Austin news

• Texas Senate advances bills keeping agencies operating

  19-07-2017 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate has preliminarily approved bills reauthorizing the Texas Medical Board and four other state agencies whose operations were jeopardized by similar measures stalling in May.
  The move came Wednesday, during the second day of the 30-day special legislative session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the state Senate, let the usually routine bills die during the regular session, forcing Gov. Greg Abbott to call lawmakers back to work.
  The Senate planned to return
  
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• Boy trips over 1 million-year-old fossil, making rare discovery

  19-07-2017 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) — Breakthrough research is underway on a 1 million-year-old fossil found in New Mexico. What makes this story even more interesting is the 10-year-old local boy who made the rare discovery.
  The one-ton stegomastodon skull is being kept on the New Mexico State University campus at the Vertebrate Museum. It may look familiar to you because scientists say this is the ancestor to the modern day elephants.
  Researchers are using the massive head to learn more about the pr
  
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• Fire rips through North Texas marina, destroying boats

  19-07-2017 23:16 via kxan.com
  
  POTTSBORO, Texas (KXAN) — As many as 20 boats at a marina on Lake Texoma, on the border with Oklahoma, were destroyed as a fire quickly spread through the dock.
  KTEN reports there’s no word on what started the fire at Highport Marina. No one was hurt by the fire, but property damage to the boats could top $1 million.
  VIDEO: Brand new boat catches fire, sinks into Lake LBJ
  The fire jumped from boat to boat, igniting fuel tanks, as smoke could be seen nearly 20 miles away.
  Read more on
  
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• Prescribed burn near Buda now ‘out of control’

  19-07-2017 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A controlled burn conducted by Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division just west of Buda has moved outside of the containment line and has burned 50 extra acres.
  Austin Water says the prescribed burn started around 11 a.m. Wednesday and would take 6-7 hours to complete. Fire crews had achieved about 400 acres of a prescribed 550-acre burn before it “escaped” around 2:45 p.m. and set fire to an extra 200 acres they didn’t intend to b
  
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• ‘Out of control’ prescribed burn near Buda now 100 percent contained

  19-07-2017 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A controlled burn conducted by Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division just west of Buda moved outside of the containment line and burned 250 additional acres.
  Austin Water says the prescribed burn started around 11 a.m. Wednesday and would take 6-7 hours to complete. Fire crews had achieved about 400 acres of a prescribed 550-acre burn before it “escaped” around 2:45 p.m. and set fire to an extra 200 acres they didn’t intend to bur
  
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• Sheriff Sally Hernandez fires back at ICE, claims agency is lying

  19-07-2017 22:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez is speaking out about her stance on federal immigration detainers at the jail.
  At a press conference on Wednesday, Hernandez is refuting statements from Immigration and Customs Enforcement stating her jail failed to honor a federal detainer on a known Mexican gang member. Hernandez said federal officials are not telling the truth about happened and she believes it’s politically motivated.
  According to ICE, 33-year-old Julio Cesar
  
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• Quinceañera celebration highlights Latino contribution to Texas

  19-07-2017 20:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In protest of the anti-sanctuary cities law, SB4, a Latino civic engagement group, hosted a Quinceañera celebration at the Texas State Capitol to highlight Latino culture.
  On Wednesday, 15 young Latinas donned their brightly-colored dresses to show how they’re directly impacted by SB4. Even though they’re not old enough to vote yet, the spokesperson for Jolt says they are making their voices are heard and they want to make sure legislators know they&rsquo
  
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• Williamson County leaders to form suicide prevention task force

  19-07-2017 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Responding to a suicide call is one of the worst calls Judge Bill Gravell says he can get. As Justice of the Peace for Precinct 3 in Williamson County, Gravell has to do death inquests and respond to scenes where someone has died.
  “It is the most somber environment you will ever be a part of, at a scene where a family member has taken their own life.” explains Gravell. “Every single family member is devastated and they all blame themselves.&rdqu
  
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• Mom accused of abandoning toddler at north Austin underpass

  19-07-2017 20:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A mother was arrested after police found her 2-year-old boy wandering around underneath a busy underpass in north Austin surrounded by homeless people and drugs, according to an arrest affidavit.
  Austin police say on Monday, officers were called to the underpass at North Lamar Boulevard at US 183 for a baby who was sitting on an abandoned couch. When officers arrived, they found the boy running around under the bridge being chased by a transient who was having a difficult t
  
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• TxDMV arrests North Texas man accused of rolling back odometers

  19-07-2017 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A North Texas man has been arrested, accused of rolling back the odometers on hundreds of vehicles prior to selling them to customers.
  The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says the suspect was arrested in Grand Prairie on July 6 following a three-year investigation. A spokesperson for the TxDMV says the affected vehicles may have been purchased in private sales as well as dealerships. While the primary focus area is Dallas-Fort Worth, the vehicles can wind up anywhere onc
  
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• North Texas man arrested, accused of rolling back odometers

  19-07-2017 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A North Texas man has been arrested, accused of rolling back the odometers on hundreds of vehicles prior to selling them to customers.
  The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says the suspect was arrested in Grand Prairie on July 6 following a three-year investigation. A spokesperson for the TxDMV says the affected vehicles may have been purchased in private sales as well as dealerships. While the primary focus area is Dallas-Fort Worth, the vehicles can wind up anywhere onc
  
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• Officer: Partner fired fatal shot moments after loud sound

  19-07-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The partner of a Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed an Australian woman who had called 911 told investigators he was startled by a loud sound near their squad car seconds before his partner fired his weapon.
  Officer Matthew Harrity’s account, as given by state investigators, is the first to emerge of the moments leading up to the death of Justine Damond, a 40-year-old meditation teacher and life coach who was due to be married in August. It’s also
  
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• Minneapolis police officer has yet to talk to investigators

  19-07-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Four days after a Minneapolis police officer fatally shot a woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape, the officer has yet to talk with investigators, and his attorney has given no indication he ever will.
  Some legal experts say the move is wise and well within the officer’s rights. But without Officer Mohamed Noor’s version of events, there’s virtually no explanation for what happened Saturday when he fired a shot from the passenger seat of a
  
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• Australian woman called 911 twice before she was shot dead

  19-07-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An Australian woman who heard what she thought was a sexual assault behind her home called 911 not once but twice before she was fatally shot, concerned that officers had the wrong address when no one immediately responded.
  Minutes later, Justine Damond lay dying in her Minneapolis neighborhood, shot in the abdomen by one of the responding officers when she approached their squad car.
  The revelation of a second 911 call came in the city’s release of transcripts of
  
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• Murder charge dropped in fatal stabbing of Houston boy, 11

  19-07-2017 17:32 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped a murder charge against a homeless man accused of fatally stabbing an 11-year-old Houston boy as the child walked home from school last year.
  The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday DNA tests prosecutors received this week were inconclusive and there wasn’t enough evidence to try 28-year-old Andre Timothy Jackson Jr. for murder.
  First Assistant District Attorney Tom Berg said Jackson is still a suspect in the May 17
  
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• APD seizes 75 pounds of liquid meth along I-35

  19-07-2017 16:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A speeding driver’s suspicious behavior during a late night traffic stop tipped off officers that there might be more to the situation that meets the eye, so they called in a sniffer dog.
  Austin police say their K9 unit, Emma, arrived to the scene in the 5400 block of North Interstate 35 last Wednesday and alerted her handler to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. Officers searched the SUV and found three jugs of Purple Power degreaser. Except, police say those jugs
  
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• Smoke in the sky? Two prescribed burns set for Wednesday

  19-07-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two prescribed burns will send smoke into the air Wednesday as crews work to mitigate fuel for wildfires and improve the general health of the wildlands.
  Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division will focus on the area in the Onion Creek Management Unit while Travis County Parks will burn 117 acres of like oak savannas in Pace Bend Park.
  In the case of the Onion Creek burn, smoke may be visible south of Farm to Market 967, east of Ranch Road 150, north of Farm to
  
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• 2 new Harry Potter books set to be published in October

  19-07-2017 15:02 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Two new books from the Harry Potter universe are set to be released as part of a British exhibition that celebrates the 20th anniversary of the launch of the series.
  The British Library’s Harry Potter exhibition, “A History of Magic,” opens in October and runs through February 2018. In an earnings statement released Tuesday, British publishing house Bloomsbury revealed that two new Potter books will be released in conjunction with the event.
  “Harry Pot
  
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• 3rd Texan pleads guilty in $6.4M diamond investment scam

  19-07-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — A third Texas man has pleaded guilty over what federal prosecutors call a more than $6 million diamond investment scam.
  Craig Allen Otteson of McKinney pleaded guilty Tuesday to mail fraud. The 65-year-old Otteson appeared before a judge in Dallas over a scheme that investigators say ran from March 2011 to late 2013.
  Jay Bruce Heimburger of Dallas last week pleaded guilty to mail fraud. Christopher Arnold Jiongo of Houston in May pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
  All face up to 2
  
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• Texas vet who just wanted to talk to someone is overwhelmed by calls, messages from strangers

  19-07-2017 13:15 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) – There are too many phone calls to keep up with for the veteran whose story circulated on Facebook last week as someone who just wanted someone to talk to.
  “Say good morning!” Ernestine Hernandez said to her husband Tuesday morning in their New Braunfels home. “Hello, sir. How are you?” Lee said into the cell phone his wife held to his ear for him.
  Since the end of last week, this has become the couple’s routine in the morning or e
  
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• Texas vet who just wanted to talk to someone is now inundated with calls

  19-07-2017 13:15 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) – There are too many phone calls to keep up with for the veteran whose story circulated on Facebook last week as someone who just wanted someone to talk to.
  “Say good morning!” Ernestine Hernandez said to her husband Tuesday morning in their New Braunfels home. “Hello, sir. How are you?” Lee said into the cell phone his wife held to his ear for him.
  Since the end of last week, this has become the couple’s routine in the morning or e
  
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• TxTag customers sent invoices, violations in error

  19-07-2017 13:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some TxTag customers were billed and sent violations in error and customers calling about the problem haven’t been able to get through, the Texas Department of Transportation said in an apology on Facebook.
  TXDOT says the problem stemmed from work the toll authorities were doing to allow tags to work in other states. As a result, information shared between all of the toll agencies was delayed.
  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience our toll customers are experie
  
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• Trump had second conversation with Putin in Germany

  19-07-2017 12:53 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump had another, previously undisclosed conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Germany this month.
  White House spokesman Sean Spicer and National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton confirmed that Trump and Putin spoke at a dinner for world leaders and their spouses at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
  The conversation came hours after Trump and Putin’s first official face-to-face meeting on July 7, which
  
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• Search warrant seeks new evidence in Greg Kelley case

  19-07-2017 12:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The latest development in the case involving Greg Kelley centers around a cell phone passcode belonging to a different man.
  Johnathan McCarty is the focus of a new investigation into the Kelley case– which involves the sexual assault of a four-year-old boy at a home daycare.
  A search warrant has been issued for McCarty’s cell phone but investigators say they need his passcode to access the phone. KXAN has learned McCarty, who has not been charged in connection w
  
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• Study: UT grads can expect to make more than others

  19-07-2017 11:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new study finds students attending any of the schools in the University of Texas system will earn higher than average wages three years after they get their bachelor degree.
  The study is the result of a partnership between the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce and the UT System. Researchers found UT graduates with a bachelor degree had median earnings of $39,600. That is more than all Texas workers with a bachelor’s degree at $36,800 a
  
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• Mardi Gras-masked robber strikes Cedar Park Circle K

  19-07-2017 10:30 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park police are searching for a man they say robbed a Circle K convenience store early Wednesday morning while wearing a Mardi Gras mask and a yellow beanie.
  Police got a 911 call at 12:58 a.m. from a clerk at the Circle K at 12020 North Farm to Market 620. He told police the robber came into the store wearing dark blue pants and a black shirt. The clerk could see the man was carrying a weapon.
  The man ran out of the store after robbing it. Police
  
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• Cedar Park police search for armed robbery suspect

  19-07-2017 10:30 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park Police are searching for a man they say robbed a Circle K convenience store early Wednesday morning.
  Police got a 911 call at 12:58 a.m. from a clerk at the Circle K at 12020 North FM 620. He told police the robber came into the store wearing dark blue pants and a black shirt. The clerk could see the man was carrying a weapon.
  The man ran out of the store after robbing it. Police aren’t sure if the man drove off or ran away. They set up
  
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• Armed robber strikes Cedar Park Circle K

  19-07-2017 10:30 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park Police are searching for a man they say robbed a Circle K convenience store early Wednesday morning.
  Police got a 911 call at 12:58 a.m. from a clerk at the Circle K at 12020 North FM 620. He told police the robber came into the store wearing dark blue pants and a black shirt. The clerk could see the man was carrying a weapon.
  The man ran out of the store after robbing it. Police aren’t sure if the man drove off or ran away. They set up
  
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• New interim VP hopes to recruit more diverse students to UT

  19-07-2017 05:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday marks the second day on the job for Leonard Moore, PhD, the interim vice president for the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at the University of Texas. Already, he has his eyes on recruiting diverse groups of Longhorns to campus.
  Moore has been a history professor at UT for the past decade, working with the DDCE in different roles ever since. His predecessor, Gregory J. Vincent, left the role to take a position as president at his alma mater. Wh
  
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• We’re talking British Open on More Than the Score

  19-07-2017 05:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The British Open begins on Thursday in England, Tuesday night Ed Clements from KLBJ and Sirius XM PGA Tour channel joined Roger Wallace on More than the Score.
  
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• Herman looking to return Texas to winning ways

  19-07-2017 05:36 via kxan.com
  
  FRISCO, Texas (AP) — When Tom Herman first met with Texas players after becoming their coach, he asked who had been part of a winning season with the Longhorns. Only three raised their hands.
  Then there are the high school players the Longhorns are recruiting now, 16- and 17-year-old kids that Hermanpoints out have seen Texas put up twice as many losing seasons (four) as Big 12 titles in their lifetimes.
  “The Texas they know is a lot different than the Texas that
  
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• New lane striping causing major confusion on I-35

  19-07-2017 05:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drivers in Austin are pointing out a major safety concern on Interstate 35. New lane striping in construction zones on I-35 South near the Oltorf Street exit and I-35 North near the 51st Street exit is hard to tell apart from the old striping. Drivers say they’re confused about which lane to stay in, and it’s leading to dozens of close calls.
  The questionable lane markings in both sections of I-35 are part of a Texas Department of Transportation project to add U
  
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• Drugs found in corrections officer’s car at county jail leads to arrest

  19-07-2017 04:19 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — A correctional officer at the Williamson County Jail was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to Sheriff Robert Chody.
  Between four and 200 grams of an unspecified drug were found inside the vehicle of Richard Acuna, Jr. at the County Jail’s parking lot.
  Sheriff Chody tweeted, “One bad apple doesn’t reflect all of us at WilCo. If you can’t serve with honor you need not
  
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• Man shot during possible robbery in northeast Austin

  19-07-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 20s is seriously injured after he was shot in northeast Austin, Tuesday evening, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
  Medics were called to a home in the 7600 block of Cameron Road — just south of US 183 — at 8:16 p.m. Officers say the man was possibly the victim in a robbery.
  The man was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his leg and his injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.
  Police did not have any information
  
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• Man shot during attempted robbery in northeast Austin

  19-07-2017 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 20s is seriously injured after he was shot in northeast Austin, Tuesday evening, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
  Medics were called to a home in the 7600 block of Cameron Road — just south of US 183 — at 8:16 p.m. The victim told police a passenger in a vehicle came up to him and demanded money. During a struggle over the suspect’s gun, the weapon was fired, hitting the victim’s leg.
  Police have received conflicting reports on how
  
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• Online dating meetup in Killeen ends with one shot, another assaulted

  19-07-2017 03:25 via kxan.com
  
  KILLEEN, Texas (KWKT) — A meeting set up through an online dating website ended with one man being shot and a woman being assaulted.
  Killeen police were untangling the details Tuesday afternoon, but spokesperson Ofelia Miramontez said it did start online.
  A man went to a location in the 5700 block of Dan Drive per the arrangement.
  Once there, an argument began between the man who had come for the meeting and the 30-year-old female, who was assaulted.
  A second man who was inside the home tr
  
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• Family of Texas girl with autism who drowned to file lawsuit against police

  19-07-2017 03:12 via kxan.com
  
  AMARILLO (KAMR) — The family of a young autistic girl who drowned in an Amarillo lake last year is planning to sue the police.
  The Wartena family is suing three officers in particular. They were allegedly the officers leading the search for Alexis, 7, when she went missing on July 19, 2016.
  One year ago Wednesday, Alexis went missing from an east Amarillo motel while her family was passing through. Her body was found in T-Anchor Lake the following day.
  Police alerted media about her disapp
  
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• Unwelcomed asphalt plant sets up shop near Manor subdivision

  19-07-2017 03:00 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- An industrial company that is being blamed for a hazardous chemical leak that compromised the water supply in Corpus Christi is now opening a facility near Manor and the people who live nearby aren't happy with their new neighbor.
  Rob and Robyn Lein are first-time homebuyers and first-time parents to baby boy, Mateo. They moved into the Bell Farms neighborhood in Manor in 2015. They wanted to get away from the city and experience life at a slower pace – this
  
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• Unwelcome asphalt plant sets up shop near Manor subdivision

  19-07-2017 03:00 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- An industrial company that is being blamed for a hazardous chemical leak that compromised the water supply in Corpus Christi is now opening a facility near Manor and the people who live nearby aren't happy with their new neighbor.
  Rob and Robyn Lein are first-time homebuyers and first-time parents to baby boy, Mateo. They moved into the Bell Farms neighborhood in Manor in 2015. They wanted to get away from the city and experience life at a slower pace – this
  
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• Feds: Texas woman takes $1.4M from Michelin to keep company afloat

  19-07-2017 02:57 via kxan.com
  
  GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Texas woman has admitted stealing $1.4 million from Michelin in an attempt to keep the tire testing company she worked for in business.
  Theresa Santos pleaded guilty Monday in South Carolina to three counts of wire fraud. She faces up to 20 years in prison when she comes up for sentencing.
  Prosecutors say Santos worked in the billing department at Vehicle Testing Services in Lytle, Texas, and for several years billed Michelin more than they
  
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• First for Texas lawmakers: save medical boards taken hostage

  19-07-2017 02:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The first thing lawmakers must do in the special session is save several medical boards taken hostage a few months ago. Different factions within the Texas legislature, and the Republican Party, are setting different paces for how fast to work.
  Gov. Greg Abbott put 20 items on the special session call. Many are hot button, controversial issues. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he wants to pass all of them.
  Speaker of the House, Joe Straus, R- San Antonio, does not.
  Technically, co
  
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• Warm temperatures leading to an early grape harvest this year

  19-07-2017 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  DRIFTWOOD, Texas (KXAN) — Our streak of unseasonably warm temperatures may make things feel unbearable outside, but many Hill Country wineries have benefited from the heat. Turns out, the warm weather is leading to an early grape harvest this year, impacting how much wine you’ll see stocking the shelves down the road.
  Gary Elliot is the proud owner of Driftwood Estates Winery, an 18-acre vineyard that was planted nearly 20 years ago. While Gary’s family is a part of the grape g
  
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• Two Austinites charged with using skimmer in Louisiana to clone bank cards

  19-07-2017 01:50 via kxan.com
  
  BOSSIER CITY, La. (KXAN) — Two men from Austin were arrested in Bossier City, Louisiana, believed to have been using a credit card skimmer to make cloned bank cards to buy items at stores.
  Adalberto Ramos, 42, and Emicel Garcia Artigas, 38, were arrested and charged with monetary instrument abuse on Friday, July 14, after they were seen at the Walmart in Bossier City, near Shreveport, using multiple bank cards at a self-checkout to buy gift cards.
  Detectives took them into custody in the p
  
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• ICE: Travis County’s release of Mexican gang member puts agents at risk

  19-07-2017 00:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement put Travis County in the hot seat Tuesday with a press release that accuses the Sheriff’s Office of releasing a Mexican gang member who had previously been deported four times.
  The agency says they caught up with 33-year-old Julio Cesar Mendoza-Caballero a month after he was released from the Travis County Jail on June 16, 2017, without ICE being notified. ICE says he was released despite an immigration detainer requested the same d
  
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• Driver dies after colliding with dump truck near Loop 360 bridge

  19-07-2017 00:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A driver who was rushed to the hospital after colliding with a dump truck Thursday night has died.
  Austin police say the crash happened just before 9 p.m. on July 13 at North Capital of Texas Highway/Loop 360 and Courtyard Drive. A driver in a dump truck was going southbound in the left lane of the highway when it struck the passenger side of a gray Ford Mustang being driven by Robert David Register, 29.
  The two vehicles then continued through the intersection where they st
  
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