Austin news

• House GOP health bill projection: 23 million more uninsured Americans

  24-05-2017 23:35 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The health care bill Republicans have pushed through the House would leave 23 million additional people uninsured in 2026 compared to President Barack Obama’s health care law, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. The GOP bill would lower average premiums, but in part that would be because coverage would typically be skimpier.
  In a blow to Republicans, the nonpartisan analysts were also critical of 11th-hour provisions that GOP leaders had added to pick up
  
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• New APD cold case unit poised to unearth offenders of unsolved sex crimes

  24-05-2017 23:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the creation of a new sex crimes cold case unit at the Austin Police Department, detectives may be able to link offenders to other unsolved crimes.
  Interim Chief of Police Brian Manley says the department has worked diligently with the Austin City Council to get contracts with labs and apply for grants to clear the backlog of more than 3,000 cases, ranging from a year old to 1991.
  “We have a sex crimes investigation unit that is already suffering with a very high
  
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• VIDEO: RV catches fire while traveling on I-35 in Austin

  24-05-2017 23:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you saw black smoke billowing through the blue sky in central Austin Wednesday afternoon, it was because an RV was burning along the freeway.
  The Austin Fire Department said they were called to the vehicle fire around 3:15 p.m. The RV was pulled onto the northbound shoulder of Interstate 35 at US 183.
  Everyone inside the RV was able to escape without any injuries. The freeway was down to one lane for about an hour as crews worked to clear the debris.
  KXAN viewe
  
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• Abilene Zoo: Jaguar scaled 12-foot-tall wall to get to spider monkey

  24-05-2017 22:10 via kxan.com
  
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC/KXAN) — The Abilene Zoo says a jaguar that managed to escape her enclosure and kill a spider money was able to do so by scaling an artificial rock wall.
  According to zoo officials, on May 15, Estrella, the jaguar, scaled the 12-foot-tall wall and forced her way under the cable and netting top. But she didn’t stop there.
  “She gained access to a crawl space between that rock wall and a cinder block wall, scaled the cinder block wall and forced her way ou
  
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• UTPD says campus stabbing highlights need for more dispatchers

  24-05-2017 21:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On the average Monday, the University of Texas at Austin Police Department receives around 175 calls, but on Monday, May 1, when a man started going on a stabbing rampage, the university says its dispatchers fielded more than 500 calls within minutes. While those calls were coming in, there were only two dispatchers on the other end.
  “We certainly recognize today that on that particular day our system was not robust enough to do what we needed it to do,” UTPD Ch
  
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• Woman sexually assaulted on Rainey Street, sketch released

  24-05-2017 20:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police have released a sketch of a man they say sexually assaulted a woman as she was walking on Rainey Street earlier this month.
  Police say on Thursday, May 4, a woman was walking alone along the 80 block of Rainey Street around 2:50 a.m. when a man approached her and “lured her to a secluded area” and sexually assaulted her. The area where the sexual assault occurred is in the middle of the busiest entertainment section of Rainey Street.
  The suspect is
  
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• Take advantage of Tax Free lawn and garden items over Memorial Weekend

  24-05-2017 19:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’ve got a green thumb, you better set some time aside this Memorial Day Weekend to make your way to the store where you’ll be able to save some money on water saving items.
  It’s the second year of the Lawn and Garden Water Smart Tax Holiday meant to encourage water responsibility in Texas.
  WaterSense logo (EPA photo)Any item that has the WaterSense logo on it can be purchased tax-free Saturday, May 27 through Monday, May 29.
  Other items that qualify
  
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• Wait list grows for doctor treating peanut allergies

  24-05-2017 19:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Parents of children with peanut allergies are hyper-aware of the daily food landmines their children can encounter.
  Childhood favorites, like peanut butter, are banned from their homes, school cafeterias can become a dangerous place and food labels are checked and double-checked.
  But, one doctor says she’s seeing the number of Austin patients jump, as she’s helping kids build a tolerance to peanuts.
  Dr. Patricia Gomez Dinger, based in San Antonio, started the pr
  
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• Lampasas man accused of stealing, selling his 97-year-old stepdad’s cattle

  24-05-2017 18:29 via kxan.com
  
  LAMPASAS, Texas (KXAN) — An elderly man’s stepson is accused of stealing cattle from him and then selling it at a livestock auction in Lampasas.
  Brian Andrew McBrayer, 49, was arrested last week by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers (TSCRA) on charges of theft of cattle against an elderly, a second-degree felony. TSCRA started investigating the cattle rustling in November of 2016 when a 97-year-old Williamson County rancher suspected McBrayer was stealing from him.
  Investigato
  
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• APD: Man used fingernail clippers to rob woman of $2

  24-05-2017 18:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are reminding everyone that even small cutting instruments are capable of causing major damage and possibly even death after arresting a man they said used fingernail clippers to steal two dollar bills from a woman Monday morning.
  According to police documents, Peter Dan Gonzales, 37, approached the woman as she was about to take her one-year-old child out of her car in the parking lot of the Capital Plaza at 5401 North Interstate 35 in the 10 a
  
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• Graco recalling 25,000 car seats for possible restraining failure during crash

  24-05-2017 17:17 via kxan.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS, MN (WCMH) — The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said more than 25,000 Graco car seats are being recalled because they may not properly restrain a child during a crash.
  Graco Children’s Products Inc. (Graco) is recalling certain Graco My Ride 65 convertible child restraints, models 1871689, 1908152, 1813074, 1872691, 1853478, 1877535, 1813015, and 1794334. According to the NHTSA, in a crash, the child seat webbing may not adequately restrain the
  
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• US 290 reopens in Dripping Springs following gas line break

  24-05-2017 16:53 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Crews have been able to cap a gas line break that forced the closure of US 290 in Hays County Wednesday morning.
  Around 9:30 a.m., an emergency notification was sent to residents in the Hays Country Acres subdivision in the 1600 block of East Highway 290 in Dripping Springs to stay in their homes after a contractor punctured a major gas line. Initially, emergency crews told homeowners to evacuate but then an hour later said they can stay in their
  
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• Excavation company ruptures gas line along US 290 in Hays County

  24-05-2017 16:53 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Crews have been able to cap a gas line break that forced the closure of US 290 in Hays County Wednesday morning.
  Around 9:30 a.m., an emergency notification was sent to residents in the Hays Country Acres subdivision in the 1600 block of East Highway 290 in Dripping Springs to stay in their homes after a contractor punctured a major gas line. Initially, emergency crews told homeowners to evacuate but then an hour later said they can stay in their
  
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• Austin woman dies after medical issue while snorkeling in Florida

  24-05-2017 16:40 via kxan.com
  
  KEY LARGO, Florida (KXAN) — A woman who had to be pulled out of the water after experiencing a medical issue while snorkeling became unresponsive and ultimately died Tuesday afternoon.
  Cheri Crozier, 58, and her husband, of Austin, were snorkeling around 1 p.m. at the Grecian Rocks at John Pennekamp State Park offshore of Key Largo, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
  Around 1:15 p.m. Crozier’s husband said she began having issues, prompting the couple to
  
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• Texas poised to make offenses against police hate crimes

  24-05-2017 15:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is moving closer to making offenses against police officers punishable as hate crimes.
  The state Senate passed 30-1 on Tuesday a bill adding law enforcement agents to the list of groups targeted by bias or prejudice. Hate crimes against officers would include arson, criminal mischief, graffiti, unlawful restraint, assault and threats.
  The proposal would increase penalties for any offenses committed against on-duty officers. It’s designed to create an enviro
  
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• Garland school chief admits falsifying immigration records

  24-05-2017 15:43 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP/KXAN) — A former administrator with a Dallas-area school district has admitted he received kickbacks and other benefits by falsifying immigration documents so that teachers from Latin America and elsewhere could work in his district.
  Sixty-three-year-old Victor Leos pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to conspiracy to commit false statements on immigration documents.
  Leos was the human resources director for Garland schools and prosecutors say that from 2007 to 2012 he worke
  
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• Chelsea soccer team cancels London parade

  24-05-2017 15:28 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Premier League champion Chelsea has called off its victory parade because of the concert attack in Manchester.
  Chelsea says it would be inappropriate to hold a parade in London this weekend following Monday’s bombing at a concert in Manchester and adds “we are sure our fans will understand this decision.”
  The club says “given the heightened security threat announced by the government, and recognizing that this is a developing situation, we have given t
  
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• Austin’s summer meals programs readying for the end of school year

  24-05-2017 14:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re worried about feeding your kids this summer once school is out there are several options for free meals throughout the city.
  The Central Austin Food Bank will have more than 70 sites where any child 18 and under, regardless of where they live or family income, can receive a free meal.
  “We’ve definitely found that during the summer months families are hit hard,” said the food bank’s chief development officer, Mark Jackson. “Budge
  
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• ‘We can use peace’: Trump and Pope Francis meet

  24-05-2017 13:19 via kxan.com
  
  VATICAN CITY (AP) — President Donald Trump and Pope Francis, two leaders with contrasting styles and differing worldviews, met at the Vatican on Wednesday, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for an audience around the globe.
  Trump, midway through a grueling nine-day, maiden international journey, called upon the pontiff in a private, 30-minute meeting laden with religious symbolism and ancient protocol. The president, accompanied by his wife and several aides
  
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• Texas House OKs allowing guns in parked cars at schools

  24-05-2017 12:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas House has voted to allow concealed carry permit holders to have guns in their locked cars parked outside schools.
  Tentative approval came late Tuesday night as an amendment to an otherwise unrelated bill on school boards. Final House approval should come Wednesday.
  The state Senate already approved a full, bipartisan bill seeking to do virtually the same thing.
  A similar, full bill had died in the House without reaching a floor vote, but now lives on as an am
  
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• Senate tries to revive ‘bathroom bill’ before deadline

  24-05-2017 12:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — State senators ended up tacking on their so-called ‘bathroom bill’ onto another bill early Wednesday morning in an effort to get the House to reconsider the proposed law.
  Around 1:30 a.m. senators voted 21 to 10 to attach the original ‘bathroom bill’ that requires transgender Texans to use the public restroom that corresponds with their biological sex onto an unrelated proposal on county governments. The Senate will have to vote on that full bill Wed
  
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• Where do homeless people spend money given to them?

  24-05-2017 05:51 via kxan.com
  
  WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KFDX) — Although the number of homeless people in Texas has declined almost 42 percent from 2007 to 2016, 23,000 people are still on the streets.
  Many times you may have seen someone on a street corner holding up a sign asking for money. You may have even given them some cash, but have you ever wondered if that money was spent on necessities or did it go to vices like alcohol or cigarettes?
  In a special report, Samaria Terry wanted to find out. But also find out how y
  
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• Student files restraining order to keep school from announcing valedictorian

  24-05-2017 05:20 via kxan.com
  
  ROGERS, Texas (KCEN) — A family in Rogers, Texas is filing a restraining order against a school district to prevent them from announcing the class valedictorian and salutatorian.
  This all comes after senior Allison Talbott was denied the spot of valedictorian due to a clerical error.
  The school has admitted the mistake but will not do anything about it.
  With just six days to go until the class of 2017 graduates from Rogers High School, the controversy is still brewing as to who earned this
  
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• Mom who went to all classes with quadriplegic son gets MBA

  24-05-2017 04:14 via kxan.com
  
  ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California university has awarded an honorary degree to the mother of a quadriplegic student after she attended every class with him and took his notes while he pursued his Master of Business Administration.
  Judy O’Connor, a retired elementary school teacher, pushed her son Marty in his wheelchair for him to receive his degree during commencement Saturday at Chapman University in the Los Angeles suburb of Orange.
  Then a choked-up graduation announcer
  
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• Woman trying to buy birthday card gets locked in CVS store

  24-05-2017 04:09 via kxan.com
  
  TITUSVILLE, Fla. (WESH) — A woman trying to buy a birthday card called police when she was accidentally barricaded inside a Titusville, Florida CVS store.
  Lillian Rimmel says she stopped at the CVS at 9:50 p.m. Friday to make a quick purchase, unaware the store was about to close.
  As she walked toward the check out just after 10 p.m., she triggered a motion sensor alarm and found herself barricaded inside. A metal security gate blocked the front entrance as sirens blared.
  Rimmell was worri
  
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• In wake of Manchester attack, officials urge Texans to report suspicious activity

  24-05-2017 03:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In response to Monday’s attack on concertgoers in Manchester, England, officials statewide are reminding Texans of the role they play in helping law enforcement stop long-wolf attackers.
  “We urge individuals to stay alert and report any illegal or suspicious activity they witness to iWATCH or to their local authorities,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said, referring to the departments iWATCH website.
  A report usually takes fewer than five minutes to
  
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• Texas lawmaker starts crowdfunding campaign for school lunches

  24-05-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (NEXSTAR) — A state lawmaker is looking for donations to pay off debt Texas students rack up in school cafeterias.
  Partnered with Feeding Texas, Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, launched a statewide crowd funding campaign Tuesday, in an effort to prevent what she calls “lunch shaming.”
  At some Texas schools, students with lunch debt or empty accounts are denied a hot lunch and given a cheese sandwich instead.
  “The cruelty and lack of compassion for children who suffe
  
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• School bus drivers caught speeding

  24-05-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's against the law for school buses to go faster than 50 mph on any highway. The only exception: they can hit 55 mph on interstates.
  KXAN discovered bus drivers speeding at districts across Central Texas—some with children onboard. Many districts have technology on their buses to track a driver's speed, but KXAN found most school districts don't check it on a regular basis.
  While driving a Lake Travis Independent School District bus full of students last October, the bus
  
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• Black boxes on school buses show drivers speeding, yet districts rarely monitor device

  24-05-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's against the law for school buses to go faster than 50 mph on any highway. The only exception: they can hit 55 mph on interstates.
  KXAN discovered bus drivers speeding at districts across Central Texas—some with children onboard. Many districts have technology on their buses to track a driver's speed, but KXAN found most school districts don't check it on a regular basis.
  While driving a Lake Travis Independent School District bus full of students last October, the bus
  
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• Texas Senate approves fines for police who fail to report killings

  24-05-2017 03:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate has voted to approve a bill that seeks to impose new accountability standards on police departments reporting when an officer kills a civilian.
  Changes to the bill made Tuesday eventually will send it back to the state House. That chamber first defeated the proposal 71-70, but then moved to reconsider and approved it without debate.
  It requires the state attorney general to investigate law enforcement agencies that fail to report officer-related deaths or inj
  
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• VIDEO: Massive landslide takes out California’s famous Highway 1

  24-05-2017 03:06 via kxan.com
  
  BIG SUR, Calif. (NBC News) — Crews are getting their first look at a massive landslide that buried part of a northern California highway under a 40-foot layer of rock and dirt.
  A swath of the hillside at Big Sur gave way over the weekend.
  The slide is covering up approximately one-quarter of a mile stretch of Highway 1 in an area called Mud Creek.
  Officials say they have not yet been able to assess the damage because the area remains unstable, and they do not know when it mi
  
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• Demolition teams gearing up to tear down UMC Brackenridge hospital

  24-05-2017 02:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Now that the patients, medical professionals and equipment have been moved a block away to the new Dell Seton Medical Center, officials with Central Health have to figure out what to do with the now vacant University Medical Center Brackenridge. The only part of the old Brackenridge hospital that will remain is the parking garage.
  Fences are up and soon most of the campus will be demolished. Central Health owns the 14.3-acre site where Brackenridge currently sits. Now that
  
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• VIDEO/PHOTOS: Severe storms across Central Texas give way to rainbows

  24-05-2017 01:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe storms moved east across Central Texas Tuesday evening, pummeling parts of Travis, Williamson and Bastrop counties with high winds, heavy rain and hail.
  The Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management is asking anyone who has suffered damage to send them photos at [email protected]
  Dedication of new Pflugerville ISD stadium canceled due to weather
  In Manor, one homeowner’s barn roof was torn off from the strong winds.
  Roof damage in Manor (Photo: John Bloo
  
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• Dedication of new Pflugerville ISD stadium canceled due to weather

  24-05-2017 00:50 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A dedication ceremony of the new Pflugerville Independent School District stadium Tuesday afternoon had to be canceled due to heavy storms moving through.
  The pep rally and open house was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. and run until 8 p.m., but district officials decided to cancel the event around 5:15 p.m. The district says a make-up date has not been set at this time.
  The new district-wide stadium, aptly named Pfield, is located at 1440 W. Pecan St. It was one
  
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