Austin news

• Facebook friend request warning is a hoax

  10-07-2017 23:59 via kxan.com
  
  (WTNH) – Another fake Facebook warning is circulating throughout the social media site Monday.
  Facebook users are being duped into sharing another hoax message, this time warning others not to accept friend requests from an account with the name Jayden K. Smith. The message is sent via Facebook messenger with a warning of a hacker with that name having a system connected to your Facebook account.
  While people think they are helping by sharing the warning, it is all just another hoax. Accor
  
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• Dramatic video shows large waterspout on East Coast

  10-07-2017 23:31 via kxan.com
  
  DARE COUNTY,  Va. (WAVY) — Dramatic video from Monday morning shows a waterspout in Colington Harbour, North Carolina.
  The video was posted to Instagram by Whitney Norko, who says she was in Kill Devil Hills with her children. Norko mention in one comment that they were in the water on floaties moments before the waterspout formed. She said they were all OK.
  A tornado warning was issued Monday for parts of Dare County Monday, and several WAVY viewers sent in p
  
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• Driver crashes into house featured on ‘Fixer Upper,’ charged with DWI

  10-07-2017 23:23 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (KWKT) — A Waco man is charged with driving while intoxicated after police say he crashed into a north Waco house featured on the hit show, “Fixer Upper.”
  Police say Allen Miller, 31, was driving while intoxicated Saturday around 1:20 a.m.
  “I was laying in my bed about to go to sleep and then, the next thing I hear, I hear what sounded like an explosion,” said Michael Dickerson, a neighbor.
  Police say Miller lost control of his vehicle, went airborne and
  
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• Driver killed after crashing into guardrail on RM 2222

  10-07-2017 22:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 31-year-old man was killed early Saturday morning when he crashed into the end of a guardrail on Ranch to Market 2222 near Bell Mountain Drive.
  Police say Daniel Joseph Royas was driving a silver 2008 Nissan Sentra eastbound when he drifted off the right side of the road in the 8500 block of RM 2222.
  He hit the end of the guardrail head-on at around 12:30 a.m. Royas was pronounced dead at the scene.
  Austin police are still investigating the crash. Anyone with informa
  
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• Swimmer pulled from Lake Travis dies at the hospital

  10-07-2017 22:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was pulled from Lake Travis onto a party boat Sunday afternoon after struggling in the water.
  Lake Patrol deputies were called for a report of people doing CPR on a victim on the boat and took him to Emerald Point Marina, where Austin-Travis County EMS medics continued CPR on Saugata Ghosh, 34, on the way to the nearby Baylor Scott & White Medical Center.
  He was pronounced dead at 5:26 p.m. Witnesses say Ghosh, of Austin, was swimming with several friends when he
  
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• Who the biggest tippers are

  10-07-2017 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re still tipping 15 percent at restaurants, some of the wait staff might think you’re a cheapskate. According to a new creditcards.com report, people who tip 20 percent are considered the best tippers.
  When it comes to political parties and gender, tipping is quite a controversy. Seemingly, men and women are equal – in regards to when they tip; but white, Republican men rule more than just the Senate. While men and women are both equally likely to t
  
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• Austin family taking fight for Medicaid funds to Capitol Hill

  10-07-2017 21:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One Austin family is taking their story to Capitol Hill to urge Congress to protect — not cut — children’s Medicaid funding as proposed in the American Health Care Act of 2017.
  The Howell family’s effort in Washington, D.C. will be part of a national push to address key health care needs for children through the Children’s Hospital Association’s annual Family Advocacy Day.
  Of the more than 30 million kids enrolled in Medicaid, at lea
  
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• 1-year-old boy hit, killed after wandering onto highway in East Texas

  10-07-2017 20:32 via kxan.com
  
  ATHENS, Texas (KETK) — A 1-year-old boy is dead after a tragic car crash near Athens late Sunday.
  According to a preliminary Department of Public Safety investigation, at 9:08 p.m. a car was traveling on Highway 175 W when a small child wandered onto the south side of the road. The driver said they were unable to avoid hitting the toddler.
  The toddler has been identified as Santiago Sanchez of Athens. DPS stated the toddler made his way to the highway from a home just off the roa
  
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• New scholarship program hopes to spur careers in education

  10-07-2017 20:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Being a teacher is a commitment. For Charles Butt, CEO of H-E-B, his commitment to public education means investing in the men and women who educate young minds.
  On Monday, H-E-B along with the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation announced the launch of Raising Texas Teachers, a program that will provide $50 million in scholarship funding for students committed to a career in teaching. Over the next 10 years, the scholarship program will grow to include at least 500 teaching f
  
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• Man fatally shot in pickup truck in southeast Austin identified

  10-07-2017 19:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who was found shot to death in his pickup truck early Sunday morning has been identified as 43-year-old Dunieski Castillo-Leyva.
  Austin police say they responded to shots fired at the Pleasant Hill Apartments at 2501 Anken Dr. in southeast Austin just after 1 a.m. When they got there, they found Castillo-Leyva in his pickup truck.
  Initial information indicates there was an altercation where the victim might have backed into several parked cars prior to the shooti
  
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• Elderly woman, son killed in crash on US 281 identified

  10-07-2017 19:37 via kxan.com
  
  BLANCO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities have released the identities of the two people who died in a crash on US 281 in Blanco County last week.On July 3, the Texas Department of Public Safety says as a trooper was driving southbound on US 281 when a Honda, being driven by 69-year-old Richard Purpura of Blanco, going northbound crossed into the southbound lanes.
  DPS says the driver didn’t stop when the trooper tried to pull him over. A few minutes later, the driver struck two other
  
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• Inmate dies in Travis County Jail cell

  10-07-2017 19:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 43-year-old man who was booked into the Travis County Jail on July 8, died in custody a day later.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says Eloy Villanueva, of Austin, was found unresponsive in his cell at the 500 W. 10th St. location just after noon on July 9. CPR was performed as jail officials waited for EMS to arrive. Villanueva was pronounced dead at 12:51 p.m.
  The Texas Rangers will assist in the investigation into Villanueva’s death as part of agency pro
  
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• New hearing set in Rodney Reed case

  10-07-2017 17:57 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN ) – Death row inmate Rodney Reed, convicted in the 1996 sex assault and murder of Stacey Stites, has a new mid-October hearing set in Bastrop County District Court. The defense will present new evidence that it says identifies the killer as Jimmy Fennell, the victim’s fiance.
  Reed has maintained his innocence since his 1997 conviction. Over the past two decades, Reed’s defense has presented a raft of new evidence, poking holes in the medical examiner’
  
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• Police: DWI suspect leads officers on a chase with child in truck

  10-07-2017 17:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who police suspect was driving while intoxicated led officers on a chase for nearly eight miles with his 7-year-old daughter in the truck.
  According to an arrest affidavit, Guadalupe Fidelmar Zavaleta Jiminez, 29, was driving along the 1400 block of Grand Avenue Parkway in Pflugerville around 1 a.m. on Sunday without his headlights on. When an officer caught up to Jiminez’ truck he noticed the driver was “straddling the line” and failed to stay in hi
  
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• Austinite’s death in Greece might’ve stemmed from a selfie request

  10-07-2017 16:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As eight suspects remain in Greek police custody in connection with the beating death of Austinite Bakari Henderson, CBS News reports the altercation might have stemmed from a selfie. 
  Henderson, 22, was killed early Friday while vacationing on the Greek island of Zakynthos. A police spokesman said they were called to a bar in Laganas after a brawl involving two groups of people, including customers and employees of the bar. When police arrived, they found He
  
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• Austinite’s death in Greece may have stemmed from a selfie request

  10-07-2017 16:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As eight suspects remain in Greek police custody in connection with the beating death of Austinite Bakari Henderson, CBS News reports the altercation might have stemmed from a selfie. 
  Henderson, 22, was killed early Friday while vacationing on the Greek island of Zakynthos. A police spokesman said they were called to a bar in Laganas after a brawl involving two groups of people, including customers and employees of the bar. When police arrived, they found He
  
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• Third man charged in abduction of North Texas girl found slain

  10-07-2017 16:24 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Investigators say a third man has been charged in the abduction of a 13-year-old North Texas girl found dead in an abandoned Dallas house with another slain person.
  Dallas County jail records show 21-year-old Desmond Jones was being held Monday on an aggravated kidnapping charge, with bond at $100,000. Officials say the drug-related case involves the June 28 abduction of Shavon Randle from nearby Lancaster.
  The girl and Michael Titus were discovered shot to death July 1. A me
  
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• Stunning timelapse video of supercell in Kansas

  10-07-2017 15:30 via kxan.com
  
  RUSSELL SPRINGS, Kan. (WCMH) — Time-lapse video shows amazing footage of a storm as it moves through Kansas on Friday.
  Jake Thompson/LSM shared the video that shows the stunning lightning and the spinning supercell over a northwest Kansas plain. The storm brought large hail as well as heavy rain to the area, according to CNN.
  The supercell, known as a mesocyclone structure, was caught at sunset and continued into the night.
  
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• Acting director of Texas liquor agency abruptly quits

  10-07-2017 14:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Only weeks into the job, the acting executive director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is calling it quits.
  Ed Swedberg’s abrupt and unexpected resignation from the agency, effective Monday, marks the sixth high-level departure since April from the agency that oversees alcohol regulation in Texas. The TABC has been rocked by revelations of lavish spending, mismanagement and regulatory overreach.
  Swedberg, the agency’s deputy executive directo
  
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• California woman wins the lottery twice in a week

  10-07-2017 14:47 via kxan.com
  
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP/KXAN) — A California teen is celebrating two big lottery wins in a week.
  The California Lottery says 19-year-old Rosa Dominguez won $555,555 on a $5 scratch-off ticket purchased at a gas station in Paso Robles. After that win, she said she was nervous and “just wanted to cry.”
  A few days later, when Dominguez stopped off at another gas station, she thought she’d push her luck by purchasing another $5 scratch-off ticket. That ticket landed her anothe
  
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• Police: Infant is passenger in Texas chase after robbery

  10-07-2017 14:35 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Police in North Texas say a driver who led officers on a chase after a robbery brought along an unexpected passenger: his infant child.
  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (http://bit.ly/2tWM4xU ) that 19-year-old Quardrion Atkins and two other teenagers were arrested Saturday.
  Police in Arlington say the three are accused of robbing an apartment Friday night and a home on Saturday, after which they led police on a short chase in an SUV. Authorities say Atkins&rsqu
  
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• Sneak peek at items on sale for Amazon Prime Day

  10-07-2017 14:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For some, Amazon’s Prime Day is like Christmas in July.
  Amazon is kicking off its third annual Prime Day at 8 p.m. CDT on Monday, July 10. The company says new deal will be revealed every five minutes. If you’re a Prime member with various Amazon products (such as Amazon Echo), you can start your shopping even earlier, beginning at 6 p.m. CDT.
  Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store during Prime Day:
  • Save 50% on Amazon Echo, only $89.99• S
  
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• 19-year-old survives bear attack near Boulder

  10-07-2017 13:47 via kxan.com
  
  BOULDER, Colo. (KXAN) — A 19-year-old says a bear attack in Colorado left him with nine staples in his head.
  Dylan says the attack happened early Sunday morning just outside of Boulder. KUSA reports the 400-pound bear attacked while Dylan was sleeping outside a teepee at the Glacier View Ranch, a religious retreat and camp. Authorities say there wasn’t any open food or scented items near their sleep site.
  The bear grabbed Dylan and dragged him and that’s when he injured hi
  
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• Silver Alert issued for Refugio man

  10-07-2017 13:20 via kxan.com
  
  REFUGIO, Texas (KXAN) — A Silver Alert has been issued for an 81-year-old man from Refugio, which is near Corpus Christi.
  The Refugio Police Department is searching for John Knott, who is diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. He was last seen around 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 9 at 219 Edward St. in Refugio.
  He is described as a white male, 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds. He has gray hair and brown eyes. He is driving a white, 2012 Toyota Highlander with Texas License Plate DK4R520.
  Law enforc
  
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• Silver Alert for Refugio man discontinued

  10-07-2017 13:20 via kxan.com
  
  REFUGIO, Texas (KXAN) — A Silver Alert issued for an 81-year-old man from Refugio, which is near Corpus Christi, has been discontinued.
  The Refugio Police Department was searching for John Knott, who is diagnosed with a cognitive impairment. He was last seen around 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 9 at 219 Edward St. in Refugio.
  He is described as a white male, 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds. He has gray hair and brown eyes. He is driving a white, 2012 Toyota Highlander with Texas License Plate DK4R
  
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• Record-breaking hammerhead shark caught near Texas City

  10-07-2017 12:55 via kxan.com
  
  TEXAS CITY, Texas (KXAN) — There’s no doubt Tim McClellen will be framing the picture of him with the massive, record-breaking hammerhead shark he caught over the weekend.
  McClellen won 1st place when he caught the 1,033-pound shark in the 55th Annual Texas City Jaycees Tackle Time Fishing Tournament on July 9. His catch smashed the 871-pound record set in 1980 in the Gulf of Mexico.
  Record-breaking catfish caught at Lake LBJ
  In a photo posted to Facebook by the Texas City Jaycees, t
  
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• Man who died in Texas skydiving accident was voice actor

  10-07-2017 12:32 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — An experienced skydiver who was also a longtime voiceover actor has died after a midair collision during a jump at a skydiving center just outside of Houston.
  The Houston-area center, Skydive Spaceland, says in a statement that two seasoned skydivers deployed parachutes normally during a planned group jump on Saturday, but that they later collided and fell to the ground, killing one and injuring the other.
  The man who died was identified by his longtime agent as Randy Schell
  
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• New turnaround opens on I-35 at 51st Street

  10-07-2017 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new turnaround lane at Interstate 35 and 51st Street aims to cut down on congestion and keep traffic moving. The Texas Department of Transportation opened the new turnaround at 5 a.m Monday for cars traveling southbound on the frontage road and want to turn to go northbound. Prior to the turnaround, drivers had to sit through two lights.
  This is the first of three projects for the intersection that aims to improve traffic. The second phase begins Thursday with the constru
  
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• Free Fun in Austin for July 10-14

  10-07-2017 09:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re looking for something to do without spending any cash, here are some ideas from our partners at Free Fun in Austin:
  Tween STEAM: Makey Makey Madness – Monday, July 10 at 2:00 p.m. Explore science, technology, engineering, arts and math this summer with these activities offered in collaboration with the Thinkery. Create a controller for playing games, making music, or other inventions using Makey Makey and conductive and recycled materials. Sa
  
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• Teen recounts moments that led to friend’s drowning in Lake Georgetown

  10-07-2017 06:18 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — At a home just outside of the city of Leander, family and friends of 16-year-old Nathan Ellis gathered Sunday to share memories of him. Days earlier on the Fourth of July, Ellis drowned at Lake Georgetown.
  Georgetown police said Ellis had been swimming with two other swimmers near the boat ramp on the south side of the lake just before 12:30 p.m. Police said that Nathan began to struggle at the halfway point and went under the water.
  Andy Cato, 18, was wit
  
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• Family of teen who drowned in Lake Georgetown leans on faith in tragedy

  10-07-2017 06:18 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — At a home just outside of the city of Leander, family and friends of 16-year-old Nathan Ellis gathered Sunday to share memories of him. Days earlier on the fourth of July, Ellis drowned at Lake Georgetown.
  Georgetown Police said that Nathan had been swimming with two other swimmers near the boat ramp on the south side of the lake just before 12:30 p.m. Police said that Nathan began to struggle at the halfway point and went under the water. The other swimme
  
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• Rep. Dawnna Dukes surprises Democrats by attending candidate forum

  10-07-2017 04:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – In a candidate forum held Sunday afternoon, people had the chance to meet and learn about Democratic candidates who have announced their run for the Texas House District 46 seat currently occupied by state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin.
  And things got quite heated when Dukes arrived.
  She has largely been absent from the Capitol scene for the past two legislative sessions.
  And it was unknown if she would attend the forum because organizers said she had been invited but had nev
  
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• Fallen officer group raising money to help family of San Antonio officer

  10-07-2017 04:27 via kxan.com
  
  The Texas Fallen Officer Foundation is campaigning to support the family of fallen San Antonio police officer Miguel Moreno.
  They are selling a shirt that they created to honor his memory. For every shirt sold, $10 goes to the Texas Fallen Officer Foundation, which benefits the families of fallen officers.
  Since the inception of the foundation in 2015, it has strived to reduce the financial and emotional burden placed on officers and their families after incidents that result in the officers&rsq
  
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• ‘Not guilty’: Lawyer says his client will plead innocent in Austin man’s death in Greece

  10-07-2017 03:41 via kxan.com
  
  ZAKYNTHOS, Greece (KXAN) — The lawyer for one of the suspects in the beating death of a young Austinite in Greece said his client will plead not guilty.
  Police said 22-year-old Bakari Henderson of Austin was beaten to death in a bar brawl early Friday on the Greek island of Zakynthos.Eight suspects went to court on the island Saturday night, charged with “homicide with intent.”
  The lawyer for one of the eight said his client was from a good family, had a clean record and was &l
  
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• Lawyer says his client will plead not guilty in Austin man’s death in Greece

  10-07-2017 03:41 via kxan.com
  
  ZAKYNTHOS, Greece (KXAN) — The lawyer for one of the suspects in the beating death of a young Austinite in Greece said his client will plead not guilty.
  Police said 22-year-old Bakari Henderson of Austin was beaten to death in a bar brawl early Friday on the Greek island of Zakynthos.Eight suspects went to court on the island Saturday night, charged with “homicide with intent.”
  The lawyer for one of the eight said his client was from a good family, had a clean record and was &l
  
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• 1 suspect in Greek beating death of Austin man to plead not guilty, lawyer says

  10-07-2017 03:41 via kxan.com
  
  ZAKYNTHOS, Greece (KXAN) — The lawyer for one of the suspects in the beating death of a young Austinite in Greece said his client will plead not guilty.
  Police said 22-year-old Bakari Henderson of Austin was beaten to death in a bar brawl early Friday on the Greek island of Zakynthos.Eight suspects went to court on the island Saturday night, charged with “homicide with intent.”
  The lawyer for one of the eight said his client was from a good family, had a clean record and was &l
  
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• Electrical short triggers apartment fire in SE Austin

  10-07-2017 02:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – An electrical short started a fire at a southeast Austin apartment building late Sunday afternoon, said the Austin Fire Department.
  The call came in at about 5:43 p.m. for the fire at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Elmont Drive just north of Riverside Drive and west of South Pleasant Valley Road.
  When firefighters arrived, they said the fire was in the attic of the two-story building, and they began an offensive attack.
  They had the majority of the fire extinguis
  
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• Texas redistricting case to face 3 judge panel in San Antonio this week

  10-07-2017 02:00 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — Monday, a score of lawyers will walk into a federal courthouse in San Antonio and try to convince federal judges that state lawmakers drew their districts to benefit white people at the expense of minorities in Texas.
  It’s the latest round in a series of lawsuits on redistricting.
  Every few years lawmakers bring out the maps and somewhat pick their own voters. Longtime politicos know many times after the desks clear in the Capitol, they’re filled in the cou
  
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• The Latest: More buildings burned by western wildfires

  10-07-2017 00:36 via kxan.com
  
  SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in the western U.S. and Canada (all times local):
  1 p.m.
  Destructive wildfires burning across the West have charred a handful more buildings and led to more evacuations.
  In rural Arizona, fire officials say three homes were among 10 buildings that were burned. The wildfire there has led to the evacuation of the entire town of Dudleyville, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Phoenix.
  A wildfire burning in near Summer Lake
  
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• Report: Trump Jr. was promised damaging info about Clinton

  10-07-2017 00:30 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s eldest son said Sunday he met with a Kremlin-linked lawyer shortly after his father clinched the Republican nomination, hoping to get information helpful to the campaign.
  A New York Times report Sunday citing advisers to the White House briefed on the encounter said Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting after being promised information damaging to Hillary Clinton.
  The June meeting at Trump Tower with attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya involved Trump Jr., his br
  
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