Austin news

• Transgender Texan posts photo with Abbott to decry ‘bathroom bill’

  17-07-2017 23:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) — A transgender Texan has posted an all-smiles photo with Gov. Greg Abbott to protest a “bathroom bill” that state lawmakers will again consider during a special legislative session beginning Tuesday.
  Ashley Smith, who lives in San Antonio, posed with Abbott after he announced his re-election campaign Friday in San Antonio.
  She later identified herself in the photo as a “trans woman” and posted it on Instagram and Facebook with #BATHROOM BUDDY.
  
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• Police: Woman shot at her gender-reveal party wasn’t pregnant

  17-07-2017 23:18 via kxan.com
  
  CINCINNATI (AP) — A woman who claimed to have lost her baby during a deadly shooting at her gender reveal party in suburban Cincinnati wasn’t even pregnant, police said Monday.
  Colerain Township Police Chief Mark Denney said investigators only have speculation about why the woman claimed to be pregnant, but he did not disclose the speculation.
  The woman had told local news organizations she lost her unborn child after she was wounded in the leg. She was treated at a hospita
  
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• Houston Rockets owner Alexander is selling team

  17-07-2017 23:09 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is selling the team.
  Rockets CEO Tad Brown made the announcement Monday, hours after Alexander made the decision.
  “It’s been my great joy and honor to own the Houston Rockets for the past 24 years,” Alexander said in a statement.“I’ve had the incredible opportunity to witness true greatness through the players and coaches who have won championships for the city, been named to All-Star and All-NBA teams, ens
  
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• VIDEO: Speeding SUV hits incline, lands on roof of St. Louis home

  17-07-2017 23:04 via kxan.com
  
  ST. LOUIS (AP/KXAN) — Authorities say a speeding sport utility vehicle crash landed on the roof of a St. Louis home after hitting an embankment and launching into the air.
  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the driver was trapped in the SUV when authorities arrived Sunday afternoon. Michael Arras, the St. Louis Fire Department’s deputy chief of special operations, says he has never encountered anything like this before.
  Crews carefully extricated the man from the vehicle and to
  
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• Investors: Whole Foods, Amazon violated Securities Exchange in $13B deal

  17-07-2017 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A group of Whole Foods Market, Inc. investors is suing the Austin-based grocery retailer and its prospective buyer, Amazon.com, Inc. over the $13.7 billion buyout announced in June. In the deal, Amazon would acquire Whole Foods’ 456 stores and take over the organic foods retailer.
  The class action suit alleges Whole Foods and Amazon violated two counts of the Securities Exchange Act and is asking the federal courts to put a stop the deal. The lawsuit also suggest
  
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• Worker stuck in ATM was about to write messages in his own blood

  17-07-2017 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KXAN) — A contract worker who became stuck inside an ATM at a Corpus Christi bank on July 12 says he’s embarrassed by what happened, but — since his escape — thinks it’s a little funny, too.
  James Portillo was changing a lock to the Bank of America room that leads to the ATM when he realized he was stuck. He started passing notes to customers through the ATM receipt slot that said, “Please help, I’m stuck in here…&rdquo
  
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• Round Rock could lose Quidditch National Tournament if ‘bathroom bill’ passes

  17-07-2017 22:31 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Round Rock is dubbed the “Sports Capital of Texas,” but at least two tournaments are rethinking their visits if the ‘bathroom bill’ passes during special session.
  Senate Bill 6 requires transgender people to use the public bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex, not the sex they identify with. Many Republicans have expressed support for the bill, but not Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan.
  “Our Quidditch National Tournament jus
  
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• Quidditch National Tournament in Round Rock on hold as bathroom bill looms

  17-07-2017 22:31 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Round Rock is dubbed the “Sports Capital of Texas,” but at least two tournaments are rethinking their visits if the bathroom bill passes during special session.
  Senate Bill 6 requires transgender people to use the public bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex, not the sex they identify with. Many Republicans have expressed support for the bathroom bill, but not Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan.
  “Our Quidditch National Tournament just got
  
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• Murder of couple in northwest Austin tent still unsolved

  17-07-2017 22:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When Charlene Whipple‘s family didn’t hear from her for a couple of days, her sister Michelle Miner said it was usually because her cellphone was dead or she just didn’t get around to calling back.
  But, Miner said she became worried after not hearing from her sister last fall and decided to call the Austin Police Department to perform a welfare check.
  Authorities ending up locating the bodies of Whipple, 39, and her longtime boyfriend, Samuel Davila,
  
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• Dog put down after attacking 7-year-old Manor boy

  17-07-2017 22:04 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — The dog in an unprovoked attack of a 7-year-old boy in Manor on July 3 has been humanely put down by a veterinarian, police said Monday.
  The Manor Police Department says they euthanized the dog on July 14 in the interest of public safety, after learning that in 2014 the dog bit another child in Travis County. Police say the owner of the dog also requested the animal be put down.
  Manor police are not pursuing felony criminal charges against the owner at this time, but
  
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• America’s oldest living veteran gets major home improvements

  17-07-2017 21:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — America’s oldest living veteran and Austin’s own Richard Overton is receiving major home repairs thanks to Meals on Wheels Central Texas and the Home Depot Foundation.
  Mr. Overton, 111, has lived at the same house on Hamilton Avenue since 1948 and takes pride in living independently. The home repairs and modernization will allow him to continue living there.
  The repairs range from replacing the electrical service main panel and replacing the home’s origina
  
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• Bowlsby feels good about Big 12 despite negative perceptions

  17-07-2017 20:20 via kxan.com
  
  FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Big 12’s decision to restore a football championship game was based only on the league wanting to boost its chances of getting a team into the College Football Playoff, Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Monday.At the start of football media days, Bowlsby said he feels good about what the Big 12 is doing and he defended the league against the idea that it is among the weakest of the power five conferences.
  “I think our perception is somewhat a prod
  
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• Biopharmaceutical giant Merck bringing 600 jobs to Austin

  17-07-2017 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin will soon be home to a Merck IT hub as part of a $20 million investment by Merck, also known as MSD globally, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday.
  “Texas continues to excel as an economic powerhouse because global industry leaders like Merck recognize the Lone Star State as a premier state for business expansion and enterprise,” said Gov. Abbott.
  “I am extremely encouraged by Merck’s investment in Texas, and for the opportunities and jobs that w
  
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• Texas Education Agency lays off 39 employees

  17-07-2017 19:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Education Agency is reducing the size of its workforce, and a spokesperson confirmed the agency laid off 39 employees Friday.
  DeEtta Culbertson, a TEA spokesperson, said the agency is not expecting additional layoffs.
  TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said he found the workforce could be reduced, after he reviewed staffing models from similar agencies in other states, according to a prepared statement sent to TEA employees on July 14.
  “That review led to the conc
  
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• Governor expected to put pressure on House during special session

  17-07-2017 19:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In speeches at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are expected to lay out their ideas for an active approach to governing Texas, putting many issues in the hands of the legislature.
  Tuesday, lawmakers will begin a special session in Austin and 20 key issues that conservative voters want are on the call. A lot of focus Monday was on how to convince House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, to support their
  
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• Texas State Guard on border to go under federal orders

  17-07-2017 19:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The federal government will begin funding Texas National guardsmen working on the border as part of Operation Secure Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday.
  “The taxpayers of Texas have funded border security, a federal responsibility, for far too long,” said Gov. Abbott. “I am grateful that the federal government and Congressional appropriators are stepping up and dedicating additional resources to provide for the safety and security of all Texans. The
  
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• Texas National Guard on border to go under federal orders

  17-07-2017 19:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The federal government will begin funding Texas National guardsmen working on the border as part of Operation Secure Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday.
  “The taxpayers of Texas have funded border security, a federal responsibility, for far too long,” said Gov. Abbott. “I am grateful that the federal government and Congressional appropriators are stepping up and dedicating additional resources to provide for the safety and security of all Texans. The
  
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• Can you identify these southeast Austin robbery suspects?

  17-07-2017 19:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Do you recognize the men in these photos? Austin police say the pair are suspects in a robbery where a shot rang out on Saturday, July 2.
  Police say the Hispanic suspects shoplifted from the Family Dollar Store in the 5300 block of Nuckols Crossing, at East Stassney Lane. Then, the duo used a sawed-off shotgun to rob a man sitting nearby in his car. The men demanded his money and fired a single shot into the air.
  The suspects are both described as being in their 20s.
  If you
  
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• Police release last text from Lubbock girl electrocuted in bathtub

  17-07-2017 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — The family of Madison Coe, 14, authorized the release of her last image sent via text message before she died while staying with her dad in Lovington, New Mexico.
  She was electrocuted early Sunday morning while in a bathtub and using a phone that was plugged into a charger.
  Coe had been a student in the Frenship School District. There were plans for her to attend high school in Houston.
  Her last text to a friend included a picture of the phone charger plugged into a
  
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• OJ Simpson faces good chance at parole in Nevada robbery

  17-07-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson could have a good chance at parole when he asks officials this week to let him out of a Nevada prison after serving more than eight years for an ill-fated bid to retrieve sports memorabilia.
  Now 70, Simpson has history in his favor and a clean record behind bars while serving his sentences for a 2007 armed robbery.
  He is due to appear by videoconference Thursday from the Lovelock Correctional Center to be questioned by parole commissioners who sided with him o
  
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• 70-year-old Army vet fired for confronting shoplifters near Houston

  17-07-2017 18:30 via kxan.com
  
  PEARLAND, Texas (AP) — A 70-year-old Army veteran has been fired from a Houston-area Home Depot after trying to stop suspected shoplifters from taking thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise.
  KTRK-TV in Houston reports that Jim Tinney says he was fired last month from the store in Pearland.
  Tinney says he was trained to not confront shoplifters and knows he violated company policy, but that his military training just kicked in when he noticed three men attempting to steal tools. H
  
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• San Marcos names finalist for next city manager

  17-07-2017 18:18 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — An assistant city manager for Austin since 2006 has been named as the finalist for the position of the next San Marcos city manager.
  Out of 55 applications from candidates in 21 states, Bert Lumbreras — Austin’s assistant city manager for community services — was among the final five who toured the city and interviewed with three separate panels, before being named the lone finalist.
  “The City Council, with input from staff and the communi
  
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• Crews put out brush fire in Bastrop’s Tahitian Village

  17-07-2017 18:02 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — A brush fire Monday morning in Tahitian Village has Bastrop County emergency management officials asking the public to steer clear of the area.
  At around 11:10 a.m., the Office of Emergency Management tweeted that the fire was out.
  Firefighters said they had a good perimeter set up around the fire, which was burning near 155 Akaloa Drive, according to tweets from emergency management.
  Tahitian Village lost close to 300 homes in the 2011 Bastrop County Complex fire.
  
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• Canyon Vista pool reopens after storm damage

  17-07-2017 17:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Canyon Vista Pool was briefly closed after a Saturday storm-related power outage damaged the pool’s pump.
  The city of Austin announced the closure Monday morning saying power had been restored at the pool but that the pump requires additional repair. By Monday afternoon, the city announced the pool reopening.
  Revealed: Austin’s public pool inspection reports
  For more information and to find an alternative pool visit the city of Austin website here.
  
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• Williamson Co. man accused of pointing rifle at DPS chopper

  17-07-2017 17:15 via kxan.com
  
  THORNDALE, Texas (KXAN) — A 39-year-old man is facing charges after troopers say he pointed a rifle at their helicopter.
  According to a statement from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Public Safety helicopter was flying over a home in Thorndale at around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday when Clint Noe came out and pointed a rifle at the chopper.
  DPS called for help from deputies who arrived and arrested Noe on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
  “Yo
  
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• Austin lands nonstop Amsterdam flights for SXSW

  17-07-2017 16:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Delta Air Lines is adding new nonstop flights between Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
  The flights are scheduled to coincide with South by Southwest; March, 8, 9, 14 and 18, 2018.
  Delta will make the trips using Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 225 seats, enabling almost 1,000 fans to fly nonstop to attend the SXSW festival.
  New airline brings cheaper Austin flights to Europe 
  “Events like the SXSW always attract thousand
  
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• Singer Aaron Carter, girlfriend arrested in Georgia

  17-07-2017 15:58 via kxan.com
  
  CORNELIA, Ga. (AP) — Authorities say singer Aaron Carter and his girlfriend have been arrested on DUI and drug charges in Georgia.Habersham County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Floyd Canup says the 29-year-old Carter and Madison Parker were arrested Saturday.Carter was released on bail Sunday.
  Canup says Parker is eligible for bail but has not been released and still remains in jail for “unknown reasons.”
  Carter is accused of drunken driving and possession of less than
  
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• Cowboy’s Ezekiel Elliott involved in bar ‘incident’

  17-07-2017 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (KXAN) — Running back Ezekiel Elliott was involved in a physical altercation with a bouncer at Clutch bar in Dallas over the weekend, CBS Sports’ Mike Fischer reports.EXCLUSIVE: Sources Allege @DallasCowboys Star #EzekielElliott Involved In Late-Night Altercation At Clutch Bar. Full Report Coming pic.twitter.com/G6viRQhcqN
  — mike fisher ✭ (@fishsports) July 17, 2017
  A second Dallas-area journalist, John Machota, also confirmed the news.
  Source confirms @fishsports
  
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• Runaway boat throws passengers before heroic officer jumps in to stop it

  17-07-2017 14:55 via kxan.com
  
  ORLAND, Indiana (NBC) — A runaway boat runs in circles on an Indiana lake, after 10 people, including one behind the wheel are thrown off.
  The 21-foot boat ran amok in lake Gage, at about 30 MPH, after the driver and 9 others were thrown off Sunday.
  The boat rammed a dock, then a patrol boat with two conservation officers on board. They weren’t hurt.
  That hit slowed the engine, and one of the officers was able to hop aboard and stop the boat.
  Four of the people who were thrown were s
  
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• Some killed in flash flood were part of extended family

  17-07-2017 14:40 via kxan.com
  
  TONTO NATIONAL FOREST, Ariz. (AP) — Some of the nine people who died in a flash flood at a swimming hole in central Arizona were members of an extended family, said authorities who resumed the search Monday for one person who remains missing.
  Officials had previously said the last missing person was a 13-year-old boy, but have since realized that his body was recovered Sunday. They say the missing person is a 27-year-old man and attributedthe error to miscommunications due to having such a
  
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• Killeen police arrest 8 on riot charges after mall fight

  17-07-2017 14:40 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (AP) — Police have arrested eight people on riot charges after a weekend fight at a Central Texas mall.
  A Killeen police statement says four adults and four juveniles were arrested Saturday night following the disturbance at the Killeen Mall.
  Cmdr. Alex Gearhart says investigators are trying to determine what sparked the fight involving more than 30 people. Gearhart says there were no significant injuries or property damage.
  Gearhart says the dispute began inside the mall an
  
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• Flash flood kills 5 children, 4 adults at Arizona swim hole

  17-07-2017 14:40 via kxan.com
  
  TONTO NATIONAL FOREST, Ariz. (AP) — Adults, teens and children as young as 2 were enjoying a summer afternoon by cooling off in an Arizona creek when the gentle waters turned deadly.
  The group from the Phoenix and Flagstaff areas had met Saturday for a day trip along a popular swimming hole near Payson, about 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) northeast of the capital. They set up lounge chairs not knowing an intense thunderstorm was dumping heavy rainfall just upstream in the Tonto National For
  
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• Threatening note found in swing vote senator’s Las Vegas office

  17-07-2017 14:16 via kxan.com
  
  LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A threatening note was left for Senator Dean Heller after someone broke into his Las Vegas office Saturday morning, according to our sister station KLAS.
  The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirms someone made entry into the senator’s offices located at 8930 W. Sunset. Police would not confirm the information about the threatening note.
  A spokesperson for the Senator declined to answer questions saying, “we can’t comment on/discuss ongoing in
  
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• STAR Flight called to rollover crash between Manor and Elgin

  17-07-2017 13:53 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) –A woman in her 30’s had to be cut from wreckage following a rollover crash Monday morning along US Highway 290 between Manor and Elgin Austin/Travis County EMS reports.Medics and STAR Flight were called to the scene in the 16500 block of Eastbound Highway 290 just after 6 a.m.
  All westbound lanes were closed while STAR Flight was on scene.
  STAR Flight rushed the patient to Dell Seton Medical Center with a declared trauma alert.
  
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• Texas ‘bathroom bill’ may shape 2018 GOP primary campaigns

  17-07-2017 12:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Transgender “bathroom bills” have fizzled in deep-red states across America, but the issue is still white hot in Texas.
  The Republican-controlled Legislature is heading into a special session prepared to revive a bill requiring transgender people to use public restrooms according to their birth-certificate gender.
  Conservative groups are vowing revenge during the 2018 GOP primaries against Republicans who don’t support it.
  But whether or not Texas eve
  
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• New mental health crisis center set to open in Southeast Austin

  17-07-2017 12:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A long-awaited Austin facility for people who’ve gone through a mental health crisis is one step closer to opening its doors. The new Guy Herman Center for Mental Health Crisis Care will hold an open house today and will start receiving patients at the end of the month.
  Right now, the lack of access to emergency psychiatric services is putting a big strain on first responders. But the new center, in Southeast Austin at Highway 71 and Montopolis Drive, is expected to c
  
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• Man hospitalized after downtown fight

  17-07-2017 12:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person was taken to the hospital early Monday morning with what police describe as a possible stab wound.
  Officers were called to the intersection of 7th and Red River streets just before 3 a.m. with a report of a fight in progress.
  Officers arrived to find one man suffering from a “possible stab wound.” He was taken to a local hospital where he is expected to recover.
  Additional details weren’t immediately available.
  
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• Police chase ends in crash at US 290, MoPac service roads

  17-07-2017 12:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person was taken to Austin-area hospital following a police chase that ended in a crash near the intersection of the westbound US 290 Service Road and Northbound MoPac Service road.
  A second person ran from the scene on foot, prompting officers to set up a perimeter but the search was called off when officers were unable to locate the suspect.
  The incident began around 4 a.m. when officers were responding to a call of someone breaking into cars. An officer spotted a car
  
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• Police chase ends in crash at 290, MoPac service roads

  17-07-2017 12:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person was taken to Austin-area hospitals following a police chase that ended in a crash near the intersection of the westbound 290 Service Road and Northbound MoPac Service road.
  A second person ran from the scene on foot, prompting officers to set up a perimeter but the search was called off when officers were unable to locate the suspect.
  The incident began when an officer tried to stop the vehicle around 4 a.m.
  Austin Police tell KXAN the suspects’ vehicle cra
  
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• UT athletes help restore playground destroyed by arsonist

  17-07-2017 11:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearly 100 University of Texas football players provided a helping hand Saturday to bring a school playground back to life.
  In late April, a fire destroyed the playscape at Oak Springs Elementary on Webberville Road in east Austin. Authorities say the fire was intentionally set. No one has been arrested in the case.
  The Longhorn players volunteered to lay down mulch and paint benches to get the space ready for a new jungle gym.
  The fire caused about $95,000 worth
  
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• Parents of disabled children say GOP health care bill would hurt more than help

  17-07-2017 05:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A few hundred people packed into a special town hall at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Austin Sunday to talk about the Republican health care bill. U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, said he wanted to hear from constituents.
  “The congressional budget office says that we are talking about 15,000,000 people that will lose their Medicaid coverage. Overall the projection is that one of every three dollars that is invested in Medicaid will be eliminat
  
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• Woman who lost boyfriend, pregnancy to drunk driver speaks out

  17-07-2017 05:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Estefania Soto has spent her days in various hospital rooms since the crash on June 10. She and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Raul Diaz, Jr., were on a motorcycle on Farm to Market 973 near FM 969 in east Travis County when they were hit head-on by a truck.
  The crash killed Diaz and resulted in the premature birth of their child. Soto, 26, was only six months pregnant. Their baby was delivered through a C-section after the crash and passed away shortly after.
  Soto has had 15 s
  
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• Mayor’s plan for east downtown: Make tourists pay to house homeless

  17-07-2017 04:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Monday morning,  Mayor Adler will lay out a plan that could reshape the east side of Austin’s downtown for the future. Adler, along with various community partners, will describe a massive development program meant to increase tourism to the city. Money generated from those tourists will help pay for permanent homeless housing and the wrap-around services that go with them.
  The plan hopes to leverage what several different groups want.  The tourism industry
  
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• What to watch for at Big 12 Media Days

  17-07-2017 04:04 via kxan.com
  
  FRISCO (KXAN) — The first full weekend of college football is seven weeks away. This week, the Big 12 hits the national stage with Media Days from The Star in Frisco, Texas.
  For Texas, Oklahoma and Baylor, there will be a new head coach at the press conference microphone. Each with a unique challenge ahead. Tom Herman is charged with bringing Texas back to it’s perceived spot in college football after three straight losing seasons under Charlie Strong. In eight months on the job, Her
  
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• Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau dies at 89

  17-07-2017 03:13 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A publicist for Martin Landau says the Oscar-winning actor and star of the “Mission: Impossible” TV series has died.
  Dick Guttman said Landau died Saturday of unexpected complications during a short stay at UCLA Medical Center. He had just celebrated his 89th birthday.
  Landau was the crafty master of disguise for the TV version of “Mission: Impossible,” then capped a long and versatile career with an Oscar for his poignant portrayal of aging horro
  
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• Astros win another series

  17-07-2017 02:50 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — On a day when Houston’s powerful hitters were lagging, the Astros found a way to generate runs in another way.
  Mike Fiers struck out a season-high 11 over seven strong innings and Nori Aoki had two hits and two RBIs to help the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 on Sunday.
  The AL West leaders took two of three from the Twins coming out of the All-Star break.
  Houston trailed in the fourth before Yuli Gurriel doubled, Marwin Gonzalez walked and Aoki
  
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• 1951 World Series little leaguers from Austin reminisce

  17-07-2017 01:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An historic team met up at the North Austin Lions Club on Sunday to look back at their glory days.
  In 1951, the Austin little league team was not only the first from the city to make it to the World Series, it’s still the only one to have done so.
  The remaining players met to talk about the experience at the Austin History Center.
  This program is all part of an exhibit at the David Earl Holt Photo Gallery, called “Play Ball! Austin and the Great American Pastime
  
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• Venezuelans in Austin turn out for non-binding vote

  17-07-2017 00:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Venezuelans across the United States cast ballots in a non-binding vote, and there was a big turnout for it in Austin at Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park.
  It’s all against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to rewrite the country’s constitution.
  They say Maduro is trying to make changes so he can pick government supporters who would eliminate the few remaining checks on his power.
  They say he wants to create a Cuba-style system dominated by hi
  
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• Investigators looking into cause of NW Austin house fire

  17-07-2017 00:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin fire crews are trying to figure out what started a house fire in northwest Austin.
  It started at about 11 a.m. in the 9600 block of Petite Cove I near Spicewood Springs Road.
  The Austin Fire Department said when they got there, they could see heavy flames coming from a two-story house.
  Crews faced some problems, including low water pressure and a broken water hydrant, but were able to stop the fire from spreading to other homes.
  The Red Cross is helping the homeowner
  
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