Austin news

• Spike Dykes, revered former coach at Texas Tech, dead at 79

  10-04-2017 23:21 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Spike Dykes, the folksy West Texas native who led Texas Tech to its only Cotton Bowl when that game was reserved for the Southwest Conference champion, has died. He was 79.School spokesman Matt Dowdy said Dykes died Monday in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, near Austin. There was no immediate word on a cause of death.
  Dykes gave Texas Tech coaching stability after the Red Raiders had been spurned by David McWilliams, who left Texas as an assistant to become Tech’s he
  
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• Man who was shot several times by Austin officers never fired his rifle

  10-04-2017 22:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 31-year-old man who Austin police shot several times on Friday has been released from the hospital and booked into the Travis County Jail. According to an arrest affidavit, Lawrence Burrell Parrish is charged with aggravated assault against a public servant, accused of threatening police officers when they responded to his apartment at 6321 Parliament Dr.
  The incident started around 9:48 p.m. when a woman called 911 stating Parrish, her roommate, seemed to be on drugs and
  
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• Man who was shot several times by Austin officers booked into jail

  10-04-2017 22:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 31-year-old man who Austin police shot several times on Friday has been released from the hospital and booked into the Travis County Jail. According to an arrest affidavit, Larence Burrell Parrish is charged with aggravated assault against a public servant for firing his weapon at police officers when they responded to his apartment at 6321 Parliament Dr.
  The incident started around 9:48 p.m. when a woman called 911 stating Parrish, her roommate, seemed to be on drugs and
  
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• Pedestrian hit on E. William Cannon identified

  10-04-2017 21:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Authorities have identified a man who was struck and killed in south Austin last week.
  Austin police say on April 4 around 9 p.m., Sam Rhea Hollan, 56, was crossing midblock in the 700 block of East William Cannon Drive when he was hit by vehicle. Hollan was taken to the hospital where he died.
  The driver that initially hit him did not stay at the scene. Police say when the pedestrian was hit in the eastbound lane, he was thrown into the westbound lane when he might have be
  
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• Teacher, boy die when husband opens fire in California class

  10-04-2017 20:14 via kxan.com
  
  SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A man walked into his estranged wife’s elementary school classroom in San Bernardino and opened fire without saying a word, killing her and an 8-year-old student before shooting himself in a murder-suicide that spread panic across a city still recovering emotionally from a terror attack just 15 months ago.
  A 9-year-old student also was critically wounded. He and the boy who died were behind their special-education teacher, Elaine Smith, 53, the target of
  
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• Likely murder-suicide at school kills 2 adults, hurts 2 kids

  10-04-2017 20:14 via kxan.com
  
  SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — Two adults were killed and two students critically wounded Monday in an apparent murder-suicide inside a San Bernardino elementary school that spread panic across a city still recovering emotionally from a terror attack at a community center just 15 months ago.
  Authorities said one of those killed was a teacher and the other was the suspected shooter who opened fire in a classroom at North Park School. A school official said the attack was believed to stem fro
  
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• UT’s controversial Jefferson Davis statue unveiled at Briscoe Center

  10-04-2017 20:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Once spray painted with the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ and removed from the South Mall of the campus, the University of Texas’ statue of Jefferson Davis has reappeared at its new home.
  University President Gregory Fenves said in August 2015 that the statue would be placed at the Briscoe Center for American History after vandalism and much debate across the country about Confederate symbols. A task force put forth the idea of relocation as one of five
  
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• Threats targeting Vandegrift High posted on Snapchat

  10-04-2017 19:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Extra police patrols were added to Vandegrift High School Monday due to potential threats made on social media, says a Leander Independent School District spokesperson.
  The district says the first post was made on Snapchat on Sunday. When the district received word about the potential threat they said they contacted law enforcement. While police did not identify a credible threat Sunday, a similar statement was posted on Snapchat on Monday morning.
  Leander ISD addresses rec
  
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• 3 Austin pools to be closed for 2017 season

  10-04-2017 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin pool leaking more than 50,000 gallons a day tops the list of pools that won’t be in use this summer.
  Govalle, Shipe and Givens pools will be closed for repairs in 2017 after being deemed in ‘critical condition’ per the 2014 Aquatic Assessment.
  Givens, which was built in 1958, was discovered to have been leaking more than 50,000 gallons of water per day through cracks in the pool wall. The water would flow into the pump room, the assessment determ
  
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• Pres. Trump takes 16th trip to golf club since taking office

  10-04-2017 18:54 via kxan.com
  
  PALM BEACH, FL (WCMH) — President Donald Trump made his 16th visit to one of his golf courses this weekend since taking the oath of office.
  The president was spotted Sunday driving a golf cart and making a putt at his Trump International Golf Course.
  In comparison, former President Barack Obama didn’t play his first round of golf until April 26th, 2009. He ended up playing 333 rounds of golf during his two terms in office.
  Those outings lead to Pres. Trump rallying against Pres. Obam
  
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• Police: Gunman who killed Houston deputy killed himself

  10-04-2017 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  BAYTOWN, Texas (AP/KXAN) — Police say a man who fatally shot a Houston-area deputy constable outside a county courthouse last week killed himself the next day.
  Baytown police Lt. Steve Dorris on Monday said 64-year-old William Kenney was the man who shot Harris County Precinct 3 Assistant Chief Deputy Clinton Greenwood on April 3 moments after Greenwood arrived for work. The attack prompted a massive manhunt.
  KPRC reports Kenney shot himself outside Ben Taub Hospital Tuesday morning. Dorri
  
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• APD: Argument over parking spaces got man killed in southeast Austin

  10-04-2017 18:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A heated verbal exchange between four men about parking spaces led a man to ambush and kill another man with a rifle last week, according to an arrest affidavit.
  Jose Morales, a 23-year old Guatemalan immigrant, is being held on a million dollar bond in the Travis County Jail for allegedly killing Mariano Gonzalez-Lopez, 20, on April 6.
  According to the investigation, Morales, Gonzalez-Lopez and two other men began fighting about parking spaces at the OK Corral ni
  
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• WATCH: Man forcibly removed from overbooked United flight

  10-04-2017 17:24 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO, Illinois (NBC News) — Cell phone video shows a passenger being forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight yesterday, dragged down the aisle. The reason for the removal? The flight was overbooked.
  United flight number 3411 headed from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked so the airline asked for four volunteers to leave the aircraft.
  The airport said it had personnel who needed seats to be at work the next day.
  A passenger on the flight who witnessed the incident has told repor
  
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• Food for All the Senses

  10-04-2017 17:11 via kxan.com
  
  It’s where two awesome foodie worlds collide, and it’s got a great sense of humor.  A trip to Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is fun for all the senses.  We sat down with Chef Taco for a sneak peak, and taste. He said Kemuri has a great Japanese feel, where it is very easy to get comfortable.  It is full of antiques all the way from Japan.  They have a lot of small plate menu items that are fun to share with friends. Such as Kushiyaki, which are skewers of beef, scallops, or
  
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• 4 killed in Texas highway crash after driver falls asleep

  10-04-2017 16:43 via kxan.com
  
  OZONA, Texas (AP) — Four people have died on a West Texas highway in an accident that authorities say began when a driver fell asleep at the wheel.
  The Standard-Times of San Angelo reports 32-year-old Jessica Marciano of Torrington, Connecticut, was traveling east on Interstate 10 near Ozona on Saturday when she fell asleep, her car drifted then rolled and came to rest on the roadway.
  Authorities say she was freed from the wreckage and was sitting on the car when a tractor-trailer approach
  
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• Oak tree in ‘Shawshank Redemption’ cut up, hauled away

  10-04-2017 16:19 via kxan.com
  
  MANSFIELD, Ohio (AP) – What remained of a 200-year-old oak tree made famous by the movie “Shawshank Redemption” has been cut up and hauled away by an owner of the north-central Ohio property.
  The Mansfield News-Journal reports Dan Dees said last week he plans to use some of the wood to make a table. The tree was rotted in the middle when high winds knocked down a portion in 2011. It was further damaged during a storm last July.
  The tree was in one of the final scenes of the 199
  
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• Ford to offer hybrid police car that catches bad guys, saves gas

  10-04-2017 16:03 via kxan.com
  
  DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — The next time the cops chase you down for speeding, they could be driving a fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid.
  Ford Motor Co., which sells more police cars in the U.S. than any other automaker, says it will offer a police pursuit version of the hybrid Fusion midsize sedan, in response to requests from cities nationwide. The new car, with its 2-Liter four-cylinder engine and 1.4 kilowatt lithium-ion battery, is expected to get 38 miles per gallon of gas in combined c
  
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• 2 people find dead bat in salad they were eating

  10-04-2017 15:18 via kxan.com
  
  MIAMI (AP) — A recall has been issued after two people in Florida found a dead bat in the packaged salad they were eating.
  The Miami Herald reports that Fresh Express has recalled its Organic Marketside Spring Mix, which was shipped to Wal-Mart stores in the Southeast.
  The salads were sold in a clear container with production code G089B19 and best-if-used-by date of APR 14, 2017 located on the front label.
  Lizard found in kindergartner’s salad becomes new class pet
  The Centers for Di
  
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• US airlines show improvement in annual study

  10-04-2017 14:51 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Airlines are getting better at sticking to their schedules and are losing fewer bags. Their customers seem to be complaining less often.
  Those are the findings of an annual report on U.S. airlines’ quality released Monday by researchers at Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
  Many passengers may have trouble believing those conclusions, however.
  In just the last few days Delta Air Lines suffered a multi-day meltdown — canceling more t
  
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• Gorsuch sworn into Supreme Court, vows to serve Constitution

  10-04-2017 14:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump praised new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during a White House swearing-in ceremony on Monday as a jurist who will rule “not on his personal preferences but based on a fair and objective reading of the law.”
  In the Rose Garden ceremony, Trump said Americans would see in Gorsuch “a man who is deeply faithful to the Constitution of the United States” and predicted greatness for the 49-year-old former appeals court judge fr
  
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• Gorsuch sworn into Supreme Court, restores conservative tilt

  10-04-2017 14:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Neil Gorsuch took his place in history Monday as the newest addition on the bench of the Supreme Court, restoring a narrow conservative majority and marking a much-needed political victory for President Donald Trump.
  Gorsuch was sworn in during a sun-soaked ceremony in the Rose Garden, nearly 14 months after the seat was left vacant with the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The oath was administered during the White House ceremony by Justice Anthony Kennedy
  
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• Study: Fixing Austin’s downtown parking problems

  10-04-2017 13:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The only other topic that seems to be talked about more than Austin’s traffic is the parking problem downtown.
  There’s no one solution to fixing those ever-evolving problems but, thanks to months of data-gathering for a parking study, there may be some solutions on the horizon.
  A year ago, the Downtown Austin Alliance hired Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates to develop strategies for making parking convenient downtown.
  Last week, the firm presented its finding
  
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• Austin swift water rescue teams prepared for flooding after recent training

  10-04-2017 12:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the possibility of flash flooding Monday night, Austin-Travis County EMS crews are ready after they recently returned from a new round of swift water training
  Because lakes in Central Texas rarely see swift water unless one of the dams has opened, crews who perform swift water rescues typically don’t get to train and practice their skills here. That’s why, last week, they went to Rock Island, Tennessee, to train in the Rocky River.
  RELATED: Staying safe in
  
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• Spieth disappointed, says his round at Masters was bizarre

  10-04-2017 05:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Jordan Spieth played the final round of the Masters precisely how he planned — which is why he couldn’t believe his run at another green jacket Sunday turned into one of the worst rounds at Augusta National in his young career.He was still shaking his head in disbelief when he walked off the course.
  Spieth, the 2015 Masters champ, began the day at 4 under, two strokes behind co-leaders Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia and was thrilled about his chances of
  
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• Schools will close if reforms don’t pass, says House Education Chairman

  10-04-2017 04:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Sept. 1, Blanco Independent School District officials say they will cut staff. Overnight, they’ll lose seven percent of their total funding through a program that is phasing out. Chairman of the Texas House Public Education Committee, Dan Huberty, R-Houston, says it’s only the beginning and schools will close if nothing is done.
  His plan, HB 21, has passed a panel of House members and is expected to come up for a vote in the Texas House in the follo
  
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• At opening weekend, Austin’s only drive-in theater draws big crowd

  10-04-2017 04:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Four weeks is all they had, to take a large backyard space — hidden behind a blue house on what feels like a quiet, country lane — and make it the new home of Austin’s only drive-in theater.
  Josh Frank, the owner and creator of Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In, says he worked 20-hour days with his crew to be ready in time for their test run, before their grand opening nights on Friday and Saturday.
  “It’s a pride thing for me that every Blue St
  
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• Family of attorney killed searches for answers amid grief

  10-04-2017 04:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The family of James Short, an Austin attorney found dead in his southwest Travis County home Friday, wants a person of interest to come forward to help them figure out what happened.
  Samantha Peterman was close to Short, her second cousin. She explained that her mother and Short were cousins, but the two acted more like brother and sister. They were part of a group of family members planning an RV trip to Arizona for a military retirement ceremony. Short had already packed
  
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• Sergio Garcia wins the Masters, ends drought at the majors

  10-04-2017 02:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Sergio Garcia finally showed he has what it takes to win a major, and he has a green jacket to prove it.Needing his best golf on just about every shot in the final hour at the Masters, Garcia overcame a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff Sunday for his first major after nearly two decades of heartache.
  No one ever played more majors as a pro — 70 — before winning one for the first time.
  Garcia got rid of th
  
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• Body recovered from San Antonio River Walk

  10-04-2017 00:21 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) — San Antonio police are investigating the discovery of a man’s body in the waters of the downtown San Antonio River Walk.
  Authorities say a worker along the tourist attraction flagged down a river barge driver after spotting the body Sunday morning. The driver located the body and called police.
  It’s not immediately certain if the death is a homicide or an accident.
  Police say the man was clothed and he was carrying identification.
  
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• Dallas march, rally calls for immigration overhaul

  10-04-2017 00:14 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Thousands of people are marching and rallying in downtown Dallas to call for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration system and end to what organizers say is an aggressive deportation policy.
  Organizers who called Sunday’s event the “Dallas Mega March” say President Donald Trump’s executive orders restricting travel from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East are discriminatory. They also want an end to hate crimes and hate speech they
  
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