Austin news

• Police: San Antonio driver leads officers on a chase while attacking passenger

  03-08-2017 23:44 via kxan.com
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — A man who was leading police on a chase through New Braunfels was also stabbing his passenger with a screwdriver at the same, police say.
  New Braunfels police say the chase started just after noon on Thursday when they received numerous reports of a pickup truck with a trailer attached driving erratically northbound on Interstate 35. When officers tried to pull the driver over, he continued on the freeway going anywhere between 80-100 mph.
  The driver, identifi
  
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• City ups legal spending to $255K in Zimmerman campaign finance case

  03-08-2017 23:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Council members are set to approve potentially spending an additional $75,000 Thursday for legal representation in a federal campaign finance case filed by former City Council Member Don Zimmerman.
  The spending increase would bring the city’s total contract amount with outside attorney Renea Hicks to $255,000, according to city records.
  City officials said they need the additional funds for “further briefing in the appellate courts, including the United States S
  
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• Cadaver dog helps find human remains in east Austin

  03-08-2017 22:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The decomposed human remains found in east Austin on Monday were found in two separate locations, police say.
  Initially, authorities found a leg and foot along the bike trails located near Johnny Morris Road and Daffan Lane. The remains were originally discovered by several bicyclists who were riding the trails.
  With the help of a cadaver dog, the rest of the body was located off of Old Manor Road, which is less than 1,000 feet away from where the leg and foot were found, o
  
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• Senators move to protect special counsel in Russia probe

  03-08-2017 22:31 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee moved Thursday to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Donald Trump, putting forth new legislation that aims to ensure the integrity of current and future independent investigations.
  Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said they introduced legislation letting any special counsel for the Department of Justice challenge his or her removal in co
  
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• Longhorns sporting events will now only allow clear bags

  03-08-2017 22:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In an effort to enhance security and get people inside a stadium quickly, Texas Athletics has implemented a new Clear Bag Policy–which is in line with several other Big 12 Conference teams.
  The policy went into effect this month and will be in place for the Longhorns season opener on Sept. 2 against Maryland. The policy will be enforced at all home events, except for events at the Gregory Gym.
  All bags larger than 4.5” x 6.5”, including purses and diaper b
  
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• Texas Rangers investigating homicide in Lee County

  03-08-2017 21:53 via kxan.com
  LEDBETTER, Texas (KXAN) — The death of a 43-year-old man in Lee County is being investigated as a homicide.
  The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says they responded to a home in the 4000 block of County Road 127 in Ledbetter around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday. Ledbetter is located on US 290 in between Giddings and Carmine.
  According to the Giddings Times and News, the man was reportedly shot and there was a possible pursuit.
  Authorities have not released the victim’s identity at this time.
  
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• Woman who sent texts urging suicide gets 15 months in jail

  03-08-2017 21:30 via kxan.com
  TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — A woman who encouraged her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in dozens of text messages and told him to “get back in” a truck filled with toxic gas was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter.
  Michelle Carter, now 20, was convicted in June by a judge who said her final instruction to Conrad Roy III caused his death. Carter was 17 when the 18-year-old Roy was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in July 2014.
  Juvenile Court
  
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• Girlfriend whose texts urged suicide gets 15 months in jail

  03-08-2017 21:30 via kxan.com
  TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — A young woman who as a teenager encouraged her suicidal boyfriend to kill himself in dozens of text messages and told him to “get back in” a truck filled with toxic gas was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter.
  Michelle Carter was convicted in June by a judge who said her final instruction to Conrad Roy III caused his death. Carter was 17 when Roy, who was 18, was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in July 2014.
  Juvenil
  
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• Wonder Woman roller coaster opening at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

  03-08-2017 21:06 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — Move over Superman and Batman! Wonder Woman is getting her own roller coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio.
  Fiesta Texas says WONDER WOMAN Golden Lasso Coaster will debut next spring. Once complete, it’ll the world’s single rail coaster.
  The ride will also feature a straight-down 90-degree drop. If you’re squeamish, you might want to avoid the right since there are three inversions.
  The Wonder Woman coaster will join the other Justi
  
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• Gunshot victim dropped off at Del Valle home dies

  03-08-2017 21:00 via kxan.com
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — A man who was dropped off at a friend’s house with a gunshot wound in Del Valle died early Thursday morning.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says around 12:42 a.m. Thursday a person called 911 stating a friend was dropped off at their home in the 8000 block of Linden Road. The friend was found bleeding and unconscious. He died a short time later.
  Detectives are looking into the event leading to the victim’s death. A person of interest has been
  
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• New stoplight added to Cesar Chavez Street in downtown

  03-08-2017 20:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drivers who frequent Cesar Chavez Street in downtown Austin will have a new stoplight to contend with starting Friday.
  West Avenue has been extended to Cesar Chavez Street as part of the new Central Library project and a traffic light will help manage the flow of traffic at the intersection.
  The signal will be operational at Noon Friday, making it the 13th traffic signal along Cesar Chavez between Interstate 35 and MoPac Expressway.#ATXTraffic: Beginning 8/4, West Avenue wi
  
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• Austin teen allegedly impersonates undercover officers, asks about drug activity

  03-08-2017 19:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 19-year-old man allegedly told officials he claimed he was an undercover officer because he wanted to clean up the streets.
  Austin Police Department officers responded to a call around 2:19 a.m. Wednesday in the 700 block of Delmar Avenue after a hotel employee told police a man asked two women about drug activity in the area and claimed he was an undercover officer, according to an affidavit.
  The employee said the suspect, later identified as Brandon Hernandez, 19, asked
  
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• Austin teen accused of impersonating undercover officer

  03-08-2017 19:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 19-year-old man allegedly told officials he claimed he was an undercover officer because he wanted to clean up the streets.
  Austin Police Department officers responded to a call around 2:19 a.m. Wednesday in the 700 block of Delmar Avenue — near US 183 and Interstate 35 — after a hotel employee told police a man asked two women about drug activity in the area and claimed he was an undercover officer, according to an affidavit.
  The employee said the suspect, la
  
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• 50 bikers escort bullied sixth grader to school

  03-08-2017 18:22 via kxan.com
  DEKALB COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) – A sixth grader from DeKalb County who said he was being bullied got some help from a group of bikers.
  More than 50 bikers escorted Phil Mick to school on his first day. It was Phil’s first time on a motorcycle and a first day of school he will never forget.
  Going to school has not always been easy for him. Phil told NewsChannel 15 that he has been bullied for the past two years. He had kept it a secret from his family, but last year he had enough.
  “
  
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• Austin Water asks for $45M loan for wastewater plant upgrades

  03-08-2017 18:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City council members are looking into a request from the Austin Water department to take out a $45 million loan to help pay for upgrades to two wastewater treatment plants.
  The city says the population growth is the main reason the city needs to help improve the filtration systems.
  Jill Mayfield, spokesperson for Austin Water, says the plants can currently handle around 95 million gallons of sewage a day. “We treat it and put clean water back in the river.”
  
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• Progress report: We’re halfway through the special session

  03-08-2017 18:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 30-day special legislative session is now more than halfway through. The Texas Tribune’s Alana Rocha gave KXAN a progress report on what legislators have accomplished so far.
  “We know that the Senate has been moving much faster than the House,” Rocha told KXAN’s Sally Hernandez. “The Senate has passed 20 bills addressing 18 of the items on the governor’s list.”
  The House, however, has passed 15 bills addressing six of those item
  
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• VIDEO: 5-year-old boy run over in crosswalk left paralyzed

  03-08-2017 17:35 via kxan.com
  OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — KRON4 has an update to a story we first told you about earlier this month. You may remember a disturbing video of three people getting run over by a car in Oakland.
  A sister, brother and cousin were all in the crosswalk in the city’s Fruitvale District when a car does not stop and instead slams into them.
  Everyone lived, but barely. The youngest victim, a young boy, is now paralyzed.
  There was outrage after the crash about how dangerous the intersection is al
  
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• Babe Laufenberg has an update with the Cowboys before they leave for Ohio

  03-08-2017 17:07 via kxan.com
  The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for their first preseason game that will be played on Thursday in Canton, Ohio. The Cowboys will play the Arizona Cardinals in the Annual NFL Hall of Fame Game.
  Silver Star Nation’s Babe Laufenberg has an update from Oxnard, California, just before the team made their trip to Ohio. Babe catches up with Dallas QB Kellen Moore.
  
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• Don’t look for Dak, Zeke, Carson or other stars for HOF game

  03-08-2017 16:24 via kxan.com
  CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Don’t look for too many stars on the field Thursday night when the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals kick off the NFL preseason in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game.
  Don’t look for many starters, either.
  FOOTBALL IS BACK! The Cowboys kick off tonight at 7 p.m. on KXAN
  For those who believe four preseason games are too many, seeing their team play in Canton isn’t a welcome sight. Both coaches, Jason Garrett for Dallas and Bruce Arians for Arizona, w
  
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• Willie Nelson falls victim to Twitter death hoax

  03-08-2017 15:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Willie Nelson is not dead.
  Willie was latest celebrity to fall victim to a Twitter death hoax with rumors swirling across the social media channel Thursday morning.
  A quick call by KXAN to Willie’s management confirms, no, the Red Headed Stranger isn’t dead.
  And to mark the occasion, here’s Willie’s “I woke up still not dead again today.”
  
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• Greg Kelley hearing day 2: Texas Rangers looking at 3 suspects

  03-08-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Day two of the hearing into the claimed innocence of Greg Kelley was delayed two hours as the defense and state met behind closed doors.
  Williamson County District Shawn Dick told Judge Donna King he objected to the process regarding witness Patricia Cummings. Cummings was Greg Kelley’s trial lawyer. Cummings said she was under attorney-client privilege so she wouldn’t be able to answer certain questions. Judge King eventually ordered Cummings to
  
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• Greg Kelley hearing: Day 2 reveals third suspect

  03-08-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Day two of the hearing into the claimed innocence of Greg Kelley was delayed two hours as the defense and state met behind closed doors.
  Williamson County District Shawn Dick told Judge Donna King he objected to the process regarding witness Patricia Cummings. Cummings was Greg Kelley’s trial lawyer. Cummings said she was under attorney-client privilege so she wouldn’t be able to answer certain questions. Judge King eventually ordered Cummings to
  
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• Greg Kelley hearing day 2: Focus expected to turn to second person

  03-08-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Day two of the hearing into the claimed innocence of Greg Kelley was supposed to start at 9 a.m. Thursday, but is now delayed.
  Kelley, the 22-year-old convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 2014, is getting a new look at his case after the Williamson County district attorney decided to reopen it, after receiving “credible evidence” from Kelley’s attorneys.
  Thursday’s testimony is expected to focus on the new investigation by Texas Ran
  
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• Trump set to embark on 1st vacation since inauguration

  03-08-2017 15:13 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump once questioned the wisdom of taking vacations. “What’s the point?” he asked.
  But now the president is getting ready to join the annual August exodus from this town he calls “the swamp.” Trump is due to set out Friday on his first extended vacation from Washington since the inauguration — a 17-day getaway to his private golf club in central New Jersey.
  The president’s vacation could be driven, in part, by necessity. E
  
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• Flouting his own advice, Trump will take extended vacation

  03-08-2017 15:13 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump once questioned the wisdom of taking vacations. “What’s the point?” he asked.
  But now the president is getting ready to join the annual August exodus from the city he calls “the swamp.” Trump is due Friday to begin his first extended vacation from Washington since the inauguration: 17 days at his private golf club in central New Jersey.
  The vacation could be driven in part by necessity. Everyone who works in the White House West
  
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• VIDEO: Gator tries to get inside Florida home

  03-08-2017 14:52 via kxan.com
  LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WFLA) – With all the rain in the Tampa Bay area this week, even the alligators are looking for a place to dry out.
  A woman in Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County had a gator come to her front door and try to get inside.
  Tina Neuzil said she and her dog noticed the gator at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
  Homeless man loses toes, testicle in alligator attack 
  They watched it safely through the glass as her husband shot the video.
  
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• Texas doctor dies after going missing in Grand Canyon

  03-08-2017 14:43 via kxan.com
  GRAND CANYON, Ariz. (KETK) — A Fort Worth doctor has died after going missing in Grand Canyon National Park, according to her husband.
  The National Park issued a notice asking for the public’s help locating Dr. Sarah Beadle, 38, of Fort Worth. Her body was recovered by a search team Wednesday afternoon.
  Dr. Beadle was a former doctor at CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview before joining the Baylor Emergency Medical Center in Keller.
  The National Parks Service says Beadl
  
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• Some Texas tractor-trailer survivors held in same lockup as driver

  03-08-2017 14:27 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — Federal authorities are detaining some survivors of a deadly human smuggling operation in the same facility as the driver of the truck in which they were smuggled, and advocates are worried that it could further traumatize them.
  Michael McCrum, an attorney for survivors, says a few of them have even briefly shared a holding cell with James Matthew Bradley Jr., who faces a human smuggling charge with the possibility of the death penalty.
  Ten people died after being taken from
  
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• Oklahoma earthquakes under investigation after power is knocked out

  03-08-2017 14:01 via kxan.com
  EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — The Oklahoma Corporation Commission says its Induced Seismicity Department and the Oklahoma Geological Survey are investigating several earthquakes in the central part of the state.
  At least six quakes of magnitude 3.0 or stronger have struck since Tuesday in an area about 4 miles northeast of Edmond — about 15 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
  The strongest was a magnitude 4.2 quake Wednesday night. It knocked out two electric substations, leaving about 1,900 cu
  
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• Mom speaks after day care workers are arrested for leaving child in car

  03-08-2017 13:05 via kxan.com
  PORTALES, N.M. (KRQE) – A mother is speaking out a week after police arrested day care owners for leaving two kids in a hot car, killing one child and sending the other to the hospital.
  “I tried to think back to that day, and everything is a blur,” Kristen Ashmore said.
  She described the phone call that no parent wants to get — a call from Taylor Tots day care that her 2-year-old daughter Aubri Loya was in danger.
  “They were screaming and crying… I didn&rsquo
  
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• SH 21 near Paige back open after 18-wheeler crash

  03-08-2017 12:47 via kxan.com
  PAIGE, Texas (KXAN) — State Highway 21 just southwest of Paige was completely blocked for most of Thursday morning after an 18-wheeler crashed across the road.
  A KXAN viewer says he’s been stuck behind the crash since around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, at the crash scene between Old Potato Road and US 290.
  Find a detour with the KXAN Traffic Map
  The highway was reopened around noon.
  An 18-wheeler blocking SH 21 in between Old Potato Road and US 290 near Paige, Texas. Aug. 3, 2017 (Courtesy/J
  
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• Flipped 18-wheeler blocking all lanes of SH 21 near Paige

  03-08-2017 12:47 via kxan.com
  PAIGE, Texas (KXAN) — State Highway 21 just southwest of Paige is completely blocked after an 18-wheeler crashed across the road.
  A KXAN viewer says he’s been stuck behind the crash since around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, at the crash scene between Old Potato Road and US 290.
  Find a detour with the KXAN Traffic Map
  Drivers should take another route if they can. Westbound drivers are being detoured to Farm to Market 2336 to State Highway 95 and eastbound drivers are being detoured to Old Pot
  
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• Motorcyclist dies after crashing into fence in northeast Austin

  03-08-2017 09:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say a man is dead after crashing his motorcycle through a fence Wednesday evening.
  The crash happened around 6:20 p.m. in the 1200 block of East Parmer Lane, near Tech Ride Boulevard.
  Medics with Austin-Travis County EMS took the man in his 40s to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center with initially critical, life-threatening injuries.
  The cause of the crash is not known. The identity of the man has not been released.
  
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• APD: Motorcyclist dies in crash

  03-08-2017 09:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say a man is dead after crashing his motorcycle through a fence Wednesday evening. The crash happened around 6:20 p.m. in the 1200 block of East Parmer Lane.
  Paramedics with Austin-Travis County EMS took the man in his 40s to St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center with critical, life-threatening injuries. The cause of the crash is not known. The identity of the man has not been released.
  
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• Founder of Peaceful Streets Project files suit against Austin, 9 officers

  03-08-2017 05:47 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The founder of Peaceful Streets Project, a police accountability watch group, is suing the city of Austin and nine police officers claiming his civil rights have been violated multiple times because he formed the watch dog group.
  Antonio Buehler filed the suit on Wednesday in federal court. The lawsuit claims Buehler has suffered retaliation for his attempts to film Austin police.
  “Although Buehler did not commit any crime, and Buehler did not viol
  
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• 2 hurt in crash of small plane along East Texas highway

  03-08-2017 05:20 via kxan.com
  BULLARD, Texas (AP) — Officials say two men have been hurt in the crash of a single-engine plane that cleared some trees before going down into another grove along an East Texas highway.
  The Texas Department of Public Safety says the crash happened Tuesday afternoon along Highway 69 near Bullard, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas. Officials are seeking a cause of the accident.
  Authorities say the Cessna 150 had taken off from Tyler Pounds Regional Airport.
  KLTV-TV report
  
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• Work for Disney without leaving your home

  03-08-2017 05:11 via kxan.com
  ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — f you’ve wanted to work for Disney without even having to leave your couch — here’s your chance.
  The Disney Store is hiring part-time, work-from-home guest services representatives or “cast members.”
  According to WESH, positions are available for residents of Florida, Texas, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and South Carolina.
  Job responsibilities include answering calls and emails, calling guests and sending issues to the appropriate sup
  
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• Prescribed burn scheduled for Southeast Metropolitan Park

  03-08-2017 05:02 via kxan.com
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Travis County Parks will conduct a prescribed burn at Southeast Metropolitan Park on Thursday, Aug. 3 or Friday, Aug. 4 between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. It will take two to four hours to complete.
  Travis County Emergency Service is implementing the prescribed burn to “improve the health of the grassland and woodlands.”
  While the park will remain open during the burn, portions of the park and trails such as the picnic area, the Primitive Trailhead, the Pr
  
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• More than 100 birds seized in West Texas cockfighting bust

  03-08-2017 04:36 via kxan.com
  LEVELLAND, Texas (AP) — Authorities have arrested two men and seized more than 100 birds to break up an alleged cockfighting ring in West Texas.
  The Hockey County Sheriff’s Office says both men were charged with felony cockfighting counts following last Friday’s search of property near Levelland (LEH’-vil-land). That’s about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Lubbock.
  A sheriff’s statement says more than 40 people were detained as officers searched the area. Off
  
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• Austin mayor: Local property tax is really state property tax

  03-08-2017 04:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The fight over local vs. state continues as we’re half-way through the special session. On Wednesday, Austin Mayor Steve Adler took another stab at Texas lawmakers who are trying to cap the amount of property tax dollars cities can bring in and spend.
  Adler says the state is to blame for the high property taxes due to the recapturing process.
  “Over the last four years, for every dollar City of Austin property taxes have increased, the state has increased its sha
  
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• Spieth back in action at WGC Bridgestone

  03-08-2017 03:43 via kxan.com
  AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Jordan Spieth is one week away from a shot at the career Grand Slam.
  He’s more interested in looking behind him.
  Spieth returned to Dallas with the claret jug, and it wasn’t more than a few hours before he already had watched highlights — twice — of his British Open victory at Royal Birkdale. The first time was when he couldn’t get to sleep. Then, caddie Michael Greller woke up and they watched it together.
  It was no less amaz
  
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• One week after Ohio State Fair accident, victim remains in coma

  03-08-2017 03:04 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4 spoke with Ohio State Fair Fire Ball ride victim Jennifer Lambert’s mother, Denise Gonzalez, Wednesday.
  Gonzalez says Jennifer has made some progress, moving her legs, hands and opening her eyes for a brief moment, but she still remains in a coma.
  NBC4’s Tyler Carter spoke to Jennifer’s uncle, Bruce Lenox. He says the last few days have taken an emotional toll on his family.
  “I want her back with family. I just want her back,” said
  
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• Sen. Cory Booker files bill to legalize marijuana

  03-08-2017 03:00 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — New Jersey Senator Cory Booker wants to legalize marijuana at the federal level. In an announcement on Facebook Live, Booker said he is introducing the Marijuana Justice Act.
  In his post, Booker says for decades, the “War on Drugs” has failed. He also says nonviolent drug offenders who get sent to jail for marijuana-related offenses are an “incredible cost of lost human potential” and “taxpayer dollars.”
  Booker believes legalizing mar
  
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• Seuss-inspired story tells Texans to ‘speak for the trees’

  03-08-2017 02:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Tree activists of all ages joined forces at the Texas State Capitol to save the trees, with the help of lawmakers and Dr. Seuss.
  Rep. Carol Alvarado, D- Houston, and Rep. Wayne Faircloth, R-Galveston, read The Lorax to constituents under the shade of a historic oak on the Capitol Grounds on Wednesday.
  The book details the struggles of the environment, targeted by corporate greed. The Lorax character speaks on behalf of the trees.
  The bipartisan reading aimed to “st
  
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• Continually-cited Cross Creek Apartments still a problem

  03-08-2017 02:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Council Member Greg Casar plans to join the Cross Creek Apartments Tenant Association and Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA) to get the owner’s attention and make good on a promise to repair serious building code violations.
  KXAN has reported on violations at the Cross Creek Apartments in north Austin since the beginning of 2016. The fight has gone on even longer than that to secure hot water and other basic health and safety needs.
  A protest i
  
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• Me, myself and I: Study says it’s an effective way to cope with stress

  03-08-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new research discovered that talking to yourself in the third person may be one of the most effective ways to cope with stress.
  Me, myself and I. All of which can help.
  Think of all the ways you are stressed out nowadays: the boss, the kids, the spouse.
  “I have definitely said to myself, ‘get it together, girl,'” said Tanya Goldsmith, who talked with KXAN during her lunch break in downtown Austin.
  Researchers said that is one of the best ways to get a gr
  
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• Tax Free Weekend is Aug. 11-13

  03-08-2017 02:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s barely the start of August, but many parents (and kids) already have their eyes set on back to school shopping. This year’s Sales Tax Holiday is Friday, Aug. 11-13.
  What’s included in the Tax Free Weekend? Most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced less than $100. Items sold online are also included.
  For a full list of items that are tax exempt, check here.
  The Legislature sets the dates for the sales tax holiday ever year. Ove
  
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• Krispy Kreme rolls out new Reese’s peanut butter donut

  03-08-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/WKRG) — If you’re looking to jazz up your plain old glazed donut routine, Krispy Kreme announced it’s launching a Reese’s peanut butter donut.
  According to the company’s website, the REESE’S® Peanut Butter Doughnut is filled with a REESE’S® Peanut Butter Kreme™, dipped in milk chocolate icing, topped with a REESE’S® Peanut Butter Chip and chopped peanut blend, and finished with a drizzle of chocolate and peanut butter
  
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• Too many tiny homes, not enough places to park them

  03-08-2017 01:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The tiny house lifestyle is all about simplicity, but some tiny homeowners are discovering that finding a place to legally put the houses is anything but simple.
  An entire tiny home community on the outskirts of Austin just shut down due to permitting issues. The property owner says 24 tiny homes were parked on her 10-acre lot, located on Kellam Road in Del Valle, until the city of Austin and Travis County issued violations at the end of June. Officials say the community di
  
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• Oldest standing playground in San Marcos to be replaced

  03-08-2017 01:08 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – At 25 years old, the oldest standing playground in San Marcos is showing its age. Pretty soon, the wooden playground will be torn down and replaced.
  Park managers say the Children’s Park playground next to the river has some safety concerns and has cost the city a lot of money to maintain. The Children’s Park is one of the last all wooden parks in the Austin area, which is what many find so charming.
  “What I love about it is the playground is wo
  
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