Austin news

• Neighbors want to make Rainey St. overflow parking areas off limits

  30-06-2017 23:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s hard enough to find a place to park in downtown Austin on a weekend night, and now it looks like it’s about to get even tougher near Rainey Street.
  Signs are popping up along Holly Street, just two blocks east from Rainey Street, telling neighbors “Holly Street being considered for residential permit parking (RPP).”
  Neighbors like Ramona Ramirez say they want their parking spots back. “Oh my goodness, I have a lot of pr
  
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• Rabid fox attacks family’s dog in San Marcos

  30-06-2017 22:52 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A family dog that was attacked by a rabid fox in San Marcos has to undergo a 90-day isolation period.
  The city of San Marcos says the attack happened on Wednesday, June 28 in the 1400 block of Wonder World Drive, near Interstate 35. The fox tested positive for rabies, which is the city’s first non-bat rabies case on record.
  Since the dog was not current on its rabies vaccination, a local veterinarian is currently keeping the dog for the state-required 90-da
  
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• Leander fugitive connected to missing woman case deported back to US

  30-06-2017 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A fugitive from Leander was deported back to Williamson County from Mexico on Thursday.
  Jimmy Mariano Soto, Jr., 36, was wanted by Williamson County authorities on numerous warrants stemming from an aggravated assault incident causing serious bodily injury. Soto was accused of breaking his wife’s jaw in August 2015, and was sought by police after Appollonia Lozano went missing. KXAN is reaching out to authorities to determine if she is still consider
  
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• Dell Children’s Medical Center celebrates its 10th birthday

  30-06-2017 22:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s been 10 years since Dell Children’s Medical Center opened its doors to provide care and service to injured and sick children.
  To celebrate the special milestone, the hospital held a party for its current and former patients and their families to share their stories and experiences.
  When the hospital opened in 2007, it was the only place for “comprehensive pediatric specialty care” in Central Texas. The hospital is the only Pediatric Level I
  
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• Hamilton Pool promoting swimming safety with free life vests

  30-06-2017 21:58 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — As summer settles in, the reservations to get into Hamilton Pool are currently booked out five weeks in advance.
  While the reservation requirement changed prior to the summer of 2016, the newest addition to the pool this year is a life vest stand where visitors can borrow free life jackets. Travis County Parks added the kiosks after two people died while swimming at the park last year.
  “Once a swimmer goes down, it’s difficult to pull him back
  
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• Suspect wearing doctor’s coat opens fire at Bronx hospital

  30-06-2017 21:38 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A man pulled a rifle from under his white lab coat and opened fire inside a Bronx hospital Friday, killing at least one person and wounding others before apparently taking his own life, authorities said.
  The gunfire broke out at 2:50 p.m. inside the Bronx Lebanon Hospital, bringing police cars and firetrucks rushing to the scene and sending officers onto the roof with their guns drawn as people inside the building were told to hide.
  Officers went floor by floor looking for
  
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• Doctor opens fire at Bronx hospital, killing one before taking his own life

  30-06-2017 21:38 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A doctor with a rifle hidden under a lab coat opened fire Friday at the Bronx hospital where he used to work, killing one person and wounding six others before taking his own life, authorities said.
  The shooting started at 2:50 p.m. inside the Bronx Lebanon Hospital, drawing a heavy police presence to the area as officers with guns drawn told people to hide. Hospital employees barricaded themselves in rooms to escape the violence.
  “I thought I was going to die,”
  
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• MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ hosts fire back at Trump Twitter blasts

  30-06-2017 21:12 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said Friday that President Donald Trump lied about their December encounter in a tweet and that his “unhealthy obsession” with their program doesn’t serve his mental health or the country well.
  The two MSNBC personalities postponed a vacation in order to respond to Trump’s tweet, which drew broad condemnation a day earlier because he called Brzezinski “crazy” and said she
  
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• More than a dozen ‘mistreated’ horses seized from Thrall home

  30-06-2017 20:51 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — More than a dozen horses were seized from a home in Thrall after authorities say the animals were neglected and mistreated.
  The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says they started looking into the property located in the 2500 block of County Road 426 after receiving a tip about the conditions of the horses. The Wilco Animal Control Unit went in on Friday morning and seized the animals.
  “The animals were found in very poor conditions and thanks
  
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• Civic leaders urging customers to boycott Unbarlievable

  30-06-2017 20:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Numerous elected officials along with civil rights groups are taking action against Unbarlievable, a Rainey Street bar whose owner has recently come under attack after claims he made rude and racist comments.
  The group of Austin community members speaking out against the bar says customers have “faced sexist, racist, Islamophic, and otherwise hateful rhetoric” from the owner, Brandon Cash, and his staff.
  During Friday’s news conference, Austin City Council
  
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• Civic leaders seeking action against Unbarlievable

  30-06-2017 20:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Numerous elected officials along with civil rights groups are taking action against Unbarlievable, a Rainey Street bar whose owner has recently come under attack after claims he made rude and racist comments.
  The group of Austin community members speaking out against the bar says customers have “faced sexist, racist, Islamophic, and otherwise hateful rhetoric” from the owner, Brandon Cash, and his staff.
  One customer posted a Facebook review stating in one insta
  
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• $3K reward being offered for veteran’s missing service dog

  30-06-2017 19:22 via kxan.com
  
  SPICEWOOD, Texas (KXAN) – A veteran who served in Desert Storm is offering a $3,000 reward for his 2-year-old service dog he believes was stolen last weekend from his Spicewood-area home.
  James Irvin, 49, says his 120-pound Rottweiler named Bane was trained to help him sleep at night. And while Bane doesn’t actually sleep in Irvin’s bed, he’s right next to him on the floor.
  The only reason I can go to sleep is because I know he can hear just before I do,” explains I
  
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• San Antonio police officer dies after shootout with suspect

  30-06-2017 18:07 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — The San Antonio police officer who suffered a gunshot wound to the head has died.
  Just hours before Officer Miguel Moreno’s death, San Antonio Chief of Police William McManus said doctors indicated Moreno would not survive his injuries. Moreno and Officer Julio Cavazos, both 9-year veterans with the department, were shot while conducting directed patrol Thursday afternoon in an area just north of downtown.
  McManus says the two officers were assigned to the
  
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• Texas Supreme Court sends same-sex marriage benefits case back to lower court

  30-06-2017 16:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a lower court ruling that favored of government-subsidized same-sex marriage benefits and sent the Houston case back to trial court for reconsideration.The case was part of Texas Republicans’ ongoing fight against the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide and led to the enactment of benefits policies for married same-sex couples.
  At the center of the Houston case is whether that rulin
  
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• Rep. Dawnna Dukes shows up in court, trial date scheduled

  30-06-2017 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Embattled Austin Rep. Dawnna Dukes appeared before Judge Brad Urrutia in Travis County’s 450th Criminal District Court Friday morning to learn when her case will head to trial.
  Dukes turned herself in to the Travis County jail on Jan. 18 after she was indicted on corruption, abuse of official capacity and tampering with governmental records charges. Both parties agreed to go to trial on Oct. 16.
  The first indictment includes 13 felony charges on the offense of ta
  
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• Rep. Dawnna Dukes flirts with reelection run as trial date looms

  30-06-2017 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday morning, embattled Austin Rep. Dawnna Dukes appeared before Judge Brad Urrutia for a hearing, but she was more than two and a half hours late.
  Her docket call was scheduled for 9 a.m. Judge Urrutia referenced her delay while he presided over the case.
  “We do start court at 9 o’clock,” Judge Urrutia told Dukes. “Sooner you get here, sooner you’re out of here…”
  Dukes was indicted earlier this year on corruption, abuse of of
  
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• Rep. Dawnna Dukes due in court today

  30-06-2017 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Embattled Austin Rep. Dawnna Dukes must appear in person before Judge Brad Urrutia in Travis County’s 450th Criminal District Court as part of a docket call Friday morning.
  Dukes turned herself in to the Travis County jail on Jan. 18 after she was indicted on corruption, abuse of official capacity and tampering with governmental records charges.
  Friday’s hearing is being held to schedule trial dates and any pre-trial hearings attorneys may need as the case moves
  
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• For the first time in 28 years, Sony is making vinyl records again

  30-06-2017 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (WCMH) — The old saying goes, “What is old is new again,” and Sony is proving that point after it announced it was making vinyl records again after a 28 year break.
  According to CNN, the legendary record label will start pressing vinyl records again for the first time in nearly three decades.
  Sony stopped making records in 1989 when compact discs became the rage for albums.
  But now, many music fans, both young and old, are once again “spinning the black circ
  
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• Burt’s Bees Baby recalls onesie

  30-06-2017 13:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Concerns snaps could detach from a baby onesie and become a choking hazard prompted Burt’s Bees Baby to issue a recall for it’s pink butterfly coverall and hat set.
  There have been no reports of any injuries but the company says it is issuing the recall “out of an abundance of caution.”
  In this particular outfit, an extra layer of fabric with a ruffle may be preventing the snap from connecting properly.
  If you purchased the outfit, quit using it and
  
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• Lost pup makes cross-country journey to San Antonio

  30-06-2017 13:22 via kxan.com
  
  (KHQ) Becky Somes loves dogs. When she sees a stray dog, she always tries to find their home. She’s been successful every time. On Mother’s Day, Becky had quite the surprise from her son and granddaughter.
  “They were due here at 3 o’clock on Mother’s Day, and they showed up at 3 o’clock with a dog,” she says.
  “My first reaction was to find who owns it,” said Becky.
  Becky and her granddaughter took pictures and posted flyers going door-to-door
  
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• Pflugerville Pfirecracker Pfestival moved from Pflugerville Lake

  30-06-2017 13:19 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — No fireworks at Lake Pflugerville this 4th of July. Instead the city is preparing to break in Pflugerville ISD’s new high school football stadium, appropriately named “The Pfield.”
  “If you wanted to go to the lake on July 4th, you’re more than allowed to,” said Pflugerville Parks and Recreation Director James Hemenes. “If you want to see fireworks, come here.”
  Road construction along Weiss Lane is what Pflugervill
  
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• Germany legalizes same-sex marriage after Merkel u-turn

  30-06-2017 12:47 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage after a short but emotional debate, bringing the country in line with many of its Western peers. Though Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure, she paved the way for its passage by freeing other members of her party to vote their “conscience.”
  Lawmakers voted 393 for legalizing “marriage for everybody” and 226 against, with four abstentions.
  Merkel said Monday that lawmakers could
  
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• Police ramp up enforcement on highways, waterways ahead of holiday

  30-06-2017 12:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Law enforcement officials from highway patrol to lake patrols are ramping up efforts to keep everyone safe during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.In a few hours from now, Austin Police are going to start Operation Dry Water, a national campaign to prevent injuries or death from alcohol related incidents.During the operation, which ends Monday, you’ll see more patrols on state lakes and rivers.
  Eight people have drowned on Texas waterways in June, according to Texas
  
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• Puppy stolen from Austin Pets Alive

  30-06-2017 12:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 7-week-old puppy is missing from Austin Pets Alive! and staff there suspect she was stolen.Wrangler is a cattle dog mix and was last seen in her kennel Wednesday night. Now, APA is working with Austin Police to review security camera footage and determine what happened.
  APA says it’s important that they get the dog back as soon as possible because she is so young and hasn’t had all of her vaccines yet. Puppies her age are susceptible to a number of diseases th
  
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• Libraries giving away eclipse glasses

  30-06-2017 12:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Free glasses are being handed out at libraries all over the country so people will be able to watch the solar eclipse.
  On Aug. 21, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to experience a total solar eclipse for the first time since 1918. The eclipse will be most visible in the town of Hopkinsville, Ky.
  Regular sunglasses are not enough to protect your eyes when looking directly at the sun, so libraries are pitching in by providing solar viewing glasses.
  Around 4,800
  
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• AFD investigating overnight house fire

  30-06-2017 09:47 via kxan.com
  
  KXAN (AUSTIN) — The Austin Fire Department is looking into the cause of an overnight fire Friday at an East Austin home.
  The fire broke out at the home on 1164 Alamo St. between Pennsylvania and S L Davis Avenues.
  Investigators are trying to figure out if the fire started inside or if the fire was set intentionally.
  When crews arrived around 12:15 a.m., they first thought the porch was on fire, but it turns out it was a mattress outside the home that caught fire.
  Nobody was inside the
  
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• Missing boy on Lady Bird Lake trail found safe

  30-06-2017 05:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A missing 13-year-old boy on the Lake Bird Lake hike and bike trail has been found safe.
  Police were called at 10:18 p.m. and were searching for the boy, last seen wearing an orange t-shirt and black shorts as he was running on the trail.
  His father has been searching for him. Officers say the father and son only speak Spanish.
  An Austin police helicopter was searching for the boy from above.
  
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• ‘Butt graffiti’ cases taking over Florida city

  30-06-2017 05:35 via kxan.com
  
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — You could call it a derrière dilemma, a keister caper, or even a rump riddle. Ah, yes. It is sixth-grade humor at its finest with endless comical posterior possibilities.
  At the end of the day, however, what’s now being called “butt graffiti” is ultimately illegal.
  The design is popping up all over the place in St. Petersburg, in places near the old YMCA and the Morean Arts Center.
  At least 20 cases have surfaced in the last sever
  
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• Trash piling up in Barton Creek Greenbelt ‘an absolute disaster’

  30-06-2017 04:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Summer’s here and school’s out, sending thousands to Austin’s Barton Creek Greenbelt. But a viewer reached out to KXAN with concerns of trash at Campbell’s Hole, spoiling a hot spot to enjoy nature.
  The problem is bigger than this — one the Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) is hoping to solve with the help of the community.
  Jay Bowles sent KXAN pictures of the trash he stumbled up on Wednesday, saying typically, Campbell’
  
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• Salvation Army breaks ground on new women’s shelter in east Austin

  30-06-2017 04:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Salvation Army broke ground Thursday on a new women and children’s shelter in east Austin.
  The Rathgeber Center for Women and Children is being built on Tannehill Lane, right next to the Austin Shelter for Women and Children Day Care Center.
  Sixty-three new bedrooms will bring the capacity to 213, and will also have a new kitchen and dining room, a computer learning center, playground and “success closet”.
  It’s being named after the philanth
  
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• List unveiled of campuses AISD is looking to close, sell to offset $1B bond

  30-06-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — School consolidations and closures have been part of the bond conversation for the last six months with nothing set in stone.
  This week, KXAN obtained a document sent to the school board that lists these six properties to be sold for a total of $73.9 million to offset the $1 billion bond:
  Norman Elementary
  Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy
  Rosedale School
  Sanchez Elementary
  Metz Elementary
  Brooke Elementary
  As of Tuesday, district officials ack
  
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• List of campuses AISD is looking to close and sell to offset $1B bond

  30-06-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — School consolidations and closures have been part of the bond conversation for the last six months with nothing set in stone.
  This week, KXAN obtained a document sent to the school board that lists these six properties to be sold for a total of $73.9 million to offset the $1 billion bond:
  Norman Elementary
  Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy
  Rosedale School
  Sanchez Elementary
  Metz Elementary
  Brooke Elementary
  As of Tuesday, district officials ack
  
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• List of AISD schools that could close, sell to offset $1B bond unveiled

  30-06-2017 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — School consolidations and closures have been part of the bond conversation for the last six months with nothing set in stone.
  This week, KXAN obtained a document sent to the school board that lists these six properties to be sold for a total of $73.9 million to offset the $1 billion bond:
  Norman Elementary
  Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy
  Rosedale School
  Sanchez Elementary
  Metz Elementary
  Brooke Elementary
  As of Tuesday, district officials ack
  
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• With a deadly start to summer, officials urge water safety

  30-06-2017 04:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A deadly start to summer in Texas has emergency crews and law enforcement warning of the dangers out on the water ahead of Fourth of July celebrations.
  On the first official day of summer, a 15-year-old boy drowned after jumping off a cliff into Canyon Lake. He was one of four people to drown in state waterways last week.
  So far, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says eight people have drowned in state lakes and rivers in June. Assistant commander for TPWD law enfo
  
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• Trump nominates former Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as NATO ambassador

  30-06-2017 03:33 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he has nominated Kay Bailey Hutchison, a former Republican senator from Texas, to be the U.S. ambassador to NATO.
  Trump has had a rocky relationship with the 28-nation military alliance. As a candidate, he called NATO “obsolete.”
  The president has criticized several members of the post-World War II organization for not spending adequately on defense. At a May meeting in Brussels with NATO members, Trump complained that his allies ha
  
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• Lost Pomeranian makes cross-country journey to Texas home

  30-06-2017 03:26 via kxan.com
  
  SPOKANE, Wash. (KHQ) — Becky Somes loves dogs. When she sees a stray dog, she always tries to find their home. She’s been successful every time. On Mother’s Day, Becky had quite the surprise from her son and granddaughter.
  “They were due here at 3 o’clock on Mother’s Day, and they showed up at 3 o’clock with a dog,” she says.
  “My first reaction was to find who owns it,” said Becky.
  Becky and her granddaughter took pictures and posted fl
  
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• Ex-nurse facing new charges in deaths of up to 60 Texas children

  30-06-2017 03:14 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A former nurse who prosecutors believe could be responsible in the deaths of up to 60 Texas children has been indicted on two new murder charges.
  The Bexar County district attorney’s office said in a statement that 66-year-old Genene Jones was indicted Thursday in the death of an 8-month-old in 1981 and a 4-month-old a year later. She now faces four new murder charges.
  Jones is serving a lengthy prison sentence for the 1982 killing of another toddler. She is schedu
  
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• UT’s Dell Medical School welcomes new class of mostly female students

  30-06-2017 02:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas’s Dell Medical School welcomed its newest class Thursday. Only one percent of applicants were accepted into the program and most of them are from Texas — and women.
  Each one has a special reason for attending medical school. As a kid, Hannah Rosenthal spent hours in doctor’s appointments. She wasn’t sick, it was for her big sister, Rebecca.
  “She has what’s called West Syndrome,” Rosenthal said. “She had
  
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• Ken Paxton, 9 other states urge Trump Administration to end DACA

  30-06-2017 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined nine other states’ attorneys general in signing a letter that urges the secretary of Homeland Security to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program.
  “We respectfully request that the Secretary of Homeland Security phase out the DACA program,” Attorney General Paxton wrote. “Just like [Deferred Action for Parents of Americans], DACA unilaterally confers eligibility for work autho
  
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• Protected bird doused with gas, torched by Williamson County boys

  30-06-2017 00:43 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Three juveniles are being investigated in Williamson County after video surfaced on social media of the trio dousing a bird in gasoline and lighting it on fire, according to Texas Game Wardens.
  The video also showed the boys, who had recently gotten probation for a house burglary, throwing the bird in the air and hitting it a couple of times with a football. Cedar Park police got a hold of the video before it was deleted.
  READ: Animal abusers will face up to 10 y
  
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• Deputies find $103,000 in cash during Georgetown traffic stop

  30-06-2017 00:14 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A traffic stop led to a discovery of more than $103,000 in cash by Williamson County deputies Wednesday afternoon.
  The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says deputies noticed Juan Pablo Chavarria-Rodriguez, 57, was showing signs of being deceptive and may have been involved in illegal activity. Deputies searched his car and found the cash tucked away in the front quarter panels.
  “Our deputies are well trained and are determined to stop illegal activi
  
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• Final public meeting will collect input on Travis County bond proposals

  30-06-2017 00:04 via kxan.com
  
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County officials will hold the final public meeting Thursday evening to collect input for a long list of project proposals being considered for a bond election this fall.
  The Citizens Bond Advisory Committee has held five prior meetings around the county to discuss the projects and update the list.
  The total cost for all projects currently considered is around $1.13 billion, but the final funding level for this bond will be far lower.
  CBAC officials said the
  
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• Controversial Travis Co. road through undeveloped land a possible bond project

  30-06-2017 00:04 via kxan.com
  
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County officials held their final public meeting Thursday evening to collect input for a long list of project proposals being considered for a bond election this fall.
  It was standing room only at the Lakeway Activity Center, many people there to support a plan for recreational fields for youth sports teams in the western part of the county.
  The Citizens Bond Advisory Committee held five prior meetings around the county to discuss the projects and update the
  
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