Austin news

• Statements on the passing of former Texas Gov. Mark White

  05-08-2017 23:34 via kxan.com
  Texas politicians and party officials mourn the loss of former Gov. Mark White, who died Saturday in Houston.
  Former Democratic Texas Gov. Mark White dies at 77
  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
  “Mark White cared deeply about Texas, and he devoted his life to making our state even better, particularly when it came to educating our children. My personal relationship and friendship with Governor White dates to when I was a young lawyer in Houston and we shared an elevator bank.
  “Mark’s impa
  
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• Friends, politicians, reporters remember Gov. Mark White

  05-08-2017 21:51 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN and AP) — Former Texas Gov. Mark White has died at age 77.
  His wife Linda Gale White said he died Saturday in Houston.
  The 43rd governor of Texas took office in 1983.
  Mark White had served in state government for the 14 previous years, first as secretary of state then as attorney general.
  FILE: Former Texas Gov. Mark White and his grandson at the LBJ Civil Rights Summit in 2014. (KXAN Photo)During White’s four years in office the Texas economy was in recession, due in l
  
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• Former Democratic Texas Gov. Mark White dies at 77

  05-08-2017 21:51 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Texas Governor Mark White has died at age 77.
  The press secretary for Governor Greg Abbott confirmed his death to KXAN on Saturday.
  He was a Democrat and served as Texas’ 43rd governor from 1983 to 1987.I just spoke with Linda Gale White to express our sorrow for the passing of a great Texan & long time friend #txlege https://t.co/XHHkDWxbhG
  — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 5, 2017
  
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• Weekend Gardener: Alternatives for ground coverage

  05-08-2017 20:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-  Most people use the same plants for ground coverage. Today, the weekend gardener, John Dromgoole shares some alternative spiney, beautiful plants that you can use for ground coverage and how to plant them.
   
  
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• On the back-to-school checklist: Immunization

  05-08-2017 19:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)– As you buy school supplies and new clothes to send your little ones back to school, remember that it is also a great time to catch up on their immunizations and yours.
  Dr. Adrian Dennington from the Austin Diagnostic Clinic joins us to discuss immunizations and why this time of the year is the best time to get them done. In addition to August being National Immunization Awareness Month, Dr. Dennington says because families are coming back from vacation and kids are about to
  
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• Texas sees growing number of typhus cases

  05-08-2017 18:00 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — Texas is seeing a growing number of cases of typhus, a disease that was thought to be almost eradicated in the U.S.
  Texas Department of State Health Services data show there were more than 360 typhus cases in the state last year, compared to 30 cases in 2003. The Houston Chronicle reports that a majority of the cases occurred in the southern portion of the state.
  The potentially fatal disease is transmitted by fleas that are mostly carried by opossums and other backyard anim
  
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• Rubber duckies swarm Lady Bird Lake, raising funds for Boys & Girls Clubs

  05-08-2017 17:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Saturday morning, hundreds of people gathered at Lady Bird Lake to cheer on 17,000 rubber ducks as they raced from the Ann Richards Bridge for the 4th Annual Austin Duck Derby.
  Participants adopted each rubber duck for $5, and the ducks raced to win prizes for them. The grand prize was a car. All proceeds go to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin area.
  The ducks cascaded off the bridge in a giant yellow waterfall. Little brother and sister Colin and Emma Seydam
  
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• Duck Derby to block Congress Avenue Saturday morning

  05-08-2017 17:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This morning, 17,000 rubber ducks will be released into Lady Bird Lake at the Ann Richards Bridge to race to the finish line. This is part of the 4th Annual Austin Duck Derby which will begin today at 11 a.m.
  Congress Avenue will be closed from Cesar Chavez street to Barton Springs road 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. for the race. Participants adopted each rubber duck for $5. The ducks race to win prizes for their adoptive parents. The grand prize is a car.
  People watching the race
  
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• Austin Duck Derby set to raise funds for Boys and Girls Club of America

  05-08-2017 17:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This morning, 17,000 rubber ducks will be released into Lady Bird Lake at the Ann Richards Bridge to race to the finish line. This is part of the 4th Annual Austin Duck Derby which will begin today at 11 a.m.
  Congress Avenue will be closed from Cesar Chavez street to Barton Springs road 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. for the race. Participants adopted each rubber duck for $5. The ducks race to win prizes for their adoptive parents. The grand prize is a car.
  People watching the race
  
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• Trump says states can count on federal cash in emergencies

  05-08-2017 16:33 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Gearing up for the heart of hurricane season, President Donald Trump said Friday that states can count on his administration to dispense U.S. emergency funds efficiently.
  “We do it quickly. We do it effectively,” Trump said at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he and members of his Cabinet received a briefing on the summer’s hurricane season, which began June 1. “We are very strong with respect to FEMA. FEMA is something I’ve bee
  
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• Pilot program tries to figure out what’s separating people from their pets

  05-08-2017 05:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  A pilot program designed to cut down on stray animals in Austin and free up shelter space is seeing early success. Overall, the number of Austin 311 calls related to stray cats and dogs is down this year from the same time last year.
  The $1.1 million grant program, made possible by Maddie’s Fund, launched six months ago. KXAN rode along with those leading the effort to see how they’re making progress.
  Chris Tulowetzke holds one of four positions the g
  
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• Convicted ‘Pharma Bro’ has an image problem, lawyer concedes

  05-08-2017 04:36 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Martin Shkreli, the eccentric former pharmaceutical CEO notorious for a price-gouging scandal and for his snide “Pharma Bro” persona on social media, was convicted Friday on federal charges he deceived investors in a pair of failed hedge funds.
  A Brooklyn jury deliberated five days before finding Shkreli guilty on three of eight counts. He had been charged with securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
  Shkreli,
  
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• Dog deemed ‘dangerous’ recovering after it was shot by a neighbor

  05-08-2017 04:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A story is spreading on social media about a family dog shot by a neighbor in southwest Austin.
  Pictures of Halle Rossi’s 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever Ryley are getting thousands of likes and retweets. Ryley was shot by a neighbor on Wednesday when the dog got into his yard on Conifer Cove.
  “Three [bullets] actually hit my dog. One grazed his shoulder, another entered his abdomen and the worst one went through his rear end,” said Rossi, whose
  
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• Dog deemed ‘dangerous’ recovering after being shot by a neighbor

  05-08-2017 04:27 via kxan.com
   
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A story is spreading on social media about a family dog shot by a neighbor in southwest Austin.
  Pictures Halle Rossi posted of her injured 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever Ryley are getting thousands of likes and retweets. A man tells KXAN he shot Ryley Wednesday when the dog was in his yard. He says the dog was running toward him in attack mode.
  “Three [bullets] actually hit my dog. One grazed his shoulder, another entered his abdomen and th
  
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• Newly-retrieved DNA could give detectives break in 1979 cold case murder

  05-08-2017 03:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Detectives with the Austin Police Department’s homicide cold case unit hope to use DNA evidence to help solve a murder that happened more than 38 years ago.
  In a search warrant filed this week, the cold case detective writes that investigators in 1979 identified a man as a “person of interest” in the murder of 18-year-old Debra Reiding. Now, after reopening the case in 2013, detectives are testing that man’s DNA against semen stains found on a robe R
  
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• New distracted driving course required before license is issued

  05-08-2017 03:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the startling statistic that 1 in 5 traffic crashes in Texas is caused by a distracted driver, Texas is requiring people to take a new, free one-hour course dedicated to educating drivers on the dangers of distracted driving.
  The Impact Texas Young Drivers (ITYD) course will be required for certain drivers beginning Sept. 1. The video shares real life stories of people and their families who were impacted as a result of distracted driving. The course will be mandatory
  
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• Duct-taped dog in Colorado sparks outrage

  05-08-2017 02:20 via kxan.com
  DURANGO, Colo. (KOB) — Durango, Colorado is known for being a dog-friendly city, but what one resident is accused of doing is leaving others upset.
  A citation filed at La Plata County Combined Court by the La Plata County Animal Control Department has only one sentence to describe the sentence: “German Shep. type dog found in vehicle with w/its mouth duct-taped shut.”
  According to a complaint and summons obtained, Thomas Ethridge is accused of leaving his dog with his mouth tap
  
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• DPS graduates 48 new troopers

  05-08-2017 02:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Forty-eighty men and women were sworn in Friday as the state’s newest Highway Patrol Troopers.
  The graduating class was part of an 11-week advanced recruit school specifically designed for current and eligible law enforcement officers to train to become troopers. A standard course usually spans more than 20 weeks.
  The C-2017 class included four women and six military veterans.
  The new troopers will report to duty stations across Texas in the coming weeks and spend the
  
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• New tech to help AFD prepare for future wildfires

  05-08-2017 01:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Despite the recent rain, most of west Austin is just a notch below being listed as a very high risk of wildfires.
  “In a summer like this summer, the wildfire risk is still high,” said Keri Hines of Texas A&M Forest Service.
  Hines’ agency has several Simtables, a high tech tool that allows them to map out wildfire simulations and develop strategies to fight them. With a large sand box and interactive projector overhead, the table simulates the
  
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• In September, new law aims to get convictions right the first time

  05-08-2017 01:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As a judge weighs whether Greg Kelley will get a new trial, a new state law will take effect in September that aims to help get convictions right the first time.
  The Kelley case aside, people in Central Texas have seen several high-profile convictions overturned recently. Dan and Fran Keller were recently declared innocent after spending 23 years in prison accused of child sex abuse. Michael Morton spent nearly 25 years behind bars before being cleared of his wife’s m
  
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• Lakeway loaning life jackets to swimmers to prevent drownings

  05-08-2017 00:35 via kxan.com
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) — Lakeway City Park is a popular spot for swimming and fishing during the summer months. That’s why the city is teaming up with local non-profit Colin’s Hope to offer life-jackets for people to borrow as they head into Lake Travis.
  Colin’s Hope has stocked Lakeway’s new life jacket loaner station with more than 20 life jackets in various sizes, from infant to adult. The non-profit focuses on drowning prevention efforts in Central Texas and has
  
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• Herman pleased with first full-padded practice

  05-08-2017 00:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in preseason practice, Texas put on full football gear. It wasn’t that coach Tom Herman was concerned about his team’s response to full contact (that would be an insult to the head coach), but he was interested.
  “Worried is not the right word. I was anticipating how we would respond to putting full pads on, four really tough days and long days leading up to it, and the guys came out with a lot of juice,” Herman said.
  The Longhorns
  
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• First-time mom dies days after giving birth; how Texas is tackling high maternal mortality rate

  05-08-2017 00:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For nine months, Michelle and Chris Zavala could not wait to take portraits with their newborn baby girl, Clara. The baby was born two weeks early and the pregnancy wasn’t an easy one.
  “She was considered a high-risk pregnancy,” said Chris, Michelle’s husband. “And, at 35 apparently they consider you a geriatric pregnancy,”
  Michelle developed gestational diabetes which she controlled with a healthy diet. Chris says his wife’s labor
  
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