Austin news

• Toyota moves in hundreds of California employees to new Texas headquarters

  15-05-2017 23:56 via kxan.com
  
  PLANO, Texas (KXAN) — Toyota is opening a new North American headquarters in Texas.
  The two million-square foot facility broke ground a couple years ago in Plano. Monday, the company will begin moving in 250 of its 4,000 employees, and will continue to do that throughout the summer, according to NBC DFW.
  7 current, ex-employees of El Paso Toyota dealership ran crime ring, police say
  Toyota is relocating nearly 3,000 workers from its former Torrance, California headquarters t
  
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• Missing 86-year-old woman in Central Austin found safe

  15-05-2017 23:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Melba Schwarz, 86, the missing woman last seen walking away from her home in the 500 block of Placid Place at around 12:30 p.m. Monday, has been found safe.
  A silver alert was issued in an effort to find Schwarz, who has medical conditions that create a cause for concern.
  Police said she could be anywhere in the Burnet Road, Hancock Drive or Northland Drive area. She is described as a white female, 5-foot-4, 150 pounds, with white hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen
  
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• 2 crew members killed in Learjet crash near New York City

  15-05-2017 23:07 via kxan.com
  
  CARLSTADT, N.J. (AP) — A jet crashed into a building near a small airport on Monday, killing two crew members and sparking a fire that sent thick, black smoke spewing into the air, authorities said.
  Police said no passengers were aboard the Learjet 35 when it went down around 3:30 p.m. Monday near Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, just west of New York City. It wasn’t clear if anyone on the ground was injured.
  Emergency responders reached the scene a short time later and were working
  
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• Texas is one decision away from a statewide texting and driving ban

  15-05-2017 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Supporters of a statewide ban on texting and driving say they have the votes to pass it through the last major hurdle of the 2017 legislative session, and now they want Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to call it for a vote.
  Per the Texas Constitution, the lieutenant governor is president of the Senate and decides whether the upper chamber will vote on a piece of legislation.
  House Bill 62 by Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, passed the House earlier this year. It is pending in a Sena
  
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• Venezuelans again shut down capital to protest government

  15-05-2017 22:14 via kxan.com
  
  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of protesters hauled folding chairs, beach umbrellas and coolers onto main roads across Venezuela on Monday for another national demonstration against the socialist government.
  The “sit-in against the dictatorship” was the latest in a month and a half of street protests against President Nicolas Maduro that have resulted in dozens of deaths. Even before the protest started in Caracas, many businesses closed and taxi drivers suspended work in
  
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• 2 dead as Venezuela protests turn violent outside capital

  15-05-2017 22:14 via kxan.com
  
  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A day that began with largely peaceful protests against Venezuela’s socialist government took a violent turn Monday as fierce clashes between state security and demonstrators killed at least two people.
  Thousands hauled folding chairs, beach umbrellas and protest signs onto main roads for a 12-hour “sit-in against the dictatorship,” the latest in a month and a half of street demonstrations that have resulted in dozens of deaths.
  Protests in Carac
  
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• SH 29 reopens after overturned semi blocks traffic

  15-05-2017 21:49 via kxan.com
  
  BERTRAM, Texas (KXAN) — Traffic was blocked in both directions on State Highway 29 in Liberty Hill, after a semi truck overturned on the road.
  Officials said it would be several hours before all lanes reopen, which they finally did at around 6 p.m.
  Deputies say the driver has minor injuries and no other vehicles were involved in the crash between Bertram and Liberty Hill. Department of Public Safety troopers were at the scene of the crash.
  Find a detour around the crash with the KXAN Traff
  
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• Spider monkey killed during jaguar escape at Abilene Zoo

  15-05-2017 21:15 via kxan.com
  
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — A jaguar escaped from its enclosure at the Abilene Zoo and injured a spider monkey Monday morning.
  The Zoo’s executive director detailed the incident in a press conference later that morning, saying that at approximately 8:10 a.m., zoo staff learned a 2-year-old jaguar, Estrella, had escaped her enclosure and was seen sitting on top of the adjacent spider monkey exhibit.
  Emergency response teams then used tranquilizer guns to subdue the jaguar and take he
  
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• Jaguar escapes Abilene Zoo enclosure and attacks spider monkey

  15-05-2017 21:15 via kxan.com
  
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — A jaguar escaped from its enclosure at the Abilene Zoo and injured a spider monkey Monday morning.
  The Zoo’s executive director detailed the incident in a press conference later that morning, saying that at approximately 8:10 a.m., zoo staff learned a 2-year-old jaguar, Estrella, had escaped her enclosure and was seen sitting on top of the adjacent spider monkey exhibit.
  Emergency response teams then used tranquilizer guns to subdue the jaguar and take he
  
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• Trump honors fallen police officers, vows to reduce violence

  15-05-2017 19:37 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Decrying violence against police, President Donald Trump honored the “brave souls” of law enforcement on Monday and vowed his administration would look for ways to reduce violence against police.
  Trump addressed law enforcement and family members of the fallen at the 36th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service outside the U.S. Capitol, reaffirming his campaign promises to restore justice and end attacks on police.
  “Every drop of blood spi
  
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• Man accused of killing girlfriend’s dog by stabbing it in the head

  15-05-2017 19:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A veterinarian’s autopsy suggested to police that a man may have stabbed his girlfriend’s dog in the head with something resembling a flat-head screwdriver at least two times, leading police to issue a warrant for his arrest.
  Johnny Ray Doolin, 27, took the dog, a brown and black male Yorkshire Terrier identified as Prince in police documents, to a veterinarian clinic on March 24 because it was not moving and was bleeding from its head. Doolin reported to the ve
  
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• Woman charged with DWI after crashing into Austin officer’s car

  15-05-2017 18:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While stopped for one traffic violation, an Austin police officer got up close and personal with another after a woman crashed into their patrol car Friday night.
  According to a police report, Reagan Kremmer, 42, was driving in the 4400 block of South Interstate 35, on the northbound service road, around 10:07 p.m. when she crashed into the back of a stopped patrol car. The officer was out of the unit, conducting a traffic stop, and watched as their car was pushed into
  
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• Mom hit son after grandma got Mother’s Day card instead, police say

  15-05-2017 17:19 via kxan.com
  
  SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA) – A Spartanburg woman is accused of hitting a little boy after he made a Mother’s Day card for his grandmother, instead of her.
  Shontrell Yurmeish Murphy, 30, is charged with Cruelty to children (Torture, deprivation), according to warrants.
  Police say it happened on May 11 at a home on the 100 block of Amos St. in the city limits.
  The warrant says the 6-year-old boy was hit in the head “really hard a few times,” according to the boy’s si
  
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• Man accused of sending strippers to neighbors’ home 75 times

  15-05-2017 16:31 via kxan.com
  
  OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 45-year-old west Omaha man has been charged with pandering and solicitation after investigators say he sent prostitutes dozens of times over nearly four years to his neighbor’s house to strip on their porch.
  Prosecutors say police were able to trace phone communications from the prostitutes to Douglas Goldsberry, who lives across the street from the Elkhorn house where the women were stripping.
  The family with two small children reported that women had shown up a
  
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• Officer accidentally overdoses after touching Fentanyl during drug arrest

  15-05-2017 15:19 via kxan.com
  
  EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (WKBN) – An East Liverpool Police officer, while responding to a drug-involved call Friday night, accidentally touched Fentanyl and overdosed.
  Friday around 8:50 p.m., East Liverpool patrolman Chris Green responded to a traffic stop at the bottom of Lisbon Street at West 8th Street.
  According to a police report, East Liverpool Police had blocked in a blue Monte Carlo after watching the driver — 25-year-old Justin Buckle — perform what they believed was a dr
  
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• Austin’s splash pads open for the season

  15-05-2017 15:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday marks the day Austin’s 11 splash pads go online for the season, starting at 9 a.m.
  Maintenance at all splash pads as been completed and the city assures they’re all good to go and should remain open all summer.
  Last year, a splash pad was shutdown because of issues with its pump. There have also been concerns over bacterial infections.
  “When you show up and they’re not working, that’s actually a good thing because we have safety mechanis
  
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• No lifeguard shortage expected at Austin pools this year

  15-05-2017 14:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City pools should open on time in Austin this year.
  The city’s Aquatic Division Director, Jodi Jay said she’s “cautiously optimistic” in saying so. Her confidence comes from the number of lifeguards on payroll compared to recent years.
  “We’re cautiously optimistic that everything’s going to open up on time, but we need things to stay trending the way they are,” Jay said.
  Revealed: Austin’s public pool inspection reports
  
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• $10K reward offered for killer of rare Yellowstone wolf

  15-05-2017 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The reward for information leading to whoever shot a rare white wolf found inside Yellowstone National Park rose to $10,000 on Friday after a wolf advocacy group matched a $5,000 reward offered earlier by the park.
  Yellowstone officials euthanized the severely injured wolf after hikers found the animal suffering in the northern edge of the park, near Gardiner, Montana, on April 11. The 12-year-old wolf that was killed was the alpha female of a group of wolves dubbed t
  
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• ‘Deadwood’ actor Powers Boothe dies at 68

  15-05-2017 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Powers Boothe, the character actor known for his villain roles in TV’s “Deadwood,” and in the movies “Tombstone,” ”Sin City” and “The Avengers,” has died. He was 68.
  Boothe’s publicist said he died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday.
  Fellow actor Beau Bridges tweeted the news and called him “a dear friend, great actor, devoted father and husband.”
  Boothe won an Emmy in 1980 for pl
  
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• Study on what’s to be done with Seaholm Intake announced

  15-05-2017 12:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin has finished their review of the Seaholm Intake Facility and announced a new phase of the development process on Monday.
  While rest of the Seaholm redevelopment project moved along, the Intake Facility building, sitting on three acres of lakefront property, has sat unused. An iconic Art Deco design, it was once the pump house for the Seaholm Power Plant.
  A $450,000 planning study will begin in late May and will rely heavily on public input. Ideas pre
  
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• City seeks more public input for Seaholm Intake Facility’s future

  15-05-2017 12:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s prime real estate nestled between Lady Bird Lake and one of Austin’s newest developments. New plans are evolving for the historic Seaholm Intake Facility, but there are big questions about what the future may hold.
  The city of Austin finished its review of the facility and announced a new phase of the development process on Monday. Despite the buildup, KXAN learned we’re no further now than we were five years ago in terms of knowing wha
  
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• Remembering fallen APD Officer Abdul-Khaliq for National Police Week

  15-05-2017 06:00 via kxan.com
  
  Washington, D.C. (KXAN) — Eight months after Austin Police Officer Amir Abdul-Khaliq’s death, will be honored at a national memorial Monday for giving his life to protect the public. Abdul-Khaliq was hit by a car while escorting a funeral procession in 2016.
  National Police Week falls May 15 through May 21, bringing many police departments across the country, including the Austin Police Department, to spend the weekend in Washington, D.C. to remember the lives of law enforcement
  
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• Warriors rally for win after Spurs lose Leonard

  15-05-2017 05:08 via kxan.com
  
  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry started the rally in the third to get Golden State going, then Kevin Durant was determined to do his part in the fourth.Two of the biggest stars on one side delivered when the best player on the other went down.
  Curry scored 40 points and hit a tying 3-pointer with 1:48 remaining, and the Warriors rallied from way behind after Kawhi Leonard was lost to an ankle injury to beat the San Antonio Spurs 113-111 on Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference fi
  
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• ‘School choice’ change to finance bill begins high stakes negotiations

  15-05-2017 04:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – State lawmakers are running out of time. They’ve only got two more weeks to nail down a school finance plan. The Texas House passed a $1.6 billion revamp, but the Senate just shook things up.
  Earlier this year, the Texas House-led by Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, banned public dollars for private schools. Instead, they approved a plan by Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, to raise all public school money. But Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, R, and the Senate will not fix school
  
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• Music program aims to give at-risk youth a note up

  15-05-2017 04:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of young musicians and their mentors showed off their talent in a concert called the “Real World Music Showcase” Sunday afternoon at Emo’s in south Austin.
  They are participants in a program by Anthropos Arts, an organization connecting at-risk or low-income youth with professional musicians.
  This year’s concert featured music from Colombia, Cuba, Angola, Lebanon and New Orleans.
  Mentors in the program provide free music lessons to their ment
  
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• Hundreds protest ‘sanctuary cities bill’ at City Hall, Governor’s Mansion on Mother’s Day

  15-05-2017 02:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law sent hundreds of protesters into downtown Austin streets Sunday. They came out to participate in “Texas’ Moms Fight Back” — a march and rally in support of undocumented immigrants, specifically, undocumented mothers.
  Several groups organized this protest on Mother’s Day, saying the government should not separate families.
  Gov. Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 — also known as the “san
  
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