Austin news

• Report: President asked Comey to shut down investigation into Michael Flynn

  16-05-2017 23:57 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is disputing a report that President Donald Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn.
  The New York Times says Trump made the request to Comey during a February meeting. The newspaper cites a memo Comey wrote following the meeting.
  Trump fired Comey last week.
  The White House says the report is “not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the pres
  
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• State Sen. Carlos Uresti indicted on bribery, money laundering charges

  16-05-2017 23:50 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — Texas State Senator Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, is facing multiple indictments for allegedly developing an investment Ponzi scheme and making false statements to investors.
  The 53-year-old state senator is accused of developing the scheme to market fracking sand for oil production under the Four Winds company. The chief executive officer, Stanley Bates, and Four Winds consultant Gary Cain, have also been indicted on charges of committing wire fraud and conspiracy to
  
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• Volunteers help crack down on disabled parking abuse

  16-05-2017 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Getting around town for many of us isn’t a second thought. But for those who are disabled, the daily task of finding a parking spot can turn into an ordeal.
  Laurie Allen is a self-proclaimed “baby quad,” meaning she has been living as a quadriplegic for just over two years. “I’m just now really getting out and about and being a lot more independent,” Allen says.
  “Parking has presented a whole new set of challenges for me as I am get
  
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• Texas testing Trump administration over abortion providers

  16-05-2017 22:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP) — Texas is asking the federal government to reverse course and fund a state-run women’s health program that excludes Planned Parenthood, an apparent test of the Trump administration over abortion policy.
  The state is seeking a waiver to restore millions of federal Medicaid dollars that were blocked under President Barack Obama in 2011 after the state’s family planning program booted abortion providers.
  Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for Texas’ health agency, s
  
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• Fallen officers remembered at DPS Peace Officer Memorial

  16-05-2017 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since last year’s DPS Peace Officer Memorial Service on May 17, 2016, another 18 officers were killed in the line of duty in Texas. Those 18 officers, along with fallen officers from years past, were remembered at Tuesday’s memorial service at DPS Headquarters.
  Gov. Greg Abbott was the keynote speaker for the event honoring the Texas troopers, special agents and Texas Rangers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The DPS Peace Officer Memorial Service i
  
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• Sen. John Cornyn turns down FBI Director job

  16-05-2017 20:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, says he is taking himself out of contention for the vacant FBI Director job so he can continue fighting “for a conservative agenda in the U.S. Senate.”
  Over the weekend, Cornyn met with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, to discuss the prospect of replacing fired James Comey. Last week, Fox News reported that Cornyn was one of 11 people on President Donald Trump’s list of potential candida
  
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• Fredericksburg High School evacuated after threat

  16-05-2017 19:31 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — Parents in Fredericksburg are being told to pick up their high schoolers at the Gillespie County fairgrounds after an undisclosed threat forced the school to be closed for the day.
  Police confirmed that evacuations were done at the high school after the threat was found on social media around 10:30 a.m.
  Students are being bused to the fairgrounds.
  Authorities are investigating the school and are expected to update the public at a later time. San Antonio
  
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• Man who killed woman in Buda DWI crash gets 20 years in prison

  16-05-2017 18:50 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – After less than 10 hours of deliberations, a Hays County jury has sentenced a man found guilty of murder and intoxication manslaughter to 20 years in prison.
  Jason Tarr, a well-known realtor, was found guilty last Thursday for causing a crash that killed 60-year-old Nancy Sterling-Dalton in September of 2014 in Buda. Witnesses following the truck saw Tarr weaving onto the shoulder and crossing the center line before crashing head-on into Sterling-Dalton’s c
  
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• Man who caused deadly Buda DWI crash will spend 20 years in prison

  16-05-2017 18:50 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – After less than 10 hours of deliberations, a Hays County jury has sentenced a man found guilty of murder and intoxication manslaughter to 20 years in prison.
  Jason Tarr, a well-known realtor, was found guilty last Thursday for causing a crash that killed 60-year-old Nancy Sterling-Dalton in September of 2014 in Buda. Witnesses following the truck saw Tarr weaving onto the shoulder and crossing the center line before crashing head-on into Sterling-Dalton’s c
  
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• Police: Gang activity led to Round Rock crime spree, Pflugerville murder

  16-05-2017 18:19 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Evidence found at the scene of the 7-Eleven Robbery in Round Rock on May 10 led to the arrest of an 18-year-old believed to have murdered a man in a Pflugerville apartment complex’s parking lot the same morning.
  Pflugerville police have connected Robert Joseph Uribe to the murder of 20-year-old Jose Avidan Martinez, who was found with a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the 1825 Place Apartments located at 15835 Foothill Farms Loop around
  
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• Pflugerville homicide suspect connected to Round Rock 7-Eleven robbery

  16-05-2017 18:19 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Evidence found at the scene of the May 10 7-Eleven Robbery in Round Rock led to the arrest of an 18-year-old believed to have murdered a man in a Pflugerville apartment complex’s parking lot the same morning.
  Pflugerville police have connected Robert Joseph Uribe to the murder of 20-year-old Jose Avidan Martinez, who was found with a gunshot wound in the parking lot of the 1825 Place Apartments located at 15835 Foothill Farms Loop around 5 a.m.
  Autho
  
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• SHOCKING VIDEO: Disabled teenager forced to steal

  16-05-2017 17:41 via kxan.com
  
  DETROIT, Michigan (NBC News) — A developmentally disabled teenager was forced against his will to steal from a Detroit gas station, and police want everyone to see the video.
  Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the older man seen directing the teen at a Sunoco station. They said there have already been two incidents.
  Video shows a boy, who police said is between 13 and 15 years old, getting out of a Jeep at the gas station with a man who appears to be in his 5
  
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• Tiny uninhabited Pacific isle has 38 million pieces of trash

  16-05-2017 17:05 via kxan.com
  
  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When researchers traveled to a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they were astonished to find an estimated 38 million pieces of trash washed up on the beaches.
  Almost all of the garbage they found on Henderson Island was made from plastic. There were toy soldiers, dominos, toothbrushes and hundreds of hardhats of every shape, size and color.
  The researchers say the density of trash was the highest recorded anywhere in the world, des
  
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• Scientists find 38 million pieces of trash on Pacific island

  16-05-2017 17:05 via kxan.com
  
  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — When researchers traveled to a tiny, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they were astonished to find an estimated 38 million pieces of trash washed up on the beaches.
  Almost all of the garbage they found on Henderson Island was made from plastic. There were toy soldiers, dominos, toothbrushes and hundreds of hardhats of every shape, size and color.
  The researchers say the density of trash was the highest recorded anywhere in the world, des
  
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• VIDEO: Man robbing pizza place wrestles, chokes police K-9

  16-05-2017 16:13 via kxan.com
  
  WINTER HAVEN, Florida (WFLA) — A would-be robber got quite a surprise Saturday night after he broke into a Hungry Howie’s restaurant.
  Authorities say Joseph Pellegrini refused to come out after they responded to the scene, at which time they released their K-9 unit into the restaurant to help apprehend the suspect.
  Pellegrini then proceeded to wrestle the police dog, even choking the K-9 at one point in an attempt to get free.
  In the end, officers were able to apprehend Pellegrini wi
  
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• VIDEO: Fans finally meet April the giraffe and baby in person

  16-05-2017 15:33 via kxan.com
  
  HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (WFLA/NBC News) — Last month, millions of people all over the world watched April the giraffe give birth live over the internet to her baby, Tajiri. On Monday, about a thousand people showed up to meet the giraffe family in person.
  Animal Adventure Park in New York opened for the season Monday morning.
  Those who visited got the very first close-up look at baby Tajiri and his parents, April and Oliver.
  According to the park’s owner, people from New Hampshire, V
  
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• White House insists Trump’s disclosures ‘wholly appropriate’

  16-05-2017 15:11 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s disclosure of classified information to senior Russian officials as “wholly appropriate,” as Trump tried to beat back criticism from fellow Republicans and calm international allies increasingly wary about sharing their secrets with the new president.
  The highly classified information about an Islamic State plot was collected by Israel, a crucial source of intelligence and close partner in the
  
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• Trump talk with Russians ‘wholly appropriate,’ adviser says

  16-05-2017 15:11 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing back against allegations of damaging intelligence disclosures, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser insisted Tuesday that Trump’s revelations to Russian officials about the terrorist threat from the Islamic State group were “wholly appropriate” and amounted to a routine sharing of information.
  H.R. McMaster added that none of the U.S. officials present for the president’s Oval Office meeting with the Russian foreign mini
  
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• Trump defends sharing terrorism ‘facts’ with Russians

  16-05-2017 15:11 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his right to share “facts pertaining to terrorism” and airline safety with Russia, saying in a pair of tweets he has “an absolute right” as president to do so.
  Trump’s tweets did not say whether he revealed classified information about the Islamic State group, as published reports have said and as a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
  The White House has pushed back against those repo
  
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• Truck driver violated drive times when concrete beam fell off in Georgetown

  16-05-2017 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — After a huge concrete beam fell off of a truck this morning, causing traffic back-ups on Interstate 35 in Georgetown, KXAN Investigates discovered the driver was not following all the rules. The beam, used in bridge construction, measuring 40 feet long by 14 feet wide fell off early Tuesday morning.
  The Georgetown Police Department says the incident began between 3 and 4 a.m. near mile marker 268 as the driver was making his way from San Antonio to Richardso
  
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• Concrete beam that fell off truck blocking NB lanes of I-35 in Georgetown

  16-05-2017 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — It’s possible northbound traffic on Interstate 35 could be a problem for up to 10 hours, according to Georgetown police.
  Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody tweeted around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday that concrete in the road near mile marker 268 was causing slow traffic patterns.
  Georgetown police said the concrete beam, used in bridge construction, fell off an 18-wheeler.
  No one is hurt. TxDOT said the right lane is still closed as of 8:13 a.m.
  On May 12, a simi
  
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• Concrete beam that fell off truck blocked lanes of I-35 in Georgetown

  16-05-2017 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A concrete beam used in bridge construction measuring 40 feet long by 14 feet wide fell off a truck on Interstate 35 in Georgetown Tuesday morning.
  According to the Georgetown Police Department, the incident began between 3 and 4 a.m. near mile marker 268. Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody tweeted around 6:30 a.m. that the beam was slowing traffic patterns.
  Georgetown police said the beam fell off an 18-wheeler, driven by Petecast Hauling, heading from
  
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• Central Texas police crackdown on ‘Move Over’ law violators

  16-05-2017 13:57 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Several central Texas police agencies are on a lookout this week for people not following the state’s ‘move over’ law.
  That law states drivers need to slow down to 20 miles under the speed limit or move over a lane when they see law enforcement, emergency vehicles, TxDOT crews and tow trucks stopped along the side of the road with their lights flashing.
  Leander Police Sergeant Ryan Doyle said there are simply too many people who aren’t doing
  
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• Fallen: Overwhelming theme in police murders

  16-05-2017 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN’s Investigative team takes a closer look at what led up to officers being killed in the line of duty in Texas. The resulting Fallen project examines some of the most compelling cases in recent history, a system with lethal shortcomings and the necessary solutions that could prevent future deaths.
  This article is part of KXAN Investigates’ Fallen project. Watch it here.
  Fallen examines the role mental health played leading to officers’ murders and and
  
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• 75-year-old Fredericksburg man missing, poses threat to own safety

  16-05-2017 12:44 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — A man diagnosed with a cognitive impairment was least seen at a nursing home Monday.
  Fredericksburg police said Thomas Vidal, 75, was last seen at TriStar Care Center, located at 619 West Live Oak, around 7:10 p.m. He left on foot.
  Vidal is described as being 6′ 01″ tall, weighing 157 pounds with gray hair, blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black vest and blue jeans.
  Vidal uses a walker to get around. Police said he may pose a threat to his ow
  
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• 75-year-old Fredericksburg man found safe

  16-05-2017 12:44 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities have canceled a Silver Alert for an elderly man who was diagnosed with a cognitive impairment.
  Fredericksburg police said Thomas Vidal, 75, was last seen at TriStar Care Center, located at 619 West Live Oak, around 7:10 p.m. Police say he was found safe around 2 p.m.
  Authorities were worried he was a threat to his own health and safety.
   
  
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• Public weighs in on proposed multi-million dollar AISD bond

  16-05-2017 12:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This November voters might see a multi-million dollar bond on the ballot for the Austin Independent School District. Before anything is finalized the district will ask the public where they want to see their tax money spent.
  Over the last year, the Facilities and Bond Planning Advisory Committee created a 20-year master plan for the district. All of the projects would cost about $3.9 billion. Now it’s up to the public and ultimately the school board to decide whi
  
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• Families come up with plan B as UT commencement could be rained out

  16-05-2017 04:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 134th class of University of Texas at Austin is set to finish with a traditional Texas-sized commencement this weekend, but some fear it could be canceled.
  The ceremony this weekend is set to begin at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, with retired Dallas Police Chief David Brown scheduled to address the graduating class.
  In 2015, the ceremony was canceled due to weather. News of possible rain this weekend has some graduates scrambling for a plan B.
  “I&rsqu
  
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• 11-year-old boy killed in East Texas school bus crash, others injured

  16-05-2017 04:25 via kxan.com
  
  SHELBY COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — Troopers are investigating a fatal two-vehicle school bus crash on FM 139 at County Route 2552 in East Texas, about 50 miles east of Nacogdoches.
  At approximately 4 p.m., a Shelbyville Independent School District bus was turning right from FM 139 onto CR 2552 to travel south when it was struck from behind by a 1997 Dodge pickup.
  A staging area for a medical helicopter has been set up at Ephesus Baptist Church on FM 139, according to a TxDOT spokesperson.
  
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• Patients call stem cell bill passage a game changer

  16-05-2017 03:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A controversial medical treatment is one step closer to becoming law in Texas. One state lawmaker made a last-ditch effort to save the bill from dying last week. The bill would allow doctors to perform certain stem cell treatments, a possible cure for many patients who are forced to travel out of the country for it.
  A.J. Coldiron is headed to Panama later this month and vacation is the last thing on his mind. Instead, the 19-year-old paraplegic, who was injured in a 20
  
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• TRAFFIC ALERT: Lane closures overnight on North MoPac

  16-05-2017 03:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting after 8 p.m. Monday through 5 a.m. Tuesday, the right lane and far right auxiliary exit lane of southbound MoPac will be closed between Ranch to Market 2222 and 45th Street.
  The 45th Street exit and on ramp will also be closed. The center and left lane of southbound MoPac will be closed from 45th Street to Windsor Road.
  Further south, TxDOT says the right lane will be closed from the Lake Austin Boulevard exit to the Cesar Chavez/5th Street exit.
  On northbound MoPa
  
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• From Iraq to Leander: A flag to honor fallen peace officers

  16-05-2017 03:28 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — On National Police Officers Memorial Day, the family of a fallen soldier presented a flag which traveled across the globe to the Leander Police Department.
  Carson George, a retired Vietnam veteran, lost his son, Lance Corporal Phillip C. George, when he was killed on Aug. 18, 2005 in Afghanistan. LCpl. George was serving in the Marines and was just 22 years old at the time of his death.
  Carson has another son, Cpl. Aaron George, who is an officer with
  
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• Border security expert says surge not working as lawmakers set to spend more

  16-05-2017 02:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas lawmakers are expected to decide this week just how many more hundreds of millions of your tax dollars they will spend on more border security.
  The Texas Department of Public Safety has asked for an additional billion dollars, but Senate and House members are still hashing out exactly how much they’ll agree to approve.
  This is despite the lack of hard evidence the border surge is effective.
  KXAN Lead Investigator Brian Collister first reported last November that
  
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• Texas Latinos declare 100 days of resistance against sanctuary city law

  16-05-2017 02:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — American citizens and undocumented immigrants gathered outside the Governor’s Mansion Monday to kick off 100 days of resistance against Senate Bill 4, which would ban sanctuary cities across the state.
  “We have message for Gov. Abbott — if you come for our families, we are going to come for you and vote you out of office,” said Margarita Arroyo, who lives in Austin and is the daughter of immigrants.
  Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law last week
  
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• Man accused of killing mom, carrying severed head into store on Mother’s Day

  16-05-2017 01:57 via kxan.com
  
  ESTACADA, Ore. (KOIN) — A man accused of killing his mother and stabbing an Estacada grocery store employee on Mother’s Day was booked into jail Monday afternoon, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
  Joshua Webb, 36, was allegedly covered in blood and carrying a knife and “what looked like a human head” when he walked into the Harvest Market Thriftway store around 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
  Webb allegedly stabbed a store employee who was flown to Emanuel Legacy Medic
  
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• Healthy teen dies from heart problems after drinking too much caffeine

  16-05-2017 01:36 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A coroner says a healthy 16-year-old South Carolina high school student died from heart problems after drinking too much caffeine.
  Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Monday that Davis Cripe had no pre-existing heart condition that might have caused him to collapse and die in a classroom last month.
  Study: Effects of caffeine cut after three days of sleep deprivation
  Watts says Cripe drank a large Mountain Dew, a latte from McDonald’s and an energy drink in
  
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• Longtime residents rattled by double shooting at Round Rock apartment

  16-05-2017 00:47 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The Round Rock Police Department is still actively investigating a shooting that sent two people to the hospital Thursday night at the Red Hills Villas apartment complex. Shots were fired at the complex located at 1401 South A.W. Grimes Blvd. around 10:30 p.m. on May 11.
  Round Rock police say they have persons of interest, but at last report, no arrests have been made. Detectives are working with other law enforcement agencies to find the shooting suspect, or sus
  
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• Report: Trump shared secret info about Islamic State with Russians

  16-05-2017 00:28 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Post is reporting that President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information about Islamic State militants to Russian officials during a meeting at the White House last week.
  The newspaper cites current and former U.S. officials who say Trump jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on IS in his conversations with the Russian foreign minister and the Russian ambassador to the U.S. They say Trump offered details about an IS terror threat related
  
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