Austin news

• 13 killed in New Braunfels church bus crash near Garner State Park

  29-03-2017 23:25 via kxan.com
  
  CONCAN, Texas (KXAN) — Thirteen people are dead after a shuttle bus carrying members from First Baptist Chuch in New Braunfels collided head-on with a pickup truck on Highway 83 near Garner State Park Wednesday afternoon.
  All 13 killed were on the church’s 14-passenger bus. The sole survivor of the crash on the bus is at a San Antonio hospital in critical condition. The pickup driver, the only occupant of the truck, survived the crash and is also at a San Antonio hospital.
  The church
  
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• 12 people killed in New Braunfels church bus crash near Garner State Park

  29-03-2017 23:25 via kxan.com
  
  CONCAN, Texas (KXAN) —  A dozen people are dead after a shuttle bus carrying members from First Baptist Chuch in New Braunfels collided with a pickup truck on Highway 83 near Garner State Park Wednesday afternoon.
  First Baptist Church in New Braunfels posted to Facebook that a bus carrying their senior adults was coming back from a 3-day retreat at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment when it was involved in the crash. “We understand there have been some fatalities,” the post says
  
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• Man who attacked ICE agent during Austin arrest pleads guilty

  29-03-2017 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 23-year-old undocumented immigrant who attacked an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer last month pleaded guilty Wednesday in Austin to the assault.
  At around 6:05 a.m. on Feb. 10, Hugo Baltazar-Ramirez was pulled over by the ICE agent at US 183 and Woodland Village Drive. Austin Police Department rushed to the scene after the ICE officer radioed that the suspect was grabbing for his gun.
  When the APD officers arrived, they found two women who had warrants out for
  
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• Third driver pulled over by man impersonating police near Kyle

  29-03-2017 22:14 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A third case of a man impersonating police in Hays County has now been reported on Farm to Market 2001 in the Kyle-area.
  Deputies were called to FM 2001 near Windy Hill Road on Monday at 8:30 p.m. when a pickup truck began following a driver and turned on red and blue emergency lights.
  The victim said he thought he was being pulled over for a traffic stop. The suspect got out of the truck and was described as a white male, around 5-foot-9, medium build and mediu
  
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• El Paso congressman appears ready to announce challenge to Cruz

  29-03-2017 20:57 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP/KXAN) — U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, says he is planning a campaign announcement Friday amid reports he will challenge GOP Sen. Ted Cruz for re-election next year.
  O’Rourke declined to confirm a report in the Houston Chronicle that he will run, saying he wants to share the news with Texans first. But he insisted that Cruz is beatable despite his high name ID and his national profile.
  O’Rourke also said he has spoken with Senate Democratic Leader Chuc
  
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• Williamson County deputy shoots dog that attacked woman

  29-03-2017 20:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A dog the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says was about to attack another dog after attacking a woman was shot and killed by a deputy Wednesday morning
  The incident happened in the 1300 block of Tamayo Drive in the Rattan Creek neighborhood in northwest Austin just before 9 a.m.
  The sheriff’s office says around 8:45 a.m., Deputy Jeremiah Ellison was patrolling the area happened upon a 35-year-old woman on the side of the road who had visible wounds on her ar
  
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• American Bank of Commerce robbed in south Austin

  29-03-2017 20:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are searching for a person who robbed the American Bank of Commerce in south Austin Wednesday morning.
  The robbery call came in at 2201 W. Ben White Blvd. just before noon. Police say a man came in, demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount of money.
  While trying to get away, police say the man may have fired one shot from his gun. He drove away in a red Dodge pickup truck. No one was hurt during the robbery.
  Police are asking people to avoid the
  
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• Akins High School’s namesake dies

  29-03-2017 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Longtime educator and Akins High School namesake, Dr. Charles Akins has passed away.
  Dr. Akins’ teaching career began in 1959, and within three years he was honored as Anderson’s Teacher of the Year. As schools began to integrate, Dr. Akins was selected to be the first African-American teacher in newly desegregated Johnston High School in 1964.
  In 1973, he was selected as the first principal of the new L.C. Anderson High School—where he would remain f
  
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• Drivers in Round Rock say trying to merge onto Louis Henna Blvd. is dangerous

  29-03-2017 20:01 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) — Drivers in Round Rock have been feeling the increase in traffic for years. Some residents say that merging onto certain sections of Louis Henna Boulevard has become dangerous.
  Brenda Schroeder knows exactly what awaits her when she leaves her home to travel on State Highway 45 and Louis Henna Boulevard in Round Rock. “Trying to get out between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. is like a zoo.”
  According to Schroeder, during peak travel times, the traffic flow is so inte
  
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• FDA approves 1st drug for aggressive multiple sclerosis

  29-03-2017 19:47 via kxan.com
  
  TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. regulators have approved the first drug for an aggressive kind of multiple sclerosis that steadily reduces coordination and the ability to walk.
  The Food and Drug Administration approved Ocrevus late Tuesday after a large study found it slowed progression of the neurological disease and reduced symptoms.
  While there are more than a dozen treatments for the most common form of MS, there’s been nothing specifically for people with the type called primary progr
  
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• VIDEO: Busted shoplifter ‘goes crazy’

  29-03-2017 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — A teen who captured the moment a security guard confronted a shoplifting suspect in a Hillsboro pharmacy said it was the last thing he expected to happen, and now the video has been seen around the globe.
  Kicks and fists flew as the security guard struggled to restrain the suspected shoplifter on March 14 at Rite Aid off of 185th Avenue.
  Sarah Michelle Jarvis, 26, was arrested for allegedly robbing a Hillsboro Rite Aid. (WCSO)“She started going crazy,&rd
  
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• Texas considers making it harder for police to hold seized property

  29-03-2017 19:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The latest step to curb “civil asset forfeiture” will play out in a Texas House subcommittee Wednesday. A select group of lawmakers will hear public testimony on a bill that is expected to make it harder for law enforcement to keep seized property from persons suspected of involvement with crime or illegal activity.
  Critics say the practice creates a near impossible situation for someone to get their property back and it stays in the hands of law enfor
  
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• Ford recalls 440K vehicles for fire risk, door latch trouble

  29-03-2017 18:23 via kxan.com
  
  DETROIT (AP) – Ford is recalling more than 440,000 vehicles in North America to fix problems that can cause engine fires and doors to open unexpectedly.
  The first recall covers over 230,000 Escape SUVs, Fiesta ST subcompacts, Fusion midsize cars and Transit Connect vans with 1.6-Liter turbocharged engines from 2013 through 2015.
  The company says engines can overheat, causing the cylinder head to crack and leak oil that can catch fire. Ford has 29 reports of fires, but no injuries.
  Owners c
  
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• Within hours, two killed in separate crashes on US 290 near Fredericksburg

  29-03-2017 18:19 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — In a span of three hours, two people died while driving along US 290 just east of Fredericksburg Tuesday afternoon.
  The Department of Public Safety says the first crash happened around noon on US 290 about three miles east of Fredericksburg. In that crash, a female driver in a Lexus SUV was driving westbound on US 290 when for an unknown reason, she veered into the eastbound lane, hitting a Mazda. The driver of the Mazda, a 69-year-old woman, died at the scen
  
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• Samsung’s Galaxy S8 phone aims to dispel the Note 7 debacle

  29-03-2017 18:02 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Samsung seems to be playing it safe with its first major smartphone since the embarrassing recall of its fire-prone Note 7.
  The Galaxy S8 features a larger display than its predecessor, the Galaxy S7, and sports a voice assistant intended to rival Siri and Google Assistant. But there is no increase in battery capacity, providing the battery more breathing room. The Note 7 pushed the engineering envelope with its battery, which contributed to a series of spontaneous smartpho
  
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• Justin Timberlake will headline F1 in October

  29-03-2017 17:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — How do you top Taylor Swift? Circuit of the America’s says Justin Timberlake will do it on Oct. 21 when he headlines this year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix.
  Timberlake just won his tenth Grammy and has been one of TIME Magazine’s ‘Most Influential Men of the World’ twice. He’s also an accomplished actor and a former member of NSYNC.
  VIDEO: Taylor Swift rehearsing for Formula 1 performance
  Last year’s performance by Swift broke COTA’
  
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• Police seek robber targeting women in east Austin

  29-03-2017 16:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a robbery suspect, they say, is targeting women near an east Austin apartment complex.
  The man, described as being tall and thin, has approached or successfully robbed five different women at gunpoint near the Mueller Flats Apartment Homes at 1071 Clayton Lane.
  The incidents have happened over the span of two weeks on each of the following dates:
  03/13/2017, at about 8:05 a.m.
  03/20/2017, at about 10:21 p.m
  
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• Man accused of robbing women in east Austin in custody

  29-03-2017 16:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police have a suspect accused of targeting and robbing women near an east Austin apartment complex in custody.
  The man, identified as Willie Pierce, 27, allegedly approached or successfully robbed five different women at gunpoint near the Mueller Flats Apartment Homes at 1071 Clayton Lane.
  Officers are not releasing a booking photo at this time.
  The incidents have happened over the span of two weeks on each of the following dates:
  03/13/2017, at about 8:05 a.m.
  
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• VIDEO: Homes destroyed by overnight storms in Rockwall

  29-03-2017 16:05 via kxan.com
  
  ROCKWALL, Texas (KXAN) — Severe storms covered a large portion of Texas early Wednesday morning. Experts are working to determine is a tornado touched down in Rockwall after several homes received major damage and one person was injured.
  Search and rescue teams were dispatched around 4 a.m. after six homes in the area around Panhandle Drive and Chuck Wagon Drive were destroyed. Several other homes received broken windows and other minor damage.
  It is unclear yet if a tornado actually
  
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• Fans can look forward to some major changes in NFL games

  29-03-2017 16:05 via kxan.com
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Time to celebrate?
  NFL fans could see an enhanced flow of play and fewer restrictions on how demonstrative players can be in their jubilation after big plays.
  At the busy league meetings Tuesday, owners passed several rules changes, adopting resolutions they believe will speed the game and improve player safety. They also put off until their May gathering in Chicago potentially allowing a bit more creativity in player celebrations.
  Commissioner Roger Goodell asked that any a
  
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• It’s over: Britain files for divorce from the European Union

  29-03-2017 15:13 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom filed for divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, overturning four decades of integration with its neighbors, demolishing the notion that EU expansion is inevitable and shaking the foundations of a bloc that is facing challenges to its identity and its place in the world.
  Britain’s top envoy to the EU, Tim Barrow, hand-delivered a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk formally triggering a two-year countdown to the final split.
  &ldquo
  
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• It’s not EU, it’s me: UK files for EU divorce after 44 years

  29-03-2017 15:13 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Britain filed for divorce from the European Union on Wednesday, with fond words and promises of friendship that could not disguise the historic nature of the schism — or the years of argument and hard-nosed bargaining ahead as the U.K. leaves the embrace of the bloc for an uncertain future as “global Britain.”
  Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the two-year divorce process in a six-page letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk, vowing that Britain will m
  
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• Father thwarts daughter’s Columbine-style school attack after reading her diary

  29-03-2017 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICK COUNTY, Maryland (NBC News) A high school senior’s plan to carry out a mass shooting at Maryland’s Catoctin High School unraveled Monday after her father read her diary and called school authorities.
  “We averted a catastrophe,” said Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins.
  Investigators say the diary of 18-year-old Nichole Cevario detailed a well-developed plan to carry out the attack, with a set date of April 5th.
  “You can see the actual escalations, the
  
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• Thrall, Thorndale ISDs delay start of school due to power outage

  29-03-2017 13:32 via kxan.com
  
  THRALL, Texas (KXAN) — All schools in Thrall will have a delayed start Wednesday as crews work to restore power after overnight storms.
  School will now begin at 10 a.m., Superintendent Tommy Hooker said in a statement.
  Buses will pick up students two hours later than their normal pick up time. Bus routes to Taylor for college and special education students are not delayed.
  STAAR testing will be rescheduled for Thursday.
  School officials will reassess the situation at 8 a.m. to make a deter
  
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• Thrall ISD delays start of school due to power outage

  29-03-2017 13:32 via kxan.com
  
  THRALL, Texas (KXAN) — All schools in Thrall will have a delayed start Wednesday as crews work to restore power after overnight storms.
  School will now begin at 10 a.m., Superintendent Tommy Hooker said in a statement.
  Buses will pick up students two hours later than their normal pick up time. Bus routes to Taylor for college and special education students are not delayed.
  STAAR testing will be rescheduled for Thursday.
  School officials will reassess the situation at 8 a.m. to make a deter
  
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• Arrests down, roads to be closed during Texas Relays

  29-03-2017 13:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The early morning storm hit as thousands are in Austin for the 90th Texas Relays. Organizers expect 7,800 competitors and 20,000 fans from 37 states and 20 countries to be here for the country’s second largest track competition.
  For UT’s track and field coach, the Relays are a chance to recruit top athletes.
  “It’s one thing to look at stats but it’s one thing to watch them compete and carry themselves on and off the track I think is important,&
  
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• Arrests down during Texas Relays

  29-03-2017 13:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The early morning storm hit as thousands are in Austin for the 90th Texas Relays. Organizers expect 7,800 competitors and 20,000 fans from 37 states and 20 countries to be here for the country’s second largest track competition.
  For UT’s track and field coach, the Relays are a chance to recruit top athletes.
  “It’s one thing to look at stats but it’s one thing to watch them compete and carry themselves on and off the track I think is important,&
  
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• Early Wednesday morning storm blows through with strong winds, lightning strikes

  29-03-2017 11:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As storms rolled through late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, only a few warnings were issued.
  As of 3 a.m., the only report of damage KXAN has confirmed is some roof damage to a building just east of Llano. One person tells KXAN the damage was on a business located in the 600 block of Highway 29.
  A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Milam County just before 3 a.m. and remains in effect until 4:30 a.m. The National Weather Service confirms parts of Milam
  
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• Rabid bats found at Georgetown elementary school, nearby house

  29-03-2017 08:16 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A bat found at Pickett Elementary School in Georgetown on March 23 has tested positive for rabies.
  The bat was collected by Georgetown Animal Services and sent to the Texas Department of State Health Services in Austin for testing. The positive test was first indicated on Friday, March 27.
  Another bat collected at a nearby house on March 19 also tested positive for rabies. Animal control officers say they don not believe that any people or pets have been exposed
  
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• A look at UT security changes almost a year after student’s murder

  29-03-2017 07:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday marks one year since University of Texas freshman Haruka Weiser was murdered on campus.
  Shortly after her death, the university launched a comprehensive safety study to determine what changes should be made in campus security.
  They include upgrading lighting systems, pathways, and security cameras, increasing police presence and increasing nighttime transportation and emergency call boxes on and off campus.
  Changes made to the Waller Creek area, where Weiser&rsq
  
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• Fate of Travis Co. DWI Court in limbo after state grant revoked

  29-03-2017 05:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nine people graduated from Travis County’s Adult Probation DWI Court Tuesday night, after completing the year-long program. In all, nearly 350 participants have completed the program successfully.
  However, the fate of the DWI court remains unknown, after Gov. Greg Abbott revoked the grant money used to fund it.
  The nearly $260,000 grant started Sept. 1, 2016 and is now set to end on Aug. 31, 2017.
  “Taking something like this away, just by not doing it is pr
  
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• McComas joins More Than the Score

  29-03-2017 05:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Dustin McComas from Orangebloods.com joined Roger Wallace on More Than the Score Tuesday night to talk Longhorn Basketball.
  
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• David Ash drawn back to football

  29-03-2017 03:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – About six months after David Ash quit football after the first game of the 2014 season, a very good friend told him that he should write a book about his faith and his decision to quit football. At the time his thought was “it’s not over yet, and I didn’t know what he meant, but it’s not quite over yet,” Ash said on Tuesday.
  Two years later and Ash was going through UT’s Pro Timing Day as he tries to make a football comeback. Ash not only
  
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• Ash drawn back to football

  29-03-2017 03:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – About six months after David Ash quit football after the first game of the 2014 season a very good friend told him that he should write a book about his faith, his decision to quit football and his thought was “it’s not over yet, and I didn’t know what the meant, but it’s not quite over yet.” Ash said on Tuesday.Two years later and Ash was going through UT’s Pro Timing Day as he tries to make a football comeback.
  Ash not only worked out a
  
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• Bicyclist hit, killed by car on South First Street

  29-03-2017 02:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bicyclist has been killed in a crash with a vehicle in south Austin, Tuesday evening.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says the crash happened at the South First Street and West Mary Street intersection at around 7:25 p.m.
  A man in his 50s with pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Austin police say the driver stayed at the scene.
  Officers were asking drivers to stay away from the area.
  
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• ZACH Theatre increases security, requires volunteers to get background check

  29-03-2017 02:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Before summer camps start, ZACH Theatre says they are ramping up security after the main theater was broken into over the Christmas holiday.
  “The safe was stolen, it was removed on a dolly,” said ZACH Theatre Community Engagement Officer Rachel Applegate.
  Applegate says the theater has already started making security changes. She says every door will be locked during business hours and all staff members now wear name badges.
  “We actually have a r
  
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• A day in the life of a CPS investigator

  29-03-2017 02:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the state of Texas makes protecting children under Child Protective Services care a top priority, more money is being allocated to make sure that happens. For one CPS investigator, the help can’t come soon enough.
  On Tuesday, the Texas Senate approved $430 million for CPS as part of its overall budget. This new budget will allow for the raise increase as well as additional caseworkers.
  For one CPS investigator, the help can’t come soon enough.
  “It is a
  
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• VIDEO: APD assistant chief going 92 mph dodges speeding ticket

  29-03-2017 01:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin’s chief of police is in response mode after it came to light that an assistant chief of police received a warning after an officer clocked him going 92 mph in a 65 mph zone.
  Interim Chief of Police Brian Manley says on Feb. 18, Asst. Chief Chris McIlvain was pulled over for speeding on North MoPac Expressway near Braker Lane. The Austin police officer, David Montalvo, said his radar showed McIlvain going 27 miles above the posted speed limit. When the offi
  
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• Mother films ‘horrifying’ Dallas TSA pat-down of 13-year-old son

  29-03-2017 01:42 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (KXAN) — A mother has posted video of what she’s calling an “extremely excessive” pat-down by a Transportation Security Administration employee.
  Jennifer Williamson was at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on Sunday with her 13-year-old son Aaron when she asked the agent to use an alternative screening process because her son suffers from Sensory Processing Disorder, a condition that can cause anxiety in children when they are touched.
  Even with that request, Williamso
  
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• Storm chasers killed in crash near Lubbock

  29-03-2017 00:50 via kxan.com
  
  DICKENS COUNTY, Texas (KLBK) — The Texas Department of Public Safety is working a crash that killed several storm chasers near Lubbock Tuesday afternoon.
  The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. on Farm to Market Road 2794 and County Road 419 near Spur, which is about 70 miles east of Lubbock. The location of the crash was either in or very close to an area under a tornado warning. That warning later expired and it’s not confirmed that the crash was weather-related.
  A professional st
  
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• Disturbing photos posted by Austin nursing home employee on Snapchat

  29-03-2017 00:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Photos posted to social media showing a sleeping elderly woman, her right hand covered in what appears to be dried feces, were posted by a north Austin nursing home employee.
  The state agency that oversees adult protective services is now investigating, KXAN confirmed Tuesday.
  A second photo shows someone tickling the sleeping woman’s nose with a tissue or feather apparently prompting her to reach up and touch her own face with her dirty hand, which a third photo
  
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• Traffic stop along I-35 leads police to stolen Social Security cards

  29-03-2017 00:23 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating a case involving two people accused of credit card abuse and identity theft.
  On Wednesday, March 8, at approximately 12:25 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop along Interstate 35 in Williamson County. While deputies spoke to the driver, 28-year-old Anthony Bothwell, and his passenger, 26-year-old Deante Gordon, they determined the two showed “deception.”
  When authorities sea
  
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