Austin news

• NLand Surf Park opens for the summer 2017 season

  12-05-2017 23:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The first surf park in North America and the largest surf park in the world opened — again — at 9 a.m. Friday. NLand Surf Park, set on 160 acres in southeast Austin, is a for-profit company where patrons can surf in a man-made lagoon with features that make it feel like being in the ocean.
  NLand’s site says it caters to everyone, from newcomers all the way up to expert level surfers.
  The lagoon is a large pool over 10 acres filled with 11 million
  
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• Teaching and technology merge at new Dell Seton Medical Center

  12-05-2017 23:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Teaching and technology are merging at the new Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas in Austin. The cutting-edge hospital is set to open in less than a week-and-a-half.
  Doctors say the state-of-the-art advances are designed to improve patient comfort and speed their healing.
  When a patient is under the lights inside an operating room at the new hospital, they may not understand how the latest technology works to save their life, but the team of
  
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• Mother of 4-year-old student allegedly hit by teacher speaks out

  12-05-2017 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother of an Austin ISD elementary school student allegedly hit by a teacher is speaking out following the arrest of 48-year-old Joseph Melvin, a teacher for children with disabilities.
  The victim’s mother reached out to KXAN at the time of the incident, saying she was called to Pecan Springs Elementary School by the principal who said there was an incident involving her then 4-year-old son.
  “She said, ‘your son has been assaulted by one of the te
  
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• One dead in crash between car and Waco ISD school bus

  12-05-2017 22:37 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (NBC News) — One person is dead after a Waco Independent School District bus and a car crashed at an intersection Friday morning.
  Waco police said a Mazda was driving east on Bosque Boulevard when it crashed with the bus, which was going south on North 26th Street.
  Police Sgt. Patrick Swanton identified the driver of the Mazda as Jay Alexander Markley, 23. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
  The bus driver was also taken to th
  
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• Numerous agencies fighting brush fire off Highway 29 in Burnet County

  12-05-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Firefighters are battling a brush fire that broke out on State Highway 29 about 9 miles west of Burnet.
  The Cassie Volunteer Fire Department says the fire started just before 11 a.m. and as of 3 p.m., eight agencies are assisting with the fire. STAR Flight has also been called in to help drop water on the fire. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team says winds are gusting to 25 mph.
  A firefighter with Cassie VFD says no homes or people are in h
  
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• Driver suspected of DWI ran from scene of head-on crash in Manor

  12-05-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — A driver who ran from the scene of a crash in Manor Friday morning has been arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated.
  Manor police were called to the 12700 block of Gregg Manor Road, near Manor High School, after a white Mazda traveling southbound on Gregg Manor hit a Dodge Charger in a head-on crash.
  The Mazda driver then ran away, but police say they quickly located the driver thanks to witnesses at the scene. No one was injured in the crash.
  A bre
  
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• Burnet County brush fire burns 20 to 30 acres

  12-05-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Firefighters battled a brush fire that broke out on State Highway 29 about 9 miles west of Burnet.
  The Cassie Volunteer Fire Department says the fire started just before 11 a.m. and multiple agencies worked to put out the fire. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team said winds were gusting to 25 mph.
  “The wind is playing a big factor in it, but we’re also having very rough conditions out here, even our big five ton trucks are having diff
  
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• Gunman kills police chief, 2 nursing home workers in Ohio

  12-05-2017 21:16 via kxan.com
  
  KIRKERSVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a gunman has fatally shot the police chief of an Ohio village and two nursing home employees.
  Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp says the suspected gunman was also found dead Friday.
  Thorp identified the slain police chief as 36-year-old Steven Eric Disario, who headed the Kirkersville Police Department. Thorp says Disario had only been on the job for three weeks.
  Disario was found outside the Pine Kirk Care Center. Thorp says two employees of the
  
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• World cyberattack cripples UK hospitals, demands ransoms

  12-05-2017 20:29 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Britain’s health service was hit Friday by a huge international cyberattack that froze computers at hospitals across the country — an attack that shut down wards, closed emergency rooms and brought medical treatments to a screeching halt.
  Hospitals in areas across Britain found themselves without access to their computers or phone systems. Many canceled all routine procedures and asked patients not to come to the hospitals unless it was an emergency. Some chemothe
  
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• Report: Naming babies ‘Caitlyn’ is ‘suddenly controversial’

  12-05-2017 19:31 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Don’t call me Caitlyn.
  A year after Caitlyn Jenner announced her new name and gender, the popularity of the name Caitlyn plummeted more than any other baby name, according to Social Security’s annual list of the most popular baby names.
  In fact, the four names that dropped the most were all variations of the same name: Caitlin, Caitlyn, Katelynn and Kaitlynn.
  “It was inevitable,” said Laura Wattenberg, founder of BabynameWizard.com. “Caitlyn
  
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• Don’t call me Caitlyn: Baby name plunges in popularity

  12-05-2017 19:31 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Don’t call me Caitlyn.
  A year after Caitlyn Jenner announced her new name and gender, the popularity of the name Caitlyn plummeted more than any other baby name, according to Social Security’s annual list of the most popular baby names.
  In fact, the four names that dropped the most were all variations of the same name: Caitlin, Caitlyn, Katelynn and Kaitlynn.
  “It was inevitable,” said Laura Wattenberg, founder of BabynameWizard.com. “Caitlyn
  
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• Trial delayed for man accused of killing boyfriend in West Campus fight

  12-05-2017 19:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Family members of Stephen Sylvester, the 18-year-old who authorities believe was killed by his boyfriend Bryan Canchola in July 2015, will be waiting until October to learn the outcome of court proceedings.
  A witness with an illness caused the cancellation of a hearing on Friday, forcing the judge to push Canchola’s trial until Oct. 16.
  “It’s very hard to wait because you replay it every day,” said Sylvester’s aunt, Chanae Perkins. “
  
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• Senator John Cornyn being considered for FBI Director, report says

  12-05-2017 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ own U.S. Senator John Cornyn is on a list of potential candidates to replace fired FBI Director James Comey, reports Fox News.
  A White House official who was briefed on the matter tells Fox News Cornyn’s name is on a list with 10 others. Cornyn, who is currently the Senate Majority Whip, is joined by one other congressional member Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
  While the timeline for the nomination is not known, the source says the White House is “moving q
  
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• Sen. Cornyn met Justice Dept. officials Saturday to interview for FBI director

  12-05-2017 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (KXAN & AP) — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, met with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, on Saturday at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.
  The No. 2 Republican leader in the Senate, Cornyn is one of at least six people slated to interview for the position. He is a former Texas attorney general and state Supreme Court justice. He has been a member of the Senate GOP leadership team for a decade and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committ
  
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• Board your pet in style at new Austin airport Bark & Zoom

  12-05-2017 19:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re headed out of town, a company at the Austin airport wants to make it even easier for you to park your car and board your pet, all at one location.
  The Bark & Zoom at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport opens its doors to pets and their owners on Saturday, May 13. The business is located north of the main airport entry at 2601 Cardinal Loop.
  MORE: Some customers confused about new ABIA South Terminal location
  While you’re off on your vacation, yo
  
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• As Trump seeks billions for wall, US still paying for fence

  12-05-2017 18:31 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump tries to persuade a skeptical Congress to fund his proposed multibillion-dollar wall on the Mexican border, government lawyers are still settling claims with Texas landowners over a border fence approved more than a decade ago.
  Two settlements were completed just this week.
  The legal battles over the stop-and-start fence covering just one-third of the border have outlasted two presidents.
  Depending on what kind of wall the government now decides to
  
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• El Paso officer injured in rollover crash

  12-05-2017 18:05 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso police officer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after his patrol car landed on its hood Friday morning.
  The crash happened near El Paso High School just after 8 a.m. An EPPD patrol unit rolled onto its hood on the sidewalk. It’s not known at this time what caused the crash.
  One officer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
  
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• Concrete barrier falls off truck on US 183 in Cedar Park

  12-05-2017 17:28 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Southbound lanes of Bell Boulevard (Highway 183) at West Whitestone Boulevard were blocked for several hours due to a truck that lost its load Friday morning.
  Cedar Park police say a concrete barrier fell from the 18-wheeler hauling it around 9 a.m. Crews at the scene say the truck was making a turn when the load shifted and spilled onto the street. Authorities believe the load was not properly secured.
  Crews were able to clear the debris and reopen the road
  
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• 3 children dead, others badly hurt in Conroe house fire

  12-05-2017 17:25 via kxan.com
  
  CONROE, Texas (AP/KXAN) — Three children are dead and six other members of the same family are injured, three critically, after a burning house collapsed north of Houston.
  According to KPRC, the fire started around 4 a.m. Friday in a two-story home.
  The children range in age from 3 to 11 years old.
  Three others were taken to hospitals in critical condition and three more have injuries that are not life-threatening.
  Two Shenandoah police officers who were among the first to respond to
  
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• US prosecutors told to push for more, harsher punishments

  12-05-2017 16:35 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is directing federal prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges possible against the vast majority of suspects, a reversal of Obama-era policies that is sure to send more people to prison and for much longer terms.
  The move has long been expected from Sessions, a former federal prosecutor who cut his teeth during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic and who has promised to make combating violence and drugs the Justice Department&rsqu
  
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• Round Rock police ask for help finding 2nd 7-Eleven robbery suspect

  12-05-2017 16:15 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A second teen connected to the early Wednesday morning robbery of a 7-Eleven gas station is still on the loose and you could know where he is.
  Police said M’Kenzie Allen Marzett, 19, got away by shooting the glass door of the store at 2680 Gattis School Rd after his cohort, Anthony Rheinholtz, was put in a headlock by an employee and then pinned to the ground with the help of a customer. The teenagers were attempting to steal cigarettes.
  Anthony R
  
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• Handwritten Harry Potter prequel stolen in burglary

  12-05-2017 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — A handwritten Harry Potter prequel penned on a piece of card by J.K. Rowling has been stolen during a burglary in England.
  Rowling wrote the 800-word story for a 2008 charity auction, where it sold for 25,000 pounds ($49,000 at the time).
  West Midlands Police said Friday that it was stolen, along with some jewelry, during a burglary in Birmingham, central England between April 13 and 24.
  Investigating officer Paul Jauncey has appealed to any Potter fans who see the story or a
  
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• Another scorpion reported on Houston United flight

  12-05-2017 14:39 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A United flight from Houston to Ecuador was delayed after a scorpion was spotted aboard.
  United says Flight 1035 returned to the gate Thursday night after a scorpion “reportedly emerged from a customer’s clothing.” Paramedics examined the man and determined that he hadn’t been stung. It’s unclear whether a scorpion was found.
  United says it found a new aircraft for the flight and all passengers were given a meal voucher for the inconvenience.
  Th
  
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• Get a sneak peek at Austin’s newest hospital this weekend

  12-05-2017 13:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you want to know what $310 million worth of new hospital feels like, Saturday is your chance.
  Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas is hosting an open house for any and all who want a close up look at the hospital, which opens to patients May 21.
  The building will replace the University Medical Center Brackenridge.
  “It’s going to be like a live game of the game Operation,” says Dell Seton Medical Center President, Christann Vasquez.
  
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• Midnight deadline in House leads to more than 100 bills dying

  12-05-2017 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lawmakers in the state House had a big deadline overnight. They had until midnight to pass bills out of committee. In the end, more than 100 bills died, but could see a second life if they get attached to another bill that has already passed.
  It was an emotional night inside the House chamber as some lawmakers were yelling and scolding their fellow lawmakers for their partisan behavior during the session. Others made tearful pleas to have their bill heard.
  Representative Dr
  
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• State drops bag ban lawsuit against Brownsville

  12-05-2017 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — After a fight about, what Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called, an illegal sales tax, the state has backed down after Brownsville city officials repealed their ‘environmental fee’ for plastic bag purchases.
  The $1 fee on the purchase of single-use bags had been in place since January 2016. A.G. Paxton said the fee was in violation of Texas Tax Code and Health and Safety Code laws and filed a lawsuit against the city in Oct. 2016.
  Report
  
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• Two shot overnight in Round Rock

  12-05-2017 08:34 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) -Two people were taken to the hospital after a shooting.
  It’s happening at the Red Hill Villas on 1401 South A.W. Grimes Boulevard.
  Round Rock police say one of the victims was listed in critical condition.  No word on what started the incident.
  This is a developing story.
   
  
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• 2 shot at Round Rock apartment complex

  12-05-2017 08:34 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) –Two people were taken to the hospital after a shooting in Round Rock Thursday night.
  It happened at the Red Hill Villas on 1401 South A.W. Grimes Blvd. around 10:30 p.m.
  Authorities found a man and woman with gunshot wounds who were transported to the hospital. One of them was listed as being in critical condition.
  Round Rock police have said nothing about potential suspects or what may have started the incident but said there is no threat to the public. 
   
  
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• Finding different mosquito repellent options

  12-05-2017 06:01 via kxan.com
  
  WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KFDX) — With the warmer months already here, Texans will begin to see more and more mosquitoes.
  “We’re seeing some mosquitoes. We’re seeing more gnats than we are mosquitoes, but we are seeing some as evident with the larva — but we are out in force — treating standing water,” general environmental administrator, Susan Morris, said.
  The health district is also preparing their trucks to spray for mosquitoes. Of course, they recommend
  
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• Austin plans to ban e-cigs in same places as smoking

  12-05-2017 05:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Right now, 10 states and hundreds of cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Waco have prohibited e-cigarette use in the same places where smoking is already prohibited. Thursday, city council approved a resolution that shows Austin aims to be next on the list.
  The move directs the city manager to draft amendments to the city code and add electronic smoking devices to the list where smoking is prohibited in public places — think par
  
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• Austin city council approves e-cigarette ban in public places

  12-05-2017 05:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Right now, 10 states and hundreds of cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Waco have prohibited e-cigarette use in the same places where smoking is already prohibited. Thursday, city council approved a resolution that shows Austin aims to be next on the list.
  The move directs the city manager to draft amendments to the city code and add electronic smoking devices to the list where smoking is prohibited in public places — think par
  
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• Spurs cruise into Conference finals

  12-05-2017 05:13 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs eliminated the sluggish James Harden and Houston Rockets with a 114-75 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night, and they didn’t even need Kawhi Leonard to do it.
  LaMarcus Aldridge had a season-high 34 points and added 12 rebounds in his second big game of the of the Western Conference semifinal series to pick up the scoring slack with Leonard out after rolling his ankle in San Antonio’s overtime victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
  The Spurs were
  
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• Eyewitness to deadly 6th Street shooting never saw Nobles fire at police

  12-05-2017 04:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who was working overnight security at the Pecan Street Festival says he saw the entire officer-involved shooting play out early Sunday morning.
  Eyewitness Elvis Ingram tells KXAN, “As he was running on Trinity an officer picked up a bicycle and threw it at his face and he tripped and fell over the bike. When he fell right by my golf cart a pop went off and he jumped up immediately and he ran past me,” Ingram continued.
  Ingram believes the pop came fro
  
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• Trump supporter’s confrontation with Muslim family at South Padre goes viral

  12-05-2017 04:38 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) — “Donald Trump will stop you [expletive]!” shouted Alexander Jennes Downing, 35, to a Muslim family.
  Downing is captured on video by the family with children as young as 2 years old present on the beach of South Padre Island, Texas.
  The alcohol fueled, racial slur tirade lasted for 20 minutes according to a Facebook post by Noria Alward. She posted the video on YouTube May 5.
  According to South Padre Island police, “On May 3, 2017, officers
  
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• Lawmakers take bills hostage as session winds down

  12-05-2017 02:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Out of 6,700 bills filed, only a dozen have become law and when lawmakers see their bills dying, they take hostages.
  A state debate right now: should we send 17-year-old felons to juvenile detention centers rather than state jails as we do now? The argument is they’re not adults yet, with reasoning and impulse control still in development.
  But the change comes with a cost. Care for those criminals would shift from the Texas correctional system to individual counties.
  
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• Ballooning overtime prompts Austin City Council questions

  12-05-2017 01:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city is seeking a $3.5 million fund transfer to help pay ballooning Austin Fire Department overtime, and the financial maneuvering has council members asking city management for more details that can explain the costs.
  There are “a lot of unanswered basic questions with respect to overtime and AFD,” said City Council Member Alison Alter at a city council meeting Thursday. “[City Council Member Jimmy] Flannigan had questions that were put into
  
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• Sister of Pflugerville homicide victim identifies him

  12-05-2017 01:31 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Family members have identified the man they say was killed at a Pflugerville apartment complex Wednesday morning. 
  Ashlin Martinez tells KXAN her brother, 20-year-old Jose Martinez, was starting a new construction job at 8 a.m. Wednesday when he was shot and killed. Pflugerville police say the shooting happened at the 1825 Place Apartments located at 15835 Foothill Farms Loop around 5 a.m.
  Martinez was found in the parking lot and taken to the hospital whe
  
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• PHOTOS: Hail blankets parts of Austin-metro Thursday

  12-05-2017 01:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A cell that quickly moved through the Austin-area Thursday afternoon didn’t produce much rain, but some KXAN viewers did see some hail ranging all the way from dime sized to quarter sized.
  If you ever have a weather photo you would like to share, send it via our ReportIt function.
  WATCH: Your full forecast Hail May 11, 2017 Hail in Pflugerville. (ReportIt: Deb Rebisz)Hail at Great Hills Golf Course. (ReportIt: Selah Gay)Hail in Round Rock (ReportIt: Christine Jones)Ha
  
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• Uber ‘disappointed’ sex amendment still included in Texas ridesharing bill

  12-05-2017 00:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — What does biological sex have to do with statewide regulations of companies like Uber and Lyft? Not much, but the full Texas Senate will soon debate the issue as the bill inches toward becoming law.
  A section of the HB 100 defines sex as “the physical condition of being male or female.” That section remained in the bill after it passed the Senate State Affairs Committee Thursday evening.
  “We are disappointed that this unnecessary amendment i
  
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• More IVF patients getting test to determine perfect timing

  12-05-2017 00:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Timing can be everything in a woman’s quest to become pregnant, especially if she struggles to conceive. But, doctors say there is one test on the market that can reveal the perfect time. And, they’re offering it to more women.
  Endometrial Receptivity Asset or ERA, for short.
  Christina Michaud’s little boy is beautiful and unborn and due in late June. Her doctor gave her the test a couple of months before she got pregnant.
  It’s been a long
  
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• Using Innovative and Advanced Technology to Treat Brain Tumors

  12-05-2017 00:27 via kxan.com
  
  May is National Brain Cancer Awareness Month. Radiation oncologist Dr. Stephen Brown joined us in the studio to tell us how Austin Cyber Knife treats this particular kind of cancer. A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in the brain or central spine that can disrupt proper brain function. Doctors refer to a tumor based on where the tumor cells originated, and whether they are cancerous (malignant or metastatic) or not (benign).
  The least aggressive type of brain tumor is often calle
  
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• Pecan Springs Elementary teacher charged with injuring child

  12-05-2017 00:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin ISD elementary school teacher has been arrested on a charge of injury to a child.
  Pecan Springs Elementary School teacher Joseph Melvin was arrested Wednesday. Principal Elaine McKinney says Melvin has been on administrative leave since they received a report of the incident in November.
  The district says Melvin, who had been with the district since August 2010, was teaching preschool programs for children with disabilities.
  Jail records show Melvin, 48, has since
  
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