Austin news

• Fire at Pflugerville tire shop sends black smoke billowing into the sky

  06-07-2017 23:34 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Black smoke is billowing from a business on fire in the 2900 block of West Pecan Street in Pflugerville.
  The fire started around 4:10 p.m. at what appears to be the GCR Tires and Services. While the business is on Pecan Street, it butts up to residential homes on Miss Allison Way.
  Drivers on Interstate 35 could see the smoke for miles. But the black smoke dissipated around 4:30 p.m.
  The Austin Fire Department is assisting Pflugerville Fire.
  KXAN has a crew at t
  
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• VIDEO: Thousands of guns destroyed in Rio de Janeiro

  06-07-2017 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (KXAN) — It’s a sight you don’t see very often.
  On Thursday, thousands of guns were lined up on a street in Rio de Janeiro and a steam roller mowed over them. The display of destruction is part of the city’s mission to take guns off the streets.
  The Brazilian Army oversaw the destruction of the weapons in part of what is aptly called “Operation Steamroller.” Nearly 5,000 firearms were collected by Rio de Janeiro State Police or handed ov
  
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• Some Clif Bars recalled over possible nut contamination

  06-07-2017 23:09 via kxan.com
  
  EMERYVILLE, Calif. (WCMH) — The FDA says Clif Bar is recalling three of its products due to the possible presence of undeclared nuts.
  The agency says Clif Bar got complaints of allergic reactions to tree nuts and peanuts.
  According to the FDA, there have been no confirmed illnesses associated with the recall.
  The recalled items are Builder’s Bar chocolate mint flavor, Clif Kid Z-bar protein chocolate mint, and Clif Kid Z-bar protein chocolate chip.
  Consumers can get a full refund by
  
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• Father dies after boating incident in Temple that killed daughter

  06-07-2017 22:47 via kxan.com
  
  TEMPLE, Texas (KXAN) — The father who tried to save his daughter in a boating incident in Temple Lake Park on June 23 has died, according to KWKT. 
  Patrick Oliver was swimming with his 4-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn, when a houseboat began reversing toward them in the water.
  His daughter became stuck in the propellers and, as Oliver tried rescuing her, his legs were hit as well. Both of his legs had to be amputated after the collision and his daughter died.
  Jason Bernal, 47, told police
  
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• Illegal day care owner arrested, accused of shaking Taylor baby

  06-07-2017 22:45 via kxan.com
  
  TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — A woman who ran an illegal day care in Taylor where a 10-month-old suffered an injury last month has admitted to police that she injured the baby.
  The Taylor Police Department says on June 15, emergency crews responded to an apartment at 405 Sloan St. for a baby who was having difficulty breathing. The boy was taken to the hospital in serious condition. At the time, police say it was unclear if the child was taken to the hospital for a medical condition or if his inj
  
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• All-clear at Air Force base near Boston after explosives fear

  06-07-2017 22:19 via kxan.com
  
  HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AP) — Normal operations resumed at an Air Force base that was partially evacuated early Thursday, when potentially explosive material was detected during a routine inspection of a delivery truck.
  In a statement, the 66th Air Base Group said the truck had been cleared and personnel who had been ordered to leave Hanscom Air Force base earlier in the day were being allowed to return.
  “However pallets from the truck, which contain potentially concerning res
  
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• Three confirmed cases of flesh-eating bacteria in Mobile

  06-07-2017 22:12 via kxan.com
  
  MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Vibrio Vulnificus –better known as flesh-eating bacteria — has reached Mobile.
  Barbara Gibbs with the Mobile Health Department says they have two confirmed cases that were related to open wounds being exposed to the water around Mobile and one case is from eating raw oysters in another state.
  Vibrio usually shows up in the summer months. It’s a bacteria that is naturally occurring in warmer water. Those exposed to it will see symptoms within 24-72 ho
  
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• Woman’s kidnapping caught on camera in Los Angeles

  06-07-2017 22:08 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (KRON) – Los Angeles police are searching for a woman after her kidnapping was caught on camera.
  In the surveillance video, the victim is seen talking to a man.
  The woman tries to walk away and the suspect opens the door to his van.
  He then grabs the woman by her hair and throws her into his vehicle.
  According to police, there was another person in the passenger seat, who throws something out the window.
  Police don’t know the name of the victim but based on the video they
  
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• Matt’s El Rancho celebrates 65 years

  06-07-2017 20:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the constant ebb and flow of restaurants closings and openings, Matt’s El Rancho in south Austin has been serving up Tex-Mex for the the past 65 years.
  On Thursday, July 6, the restaurant is celebrating its 65th birthday with live bands and even a magician! The restaurant will also be celebrating what would have been restaurant founder’s Matt Martinez’s 100th birthday.
  In 1923, at the age of six, Matt started selling tamales from a wooden pushcart aro
  
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• ‘Stand with law enforcement’ issued for Friday morning

  06-07-2017 20:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In remembrance of the five officers who were shot and killed in an ambush attack in Dallas last summer, Gog. Greg Abbott is issuing a statewide call to stand with law enforcement in Texas on Friday, July 7.
  On July 7, 2016, as a peaceful rally was being held in downtown Dallas, shots erupted at 8:45 p.m. After hours of negotiations, Dallas police used a bomb robot to kill the suspect, Micah X. Johnson.
  To mark the officers’ deaths, Abbott is asking all law enforcement
  
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• Trump administration backs Texas voter ID law in court

  06-07-2017 19:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration says Texas has scrubbed its voter ID law of any potential discrimination and wants a judge who once compared the measure to a “poll tax” on minorities and the poor to resist further action.
  That stance from the U.S. Justice Department, filed in court Wednesday, continues a reversal from Washington over what critics call one of the most restrictive voter ID laws in the nation. Under former President Barack Obama, the federal governme
  
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• New Yarrington Road exit to open Friday morning

  06-07-2017 19:37 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The new northbound exit ramp for Yarrington Road on Interstate 35 in Hays County is almost ready to open, after one more closure.
  On Thursday night, the southbound outside lane between Burleson Street and Old US 81 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. On Friday morning, crews will open the new northbound Yarrington Road exit ramp. The existing exit north of Ranch to Market 150 will be permanently closed to traffic.
  The project switches traffic onto three new nor
  
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• Austin officer watches 2-year-old fall out of moving vehicle

  06-07-2017 18:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A grandmother told Austin police that she was ‘constantly reminding’ her granddaughter to put car seats in her vehicle after a 2-year-old fell out of the front passenger side of the minivan in full view of an officer and firefighter in early June.
  According to court documents, Labreya Price, 25, was making a turn at the intersection of Ed Bluestein Boulevard and Loyola Lane on June 2 when her child fell out, got up and jumped back inside. An officer sitting at t
  
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• Austin officer spotted 2-year-old fall out of moving vehicle

  06-07-2017 18:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A grandmother told Austin police that she was ‘constantly reminding’ her granddaughter to put car seats in her vehicle after a 2-year-old fell out of the front passenger side of the minivan in full view of an officer and firefighter in early June.
  According to court documents, Labreya Price, 25, was making a turn at the intersection of Ed Bluestein Boulevard and Loyola Lane on June 2 when her child fell out, got up and jumped back inside. An officer sitting at t
  
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• Teenager accused of killing UT student expected to appear in court

  06-07-2017 18:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meechaiel Criner is expected to appear before Judge David Wahlberg for a pre-trial hearing Thursday morning.
  Criner, 19, is charged with capital murder in the 2016 death of University of Texas at Austin student Haruka Weiser, a charge he has pled not guilty too. Criner was arrested two days after Weiser’s body was found. Because he was 17 years old at the time of the homicide, Criner is not eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
  In December, Criner&rsq
  
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• As trial date nears, Meechaiel Criner’s defense spar over jury questions

  06-07-2017 18:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Defense and prosecution stood before Judge David Wahlberg at a Travis County courtroom Thursday morning in a pre-trial hearing for the case charging Meechaiel Criner with capital murder.
  Criner, 19, is charged with capital murder in the 2016 death of University of Texas at Austin student Haruka Weiser, a charge he has pled not guilty too. Criner was arrested two days after Weiser’s body was found. Because he was 17 years old at the time of the homicide, Criner is 
  
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• Travis County issues burn ban as dry, triple-digit heat settles in

  06-07-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With summer hitting its stride, Travis County Commissioner’s Court voted Thursday to implement a burn ban as of July 6.
  The Travis County Fire Marshal Tony Calloway says the area is entering a time where the area is susceptible to grass fires. Calloway says there were two dozen grass fires on the Fourth of July holiday and about 25 percent of those fires were the result of fireworks.
  In Bastrop County on Wednesday, several small brush fires broke out along Farm to Mar
  
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• San Antonio woman dies after being hit by police car

  06-07-2017 16:36 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio police say a 63-year-old woman was fatally struck by a police car after an officer responded to reports of fireworks in her neighborhood on the Fourth of July.
  Police said Josephine Carter died Tuesday from head trauma. Police said in a statement that “the details surrounding this tragic accident are still under investigation.”
  Police said the officer had responded to a call about a person shooting off fireworks. After that person agreed to stop a
  
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• Man says he was fired from Home Depot for rushing to save child

  06-07-2017 16:09 via kxan.com
  
  (KGW/KOIN) A Portland, Oregon man was fired from Home Depot after violating the company’s safety policy.
  Dillon Reagan, 32, said he was just trying to save a child from a possible kidnapping.
  “At the time, the only thing I was thinking about was the child’s safety,” said Reagan, who had worked at Home Depot for four years.
  On May 12, Reagan said he was finishing his shift in the store’s tool rental center when things turned chaotic. He said a coworker yelled at him
  
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• B-cycle bike sharing adds 3 additional Austin stations

  06-07-2017 15:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Those in need of a pair of wheels for a short period of time are going to have more of them available after B-cycle increases their fleet this week.
  The bike sharing program already had 15 station and 380 bikes. Three more stations are being added this week at Cesar Chavez Street and Congress Avenue, Sterzing Street and Barton Springs Road and on Henderson Street between Sixth Street and Ninth Street.
  The company plans to add a total of 18 stations and 125 bikes over t
  
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• United forces 2-year-old onto mother’s lap for three hour flight

  06-07-2017 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  BOSTON, MA (NBC News) — United Airlines is apologizing for giving a 2-year-old boy’s seat away to a standby passenger.
  Pictures show the boy sitting in his mother’s lap on a United flight from Houston to Boston last week.
  The mother was forced to hold her son for the three-and-a-half hour flight.
  Shirley Yamauchi says she bought a ticket for her 2-year-old son months ago.
  United’s website says once infants turn 2-years-old they are required to have a purchased ticket
  
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• Mold on APD DNA samples questioned by state’s top forensic experts

  06-07-2017 14:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ top forensic experts want answers about how the Austin Police Department handled nearly 850 sexual assault kits found covered in mold.
  According to a city memo, mold was recently discovered on DNA samples dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s at an evidence storage facility.
  The Texas Forensic Science Commission sent a letter to APD outlining 15 questions needing answers by next month to figure out what went wrong. This is the same forensic group of experts
  
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• Putin, Trump to meet in Germany amid a sea of disputes

  06-07-2017 13:24 via kxan.com
  
  MOSCOW (AP) — For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Germany offers a long-sought opportunity to negotiate a rapprochement with Washington. But controversy over the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia will loom over the talks, making any agreements unlikely.
  Rarely in recent history has a meeting of two heads of state generated so much excitement, anxiety and hope.
  The Kremlin views Friday’s
  
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• Insurance industry: 2016 set record for Texas hail damage

  06-07-2017 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas homeowners endured an epic year in 2016 when it comes to damage to their homes from hail.
  The Texas Department of Insurance reports that insured hail-related residential damage topped $5 billion, topping a previous state record of $1.9 billion set in 2015.
  The Austin-based Insurance Council of Texas reports the most damaging hailstorm last year happened in the San Antonio area on April 12, causing $1.4 billion in insured losses.
  Combined wind and hail damage to i
  
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• Ted Cruz to hold healthcare town hall in Austin Thursday night

  06-07-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Senator Ted Cruz is headed to Austin Thursday evening to talk to veterans as part of his statewide tour to discuss his version of the proposed Senate healthcare plan. The Concerned Veterans for America invited Cruz to conduct town hall style meetings that can focus on veteran issues.
  Sen. Cruz has offered an amendment to the Better Care Reconciliation Act that aims to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cruz, however, wants to keep the provision that would allow those who
  
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• Ted Cruz stops in Austin to talk healthcare

  06-07-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Senator Ted Cruz is headed to Austin Thursday evening to talk to veterans as part of his statewide tour to discuss his version of the proposed Senate healthcare plan. The Concerned Veterans for America invited Cruz to conduct town hall style meetings that can focus on veteran issues.
  Sen. Cruz has offered an amendment to the Better Care Reconciliation Act that aims to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cruz, however, wants to keep the provision that would allow those who
  
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• Ted Cruz holding veteran health care town hall in Austin Thursday night

  06-07-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Senator Ted Cruz is headed to Austin Thursday evening to talk to veterans as part of his statewide tour to discuss his version of the proposed Senate health care plan. The Concerned Veterans for America invited Cruz to conduct town hall style meetings that can focus on veteran issues.
  Sen. Cruz has offered an amendment to the Better Care Reconciliation Act that aims to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cruz, however, wants to keep the provision that would allow those wh
  
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• Ted Cruz holding health care town hall in Austin Thursday night

  06-07-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Senator Ted Cruz is headed to Austin Thursday evening to talk to veterans as part of his statewide tour to discuss his version of the proposed Senate health care plan. The Concerned Veterans for America invited Cruz to conduct town hall style meetings that can focus on veteran issues.
  Sen. Cruz has offered an amendment to the Better Care Reconciliation Act that aims to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cruz, however, wants to keep the provision that would allow those wh
  
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• Houston father drowns saving son after kayak tips

  06-07-2017 12:54 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KPRC) — A 27-year-old father is dead after saving his 5-year-old son from drowning at Galveston’s San Luis Pass.
  According to family members Rufino Suarez, his son and five other people were in a kayak around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Two of the three children were not wearing life jackets, the family said.
  The family told investigators that the kayak tipped over and everyone except Suarez and his son swam to shore.
  Several minutes later, the child washed ashore. He was unresponsive.
  
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• Keeping the Community Cool One Fan at a Time

  06-07-2017 05:48 via kxan.com
  
  The Summer Fan drive is something we love being a part of, it will mean so many people without air conditioning will stay comfortable and safe in our summer heat.  Jenny Burden is the special event coordinator at Family Eldercare, she joined us with more on the big event and how you can get involved. Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive will be held on Friday, June 16th.
  Go to https://www.summerfandrive.org/ for more information.
  
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• Wounded Rep. Scalise readmitted to intensive care

  06-07-2017 05:46 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington hospital where House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is recuperating from a gunshot wound says he has been readmitted to the intensive care unit.
  MedStar Washington Hospital Center says the Louisiana congressman is back in intensive care because of new concerns for infection. Scalise was in serious condition Wednesday night.
  Scalise and four other people were injured last month when a gunman opened fire on a Republican baseball practice in nearby Alexandria, Vi
  
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• Jester Estates neighbors worried ‘speed cushions’ will slow wildfire evacuation

  06-07-2017 05:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some people in Jester Estates fear they’re more at risk during a wildfire after speed bumps were installed two weeks ago. The neighborhood backs up to the Balcones Canyonland Preserve and has just one way in and one way out, prompting concerns about an evacuation.
  “It scares me. Absolutely,” Doug Norton, who has lived in Jester Estates for 22 years told KXAN. If you ask him, no wildfire evacuation route should include anything that slows people down.
  The A
  
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• Wanted: Texas elementary school teachers

  06-07-2017 05:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The summer hiring season for Central Texas teachers is in full swing, and those certified to teach elementary students may have an easier time finding work.
  “The job market is great right now in education,” said Nicole Holtin, who recently graduated from University of Texas at Austin with a degree to teach in an elementary school.
  She plans to teach in Costa Rica for a few years to develop her Spanish so she can focus on bilingual education, and then come back t
  
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• Hobby Lobby fined $3 million over smuggled Iraqi artifacts

  06-07-2017 04:20 via kxan.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Federal prosecutors say Hobby Lobby Stores has agreed to pay a $3 million federal fine and forfeit thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts smuggled from the Middle East that the government alleges were intentionally mislabled.
  Prosecutors filed a civil complaint in New York on Wednesday in which Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby consented to the fine and forfeiture of thousands of tablets and bricks written in cuneiform, one of the earliest systems of writing, as well as ot
  
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• VIDEO: Austin neighbors scramble to put out fire caused by fireworks

  06-07-2017 03:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearby fireworks shot into a southwest Austin backyard on the Fourth of July, catching the fence on fire. A homeowner and his neighbors then scrambled to put out the fire before it spread.
  Firefighters were called to Ladle Lane in the Oak Hill neighborhood shortly after the fire started at 9:30 p.m. Kelly Whicker says neighbors about two blocks away were firing off aerial fireworks all night.
  When the fire started, neighbors from all corners jumped into action. Whicker&rsqu
  
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• Amarillo mother reacts to being shaming for breastfeeding in public

  06-07-2017 03:24 via kxan.com
  
  AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR) — An Amarillo mom says she was shamed for breastfeeding her 8-month-old daughter in public.
  It happened Monday afternoon while Kayla Martinez was at Air U Indoor Trampoline Park with her two daughters.
  Martinez tells us she initially was breastfeeding her daughter in the middle of the play area at Air U.
  She said it wasn’t until after she finished that a manager came up to her to let her know that several people had complained to staff about her breastfeeding,
  
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• Abandoned puppy found in airport bathroom with note

  06-07-2017 03:01 via kxan.com
  
  LAS VEGAS (WFLA) – A woman is being called brave on social media after abandoning her 3-month-old puppy in an airport bathroom with just a note.
  The woman said she was the victim of domestic abuse and couldn’t afford to keep the dog.
  She left a note July 1 with the puppy saying:
  Hi! I’m Chewy – My owner was in an abusive relationship and couldn’t afford me to get on the flight. She didn’t want to leave me with all her heart but she has NO other option. My ex-b
  
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• Senate race showdown heats up as Ted Cruz hosts town halls

  06-07-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — With one United States Senate seat opening up in 2018, the candidates spent the Fourth of July weekend vigorously campaigning.
  Those pitches to voters include a series of town hall forums hosted by incumbent Ted Cruz.
  Cruz spent the holiday weekend in McAllen, with a rally before participating in a parade. He was met with supporters, but also protesters, many of whom held signs of support for his challenger, Beto O’Rourke.
  O’Rourke, a congressman from El Paso
  
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• Families await justice in Williamson County DA case backlog

  06-07-2017 00:57 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — It’s difficult for Janice Bell and Juanita Price to go back to the intersection where they lost two family members. “All the hurt comes back, I have to relive it again,” says Juanita Price.
  Juanita lost her brother Tyrone Price, and his 12-year-old daughter Cheyenne, back in October. They were hit by a car while crossing A.W. Grimes Boulevard in Round Rock. 
  Nine months later, the family still hasn’t heard an update on the case
  
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• Round Rock traffic stop leads to raid of cocaine, meth stash

  06-07-2017 00:40 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — What started as a traffic stop in Round Rock ended with federal indictments for two Central Texas residents.
  Patsy Vargas Sandoval, of Copperas Cove, was arrested after officers say they found 10 ounces of meth in her car during a June 20 traffic stop along Interstate 35.
  Detectives began investigating circumstances tied to the traffic stop. Then, with the help of the FBI, Austin and Pflugerville police, Texas DPS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, off
  
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• Round Rock traffic stop leads to drug raid

  06-07-2017 00:40 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — What started as a traffic stop in Round Rock ended with federal indictments for two Central Texas residents.
  Patsy Vargas Sandoval, of Copperas Cove, was arrested after officers say they found 10 ounces of meth in her car during a June 20 traffic stop along Interstate 35.
  Detectives began investigating circumstances tied to the traffic stop. Then, with the help of the FBI, Austin and Pflugerville police, Texas DPS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, off
  
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• Dripping Springs man competent for trial over Ft. Hood mass killing threat

  06-07-2017 00:19 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (KWKT) — A man accused of threatening a mass shooting on Fort Hood has been ruled competent to stand trial.
  Federal Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske on Wednesday set a trial date of July 31 for Thomas Anthony Chestnut, of Dripping Springs, who is charged with interstate communications with a threat to injure in connection with the incident in which he threatened to go to Fort Hood and kill certain people, take hostages and kill a large number of others if his demands were not met.
  
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