Austin news

• Preemie born weight 15.5 oz. now graduating high school

  02-06-2017 23:58 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — High school graduation is a big day in the life of students and parents. Flashback 18 years ago, the McCarty family never believed it would be their reality.
  Their son, 18-year-old Ryan, was one of Central Texas’ smallest surviving babies at birth and he tried on his high school cap and gown for the first time Friday.
  “Feels good,” Ryan said. “Feels good to wear.”
  He will don the graduation outfit again Saturday night for Hendricks
  
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• Preemie born weighing 15.5 oz. now graduating high school

  02-06-2017 23:58 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — High school graduation is a big day in the life of students and parents. Flashback 18 years ago, the McCarty family never believed it would be their reality.
  Their son, 18-year-old Ryan, was one of Central Texas’ smallest surviving babies at birth and he tried on his high school cap and gown for the first time Friday.
  “Feels good,” Ryan said. “Feels good to wear.”
  He will don the graduation outfit again Saturday night for Hendricks
  
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• San Marcos man indicted for 2014 sexual assault

  02-06-2017 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A 39-year-old man is being held in the Hays County Jail in lieu of $350,000 bond in connection with a 2014 sexual assault.
  Robert Jaroszewski was indicted by a grand jury in April after police say his DNA was tied to the case.
  According to the affidavit for his arrest, Jaroszewski and the victim were riding the CARTS bus together earlier in the day. She stumbled as she got off and he ran off to help her. Later that day, when she returned home, Jaroszews
  
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• Harley recalls bikes; oil line can detach and cause crash

  02-06-2017 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  DETROIT (AP) — Harley-Davidson is recalling about 46,000 motorcycles in the U.S. because an oil line can come loose, spewing oil into the path of the rear tire.
  The recall covers certain 2017 Electra Glide, Road King, Street Glide and Road Glide models built from July 2, 2016 through May 9, 2017.
  Check your Harley Davidson’s VIN
  Harley says a clamp on an engine oil cooler line may not have been installed correctly. The company says it has nine reports of oil lines coming off. The pro
  
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• Bittersweet graduation for son of fallen APD officer

  02-06-2017 22:33 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Even though fallen Austin Police Officer Amir Abdul-Khaliq wasn’t sitting in the audience to see his son Mati Abdul-Khaliq graduate from high school, his brothers and sisters in blue were.
  As Mati Abdul-Khaliq walked across the stage to graduate from McNeil High School, his father’s former colleagues from the Austin Police Department were on hand to show their support. Interim Chief of Police Brian Manley summed up the department’s support in on
  
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• Social media beef led to southeast Austin shooting

  02-06-2017 21:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man is facing an aggravated assault charge after a man was shot during a street fight settling a social media beef.
  Police say two men decided to settle their feud at a house in the 4900 block of Scarsdale Drive on May 26. Several people got involved in the melee before the scene died down. Once it calmed down, detectives say a shotgun was fired, striking the 38-year-old victim.
  According to the affidavit for his arrest, Ruben Romero III, who will turn 26 next wee
  
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• Find out if your credit card was compromised in recent Chipotle breach

  02-06-2017 21:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you ate at Chipotle between March 24, 2017 and April 18, 2017 and paid with a credit card, you should check your credit records to make sure there hasn’t been any fraudulent activity. At the end of April, Chipotle reported customer’s payment card information had possibly been compromised.
  A recently completely investigation revealed that hundreds of Chipotle restaurants nationwide were targeted during a malware attack. Investigators determined the malware rea
  
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• Judge orders Greg Kelley transferred back to Williamson County jail

  02-06-2017 20:27 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Greg Kelley, the teen convicted of molesting a child at an in-home day care, must be transferred from prison back to Williamson County’s custody to appear before a judge.
  A Bench Warrant was issued for Kelley Friday, as the controversy surrounding his conviction continues to swirl. Kelley and hundreds of his supporters have long maintained his innocence. An Aug. 3 hearing has been set to address the matter. The bench warrant was issued in preparation for th
  
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• Griffin not ‘laying down’ for Trump, fears career is over

  02-06-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Embattled comedian Kathy Griffin says she’s not afraid of Donald Trump and plans to keep making fun of him but maintained that she’s sorry for a video that depicted her holding a likeness of the president’s severed, bloody head.
  At a rambling press conference Friday, Griffin tearfully predicted her career is over and said Trump “broke me.” Since the video was posted Tuesday, she has lost her job co-hosting CNN’s New Year’s Eve sp
  
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• Dog attacks, kills 90-year-old Va. woman hours after adoption

  02-06-2017 19:21 via kxan.com
  
  VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – There’s still blood inside a home on Bunker Hill Lane in Pine Meadows after a dog attacked a 90-year-old woman.
  Police say they got called to the home around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Medics rushed the woman to the hospital with serious injuries, but she died early Thursday morning.
  The victim’s daughter, Linda, said it was a vicious and unprovoked attack. She says her mother underwent surgery, including an arm amputation, before she died around 6:30 a.m
  
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• Frozen tuna tainted with hepatitis A shipped to Austin, New Braunfels retailers

  02-06-2017 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Food and Drug Administration is urging caution and beginning an investigation of frozen tuna shipped from Indonesia that may be tainted with the hepatitis A virus. The tuna is believed to have been shipped to Austin and New Braunfels
  The FDA has issued a recall for frozen yellowfin tuna steaks from Sustainable Seafood Company and yellowfin tuna cubes from Santa Cruz Seafood.
  This recall by Hilo Fish Company includes Tuna Steaks, 8 oz. individually vacuum packed bag
  
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• APD: Man filmed women at Forever 21 in Barton Creek Square Mall

  02-06-2017 18:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man is facing charges after police say he used a cell phone to record women trying on clothes at the Forever 21 store at Barton Creek Square Mall.
  According to the affidavit for his arrest, Martin Ammerman, 40, had more than 60 videos and 100 pictures of women in various stages of undress on his phone when Austin Police encountered him Tuesday.
  A Forever 21 employee told officers she recognized Ammerman as the same person who spent about an hour shuffling around a
  
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• Austin Energy’s removal of parakeet nests questioned

  02-06-2017 17:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis Audubon Society has put Austin Energy on notice after, they said in a Thursday Facebook post, the company is using poles to knock Monk Parakeet nests from power poles.
  Austin Energy in return explained that the Monk Parakeets build large nests, sometimes as large as a car, which can cause a large fire hazard. Austin Energy said the nests, often made of sticks and other combustible material, arc, catch fire and fall to the ground.
  “Our crews are out, and the
  
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• Austin Energy to address how they handle parakeet nests on lines

  02-06-2017 17:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis Audubon Society has put Austin Energy on notice after, they said in a Thursday Facebook post, the company is using poles to knock Monk Parakeet nests from power poles.
  Austin Energy is expected to respond to the issue at an 11:30 a.m. press conference.
  Travis Audubon has called on members of the public to document what, they deem, a cruel practice.In 2015, the University of Texas was forced to humanely remove around 300 Monk Parakeet nests during the renovation o
  
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• Amid Audubon outcry, Austin Energy says parakeet removal is safety issue

  02-06-2017 17:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis Audubon Society has put Austin Energy on notice after, they said in a Thursday Facebook post, the company is using poles to knock Monk Parakeet nests from power poles.
  Austin Energy, in a Friday morning press gathering, explained that the Monk Parakeets build large nests, sometimes as large as a car, which can cause a large fire hazard. Austin Energy said the nests, often made of sticks and other combustible material, arc, catch fire and fall to the ground.
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• Austin to formally challenge recently signed sanctuary city law

  02-06-2017 16:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin has joined San Antonio, El Paso County and El Cenzio in challenging Senate Bill 4, which was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in early May.
  Austin Mayor Steve Adler will address the lawsuit at 10 a.m. and Austin City Council member Greg Casar and members of the Workers Defense Project will make statements about the lawsuit at 11 a.m.
  The city plans to file the lawsuit “for violations of the U.S. Constitution.”
  The Austin City Council fi
  
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• DPS: Bee Cave Road was wet when man drove off road, died in crash

  02-06-2017 16:13 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities are investigating if rain and wet roads contributed to a fiery single-car crash that claimed a man’s life Wednesday night.
  The Texas Department of Public Safety said Gabriel Almaguer, 29, died at the scene of the crash that happened in the 10300 block of Bee Cave Road, near Creeks Edge Parkway, at 9:08 p.m.
  Investigators determined Almaguer was heading eastbound and hit a curve at an unsafe speed for the conditions. The vehicle left the roadw
  
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• $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline begins service

  02-06-2017 15:51 via kxan.com
  
  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline began shipping oil for customers on Thursday, as Native American tribes that opposed the project vowed to continue fighting.
  Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners announced that the 1,200-mile line carrying North Dakota oil through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution point in Illinois had begun commercial service. The Dakota Access pipeline and the Energy Transfer Crude Oil Pipeline from Illinois to the Gulf Coast together m
  
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• US officials OK option for men with HIV to father children

  02-06-2017 15:11 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency on Thursday changed its guidance for HIV-infected men who want to father children, saying there’s now enough evidence that a lab technique that removes the virus is a safe option.
  For many years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was too risky for infected men to have unprotected sex with uninfected women since that is one way the virus spreads. Infection of the baby is considered possible, but far less
  
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• Police: Man stole ring, backpack from Portland train stabbing victim

  02-06-2017 14:55 via kxan.com
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man is wanted for allegedly stealing a backpack and wedding ring from Ricky Best, one of the victims killed in the MAX attack on May 26.
  Portland police said Best’s family realized the items were missing while making funeral arrangements Thursday. Upon reviewing surveillance video of the crime scene, police determined the bag had been stolen.
  Ricky Best, 53, was killed in a stabbing on a MAX train, May 26, 2017. (Family via CNN)The suspect was caught on vide
  
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• ‘100 deadliest days’ for teenage drivers begins

  02-06-2017 14:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new report by the AAA Foundation for Safety shows the average number of deadly crashes involving teenage drivers climbs about 15 percent between June 1 and Labor Day.
  Graduation season is a struggle for Gina Newton. The end of the school year marks another year without her son.
  I had all the graduation cards and invitations and no, no I didn’t know what to do with them,” said Newton. Her son, Andrew, was in the back seat when the 17-year-old driver crashe
  
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• Decommissioned USS Independence to be towed to Texas

  02-06-2017 13:51 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — The decommissioned USS Independence has arrived at its last port of call.
  The mothballed 61,000-ton Forrestal-class aircraft carrier passed through the jetties of the Brownsville Ship Channel on Thursday afternoon. A group of the ship’s past crew members stood and watched as the ship was towed up the channel toward International Shipbreaking Ltd., the recycling company that won the contract to scrap the ship.
  The ship had left Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in B
  
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• UT students set to ride 4,000 miles to fight cancer

  02-06-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Most people volunteer or donate money to a cause they believe in. Starting Saturday, 70 University of Texas students are biking 4,000 miles to help in the fight against cancer.
  Texas 4000 is a UT student and alumni run non-profit that has makes the 4,000 mile trek to Anchorage, Alaska each. Since 2004, the group has raised more than $7 million – the money being donated to cancer research and cancer awareness groups.
  “I think the excitement part is, like, at leas
  
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• Unflappable Ananya Vinay wins National Spelling Bee

  02-06-2017 13:28 via kxan.com
  
  OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Ananya Vinay never looked all that impressed by any of the words she was given in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
  The 12-year-old from Fresno, California, showed little emotion and didn’t take much time as she plowed through word after word. Sometimes she would blurt out questions, with little intonation — “Part of speech?” ”Language of origin?” — and sometimes she didn’t even bother.
  Unflappable to the
  
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• Austin graduates, diploma in hand, register to vote

  02-06-2017 13:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  As Austin’s high school graduates take their first steps into adulthood, they’ll be prepared to make their voices heard in the next election cycle thanks to some clever planning by the Travis County Voter Registration Division.
  Volunteers were stationed at a booth during the Austin Independent School District’s graduation ceremonies at the Frank Erwin Center signing up new voters.
  Central Texas high school graduates have good prospects for future
  New
  
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• Austinites invited on ‘walkabout’ to give input on improving Congress Ave.

  02-06-2017 12:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of Austin’s most well-known addresses is having a challenging time keeping up with the resurgence of business coming into Austin. Congress Avenue, from the river to the Texas Capitol, is about to undergo a design change.
  City planners are working with the Downtown Austin Alliance on a project called ‘TRANSFORM!’ The goal is to come up with a plan that will improve the sidewalks, curb appeal, find a better place for bikes and cars to travel and ultimate
  
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• Bicyclist hit by car near UT campus

  02-06-2017 10:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bicyclist is recovering at Dell Seton Medical Center Friday morning after she was involved in a crash with a car near the University of Texas campus.
  The crash happened in the 2800 block of San Jacinto Boulevard, near the Duval Street intersection, around 2:45 a.m. Austin police say the driver of the car, a gold Lexus sedan, stayed at the scene.
  Police could not say whether the driver or the cyclist caused the crash.
  Austin-Travis County EMS says the bicyclist h
  
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• Hundreds come out in support of Greg Kelley as opponents worry for child victims

  02-06-2017 06:25 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas — Greg Kelley supporters came together outside the Justice Center in Williamson County Thursday night, calling for his release from prison. They’ve ramped up efforts after Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick announced he is re-opening the case based on new, credible evidence someone else may have committed the crime. This sexual assault case was tried under the previous DA.
  KXAN confirmed the new investigation will wrap up in the next couple of weeks
  
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• RideAustin users drop by a third after return of Uber and Lyft

  02-06-2017 05:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Local ride-hailing company RideAustin says they have seen a 36 percent decline in their ride volume this week in compared to last week, when Uber and Lyft were not operating in Austin.
  “Now we need your help to keep our local non-profit alive,” the group sent out in an email. The ride-hailing giants returned to Austin on Monday, more than a year after the two companies left, when an attempt to do away with the city’s fingerprint-based background check
  
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• Durant leads Warriors in dominant win over Cavaliers

  02-06-2017 05:43 via kxan.com
  
  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant drove through the lane untouched for dazzling dunks time and again, finishing with 38 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in his first NBA Finals for Golden State and leading the Warriors past LeBron James and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-91 on Thursday night in Game 1.
  Stephen Curry scored 28 points with six 3-pointers and 10 assists as this sure-to-be thrilling trilogy began at last, a long-expected, spectacular grand finale env
  
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• Community rallies to help those who lost jobs after Wimberley cafe fire

  02-06-2017 05:16 via kxan.com
  
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — In only two days, $23,000 has been raised for a Wimberley cafe that was burned down earlier this week.
  Those raising the funds say all of that money is going straight to the 54 Cypress Creek Cafe employees who are now out of a job.
  “The first thing I thought was, I hope Randy and Trish are okay,” said Ino’z Brew and Chew Owner Tom Keyser. “My next thought was, what about those employees?”
  Keyser’s restaurant is right on the edge
  
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• ‘Rapture scam’ targets elderly in the Texas Panhandle fearful of ‘end times’

  02-06-2017 04:32 via kxan.com
  
  CARSON COUNTY, Texas (KAMR) — Scammers are reportedly targeting people in Carson County claiming that if you invest some money in Christian-based projects, you can get money in return and also be clear of any wrong-doings.
  Sheriff Loren Brand says the suspects are targeting the elderly and lonely people who may be worried about their standing before end times.
  “We are looking at the potential of two suspects that are local that are trying to pull this off,” said Sheriff Brand.
  
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• Greg Kelley: One week into the reopened case, what we know so far

  02-06-2017 02:15 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Thursday marks one week since Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick reopened the case of the Cedar Park child sex assault.
  In 2013, Leander High School senior and football star, Greg Kelley, was accused of sexually assaulting two 4-year-old boys at an in-home day care ran by his friend’s family. Kelley was 18 at the time, was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
  Here’s what we’ve uncovered si
  
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• UT chancellor hopes to increase out-of-state student numbers

  02-06-2017 02:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — University of Texas System Chancellor Bill McRaven wants to increase the number of out-of-state students attending UT Austin, he said Thursday at an event held by KXAN media partner Texas Tribune.
  “The question is do we have the right balance here in Texas?” McRaven said to Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith. “I would offer that we could probably increase the out of state [students] by another 5 percent.”
  Under the Texas Education Code, Section 51.803 subs
  
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• Family battles state for funds in daughter’s rare skin disorder

  02-06-2017 01:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Kate Holler’s large stash of medical supplies are for her 2-year-old daughter, Rowan. The toddler has a rare skin disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa, or EB for short.
  Any bump, bruise or brush up can cause Rowan’s skin to slide off. Holler remembers the day her daughter was diagnosed.
  “We were told not to Google it a few times by different doctors, that it would be upsetting,” Holler said.
  Doctors commonly called patients who have it “butter
  
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• Capital Metro awarded federal grant to improve MetroRail safety

  02-06-2017 01:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Capital Metro’s MetroRail is one of 17 projects in 13 states that recently received federal funds to implement systems that help prevent derailments or train-to-train collisions.
  Capital Metro says the $9.76 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will go towards implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) systems along the 32-mile MetroRail corridor.
  Rail operators a
  
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• Austin, San Antonio plan legal challenge to sanctuary cities ban

  02-06-2017 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin will formally file a legal challenge to the “anti-immigrant” sanctuary cities bill, Senate Bill 4.
  The city plans to file the lawsuit “for violations of the U.S. Constitution” on Friday morning. The city of San Antonio, along with the Workers Defense Project and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund, will file a challenge to the law Thursday night.
  Austin and San Antonio are joining El Paso County and El Cenizo, Tex
  
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• New artwork at 12th and Chicon Streets will highlight east Austin history

  02-06-2017 01:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — East Austin is a hub for much of the city’s African-American history. Community members are working to make sure the neighborhood’s resilience is not forgotten as the city grows and the area gentrifies.
  Current photographs and artwork at the bus stop located at 12th and Chicon Streets are weathered and cracked, some photos even missing from the frames. Capital Metro and community partners are working to give the bus stop a meaningful make-over.
  The fut
  
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• Travis County might seek Supreme Court ruling on Kleinert case

  02-06-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While it may seem like the case again former Austin Police Department detective Charles Kleinert has come to a dead end after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear the state’s case last week, the Travis County District Attorney’s office said they still have options.
  On Thursday, Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore issued a statement stating she is “firmly committed to seeking the fair administration of justice in this matter.&rdq
  
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• Texas couple catches record-setting bass using McNugget as bait

  02-06-2017 00:09 via kxan.com
  
  ENNIS, Texas (WCMH) — A Texas couple says they caught a record-setting bass using a chicken McNugget as bait.
  Matthew McNellis told KDAF he started using chicken nuggets as bait after a suggestion from his girlfriend.
  The bass caught on the McDonald’s nugget weighed in at 10.802 pounds and was 24.5 inches long, setting a new record for Lake Bardwell.
  MORE: Record-breaking catfish caught on Lake LBJ
  The fish was released after taking photos.
  McNellis told the station he might try usin
  
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