2017 21:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For Austinite Sammie Zonana, taking the stage on NBC’s The Voice is a little bit different than the wedding gigs she’s been booking.
  “Being here is all the dreams I’ve ever wanted have come true,” says 24-year-old Zonana in an interview with The Voice. On Monday night, her dreams really did come true.
  For her blind audition. Zonana chose to perform Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.” Within 20 seconds of her performance, j
  
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• Construction to reduce Round Rock train noise set to start in November

  14-03-2017 20:32 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Trains blowing horns can be heard throughout Round Rock, and there is finally a plan to make the area quieter. The city council approved a plan last year to create quiet zones in the city.
  They now know construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in November.
  The first phase of the project will run from County Road 172 to Burnet Road, and the second phase will run from Burnet Road to Red Bud Lane. Construction crews with the city and Union Pacific will ma
  
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• Kealing Middle School students release album of remixes on Spotify

  14-03-2017 19:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — What exactly goes through middle schoolers’ heads when they hear their album is on Spotify?
  “It’s pretty crazy that you’re on this platform with all these other artists,” says Kealing Middle School student Asa Simpson, whose own remix included on Kealing Middle School’s recent release.
  “Like, wow, we’ve made it to the top, our music is on Spotify,” echoes fellow classmate Dominic Keys.
  For these Kealing Middle School stu
  
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• Goodyear deflates blimp, but keeps familiar form in flight

  14-03-2017 19:26 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Goodyear has let the helium out of the last of its fabled fleet of blimps, but the company’s flight program will continue.
  About two dozen employees were on hand early Tuesday to witness the deflation of California-based Spirit of Innovation.
  But shed no tears, blimp fans, you’ll still see a familiar blue-and-gold form floating over your favorite sports event or awards show.
  Although the blimp’s replacement, Wingfoot Two, will look about the same when i
  
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• Comal River reopens after heavy rains, perfect for tubing

  14-03-2017 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) – The weather is getting nicer and since we all have an extra hour of daylight now some of you may be looking to get a little water under yourselves.
  The Comal River was reopened to recreation at noon Tuesday.
  According to the New Braunfels Police Department, “The Comal River flow is at approximately 440cfs, which is considered perfect tubing conditions.”
  Wondering how nice it’s going to be? Check the forecast.
  Heavy rains caused the river
  
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• Officials: Off-duty Texas guard arrested after making illegal stop

  14-03-2017 18:17 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Bexar County authorities have arrested an off-duty prison guard on a charge of impersonating a public servant after they say he illegally stopped a female motorist.
  Sheriff’s officials said in a statement Monday that 31-year-old Justin Coats was arrested a day earlier after a deputy witnessed the stop and pulled over to investigate.
  They say Coats was in uniform and armed at the time, adding that as a federal prison guard Coats had no authority to conduct traffic s
  
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• Lawmaker wants to get rid of vehicle safety inspections

  14-03-2017 17:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  A North Texas lawmaker wants to eliminate the state’s regular mandatory vehicle safety inspections. Last week, Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, filed Senate Bill 1588.
  Currently, all vehicles registered in Texas are required to pass an annual inspection to ensure compliance with safety standards. Emissions testing is also required in 17 Texas counties to comply with federally mandated clean air. In spring 2016, the state implemented the Texas Two Step, which re
  
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• When to take the driver’s license away from older family members

  14-03-2017 17:31 via kxan.com
  
  NILES, Ohio (WKBN) –  Experts say it’s important to know when your older family members should stop driving and be able to have that conversation with them.
  “It’s not an easy conversation to have, but it’s one that needs to happen earlier rather than later,” said the Area Agency on Aging’s Lisa Solley. “They are going to be very, very reluctant to give up their car keys because that’s their independence.”
  Helen and Wade Brainard, o
  
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• Prosecutors: Dad killed son to collect on insurance money

  14-03-2017 17:03 via kxan.com
  
  MANASSAS, VA (AP) – According to prosecutors, Joaquin Shadow Rams had grown accustomed to living off the life insurance proceeds of dead family members. So when the money ran out, he turned to his 1-year-old son to cash in again.
  Rams’ murder trial began Monday in Prince William Circuit Court, more than four years after 1-year-old Prince McLeod Rams died on a court-ordered, unsupervised visit with his father.
  In the years since Prince’s death in October 2012, the case has taken
  
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• Baylor fires associate director of football operations for inappropriate texts

  14-03-2017 16:19 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (AP) — An associate director of football operations has been fired by Baylor University, becoming the second staffer with ties to the football program to be dismissed this year as the program struggles to move beyond a sexual assault scandal.
  KWTX-TV in Waco reported Monday that DeMarkco Butler was fired for sending inappropriate text messages to a teenager.
  Baylor in a statement said only they were sent to a person who was an adult under Texas statute.
  Butler’s dismissal
  
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• Search is on for 4 who scooped bat out of Lady Bird Lake

  14-03-2017 16:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Health officials would like to speak to a group of four individuals who may have been in contact with a bat on Friday, March 10.
  Staff at the Waller Creek Boathouse said the renters, who may have been from Russia, reported “scooping a bat out of the water” on Lady Bird Lake and placing it in their kayak.
  The bat has not been tested for rabies and has not been found.
  Officials are urging the group to contact them. If you know them, or you grabbed a
  
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• Funeral for Lockhart couple killed in Biloxi crash is Tuesday

  14-03-2017 15:27 via kxan.com
  
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) – A Lockhart couple, who were staples of the community, will be laid to rest Tuesday morning after being killed when the tour bus they were on was hit by a train in Biloxi, Mississippi last week.
  Ken and Peggy Hoffman were married 36 years and had long careers in the Lockhart education scene. Ken retired in 1996 as the assistant superintendent for the district. His wife, Peggy, retired in 2002 and was a principal at Plum Creek Elementary for many years. Even aft
  
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• FTC warns ‘impostor’ scams are on the rise

  14-03-2017 15:08 via kxan.com
  
  EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Identity fraud complaints have dropped but concerns over impostor scams have gone up, according to new numbers from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
  The FTC says it received more than 406,000 complaints of impostor scams last year alone.
  Eliva Uscanga got one of these calls, with the person on the other end claiming to be an IRS agent demanding $37,000.
  “I just was scared and didn’t know what to do,” she recalled.
  These types of call
  
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• Travelers stranded in Austin due to storm in Northeast

  14-03-2017 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Potential blizzard-like conditions across the northeast United States is hitting the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with cancellations Tuesday.
  A storm pounded the Northeast with more than a foot of snow in places Tuesday, paralyzing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor after a remarkably mild February had lulled people into thinking the worst of winter was over. The powerful nor’easter grounded more than 5,000 flights, closed schools in cities big a
  
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• Snow in northeast hitting Austin travelers with flight cancellations

  14-03-2017 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Potential blizzard-like conditions across the northeast United States is hitting the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with cancellations Tuesday.
  A storm pounded the Northeast with more than a foot of snow in places Tuesday, paralyzing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor after a remarkably mild February had lulled people into thinking the worst of winter was over.
  The storm was expected to unload 12 to 18 inches of snow on the New York City area with wind gusts
  
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• Dozens of flights at Austin airport canceled due to storm in Northeast

  14-03-2017 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Potential blizzard-like conditions across the northeast United States is hitting the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with cancellations Tuesday.
  A storm pounded the Northeast with more than a foot of snow in places Tuesday, paralyzing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor after a remarkably mild February had lulled people into thinking the worst of winter was over.
  The storm was expected to unload 12 to 18 inches of snow on the New York City area with wind gusts
  
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• Texas Senate tentatively passes ‘bathroom bill’

  14-03-2017 13:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After spending most of the day debating the proposed ‘bathroom bill,’ the Texas Senate has tentatively approved the bill 21-10. The bill, which still has to go through a final vote on the Senate floor, would require people to use public facilities associated with their birth sex.
  Despite 13 hours of emotional testimony last week, the State Committee agreed to move Senate Bill 6 to the floor for a full vote following a 21-hour committee h
  
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• ‘Bathroom Bill’ up for Senate vote Tuesday

  14-03-2017 13:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Senate will debate and vote Tuesday on the proposed ‘bathroom bill’ which would require people to use public facilities associated with their birth sex.
  Despite 13 hours of emotional testimony, the State Committee agreed to move Senate Bill 6 to the floor for a full vote following a 21-hour committee hearing.
  Breaking down what the so-called ‘Bathroom Bill’ means for Texans
  Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick says he has the votes
  
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• Texas boy, 15, dies after Russian roulette shooting

  14-03-2017 12:58 via kxan.com
  
  SPRING, Texas (AP) — Authorities are tracing the family of a 15-year-old boy who died after a Russian roulette shooting.
  Harris County sheriff’s detectives are withholding the name of the boy, who shot himself Friday at the home of a friend near Spring, a northern suburb of Houston. He died Saturday.
  The father of the friend said he picked up the boy from a trailer park Thursday evening for a sleepover. The man said he went to the gym to work out Friday morning when his son called fr
  
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• VIDEO: Dallas woman, 67, climbs tree to stop electric company from cutting it down

  14-03-2017 12:37 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (NBC News) — A 67 year old woman in Dallas climbed in a tree outside of her home to prevent it from getting cut down.
  The incident happened around 11 a.m. Monday morning.
  Aerials over the scene captured Jeri Huber standing on one of the branches out in her yard.
  260-year-old tree spared the ax in construction of Buda municipal site
  She was trying to stop Oncur Electric Company from cutting down the timber.
  Crews say this is not the first time Huber has climbed this tree.
  S
  
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• Budget issues force Blanco ISD to make staff cuts

  14-03-2017 12:23 via kxan.com
  
  BLANCO, Texas (KXAN) – A ‘big loss’ of funding from the state is forcing the administration at Blanco ISD to make cuts to staffing.
  During a BISD board meeting last week, Superintendent Dr. Buck Ford announced that, due to the loss of more than $700,000 in Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction funding, the current staffing situation cannot be maintained.
  “Our employees are our strength,” said Ford. “It is extremely difficult to take these measures, when we kn
  
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• Lawyer: No late appeals likely for Texas inmate set to die

  14-03-2017 11:53 via kxan.com
  
  HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Appeals appeared to be exhausted and no last-day legal attempts were expected for a man scheduled to die Tuesday evening for killing a father and infant son as part of a Christmas Eve 1987 rampage.
  James Bigby, 61, would be the fourth Texas inmate executed this year and the sixth nationally.
  Bigby was condemned for the fatal shooting of Michael Trekell, 26, and suffocation of Trekell’s 4-month-old son, Jayson, at their home in Arlington. Evidence showed Bigby
  
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• Nor’easter pounding region, cancelling flights, school

  14-03-2017 11:23 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A powerful nor’easter pounded the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast early Tuesday, prompting flight cancellations, school closures and warnings from city and state officials to stay off the roads.
  The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
  The storm was expected to dump 1 to 2 feet of snow on the New York City metro area with wind gusts
  
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• Buda woman stitches names on 100 duffel bags for foster children

  14-03-2017 05:11 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — A Buda woman is using her gift of stitching to bring smiles to dozens of foster care children.
  Monica Davidson, owner of The Stitch Shoppe, is stitching names on 100 duffel bags to hand out this coming weekend. While that might not seem like a big deal, for a foster child who owns little to nothing, it means a lot. “Part of our mission at The Stitch Shoppe is to give back as much as we can,” Davidson says.
  KXAN Photographer Kyle Kovilaritch introd
  
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• Robotic security guards: the future of keeping people safe

  14-03-2017 05:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As new technologies continue to shape our world, one company hopes to use them to reduce crime.
  Silicon Valley-based company Knightscope is in Austin this week, talking to Texas businesses about their robotic security guards. The K3 and K5 Autonomous Data Machines utilize cameras, sensors, microphones and GPS technology as they patrol. They’re already on the job in California, being used in malls, hospitals, sporting venues and businesses.
  “Our goal in
  
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• Proposed statewide policy would supersede city regulations on ridesharing

  14-03-2017 04:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The battle over ridesharing regulations is heating up at the State Capitol.
  Tuesday, representatives from the Texas Public Policy Foundation will testify in support of one statewide policy that would supersede city regulations.
  KXAN’s Robert Hadlock spoke with Bryan Mathew, a policy analyst with the foundation.
  “What we want to do is create a regulatory environment in Texas that has a low barrier to entry, so that any guy or girl that has a smart idea
  
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• Texas earns 3 seed in Lexington regional

  14-03-2017 04:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The celebration says it all. Relieved and excited, the Texas Longhorns will be the three seed in the Lexington Regional for the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns will host Central Arkansas Friday at 1:30PM in the Erwin Center.
  Texas (23-8) will host a sub-region for the second straight year. 6th seeded North Carolina State and 11th seeded Auburn are on the other side of the bracket.
  “It was really exciting especially when you see the young players, the players
  
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• UPDATE: SWAT Situation ends in East Austin

  14-03-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  3:15 am UPDATE: Austin Police say no one was inside the home involved in the SWAT situation on East Fourth Street. They do confirm shots were fired earlier Monday at the Valero gas station. Officers spoke with a person of interest outside the home involved in the SWAT situation but it is not clear whether the person is in custody. Officers are currently trying to figure out if there is a second person of interest in the case.
  2:50 am UPDATE: Austin Police say the SWAT situation on East Four
  
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• SWAT Situation ends in east Austin when home found empty

  14-03-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say the SWAT situation on east Fourth Street ended early Tuesday morning when the home was found empty.
  At around 5:32 p.m., a 911 call was placed about shots fired at 3112 E. Cesar Chavez St., a Valero gas station. A caller said two suspects fired multiple shots at her at before taking off in a car. No one was injured in the shooting.
  Officers found the car on Fourth Street and thought the suspects were inside one of the homes. After a SWAT call-out, it
  
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• Suspect arrested after east Austin SWAT situation

  14-03-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A SWAT situation that started when shots were fired at a woman came to an end on East Fourth Street early Tuesday morning as a house thought to have suspects barricaded inside was found empty.
  At around 5:32 p.m., a 911 call was placed at a Valero gas station about shots fired on nearby Santa Rita Street. A caller said two suspects fired multiple shots at her before taking off in a car. No one was injured in the shooting.
  Samuel Sepeda (Austin Police Department Photo)O
  
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• Shots fired at woman lead to SWAT standoff in east Austin

  14-03-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin police SWAT team is at an east Austin neighborhood, where a person is barricaded inside a home, Monday night.
  People are being urged to avoid the area of the 2600 block of East Fourth Street, near North Pleasant Valley Road. At around 5:32 p.m., a 911 call was placed about shots fired at 3112 E. Cesar Chavez St., a Valero gas station.
  A caller said two suspects fired multiple shots at her at the gas station before taking off in a car. No one was injured in t
  
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• Manhunt on for suspect who tried to grab girl from changing room

  14-03-2017 03:22 via kxan.com
  
  COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KWKT) — College Station police are looking for a man who attempted to abduct a six-year-old girl in a department store on Sunday.
  Police say it happened about 3:50 p.m. in the Bealls Department Store in the Post Oak Mall.
  Investigators were told that a mother was shopping with her three young daughters in Bealls with the woman entering a fitting room with her two youngest daughter, while her six-year-old was in another fitting room alone.
  Shortly after the little gi
  
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• City, state leaders argue tax relief and local control ahead of hearing

  14-03-2017 01:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill formed to curb the growth in local property taxes would make some decisions by city councils more difficult to implement. Tuesday morning, a panel of influential senators will hear out the idea.
  It only takes a stroll through downtown Austin to see the city growing. Rising property values continue to drive up the cost of living here. Lawmakers in town for the legislative session want to lower your bills.
  Sen. Paul Bettencour, R-Houston, authored the legislation after
  
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