Austin news

• UT History professor weighs in on Comey firing

  10-05-2017 23:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey was a “horrible moment for our democracy,” says the University of Texas History professor Dr. Jeremi Suri.
  “There’s a general rule in politics you don’t fire the person investigating you. That’s exactly what President Trump has done,” says Suri, who currently holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at UT.
  “James Comey was a high
  
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• American Indian tribe fights Texas to keep bingo center open

  10-05-2017 23:01 via kxan.com
  
  LIVINGSTON, Texas (AP) — Texas authorities are heading to federal court in an effort to shut down 365 bingo machines at a small electronic bingo operation run by the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe.
  The Naskila Gaming entertainment center has been opened for nearly a year about 80 miles northeast of Houston. Tribal leaders say it’s been a success, noting that it’s created about 400 jobs and has had a $5 million local economic impact so far.
  But state attorneys say the operation is ille
  
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• Whole Foods shakes up board as key sales figure falls again

  10-05-2017 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Whole Foods announced a board shake-up and cost-cutting plan Wednesday as it fights to hold onto shoppers who have more choices about where to buy the natural and organic foods it’s known for.
  The company also said sales fell 2.8 percent at established locations for the three months ended April 9, the seventh straight quarter in which the closely watched metric has declined. Whole Foods has blamed its struggles on customers increasingly turning to “good enough a
  
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• Trump asserts Comey told him he’s not under investigation

  10-05-2017 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump asserted in his extraordinary letter firing James Comey that the ousted FBI director told him three times he’s not under investigation, a questionable claim that if true would be a startling breach of protocol.
  “Wouldn’t happen,” said one former federal prosecutor who led criminal cases against public officials.
  Comey has publicly confirmed the FBI is investigating possible contacts between the Trump presidential campaign and
  
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• Cedar Park police arrest 10 in cross-country drug smuggling ring

  10-05-2017 21:47 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Ten people have been arrested by Cedar Park police as part of a seven-month effort to put an end to a series of drug trafficking cases, including two that spanned the country.
  The sting, called Operation Clean Sweep, began in September 2016 with a local tip about a high level of narcotics activity in Cedar Park and the surrounding area. Authorities learned that three groups were coordinating to make, transport and distribute the drugs in Central Texas.
  Only
  
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• Austin continues to work on creating safe routes for school children

  10-05-2017 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Creating routes that are safe for children to bicycle to school is a challenge for city officials, but the city of Austin is working to identify and fund problem areas.
  Wednesday is Bike to School Day, a nationwide effort to raise awareness on the need to create safer routes for children who walk or bike to school.
  Carlee McConnell of Safe Kids Austin believes National Bike to School Day is working here in Austin. “Bike to School Day really encourages schools to notic
  
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• Police, fire, county and city officials still against Texas property tax reform bill

  10-05-2017 21:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A crowd of public officials came to the State Capitol on Wednesday to say Senate Bill 2, while different from its original version, is still a bad idea.
  SB 2, the Property Tax Reform & Relief Act of 2017, would provide more information to property tax payers about appraisal rates and how local government officials set their tax rates. However, local officials see other measures of the bill as a cap on their overall budget.
  Right now taxpayers can petition for an el
  
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• Man who admitted decapitating 5-year-old son ordered released

  10-05-2017 19:42 via kxan.com
  
  VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach man who admitted to decapitating his five-year-old son in 2009 was granted release Monday.
  Joseph Hagerman III pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing his son Joshua. During a jailhouse interview with 10 On Your Side, he claimed he took his son’s life to save him from evil.
  Since August 2009, Hagerman has been getting treatment in various hospitals. He’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia. When not at the hospital, h
  
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• NLand Surf Park to reopen Friday after lagoon damage

  10-05-2017 19:25 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — Shutdown just four weeks after its grand opening, NLand Surf Park will try again starting on Friday.
  NLand opened on Oct. 7, 2016 and was closed on Halloween after damage was found under the park’s lagoon. The Austin Watershed Protection Department confirmed a release of water from the park spread onto nearby property.
  Park organizers, who said in December that the park would not reopen anytime soon, announced Wednesday the repairs are done an
  
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• You can now buy fireworks for Memorial Day, Travis County says

  10-05-2017 18:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re the celebrating type who prefers their holidays to have explosions, get ready. Your Memorial Day can be extra explosive this year.
  The Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday, for the first time ever, to approve the sale of fireworks for Memorial Day.
  The Texas Legislature passed the law that would greenlight Memorial Day fireworks in 2015, leaving to counties to decide on approval depending on drought conditions.
  Austin man arrested afte
  
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• New Braunfels man accused of sending minor sexually explicit material

  10-05-2017 18:00 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — A man who, New Braunfels police said, met a 13-year-old boy on a sexually explicit website has been charged with online solicitation of a minor after the boy’s mother contacted authorities.
  According to a police statement, Blaine Tafolla Gunter, 28, exchanged phone numbers with the boy which resulted in explicit text messages that the mother discovered on April 17.
  Detectives worked to gather evidence and obtained a warrant to search Gunter’s East
  
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• Texas man says woman’s stabbing death part of suicide pact

  10-05-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  
  McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A North Texas man accused by authorities of killing his girlfriend and then posting a photo of her body on social media claims the two had formed a suicide pact and began stabbing one another after a day of drinking.
  Forty-six-year-old Kenneth Amyx made the assertion during a recorded police interview that was played Tuesday in a Collin County courtroom on the first day of his murder trial.
  He’s accused of killing 43-year-old Jennifer Streit-Spears at her Plano
  
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• Texas man guilty in death of woman whose body shown online

  10-05-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  
  McKINNEY, Texas (AP) — A judge has determined a Dallas-area man is guilty of murder in the death of his girlfriend whose lifeless body was displayed on social media.
  State District Judge Scott Becker found 46-year-old Kenneth Amyx guilty Wednesday on just the second day of the nonjury trial.
  The Dallas Morning News reports Amyx’s defense attorney called no witnesses and had attempted to use an insanity defense.
  Becker’s ruling was followed by the punishment phase of the trial.
  
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• Woman says she was forced to pee in cup on United flight

  10-05-2017 16:38 via kxan.com
  
  KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — A woman says she was forced to urinate in a cup on a United Airlines flight and now she wants to know why the flight attendant didn’t just let her go to the restroom.
  Nicole Harper tried to use the restroom on United flight 6056 on April 10. A flight attendant ordered her back to her seat. The seatbelt sign was still illuminated.
  “I said ‘I’m going to need to use the restroom or I’m going to need a cup.’ They handed me the
  
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• Teenager accused of robbing Round Rock 7-Eleven

  10-05-2017 15:29 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A 17-year-old is in jail accused of trying to rob a 7-Eleven in Round Rock early Wednesday morning.
  According to an arrest affidavit, the gas station at 2681 Gattis School Road was robbed by two suspects just after 3 a.m. Round Rock police say one of the suspects, identified as Anthony Rheinholtz, jumped over the counter and grabbed several packs of cigarettes.
  An employee was able to grab Rheinholtz and put him in a headlock, but he fought back and started
  
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• Round Rock 7-Eleven robbery suspects on the loose

  10-05-2017 15:29 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A 7-Eleven employee told KXAN an early morning robbery Wednesday resulted in gunfire and the suspects escaping.
  According to the employee, the gas station at 2681 Gattis School Road was robbed by two men.
  The employee told KXAN that, when the men could not exit the store, one of them shot the glass door so they could escape.
  Round Rock Police called a Crime Scene unit to the scene but, as of publishing time, hadn’t briefed the media on the incident.
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• Brawl on Southwest Airlines plane caught on camera

  10-05-2017 15:08 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (WCMH) – One person was arrested after a brawl broke out on a flight that landed in Los Angeles.
  The fight happened Sunday on Flight 2530 from Dallas to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.
  Part of the fight was recorded and shared on Twitter by Nick Krause, a fellow passenger.
  Screams can be heard in the video as one woman shouts, “What’s wrong with you?” NBC Los Angeles reported.
  According to Southwest, the fight started as passengers began to get off the plane.
  Cha
  
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• Person found shot in Pflugerville parking lot died at hospital

  10-05-2017 14:16 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE (KXAN) — Pflugerville authorities are investigating a Wednesday morning homicide.
  Police received a shots fired call from the 1825 Place apartments located at 15835 Foothill Farms Loop around 5 a.m. When officers arrived, a person informed them there was a gunshot victim in the parking lot.
  Five suspects arrested in Lake Pflugerville shooting
  Emergency crews transported the person to St. David’s Hospital in Round Rock where they were declared dead at 6:56 a.m.
  The v
  
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• Person found shot in Pflugerville parking lot

  10-05-2017 14:16 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE (KXAN) — Pflugerville authorities are investigating a Wednesday morning shooting.
  Police received a shots fired call in the 15800 block of Foothill Farms Loop around 5 a.m. When officers arrived, a person informed them there was a gunshot victim in the parking lot.
  Emergency crews transported the person to St. David’s Hospital in Round Rock with unspecified injuries.
  The area has been blocked off and people are being advised to stay out of the area.
  Any information about
  
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• Task force still split over whether to recommend convention center expansion

  10-05-2017 13:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Visitor Impact Task Force is still split over whether to recommend a convention center expansion to the Austin City Council. On Friday, KXAN Investigates reported projections made 20 years ago about events and attendance have yet to come true. Tuesday, KXAN learned leaders tasked with making a recommendation about whether to spend the city’s hotel tax to make the convention bigger still aren’t united.
  READ: Critics question cost of expanding A
  
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• Amazon Prime Now to deliver fresh items from Sprouts in Austin

  10-05-2017 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s getting easier and easier for those of us who dislike making the trip to the grocery store.
  Amazon’s Prime Now delivery service, which gets things to people in either one or two hours, will now be delivering fresh grocery items from Sprouts Farmers Market to customers.
  Things like seasonal and organic produce, meat and seafood can show up at your doorstep and you’d never even have to get dressed. Vitamins, body care items and ice cream also qualify.
  V
  
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• Semi falls 100 feet down embankment after a crash on SH 130

  10-05-2017 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The driver of an 18-wheeler that fell down a 100 foot embankment in eastern Travis County, just south of U.S. Route 290, is in the hospital.
  Crews responded to the crash in the 11000 block of North State Highway 130 northbound around 3:30 a.m.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said the man in his 40s was initially pinned and required a STAR Flight rescue, but that had to be cancelled due to weather conditions. KXAN Meteorologist David Yeomans said cloud heights were at 1,2
  
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• Spurs overcome Leonard injury, Harden to beat Rockets in OT

  10-05-2017 05:12 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Danny Green scored seven of his 16 points in overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame an injury to Kawhi Leonard to beat James Harden and the Houston Rockets 110-107 in overtime on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-playoff series.Leonard had 22 points and 15 rebounds in 38 minutes before exiting with an injured right ankle. Leonard stepped on Harden’s foot with 5:37 left in the third quarter and then played limited minutes before sitting out over
  
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• Hays CISD superintendent plans to resign at end of school year

  10-05-2017 05:09 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays CISD superintendent has announced he plans to step down at the end of the school year.
  Superintendent Michael McKie informed his executive staff of his decision at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
  McKie said he will issue a joint statement with the School Board president after Friday’s meeting.
  Hired as the superintendent in May 2013, McKie spent most of his career in Fort Bend ISD.
  His current contract was set to run through June 30, 2019.
  
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• Would-be Texas laws up against the clock to pass

  10-05-2017 03:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There is a reason the NBA has a shot clock; it makes a player shoot the ball. They either make it, or miss it. The Texas House also has strict deadlines that force ideas to survive or to die, and this week is full of them.
  State Rep. Celia Israel has a local bill she wants to pass. HB 2324 would help county officials register people to vote, but a handful of lawmakers, led by Rep. Johnathan Stickland, R-Bedford, want to delay as much as possible so lawmakers can’
  
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• City of Austin Overtime: Over budget and rising

  10-05-2017 03:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – City employees are working longer hours than ever, and Austin’s overtime budget for roughly 13,500 employees is ballooning. From the Police Department to Parks and Recreation, a KXAN investigation has found several city departments are exceeding overtime budgets and employees, in some cases, are even doubling their salaries.
  From fiscal year 2015 to 2016, citywide overtime pay jumped from $64 million to $71 million -- an 11 percent increase, according to payroll
  
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• Austin spends more on overtime than Dallas

  10-05-2017 03:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – City employees are working longer hours than ever, and Austin’s overtime budget for roughly 13,500 employees is ballooning. From the Police Department to Parks and Recreation, a KXAN investigation has found several city departments are exceeding overtime budgets and employees, in some cases, are even doubling their salaries.
  From fiscal year 2015 to 2016, citywide overtime pay jumped from $64 million to $71 million -- an 11 percent increase, according to payroll
  
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• Griffin dominates hometown Padres 11-0, Rangers hit 3 homers

  10-05-2017 02:35 via kxan.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (AP) — A.J. Griffin had an eventful two days back in San Diego, from visiting Balboa Park with his father to dominating his hometown Padres with a four-hitter for his second career shutout.With Griffin rolling, Joey Gallo and Ryan Rua homered off Jered Weaver, and Robinson Chirinos also went deep as the Rangers routed San Diego 11-0 Tuesday to stop a three-game losing streak.
  “I haven’t played a baseball game in San Diego in seven years now, which is kind of crazy if
  
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• UT stabbing suspect’s attorney says jailhouse interview was reckless

  10-05-2017 01:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — “I pulled out my knife. My heart started beating really fast and no one moved and then I struck a table and no one acknowledged that I did that,” University of Texas stabbing suspect Kendrex White told KPRC in a video interview from the Travis County Jail.
  White, 21, told KPRC he has no memory of stabbing anyone, which is also what he told police the day he was arrested. “I had a dream. It showed my face and I thought maybe it was possible I could hav
  
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• Kendrex White describes UT stabbing in jailhouse interview

  10-05-2017 01:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — “I pulled out my knife. My heart started beating really fast and no one moved and then I struck a table and no one acknowledged that I did that,” University of Texas stabbing suspect Kendrex White told KPRC in a video interview from the Travis County Jail.
  White, 21, told KPRC he has no memory of stabbing anyone, which is also what he told police the day he was arrested. “I had a dream. It showed my face and I thought maybe it was possible I could hav
  
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• AG Ken Paxton feels ‘very good, very confident’ that SB4 is lawful

  10-05-2017 00:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There’s already at least one legal challenge to SB4, despite Attorney General Ken Paxton’s pre-emptive lawsuit filed Monday.
  Paxton is suing Travis County, its sheriff and the city of Austin—including the mayor and every council member—in hopes of stopping more of those challenges, but so far, none of the entities named have filed a suit to challenge SB4.
  “You can’t prove that until it’s done, so we made our decision based
  
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