Austin news

• Pre-schooler reportedly raped; AISD police says they closed case too soon

  21-04-2017 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District chief of police says his department mishandled a possible sexual assault case of a Boone Elementary School Pre-K student.
  The case was first opened on Feb. 7 when attorney Paul Guinn says the parents of the 4-year-old girl noticed traumatic injuries on her body after she came home from school.
  “Something very bad seems to have happened to this young girl and we are without answers,” said Guinn.
  According to Guinn, the
  
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• Pre-schooler reportedly raped; AISD police say they closed case too soon

  21-04-2017 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District chief of police says his department mishandled a possible sexual assault case of a Boone Elementary School Pre-K student.
  The case was first opened on Feb. 7 when attorney Paul Guinn says the parents of the 4-year-old girl noticed traumatic injuries on her body after she came home from school.
  “Something very bad seems to have happened to this young girl and we are without answers,” said Guinn.
  According to Guinn, the
  
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• AISD PD reopens investigation into possible sex assault of 4-year-old student

  21-04-2017 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District chief of police says his department mishandled a possible sexual assault case of a Boone Elementary School student.
  Austin ISD Chief of Police Eric Mendez says on Feb. 7, parents of a 4-year-old girl who was attending a PreK program at Boone Elementary noticed she had apparent injuries. When district police met with doctors at the hospital, they explained why they believe the child might have been sexually assaulted.
  Mendez explains th
  
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• Hill County Conservancy using Earth Week to highlight its purpose

  21-04-2017 22:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Earth Day is stretching into Earth Week, according to the staff at the Hill Country Conservancy.
  The conservancy has put on an event every night this week, and volunteer activities are open into the weekend.
  On Wednesday, the conservancy hosted local blues and Americana musician Johnny Nicholas at the Yeti flagship store on South Congress Avenue. On Thursday, attendees gathered for “An Evening in Green,” a ball at the Brodie Homestead dedicated to cele
  
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• 19-year-old Fort Hood soldier shot and killed in Killeen

  21-04-2017 21:34 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (KWKT) — A Fort Hood soldier’s death on April 17 in Killeen has been ruled a homicide.
  Pvt. Justin Antwan Lewis, 19, had been in the Army for less than a year and had only been at Fort Hood for about a month-and-a-half when he was shot Monday night.
  Lewis was found shot in the 700 block of West Avenue C. His home of record is listed as Henderson, North Carolina.
  He had entered active duty service in August 2016 as a cavalry scout and had been assigned to the
  
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• Mom with terminal cancer surprised with special graduation for son

  21-04-2017 21:30 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — A Cedar Park elementary school surprised a mother facing stage 4 breast cancer with a special graduation for her fifth grade son, fearing she may not live to see him walk across the stage.
  Kelli Konopczyk was first diagnosed in 2010, before her cancer went into remission. She learned in 2012 it had come back.
  “My latest prognosis is I’m likely on very limited time,” Konopczyk said. “It could be a matter of weeks, so, we’re just
  
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• Travis County to spend $2.5M to buy out homes in Thoroughbred Farms

  21-04-2017 20:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Both Travis and Hays County have signed on to work together to identify and address flood risks in the area.
  One of the main areas the two counties want to work on is the Onion Creek Watershed, which spans both jurisdictions. Over the next year and a half, county officials will work with stakeholders to compile a report that examines whether a flood control district should be established for the Onion Creek Watershed. The report will look at potential funding sources for th
  
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• Bebe to close all 175 stores

  21-04-2017 20:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Another major women’s fashion retailer is closing all its stores. On Friday, Bebe announced it’s closing all 175 stores across the country, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
  CNBC reports the company plans on closing all its stores by the end of May. Bebe currently has three stores in Central Texas: Barton Creek, the Domain and the San Marcos Outlet. A total of 14 stores are located in Texas.
  Earlier this month, the reta
  
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• ‘I don’t understand!’ – Boy with autism, 10, handcuffed, arrested at school

  21-04-2017 20:14 via kxan.com
  
  ST. LUCIE CO., FL (WCMH) — A 10-year-old with autism was handcuffed, placed into a police car, and taken from an Okeechobee county school last week.
  His mother, LuAnne Haygood, captured the entire video and posted it to Facebook.
  “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t understand,” the boy cries out. In the video, he is handcuffed as two officers escort him to the back seat of a police car.
  “I was extremely angry,” LuAnne told CNN affiliate WPBF. &l
  
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• VIDEO: Graffiti suspects tag UT fraternity

  21-04-2017 19:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are hoping you recognize the three suspects they believe vandalized the Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma, Pi Kappa Alpha and Phi Gamma Delta houses near the University of Texas campus Wednesday morning.
  On Friday, police released a video showing the suspects tagging the KA house at 2515 Leon St. around 4:50 a.m. All of the suspects in the video have their head and face covered.
  On Monday, the words “rapist” and “racist” were
  
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• Police ask for help identifying burglar targeting San Marcos optometrists

  21-04-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A burglar who has been spotted on camera at optometry offices in San Marcos could be someone you recognize, San Marcos police said.
  Police said the man they’re looking for may have tattoos covering his entire neck and possibly his upper chest.
  San Marcos police searching for pizza shop robbers
  Police said the minor spree started at Texas State Optical at 2406 Hunter Rd. in December 2016. They believe the same suspect burglarized the Blue Moon Opti
  
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• Pflugerville ISD approves pay raises for all staff

  21-04-2017 17:59 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — New teachers starting at Pflugerville Independent School District will be paid $46,000, after the board approved a $1,000 pay increase.
  Along with the starting pay raise, all district staff will receive a 2.5 percent salary increase and all existing teachers will receive a $1,250 step increase. The Pflugerville ISD Board President Vernagene Moss said the increase is necessary to attract and retain employees.
  “Our action sends a strong message that we valu
  
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• Leander school issues warning about making Borax ‘slime’

  21-04-2017 17:55 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A science experiment that can be found in children’s home science kits and has been demonstrated at elementary schools for generations has received some negative attention recently due to the potentially harmful nature of one of the ingredients.
  Officials at Wiley Middle School in Leander are asking for parents’ help in dealing with what they’re saying is a “continuing problem.”
  Related: Doctors warn DIY slime toy can be toxic
  The
  
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• Over 110,000 lbs of frozen Banquet meals may contain salmonella

  21-04-2017 17:23 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (WFLA) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is alerting consumers that the brownie mix dessert included in chicken nugget meal trays produced by Conagra Brands, Inc. may be contaminated with salmonella.
  The alert affects 110,817 pounds of frozen meals and was issued out of an abundance of caution, after the company notified FSIS.
  This public health alert applies to the following breaded chicken nugget, macaroni and cheese, and ch
  
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• Volkswagen to pay $2.8 billion in US diesel emission scandal

  21-04-2017 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Friday ordered Volkswagen to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty in the United States for cheating on diesel emissions tests, blessing a deal negotiated by the government for a “massive fraud” orchestrated by the German automaker.
  U.S. District Judge Sean Cox stuck to the plea deal during the sentencing hearing, six weeks after VW pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice in a scheme involving nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the U.S. They w
  
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• Judge orders Volkswagen to pay $2.8B in emission scandal

  21-04-2017 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Friday ordered Volkswagen to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty in the United States for cheating on diesel emissions tests, blessing a deal negotiated by the government for a “massive fraud” orchestrated by the German automaker.
  U.S. District Judge Sean Cox stuck to the plea deal during the sentencing hearing, six weeks after VW pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice in a bold scheme involving nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the U.S. T
  
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• President Trump calls 100-day benchmark ‘ridiculous’

  21-04-2017 16:38 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the 100-day benchmark often used to measure a new administration’s achievements is a “ridiculous standard.”
  Trump tweeted Friday, “No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including S.C.), media will kill!”No matter how much I accomplish during the ridiculous standard of the first 100 days, & it has been a lot (including S.C.), media wil
  
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• Coin flip decides new president of southern Illinois village

  21-04-2017 16:16 via kxan.com
  
  MARION, IL (AP) — A coin flip has decided who will lead a tiny southern Illinois town after an election this month ended in a tie.
  Tammy O’Daniell-Howell is the new village president of Colp, home to about 250 residents, after the coin toss Thursday.
  Williamson County Clerk Amanda Barnes says opponent Bryan Riekena let O’Daniell-Howell choose heads or tails. She picked heads and that’s where it landed.
  Barnes says both candidates inspected the 2016 North Dakota quart
  
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• Couple accused of trying to murder baby inside McDonald’s

  21-04-2017 16:00 via kxan.com
  
  SAN LEANDRO (KRON) – A couple has been arrested for allegedly trying to kill an 11-month-old baby in a California McDonald’s, according to police.
  The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. inside of a McDonald’s restaurant located at the downtown Washington Plaza.
  Marcel Brooks and girlfriend Adanna Ibe were arrested Tuesday morning.
  The 11-month-old boy was with his mother at a booth at the McDonald’s when Ibe allegedly walked up and fired a single shot then fled the s
  
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• 5 accused of vandalizing Typhoon Texas, Pflugerville High School

  21-04-2017 15:30 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Five teenagers have been arrested after police said they broke into their high school and then the Typhoon Texas water park earlier this month.
  According to police documents, a teacher raised concerns in early April after they noticed damage to a tiny house used by Pflugerville High School students.
  When authorities rolled back security camera footage, they discovered that, on Saturday, April 8, around 10:43 p.m., Matthew Thomsen, 17, Joshua Lee, 18, Liam Walla
  
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• 5 accused of vandalizing Typhoon Texas in Pflugerville

  21-04-2017 15:30 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Five teenagers have been arrested after police said they broke into Typhoon Texas and vandalized items inside and outside of the park.
  Pflugerville police said the break-in happened over the Easter weekend.
  After layoffs, lawsuits Typhoon Texas water park deal finalized
  Matthew Thomsen, 17, Joshua Lee, 18, Liam Wallace, 17, Ethan Sofinowski, 17, and Darion Alberson, 18 were taken into custody within days of breaking into the park.
  Authorities said they are also
  
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• Leander man arrested on child pornography charges

  21-04-2017 14:31 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A Leander man admitted to authorities that he used social networks to solicit inappropriate material from children, Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said Friday.
  Joshua Wulff, 26, was taken into custody Wednesday without incident after a search warrant was issued following a referral from Pennsylvania law enforcement.
  Investigators found the pornography on Wulff’s laptop. Several other of his digital devices were confiscated and will be examined.
  Wul
  
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• Reports: US prosecutors consider charges against WikiLeaks

  21-04-2017 14:06 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Two media reports say U.S. prosecutors are preparing or closely considering charges against the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, including its founder Julian Assange, for revealing sensitive government secrets.
  CNN reported Thursday that authorities are preparing to seek Assange’s arrest. The Washington Post reported prosecutors are weighing charges against the organization’s members after the Obama-era Justice Department declined to do so.
  Possible charges inclu
  
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• Biggest weapon against child abuse is awareness, groups say

  21-04-2017 13:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Child advocacy groups are planning a string of events this weekend designed to encourage more reporting of crimes against children.
  Texas is one of 13 states that has a whistleblower law, said Steven Phenix, Public Relations Director for the Refuge for Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. His group is one of several child advocacy organizations taking part in a march from the Austin City Hall to the State Capitol building Saturday.
  The law r
  
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• Central Texas kids to learn how to recycle, compost in school

  21-04-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In an effort to get kids more involved in recycling and composting in school, the Texas Disposal Systems is rolling out a brand new curriculum for elementary school students Friday at Odom Elementary School in south Austin. It’s called the Eco Academy. By the fall, it will be in over 300 Central Texas elementary schools.
  The curriculum aims to teach kids what happens to their trash. After students are done with lunch in all Austin ISD school, they have to separate wha
  
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• Texas House OKs rising to 18 Texas’ age for adult offenders

  21-04-2017 12:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has approved a bill seeking to raise from 17 to 18 the age at which offenders automatically enter Texas’ adult legal system.
  Thursday’s vote sends the proposal by Houston Democratic Rep. Harold Dutton and several bipartisan co-sponsors to the state Senate. A Senate version of the bill is pending in committee but hasn’t yet cleared committee there.
  Dutton’s bill isn’t expected to cost the state money in its 2018-2019 budget,
  
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• Texas House OKs raising age for adult offenders to 18

  21-04-2017 12:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has approved a bill seeking to raise from 17 to 18 the age at which offenders automatically enter Texas’ adult legal system.
  Thursday’s vote sends the proposal by Houston Democratic Rep. Harold Dutton and several bipartisan co-sponsors to the state Senate. A Senate version of the bill is pending in committee but hasn’t yet cleared committee there.
  Dutton’s bill isn’t expected to cost the state money in its 2018-2019 budget,
  
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• PHOTOS: Students with military parents pay tribute at Baranoff Elementary

  21-04-2017 12:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some Austin elementary students had the opportunity to honor their military parents and got some special attention themselves Thursday.
  ‘Month of the Military Child’ is a new annual event that has begun at Baranoff Elementary in south Austin.
  Baranoff currently has 12 students with active military ties, including one father who is currently deployed and one Gold Star family, which means a member of the family died in the line of duty.
  Some students who
  
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• Second rabid animal confirmed in northwest Travis Co. neighborhood

  21-04-2017 06:09 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A rabid raccoon found in the Sandy Creek Ranches area is the second case of a wild animal with rabies within a five mile area in the last two months, officials say.
  Now, residents of northwest Travis County are being asked to protect themselves by avoiding wild animals and vaccinating family pets. Neighbors should call 311 if they see a wild animal acting strangely or if the animal has been in contact with a person.
  Bats, skunks, coyotes, foxes and raccoons ar
  
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• APD’s new mounted patrol facility not expected to be finished until 2019

  21-04-2017 04:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In Manor, Austin Police Department’s current mounted patrol facility provides a calm outside of the chaos.
  “We teach ’em all kinds of obstacles, ’cause there’s no telling what we’ll come across downtown,” APD Corporal Steven Nash said.
  City Council approved a lease renewal Thursday for the facility, which the department’s Mounted Patrol Unit has called home for the last 24 years.
  But each month the city pay
  
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• H-E-B issues voluntary recall of bread due to possible piece of rubber

  21-04-2017 04:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — H-E-B issued a voluntary and precautionary recall Thursday evening due to the possibility of a piece of rubber in their product.
  The recall includes H-E-B and Hill Country Fare sandwich bread with a best by date of April 29 or earlier. The grocery store chain says this is an isolated incident.
  Bread bought in San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Corpus Christi is not impacted by the recall. Customers who bought the bread can return it to the store for a full refun
  
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• Number of chronically homeless people in Austin down by 28 percent

  21-04-2017 03:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The number of people who are chronically homeless in Austin-Travis County decreased by 28 percent this year, the annual count of people experiencing homelessness revealed.
  Even with the sizable reduction of the chronically homeless population — from 736 in 2016 to 553 this year — the number of adults with a substance use disorder jumped up 84 percent to 345 people. The total number of homeless people counted this year — 2,036 — is slightly down from
  
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• Siblings meet for the first time thanks to home DNA test

  21-04-2017 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since Nancy Friel was a child, she knew she was different. After nearly 50 years searching for answers about her biological father, she found him, and a lot more.
  “For 46 years, I’ve wondered who I was,” said Friel.
  Nancy Friel as a child (Courtesy/Nancy Friel)When her mother passed away about 10 years ago, she knew she had to find her biological father on her own. “I thought I would never, ever find out.”
  Friel used an Ancestry DNA kit sh
  
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• Siblings meet for the first time, nearly 50 years later

  21-04-2017 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since Nancy Friel was a child, she knew she was different. After nearly 50 years searching for answers about her biological father, she found him, and a lot more.
  “For 46 years, I’ve wondered who I was,” said Friel.
  Nancy Friel as a child (Courtesy/Nancy Friel)When her mother passed away about 10 years ago, she knew she had to find her biological father on her own. “I thought I would never, ever find out.”
  Friel used an Ancestry DNA kit sh
  
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• After nearly 50 years, siblings meet for the first time at Austin airport

  21-04-2017 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since Nancy Friel was a child, she knew she was different. After nearly 50 years searching for answers about her biological father, she found him, and a lot more.
  “For 46 years, I’ve wondered who I was,” said Friel.
  Nancy Friel as a child (Courtesy/Nancy Friel)When her mother passed away about 10 years ago, she knew she had to find her biological father on her own. “I thought I would never, ever find out.”
  Friel used an Ancestry DNA kit sh
  
  Read more

• No changes in George H.W. Bush’s condition at Houston hospital

  21-04-2017 02:33 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush says the nation’s 41st president is spending another day at a Houston hospital where he’s under observation after recovering from a mild case of pneumonia.
  Family spokesman Jim McGrath reports no changes Thursday for the 92-year-old Bush. On Wednesday, Bush was said to be gaining strength and in good spirits.
  He was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital last Friday for treatment of a persistent cough and doctors
  
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• Pelosi visits Austin as Texas lawmakers call for Obamacare repeal

  21-04-2017 02:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Democrats in Washington could soon be back on the defense. Over the weekend, lawmakers will get an amendment to revive the GOP plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and Texas lawmakers have been quick to weigh in.
  U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, was in Austin Thursday, alongside U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, to tour the new teaching hospital Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas. As she visiting the new site, P
  
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• Ex-Officer Charles Kleinert won’t face manslaughter charge

  21-04-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that the manslaughter case against former Austin Police Department detective Charles Kleinert remains dismissed.
  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard the case in September of last year and made a determination Thursday. In its ruling, the appeals court agreed with U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel’s decision to dismiss the Travis County indictment because he was acting as a federal offi
  
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• EVO movie theater in Kyle hit by string of car burglaries

  21-04-2017 01:30 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – An increase of vehicle break-ins at the EVO movie theater in Kyle has the local police department stepping up security. There have been nine vehicle break-ins so far this year, according to the Kyle Police Department.
  “In most of these cases, I believe all these vehicles were locked so all the entry was forced into the vehicle in the reports that we’ve taken,” said KPD Captain Pedro Hernandez.
  Kyle police looked back at the numbers and say in bot
  
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• AT&T launches campaign to help local volunteer fire departments

  21-04-2017 00:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — Texas lawmakers and AT&T teamed up on Thursday to help local volunteer fire stations get back on their feet financially following last month’s wildfires in West Texas.
  “The wildfires destroyed 500,000 acres in the Panhandle area, ended up taking four lives, ended up burning three firefighters,” Chris Barron with the State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas said, “and put a lot of fire departments in a financial b
  
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• Austin 5th grader shoots multiple classmates with BB gun

  21-04-2017 00:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A fifth-grade boy brought two BB guns to Oak Hill Elementary School Thursday and shot one of them at multiple students.
  Principal Lori Komassa said in a letter to parents that none of the plastic BBs broke the skin of any of the students. Komassa says the teacher reacted immediately, confiscating the BB guns and calling AISD police to the school, located at 6101 Patton Ranch Rd., near the intersection of US 290 East and William Cannon Drive.
  Administrators, counselors
  
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