Austin news

• Austin fire, police keep busy during SXSW

  20-03-2017 23:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — During South by Southwest, the Austin Fire Department shut down two events due to overcrowding issues.
  Over the 10-day stretch, the department conducted 179 nighttime inspections and addressed 160 issues related to improper exiting. AFD also issued 14 citations, six of which were for overcrowding. The two businesses that were shut down due to overcrowding were the Parlor Room on Rainey Street and The Rooftop on East Sixth Street.
  AFD wasn’t the only department th
  
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• Texas A&M’s first openly gay student body president takes office

  20-03-2017 23:07 via kxan.com
  
  COLLEGE STATION, Texas (Texas Tribune) — Texas A&M University’s first openly gay student body president is set to take office next month, marking a milestone for the largest public university in the state.
  Bobby Brooks, an economics junior at the flagship campus in College Station, was elected by A&M students as the university’s 74th student body president March 9. In an interview published Sunday in The Battalion, the student newspaper, Brooks
  
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• Police identify man killed in east Austin apartment shooting

  20-03-2017 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officers describe a “chaotic” scene in the aftermath of a shooting that left a man dead in east Austin on Wednesday, March 15.
  Police were called to the Rare Apartments at 6407 Springdale Rd., near the intersection with Manor Road, at around 12:46 p.m. Officers found Ruler Bailey, 21, with gunshot wounds. Initial information provided by police said the shooting stemmed from a fight between a group; at the time, they said they were still trying to determine
  
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• Cedar Park police officers learn techniques to avoid use of force

  20-03-2017 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Police officers sometimes have just seconds to make a decision that could affect their safety and the public’s safety. Now, the Cedar Park Police Department is requiring all officers to undergo training that will help with de-escalation during a crisis call.
  Cedar Park police is the first department in Central Texas to use the Police Executive Research Forum’s Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) Program. It’s geared toward
  
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• Abbott: Travis Co. ‘worst offender’ in releasing charged undocumented immigrants

  20-03-2017 21:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County released more criminally charged undocumented immigrants from custody than any other American county highlighted in a new report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  Gov. Greg Abbott called Travis County “the worst offender,” with 142 people released from custody between Jan. 28 and Feb. 3, amounting to nearly 70 percent of the nationwide total in the counties identified by ICE. “Today’s report from DHS is deeply disturbing a
  
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• Lockhart High teacher accused of ‘sexual conduct’ with student

  20-03-2017 21:01 via kxan.com
  
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — A Lockhart High School science teacher is charged with having an inappropriate relationship with a student.
  The Lockhart Police Department says 27-year-old Sarah Fowlkes was “engaged in sexual contact” with a 17-year-old male student. Investigators started looking into the complaint on March 10, when they received a report from a school administrator regarding the potential inappropriate relationship.
  Police determined the male student had been in conta
  
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• Austin police to install carbon monoxide detectors in Ford Explorers

  20-03-2017 20:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are planning to install carbon monoxide detectors in their Ford Explorers after an officer fell ill over the weekend and hit a curb before calling for assistance.
  “We have enough worries out there, enough dangers without worrying about the car killing you that you’re driving in,” said Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday.
  The Austin Police Department has 361 Ford Explorers in its fleet with nine more on order. Officers have kn
  
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• Central Texans land on Forbes 2017 billionaires list

  20-03-2017 19:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Forbes released its 2017 list of billionaires Monday and there are several Central Texans who have made the list. According to Forbes’ report, there are more billionaires worldwide this year than there was last year. In 2016, there were 1,810, this year the number is 2,043 — a 13 percent increase.
  Forbes still has Bill Gates has the richest person on the planet — his fourth straight year. Gates is valued at $86 billion, up from $75 billion in 2016.
  Central
  
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• ‘Katrina girl’ asks Air Force vet who rescued her 11 years ago to military ball

  20-03-2017 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  HANCOCK COUNTY, MS (WXXV) It’s a very rare friendship formed more than a decade after a United States Airmen rescued a little girl from hurricane Katrina’s devastation.
  To understand how very special this reunion is, you have to know their story.
  Michael Maroney was a pararescue jumper, flying over New Orleans picking up survivors in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
  That’s when he saw a little girl standing in pink way down below.
  “And when she smiled at me
  
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• Austin Navy Week offers a unique perspective on Navy life

  20-03-2017 18:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s Austin Navy Week and there are plenty of events going on around town for people to learn about the Navy and its traditions. Throughout the year, the Navy visits cities across the country to give people an opportunity to see interact with sailors as well as listen to the Navy Band Southwest!
  Here’s a list of events open to the public:
  Monday, March 20
  Noon: Navy Band Southwest performs at Rodeo Austin (outdoor stage)
  Tuesday, March 21 
  11 a.m. – 1
  
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• Owl rescue mission goes down on Austin golf course

  20-03-2017 18:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s not unusual to see golfers fishing for golf balls in the water at the Lost Creek Country Club in west Austin. But fishing for an owl?
  Craig Loving is the golf course superintendent at the club. Earlier this week, he put on his waders and went on a wildlife mission after one of the club’s employees noticed a fishing line wrapped around a Great Horned Owl. The owl was stuck near the first tee box.
  With a pair of pliers, Loving went to work on freeing the
  
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• Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller dies at age 101

  20-03-2017 18:15 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — David Rockefeller, the billionaire businessman and philanthropist who was the last in his generation of one of the country’s most famously philanthropic families, died Monday. He was 101.
  Rockefeller died in his sleep at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York, according to his spokesman, Fraser P. Seitel.
  FILE – In this Nov. 28, 1967, file photo, the five Rockefeller Brothers pose for photos in New York as they gather to receive gold medals from the National Inst
  
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• El Salvador murder suspect accused of attacking, threatening to ‘chop up’ roommate

  20-03-2017 17:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who authorities discovered was wanted for murder in El Salvador is accused of attacking and telling his roommate he was going to “chop him up,” according to an arrest affidavit.
  Deputies with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office responded to a mobile home park in the 7600 block of Daffan Lane, in east Travis County, on Saturday around 10:30 a.m. after a man called 911 saying he was attacked by two men.
  The man told the deputies he was renting a room fr
  
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• Austin man wanted for murder in El Salvador accused of attacking roommate

  20-03-2017 17:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who authorities discovered was wanted for murder in El Salvador is accused of attacking and telling his roommate he was going to “chop him up,” according to an arrest affidavit.
  Deputies with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office responded to a mobile home park in the 7600 block of Daffan Lane, in east Travis County, on Saturday around 10:30 a.m. after a man called 911 saying he was attacked by two men.
  The man told the deputies he was renting a room fr
  
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• Pflugerville offering residents a water bill credit, but there’s a catch

  20-03-2017 17:07 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — If you live in Pflugerville and have a home that was built after 1983, the city needs your help with a water test.
  The city says it needs 228 residents to participate in a Lead and Copper test. The first 228 residents who meet all criteria and go through the process will receive a $50 credit on their water bill.
  What do you need to be eligible? You must live in a home that was built after 1983. You cannot have a water softener (unless you’re willing to tu
  
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• Austin puts out call for lifeguards, swimming coaches

  20-03-2017 16:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s that time of year again when the city of Austin is seeking a few good young men and women to man the lifeguard stations and teach up and coming swimmers at pools across the city.
  Monday is Aquatics Hiring Day and people looking for a summer job should make their way to the Aquatics Administration & Training Center at 2818 San Gabriel St. from 4 until 8 p.m. Jobs include lifeguard, cashier and swim instructor or coach.
  Take your I.D. and social security card,
  
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• President of embattled Uber leaves after 6 months on job

  20-03-2017 15:49 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jeff Jones, president of the embattled ride-hailing company Uber, has resigned just six months after taking the job, the company confirmed Sunday.
  In a brief statement, Uber didn’t say why Jones left. “We want to thank Jeff for his six months at the company and wish him all the best,” it said.
  Jones told the tech blog Recode, which first reported his resignation, that his values didn’t align with Uber’s.
  “The beliefs and approach to
  
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• The Latest: Trump tweets video clip of Comey testimony

  20-03-2017 15:32 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (all times local):
  1:35 p.m.
  Top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi says an independent investigative commission should be created to look into possible links and coordination between associates of President Donald Trump and Russian officials seeking to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
  Pelosi’s comments came after FBI Director James Comey confirmed in c
  
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• The Latest: Manafort says he had ‘no role’ in DNC hack

  20-03-2017 15:32 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (all times local):
  5 p.m.
  Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is defending himself against suggestions he played a role in Russia’s efforts to interfere with the U.S. presidential campaign.
  Manafort says in a statement that he had “no role or involvement” in the cyber hack of the Democratic National Committee and disclosure of stolen emails. He says
  
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• The Latest: Comey says FBI investigating Russia interference

  20-03-2017 15:32 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a congressional inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (all times local):
  10:35 a.m.
  FBI Director James Comey is publicly confirming for the first time that the FBI is investigating Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including any potential coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia’s government.
  Comey is testifying before Congress. He says he’s authorized by the Just
  
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• Family says child’s slide sprayed with poison

  20-03-2017 15:08 via kxan.com
  
  COBB COUNTY, GA (WCMH) — A family is Georgia is asking why someone would spray their young son’s slide with a poison.
  Kathleen and Jeff Petka didn’t think twice about leaving their 2-year-old son’s slide sitting in their front yard overnight.
  However, early Thursday morning, surveillance cameras caught a person walking up to the slide and leaving something on it.
  “He can get sick and you’d have no idea that he’s been poisoned or something,” Je
  
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• Tom Brady’s Super Bowl jersey recovered in Mexico

  20-03-2017 14:53 via kxan.com
  
  MEXICO (KXAN) – You can breathe a sigh of relief, Tom Brady’s Super Bowl jersey has finally been found.
  According to a tweet from Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, the jersey was found in Mexico.Proud @houstonpolice Major Offenders Divison traced Brady Jersey to Mexico & it has been recovered with help of FBI & Mexican authorities.
  — Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) March 20, 2017
  According to an official statement from the National Football League, the jersey was f
  
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• School bus, tractor trailer touch side view mirrors on I-35

  20-03-2017 14:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Everyone is safe after a school bus and a tractor trailer came close to crashing into one another Monday morning.
  It happened around 7:30 a.m. in the 5900 block of South Interstate 35 near the Teri Road ramp.
  On the northbound side, the bus and tractor trailer’s side view mirrors made contact. No other contact was reported.
  It’s not known which district the children on the bus go to, but we’re told by Austin police that they were transferred to another bus
  
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• Pilot with 230 lbs. of marijuana on board arrested at Llano airport

  20-03-2017 13:56 via kxan.com
  
  LLANO, Texas (KXAN) — A pilot with hundreds of pounds of marijuana on his plane aborted multiple landings in the Hill Country overnight as he tried to evade law enforcement trying to arrest him on the ground.
  Wayne Douglas Brunet, 64, has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
  Homeland Security’s Air and Marine Operation Center began tracking the single-engine plane Sunday n
  
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• Pilot arrested after disappearing off radar over Central Texas

  20-03-2017 13:56 via kxan.com
  
  LLANO, Texas (KXAN) – A pilot who may have been flying contraband over Central Texas was arrested after disappearing off radar last night.
  According to Llano County officials, the incident started around 11 p.m. Sunday night when the plane’s GPS was turned off after it took off from an airport in Comal County.
  A Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson said the pilot may have been transporting an unknown contraband.
  Investigators have not identified the pilot or said where the
  
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• It’s ‘Free Cone Day’ at Central Texas Dairy Queens

  20-03-2017 13:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Free ice cream! That should be enough to perk up many an ear.
  All you have to do is head to your local Dairy Queen anytime Monday, the first day of spring, and say, “Hit me with a cone, kind sir or madam.” (You don’t really have to say that part, but remember to say please and thank you.)
  Your treat is a free small vanilla cone. All day long, one per customer. Don’t be greedy.
  
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• Two new bills propose changes to CPS

  20-03-2017 12:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday, Texas lawmakers will talk about two new bills that could change the way kids are placed and treated in foster care. It’s all part of an effort to overhaul the state’s child welfare system.
  Representative Gene Wu (D) Houston in the past week filed two bills that are coming up for a public hearing. House Bill 7 would require the court system to create a specific plan for a parent at risk of losing their child due to neglect or abuse. The Department of Fami
  
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• Free fun in Austin for the first week of Spring

  20-03-2017 12:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Whoever says ‘there’s nothing to do this week’ isn’t looking in the right places. There are plenty of things to occupy your time and fill your fun meter.
  Matters of the Heart: Connections– Monday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. What if we put our differences aside and started to realize we’re all connected in more ways than we imagined? What if we started to realize we are connected through bravery? Figuring out which path to take in life? Or
  
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• Police searching for ‘armed and dangerous’ man after IHOP robbery spree

  20-03-2017 11:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Two IHOP restaurants were robbed within an hour of one another early Monday morning and police are still searching for the suspect.
  Austin police said the first restaurant, located at 1101 South MoPac was robbed at 3:44 a.m. and the second, located at 901 East Koenig Lane, was robbed at 4:42 a.m.
  Police said they believed the robberies are connected because the description of the suspect in each is the same, a black man with a bandana covering his face holding a handgun wit
  
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• Overnight IHOP robbery spree has Austin police searching for suspect

  20-03-2017 11:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Two IHOP restaurants were robbed within an hour of one another early Monday morning and police are still searching for the suspect.
  Austin police said the first restaurant, located at 1101 South MoPac was robbed at 3:44 a.m. and the second, located at 901 East Koenig Lane, was robbed at 4:42 a.m.
  Police said they believed the robberies are connected because the description of the suspect in each is the same, a black man with a bandana covering his face holding a handgun wit
  
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• Texas Senate panel takes up far-reaching ‘school choice’ reform

  20-03-2017 04:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Tuesday, key lawmakers will take up one of the most controversial measures this session, Senate Bill 3, a major “school choice” reform. The bill is one of the most far-reaching proposals in the country and controversy surrounds its idea of using tax dollars for private educational purposes.
  With four children, the home of Leon and Lori Steward is a busy one. After home schooling for a few years, they decided to send their children to Hill Country Christi
  
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• Gunfire, house party at short-term rental startle N. Austin neighborhood

  20-03-2017 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Peace and quiet in a north Austin neighborhood was interrupted overnight by gunshots at a house party.
  Austin police said it happened at about 2:45 a.m. Saturday morning at a short-term rental on East O’Dell Street, just off St. Johns Avenue. No one was injured by gunfire, police said.
  Neighbors on O’Dell Street were worried, including Ran Miller.
  “This is the Highland neighborhood,” he said. “We get some things over here [such as] we had a SWA
  
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• Attempt at world record brings Nebraska man to Central Texas

  20-03-2017 02:49 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A Nebraska man brought his attempt to achieve a world-record to Central Texas this weekend. Mikah Meyer is trying to become the youngest person to see all 417 national parks in the United States.
  He began his quest to visit every national park site in the country on April 29, 2016 — 11 years to the day since his dad died.
  This weekend, Meyer’s trip brought him to the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Park in Stonewall.
  Then on Sunday, he sang in the ch
  
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• Texas advances to third straight Sweet 16 in thrilling fashion

  20-03-2017 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas coach Karen Aston came to the Longhorns five years ago with a goal of setting a new standard of excellence for the program. Three straight trips to the Sweet 16 set a pretty nice bar.
  Brooke McCarty scored 23 points and the No. 3-seed Longhorns got a put-back basket from Joyner Holmes with 4 seconds left to the send them to thrilling 84-80 win Sunday over No. 6 North Carolina State, earning another trip deep into the NCAA Tournament in the Lexington Regional.
  &ld
  
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