Austin news

• Tropical storm expected to form, threaten Texas coast

  22-08-2017 23:15 via kxan.com
  MEXICO CITY (AP/KXAN) — Forecasters say resurgent remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey could threaten Texas late this week.
  The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to pass from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula into the southern Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday and regain tropical storm force. The center says conditions are conducive for a tropical depression or a tropical storm to form on Wednesday or Thursday.
  It then could “move in the general direction of the Texas c
  
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• Tropical storm could form and threaten Texas coast

  22-08-2017 23:15 via kxan.com
  MEXICO CITY (AP/KXAN) — Forecasters say resurgent remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey could threaten Texas late this week.
  The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to pass from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula into the southern Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday and regain tropical storm force. The center says conditions are conducive for a tropical depression or a tropical storm to form on Wednesday or Thursday.
  It then could “move in the general direction of the Texas c
  
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• Former tropical storm could re-emerge, threaten Texas coast

  22-08-2017 23:15 via kxan.com
  MEXICO CITY (AP/KXAN) — Forecasters say resurgent remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey could threaten Texas late this week.
  The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm is expected to pass from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula into the southern Gulf of Mexico late Tuesday and regain tropical storm force.
  It then could “move in the general direction of the Texas coast on Friday.” The center warns it could bring storm surge and tropical storm- or hurricane-force winds to the Te
  
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• Child Protective Services holds trainee graduation as agency rebounds

  22-08-2017 23:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Department of Family and Protective added 14 new caseworkers to Child Protective Services Tuesday afternoon in a trainee graduation ceremony. This comes as the agency is making progress in rebuilding a program that came under immense scrutiny by the public and state lawmakers more than a year ago.
  Late in 2016, several high profile child deaths led lawmakers to take a closer look at the state foster care system and DFPS, the agency charged to run it. Longtime wounds cam
  
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• Judge says Greg Kelley’s conviction should be set aside, releases him on bond

  22-08-2017 21:18 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — After being behind bars for more than three years, Greg Kelley was released on bond Tuesday afternoon after a Williamson County judge determined his case should be heard by the Court of Criminal Appeals.
  The Greg Kelley Foundation posted a Facebook video around 1:30 p.m. stating they had a copy of the signed bond paperwork for Kelley. “Greg is coming home today,” said one of his supporters. Court filings show the order for release on bond was filed at
  
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• Greg Kelley released on bond after 3 years behind bars

  22-08-2017 21:18 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — After being behind bars for more than three years, Greg Kelley was released on bond Tuesday afternoon.
  The Greg Kelley Foundation posted a Facebook video around 1:30 p.m. stating they had a copy of the signed bond paperwork for Kelley. “Greg is coming home today,” said one of his supporters. Court filings show the order for release on bond was filed at 2:05 p.m. Aug. 22. with his bond set at $50,000.
  As word spread that Kelley would be released on bon
  
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• Suspected drunk driver faces new charge for baby’s death

  22-08-2017 20:55 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who is accused of killing a man and injuring his pregnant girlfriend in an alleged drunk driving crash is facing a second intoxicated manslaughter charge for the death of the woman’s unborn child.
  On June 10 around 4 p.m., authorities say Corona-Quiterio, 41, was driving northbound on Farm to Market 973 when he crossed into the southbound lanes and struck a motorcycle being ridden by Raul Diaz Jr., 28, and Estefania Soto, 26. Diaz died at the scene. His pas
  
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• ACL Fest adds third entrance gate

  22-08-2017 20:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When the gates open for the 2017 ACL Fest on Oct. 6, there will be more gates where you can enter to make a beeline to your favorite band.The festival is adding a third entrance along Barton Springs Road. When you show up, you can access the grounds via the existing Lady Bird Lake entrance, the Barton Springs East entrance or the Barton Springs West entrance.
  To accommodate for the 75,000 attendees each day, organizers have also shifted or relocated multiple stages. The for
  
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• San Marcos child sex suspect to be named ‘most wanted’

  22-08-2017 17:47 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A man wanted in connection with the sexual assault of a child in San Marcos is being added to the U.S. Marshal’s Service most wanted list.
  Police say Jesus “Jesse” Delgado, 56, who recently lived in Lockhart, has ties to Mexico, Chicago, Waco and Houston. Police believe he may be in the Houston area with a friend but the chance exists that he is still in Central Texas.
  Delgado is described as a Hispanic man, about 5’7” and 170 p
  
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• San Marcos votes to file brief in SB4 legal battle

  22-08-2017 17:38 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The City of San Marcos will write and file an Amicus curiae brief in the lawsuit challenging of Senate Bill 4 which takes effect Sept. 1.
  The city previously decided not to join the likes of Austin and San Antonio in a lawsuit but in a special meeting held Tuesday the city council approved a measure to write the Amicus (or friend of the court) brief.
  City officials will write the brief today and file it this evening or tomorrow.
  This story will be updated.
  
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• San Marcos joins in on SB4 legal battle

  22-08-2017 17:38 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN/AP) — After standing on the sidelines, the city of San Marcos is joining the federal lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 4 which takes effect Sept. 1.
  The new law would let police ask people about their immigration status during routine traffic stops. It also threatens elected officials with removal from office if they don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
  The city previously decided unanimously not to join the likes of Austin and San Antonio in th
  
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• Coal CEO expected Trump help, but administration said no

  22-08-2017 16:11 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has rejected a coal industry push to win a rarely used emergency order protecting coal-fired power plants, a decision contrary to what one coal executive said the president personally promised him.
  The Energy Department says it considered issuing the order sought by companies seeking relief for plants it says are overburdened by environmental regulations and market stresses. But the department ultimately ruled it was unnecessary, and the White Hou
  
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• Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot second highest ever

  22-08-2017 15:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Powerball players have a shot at more than a half-billion (with a B) dollars in Wednesday night’s drawing.
  The estimated jackpot has climbed to an estimated $650 million, with an estimated cash value of $411.7 million, after no tickets matched Saturday’s jackpot drawing.
  Powerball Jackpot Odds are 1 in 292,201,338. Powerball Overall Odds are 1 in 25.
   
  
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• Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot climbs to $700M

  22-08-2017 15:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Powerball players have a shot at more than a half-billion (with a B) dollars in Wednesday night’s drawing.
  The estimated jackpot has climbed to an estimated $700 million, with an estimated cash value of $443.3 million, after no tickets matched Saturday’s jackpot drawing.
  Powerball Jackpot Odds are 1 in 292,201,338. Powerball Overall Odds are 1 in 25.
   
  
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• Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot climbs to $700,000

  22-08-2017 15:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Powerball players have a shot at more than a half-billion (with a B) dollars in Wednesday night’s drawing.
  The estimated jackpot has climbed to an estimated $700 million, with an estimated cash value of $443.3 million, after no tickets matched Saturday’s jackpot drawing.
  Powerball Jackpot Odds are 1 in 292,201,338. Powerball Overall Odds are 1 in 25.
   
  
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• Williamson County’s Confederate monument drawing community criticism

  22-08-2017 14:34 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The growing controversy surrounding Confederate monuments across the country is expanding to Williamson County where residents plan to address the issue with county commissioners.
  A 100-year-old statue of a Confederate soldier towers over Georgetown’s square, standing just outside of the county’s historic courthouse.
  County residents plan to raise the issue during the commissioners’ regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, just a day after The Unive
  
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• Record $417M award in lawsuit linking baby powder to cancer

  22-08-2017 14:01 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles jury on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay a record $417 million to a hospitalized woman who claimed in a lawsuit that the talc in the company’s iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer when applied regularly for feminine hygiene.
  The verdict in the lawsuit brought by the California woman, Eva Echeverria, marks the largest sum awarded in a series of talcum powder lawsuit verdicts against Johnson & Johnson in courts around the U.S.
  Echever
  
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• The Latest: White House expresses ‘sadness’ over collision

  22-08-2017 13:43 via kxan.com
  SINGAPORE (AP) — The Latest on the collision between the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker east of Singapore (all times local):
  6:30 a.m.
  The White House is expressing “great sadness” after the remains of a number of Navy sailors were found in a compartment of the damaged USS John McCain.
  President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that “we pray for our fallen heroes” who died serving their country aboard the warship.
  Ten sailors were left mis
  
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• The Latest: US Pacific commander: Remains of sailors found

  22-08-2017 13:43 via kxan.com
  SINGAPORE (AP) — The Latest on the collision between the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker east of Singapore (all times local):
  7:20 p.m.
  The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet says a number of remains of Navy sailors were found in a compartment of the USS John McCain, a day after the warship’s collision with an oil tanker in Southeast Asian waters left 10 sailors missing.
  Adm. Scott Swift also said at a news conference in Singapore on Tuesday that Malays
  
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• The Latest: US Pacific commander lauds work to right warship

  22-08-2017 13:43 via kxan.com
  SINGAPORE (AP) — The Latest on the collision between the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker east of Singapore (all times local):
  9 p.m.
  The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet has commended the crew of the USS John S. McCain for righting the destroyer quickly after Monday’s collision with an oil tanker near Singapore.
  Ten sailors are missing from the collision, though Adm. Scott Swift said Tuesday that some bodies have been found in a flooded compartment of
  
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• The Latest: Families name 3 of the missing sailors on McCain

  22-08-2017 13:43 via kxan.com
  SINGAPORE (AP) — The Latest on the collision between the USS John S. McCain guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker east of Singapore (all times local):
  11:30 a.m.
  Three of the 10 sailors missing from the USS John S. McCain have been identified by family.
  U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis said McCain crew member Logan Palmer is from the Decatur, Illinois, area and his mother identified him as missing.
  April Brandon in Michigan said the military informed her that her son, Ken Smith, is missing. She
  
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• Post eclipse, doctors expect patients with solar damage to their eyes

  22-08-2017 13:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — All eyes were on the sky for the total solar eclipse and ophthalmologists are fearing patients will fill their offices with eye damage.
  John Odette is a general & refractive ophthalmologist at Austin Eye. He says anyone who stared at our sun with
  “The reality is a lot of the damage that occurs can be permanent, but there can be some acute things that can be aided or repaired if we catch them early enough,” Dr. Odette said. “Luckily we have outstan
  
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• Is your child’s classroom making them sick?

  22-08-2017 12:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For children back in school, now can be the worst time for allergies; Classrooms have been empty for months gathering dust and other students bringing allergens to the classroom from outside.
  “A child is always having to breathe through their mouth, that can be one symptom of allergies, a child that is certainly more obviously if they’re having itchy watery eyes or watery nose are using a Kleenex all the time,” explains Dr. Jonel Anthis, an ear, nose and t
  
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• Civil war lessons often depend on where the classroom is

  22-08-2017 12:15 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Civil War lessons taught to American students often depend on where the classroom is, with schools presenting accounts of the conflict that vary from state to state and even district to district.
  Some schools emphasize states’ rights in addition to slavery and stress how economic and cultural differences stoked regional tensions. Others highlight the battlefield acumen of Confederate commanders alongside their Union counterparts.
  At least one suggests that ab
  
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• Trump vows continued fight in Afghanistan; reversing stance

  22-08-2017 12:09 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Reversing his past calls for a speedy exit, President Donald Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, declaring U.S. troops must “fight to win.” He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America’s longest war.
  In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said Monday the U.S. would shift away from a “time-based” approach, instead linking its assi
  
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• Officials say Trump’s Afghan plan involves 3,900 more troops

  22-08-2017 12:09 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s plan to end the stalemate in America’s longest war and eliminate Afghanistan’s rising extremist threat involves sending up to 3,900 additional U.S. forces, senior officials said Tuesday. The first deployments could take place within days.
  In a national address Monday night, Trump reversed his past calls for a speedy exit and recommitted the United States to the 16-year conflict, saying U.S. troops must “fight to win.”
  
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• SWAT team called to NW Austin home

  22-08-2017 10:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department’s SWAT team was called out to a home in Northwest Austin early Tuesday morning.
  According to a police dispatcher, a man with emotional problems refused to come outside of a home in the 6500 block of Sans Souci Cove at about 1:30 Tuesday morning. The SWAT team was called out around 2:30 a.m.
  An Austin Police Department spokesperson is heading to the scene and will be giving out more information shortly.
  The spokesperson says police ass
  
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• NW Austin SWAT incident ends with arrest

  22-08-2017 10:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person is in custody after numerous 911 calls about gunshots prompted officers to call the Austin Police Department’s SWAT team to a home in Northwest Austin early Tuesday morning.
  The incident began about 1:40 a.m. with calls about shots being fired. Officers arrived on the scene of the 6500 block of Sans Souci Cove to find a woman and a child exiting the home. A male occupant, however, refused to come out.
  Around 5:30 a.m., the SWAT team went into the home and f
  
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• UT sexual assault research, prevention continues in the new school year

  22-08-2017 05:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As students return to University of Texas System campuses this fall, the schools will know more about their experiences with sexual assault and how to curb it than ever before.
  This spring, a group of researchers published their initial findings of sexual assault at 13 of the system’s 14 institutions in the Cultivating Learning and Safe Environments (CLASE) survey. More than 28,000 students submitted their responses, revealing that at academic institutions 10 percent
  
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• FedEx launches SameDay local courier service in Austin

  22-08-2017 05:38 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — FedEx is launching its SameDay City service in Austin to give people door-to-door local courier delivery service.
  With the service, a customer can choose how fast they want an item delivered and at what cost. Priority service is available seven days a week and can arrive in two hours. Standard service offers pickup as late as 1 p.m. for business delivery, and as late as 4 p.m. for residential delivery, by the end of day.
  FedEx SameDay® City is currently in 25 marke
  
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• Texas reacts to Confederate imagery statewide

  22-08-2017 05:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The discussion about whether or not to remove statues that honor Confederate leaders has come to the forefront in Texas, following the attack in Charlottesville, Va.
  Petitions to rename schools and remove statues of Confederate heroes are popping up across Texas.
  “There are people of good faith of good morals on both sides of the issue,” United States Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in New Braunfels, before a town hall and tour at Sysco Central Texas, Inc.
  
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• AISD parents surprised with school nursing changes first day back

  22-08-2017 04:44 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On the first day of school, parents in the Austin Independent School District tell KXAN they were hit with a surprise.
  Stephanie Miller says parents are telling each other Registered Nurses were going away at all elementary school campuses, including Davis Elementary where her daughter, Amber, is a fourth grader.
  “I’m concerned for all the other children who are like my son who have life-threatening food allergies, who have asthma, who have diabetes or other typ
  
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• Wildfire in Bastrop County now 100% contained

  22-08-2017 03:56 via kxan.com
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Two days after a wildfire broke out on State Highway 71 and threatened more than two dozen homes near Bastrop State Park, the fire is now officially 100 percent contained as of 7 p.m. Monday.
  The Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said while the fire is completely contained, smoke is expected within the fire for a few more days. Firefighters will continue to monitor and patrol the burned area to make sure flare-ups don’t occur.
  The fire start
  
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• Ex-El Paso priest accused of sex abuse served at 8 parishes

  22-08-2017 03:15 via kxan.com
  EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A former El Paso priest accused of committing sexual abuse decades ago served at eight local parishes, the Catholic Diocese of El Paso said Monday.
  At a news conference, El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz said the ex-priest, Miguel Luna, 67, admitted to sexual misconduct with a “young female adolescent” in the 1980s. Luna has since been removed from the ministry.
  The allegation came to light last November, according to Seitz who declined to say which parish was i
  
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• PHOTOS: How Central Texans experienced the solar eclipse

  22-08-2017 03:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While Central Texas only saw a partial eclipse on Monday afternoon, people still made it a point to get their camera gear ready to capture the moment.
  Here are some of the images KXAN viewers captured and how they managed to see the eclipse. Solar Eclipse in Central Texas 2017 Eclipse. (Report It: Matthew Danser)Eclipse (Report It Alan Williamson)KXAN Viewer Marc Cristanes was in Farewell Bend State Park in Oregon to experience the eclipse in totality. (Report It: Marc Cris
  
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• Texas slashes underperforming anti-abortion group’s contract

  22-08-2017 02:51 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas health officials say they are drastically reducing a $5 million family planning contract with an anti-abortion group that won’t serve nearly as many women as expected.
  Carrie Williams is a spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She said Monday that the Heidi Group’s new contract calls for serving about one-fifth of the nearly 18,000 women originally projected.
  Texas hired the Heidi Group to help launch a new women’s heal
  
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• Rookie RB Foreman shines early for Houston Texans

  22-08-2017 02:26 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — D’Onta Foreman’s performance through Houston’s first two preseason games has many raving about the rookie.Texans coach Bill O’Brien is not among them.
  “That’s the second preseason game … he’s got a lot of talent, but I think he’s got a long way to go,” O’Brien said.
  While O’Brien was careful not to heap too much praise upon the running back so early, it’s hard to deny that he’s been one of t
  
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• Trump will address path forward on Afghanistan

  22-08-2017 02:22 via kxan.com
  CAMP MOREHEAD, Afghanistan (AP) — Signaling that the U.S. military expects its mission to continue, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Sunday hailed the launch of the Afghan Army’s new special operations corps, declaring that “we are with you and we will stay with you.”
  Gen. John Nicholson’s exhortation of continued support for the Afghans suggested the Pentagon may have won its argument that America’s military must stay engaged in the conflict in order
  
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• Trump renews Afghan commitment but says ‘no blank check’

  22-08-2017 02:22 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring the U.S. will win “in the end,” President Donald Trump vowed Monday night to keep American troops fighting in Afghanistan despite his earlier inclination to withdraw. But he insisted the U.S. would not offer “a blank check” after 16 years of war, and he pointedly declined to say whether or when more troops might be sent.
  In a prime-time address billed as the unveiling of his new Afghanistan strategy, Trump said the U.S. would shift away f
  
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• Chase Bank in Cedar Park robbed

  22-08-2017 02:19 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Cedar Park are searching for a person who robbed the Chase Bank at 2600 E. Whitestone Blvd. Monday afternoon.
  Police say the suspect came into the bank around 3:25 p.m. and handed the teller a note demanding money. The suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.
  The suspect did not show a weapon.
  If you have any information on the case, you’re asked to contact the Cedar Park Police Department at 512-260-4648.
  Suspect in Chase Bank Ro
  
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• Williamson, Hays counties finalizing wildfire protection plans

  22-08-2017 02:06 via kxan.com
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) —  When a wildfire broke out along State Highway 71 in Bastrop County over the weekend, it was a reminder for many to make sure they’re prepared in case a wildfire threatened their home. 
  A 2015 KXAN investigation revealed some Central Texas counties with the highest risk of wildfire had not done all they could to prepare to keep people safe. Today, Hays and Williamson counties are close to putting the final touches on their wildfire protecti
  
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• Round Rock PD wants to outfit better cameras on patrol cars

  22-08-2017 01:15 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Patrol car cameras are not new to the Round Rock Police Department, but what they can do is. The camera in Chief Allen Banks’ car can zoom further and captures a wider picture, something all officers will eventually have.
  “We want to make sure the officers have the newest and safest equipment that we can offer and afford for them,” explains Chief Banks.
  Banks is asking city council for 28 new camera units, which are part of the 61 older camera u
  
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• Confederate statues removed from UT campus will not be on public display

  22-08-2017 01:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The three Confederate statues that were standing at the University of Texas at Austin’s South Mall were removed overnight Sunday and will no longer be on public display. The statues of John H. Reagan (Confederate Postmaster General), Albert S. Johnston (a Confederate general), and Robert E. Lee (commander of the Confederate army) will become part of the collection at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
  Only the Jefferson Davis statue, which w
  
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• Austin compiles list of possible locations for temporary homeless shelter

  22-08-2017 00:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department has identified several locations for the city to consider as temporary overflow housing for the homeless.
  Earlier this month, city council members asked city staff to find a city-owned building that could be turned into an emergency shelter when the ARCH is too full.
  In a memo, PARD determined six facilities could potentially fit the bill. The locations are: Austin Recreation Center, Givens Recreation Center, Gus Garcia Re
  
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• 6 possible locations for temporary homeless shelter in Austin identified

  22-08-2017 00:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department has identified several locations for the city to consider as temporary overflow housing for the homeless.
  Earlier this month, city council members asked city staff to find a city-owned building that could be turned into an emergency shelter when the ARCH is too full.
  In a memo, PARD determined six facilities could potentially fit the bill. The locations are: Austin Recreation Center, Givens Recreation Center, Gus Garcia Re
  
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