Austin news

• Tropical Storm Bret forms in Atlantic off Venezuelan coast

  19-06-2017 23:40 via kxan.com
  
  PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP/KXAN) — Tropical Storm Bret has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Venezuela.
  The National Hurricane Center says the storm, which formed Monday afternoon, has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. The storm’s eye is about 125 miles (200 km) southeast of Trinidad.
  Bret was moving toward the west-northwest near 30 mph (48 km/h) and was expected to continue at a slightly slower speed over the next two days. On the forecast
  
  Read more

• US student freed by North Korea in a coma has died

  19-06-2017 22:46 via kxan.com
  
  CINCINNATI (AP) — An American college student who was released by North Korea in a coma has died in Ohio. Otto Warmbier was 22.
  His family said in a statement released by a hospital that Warmbier died Monday afternoon.
  The family thanked the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treating him but said, “Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced to
  
  Read more

• Allen Townsend found guilty of 2014 murder in east Austin apartment

  19-06-2017 22:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Allen Townsend is guilty of the 2014 murder of a man at the Walnut Creek Apartments in east Austin, a jury decided Monday.
  Townsend, 28, was charged in conjunction with Terry Stowers in the Nov. 25, 2014 murder of 31-year-old LeQuince Tomlin, who died after the men rushed their way into his apartment at 6409 Springdale Rd., ordered him to the floor, took money from Tomlin at gunpoint and then shot him, according to a police affidavit.
  Police have said the two suspects were
  
  Read more

• Rick Perry: Carbon dioxide not prime driver of warming

  19-06-2017 21:49 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Energy Secretary Rick Perry says he does not believe carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific consensus but in line with the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
  Perry was asked Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” whether carbon emissions are primarily responsible for climate change and said no. He added that “the most likely the primary control knob is the ocean waters and this env
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Houston neighborhood gets gay pride crosswalk

  19-06-2017 21:24 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston neighborhood now has a gay pride crosswalk, which means crossings along all four segments of an intersection in the Montrose area are rainbow-painted.
  Crews painted the crossings Saturday and by Sunday morning, residents were turning out to take photos along the crosswalk.
  Pride Houston paid the $15,000 cost of the project. Frankie Quijano, president of Pride Houston, says, “All it can do is amplify what Houston is about. We welcome everyone, whatever size, s
  
  Read more

• Students from European University selling books door-to-door are legit

  19-06-2017 20:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says if there are students knocking on your door selling books as a part of a fundraiser, they are legitimate.
  The agency says the students are from European University and are part of a program called Southwestern Advantage. The students have verified their identities with TCSO and have various permits through municipalities within the county.
  The students plan to go door-to-door in Austin, Pflugerville and Manor but they may ventur
  
  Read more

• Supreme Court strikes down sex offender social media ban

  19-06-2017 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court struck down a North Carolina law Monday that bars convicted sex offenders from Facebook, Twitter and other popular sites.
  The justices ruled unanimously in favor of North Carolina resident Lester Packingham Jr. His Facebook boast about beating a traffic ticket led to his conviction for violating a 2008 law aimed at keeping sex offenders off internet sites children might use.
  The court rejected the state’s argument that the law deals with the virtua
  
  Read more

• Shootings kill or injure at least 19 US children each day

  19-06-2017 20:22 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Shootings kill or injure at least 19 U.S. children each day, with boys, teenagers and blacks most at risk, according to a government study that paints a bleak portrait of persistent violence.The analysis of 2002-14 U.S. data is billed as the most comprehensive study on the topic. While it mostly confirms previously released information, it underscores why researchers view gun violence as a public health crisis.
  The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention i
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Chick-fil-A now offers gluten-free buns

  19-06-2017 20:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’ve been waiting for a gluten free bun to be offered at Chick-fil-A, your time has come…but it’ll be slightly more work on your end.
  The gluten-free buns come individually packaged, which means customers will have to assemble their sandwiches themselves. The bun can be ordered with any of Chick-fil-A’s sandwich offerings, but it’ll cost an additional $1.15.
  The fast-food chain says it added the bun to its menu in response to requests fro
  
  Read more

• Tim Hague, UFC fighter turned boxer, dies at 33

  19-06-2017 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Tim Hague, the former UFC fighter known as “The Thrashing Machine,” died Sunday, two days after he was critically injured when he was knocked out in a boxing match against former Edmonton Eskimos defensive end Adam Braidwood.
  Hague’s sister, Jackie Neil, announced the death in a family statement.
  “It is with incredible sadness, sorrow and heartbreak to report that Tim has passed away today,” the statement said. “He was surrounded
  
  Read more

• Congressman Roger Williams returns to Austin after shooting

  19-06-2017 19:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-area Rep. Roger Williams is back in Austin after an emotional four days since a man open fired on a Congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va. last week.
  While Williams is holding a news conference at the Texas State Capitol Monday afternoon, this isn’t the first time he’s spoken about the attack. Over the weekend, Williams was in Fort Worth where he said he believes it’s wrong for people to call for gun control measures in the wake of
  
  Read more

• London fire may have destroyed DNA needed to ID victims

  19-06-2017 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — The devastating fire that struck a high-rise tower in London may have been so powerful that it destroyed much of the DNA evidence needed to identify its victims.
  As firefighters keep searching the charred ruins of the Grenfell Tower public housing complex with sniffer dogs and drones, Metropolitan Police commander Stuart Cundy said there was “a risk that, sadly, we may not be able to identify everybody.”
  Experts said the intensity of Wednesday’s fire at the
  
  Read more

• Justices say law on offensive trademarks is unconstitutional

  19-06-2017 18:55 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of a law that bans offensive trademarks, ruling in favor of an Asian-American rock band called the Slants and giving a major boost to the Washington Redskins in their separate legal fight over the team name.
  The justices were unanimous in saying that the 71-year-old trademark law barring disparaging terms infringes free speech rights.
  “It offends a bedrock First Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground
  
  Read more

• Man’s body found in Lady Bird Lake identified

  19-06-2017 18:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Authorities have identified the body of man pulled from Lady Bird Lake Friday evening as 43-year-old Joshua Head.
  On Friday, just after 7 p.m., the Austin Fire Department was called to the 2000 block of Lakeshore Boulevard when a paddle-boarder found a body in the water. Rescue crews recovered the body shortly thereafter.
  Austin police said Head’s death does not appear to be suspicious at this time but an official cause of death will be determined after a toxicology r
  
  Read more

• UT/TT Poll: Majority of Texas voters back new immigration provisions

  19-06-2017 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Most Texas voters believe local law enforcement should be required to cooperate with immigration authorities and that police should have the right to question the immigration status of the people they stop, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.Those were provisions of anti-“sanctuary cities” legislation signed into law last month by Gov. Greg Abbott — a statute already being challenged in court by local governments across
  
  Read more

• Coroner: Cocaine among drugs found in Carrie Fisher’s system

  19-06-2017 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carrie Fisher’s autopsy report shows the actress had cocaine in her system when she fell ill on a plane last year, but investigators could not determine what impact the cocaine and other drugs found in her system had on her death.
  The report released Monday states Fisher may have taken cocaine three days before the Dec. 23 flight on which she became ill. She died four days later.
  It also found traces of heroin, other opiates and MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy
  
  Read more

• Monday is Juneteenth, a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States

  19-06-2017 17:57 via kxan.com
  
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — African Americans across the country will gather today to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States.
  It was on June 19, 1865 when Union troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War was over. Along with that news came the word that all remaining slaves in Texas were free, an event celebrated to this day as “Juneteenth.”
  This even came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s issued his Emancipation Proclamat
  
  Read more

• US Supreme Court refuses appeal from Dallas man on death row

  19-06-2017 17:47 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review an appeal from a Dallas man on death row for fatally shooting his cousin during a November 2000 robbery where a second person also was killed.
  The high court had no comment Monday in its decision in the appeal from 44-year-old inmate Ivan Cantu. He argues his legal help at his 2001 trial was deficient for failing to investigate and present evidence that he’s innocent.
  Cantu was convicted of killing 27-year-old James Mosqueda
  
  Read more

• Overnight work on I-35 ramps begins in Hays County

  19-06-2017 17:27 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — If you plan on being on Interstate 35 between San Marcos and Kyle anytime this week, there are some changes and construction you’re going to want to be aware of.
  Starting on Monday, June 19 through June 23, between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., Texas Department of Transportation workers will be making some changes to exit ramps.
  On Monday night, crews will open the new northbound Yarrington Road exit 210 ramp located 1.6 miles south of Yarrington Road. The existing Y
  
  Read more

• Texas woman charged in stabbing death of 4-year-old daughter

  19-06-2017 16:47 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Officials say a woman has been charged with capital murder in the stabbing death of her 4-year-old daughter at a Houston apartment complex.
  Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Laquita Lewis texted family members Sunday, telling them she had hurt her child. Gilliland says Lewis texted family members from the hospital, where she had been taken after being injured in a traffic accident.
  The relatives contacted the sheriff’s
  
  Read more

• Police: California mom attacked child in attempted exorcism

  19-06-2017 15:36 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Northern California woman was in custody Sunday on suspicion of beating, biting and choking her 11-year-old daughter in an attempt to perform an exorcism on the child, authorities said.
  Kimberly Felder, 45, stripped her daughter naked and shoved sand into her mouth and into her eyes before a witness tried to stop the attack at a secluded beach in Ferndale, a North Coast town about 115 miles north of San Francisco on Friday, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s office
  
  Read more

• Pedestrian hit in east Austin crash dies 2 days later

  19-06-2017 15:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are still investigating an auto versus pedestrian crash that left a man dead last week.
  Arnold French, 75, was transported to an area hospital around 9:19 p.m. on June 11. Authorities said he was crossing in the 1700 block of Springdale Road and was hit by a vehicle that was travelling westbound on Bandera Road before making the southbound turn onto Springdale.
  French was pronounced dead on June 13 as a result of his injuries. Authorities did not say if the driver re
  
  Read more

• Google promises YouTube crackdown on online extremism

  19-06-2017 15:04 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google is promising to be more vigilant about preventing terrorist propaganda and other extremist videos from appearing on its YouTube site amid intensifying criticism about the internet’s role in mass violence.
  Its crackdown will involve both computer programs and an expanded group of people dedicated to identifying videos promoting terrorism so they can be blocked from appearing on YouTube or quickly removed.
  Google is making the commitment in the wake of viole
  
  Read more

• Google intensifies campaign against online extremism

  19-06-2017 15:04 via kxan.com
  
  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Google is intensifying its campaign against online extremism, saying it will put more resources toward identifying and removing videos related to terrorism and hate groups.
  The renewed efforts arrive in the wake of violent attacks in the U.S. and elsewhere. A van struck a crowd of people outside a London mosque Sunday, the second time an automobile was used as a weapon in that city this month, and less than a week after a gunman attacked GOP lawmakers on a baseball fiel
  
  Read more

• Father, daughter meet for first time after 40 years

  19-06-2017 14:31 via kxan.com
  
  CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. (AP) — A man is looking forward to celebrating Father’s Day a week after his first meeting with his 40-year-old daughter, who tracked him down following decades of questions.
  Daughter Jyll Justamond says she was working with limited information from her mother: that her father’s first name was Al, he was Italian and he worked at a bar called Neary’s in the 1970s.
  In April, she made a post in a Facebook group for Palisades Park, where the now-defunct b
  
  Read more

• AISD trustees to vote on bond proposal Monday night

  19-06-2017 14:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees are expected to vote on which bond proposal they’ll ask voters to choose in the upcoming November election.
  The goal for many trustees is to keep the bond under the $1 billion mark so the tax rate does not increase.
  “For young parents, we’re always looking towards the future and how policies are going to be affecting our kids,” said Chalimar Chieza, an Austin educator tea
  
  Read more

• 79 now believed to have died in London high-rise fire

  19-06-2017 13:17 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — London police said Monday that 79 people were now believed to have died in the high-rise apartment building fire.
  Police Commander Stuart Cundy gave the new figure during a statement outside Scotland Yard, saying it includes both people who were confirmed dead and others who are missing and presumed dead. It’s an increase from the previous number of 58.
  The new total may change as the investigation continues, Cundy said. The search and recovery operation in the 24-story
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Homeowner fights off 5 armed men with machete

  19-06-2017 13:16 via kxan.com
  
  SARASOTA, Florida (NBC News) — A homeowner in Sarasota fends off armed robbers with a machete and the whole thing was caught on camera.
  It started just before 5 a.m. Sunday. The homeowner and another person were sitting on their front porch when the unwelcome visitors arrived.
  Around that time the Public Safety Communications Center received a report of a suspicious person armed with a rifle. That didn’t stop this homeowner from picking up whatever he could use as a weapon, incl
  
  Read more

• George P. Bush seeking re-election in Texas

  19-06-2017 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — George P. Bush is seeking re-election as Texas land commissioner next year, hoping to continue running a little-known but powerful agency in a state where his political-dynasty family has been prominent for decades.
  Bush unveiled a campaign website early Monday, and was emailing supporters.
  Get your burpees in while exercising with George P. Bush
  His grandfather, President George H.W. Bush, was once a Texas congressman and his uncle, George W. Bush, left Texas’ g
  
  Read more

• Missing boy found safe and reunited with family

  19-06-2017 10:00 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Deputies with the Hays County Sheriff’s Department say Dominic Gearing, 13, was found early Monday morning after an overnight search by deputies.
  Gearing was last seen at 8 p.m. Sunday night in the area of Cool Springs Way in the High Pointe Subdivision near a greenbelt. The sheriff’s office says Gearing ran away from home but they were concerned because of the nearby terrain.
  The High Pointe Subdivision is 5 miles southeast of Downtown Dripping
  
  Read more

• Dripping Springs missing boy found safe

  19-06-2017 10:00 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Deputies with the Hays County Sheriff’s Department say Dominic Gearing, 13, was found early Monday morning after an overnight search by deputies.
  Gearing was last seen at 8 p.m. Sunday night in the area of Cool Springs Way in the High Pointe Subdivision near a greenbelt. The sheriff’s office says Gearing ran away from home but they were concerned because of the nearby terrain.
  North Hays Fire, Hays County’s Community Emergency Response Tea
  
  Read more

• Driver killed after car strikes tree in Steiner Ranch identified

  19-06-2017 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – A man in his 20s died after his car ran into a tree in the Steiner Ranch area of Travis County close to Lake Travis Sunday night, said Austin-Travis County EMS.
  At about 9:34 p.m. a person called to report that a man was pinned in his car and unconscious in the 4200 block of Quinlan Park Road north of Steiner Ranch Boulevard and close to Steiner Ranch Elementary School.
  Department of Public Safety officials identified the victim as San Marcos native Jon-Erik C
  
  Read more

• Driver, 20s, dies after car strikes tree in Steiner Ranch

  19-06-2017 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – A man in his 20s died after his car ran into a tree in the Steiner Ranch area of Travis County close to Lake Travis Sunday night, said Austin-Travis County EMS.
  At about 9:34 p.m. a person called to report that a man was pinned in his car and unconscious in the 4200 block of Quinlan Park Road north of Steiner Ranch Boulevard and close to Steiner Ranch Elementary School.
  When medics arrived, they said it was clear the man had critical, life-threatening injuries
  
  Read more

• London police plead for calm after attack at mosque

  19-06-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — London police, already stretched by a series of major incidents around the capital, are putting more officers on the street to reassure the public after a driver plowed into a crowd of people leaving a mosque early Monday. One man died at the scene and 10 people were injured.
  Police say a suspect was arrested immediately after the attack, which is being treated as a terrorist incident.
  “Extra officers are on duty in the area to help reassure the local community,”
  
  Read more

• 1 dead in crash near London mosque suspected as terrorism

  19-06-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — A vehicle struck pedestrians near a mosque in north London early Monday morning, killing one man and injuring 10 other people in what police are investigating as a terrorist incident.
  Police said the 48-year-old man who was driving the car has been arrested and taken to a hospital as a precaution. He will be given a mental health evaluation.
  The crash occurred at a time when the multiethnic neighborhood was crowded with Muslims leaving the Finsbury Park mosque after Ramadan p
  
  Read more

• 1 dead, 10 hurt in crash near mosque suspected as terrorism

  19-06-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — A vehicle struck pedestrians near a mosque in north London early Monday morning, killing one man and injuring 10 people in what police are investigating as a terrorist incident.
  Police said the 48-year-old man who was driving the car has been arrested and taken to a hospital as a precaution. He will be given a mental health evaluation.
  The crash occurred at a time when the multiethnic neighborhood was crowded with Muslims leaving the Finsbury Park mosque after Ramadan prayers
  
  Read more

• Tropical development in the Caribbean likely this week

  19-06-2017 03:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For over a week, the KXAN First Warning Weather team has been monitoring the tropics, as two potential cyclones are developing.
  Original blog post: Potential development in the tropics next week
  The one closest to Texas is currently labelled “Disturbance 1” by the National Hurricane Center, and it has an 80% chance of developing into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours. Hurricane Hunter aircraft flying from Florida was scheduled to investigate this disturban
  
  Read more

• Scheffler earns low amateur, Spieth finishes strong at US Open

  19-06-2017 03:21 via kxan.com
  
  ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Some of the loudest cheers at the U.S. Open were reserved for a guy who never really challenged the leaders.Wisconsin golf fans love home-state favorite Steve Stricker.
  He had a pretty good final round, too, shooting a 3-under 69 to finish at 5 under for the tournament. His best finish in 20 U.S. Open appearances came in the first Open to be held in Wisconsin.
  There was one last ovation as he walked off the 18th green after putting for par.
  “It was really cool. Yeah
  
  Read more

• Brooks Koepka caps a record week with US Open title

  19-06-2017 02:46 via kxan.com
  
  ERIN, Wis. (AP) — Brooks Koepka traveled around the world to find his game. He found stardom right at home as the U.S. Open champion.Koepka broke away from a tight pack with three straight birdies on the back nine Sunday at Erin Hills and closed with a 5-under 67 to win the U.S. Open for his first major championship. A par on the final hole tied Rory McIlroy’s record score to par at 16 under for a four-shot victory.
  Not even the wind could stop the onslaught of low scores at Eri
  
  Read more

• Seager drives in 3 as Mariners beat Rangers

  19-06-2017 02:42 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — After consecutive six-run losses against Texas, the Seattle Mariners got to the Rangers‘ ace Sunday and earned a long-awaited victory in Arlington.Kyle Seager drove in three runs with three doubles, Christian Bergman pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Mariners beat Yu Darvish and the Rangers 7-3.
  Danny Valencia’s two-run homer capped a four-run first against Darvish (6-5), and the Mariners beat the right-hander for the first time in eight
  
  Read more

• Navy identifies 7 victims from USS Fitzgerald; 1 from Weslaco, Texas

  19-06-2017 02:34 via kxan.com
  
  YOKOSUKA, Japan (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Navy ship collision off the Japanese coast (all times local):
  8:45 a.m.
  The U.S. Navy has identified the seven sailors who died in a collision between the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship off Japan on Saturday.
  They are:
  — Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, from Weslaco, Texas
  — Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, from Palmyra, Virginia
  — Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, from San
  
  Read more

• Bastrop animal shelter halves adoption fees to help with overcrowding

  19-06-2017 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) – The Bastrop County Animal Shelter is asking for help, saying it is overwhelmed with dogs and cats and is at 100 percent capacity.
  To help relieve strain on the facility, they have cut adoption fees in half. You can see their adoptable animals online at this website.
  Robert Hunt, the shelter’s manager, said they also run two specials year-round.
  “We have a senior-for-senior program. That’s any animal that’s 5 years or older is considered a sen
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!