Austin news

• SWAT raid in Round Rock recovers spoils of armed robbery spree

  23-03-2017 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Six handguns, large amounts of ammunition, stolen cell phones and laptops were found by SWAT officers in a raid of a Round Rock home early Wednesday morning.
  The suspects inside the home in the 3800 block of Haley’s Way, Horace Lee Caruther, Jr. and Disi Gault were arrested around 4:40 a.m. Caruther, 41, has been charged with felony possession of a firearm. Gault, 19, has been charged with theft of a firearm.
  The Williamson County Sheriff’s SWAT team
  
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• Austin officer undergoing hyperbaric treatments after CO poisoning

  23-03-2017 23:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin police officer who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from his patrol car is undergoing hyperbaric chamber treatments, says the Austin Police Association. The agency says the sergeant needs the treatment to “remove toxins from his body.”
  After last weekend’s incident, the Austin Police Department announced they are installing carbon monoxide detectors in their entire fleet of nearly 400 Ford Explorers.
  The fumes leaking into the cabin are a
  
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• Texans fight to save state’s Pre-K program

  23-03-2017 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — Texas leaders were fighting on Thursday to continue the state’s high-quality Pre-Kindergarten program after lawmakers in both chambers decided there wasn’t enough room in the next budget.
  The program, established in 2015, gives $118 million a year to Texas school districts for Pre-K.
  Thursday morning, business leaders, children’s advocates, philanthropists and other concerned Texans echoed Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to continue the funding ov
  
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• Friday rain and thunderstorm timeline

  23-03-2017 22:05 via kxan.com
  
  An upper level storm system is expected to bring showers and scattered thunderstorms to Central Texas, beginning Friday morning. While widespread severe weather is not anticipated, there is a slight risk of a few severe storms from the Austin area east to Milam, Lee, and Fayette counties. The precipitation timeline is below.
  FULL FORECAST
  Only a marginal to slight risk of severe storms is anticipated in the area with Friday’s storm systemShowers could form early Friday in Austin, with a li
  
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• Comey: Homegrown terrorists a major concern of FBI

  23-03-2017 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The impression that terrorism is a world away is overshadowed by a much more insidious reality, says the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations who made a stop in Central Texas Thursday.
  James Comey told an audience of UT Intelligence Studies students and faculty that as ISIS loses ground in Syria and Iraq, the worst of the worst radical elements will flee to Western Europe, a gateway to America. For now, he says it’s a watching game.
  “The future we wo
  
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• Fire rips through apartments in San Marcos

  23-03-2017 20:52 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A large apartment fire in San Marcos has seemingly destroyed a building in the Champions Crossing Apartment complex, located at 345 Champion Blvd. Flames could be seen from Interstate 35 at Yarrington Road.
  Photos of the blaze taken at around 1:30 p.m. show parts of the building gutted by fire. At least a dozen people have been displaced.
  KXAN has a crew at the scene. We’ll update this story as we get additional information. 
  Champions Crossing Ap
  
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• Reports: House delays vote on health care repeal bill

  23-03-2017 20:42 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP/KXAN) — The Associated Press is reporting that House GOP leaders are delaying a vote on the health care repeal bill, in a major setback for President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan.
  Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump’s meeting with the House Freedom Caucus was a “positive step” toward achieving the GOP’s goal of driving down costs and increasing access to health care.
  Freedom caucus members told r
  
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• KXAN expands news and lifestyle show

  23-03-2017 20:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – KXAN is expanding local programming in the NBC daytime line-up by adding an additional hour of local news and lifestyle programming Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, March 27.
  KXAN News at Noon will expand from 30 minutes to a full hour and will air weekdays from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
  The expansion of the newscast and lifestyle show solidifies KXAN’s exemplifies to in-depth news, weather and award-winning local programming.
  “This is a return to our hour-long
  
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• TxDOT proposes adding overpasses along SH 71

  23-03-2017 19:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)- State Highway 71 is a major route for drivers headed to and from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and central Texas communities in Eastern Travis and Bastrop counties, plus traffic traveling to and from Houston. The Texas Department of Transportation says that the road carries more than 50,000 cars a day.
  TxDOT is proposing to the Capital Planning Metropolitan Organization to consider adding funding for two overpass bridges: one at SH 71 and Kellam Road, the other at SH 71 a
  
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• Texas police chief arrested following chase, standoff

  23-03-2017 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  NORMANGEE, Texas (KBTX) — Normangee Police Chief Charles Herford was released from the Leon County Jail Thursday after posting bond Thursday. He was arrested following a standoff in his home where shots were fired on Wednesday.
  Herford was taken into custody and booked into the Leon County Jail on deadly conduct and evading in a motor vehicle charges.
  He faced a judge Thursday morning for a bond hearing. Herford’s bond for both charges has been set at $8,500.
  According to D
  
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• FBI confirms arrest in Jewish community center bomb threats

  23-03-2017 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  JERUSALEM, Israel (AP) — Israeli police on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old Israeli Jewish man as the primary suspect in a string of bomb threats targeting Jewish community centers and other institutions in the U.S., marking a potential breakthrough in a case that stoked fears across the United States.
  Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld described the suspect as a hacker, but said his motives were still unclear. Israeli media identified him as an American-Israeli dual citizen and said he had b
  
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• Traffic Alert: I-35 through Austin will have rolling closures overnight

  23-03-2017 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drivers who plan on taking Interstate 35 through Austin Thursday evening should be ready for some delays to rolling closures.
  Beginning at 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. Friday, March 24, north and southbound lanes, along the ramps, from Cesar Chavez Street to Rundberg Lane. The closures are needed to allow construction crews to safely remove the overhead sign bridge between Airport Boulevard and 51st Street.
  The closures will be short and crews expect to reopen ramps and mainlanes a
  
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• FAKE NEWS: Willie Nelson not deathly ill, publicist says

  23-03-2017 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Willie Nelson has played nearly a dozen shows in recent weeks and is not deathly ill, his publicist said, despite a series of reports claiming the country music legend is struggling to breathe.
  A March 13 Radar Online report quoted an anonymous source saying Nelson was “deathly ill,” weak as a baby and unable to muster the breath to sing. The story is the basis for reports shared by other websites, including washingtonfeed.com and uconservative.net.
  Elaine Sc
  
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• Utah governor says he will approve strictest DUI limit in US

  23-03-2017 18:09 via kxan.com
  
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s governor has announced he will sign legislation giving the state the strictest DUI threshold in the country.
  Republican Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday said he plans to approve the measure lowering the blood alcohol limit to .05 percent from .08 percent.
  Restaurant groups and representatives of the ski and snowboard industry had urged him to veto the bill, arguing it would hurt Utah’s image and punish responsible adults who drink instead of catching d
  
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• Police: Woman jumps out of moving car on I-35 to escape kidnapper

  23-03-2017 17:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman who was carjacked and kidnapped, jumped out of a moving vehicle onto Interstate 35 in order to get away from the culprit, Austin police say.
  On March 8, the victim said she was parked in southeast Austin when she fell asleep in her car and awoke to a man standing over her with a gun pointed at her. The suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Tyquan Guzman, told the victim to move into the passenger seat. When the victim asked him why, he responded, “Do y
  
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• Profar gaffe not an issue for Rangers

  23-03-2017 17:30 via kxan.com
  
  SURPISE, Arizona (NEXSTAR) Another Texas Ranger is back in the saddle after a likely to-be-remembered gaffe at the World Baseball Classic.
  Jurickson Profar returning to the team with 11 days to go before the move is made to Globe Life Park. He has seen action at all the infield positions and in left field for the Texas Rangers. His talent is hard to keep off the field if his bat is producing.
  In 7 games with team Netherlands, Profar hit .464, but it may be a base-running mistake, where
  
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• Round Rock looks to ease traffic in new subdivisions

  23-03-2017 17:28 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — There is no shortage of traffic in Central Texas, and not just on highways and arterial roads. Some neighborhoods are also seeing a lot of cars.
  After hearing complaints from people who live in older subdivisions, the city is looking to make changes to new neighborhoods.
  Round Rock City Council will vote Thursday night to add more entrances and exits to main roads and more intersecting streets within the subdivisions.
  “(Currently) you have one street or two
  
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• Police: Parents delayed help for boy, 9, shot in head so they could scrub evidence

  23-03-2017 16:08 via kxan.com
  
  PHOENIX, AZ (AP) — The parents of a 9-year-old boy who was shot in the head in their Phoenix home put off calling 911 as they cleaned up evidence in multiple rooms of the house, police said, calling it a case that “shocks your conscience.”
  Wendy Lavarnia told police that her 2-year-old son found a gun left on a bed and accidentally shot his older brother Monday. Police cast doubt on her story as they launched a murder investigation involving the 28-year-old woman and her ex-con
  
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• Texas A&M tightens policy on who can sponsor outside speaker

  23-03-2017 15:58 via kxan.com
  
  COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M University has tightened its policy on who can sponsor outside speakers on campus after a December visit by white nationalist Richard Spencer caused unrest on the campus.
  The new policy puts campus facilities off limits to outside speakers or groups with no affiliation to the university. The (Bryan-College Station) Eagle reports outside speakers wishing to speak on campus will now have to be sponsored by “a recognized Texas A&M student
  
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• Missing Texas girl found after 300-mile ride on coal train

  23-03-2017 15:54 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a Texas teenager who went missing while on vacation with her family in Colorado was discovered by a farmer when she hopped from a coal train after running out of Skittles.
  Police in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said in a statement Wednesday that 13-year-old Adalie Rivera was covered in coal dust when found a day earlier by the farmer near Dumas, which is in the Texas Panhandle.
  Police say the girl was reported missing on Friday when she boarded the trai
  
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• UK defiant as IS claims responsibility for London attack

  23-03-2017 14:12 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Britain’s prime minister defiantly declared Thursday that “we are not afraid” even as the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians on a London bridge and then stabbed a police officer to death at Britain’s Parliament.
  In a sweeping speech before the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the man who killed three people Wednesday before being shot to death by police was born
  
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• London defiant as IS claims attack by British ex-con, 52

  23-03-2017 14:12 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Authorities on Thursday identified a 52-year-old Briton as the man who mowed down pedestrians and stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament in London, saying he had a long criminal record and once was investigated for extremism — but was not currently on a terrorism watch list.
  As millions of Londoners returned to work a day after a rampage that killed four victims and injured at least 30, British Prime Minister Theresa May had a message for other attackers: &ldqu
  
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• IS claims responsibility for London attack; UK’s May defiant

  23-03-2017 14:12 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Thursday for an attack by a man who plowed an SUV into pedestrians on one of London’s famous bridges and then stabbed a police officer to death at Britain’s Parliament. In a somber but defiant statement, Britain’s prime minister declared that “we are not afraid.”
  The man who killed three people Wednesday and was shot to death by police was born in Britain and once came under investigation for links t
  
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• Lockheed Martin moving F-16 production from Texas to South Carolina

  23-03-2017 14:09 via kxan.com
  
  GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Lockheed Martin is moving production of F-16 fighter jets from Texas to South Carolina.
  Local media outlets reported the company is moving production of F-16s to Greenville to make room for expanded production of the newer F-35 jet fighters in Fort Worth, Texas.
  A company spokeswoman says the move will create about 250 jobs in Greenville.
  Defense One reported that the United States has not purchased F-16s since 1999, but Lockheed Martin has orders from several count
  
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• Free Torchy’s taco in your future because Austin buys Chevrolets

  23-03-2017 13:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Because Chevrolet had such a good year thanks to many Austinites, they’re giving back in the form of, what many claim is, Austin’s most popular taco.
  Get yourself a free Torchy’s taco at the 1822 South Congress Ave. location Thursday from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m.
  According to a carefully crafted press release full of numbers and buzz phrases given to media by Chevrolet, in 2016, total buyers of Chevy cars and trucks were up 17.5 percent in Austin com
  
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• GOP health bill on the brink hours from House showdown vote

  23-03-2017 13:04 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP’s long-promised legislation to repeal and replace “Obamacare” stood on the brink just hours before Republican leaders planned to put it on the House floor for a showdown vote. Short of support, GOP leaders looked to President Donald Trump to close the deal with a crucial bloc of conservatives, in the first major legislative test of his young presidency.
  The stakes could hardly be higher for a party that gained monopoly control of Washington large
  
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• Pre-K funding being asked for at Capitol rally

  23-03-2017 12:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Advocates will rally at the Texas Capitol Thursday morning to make sure legislators know the importance of fully funding “high quality” pre-kindergarten.
  Educators, business leaders and Texans who care will be at the Capitol from 8:30 a.m. until 9 a.m.
  The Texas Education Agency is asking for $118 million each year. Both the Senate and House budget plans have different views on how to pay for it.
  Advocates will be talking about the benefits of the program and ho
  
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• UK Parliament resumes, holds minute’s silence after attack

  23-03-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Parliament observed a minute of silence Thursday to remember a police officer and two civilians killed a day earlier in an attack at the heart of London, while authorities raided homes in central England to search for evidence.
  Eight people were arrested in raids, including some in the city of Birmingham. Police searched for clues as to why a man driving an SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing two and injuring more than 30 others, before
  
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• Round Rock to vote on bringing CapMetro bus service to city

  23-03-2017 12:04 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Capital Metro bus service in Round Rock could be one step closer to becoming a reality Thursday night. The city council is expected to vote on the routes, fares and schedule to get commuters to and from Austin. This is a project that’s been in the works for more than two years after the adoption of the Transit Master Plan in 2015.
  Four routes will be voted on. One would be a circulator route that runs just within the city of Round Rock from St. David’
  
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• Austin City Council: DNA analysis, support for co-ops and affordable housing

  23-03-2017 11:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Back from break, the Austin City Council plans to tackle more items related to processing DNA evidence, co-ops and affordable housing near the downtown medical complex.
  DNA analysis Council will consider authorizing an interlocal agreement with Travis County to identify professionals to address criminal justice-related issues stemming from from the closure of the Austin Police Department’s DNA lab. Another agreement on the table – with the Texas Department
  
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• More Than the Score goes to Spring Training

  23-03-2017 04:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) –The Texas Rangers are in the final days of spring training.Wednesday on More Than the Score, Tobin McDuff joins the show from Arizona.
  
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• Texas nonprofit builds hope for foster children aging out of system

  23-03-2017 04:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For most foster children, the day they turn 18 is the day they stop receiving help from the state. Transitioning to a life on their own can be hard, and many end up homeless.
  “At 18 they’re on their own,” said Steve Fournier, executive director of the Burke Center for Youth. “It’s a very harsh shift from a situation where, as a residential treatment center, we do everything for these kids. We give them therapy, we feed them, we clothe
  
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• State Highway Fund at center of budget talks in Texas Senate

  23-03-2017 03:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Senate is looking to the State Highway Fund to fill in a gap of about $2 billion in its version of the 2018-2019 budget.
  The Senate’s proposed $106.3 billion state budget is expected to go to a floor vote next week after the Senate Finance Committee adopted the proposal on Wednesday, but not without public disapproval by the head of the state House of Representatives.
  The Associated Press reported Speaker of the House Joe Straus immediately likened the move
  
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• Former Gov. Perry questions legitimacy of Texas A&M student body election

  23-03-2017 03:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) — Former Gov. Rick Perry, now the U.S. energy secretary, is questioning the legitimacy of the election that gave his alma mater its first openly gay student body president.
  In a Houston Chronicle op-ed published Wednesday that caught university officials by surprise, Perry said the administration at Texas A&M University owes students answers about Bobby Brooks’ victory, which came after the top vote-getter, Robert McIntosh, was disqualified amid ac
  
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• All eyes on Washington ahead of vote on Republican plan to replace Obamacare

  23-03-2017 02:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to cast a highly anticipated vote on the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.
  The new bill has drawn criticism from both parties and has some Republicans concerned that it won’t receive the 216 votes it needs to pass.
  “I hope our Texas congressional delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives will listen carefully to their constituents,” State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington, said
  
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• Jason Day bows out of Dell Match Play due to mom’s health

  23-03-2017 00:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) — A big surprise at the Dell Technologies Match Play tournament on Wednesday.
  Jason Day (3), the defending tournament champion withdrew to be with his mother as she has surgery Friday for lung cancer. Day walked off the course when he was 3 down after six holes to Pat Perez. He made a brief appearance in the media center and could barely talk through his tears as he said was going home to Ohio.
  Dustin Johnson made short work in his debut as the No. 1 seed. Johnson made fiv
  
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• Austin’s Central Library opening date pushed back again

  23-03-2017 00:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After more than a decade of planning, construction on Austin’s new $125 million Central Library is finally winding down.
  The library was supposed to open November 2016, but got pushed back to spring 2017. During Wednesday’s budget presentation, library officials dropped another bomb on City Council — it won’t be ready by then.
  “It’s like groundhog day,” said Council Member Ora Houston during the presentation. “When is it
  
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