Austin news

• VIDEO: Ambulance taken on high speed chase by East Texas teen

  06-04-2017 23:20 via kxan.com
  
  PALESTINE, Texas (KXAN) — A teenager being treated at an East Texas hospital jumped in an ambulance and sped off, leading police on a high speed chase.
  Dash cam video shows the chase as the driver, 18-year-old Armando Vinaja, narrowly misses other cars, hits a curb and loses control of the ambulance, according to KETK.
  It happened at around 5 p.m. Saturday in Palestine, around 100 miles southeast of Dallas.
  MORE: Theft of ambulances in not uncommon
  Armando Vinaja (Photo via KETK)Vinaj
  
  Read more

• Downed lines, grass fire causes delays on MoPac at Braker

  06-04-2017 23:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A wire that broke off and caused a small grass fire along North MoPac Expressway at Braker Lane in north Austin cause the freeway to close for 30 minutes.
  Austin police say the fire started around 3:45 p.m. Initial information indicates arcing wires caused the fire.
  Check KXAN’s Traffic map for the crashes working around town
  Initially, all southbound lanes were blocked but northbound lanes were also shut down around 4:05 p.m. so crews can move the wire. All lanes reo
  
  Read more

• HEB starts construction on new Marble Falls store

  06-04-2017 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  MARBLE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) — Marble Falls residents are getting a big and better H-E-B.
  On Friday, the company will break ground on its new location, which will be adjacent to its current story at 1503 Farm to Market 1431. Once completed in the spring of 2018, the store will have 111,000 square-feet of space with expanded departments.
  The current H-E-B, which opened in 1990, will remain open as the construction gets underway. The company says they’ve spent nearly $7 million to i
  
  Read more

• Man getting evicted hits three Lubbock police officers with his SUV

  06-04-2017 22:14 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — Three Lubbock police officers were injured when the eviction of a couple from an apartment turned violent.
  Just after 1 p.m. Thursday, police were in the 3200 block of 62nd Street when a man subject to eviction got upset and tried to leave.
  Police said he backed an SUV into the officers. Police said one officer suffered serious injuries, another suffered moderate injuries and one suffered minor injuries.
  As the driver of the SUV drove away, an officer successfu
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• AISD trustee Paul Saldaña resigns to focus on family

  06-04-2017 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Paul Saldaña, the vice president of the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, is stepping down.
  Saldaña tells KXAN’s Erin Cargile he informed Board President Kendall Pace of his decision Wednesday and has sent a letter of resignation to board members.
  “It’s not one particular thing,” he said. “It’s just time for me to refocus my priorities on my family and myself.” Saldaña said people don&rs
  
  Read more

• Don Rickles, the king of insult comedy, dies at 90

  06-04-2017 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Don Rickles, the big-mouthed, bald-headed “Mr. Warmth” whose verbal assaults endeared him to audiences and peers and made him the acknowledged grandmaster of insult comedy, died Thursday. He was 90.
  Rickles, who would have been 91 on May 8, suffered kidney failure and died Thursday morning at his home, said Paul Shefrin, his longtime publicist and friend.
  For more than half a century, Rickles headlined casinos and nightclubs from Las Vegas to Atlantic City, N
  
  Read more

• More officers will patrol ARCH shelter as K2 cases continue to mount

  06-04-2017 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting today, there will be more police officers regularly patrolling the ARCH shelter in downtown Austin in an effort to target dealers who are selling the drug K2 to the homeless population.
  On Thursday, Austin Mayor Steve Adler started a joint news conference by saying: “I am not here to tell you to not do drugs. We all know that. But, I am here to tell you to not do this drug: spice.”
  For city and county officials, the K2 epidemic is coming to a head
  
  Read more

• APD ramps up patrols around ARCH shelter as K2 cases mount

  06-04-2017 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting Thursday, there will be more police officers regularly patrolling the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) shelter in downtown Austin in an effort to target dealers who are selling the drug K2 to the homeless population.
  Austin Mayor Steve Adler started a joint news conference by saying, “I am not here to tell you to not do drugs. We all know that. But, I am here to tell you to not do this drug: spice.”
  For city and county officials, the
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Give your opinion on how to make Congress Avenue even better

  06-04-2017 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Congress Avenue is one of most recognizable streets in Texas; providing iconic views of the Capitol and Lady Bird Lake. It is hard to imagine topping the beauty, but the city of Austin and the Downtown Austin Alliance have their sights on taking Congress Avenue to the next level for both Austinites and tourists.
  Serving as a primary connector into downtown, the city of Austin is looking to improve the road aesthetically, help traffic flow and make it a better road, not
  
  Read more

• Texas House votes to nix vouchers, maybe dooming Senate bill

  06-04-2017 19:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has voted to oppose taxpayer dollars going to private and religious schools — expressly forbidding state funding for vouchers.
  Thursday’s 103-44 vote came during the House’s larger budget debate and could kill a sweeping “school choice” bill approved by the state Senate last week.
  Republicans control both chambers but while many senators see vouchers as a civil rights issue that helps poor children leave failing public scho
  
  Read more

• Portion of southbound I-35 in Buda to be closed early morning Friday

  06-04-2017 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — A crash scene reconstruction will have drivers heading south be a little delayed Friday morning, unless they plan ahead.
  Starting at 4 a.m., all southbound lanes of Interstate 35 will be closed starting at Exit 219, which is just south of Overpass Road, as Buda and San Marcos police investigate the fatal crash which happened in October 2016.
  The road is expected to be closed for around an hour and a half.
  Crews are planning to work as fast as possible, but drivers shou
  
  Read more

• Man vows to sue dealer who sold brother deadly drugs: ‘This is murder’

  06-04-2017 18:48 via kxan.com
  
  YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Nick Singelis calls his brother, Matthew — also a father of two, a hard worker who was driven. But last week, Matthew died of an overdose and now Singelis wants to sue the people that sold his brother drugs.
  “He had a lot of plans, a lot of hopes, a lot of dreams,” Singelis said.
  The 31-year-old battled addiction for 15 years — almost half his life — numerous times in and out of patient facilities and rehab.
  “This is becomi
  
  Read more

• Senate GOP ‘goes nuclear,’ clearing way for Trump court pick

  06-04-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans invoked the “nuclear option” in the Senate Thursday, unilaterally rewriting the chamber’s rules to allow President Donald Trump’s nominee to ascend to the Supreme Court.
  Furious Democrats objected until the end, but their efforts to block Judge Neil Gorsuch failed as expected. Lawmakers of both parties bemoaned the long-term implications for the Senate, the court and the country.
  “We will sadly point to today as a turning point in
  
  Read more

• Gorsuch heads for confirmation as Senate tears up own rules

  06-04-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — In a confrontation that could reshape the Supreme Court for generations, Republicans tore up the Senate’s voting rules Thursday to allow Trump nominee Neil Gorsuch to ascend to the high court over furious Democratic objections.
  Democrats denounced the GOP’s use of what both sides dubbed the “nuclear option” to put Gorsuch on the court, calling it an epic power grab that would further corrode politics in Congress, the courts and the nation. Many Rep
  
  Read more

• Amazon lands NFL deal, Netflix dumps star rating system

  06-04-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP/KXAN) — Amazon and Netflix are having a busy week.
  Amazon announced Wednesday it will stream NFL Thursday Night games this season, replacing Twitter. That means that technically, the games won’t be free to stream, but they will be carried by broadcast networks.
  The games are available to members of Amazon Prime, which costs $99 per year. Prime, which comes with other perks like free videos, books and shipping, has an estimated 65 million members.
  A person with knowledge
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Memorial for slain Harris County deputy

  06-04-2017 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  BAYTOWN, Texas (AP/KXAN) — Hundreds of people are remembering a Harris County deputy who was shot and killed earlier this week in Baytown.
  On Monday, Harris County Precinct 3 Assistant Chief Deputy Clinton Greenwood was arriving for work at a courthouse when he was shot. He later died at the hospital.
  Authorities have released surveillance video of a possible suspect and the suspect vehicle. The surveillance video shows a man walking near where Greenwood had been fatally shot was recorded
  
  Read more

• Slain Harris County deputy laid to rest

  06-04-2017 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) – A law enforcement commander  told thousands of mourners that a Houston-area deputy constable who was shot to death this week “was always the smartest guy in the room.”
  Montgomery County sheriff’s Lt. Tim Cannon said Thursday during a funeral service in Houston that Clint Greenwood was a consummate professional, meticulous with details and the first to lend colleagues a hand.
  The 57-year-old Greenwood, a Harris County assistant chief deputy constable, w
  
  Read more

• Houston chef accused of backing illegal fishing operation

  06-04-2017 17:37 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP/KXAN) — State authorities say a prominent chef and restaurateur was involved in a scheme to illegally catch nearly 28,000 pounds of fish that was sold in Houston restaurants.
  The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says 59-year-old Bruce Molzan purchased and then sold red snapper, grouper and other fish at two restaurants — Ruggles Black and Ruggles Green. KPRC reports Molzan is no longer affiliated with Ruggles Green as of October 2016.
  The agency said Wednesda
  
  Read more

• USPS introduces way to see every envelope you’re getting before delivery

  06-04-2017 17:24 via kxan.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – It will soon be easier than ever to track your mail and know exactly what should be in your mailbox each day.
  The United States Postal Service is introducing a new program called Informed Delivery.
  The program is similar to tracking a package delivery. People who sign up for the program will be able to see a photo of each envelope scheduled to arrive in their mailbox that day.
  “It is exciting for us… and I feel it is going to be exciting for our customers
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Colorado police rescue hiker trapped under 1,500 lb boulder

  06-04-2017 16:23 via kxan.com
  
  COLORADO (NBC) – Dozens of rescuers in Colorado worked feverishly to free a hiker who was stuck under a large boulder.
  The 30-year-old woman was trapped underneath a 1,500 pound boulder at the top of North Table Mountain.
  Golden Police said rescue crews from more than five agencies showed up to help.
  They hiked on foot with an ATV carrying heavy equipment and airbags to help lift the boulder.
  Once rescue crews got the woman stabilized, they extricated her.
  They used a rope system to walk h
  
  Read more

• Nunes steps away from Russia probe, citing ethics complaints

  06-04-2017 15:57 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing ethics complaints, the chairman of the House intelligence committee announced Thursday he is temporarily surrendering his leadership post in the panel’s probe into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election.
  The decision by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of California comes amid partisan turmoil on the committee. Democrats have alleged that Nunes, who was on President Donald Trump’s transition team, is too close to the White House and cann
  
  Read more

• Syrian activists: Islamic State group kills 33 men in Syria

  06-04-2017 15:30 via kxan.com
  
  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists say the Islamic State group has killed 33 young men in eastern Syria, close to the border with Iraq.
  The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says IS members slit the throats of the men, aged between 18 and 25, near the town of Mayadeen in Deir el-Zour province on Wednesday.
  The group says it’s not clear who the men were and whether they were Syrian troops or rebels.
  Opposition activist Omar Abu Laila, who is from Deir el-Zour but currently
  
  Read more

• Grand slam gives Indians opening sweep of Rangers

  06-04-2017 15:01 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Francisco Lindor’s go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning off suddenly shaky Texas closer Sam Dyson triggered a litany of firsts for Cleveland’s budding star shortstop.
  And that list of milestones was a lot more fun to talk about than his botched defensive play that jeopardized the Indians’ bid at a season-opening sweep.
  Lindor atoned for his puzzling miscue with his first career slam and first multi-homer game — along with a career-high fiv
  
  Read more

• Friends raise $35M bail for woman accused of killing the father of her children

  06-04-2017 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California woman accused of killing the father of her two children is expected to be released from jail Thursday after posting an unprecedented $35 million bail raised by wealthy friends, family and business associates with ties to China.
  Tiffany Li, 31, is backed by a consortium of people tied to her mother who have raised $4 million cash and pledged $61 million in San Francisco Bay Area property. California courts require twice the bail amount if property is used i
  
  Read more

• $6.5B affordable housing plan to be discussed at Austin council meeting

  06-04-2017 13:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin city leaders say they have a new plan to help you find affordable rentals or the chance to buy a home and they want to hear from you Thursday during a public hearing at City Hall.
  The Strategic Housing Plan covers about 60,000 homes and apartments over the next 10 years with a $6.5 billion price tag. It’s possible your taxes could wind up covering part of it.
  City planners say this is a very ambitious goal and say it could benefit about 120,000 people.
  Cit
  
  Read more

• Man found shot to death inside truck, another injured

  06-04-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Law enforcement was active early Thursday morning investigating a shooting that happened in southeast Austin.
  Austin police said the call came in at 4:40 a.m. for a shooting outside in the parking lot of the Grove Place Apartments at 1881 Grove Boulevard. Austin-Travis County EMS said one man in his 20s was declared dead when they arrived at the scene. Another man in his 20s was transported to UMC Brackenridge with critical, life-threatening injuries. Both men were sho
  
  Read more

• Gunfight between multiple vehicles leaves 1 dead, 1 injured in southeast Austin

  06-04-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Law enforcement was active early Thursday morning investigating a shooting that happened in southeast Austin.
  Austin police said the call came in at 4:40 a.m. for a shooting outside in the parking lot of the Grove Place Apartments at 1881 Grove Boulevard. Several 911 callers reported a shooting, others reported a crash.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said one man in his 20s was declared dead when they arrived at the scene. Another man in his 20s was transported to UMC Brackenridg
  
  Read more

• 1 dead, 1 injured in southeast Austin shooting

  06-04-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Law enforcement is active early Thursday morning investigating a shooting that happened in southeast Austin.
  Austin police said the call came in at 4:40 a.m. for a shooting outside an apartment in the 1800 block of Grove Boulevard. Several 911 callers reported a shooting, others reported a crash.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said one man in his 20s was declared dead when they arrived at the scene. Another man in his 20s was transported to UMC Brackenridge with critical, li
  
  Read more

• Texas House gears up for heated budget debates

  06-04-2017 05:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — State Representatives pre-filed more than 400 amendments to the House budget proposal that tackle some of the most proactive political issues.
  The House’s budget proposal is set to go to vote Thursday but members think heated debates on some hot button issues will continue on into the early morning Friday.
  “We all have bets on how long it’s going to go,” said State Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, “My bet on when we finish is 3:15 a.m.&rdq
  
  Read more

• Austin lifeguards still needed ahead of summer season

  06-04-2017 05:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin needs lifeguards for summer.
  A hiring event Wednesday night brought out people looking for a job. Starting pay is $13.50 an hour.
  Last year, some pools didn’t open up on time, because the city didn’t have enough lifeguards. Others were on limited hours to handle it all.
  So, how far along is the city with hiring?
  “We’re definitely ahead of where we were last year. We’re still looking for more lifeguards,” Wayne Simmons,
  
  Read more

• Taser offers 1-year body cam trial to U.S. police departments

  06-04-2017 04:47 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP/KXAN) — A body-camera maker is offering some U.S. police departments a chance to try out their goods for a year. But if they decide to keep the cameras, or happen to damage them, they’ll have to pay full price.
  The trial run is being offered by Taser International Inc., which makes the Axon brand of body cameras. Departments that sign up will also get online data storage, camera equipment and other services.
  The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company says the camera retails f
  
  Read more

• Kids camp returns to Alamo Drafthouse this summer

  06-04-2017 04:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An affordable summer film series is returning to Alamo Drafthouse in Austin promising “boredom-busting family fun.”
  For just $1, $3 or $5 a ticket, you can catch blockbuster movies like “Minions,” a modern classic like “Iron Giant” or a magical book adaptation like “Matilda.” One hundred percent of the proceeds will benefit local non-profits.
  The Drafthouse programming team has geared the movies for film fans ages 3 to 12, off
  
  Read more

• Decision on fate of driver who crashed into church bus could be months away

  06-04-2017 04:17 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — No charges have been filed a week after 13 people were killed on a church bus in Uvalde County.
  It could be months before a decision is made on the fate of the 20-year-old driver of the pickup truck that crashed into the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels bus head-on.
  Beth Ann Blinder, who lived across the street from the church, says the driver, Jack Dillon Young, has the deaths of the church members on his hands. “That man should be put behind bars
  
  Read more

• New program helping children with autism transition into adulthood

  06-04-2017 02:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new program in central Texas is helping children with autism transition into adulthood. It’s called the Bridges Program and was started by the Central Texas Autism Center, also known as CTAC.
  “Because autism is a lifelong disability and it’s not something you just age out of,” said Kelle Rich, owner and director of CTAC. “There’s a need for even middle-aged people to receive services.”
  CTAC has been helping children like Ben
  
  Read more

• Mobile pregnancy center launches in Williamson County

  06-04-2017 02:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In an effort to provide prenatal care to more underserved women in Williamson County, the Agape Pregnancy Resource Center is now going mobile.
  On Wednesday, the agency unveiled its 31-foot-long mobile pregnancy resource center. The medical center on wheels is equipped with an ultrasound machine and other essentials. The mobile center will service areas within a 20-mile radius of the Agape facility in Round Rock.
  “We believe this is the next step for our ministry,&rdqu
  
  Read more

• 35 elementary students injured in Southeast Texas school bus crash

  06-04-2017 01:53 via kxan.com
  
  LUMBERTON, Texas (KXAN) — A total of 35 students were injured Wednesday afternoon when a Beaumont ISD school bus crashed with a pickup truck and an 18-wheeler in Lumberton.
  Twenty-six of the fourth-grade students had to be taken to the hospital. One student was flown to Houston Memorial Hermann with a head injury in serious, but stable condition.
  The school bus was bringing the 44 Charlton-Pollard Elementary students back to Beaumont from a field trip to the Big Thicket National Preserve,
  
  Read more

• Who can practice psychology? Psychologists want a narrow definition

  06-04-2017 01:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In Texas, certain people can practice psychology without a license and psychologists want to change that. This all stems from a court decision that drastically broadened the definition last year.
  “I’m just here to allow them to tap into their own energy,” said Janice Samuelson, a yoga instructor at Studio Mantra. Through yoga, she helps people become centered to better tackle their issues. “Maybe they feel tight because they’re a runner. Maybe
  
  Read more

• ‘They’re like walking corpses,’ bar owner says of downtown K2 outbreak

  06-04-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A threat to public safety and public health is gaining new attention from the city of Austin. In the last five years, Austin-Travis County EMS has treated thousands of people for K2 overdoses, a problem city leaders have noticed only seems to be getting worse.
  Since 2012, medics have treated nearly 5,700 people for bad reactions to K2. Calls rose to record levels in 2015, with more than 400 calls that June. Since then, the numbers remained high. The second la
  
  Read more

• Possible theft of gas leads to U-Haul truck catching fire

  06-04-2017 00:51 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The owner of a U-Haul facility in Round Rock says a person trying to steal gasoline from their trucks caused a fire that damaged a truck.
  The owner says the fire happened around 11 p.m. Tuesday at 906 Sam Bass Rd. The owner says they heard a loud explosion and when they looked over, a 26-foot long truck was burning. At the time, the business had around three box trucks and three trailers in the lot.
  Police told the business that they believe someone was stealing
  
  Read more

• Nurse’s aide accused of posting disturbing nursing home photos arrested

  06-04-2017 00:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who is accused of posting photos to social media showing a sleeping elderly woman, her right hand covered in what appeared to be feces, has been arrested by police.
  At around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Pflugerville police found and arrested Carlos Alberto Santacruz, 23. Windsor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center of Duval, located at 5301 W. Duval Rd., said last month they reported the incident to police and suspended Santacruz, who worked as a certified nursing aide.
  
  Read more

• Burger King employee sexually assaulted, police searching for suspect

  06-04-2017 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are searching for a man they say sexually assaulted an employee at a Burger King in south Austin earlier this week.
  Police say it happened on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. at the Burger King at 1001 E. Ben White Blvd. The suspect was able to gain access to the business by going through an unlocked side door where two female employees were working.
  On April 2, 2017 at 6:30 a.m., an unknown Hispanic male entered the Burger King at 1001 E. Ben White Blvd. (Austin Police De
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!