Austin news

• Hazardous living conditions force immediate closure of Lake LBJ Motel

  06-06-2017 23:51 via kxan.com
  
  KINGSLAND, Texas (KXAN) — A motel in Kingsland has been shut down and deemed “uninhabitable” due to the conditions found at the hotel by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
  Authorities recently received multiple complaints of numerous health and safety concerns at the Lake LBJ Motel, located at 13813 Farm to Market 1431. When an inspection was conducted of the 23 rooms on Monday, June 5, more health and fire safety concerns were discovered.
  According to the State Fire M
  
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• Texas ‘Most Wanted Sex Offender’ has ties to Austin, Lakeway

  06-06-2017 22:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man added to Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list has ties to the Austin area and was last known to be living in Lakeway.
  The Department of Public Safety believes Kevin Travis Waddell, 54, who has been wanted by authorities since September 2015, may have left the state.
  Waddell was convicted of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Potter County in 1992. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He’s now wanted for a parole violation, failure to comply
  
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• Gov. Abbott calls special session, lawmakers headed back July 18

  06-06-2017 21:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN ) — After a divisive and many times heated legislative session, lawmakers will have to make their way back to the Texas State Capitol for a special session.
  While Gov. Greg Abbott has called for a special session, the lawmakers won’t have to report back until July 18. During a news conference on Tuesday, Abbott said one of the biggest items that was not taken care of during regular office hours was Sunset legislation regarding the Texas Medical Board. Since the Sunset le
  
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• Warship USS Gabrielle Giffords to be commissioned in Texas

  06-06-2017 20:42 via kxan.com
  
  GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — The 421-foot USS Gabrielle Giffords will be commissioned this weekend in Texas.
  Navy officials say ceremonies will be held Saturday in Galveston to commission the ship named for the former Arizona congresswoman, who in 2011 was shot but survived an assassination attempt in Tucson.
  The $475 million USS Gabrielle Giffords was constructed by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, and arrived in Galveston last weekend.
  Giffords in 2015 helped christen the ship. It’s the n
  
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• Mother of unidentified boy found in Juarez comes forward, arrested

  06-06-2017 20:35 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO, Texas (KXAN) — A 4-year-old boy who authorities in El Paso were trying to help identify after being found in Juarez earlier this year has been identified and his mother is facing abandonment charges.
  El Paso police say when their department sent out an alert about the child last week and media outlets reported on it, the child’s mother, now identified as 25-year-old Ruby Esmeralda Gonzalez, of El Paso, called police on Saturday, June 3, to report that her child had been kidn
  
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• Teenager leads Manor police on chase in stolen vehicle

  06-06-2017 20:05 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — Manor police say a 16-year-old led them on a short chase in a stolen vehicle Tuesday morning.
  Authorities say just after 11 a.m., officers came across a 1996 Ford Explorer, which was listed as stolen out of Travis County, near Lexington Street and US 290. When Manor police officers tried to pull over the driver, he took off.
  A short time later, the driver in the stolen vehicle lost control and crashed into another car at the corner of Parmer Lane and SH 130. The
  
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• Southwest Airlines launches 72-hour fare sale, flights as low as $49

  06-06-2017 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Southwest Airlines has kicked off its twice a year fare sale, and there are some cheap tickets from Columbus if you’re not looking to go far.
  The sale launched Tuesday morning and is good for travel dates between August 22 and December 13. There are also other restrictions, like the fact you won’t be able to buy tickets for flights on Fridays and Sundays, and the fares apply to non-stop options only.
  Regardless of the fine print (which you can read here), ther
  
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• Greg Kelley is on the move, will be back in Williamson County today

  06-06-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Greg Kelley, the teen convicted of molesting a child at an in-home day care, will be back in Williamson County by Tuesday afternoon.
  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 Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says Kelley is scheduled to arrive at the Wi
  
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• Greg Kelley is back in Williamson County Jail after nearly 3 years in prison

  06-06-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Greg Kelley, the teen convicted of molesting a child at an in-home day care, arrived back at the Williamson County Jail around 3:54 p.m. Tuesday. As he arrived in a black SUV, Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody was there waiting for him.
  Kelley stepped out of the vehicle and waved–authorities did not have him in handcuffs. He wasn’t dressed in normal inmate garb, but rather he had on a dark button-up and black slacks. There were no Kelley supporte
  
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• 66 pounds of cocaine, cash found by APD during traffic stop

  06-06-2017 18:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two men are believed to have been planning to sell the contents of a duffel bag that they left partially open during a traffic stop, leading an Austin officer to search and ultimately arrest them.
  Austin police say, Armando Lopez, 28, and Rogelio Saucedo Jr., 36, were driving in a 2012 Ford truck on May 31 when they were pulled over for a traffic violation on North Interstate 35.
  When an officer began talking to Saucedo on the passenger side of the vehicle, they spotted a p
  
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• Authorities searching for masked home invasion suspects in Travis County

  06-06-2017 18:05 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — People living in a southeast Travis County neighborhood are concerned after one neighbor posted on Nextdoor stating three masked suspects entered his home on Bonneville Bend and held him at gunpoint last weekend.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office confirms there was a call for a home invasion at the home around 3 a.m. on Friday, June 2. and the case is currently active. TCSO could not confirm if anything was taken in the robbery or if anyone was inj
  
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• Woman sues Cedar Park restaurant, claims queso dish caused burns

  06-06-2017 17:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman is suing a Cedar Park restaurant after she claims she was burned during a table-side fire presentation of the “quesos flameados” appetizer.
  According to a lawsuit, the woman says she was dining at the Dos Salsas Cafe on May 20 and ordered the queso. The suit claims “an improperly trained waitress” brought out the queso and when she attempted to set it on fire, it ignited and went directly into the plaintiff’s face, chest, neck and arms.
  
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• Unhappy man releases bed bugs into city hall office

  06-06-2017 17:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUGUSTA, ME (WCMH) — Augusta City Hall is back in business after a disturbing situation forced the entire building to close Friday.r.
  City Manager William Bridgeo said the man apparently complained Friday to the code enforcement office about bedbugs at his former apartment then left, but returned after he showed the cup of bugs to a manager at his new apartment and was told he couldn’t live there.
  “It was extremely shocking,” said Matt Nazar, director of Development
  
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• Paris police shoot, injure man wielding hammer

  06-06-2017 17:18 via kxan.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the security operation near the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris (all times local):
  5:25 p.m.
  Paris police say an operation around Notre Dame Cathedral is over, after an attacker who targeted police with a hammer was shot and injured.
  Police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert tells The Associated Press that the intervention is over. She did not provide further details.
  Another police official said the attacker surged at police patrolling the scene with a hammer.
  Paris po
  
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• Legal experts to Trump on travel ban: Twitter hurting cause

  06-06-2017 17:11 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Memo from legal experts to President Donald Trump on resurrecting his stalled travel ban: Quit Twitter.
  Trump’s 140-character musings Monday may have undercut his own efforts to persuade the Supreme Court to reinstate his revised travel ban, which Trump called a “watered-down, politically correct” version of what he’d originally sought. Just as Trump’s Justice Department is arguing the ban doesn’t target Muslims, legal experts said the
  
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• Hello Kitty Cafe rolls into Austin Saturday

  06-06-2017 16:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you are a fan of cuteness and the color pink, boy are you in for a treat, or several, on Saturday.
  Maybe a clever collaboration, the Hello Kitty Cafe truck will be sitting at the Barton Creek Square’s Men’s Warehouse entrance from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
  The truck, established for the brand’s 40th anniversary, offers fresh pastries, macarons, cakes, cookies and all the Hello Kitty merchandise the collector inside your household just has to own.
  Fans can fo
  
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• Trump defends tweeting as way to get out ‘honest’ message

  06-06-2017 16:37 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is defending his use of social media, saying that the mainstream media doesn’t want him to get his “honest and unfiltered message out.”
  The president tweeted Tuesday, “The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out.”
  Trump frequently uses Twitter to voice criticism against the media and his political opponents.
  He says, “Sorr
  
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• Security upgrades added to Dallas emergency siren system

  06-06-2017 16:26 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Officials in Dallas say they’ve completed security upgrades to the city’s outdoor sirens that will prevent the kind of “malicious activation” that caused the emergency system to blare across the city in April.
  Authorities said in a statement Monday that the city’s more than 150 sirens now have “constant encrypted communication.”
  They say the security enhancements were completed in late May and the next round of testing is scheduled fo
  
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• Girl disqualified from soccer game because she looked like a boy

  06-06-2017 15:38 via kxan.com
  
  (WFLA/CNN) — A Nebraska family says they’re angry over the way a soccer tournament treated their eight-year-old daughter’s team, according to CNN.
  The family says Mili Hernandez’s team was disqualified because organizers thought she was a boy.
  Mili loves soccer and she loves her short haircut.
  “When my hair starts to grow, I put it short because I always had short hair, so I didn’t like my hair long,” she said.
  Mili plays soccer for Omaha’s &l
  
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• Amazon offers Prime discount to those on government benefits

  06-06-2017 15:16 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is offering a sizeable discount on its Prime membership for people who receive government assistance.
  Customers that possess a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer card, used for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, or food stamps, will pay $5.99 per month.
  The typical monthly payment for Prime membership is $10.99, but users can also pay $99 per year up front, which equates to $8.25 per month.
  Prime members get free shipping on goods and un
  
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• WATCH: Man caught with 15 bottles of motor oil, 30 DVDs down his pants

  06-06-2017 15:01 via kxan.com
  
  LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – Authorities say a man who was wearing baggy blue jeans managed to stuff 15 quart-sized bottles of Pennzoil motor oil and 30 DVDs down his pants before walking out of a 7-Eleven store in Lakeland last week.
  Unfortunately for the thief, a Polk County Sheriff’s Office detective happened to be parked outside and saw the whole thing happen.
  After walking out of the store, the man walked past the detective, who was sitting in an unmarked vehicle that was parked outs
  
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• Lockhart remembers legendary pitmaster Edgar Black Jr.

  06-06-2017 13:55 via kxan.com
  
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — Edgar Black Jr.’s friends and family say the legendary pitmaster of Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart won’t only be remembered for his meat.
  Black died Friday at his home surrounded by family.
  “When you come into his restaurant, first question is, ‘How can I serve you? How thick do you want it,'” said Lockhart Mayor Lew White.
  Mayor White said Black cared about Lockhart and that Black’s warm spirit filled any room he entered.
  &l
  
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• “Loss of business” forces rideshare company Fare out of Austin

  06-06-2017 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Less than two weeks after Governor Greg Abbott signed a statewide ridesharing law, allowing Uber and Lyft to return to Austin, one of the companies that rose to replace them is saying farewell.
  Fare debuted in Austin on May 20, 2016 after originally planning to debut that summer, but the failing of Proposition 1 and the exodus of the biggest names in ridesharing, and Fare’s willingness to comply with the city’s laws, allowed them to fill the void for people
  
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• TxDOT changing its message on distracted driving

  06-06-2017 12:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There is a growing problem across Texas – distracted driving is killing hundreds of people every year. The Texas Department of Transportation reports more than 121,000 crashes statewide were the result of distracted driving. Out of those crashes, 455 people died.  In an effort to change that, TxDOT is doing something different when it launches its summer campaign of Talk, Text, Crash.
  Over the month of June, TxDOT will take an interactive wall around the state th
  
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• Fire burns Central Austin home; no one hurt

  06-06-2017 10:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Crews with the Austin Fire Department were able to put out a fire at a Central Austin home early Tuesday morning. The 2 people inside the home at 1610 Houston Street were able to get out safely with their dog. No one was hurt.
  AFD says someone called 911 at 2:25 a.m. to report the fire. Crews arrived at 2:29 a.m. and found heavy fire at the front and left sides of the house. AFD says crews used large water streams to fight the fire from the front while other crews fought th
  
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• 2 people, dog safe after central Austin home burns

  06-06-2017 10:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Crews with the Austin Fire Department were able to put out a fire at a central Austin home early Tuesday morning. The two people inside the home at 1610 Houston Street were able to get out safely with their dog. No one was hurt.
  AFD reported that someone called 911 at 2:25 a.m. about the fire. Crews arrived at 2:29 a.m. and found heavy fire at the front and left sides of the house. AFD said crews used large water streams to fight the fire from the front while other crews fo
  
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• 3 Manor ISD schools will switch to uniforms

  06-06-2017 04:44 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — On the first day of school, most children are worried about what they’re going to wear. For many Manor Independent School District students this upcoming school year, their choice will be made a lot easier.
  Starting this fall, the district will implement a new school uniform program at Manor New Tech Middle School, Manor Middle School and its newest elementary campus. Students must wear a polo – the color depends on their grade – and their pants/shor
  
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• Texas practices for disaster, calls on public to prepare

  06-06-2017 03:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Hurricane season is here and the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Management Division is preparing for the worst.
  At the state operation’s center in Austin, 30 state agencies are participating in a training exercise to make sure Texas is ready for a major hurricane strike. The simulated storm, Hurricane Charlie, is headed toward the Texas coast and emergency response teams treat this like the real deal, practicing evacuations and sheltering.
  The
  
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• Austin aims to solve live music noise complaints with new policy

  06-06-2017 03:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, you expect to hear live music when you stroll the downtown corridor. But, for many who live downtown, the fight to keep the noise down has been an issue that has only grown in decibels over the past few years.
  After holding meetings and involving stakeholders, the City of Austin Music and Entertainment Division within the Economic Development Department announced they have come up with a new policy and revised music permi
  
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• Apple launches Homepod, takes aim at Amazon’s Echo

  06-06-2017 03:05 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (NBC News) — Apple is taking aim at Amazon’s Echo.
  The company unveiled the “Homepod” Monday, a voice-activated, internet-connected speaker that expands usage of the company’s Siri voice assistant.
  The seven-inch speaker will cost $349, but won’t be available until December. Along with playing music content, the unit will also send texts and control home gadgets.
  It brings Apple into direct competition with such offerings as Amazon’s Echo and Go
  
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• More than 150 pigs found inside tractor-trailer in West Virginia

  06-06-2017 02:53 via kxan.com
  
  KANAWHA CITY, W. Va.(WSAZ) — More than 150 hogs were found in a parked semi-truck with no sign of the driver Friday afternoon in Kanawha City, West Virginia.
  Police say the truck had apparently been parked in the same spot for a few hours when they were called to try to figure out why.
  Charleston Auto Towing responded to the call.
  “With this job, every day is a different day,” Chris Reed, the owner of the towing company, said. “First Charleston police wanted to know
  
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• Don Zimmerman wants the Travis County GOP job

  06-06-2017 02:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Austin City Council Member Don Zimmerman is throwing his fedora in the ring for Travis County Republican Party Chairman, which recently became vacant since James Dickey was elected to lead the state’s GOP.  The election has been called for June 13, and the new Chair will be elected by current Travis GOP Precinct Chairs.
  “I have a lifetime of consistent support for Constitutionally limited government, as defined by the Republican Party platform,
  
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• School offers free meals to students, community

  06-06-2017 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — School is out for the summer, but an east Austin charter school is still full of kids.
  Four days a week, the halls of IDEA Allan are full of students taking summer enrichment classes in courses ranging from ACT Prep to Cultural Cooking. Students start showing up around 7:30 every morning and leave around 1:30 in the afternoon, getting breakfast and lunch in between classes every day.
  “It ranges from a sandwich to pizza, to chicken nuggets to grilled cheese,&rdquo
  
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• Fast-moving storm pummels Austin, drops 1.1 inches of rain in 15 minutes

  06-06-2017 01:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Traffic on Interstate 35 in downtown Austin on Monday afternoon came to a standstill when heavy downpours moved through the area. The fast-moving storm dropped 1.15 inches of rain in just 15 minutes out near West Lake Hills. The strong storm, which never triggered any warnings or watches, caused traffic signals to be knocked out.
  Brent Bayless says he was in the W Hotel in downtown Austin when the storm came through. He said video of a hotel employee trying to hold the glas
  
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• Firearms stolen from truck near West Lake Hills

  06-06-2017 00:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A family in West Lake Hills is sending a message to their community to be diligent about safety and security, after burglars were caught on security camera footage in their driveway stealing four firearms and a camera from inside their truck.
  “We all get a little complacent. You don’t think anything like that could happen to you, in your house, in your driveway,” explained Catherine Howry. “My husband went out to go to work the next morning and found
  
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• Firearms stolen from truck in West Lake Hills

  06-06-2017 00:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A family in West Lake Hills is sending a message to their community to be diligent about safety and security, after burglars were caught on security camera footage in their driveway stealing four firearms and a camera from inside their truck.
  “We all get a little complacent. You don’t think anything like that could happen to you, in your house, in your driveway,” explained Catherine Howry. “My husband went out to go to work the next morning and found
  
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• Burglars caught on camera stealing firearms from truck in West Lake Hills

  06-06-2017 00:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A family in West Lake Hills is sending a message to their community to be diligent about safety and security, after burglars were caught on security camera footage in their driveway stealing four firearms and a camera from inside their truck.
  “We all get a little complacent. You don’t think anything like that could happen to you, in your house, in your driveway,” explained Catherine Howry. “My husband went out to go to work the next morning and found
  
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• Abbott schedules news conference amid special session talk

  06-06-2017 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is holding a news conference Tuesday afternoon, his office announced Monday.
  While no topic for the conference has been set, the announcement comes as Abbott is said to be mulling over a special legislative session in the wake of the 2017 regular session which ended on Memorial Day.
  Only the governor can call lawmakers back to the capitol for a special session. Likewise, the governor sets the agenda for the session.
  In late May, Lt. Governor Dan P
  
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