Austin news

• Texas asks Supreme Court to uphold voting maps for 2018

  18-08-2017 23:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop before 2018 the partial redrawing of congressional maps that were found to have racial gerrymandering.
  The request Friday comes after a lower federal court this week invalidated two of the state’s 36 congressional districts. One is held by Democrat Lloyd Doggett of Austin and the other by Republican Blake Farenthold.
  Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the maps that Texas has used for the last three ele
  
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• Confederate flag no longer waves at Six Flags Over Texas

  18-08-2017 23:31 via kxan.com
  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Confederate flag will no longer wave at Six Flags Over Texas. Instead, the Dallas-area theme park will fly six American flags.
  The Arlington park’s Friday change comes as communities across the nation debate Confederate memorials and symbols after the deadly rally over a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia.
  Spokeswoman Sharon Parker says they “always choose to focus on celebrating the things that unite us versus those that divide us.&rd
  
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• Unfairly stereotyped pets are in need of homes too

  18-08-2017 23:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A sweet, playful dog named Cupcake has been in the Austin Animal Center for almost a year. “Which is too bad,” Miranda Hitchcock with the center says. “She’s going to make somebody so happy.”
  Many dogs like Cupcake simply have a “blocky” looking head, leading to unfair stereotypes.
  “People think that our blocky headed dogs are going to be different from any other dogs, and they’re just not — they’re the same
  
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• Special eclipse glasses selling out quickly

  18-08-2017 23:02 via kxan.com
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Eclipse mania is building and so is demand for the glasses that make it safe to view the first total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. in 99 years.
  Lines are forming, prices are rising and shelves are emptying as people scurry to obtain special eyewear to view the sun Monday as it is obscured by the passing moon. Complicating the rising demand from last-minute shoppers was a recent recall by Amazon that forced libraries and health centers around the country to recall gl
  
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• Eclipse mania sends Americans scurrying to find safe glasses

  18-08-2017 23:02 via kxan.com
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Eclipse mania is building and so is demand for the glasses that make it safe to view the first total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. in 99 years.
  Lines are forming, prices are rising and shelves are emptying as people scurry to obtain special eyewear to view the sun Monday as it is obscured by the passing moon. Complicating the rising demand from last-minute shoppers was a recent recall by Amazon that forced libraries and health centers around the country to recall gl
  
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• Texas women’s golf’s Ryan Murphy joins MTTS

  18-08-2017 22:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas women’s golf head coach Ryan Murphy joined More than the score to talk about caddying for senior Sophia Schubert as she won the US Women’s Amateur Championship.
  
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• New combo ticket option offered for UT football home games

  18-08-2017 22:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Longhorn fans have another option to get tickets for the first three University of Texas at Austin home games — and it’s all on their phones.
  The university launched “Texas Mobile Pass” to give fans a chance to see the first three home games from different areas of Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
  The cost is $150 to have tickets to the best available Tier 4 location. The tickets are delivered through the Texas Mobile Pass app on iPhones or A
  
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• Hutto, Valero consider alternate site for pipeline terminal

  18-08-2017 20:08 via kxan.com
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — Valero and Hutto city leaders are now considering alternate locations for a terminal related to a $200 million pipeline project after the city and residents near the proposed site spoke up.
  “We have heard some concerns with the planned location near the Williamson County Landfill. Therefore, we have agreed to take a pause to give Valero an opportunity over the next few weeks to work alongside the community to evaluate potential alternatives,” Valero spokes
  
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• Austin couple recounts hours of hiding after Barcelona attack

  18-08-2017 19:46 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Thursday’s deadly attack in Barcelona unfolded, an Austin couple was in the middle of the aftermath. Officials report 13 people died after a van drove into a crowd on Las Ramblas, a popular tourist spot in the city.
  Kyle and Talia VanderVelden arrived in Barcelona around 10 a.m. Thursday, about seven hours before the attack, and took in the sights.
  As they exited Barcelona’s Metro, after taking it for the first time, they were met with a crowd of people
  
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• Two men identified in fatal FM 969 head-on collision

  18-08-2017 19:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two men died Wednesday night after their vehicles collided head-on Farm To Market Road 969 at Webberville Road in east Travis County.
  Nathan Sattler, 35, of Bastrop, was driving west in his Toyota 4 Runner when he crossed onto the wrong side of the highway and hit Charles Chambers, 57, of Elgin, in his Ford F-150, according to the Texas Highway Patrol. Both men died at the scene.
  The crash happened around 8:35 p.m. The road was closed for 5 hours in both directions, reopeni
  
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• Steve Bannon out as White House chief strategist

  18-08-2017 18:54 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN/AP) — NBC News reports Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon no longer has a job at the White House.
  He formerly was the top executive at Breitbart News before joining the Trump administration.
  Trump accepted Bannon’s resignation on Friday, ending a turbulent seven months for his chief strategist, the latest to depart from the president’s administration in turmoil.
  White House spokesman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday would be Bannon’s last day on
  
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• Man says he was discriminated against at Pflugerville Dairy Queen for being gay

  18-08-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — An Austin man says he was discriminated against at the Dairy Queen restaurant on Pecan Street in Pflugerville because of his sexuality.
  Richard Jones claims he and his partner stopped at the restaurant for lunch Thursday, ordered, then after waiting for their food for nearly 30 minutes, a cashier told them the manager didn’t want to serve them because they were gay. Jones said while they were waiting for their food, other customers who had ordered after t
  
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• PHOTOS: KXAN team shares its back to school pictures

  18-08-2017 18:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With numerous school districts in Central Texas starting school this week and next, the KXAN team decided to share its favorite school snaps from back in the day. KXAN team goes Back to School KXAN News Anchor Sally Hernandez goes Back to SchoolKXAN News anchor John Dabkovich goes Back to SchoolKXAN Anchor and reporter Kate Weidaw goes Back to School KXAN News Anchor Robert Hadlock goes Back to SchoolNews anchor Shannon Wolfson goes Back to SchoolMeteorologist David Yeomans
  
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• Organizers finalizing plans for Saturday ‘Rally Against White Supremacy’ in Austin

  18-08-2017 18:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Organizers are finalizing plans for Saturday’s “Rally Against White Supremacy “at Austin’s City Hall.
  The rally, in response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend, will include speakers and musical performances. Bryan Register, one of the organizers, said it’s come together in just the last few days. He started planning Tuesday for the event that will take place Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
  Register said Friday morning he was st
  
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• Organizers finalize plans for ‘Rally Against White Supremacy’ on Saturday

  18-08-2017 18:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Organizers are finalizing plans for Saturday’s “Rally Against White Supremacy” at Austin City Hall.
  The rally, in response to the violence in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend, will include speakers and musical performances. Bryan Register, one of the organizers, said it’s come together in just the last few days. He started planning Tuesday for the event that will take place Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
  Register said Friday morning he was still figu
  
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• Ex-West Texas deputy gets 15 months for game rooms extortion

  18-08-2017 18:11 via kxan.com
  MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — An ex-West Texas sheriff’s deputy must serve 15 months in federal prison for extorting money from game room operators and tipping the businesses off to investigations.
  Prosecutors say former Ector County Sheriff’s Deputy David Oscar Limon was sentenced Thursday in Midland.
  Limon in May pleaded guilty to affecting commerce by extortion. He’s also been fined $13,200 and must do 100 hours of community service upon release.
  Investigators say Limon, while
  
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• Boil water notice for some West Lake Hills area residents

  18-08-2017 18:05 via kxan.com
  WEST LAKE HILLS, Texas (KXAN) — Some people who live in the West Lake Hills and Bee Cave Road area will need to boil their water before using it.
  Water storage tank levels dropped below Texas standards, triggering the alert, according to the Water Control and Improvement District No. 10. A telemetry system failed and affected the system’s water pumps. The boil water alert is a precaution and there isn’t any indication that water quality has decreased.
  Only customers of W.C. &am
  
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• Another round of major lane closures on North MoPac this weekend

  18-08-2017 17:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Another round of major lane closures will impact drivers on North MoPac this weekend.
  Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, several southbound lanes of MoPac between 35th Street and Westover Road will be closed. The closure is expected to last until Monday, Aug. 21, at 5 a.m. — just in time for most kids to head back to school.
  While crews will try to keep two southbound lanes open during peak travel times over the weekend, drivers should be prepared to take a differen
  
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• Best time to see the solar eclipse in Central Texas

  18-08-2017 16:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In Central Texas, we’ll only be privy to a partial eclipse where the sun will be covered around 65 percent.
  A total solar eclipse happens when the moon will completely cover the sun but the sun’s tenuous atmosphere, the corona, can still be seen. This will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States in 38 years!
  If you miss this year’s total eclipse, the next one that will be clearly visible from Austin will be on April 8
  
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• Austin Humane Society hopes to adopt out 100-plus pets

  18-08-2017 16:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Humane Society hopes to find homes for 100 to 150 pets during the Clear the Shelters event this weekend.
  On Aug. 19, all adoption fees are waived, according to Austin Humane Society communications director Ericka Miller. The animals are also vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered.
  She brought Dottie, a one-year-old mixed breed pup, to KXAN News Today. Dottie came to AHS from Lockhart.
  Miller said before adopting, people should consider what kind of pet i
  
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• Oregon man shares warning after damaging his eyes in 1962 eclipse

  18-08-2017 15:54 via kxan.com
  OREGON CITY, Oregon (KGW) — An Oregon man is warning people to be extra careful on the day of the eclipse, and make sure they take proper precautions so they aren’t blinded by the celestial event.
  “It’s going to be over real quick and it’s not worth taking a chance,” Lou Tomososki said.
  Tomososki and a friend viewed a partial eclipse outside Oregon City’s Marshall High School back in 1962.
  “The sun at that time, at 3:30 p.m., was in the one o&rsquo
  
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• $454.4M bond vote for four new schools in Leander ISD

  18-08-2017 15:27 via kxan.com
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Four new schools and existing school improvements could come to Leander ISD if voters say “yes” to a bond program this November.
  The Leander ISD Board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to send the $454.4 million bond out for a vote Nov. 7. In addition to those new schools, the money would expand Vandegrift High School and add career and technical education facilities to high schools. Of that bond, $38.7 million will go toward upgrading old technolog
  
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• Large power outage reported in south San Marcos

  18-08-2017 14:53 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Friday morning, the City of San Marcos reported a power outage from Highway 123 to Interstate 35 in the south part of the city.
  It called the outage “large,” but didn’t elaborate on how many customers are affected.
  “Crews are working fast, but no word yet on how long it will take to repair,” officials tweeted at 7:34 a.m.
  KXAN reached out to officials and will update this post.
  
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• Lubbock officer reunites with man he saved from jumping off bridge

  18-08-2017 14:24 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — It was an emotional reunion for Lubbock Police Officer Mario Sandoval when he passed the home of a young man named Tye, who he pulled from a highway bridge when he was attempting to jump five years ago.
  “There are some houses you just never forget. It made a huge impact on my career,” Sandoval said.
  Fresh out of the police academy, he said this was one of the first calls he ever responded to as an officer. When he arrived to the bridge near N I-27 and 42
  
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• Why you can still adopt a feral cat

  18-08-2017 13:25 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Not all animals make good house pets, but there are some that – while a little rough around the edges – can still bring value to a home.
  Feral cats are not your average adoptable cats. They don’t like people. They don’t like being handled. And, as KXAN learned, they don’t like GoPros. Feral cats are wild.
  “Barn cats or feral cats are often the very last to make it out of animal control alive because they are not domesticated, social,
  
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• Death toll in Spain attacks rises to 14

  18-08-2017 13:00 via kxan.com
  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Catalan authorities say a woman injured in an attack in a popular seaside town south of Barcelona has died, making the death toll of a deadly series of attacks in Spain 14 people.
  The woman, who wasn’t named, is the first fatal victim of the attack late Thursday in Cambrils, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of Barcelona.
  It came hours after a van slammed into pedestrians on a busy Barcelona promenade, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100 others.
  I
  
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• 1 American killed, 1 injured in Spain attacks

  18-08-2017 13:00 via kxan.com
  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) —The U.S. State Department says at least one American was killed and one injured in the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain that killed 14 people and injured dozens of others.
  In remarks to State Department staff on Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed the death and expressed condolences to the victim’s family. He said diplomats from the U.S. consulate in Barcelona are working with local authorities to identify victims and provide assistance t
  
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• ‘Tax swap’ would increase property taxes for those in city but outside AISD

  18-08-2017 06:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The clock is ticking for the city of Austin to set the upcoming budget. One idea could help out the Austin Independent School District keep more money, rather than send it to the state, but not everyone’s on board. At least not yet.
  It has to do with what’s called a tax swap. As just about everyone knows, the housing boom has led to higher property values and people paying higher property taxes. Under the current school financing system, a large chunk of the mon
  
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• Third person sues APD over jaywalking arrest incident on Sixth Street

  18-08-2017 05:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Video of an arrest over jaywalking on Sixth Street in 2015 is spawning another federal lawsuit against Austin police officers, accusing them of using excessive force and then having superiors shield them from accountability.
  The video was from an incident on Nov. 6, 2015. Officers arrested three people for jaywalking.
  Two filed suit last year and now Matthew Wallace has filed separately.
  “If for nothing else, then to raise a necessary voice, for so many that don&rsquo
  
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• After Barcelona attack, how students should prepare to study abroad

  18-08-2017 04:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following the news of the violent attack in Barcelona Thursday, which authorities there are investigating as terrorism, a University of Texas at Austin spokesman said Thursday there were no students studying abroad in the Spanish city.
  But the attack is just one of a string of recent outbursts of violence in major European cities, often popular destinations for college students looking for new experiences outside of their schools. UT wants its students to prepare before the
  
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• View the solar eclipse without buying the glasses

  18-08-2017 04:00 via kxan.com
  CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) — Many stores are running out of glasses for viewing the solar eclipse, but you can still view the eclipse safely. Regular sunglasses, and even welders helmets won’t cut it if you’re looking to view the eclipse.
  With the eclipse coming at peak playtime hours, parents are especially concerned that their children will damage their eyes.
  “Young kids riding around on their bikes, doing their thing outside, playing in the yard, they don’t know any
  
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• Former TCSO deputy loses fight to get his job back

  18-08-2017 03:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County’s Civil Service Commission has chosen to uphold Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s decision to terminate former deputy John Loughran.
  After serving TCSO for 24 years, Loughran was terminated in March. Both Sheriff Sally Hernandez and former Sheriff Greg Hamilton claimed in the first part of the Civil Service Commission’s hearing on whether to reinstate him last month that Loughran’s grieving of a fallen deputy was getting in the way of doing his
  
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• UT police urge Longhorns to call 911 before tweeting in emergencies

  18-08-2017 02:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the Longhorn class of 2021 prepares to start the school year, University of Texas at Austin Police Chief David Carter has a message for them:
  “I really want to stress the importance of folks calling 911 if there’s an emergency, whether you’re on campus or not,” Carter said.
  It may seem like a simple message, but it’s one he says is increasingly forgotten in the digital age.
  “We’ve had issues in the past here at UT where crimes we
  
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• Girl Scouts prioritizing STEM with 23 new badges

  18-08-2017 01:44 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Girl Scouts are hoping to grab the interest of younger scouts with 23 new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) badges that are aimed mainly at kindergarten through fifth graders.
  Some of the badges include:
  Model Car Design Challenge for Daisies, kindergarten to first grade.
  Designing a Robot for Brownies, second to third grade.
  Think Like a Scientist for Juniors, fourth to sixth grade.
  These badges are aimed at introducing young girls to ba
  
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• Drug overdose deaths among teens climb, with many turning to pain killers

  18-08-2017 01:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A disturbing trend among teenagers nationwide is also playing out in Texas  The number of drug overdose deaths continue to climb.
  Colleen Carlin, 17, got high for the first time at 13 on a bag of marijuana.
  “I took $50 from my mom one night and I went over to a good friend of mine house and I said, ‘here’s 50 bucks. I don’t know what to do, but let’s get some weed,” Colleen said.
  That decision started years of drug abuse th
  
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• Organizer of ‘Dixie Freedom Rally’ postpones event due to violence concerns

  18-08-2017 00:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One day after KXAN reported that a Sept. 2 event being organized by the Texas Confederate Militia was not properly permitted, the event organizers decided to postpone the event until Sept. 23.
  Organizers have moved the “Dixie Freedom Rally” to Saturday, Sept. 23, but it will still take place at Woolridge Square in downtown Austin. According to the rally’s Facebook event page, the event is to promote the “true Confederate heritage that most of Am
  
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• Calls to remove Confederate markers return to Texas Capitol

  18-08-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A top Texas Republican wants the accuracy of memorials around the state Capitol reviewed amid calls to remove Confederate monuments.
  A spokesman for Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said Thursday that the powerful GOP leader will work with a Dallas lawmaker who this week singled out one Confederate plaque as “indefensible on historical grounds.”
  The nearly 60-year-old plaque rejects that slavery was the “underlying cause” of the Civil War. It is o
  
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• Dozens of fish found floating in Plum Creek, state agencies investigating

  18-08-2017 00:11 via kxan.com
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality along with Texas Parks and Wildlife is investigating what is caused a potential fish kill in Plum Creek near Uhland.
  TCEQ tells KXAN they were notified of the issue Wednesday morning. A landowner in Uhland says he noticed the dead fish Tuesday night when he saw buzzards flying near the creek.
  “There’s hundreds of dead fish in spots here along the creek where we’re standing,” said landowne
  
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