Austin news

• 31-year-old former NFL player found dead in Indiana river

  08-06-2017 23:36 via kxan.com
  
  FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — James Hardy, a historic Fort Wayne sports star and former NFL player, has been identified as the victim pulled from the Maumee River in east Fort Wayne on Wednesday. He was 31.
  An autopsy conducted by the Allen County Coroner’s Office confirmed the identity on Thursday. The coroner’s office was not able to determine Hardy’s cause and manner of death.
  NewsChannel 15 confirmed Hardy’s family reported him missing to police on May 30.
  Police an
  
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• LeBron not faulting Warriors for building super team

  08-06-2017 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James hasn’t slowed the Warriors, and he’s hardly alone.
  Toying with other teams, Golden State has turned the NBA postseason into its personal playground, storming to a record 15 straight wins and moving within a victory on Friday night in Game 4 of another title and into the conversation of the best teams ever.
  And although it appears James, playing in his seventh straight Finals, will again fall short of a championship, Cleveland’s superstar isn
  
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• LeBron not faulting Warriors for building powerhouse team

  08-06-2017 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James knew what might happen when Kevin Durant merged with the Warriors, a 73-win team out for revenge.
  James understood the potential of this Golden State goliath with more firepower than perhaps anything the NBA has seen before.
  And although he’s on the cusp of being swept in the Finals — for the second time — by a team unequalled in today’s game, James isn’t envious of the Warriors for building a super power in sneakers.
  He’d d
  
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• Austin offers loan to veteran entrepreneurs, business owners

  08-06-2017 23:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For military veterans who want to become entrepreneurs, the first steps can be the hardest. The city of Austin wants to help by loaning money to local veterans.
  Thursday, Mayor Steve Adler, the city’s Economic Development and the Office of Veteran Affairs announced a $250,000 micro loan pool available for veterans to start or expand an existing business locally in Austin.
  “Despite Austin being at the top of lists as best city to start a business, the n
  
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• Doctors warn of ‘dry drowning’ dangers after 4-year-old Texas boy’s death

  08-06-2017 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Four-year-old Francisco Delgado III died a week after he went swimming with his family at the Texas City Dike over the Memorial Day weekend, KTRK reports.
  Over the holiday weekend, the child complained of an upset stomach but his parents said they didn’t think much of it. As the week went on, his family tells KTRK they thought he was getting better but on Saturday, June 3, the child said his shoulders were hurting before taking his last breaths a few hours later.
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• Doctor warns of ‘dry drowning’ dangers after 4-year-old Texas boy’s death

  08-06-2017 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Four-year-old Francisco Delgado III died a week after he went swimming with his family at the Texas City Dike over the Memorial Day weekend, KTRK reports.
  Over the holiday weekend, the child complained of an upset stomach but his parents said they didn’t think much of it. As the week went on, his family tells KTRK they thought he was getting better but on Saturday, June 3, the child said his shoulders were hurting before taking his last breaths a few hours later.
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• ‘Most wanted’ sex offender with ties to Lakeway arrested near Del Valle

  08-06-2017 22:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A most wanted sex offender who had ties to Lakeway has finally been apprehended.
  The Department of Public Safety says authorities captured 54-year-old Kevin Travis Waddell on Thursday morning at a business near Del Valle. Members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force took Waddell into custody without incident.
  It only took authorities two days to find Waddell after he was added to DPS’ Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders list earlier this week. He had been w
  
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• Round Rock ISD faces $14M deficit, burdens from unfunded state laws

  08-06-2017 22:27 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, TX (KXAN) —  Round Rock Independent School District explained that pressure from state unfunded mandates has put them in the red by $14.5 million for the 2017- 2018 school year.
  This summer, district administrators are crunching the budget numbers to plan for the upcoming year while coping with the failure of the recent bond proposal. While the bond funds are unrelated to the money that is allocated in the budget (the bonds’ failure won’t impact the 2017-2018 b
  
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• Southwest Airlines launches 2 new flights from Austin to Florida

  08-06-2017 21:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If beach time is in store for your summer, Southwest Airlines is making it easier for you to get from Austin to two major beach destinations in Florida.
  Starting Saturday, June 10, Southwest Airlines will run weekly nonstop services between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Pensacola International Airport (PNS) and Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP). The carrier will operate the new nonstops once week, on Saturdays, only during the summer.
  Southw
  
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• Memorial to honor 15 killed in Texas fertilizer plant blast

  08-06-2017 21:29 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Work has begun on a memorial to honor the 15 people killed in the 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in the Central Texas city of West.
  The memorial is being built in a city park about 100 yards from where the West Fertilizer Co. plant exploded on April 17, 2013.
  A federal investigation into the blast that caused $100 million in damage determined it was a criminal act.
  Memorial committee chairman Joe Pustejovsky says donations will cover the $300,000 cost of the project.
  The mem
  
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• Texas woman granted clemency by Obama back in prison

  08-06-2017 20:34 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas woman freed from a life sentence after President Barack Obama last year granted her clemency is headed back to federal prison.
  U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison has sentenced 49-year-old Carole Denise Richardson, of Texas City, to 14 months in prison for violating her probation. In 2006, Ellison gave her a life term for multiple drug offenses. She was released last July following Obama’s clemency and placed on 10 years’ probation.
  Acting U.S. Attorney Abe
  
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• VIDEO: Hatched sea turtles making their way to the water

  08-06-2017 20:13 via kxan.com
  
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KXAN) — The first sea turtle hatchlings of the season are making their way to the water at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas.
  In 1973, Kemp’s ridley turtles were placed on the endangered species list, where they have remained. KRIS TV reports that it is the most critically endangered sea turtle species in the world.
  While every year can yield in different results, researchers and scientists say this year has been good for the endangered turtles.
  “Th
  
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• Supermarket massacre shooter left chilling online trail

  08-06-2017 20:11 via kxan.com
  
  A man who police say trapped and killed three co-workers inside a closed northeast Pennsylvania grocery store overnight Thursday left an online trail behind that includes praise for the 1999 Columbine High School shooters and expressions of deep frustration about the world around him.
  Wyoming County District Attorney Jeff Mitchell said a Twitter feed that includes a 42-minute film about a violent massacre, posted about the time of the killings, is believed to have belonged to 24-year-old Randy S
  
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• Supermarket employee kills 3 co-workers, self in store spree

  08-06-2017 20:11 via kxan.com
  
  TUNKHANNOCK, Pa. (AP) — A supermarket employee brought two guns to work overnight Thursday, blocked the store’s entrances and exits so no one could flee and fatally shot three fellow employees before turning the weapon on himself, Pennsylvania state police said.
  State police say it remains unclear why 24-year-old Randy Stair, of Dallas, shot the others and himself in a Weis Market shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday.
  Stair’s shift started when the store closed at 11 p.m. Police said
  
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• Three people killed in crash on SH 16 near Fredericksburg

  08-06-2017 19:15 via kxan.com
  
  GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Seven days into what is dubbed the “100 deadliest days for teenager drivers,” an SUV with four teenagers on board was involved in a car crash that ultimately killed three people Wednesday night in Gillespie County.
  The Texas Department of Public Safety says the two-vehicle crash happened around 7 p.m. on State Highway 16 approximately 20 miles south of Fredericksburg. Initial information shows an 18-year-old male was driving north on SH 16 in a
  
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• WWII veteran’s remains return home after missing 73 years

  08-06-2017 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — More than 70 years ago, a U.S. Army bomber plane dubbed “Hot as Hell” was headed for India on a supply mission. It never arrived, and no one went looking for the doomed aircraft or the eight men on board because military officials had no way of pinpointing where it went down.
  All signs of the mission were lost until 2006, when a hiker in northeast India spotted a wing and panel sign inscribed with the bomber’s name. It wasn’t until 2015 that the U.S.
  
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• Remains of missing WWII vet returned home after 73 years

  08-06-2017 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — More than 70 years ago, a U.S. Army bomber plane dubbed “Hot as Hell” was headed for India on a supply mission. It never arrived, and no one went looking for the doomed aircraft or the eight men on board because military officials had no way of pinpointing where it went down.
  All signs of the mission were lost until 2006, when a hiker in northeast India spotted a wing and panel sign inscribed with the bomber’s name. It wasn’t until 2015 that the U.S.
  
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• Official: Ballot requests made by people found to be dead

  08-06-2017 18:53 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Dallas County elections officials say at least 17 people listed as deceased applied for a ballot to vote in the May local elections.
  The county’s elections administrator, Toni Pippins-Poole, told WFAA-TV that no ballots were issued and the matter was forwarded to the district attorney’s office for review.
  State law mandates that county clerks and the Texas secretary of state’s office notify elections officials of deaths so that names can be scrubbed from vot
  
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• Comey says he was fired because of Russia investigation

  08-06-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey asserted Thursday that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia’s role in the 2016 election and its ties to the Trump campaign.
  “It’s my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey told the Senate intelligence committee in explosive testimony that threatened to undermine Trump’s presidency.
  “I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor
  
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• VIDEO: Man tries to open ATM with stolen backhoe

  08-06-2017 18:27 via kxan.com
  
  DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Maryland (NBC News) — Police are looking for the person who used a backhoe to try and break into an ATM in Maryland overnight.
  It happened around 4:30 a.m.
  According to the Prince George’s County Police, someone stole a backhoe, then drove it five miles to the ATM sitting outside a bank.
  Surveillance video shows the backhoe tearing up the machine.
  The thief didn’t get any money out of the ATM but he did cause about $10,000 worth of damage.
  Police believe the s
  
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• Man killed in 2 vehicle crash on SH 71 identified

  08-06-2017 17:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man pronounced dead at the scene of Monday morning’s crash on State Highway 71 at Farm to Market 973 has been identified.
  Austin police said, around 6:15 a.m., Juan Narciso Garcia, 46, was driving a 2006 Ford Mustang southbound in the left lane of FM 973 when he ran a red light along the East SH 71 westbound service road.
  At the same time, a 2011 Ford F-350 in the center lane of the service road was making its way through the intersection when it hit the left side o
  
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• Austin Energy, Travis Audubon meet half-way on how to manage Monk Parakeets

  08-06-2017 17:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After getting flack from the Travis Audubon Society on how parakeet nests are being removed from utility poles, Austin Energy says it is working with the organization to identify best practices on how to handle the nests.
  Last week, Travis Audubon questioned why the utility company was using poles to knock down the Monk Parakeet nests and leaving the baby birds to die. Austin Energy explained that the parakeets build large nests, sometimes as large as a car, which can
  
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• Woman claims worker dropped her on United Airlines flight

  08-06-2017 16:55 via kxan.com
  
  LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) – Erica Fulton was in Houston last September, on her way to visit her son when she boarded what she calls a “flight from hell.”
  Fulton, who is from Largo, has a degenerative disease that requires the use of a wheelchair for mobility. She purchased a first class ticket on a United Airlines flight for extra room and to avoid issues during the boarding process. The airline provided assistance to help her get on the plane.
  As an airport worker helped her to her s
  
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• See Jim Spencer at Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita Run tonight

  08-06-2017 16:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s that time of year again and, this time, the Maudie’s Moonlight Margarita Run is kicking the tires at a brand new location.
  If you love running and margaritas, you’re going to want to hunker down at the former Seaholm Power Plant beginning at 8 p.m. to get your fill of either one, all while Jim Spencer hosts the fun.
  More than 2,000 runners are expected for the 14th annual event.
  All proceeds benefit The Trail Foundation, the nonprofit organization tha
  
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• Former first lady Barbara Bush celebrates 92nd birthday

  08-06-2017 15:44 via kxan.com
  
  KENEBUNKPORT, Maine (AP) — Former first lady Barbara Bush is celebrating her 92nd birthday on the Maine coast.
  She and former President George H.W. Bush are planning a low-key day Thursday in Kennebunkport, where they spend their summers. A family spokesman says several family members were with them.
  Her husband, the nation’s 41st president, also is celebrating a birthday soon. George H.W. Bush turns 93 on Monday.
  The Bushes spend most of the year in Houston, but return each summer t
  
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• Texas transgender girl, 8, says she shouldn’t be forced to use bathroom with boys

  08-06-2017 15:08 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) – Senate Bill 6, or the bathroom bill, has supporters and opponents at odds.
  Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the controversial bill would be on the special session agenda.
  A third-grade student has a simple message for lawmakers.
  “I was born with a body of a boy, but in my heart, my spirit says I’m a girl so I shouldn’t be forced to share a bathroom with the boys,” said Tristan Reyna.
  Tristan was 2 years old when she discovered she was
  
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• Bikers ready to kick off ROT Rally 2017

  08-06-2017 14:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is about to get much louder. The Republic of Texas Biker Rally kicks off Thursday morning and riders from throughout Texas and the region have already made their way into town.
  “There’s always been a big turnout here and it’s always been awesome,” said Paul Seekford from Conroe. This is Seekford’s 9th year coming to ROT Rally. He loves the crowd and hopes all of Austin sees what he and the other bikers are all about. “They&rsq
  
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• Boy, 10, with life-threatening illness granted wish to meet April the giraffe

  08-06-2017 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  HARPURSVILLE, NY (WCMH) — A 10-year-old Ohio boy who suffers from a life-threatening seizure disorder got the opportunity of a lifetime as he met his favorite animal and the world’s most beloved viral star — April the giraffe.
  It was a day Alex Johnson won’t soon forget as the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted his desire to meet the giraffe after he and more than a million others waited for the animal to give birth earlier this year.
  Johnson, who is also visually impair
  
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• Things to know about ex-FBI head’s James Comey’s testimony

  08-06-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Assurances to an incoming president that he was not under federal investigation. A president’s unprecedented request for loyalty from an FBI director. A “very concerning” request from the president to end an investigation into a devoted presidential appointee. Lawmakers hungry for answers and frustrated by the reticence of national security executives to provide them.
  It’s been a month of extraordinary drama since President Donald Trump fired FBI
  
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• Increased illegal parking fines during Austin festivals proposed

  08-06-2017 12:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some changes could be in store for several parks in Austin when it comes to parking and vending during special events. On Thursday, Austin’s city council will consider several recommendations from the Parkland Events Task Force, a group formed by the council in 2015 to explore best uses for park space and the impact events have on the parks.
  After 30 meetings and thousands of comments, three recommendations will go before the council. Those include illegal parking, il
  
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• Austin City Council preview for June 8

  08-06-2017 12:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here’s a quick rundown of some items expected to top Thursday’s city council agenda.
  Art Space Assistance Program The Art Space Assistance Program (ASAP) aims to preserve space that’s disappearing for artists. The program will provide grants to support non-profits facing permanent, those previously displaced, or those facing substantially more expensive lease renewals. The city is dedicating a one-time funding amount of $200,000 to the program. A
  
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• Man critical after being shot in southeast Austin

  08-06-2017 10:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are investigating after a man was sent to the hospital with a gunshot wound Wednesday night in southeast Austin.
  It happened in the 6300 block of Riverside Drive near Montopolis Drive just before midnight. Police say the man was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
  As of 2 a.m. Thursday morning, police don’t know if it was self-inflicted.
  
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• Fire burns abandoned home in southeast Austin

  08-06-2017 09:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin fire crews are investigating the cause of a fire early Thursday morning at an abandoned home in southeast Austin.
  The fire department said a passerby called 911 at 12:30 a.m. about the fire at 456 South Highway 183. When crews arrived six minutes later, they found the home on fire. They were able to get the fire under control within 10 minutes.
  They say no one was inside the home at the time of the fire. No one was hurt. Crews from Austin Energy and Texas Gas Service
  
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• West Texas town hit by ‘my name is Jeff’ graffiti

  08-06-2017 06:02 via kxan.com
  
  MONAHANS, Texas (KMID) — After being affected by graffiti vandalism last Friday, residents in Monahans near the 400 block of South Allen Street are speaking up.
  “You work hard for everything you have, and you try to get nice things where your property looks nice and it just gets destroyed,” says Crystal Sotello, an affected resident.
  Multiple objects in the area were spray-painted with the words “Jeff” and “My name is Jeff,” including a washer, wind
  
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• Nurses get BOGO burritos, other entrees at Chipotle on June 14

  08-06-2017 05:28 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Chipotle is showing its appreciation for nurses by offering a buy one, get one free deal for those in the profession on June 14.
  Nurses just have to bring a valid ID into any United States or Canada location on Wednesday to get BOGO burritos, burrito bowls, salads, or tacos.
  The deal is not valid on online, mobile, or fax orders, or combined with other coupons and promotions, the restaurant chain says.
  Get all the details on this tasty “Code Burrito” promotion
  
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• Round Rock police adds new sets of wheels to its fleet

  08-06-2017 04:28 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A call for help just got much closer for those out enjoying Round Rock’s parks and trails. And it’s all thanks to the newest addition to the Round Rock Police Department’s fleet.
  Two new recreational off-highway vehicles, known as ROHVs, will be out cruising through the city’s parks during the busy summer season.
  “There’s a lot of bikers and walkers and joggers, it’s just the perfect vehicle for this,” said Officer
  
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• Skyrocketing maternal deaths in Texas set to get special focus from lawmakers

  08-06-2017 03:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Mothers are dying after they give birth in Texas more than any other place in the industrialized world according to doctors in the state.
  Lawmakers did not successfully pass a bill continuing a task force to tackle the issue. Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott laid out a long list of agenda items lawmakers must take up during the special legislative session in July.
  According to the Department of State Health Services, African-American mothers die in much greater numbers than women
  
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• ABIA baggage handler faces up to 20 years for stealing guns

  08-06-2017 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A baggage handler who pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing guns from passenger bags at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport now faces up to 20 years in prison.
  Ja’Quan Johnson, 26, stole the items from checked baggage, including a .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol, the Department of Justice announced. When the allegations first emerged, the Austin Police Department said Johnson had traded some of the stolen guns for marijuana.
  Johnson pleaded guilty to one coun
  
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• ACC Leander location on track to welcome students next summer

  08-06-2017 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) – Austin Community College’s new 100-acre San Gabriel campus in Leander was celebrated Wednesday, June 7 with a topping out ceremony.
  Being a nationally recognized two-year college with more than 76,000 students enrolled, the ACC built a new, $60 million, 100-acre campus to service northwestern Williamson County. With a fast-growing student population, the new location is expected to relieve crowding at the Cypress Creek campus by welcoming 2,500 students i
  
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• Maria’s Taco Xpress will remain open

  08-06-2017 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When the owner of Maria’s Taco Xpress said she was going to close up shop due to the high property taxes, her customers came out in droves to support the business.
  Maria Corbalan, who is also known as Austin’s Taco Queen, says she won’t be closing after all and is going to try to keep her restaurant open. But even with more taco sales, the challenge still remains.
  “Right now, it’s totally out of control. I haven’t paid myself a salary in
  
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• Texas keg stand grandma proves that age is just a number

  08-06-2017 00:40 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (NBC) — A 79-year-old grandma did her first keg stand at a family graduation party in Arlington, Texas — and people are loving it.
  Madison Munoz posted the picture on her Twitter, and it took the Twitter world by storm, with more than 2,000 retweets and 11,000 likes.
  It was Munoz’s brother’s graduation party and Grandma Muriel insisted on doing a keg stand.
  For the uninitiated: a keg stand is a party move in which you’re held upside down when y
  
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• VIDEO: Home under construction in Bastrop engulfed in flames

  08-06-2017 00:31 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — A home under construction in a new subdivision in Bastrop went up in flames Wednesday morning.
  Josh Gill, Chief of Bastrop ESD 2, says the 2,600-square foot home off of Highway 304 was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived, and the roof was already collapsing. Crews were first called just before 6 a.m. to the home on Axis Trail.
  No one was inside the home and no one was injured. Units from ESD 1, ESD 2, Bastrop Fire and Smithville Fire all worked to put out the bla
  
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• New Mexico sues Dollar General, claims sale of ‘obsolete’ motor oil

  08-06-2017 00:18 via kxan.com
  
  LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KTSM) — New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit on Monday claiming that Dollar General sold its customers “obsolete” motor oil. According to the lawsuit, the discount chain knowingly marketed, distributed and sold its own brand of oil by placing it on the shelves next to more expensive, name brand oil.
  However, Dollar General’s brand, DG Auto, used formulas meant for cars built before 1930 or before 1988.
  “My office continues to
  
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