Austin news

• PHOTOS: Weapons confiscated from ABIA security checkpoints

  11-05-2017 23:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Making sure you know what’s allowed in your luggage can be confusing for fliers. That’s why officials with the Transportation Security Administration are sharing travel tips before the start of the busy summer travel season and highlighting prohibited items recently found at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s security checkpoints.
  Some prohibited items surrendered to the TSA include grenades, knives and landmines.
  Don’t forget, liquids
  
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• Thousands show up to audition for NBC’s ‘The Voice’ in Austin

  11-05-2017 22:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of future musical talents filled the Austin Convention Center Saturday for a chance to be a contestant on NBC’s The Voice.
  The open call auditions came before auditions on May 21 in Los Angeles, June 4 in Philadelphia and June 18 in St. Louis.
  Many people who lined up this morning told KXAN that they have tried out before and that they know that contestants only have seconds to impress show producers.
  One contestant, Jennifer Robison, tra
  
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• NBC’s ‘The Voice’ holding auditions in Austin today

  11-05-2017 22:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Today, future musical talents are filling the Austin Convention Center for a chance to be a contestant on NBC’s The Voice.
  The Saturday open call auditions at 500 E. Cesar Chavez St. (those auditioning should use the convention center’s Trinity Street entrance) come before auditions on May 21 in Los Angeles, June 4 in Philadelphia and June 18 in St. Louis.
  Those who haven’t signed up to audition already, can sign up to create an artist account on The
  
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• NBC’s The Voice holding auditions in Austin on Saturday

  11-05-2017 22:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In just two days, future musical talents will fill the Austin Convention Center for a chance to be a contestant on NBC’s The Voice.
  The Saturday open call auditions at 500 E. Cesar Chavez St. (those auditioning should use the convention center’s Trinity Street entrance) come before auditions on May 21 in Los Angeles, June 4 in Philadelphia and June 18 in St. Louis.
  Those who haven’t signed up to audition already, can sign up to create an artist accoun
  
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• State fraud investigator forced to resign over ties to Iraqi government lobbying

  11-05-2017 22:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Texas’ top health care fraud investigator resigned Wednesday night under pressure from the governor, the result of media inquiries that revealed Texas Health and Human Services Inspector General Stuart Bowen was moonlighting for a private firm that provided services for the government of Iraq.An unsigned contract found in Bowen’s government email inbox, provided to The Texas Tribune by state officials, revealed that the Denver-based lobbying firm Browns
  
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• Driver in 2014 crash that killed woman in Buda found guilty of murder

  11-05-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The driver in a 2014 crash in Buda that killed 60-year-old Nancy Sterling-Dalton has been found guilty of murder and intoxication manslaughter.
  Hays County District Attorney Wes Mau said 39-year-old Jason Tarr’s trial started on May 1. The jury started deliberating Wednesday afternoon and concluded with the guilty verdict Thursday. The sentencing phase is currently underway.
  The crash happened just after 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29, 2014 as Tarr was driving
  
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• Elderly man kills self; said he killed wife with Alzheimer’s

  11-05-2017 19:09 via kxan.com
  
  DELTONA, Fla. (AP) — A 75-year-old man fatally shot himself while deputies were visiting his house to conduct a welfare check on his wife, and he left behind a hand-written suicide note saying he had buried her in the backyard, authorities in Florida said Wednesday.
  Laurence Caulfield admitted that he killed his wife in the note, and officials were searching the yard for her body, the Volusia County Sheriff’s department said in a news release.
  Deputies visited the home in Deltona, no
  
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• Two ‘bank jugging’ cases reported in San Marcos

  11-05-2017 18:56 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Police in San Marcos are warning people about a couple of cases of “bank jugging” that occurred in March. Bank jugging happens when suspects target people who have recently withdrawn money from a bank and leave the money in their car as they take care of other errands.
  Police say the first case happened on March 6 around 3:30 p.m. The victim went into the Bank of America located at 308 E. Hopkins St. and withdrew a large sum of money. The vi
  
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• Trump: I was going to fire that ‘showboat’ no matter what

  11-05-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Undermining previous White House explanations, President Donald Trump declared Thursday he had planned to fire FBI Director James Comey all along, regardless of whether top Justice Department officials recommended the stunning decision. His assertions came as Comey’s temporary replacement joined in, contradicting other administration statements on the snowballing controversy.
  In an interview with NBC News, Trump also said he’d asked Comey point-blank if he was
  
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• Trump: I was going to fire Comey even without recommendation

  11-05-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he would have fired FBI Director James Comey even without the recommendation from his top political appointees at the Justice Department, contradicting earlier White House accounts.
  He insisted anew that Comey had told him directly three separate times that he personally was not under investigation.
  “I was going to fire Comey,” Trump said in an interview with NBC. The White House and Vice President Mike Pence have said the
  
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• As temperatures rise, Travis County warns about mosquitoes

  11-05-2017 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As of April 28, Travis County has seen 24 cases of illness due to the Zika virus. The health department started keeping track of the cases in early 2016.
  Because of a mild Central Texas winter, officials are getting prepared for an active mosquito season, meaning the spread of Zika is more likely.
  You are being asked to not leave water sitting around, it’s where mosquitoes breed and they only need a teaspoon of it to lay their eggs.
  Austin Public Health says the best&
  
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• A look at the moms of KXAN for Mother’s Day

  11-05-2017 17:45 via kxan.com
  
  KXAN Celebrates Mother’s Day Meteorologist Rosie Newberry and her momMeteorologist Jim Spencer and Willa Anchor Shannon Wolfson and Sherry Anchor and mom Sally Hernandez and her kids DJ and NoelleAnchor Erin Cargile and her momReporter Leslie Rangel and AlejandraMeteorologist Rosie Newberry and her momCreative Services Director Natalia Egan and Lidia Senior Promotions Producer Nate Mills and Kathy Promotions Coordinator Bianka Valdez and her momDigital Director Patrick Tolbert and Patricia
  
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• Austin City Council to discuss prohibiting e-cigs

  11-05-2017 17:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday’s city council meeting will have a later start time and begin at 2 p.m. rather than 10 a.m. Here are some of the items of interest on the agenda:
  Expanding smoking ordinance to include E-cigs Right now, 10 states and hundreds of communities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Waco have prohibited e-cigarette use in the same places where smoking is already prohibited. Approval of this resolution would direct the city manager to
  
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• Austin City Council moves forward with e-cigs ban in public places

  11-05-2017 17:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday’s city council meeting will have a later start time and begin at 2 p.m. rather than 10 a.m. Here are some of the items of interest on the agenda:
  Expanding smoking ordinance to include E-cigs Right now, 10 states and hundreds of communities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Waco have prohibited e-cigarette use in the same places where smoking is already prohibited. Approval of this resolution would direct the city manager to
  
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• Austin City Council looks to ban e-cigs in public places

  11-05-2017 17:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday’s city council meeting will have a later start time and begin at 2 p.m. rather than 10 a.m. Here are some of the items of interest on the agenda:
  Expanding smoking ordinance to include E-cigs Right now, 10 states and hundreds of communities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Waco have prohibited e-cigarette use in the same places where smoking is already prohibited. Approval of this resolution would direct the city manager to
  
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• VIDEO: Motorcycle crashes into truck, bursts into flames

  11-05-2017 17:04 via kxan.com
  
  NANCHANG CITY, China (NBC News) — A man somehow managed to avoid being seriously injured when his motorcycle crashed into a truck and burst into flames.
  Surveillance video footage from an accident in China’s Nanchang City shows the motorcyclist trying to stop before crashing into the dump truck that was making a left turn.
  The motorcyclist collided with the truck’s fuel tank, immediately causing both vehicle to be engulfed in flames.
  Several people ran to help the motorcyclist
  
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• Zoo home to April the giraffe and baby opening Monday

  11-05-2017 16:19 via kxan.com
  
  HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — People hoping to get an up-close look at April the giraffe’s baby born at an upstate New York zoo before a live stream audience will have to wait a little longer.
  Animal Adventure Park originally planned to open for the season this weekend, but delayed the date until Monday because of cool and rainy conditions in the forecast.
  April gave birth to a male calf on April 15. Her pregnancy was the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube’s history, with m
  
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• Texas bill that fines police for not reporting shootings rejected, then resurrected

  11-05-2017 16:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has reconsidered and passed a bill placing new accountability measures on police departments reporting when an officer kills a civilian.
  Lawmakers late Wednesday voted 71-70 against a measure requiring the state attorney general to investigate law enforcement agencies that failed to report officer-related deaths or injuries. But the House subsequently passed a motion to reconsider and approved the bill Thursday in seconds, without debate and few lawmake
  
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• Texas bill that fines police for not reporting shootings rejected

  11-05-2017 16:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has voted down a bill that would have put new accountability measures on police departments reporting when an officer kills a civilian.
  The House voted 71-70 against a measure that would have required the state attorney general to investigate law enforcement agencies that failed to report officer-related deaths or injuries.
  Law enforcement is already required to submit reports about officer-related deaths, but the new bill they would have imposed fines
  
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• Bill that fines police for not reporting shootings rejected

  11-05-2017 16:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has voted down a bill that would have put new accountability measures on police departments reporting when an officer kills a civilian.
  The House voted 71-70 against a measure that would have required the state attorney general to investigate law enforcement agencies that failed to report officer-related deaths or injuries.
  Law enforcement is already required to submit reports about officer-related deaths, but the new bill they would have imposed fines
  
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• Oregon could be 1st in nation with 3rd gender on drivers licenses

  11-05-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon could soon be the first state in the nation to make driver’s licenses include a third gender option.
  Currently, people only have 2 choices on their Oregon driver’s licenses — male and female. But a third option — Non-Binary Gender — is a proposal that will have a public hearing Wednesday night in Portland.
  Supporters say this option would validate transgender identities and make them safer. An estimated 20,000 Oregonians identify
  
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• Nation’s oldest veteran turns 111, receives permanent Austin honor

  11-05-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It would be hard to believe anyone in Austin hasn’t heard of Richard Overton.
  The World War II veteran’s journey through this life has been well chronicled. He’s been honored with plaques and memorial gardens. He’s visited the White House to meet President Barack Obama. Thursday, the county’s oldest living veteran will again be honored with a permanent display of recognition that anyone walking or driving through his East Austin neighborhood ca
  
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• Nation’s oldest veteran receives permanent Austin honor for birthday 111

  11-05-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It would be hard to believe anyone in Austin hasn’t heard of Richard Overton.
  The World War II veteran’s journey through this life has been well chronicled. He’s been honored with plaques and memorial gardens. He’s visited the White House to meet President Barack Obama. Thursday, the county’s oldest living veteran will again be honored with a permanent display of recognition that anyone walking or driving through his East Austin neighborhood ca
  
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• Train derailment closes down Eastern Travis County intersection

  11-05-2017 10:37 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR (KXAN) — Department of Public Safety troopers are on scene of an early morning train derailment that closed an intersection in Eastern Travis County near Manor.
  DPS says three tanker train cars overturned near the intersection of Parmer Lane and Old Highway 20. The intersection is currently shut down. There’s no word on when it will reopen.
  Officials say the cars were carrying fertilizer and gravel but nothing spilled out of the train cars. DPS says the track will be close
  
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• 3 cars of train carrying gravel, fertilizer derail in Manor

  11-05-2017 10:37 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR (KXAN) — Department of Public Safety troopers and cleanup crews are on scene of an early morning train derailment that closed an intersection in eastern Travis County, near Manor.
  DPS said three tanker train cars overturned near the intersection of Parmer Lane and Old Highway 20 around 2 a.m. Thursday. The intersection is currently shut down and officials say it could remain that way until Thursday evening.
  The cars were carrying fertilizer and gravel but nothing spilled ou
  
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• Spurs looking to close out Rockets in Houston

  11-05-2017 05:15 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs are a victory away from eliminating the Houston Rockets and advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since winning the NBA title in 2014.
  But entering Thursday night’s Game 6 in Houston there are questions about whether Kawhi Leonard will be at full strength after rolling his ankle in an overtime win on Tuesday night. The Spurs’ MVP candidate was hurt when he stepped on James Harden’s foot about midway through the
  
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• 22-year-old in Williamson Co. Jail found with marijuana-mixed peanut butter

  11-05-2017 05:13 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A 22-year-old man who was in jail last week on a charge of public intoxication was found to have peanut butter mixed with marijuana in his cell.
  On May 4, a correctional officer was making his rounds at the Williamson County Jail in Georgetown when he heard Gabriel Higdon say, “Man, I’m high as f—.”
  The officer also noticed the smell of marijuana in the air and found Higdon with a bowl of peanut butter mixed in with what appeared to be mar
  
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• Fifth graders filling in for City Council say it’s harder than it looks

  11-05-2017 04:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of Austin fifth graders got a chance to see what it takes to be a city council member.
  “You don’t have to be — you know — destined to be a politician to end up there,” City Council Member Alison Alter said.
  The group from Doss Elementary was invited by Alter. The visit was auctioned off as part of a fundraiser to raise money for the school PTA.
  The winner invited his entire class to participate in a mock city council meet
  
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• Comey in farewell letter: ‘It is done, and I will be fine’

  11-05-2017 03:37 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey says in a farewell letter that he does not plan to dwell on the decision to fire him or the “way it was executed.”
  He says in the letter that although he’ll be fine, he will miss the FBI and its mission “deeply.”
  The letter circulated among Comey friends and colleagues. It was posted online by CNN Wednesday night and a person who had seen the note confirmed the online version was authentic.
  Comey also says that
  
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• Kitten rescued by firefighters from US 183 shoulder

  11-05-2017 03:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A gray tabby kitten somehow found herself stuck on the shoulder of one of the busiest stretches of road in the city.
  Firefighters were called to US 183 northbound at the Braker Lane exit Monday evening when a Good Samaritan reported the kitten trapped on the side of the highway.
  A crew was able to rescue the kitten — healthy other than an injured nose, which should heal soon.
  A kitten rescued by Austin firefighters from the US 183 shoulder (Courtesy/Karin Sanchez)The
  
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• Austin student gives scholarship to cancer survivor

  11-05-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Hyde Park High School student who won a scholarship as part of a fundraising competition, gave it away to a cancer survivor he had never met.
  After his sister’s cancer diagnosis five years ago, Chase Bradley knew he wanted to do something for cancer survivors. This year, the high school junior was selected to participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual “Student of the Year” fundraiser. The student who raised the most money over the
  
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• AISD special education teacher arrested for allegedly biting student

  11-05-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Cook Elementary School special education teacher is charged with injury to a child after a parent says the teacher bit her daughter at school.
  According to court documents, Courtney Nikole Williams, 35, was arrested and charged with the crime for an incident on March 6.
  The arrest affidavit states that Williams had to remove the victim, a 9-year-old student, from the child’s classroom because the child was being disruptive. At one point, Williams admitted
  
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• AISD special ed teacher arrested for allegedly biting student

  11-05-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Cook Elementary School special education teacher is charged with injury to a child after a parent says the teacher bit her daughter at school.
  According to court documents, Courtney Nikole Williams, 35, was arrested and charged with the crime for an incident on March 6.
  The arrest affidavit states that Williams had to remove the victim, a 9-year-old student, from the child’s classroom because the child was being disruptive. At one point, Williams admitted
  
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• List of 18 defendants, charges in Penn State hazing death

  11-05-2017 01:02 via kxan.com
  
  STATE COLLEGE, Penn. (AP) — Eighteen members of the now-shuttered Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State University face charges in connection with the Feb. 4 death of sophomore Timothy Piazza of Lebanon, New Jersey.
  Eight face the most serious charge of aggravated assault, a felony that carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. They also are charged with involuntary manslaughter, a misdemeanor punishable by 2 1/2 to 5 years in prison.
  Piazza consumed what prosecutors said was a life
  
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• Hays County constable truck mistaken as fake cop car

  11-05-2017 01:01 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Constable Precinct 2 office says they are making big changes to the way their patrol cars look in the coming weeks, partly because some in the community are reporting the deputies as cop impersonators.
  Constable Michael Torres says the changes need to happen not only to bring awareness to the community, but for the safety of his deputies.
  “Me being in law enforcement, I don’t think I would roll up behind this truck and identify it as a
  
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• Texas House OKs giving adoption agencies ‘religious refusal’

  11-05-2017 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP) — A bill headed to the Texas Senate would allow publicly funded foster care and adoption agencies to refuse to place children with non-Christian, unmarried or gay prospective parents because of religious objections. The state House gave final approval 93-49 on Wednesday, after lengthy debate the previous night.
  The state Senate is even more conservative, though passage isn’t guaranteed with the legislative session weeks away from ending.
  Sponsors say the bill is designed
  
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• Dell Seton staff carry out fast-paced simulation ahead of hospital opening

  11-05-2017 00:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The old University Medical Center Brackenridge has been an Austin landmark for decades, but its days are numbered. The new Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas opens its doors in less than two weeks.
  And doctors and nurses are sharpening their skills with new tools, technology and mock drills to prepare.
  For the first time Wednesday, the hospital tested one of its top trauma teams in a drill that included STAR Flight pilots and medics. The fast-paced si
  
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• Get your burpees in while exercising with George P. Bush

  11-05-2017 00:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On a cloudy, humid lunch hour in Austin, the southwest lawn of the Texas State Capitol is the place to head for a free workout class that is open to the public.
  “Burpees by far are the hardest. They’re my nemesis,” said Wendy O’Neill, who works in Human Resources for the Texas Railroad Commission. She’s on an exercise kick. She just finished competing in Ironman Texas a few weeks ago. “I have a history in my family of certain illness
  
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