Austin news

• Hurricane Harvey shutters Schlitterbhan

  25-08-2017 23:47 via kxan.com
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels will be closed this weekend due to Hurricane Harvey.
  According to the park, this will be the first time all four Schlitterbahn waterparks in Texas will be closed.
  The resorts in New Braunfels and South Padre will remain open, but with limited operations.
   
   
  
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• Jackson’s off-the-field fight

  25-08-2017 23:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following three straight district titles, expectations are high once again at LBJ.
  “You would like to repeat as a district championship, that’s the first goal,” Jags head coach Andrew Jackson said. “Then you hope you get better enough to get past the first round.”
  On the field, Jackson is bit concerned with his team’s depth. But the worries between the lines provide a welcome distraction to the reality of life outside of them.
  &ldquo
  
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• APD seeks public help in locating missing 75-year-old man

  25-08-2017 23:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is investigating after family members noticed an elderly man was not at his home Friday afternoon.
  Family members of 75-year-old John Alexander reported him missing at 12:43 p.m. Friday in the 12200 block of Arboles Circle, according to a news release from APD.
  Neighbors say they saw the elderly man get onto a bus at 8:30 a.m. Friday. He is described as a 220 pound, 5’7” black male with black hair and brown eyes.
  Police say he was la
  
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• Austin Pride postpones events due to Harvey

  25-08-2017 22:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey won’t be raining on Austin Pride’s parade this weekend, because the organization decided Friday to reschedule the festivities.
  In a Facebook post, Austin Pride wrote “We know how much everyone had their hearts set on tomorrow’s Celebration, however the safety and security of everyone attending and participating in PRIDE is paramount in our plans for a successful PRIDE Celebration.”The organization is working with the City of Au
  
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• With time running out, thousands flee Hurricane Harvey

  25-08-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — With time running out, tens of thousands of people fled Friday from the path of an increasingly menacing-looking Hurricane Harvey as it took aim at a wide swath of the Texas Gulf Coast that includes oil refineries, chemical plants and dangerously flood-prone Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city.
  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the monster system would be “a very major disaster,” and the menacing forecasts drew fearful comparisons to Hurricane Katrin
  
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• Menacing Harvey on verge of reaching Texas coast

  25-08-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Hurricane Harvey was on the verge of reaching Texas on Friday, bringing fierce winds and torrential rain to a wide swath of the state’s Gulf Coast and prompting tens of thousands of residents fleeing inland in hopes of escaping its wrath.
  The National Hurricane Center said the eyewall of the dangerous Category 4 storm reached the Texas coast Friday evening, suggesting that the eye of the storm would soon make landfall.
  With time running out, residents fle
  
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• Increasingly menacing Hurricane Harvey aims at Texas coast

  25-08-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — With time running out, tens of thousands of people fled Friday from the path of an increasingly menacing-looking Hurricane Harvey as it took aim at a wide swath of the Texas Gulf Coast that includes oil refineries, chemical plants and dangerously flood-prone Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city.
  Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the monster system would be “a very major disaster,” and the forecasts drew fearful comparisons to Hurricane K
  
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• Harvey lashes Texas coast with high wind, torrential rain

  25-08-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Hurricane Harvey smashed into Texas late Friday, lashing a wide swath of the Gulf Coast with strong winds and torrential rain from the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade.
  The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the Category 4 hurricane made landfall about 10 p.m. about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Corpus Christi between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, bringing with it 130 mph (209 kph) sustained winds and flooding rain
  
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• Abbott: Be prepared and heed warnings

  25-08-2017 20:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged Texas in the path of Hurricane Harvey to finish their preparations and carefully consider evacuating to a safer location.
  Abbott said state agencies have shifted their focus to supporting evacuees in cities across Texas. State parks will be open free of charge for evacuees as well as numerous shelters across the state. Call 1-800 RED CROSS to find a shelter location nearest to you.
  Abbott also asked President Donald Trump for a “Major Disa
  
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• Fosters needed for shelter animals due to Harvey

  25-08-2017 20:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Animals from shelters along the Texas coast are arriving at Austin Pets Alive! ahead of Hurricane Harvey.
  “Historically, when hurricanes hit, many shelters have euthanized their animals to prepare for an influx of more animals as well as for human evacuations,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, Executive Director of Austin Pets Alive!. “We’ve already been receiving calls for help as well as doing our own outreach to coastal shelters – because of our No
  
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• Gas prices expected to rise as Harvey shuts down oil rigs

  25-08-2017 20:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/CNN) — As people line up at the pumps in preparation for Hurricane Harvey in Texas, drivers there and elsewhere could soon see higher gas prices.
  The oil industry is shutting down operations for safety reasons as Harvey moves through the Gulf of Mexico. That move could push up prices between $0.05 and $0.15 per gallon, according to oil analyst Tom Kloza.
  The exact affect on gas prices can be difficult to predict until there is more information on whether rigs are taken offline
  
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• PHOTOS: Preparing for Hurricane Harvey

  25-08-2017 20:09 via kxan.com
  PHOTOS: Preparing for Hurricane Harvey Lynn Dixon places sandbags outside their home decor store in Galveston, Texas as Hurricane Harvey intensifies in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. Conditions were deteriorating along Texas's Gulf Coast on Friday as Hurricane Harvey strengthened and slowly moved toward the state, with forecasters warning that evacuations and preparations "should be rushed to completion."(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)Carolyn Price empties a fridge on the lower level of h
  
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• Border Patrol says Texas checkpoints to remain open during Hurricane Harvey

  25-08-2017 18:52 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — As thousands of Texans prepare to evacuate their cities due to Hurricane Harvey, the United States Border Patrol said it is not planning to close its roadside immigration checkpoints north of the Rio Grande Valley unless there is a danger to travelers or its agents.
  “Border Patrol checkpoints will not be closed unless there is a danger to the safety of the traveling public and our agents. Border Patrol resources, including personnel and transportation, w
  
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• Non-members can stock up for Harvey at some Sam’s Club locations

  25-08-2017 18:40 via kxan.com
  BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KXAN) — Some Sam’s Club locations in South Texas are waiving membership fees to allow people to buy emergency supplies. Normal memberships cost between $45-$100.
  Sam’s Club announced starting Thursday that anyone can shop at its McAllen, San Antonio, Harlingen, Brownsville, Laredo and Corpus Christi locations. It said it’s stocking its shelves with water, batteries and grocery basics.
  Numerous people have reported long lines and empty shelves at grocery
  
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• Two shelters open in Austin for hurricane evacuees

  25-08-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The first Austin evacuation shelters for those fleeing Hurricane Harvey opened Friday morning.
  The shelters are located at Delco Center at 4601 Pecan Brook Dr. and LBJ High School and 7309 Lazy Creek Dr. They are meant to serve evacuees from outside the Central Texas region at this time, but organizers say they will reevaluate if local evacuations become necessary.
  The city of Austin reports the Capital Area Shelter Hub Plan is now active. Additional shelters will open as n
  
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• List of shelters for evacuees, residents seeking shelter

  25-08-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Shelters for those fleeing Hurricane Harvey are opening in Central Texas. Here is a list of the ones that are currently operational:
  Austin
  They are meant to serve evacuees from outside the Central Texas region at this time, but organizers say they will reevaluate if local evacuations become necessary.
  Delco Center at 4601 Pecan Brook Dr.
  LBJ High School and 7309 Lazy Creek Dr.
  The city of Austin reports the Capital Area Shelter Hub Plan is now active. Additional shelters w
  
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• Central Texas evacuation shelters open

  25-08-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The first Austin evacuation shelters for those fleeing Hurricane Harvey opened Friday morning.
  The shelters are located at Delco Center at 4601 Pecan Brook Dr. and LBJ High School and 7309 Lazy Creek Dr.
  The city of Austin reports the Capital Area Shelter Hub Plan is now active. Additional shelters will open as needed. The network is not currently accepting donations.
  A Red Cross shelter will open Friday at 7 p.m. in La Grange. The shelter is only for residents of Fayette C
  
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• NICU Babies evacuated ahead of Harvey

  25-08-2017 16:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Dell Children’s received seven babies from the NICU at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi.“Being part of the Texas Hospital Association of Texas made it easy for us to communicate directly with Driscoll Children’s Hospital and partner to get their needs,” said Deb Brown, COO, Dell Children’s. “Driscoll Children’s did an excellent job of alerting us early and giving us time to get there. Their foresight was e
  
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• Austin Community College partners with Apple on app development course

  25-08-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some of the nation’s newest app developers could be right here in Austin.
  Apple CEO Tim Cook traveled to the Capital City Friday to announce a partnership with Austin Community College. Mayor Steve Adler and Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, joined him.
  ACC became one of the first community colleges to offer the new Swift curriculum. The program begins in the fall and will train students to develop apps.
  
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• LIVE BLOG: Tropical Storm Harvey moves in on Central Texas

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey made landfall late last night and has weakened and slowed considerably.
  LATEST FORECAST – TAP HERE
  INTERACTIVE HURRICANE TRACKER – TAP HERE
  POWER OUTAGE INFO – TAP HERE
  LIST OF CANCELLATIONS – TAPE HERE
  This live blog will continuously update as new information comes into the KXAN Newsroom.
  
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• LIVE BLOG: Hurricane Harvey takes aim at the coast

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Hurricane Harvey bares down the Texas Coast, KXAN’s David Yeomans is in Rockport providing updates from the coast.
  LATEST FORECAST – TAP HERE
  INTERACTIVE HURRICANE TRACKER – TAP HERE
  POWER OUTAGE INFO – TAP HERE
  This live blog will continuously update as new information comes into the KXAN Newsroom.
  
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• LIVE BLOG: Hurricane Harvey moves in on Central Texas

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey made landfall late last night and has weakened and slowed considerably.
  LATEST FORECAST – TAP HERE
  INTERACTIVE HURRICANE TRACKER – TAP HERE
  POWER OUTAGE INFO – TAP HERE
  LIST OF CANCELLATIONS – TAPE HERE
  This live blog will continuously update as new information comes into the KXAN Newsroom.
  
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• LIVE BLOG: Harvey’s flooding threat to Central Texas

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey made landfall late last night and has weakened and slowed considerably. This live blog will continuously update as new information comes into the KXAN Newsroom.Evacuations
  Find a Shelter
  School Closings
  Forecast
  
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• LIVE BLOG: Central Texas still dealing with Harvey

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey made landfall late last night and has weakened and slowed considerably. This live blog will continuously update as new information comes into the KXAN Newsroom.Evacuations
  Find a Shelter
  School Closings
  Forecast
  
  Read more

• LIVE BLOG: Central Texas bracing for flooding

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey made landfall late last night and has weakened and slowed considerably.
  LATEST FORECAST – TAP HERE
  EVACUATION SHELTERS – TAP HERE
  POWER OUTAGE INFO – TAP HERE
  LIST OF CANCELLATIONS – TAPE HERE
  This live blog will continuously update as new information comes into the KXAN Newsroom.
  
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• Austin Power Outage Information

  25-08-2017 15:23 via kxan.com
  The potential for strong, damaging winds brings the potential for power outages. The links below will take you to individual power providers for information related to outages.
  Austin Energy | Tap Here
  Oncor | Tap Here
  Pedernales Electric Cooperative | Tap Here
  Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative | Tap Here
  Is your provider missing from the list? Email us and let us know.
  What to do when your power goes out
  The Red Cross has some helpful tips to follow in the event of a power outage:
  Use flashlights
  
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• Hays County urges residents to prepare for storm

  25-08-2017 14:48 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Be prepared. That’s the warning to residents in Hays County Friday morning from the county’s Office of Emergency Management.
  In a Facebook post, the office warns residents who live in flood-prone areas to make plans to evacuate:
  Gas up your vehicle
  Pack important medications and papers
  Make plans for your pets
  Know where you’ll go
  Residents who know they will be safe at home should prepare to be self sufficient in their homes for up to 72 hours.
  
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• AISD fills sandbags in preparation for flooding

  25-08-2017 14:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin School District is one of many across Texas preparing for the effects of Hurricane Harvey.
  Friday morning people filled sandbags at the AISD service center to prevent flooding at area schools.
  Two AISD facilities could also be activated as evacuation sites — the Delco Activities Center and the Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School.
  KXAN’s Jorge Rodas is live on The CW Austin as those in Travis County prepare for possible flash floods.
  
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• The University of Texas wants to manage Los Alamos National Lab

  25-08-2017 13:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas System is planning to throw its hat in the ring and bid for a contract to run one of the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. This is the first time since 2005 Los Alamos National Laboratory has been open for new parties to apply to manage the lab.
  At the meeting of the University of Texas System board of regents Thursday, UTS leaders announced they received “strong support” from the regents to pursue the bid to manage the
  
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• Technology that aims to prevent sexual assault through empowerment

  25-08-2017 13:21 via kxan.com
  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (KXAN/NBC News) — Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers are developing a wearable technology to help victims of potential sexual assault, even if they’re not conscious.
  One in five women is sexually assaulted or raped while in college. Researchers hope the Intrepid Smart Sticker can reduce that number. The technology can be worn anywhere and will sense if clothing is being removed. It then connects with a smartphone app to alert up to five people in case
  
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• Evaculanes opened on Interstate 37

  25-08-2017 10:06 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As people in communities along the middle Texas Gulf Coast head inland due to Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Department of Transportation has opened special lanes on the main highway between Corpus Christi and San Antonio.
  On Thursday, TXDOT opened the evaculanes on northbound Interstate 37 from State Highway 358 north of Corpus Christi to just south of Interstate 410 in San Antonio. The agency warns drivers they should expect delays on the Interstate.
  TXDOT also reminds
  
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• Customers making a beeline for goods at stores across Austin-area

  25-08-2017 06:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you thought you were going to make a trip by the grocery store to make sure you didn’t run out of milk during Hurricane Harvey, you weren’t the only one with that great idea.
  Many HEB stores in the Austin-area had to put up signs to ration the water they had on hand. One KXAN viewer sent in a photo of the sign at the HEB in West Lake stating customers were limited to four water cases. The shelves were already empty by Thursday night.
  HEB said on Twitter that
  
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• Customers making a beeline for goods at HEB’s across Austin-area

  25-08-2017 06:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you thought you were going to make a trip by the grocery store to make sure you didn’t run out of milk during Hurricane Harvey, you weren’t the only one with that great idea.
  Many HEB stores in the Austin-area had to put up signs to ration the water they had on hand. One KXAN viewer sent in a photo of the sign at the HEB in West Lake stating customers were limited to four water cases. The shelves were already empty by Thursday night.
  HEB said on Twitter that
  
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• Texas’ string of losses in voting rights cases continues

  25-08-2017 05:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ voter ID law is shelved again after a judge who once compared the requirements to a “poll tax” on minorities also rejected a newly weakened version that was backed by the Trump administration.
  That was followed by a separate federal court on Thursday ordering Texas to partially redraw its Statehouse maps after finding racial gerrymandering in four counties. Texas has now lost three voting rights rulings this month, and the decisions are set to
  
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• Fleeing Harvey, 90 Rockport elderly evacuated to Bee Cave nursing facility

  25-08-2017 04:13 via kxan.com
  BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) — Fleeing Hurricane Harvey, a caravan of 90 elderly and fragile people moved north Thursday night to the skilled nursing facility Park Manor in Bee Cave. All of the residents were evacuated from Gulf Point Plaza nursing facility in Rockport; Park Manor Bee Cave is their sister nursing home.
  There’s a welcome sign already displayed and it’s not every day Johnielle Johnson, director of nursing, has to turn a therapy gym into a bedroom for 14. Spaces ar
  
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• UT All American Nwanebu is guest on More Than the Score

  25-08-2017 03:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —The number one ranked UT volleyball team opens the season on Friday at Florida.Longhorn All American Ebony Nwanebu stopped by More Than the Score to talk about back to back losses in the NCAA title game, trying to get to a 6th straight Final Four and some of her personal struggles.
  
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• KXAN’s David Yeomans is tracking the storm in Rockport

  25-08-2017 03:46 via kxan.com
  ROCKPORT, Texas (KXAN) — KXAN’s in-house hurricane expert, David Yeomans, is along the coast in Rockport to track Hurricane Harvey as it makes landfall over the next 24-36 hours.
  Yeomans reports on what he’s seeing in the area, which is under a mandatory evacuation.
  The people we’ve run into here are a mix of fearful and stubborn. Some are lining up at the gas stations and getting out as quickly as possible before the weather turns bad, while some of the longtime locals i
  
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• UT Austin supercomputer helping agencies track Harvey

  25-08-2017 02:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From his desk at an engineering building in Austin, University of Texas professor Clint Dawson has been tracking Hurricane Harvey powered by a supercomputer.
  Dawson is part of a team of academics, from Louisiana to North Carolina, who have been trying to create better systems for compiling hurricane data since the 90s.
  Using the strength of the Lonestar 5 supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, Dawson and his colleagues download information from the National H
  
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• Residents call for Round Rock ISD trustee resignation

  25-08-2017 01:54 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Seven candidates each had 20 minutes to tell the Round Rock Independent School District’s Board of Trustees, why they should be the new trustee. After the public interview, Stuart Selvaggi beat out six other candidates to fill the Place 6 Trustee vacancy earlier this month.
  “It seemed to appear that nobody knew who he was or where he came from, so he was somewhat of a mystery man,” explains Edmund Buckley, who lives in the school district. &ldqu
  
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• Man shot to death at north Austin apartment identified

  25-08-2017 01:43 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is investigating its 21st murder of the year after responding to a shooting about 1:40 p.m. Wednesday at the Palo Santo Apartments in the 1800 block of West Rundberg Lane.
  Upon arrival, they found 29-year-old Benson Briseno with a gunshot wound. Briseno died at the scene.
  Officials say all parties involved in the incident remained at the scene and there is no threat to the general public, according to a news release.
  Witnesses and those involved
  
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• Caldwell County prepares for rare tropical storm

  25-08-2017 01:10 via kxan.com
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — There aren’t any palm trees or an ocean for 150 miles, but Caldwell County has been placed under a rare tropical storm warning. First responders and emergency personnel say they are preparing for the worst.
  “I personally haven’t seen a tropical storm warning covering the county I’ve worked in before. It’s definitely a new perspective,” said Mid-County Fire Rescue Chief Edward Hanna.
  Caldwell County knows floods—it’s b
  
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• Greg Kelley addresses Cedar Park City Council

  25-08-2017 00:51 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Two days after his jail release, Greg Kelley is preparing to address the Cedar Park City Council Thursday night.
  A group supporting Kelley and claiming his innocence, the GRK Foundation, posted the following on their Facebook page:
  “Come join us tonight at 7pm for our standing appointment with the Cedar Park city Council… Greg Kelley will hope to address the council directly during the time provided for citizen comment!”
  Kelley was released on
  
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• Ahead of Harvey, Austin police and fire are staffing up

  25-08-2017 00:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – With an approaching hurricane expected to slam Texas’ coast, Central Texas finds itself directly in Harvey’s crosshairs. That means wind, heavy rain and the potential for risks to life and property.
  Austin Fire Department is answering the call from the state to help with rescue efforts in the path of the storm. AFD Division Chief Palmer Buck announced Thursday, 18 members of the department are headed out to help the Texas Task Force 1 response to Hurricane Harve
  
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• Red Cross seeking volunteers to help with Harvey

  25-08-2017 00:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you’re available to volunteer, the Red Cross says it urgently needs volunteer shelter workers and they’re offering last-minute training this Friday as Hurricane Harvey is set to approach the Texas coast.
  In case evacuees end up seeking shelter in Central Texas, the Red Cross said it’ll need volunteers to help work the temporary shelters.
  New and first-time volunteers are encouraged to come to Friday’s training. There are numerous times to choose f
  
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• Amazon to cut prices on Whole Foods staples like eggs, beef

  25-08-2017 00:06 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon plans to use its deep pockets to make big changes at Whole Foods, saying it will cut prices on bananas, eggs, salmon, beef and more when it completes its $13.7 billion takeover next week.
  Helping Whole Foods win back customers who found “good enough” organic and natural products elsewhere — possibly at a lower cost — fits Amazon’s track record of keeping prices low to lock in customer loyalty. Looking ahead, Amazon hopes to give members
  
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