Austin news

• Motorcyclist killed after falling 100 ft. off US 183 and MoPac flyover

  25-04-2017 23:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A motorcyclist who crashed off a flyover at the US 183 and MoPac Expressway interchange has died after falling around 100 feet.
  A woman in her 20s has been pronounced dead at the scene. Initial information indicates the woman fell off the flyover, but her motorcycle slid to the bottom of the ramp.
  Austin-Travis County EMS was called to the 8800 block of northbound MoPac at 4:18 p.m. Medics initially said that CPR was in progress.
  Officers are asking drivers to avo
  
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• Motorcyclist killed after falling 100 ft. off flyover identified

  25-04-2017 23:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A motorcyclist who crashed off a flyover at the US 183 and MoPac Expressway interchange died Tuesday after falling around 100 feet.
  Megan Siobhan Brennan, 28, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say Brennan lost control on the flyover and hit the concrete barrier to her right, falling over the edge. Her motorcycle continued until it fell over at the bottom of the ramp, initial reports indicated.
  Austin-Travis County EMS was 
  
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• LASA students cheat on AP exam after getting access to teacher’s file

  25-04-2017 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A student at one of the best high schools in the country, Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy, gained access to a teacher’s Advanced Placement exam files for U.S. History.
  LASA says the test bank of questions was compromised, and a “handful” of junior students were given electronic access to at least one test in the file.
  While the exact punishment was not disclosed, LASA Principal Stacia Crescenzi says district policy for a cheating incident r
  
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• LASA students cheat on AP class test after getting access to teacher’s file

  25-04-2017 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A student at one of the best high schools in the country, Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy, gained access to a teacher’s Advanced Placement class exam files for U.S. History.
  LASA says the test bank of questions was compromised, and a “handful” of junior students were given electronic access to at least one test in the file.
  Senior Humberto Venancio said he could see how a student might be capable of performing such a task. Students at
  
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• President Trump’s order on sanctuary city funding blocked by judge

  25-04-2017 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a Trump administration order to withhold funding from communities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities, saying the president has no authority to attach new conditions to federal spending.
  U.S. District Judge William Orrick issued the temporary ruling in a lawsuit against the executive order targeting so-called sanctuary cities. The decision will stay in place while the lawsuit works its way through court.
  The Trump
  
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• D’onta Foreman’s son died during 2016 season

  25-04-2017 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An NFL Network story Monday night revealed former Texas running back D’onta Foreman played this past season under tough circumstances.
  The interview with Andrea Kremer revealed Foreman and his girlfriend had a son the before the game at California, Sept. 16. D’onta Foreman Jr. was born nearly four months premature. A day after the Texas Tech game in mid-November, when Foreman rushed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, his son died.
  Foreman went on to w
  
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• Austin mayor says city no ‘sanctuary’ after Sessions meeting

  25-04-2017 22:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) — Austin Mayor Steve Adler says he left a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions believing that the Texas capital isn’t a sanctuary city in the eyes of the federal government.
  Adler and other mayors met with Sessions on Tuesday in Washington to get a better understanding of what it means to be considered a “sanctuary community.” The label could cost cities and counties federal grant money as part of the Trump administration’s immigration c
  
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• Grande expands gigabit service to more Austin customers

  25-04-2017 22:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Grande Communications is expanding its 1 Gigabit internet service to more area within Austin as well as San Marcos.
  Grande was the first telecommunications company to launch gigabit service in Austin in 2014, even though Google Fiber was the first company to announce their gigabit intentions.
  Starting Tuesday, all of Grande serviceable areas in Austin, San Marcos, Dallas, Midland and Odessa will have 1gig internet service available. Grande customers can receive Gigabit
  
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• Signal light planned to help ease traffic on RM 620 at Steiner Ranch Boulevard

  25-04-2017 21:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drivers traveling on Ranch to Market 620 near Steiner Ranch Boulevard will soon see a major change with the addition of a new signal light at the intersection.
  Even though Tom Henry has only lived in the Steiner Ranch area for the past year, he is already too familiar with the congestion. “This particular intersection right here backups for hundreds of yards during rush hour time,” says Henry. “It’s very dangerous. We see multiple accidents out here.
  
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• New traffic light going in at RM 620 at Steiner Ranch

  25-04-2017 21:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drivers traveling on Ranch to Market 620 near Steiner Ranch Boulevard will soon see a major change with the addition of a new signal light at the intersection.
  Even though Tom Henry has only lived in the Steiner Ranch area for the past year, he is already too familiar with the congestion. “This particular intersection right here backups for hundreds of yards during rush hour time,” says Henry. “It’s very dangerous. We see multiple accidents out here.
  
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• ‘Frozen 2’ coming to theaters in 2019

  25-04-2017 20:51 via kxan.com
  
  HOLLYWOOD, California (WFLA) — Frozen fans rejoice because the second edition is coming to theaters in 2019 on Thanksgiving weekend.
  The fan favorite film will be releasing “Frozen 2” as the second sequence to Disney’s original film.
  Disney Animation made the announcement on twitter that “Frozen 2” will be in theaters starting November 27, 2019.Frozen 2 is coming to theaters November 27, 2019! pic.twitter.com/iW4JR2RSfm
  — Disney Animation (@DisneyAn
  
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• Direct route to Boston on Delta added to ABIA

  25-04-2017 20:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Delta Air Lines will begin taking people from Austin to Boston non-stop on Sept. 10.
  Flights will occur six days a week, Monday through Saturday, departing at 6:30 a.m. and arriving in Boston at 12:20 p.m.
  Flights back to Austin will run Sunday through Friday, departing at 7:30 p.m. with an arrival at 11:10 p.m.
  The new flights will run on a recently upgraded Airbus A319 aircraft offering free in-flight entertainment.
  Tickets are available now for booking at www.delta.
  
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• Ohio teen plans to be youngest high school, college and law school graduate

  25-04-2017 20:28 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — A Reynoldsburg High School teenager with humanitarian goals hopes to set graduation records all the way through law school.
  In less than a month a 15-year-old Danya Hamad will graduate from both Reynoldsburg High School and Columbus State Community College.
  Hamad attends high school in the morning and college classes in the afternoon, but said she does not mind the extra work-load.
  “My goal is to become the youngest lawyer in America and from there I want
  
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• Texas court tough on immigration serves as model for Trump plans

  25-04-2017 19:55 via kxan.com
  
  DEL RIO, Texas (AP) — One by one, the Mexican men stood in the jury box, shackles rattling as they fidgeted slightly and pleaded guilty to crossing the U.S. border illegally.
  They had come for better jobs, many to earn more money to help raise their children, their defense lawyer told a federal magistrate in a quiet west Texas courtroom about 3 miles (5 kilometers) north of the Mexican border. The magistrate, Collis White, warned that a guilty plea would mean jail time and they couldn&rsqu
  
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• World’s last male rhino getting help from Tinder dating app

  25-04-2017 19:50 via kxan.com
  
  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The world’s last male northern white rhino has joined the Tinder dating app as wildlife experts make a last-chance breeding effort to keep his species alive.
  “I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of the species literally depends on me,” the rhino’s profile says. “I perform well under pressure.”
  The campaign called “The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World,” by a Kenyan wildlife conservancy and the dating app
  
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• How Warren Buffett fast tracked a bill, yet no one wants to talk about it

  25-04-2017 19:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Outrage over special treatment for Omaha-based billionaire Warren Buffett has key Republican lawmakers in the Texas Senate staying mum on what they did.
  A few days after reports describing Buffett’s quick meetings with top Texas leaders, a bill benefiting his company is quickly moving through the legislature. Lawmakers acting on the idea don’t want to talk about what’s been dubbed the “Buffett bill.”
  Our media partners at the Texas Tribune
  
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• Bastrop man charged with intoxication manslaughter in deadly SH 21 crash

  25-04-2017 19:12 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) – A 29-year-old man is charged with intoxication manslaughter after authorities say he slammed into another vehicle on State Highway 21 in Bastrop County killing one.
  The crash happened on State Highway 21 west of South Shore Road at 6:24 p.m. Saturday.
  According to a DPS report, Alicia Koegler, 64, died upon impact when the westbound Chevy Equinox she was a passenger in was rear-ended by a driver in a Ford Mustang. The driver of the Equinox, 68-year-old Wil
  
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• Aggravated robbery suspect thought to be in Austin turns self in

  25-04-2017 18:37 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A man accused of shooting two people during a drug deal in Leon County, originally thought to be hiding in the Austin-area, turned himself in to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
  22-year-old Cullen Shane Pate, whose last known address was in Georgetown, surrendered Tuesday.
  Pate is wanted for an aggravated robbery that happened on April 7 in Oakwood, which is about 160 miles northeast of Austin. According to an arrest warrant, Pate, along
  
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• Number of Dallas police officers at lowest level in 10 years

  25-04-2017 18:13 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The interim Dallas police chief says the number of officers has fallen to its lowest level in about 10 years while the department also is falling short of its goal for new hires.
  Chief David Pughes told a city council committee on Monday that the number of officers on the force is 3,077. That’s down from nearly 3,700 officers some six years ago.
  He says the department will be short-staffed as the summer approaches and crime generally increases.
  The Dallas Morning News r
  
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• Burnet County Sheriff’s reserve deputy runs over man lying in the road

  25-04-2017 18:01 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Burnet County Sheriff’s Office reserve deputy ran over a pedestrian lying in the middle of the road early Saturday morning in Burnet County.
  The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on Farm to Market 963 approximately 3 miles north of Oakalla, which is about 20 miles southeast of Lampasas. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the driver, John Groom, 71, was headed eastbound on FM 963 in a Crown Victoria when he ran over 37-year-old Donny Haynes,
  
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• Large 100 ft. confederate flag gets mixed reviews in South Carolina

  25-04-2017 17:45 via kxan.com
  
  HARTSVILLE, SC (WBTW) – As you travel on Highway 151 you’ll have something new to look at and it’s something you can spot over a mile away.
  The confederate flag went up on Saturday and since it has been erected the WBTW newsroom has been inundated with messages and phone calls of people with questions about the giant flag.
  Some people in the area are proud of the giant 20 by 30 flag, while others feel like it represents racism.
  Trump, Hitler among nominations to rename Robert E
  
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• ‘Bachelor’ star Chris Soules jailed after fleeing deadly Iowa crash

  25-04-2017 17:20 via kxan.com
  
  IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa authorities have arrested former “The Bachelor” star Chris Soules, alleging that he fled the scene of a deadly traffic accident.
  The Iowa State Patrol reports that a pickup truck rear-ended a tractor on a highway in Buchanan County on Monday night, sending both vehicles into a ditch and killing the tractor driver, whose name wasn’t released.
  The crash happened on County Highway 45, about 15 miles south of Soules’ farm in Arlington, which
  
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• Cowboys honor Ware, ponder need with post-Romo future secure

  25-04-2017 16:42 via kxan.com
  
  FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Jerry Jones honored DeMarcus Ware with a ceremonial signing Monday that allowed the franchise sacks leader to retire as a Dallas Cowboy on the same day the team owner discussed how the draft might help find the next dominant pass rusher.
  Whenever the Cowboys decide to pay homage to Tony Romo with their 10-year starter heading to the broadcast booth, they will do so feeling secure about their future under center. They won’t be thinking much about quarterbacks in t
  
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• Feds: Man had wife, mom pimp underage girls in to pay his bond

  25-04-2017 16:13 via kxan.com
  
  CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTW/AP) — Federal prosecutors say a man conspired with his wife and mother to traffic three minors for sex in South Carolina to help him make bail.
  The U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release on Monday that 22-year-old Zerrell Fuentes, his 24-year-old wife, Brianna Wright, and his 53-year-old mother, Tanya Fuentes each face a number of sex trafficking charges. A federal grand jury issued an eight-count indictment on Friday.
  Prosecutiors say while he was incarcerat
  
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• NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retire at end of season

  25-04-2017 15:48 via kxan.com
  
  CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hendrick Motorsports says Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire at the end of this season.
  Earnhardt is a 14-time winner of NASCAR’s most popular driver award. He has 26 career Cup victories, and that includes a pair of wins in the Daytona 500.
  Earnhardt Jr. pulled over for speeding driving to Texas NASCAR race
  Earnhardt is a two-time champion in NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late seven-time champion has never won a Cup title.
  Earnhardt turns 4
  
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• Police: Wife’s Fitbit logs steps after husband says she died

  25-04-2017 15:06 via kxan.com
  
  ELLINGTON, Conn. (AP) — Police in Connecticut have cited Fitbit records in an arrest warrant for a 40-year-old man charged with killing his wife in 2015.
  Richard Dabate faces murder, tampering with evidence and making a false statement charges in the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Connie Dabate on Dec. 23, 2015.
  Authorities say the 40-year-old Dabate told them a masked man had entered their home, shot his wife and tied him up before he burned the intruder with a torch. But the New York Dail
  
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• Arkansas denies man gulped for air during execution

  25-04-2017 14:52 via kxan.com
  
  VARNER, Ark. (AP) — After going nearly 12 years without executing an inmate, Arkansas now has executed three in a few days — including two in one night.
  Jack Jones and Marcel Williams received lethal injections on the same gurney Monday night, just about three hours apart. It was the first double execution in the United States since 2000.
  While Jones, 52, was executed on schedule, shortly after 7 p.m., attorneys for Williams, 46, convinced a federal judge minutes later to briefly del
  
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• Dallas newsstand operator accused of $16M government fraud

  25-04-2017 14:35 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The operator of a newsstand in a downtown Dallas high-rise has been indicted on charges that accuse him of cashing fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks amounting in value to about $16 million.
  A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Moiz Mumtaz Ali last week, but the indictment was unsealed Monday. It accuses the 36-year-old McKinney, Texas, man of conspiracy, bank fraud, theft of public money, identity theft and money laundering-related charges.
  Ali manages the Gateway
  
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• Cyclists to take part in Hill Country Ride for AIDS fundraiser

  25-04-2017 14:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of cyclists will take to the roads in the 18th annual Hill Country Ride for AIDS on Saturday. The bike ride is one of the largest fundraisers in Central Texas and benefits ten non-profit HIV and AIDS service agencies in the area including: AIDS Services of Austin, allgo, CARE Program, The Care Communities, Community Action, Friends of David Powell Health Center, Out Youth, Project Transitions, Waterloo Counseling, and the Wright House Wellness Center.
  The goal of t
  
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• Search begins for new Austin ISD board member

  25-04-2017 13:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday night marked the end for the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees’ Vice President Paul Saldaña. Saldaña announced earlier in the month he was resigning to focus on his family.
  Now, AISD is looking to fill his seat.
  The school board has set deadline of May 8 for candidates to apply.
  They’re hoping to have the seat filled by the middle of June.
  Monday night’s school board meeting was Saldañ
  
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• Mobile farmers markets bring local produce to rural neighborhoods

  25-04-2017 13:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state of Texas ranks 47th in the country when it comes to affordable healthcare for children. That’s according to a new study from the Health Care Cost institute — which looked at the cost, quality and access to children’s healthcare in America.
  That’s one reason why the city of Austin started a program called Fresh For Less. It created mobile farmers markets and farm stands throughout the more rural areas of Austin and Travis County to give more
  
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• Family safe after fire damages rural Manor home

  25-04-2017 12:21 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Crews with the Manor Fire Department said no one was hurt in a house fire that broke out just before midnight Monday night.
  Crews were called to the home in the 18000 block of Old Lockwood Road, just off of Blake Manor Road, 3.5 miles southeast of downtown Manor.
  MFD said the fire was completely out as of 1:40 a.m. Tuesday. Crews had to ask for additional water resources because the house is in a very rural area.
  A Manor fire captain said his crews do not kn
  
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• Five strikes law for misdemeanors proposed by Texas legislators

  25-04-2017 06:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — Unofficially known as the “Career Criminal Bill,” House Bill 383 would enhance punishments for repeat offenders who commit crimes less serious than a felony.
  Similar to the federal “three strikes” law for felony convictions, House Bill 383 would impose a five strikes rule on misdemeanors in Texas.
  Under the proposal, five class A misdemeanor convictions within 10 years would equal a felony and repeat offenders would be sent to a state prison to se
  
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• PHOTOS: Whole Foods 365 in Cedar Park

  25-04-2017 05:50 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Smaller but with the same Whole Foods punch. That’s what the company is hoping for with its new wave of 365 stores. On Wednesday, April 26, Whole Foods will open its fourth 365 store in the United States and it’s right smack dab in Cedar Park.
  The 30,000-square-foot store carries a smaller footprint than the traditional Whole Foods stores. There’s no on-site bakery or seafood and meat counter, but all the items are still available — just p
  
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• Work group launched to look into homelessness near Austin libraries

  25-04-2017 05:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In anticipation of Austin’s new $125 million library scheduled to open this fall, the city wants to address homelessness at public libraries. The move comes amid questions about how library staff can help those in need as 311 complaints around the downtown library increase.
  “I come down here to read, you know, I like reading and kind of pass time away and I meet a lot of people down here,” Clarence Holloway said. “And it makes me feel good
  
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• House set on fire, gun pulled on firefighters during SWAT call

  25-04-2017 04:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighters say a barricaded suspect inside an east Austin house set a house on fire and pointed a gun at firefighters. SWAT took over the scene as officers believed it likely he was still inside the house.
  At around midnight, the suspect surrendered without incident.
  Firefighters were called to the home in the 2300 block of Willow St., just off of Cesar Chavez Street and west of North Pleasant Valley Road, before 9 p.m. and arrived three minutes later.
  The Austin Fir
  
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• Barricaded suspect sets east Austin house on fire, aims gun at firefighters

  25-04-2017 04:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighters say a barricaded suspect inside an east Austin house set a house on fire and pointed a gun at firefighters. SWAT took over the scene as officers believed it likely he was still inside the house.
  At around midnight, the suspect surrendered without incident.
  Firefighters were called to the home in the 2300 block of Willow St., just off of Cesar Chavez Street and west of North Pleasant Valley Road, before 9 p.m. and arrived three minutes later.
  The Austin Fir
  
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• Mother says 4-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted at Austin school

  25-04-2017 04:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother of a 4-year-old girl sexually assaulted while at her south Austin school says she knew something was wrong from the moment her daughter came home.
  The girl returned from Boone Elementary School on Feb. 7 with injuries on her body. “[She] sat on the toilet and had this look of hesitation on her face. She peed and then she just started screaming, ‘Mommy it hurts!’ And she just lifted her whole body off the toilet,” the mother, who does not w
  
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• VIDEO: Alligator handcuffed, ‘sort of’ placed under arrest

  25-04-2017 03:29 via kxan.com
  
  SLIDELL, La. (NBC News) — An alligator that went out for a stroll ended up “sort of” under arrest in Louisiana.
  Wildlife agents rounded up an alligator that was found over the weekend roaming a neighborhood near New Orleans.
  A homeowner in Slidell spotted the reptile in his garage. St. Tammany fire officials contacted Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents for help.
  MORE VIDEO: Gator tussles with Texas game wardens trying to remove her from front yard
  F
  
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• Want to keep your lottery win a secret? Proposed law could be the answer

  25-04-2017 03:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP) — Lottery winners could soon stay incognito in the Lone Star State.
  Texas’ House of Representatives approved by voice vote Monday legislation that would shield the identity of state lottery winners receiving prizes of at least $1 million.
  Individuals could choose to remain anonymous and to prohibit the release of all personal information to the public under the bill, which now needs only a largely symbolic vote Tuesday to go to the state Senate.
  Lubbock construction worke
  
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• Suspect dead after exchanging gunfire with officers at Killeen Marketplace

  25-04-2017 01:58 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (KWKT) — Killeen police say one person is dead after a shooting at the Killeen Marketplace.
  Investigators tell FOX44 police officers went to the Home Depot at 4:14 p.m. following a call reporting shots fired.
  When they got there, they exchanged gunfire with a suspect. That person died at the scene, but it is not confirmed if an officer shot the suspect.
  Officers locked down the parking lot of the shopping center located at the intersection of US 190 and Illino
  
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• Students take a virtual field trip to places textbooks can’t

  25-04-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The distance from Austin to Pakistan is just over 8,000 miles, but that isn’t stopping students from getting an immersive education experience about the country’s culture and history.
  The students at Round Rock Independent School District’s Deerpark Middle School are using virtual reality technology — made possible by two local startups — to take a virtual field trip to Pakistan.
  For student Ryan Kilgo, it was his first time interacting with vi
  
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• Alex Jones sued by Chobani yogurt over refugee sex assault claim

  25-04-2017 01:12 via kxan.com
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Greek yogurt giant Chobani filed a lawsuit Monday against right-wing radio host Alex Jones, accusing the conspiracy theorist of publishing false information about the company.
  Chobani says that Jones and his InfoWars website posted fabricated stories earlier this month that linked Chobani owner Hamdi Ulukaya and the company to a sexual assault case involving refugee children. The company filed the lawsuit in Idaho District Court in Twin Falls, where it operates the larg
  
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• Pawn shop burglary suspect caught after riding bike without a light

  25-04-2017 00:39 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Officers Jesus Castillo and Bronson Buell were working the night shift when they stopped a man for riding his bicycle without a light.
  After pulling him over, the Cedar Park officers noticed his type of bicycle and the logo on his backpack were similar to those matching a wanted burglary suspect.
  A detective working the case, Tony Alvarez, was able to get an arrest warrant for Christopher David Harper, 20, who police believe is behind robberies of The Gun Store,
  
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