Austin news

• Looters strike Fort Lauderdale stores amid Irma’s fury

  10-09-2017 22:46 via kxan.com
  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CNN) — Despite punishing winds and driving rain from Hurricane Irma, several reports of looting are coming in from around Fort Lauderdale.Crews from WPLG-TV caught a group breaking into a sportswear store. A group also reportedly looted a Footlocker store in the same area.
  South Florida Police vowed to monitor the streets to prevent looting but winds are so unsafe that it’s not known if police units are currently on patrol.
  
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• 2 bodies found at WilCo home near Cedar Park; deaths not suspicious

  10-09-2017 22:41 via kxan.com
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The deaths of two people whose bodies were found Sunday in Williamson County are not expected to be suspicious, said a spokesperson for the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
  They said a caller reported the bodies at a home near Cedar Park.
  Detectives continue to investigate but do not believe the deaths are suspicious or that there is any danger to the public.
  
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• Teen’s death inspires a garage haven for young people

  10-09-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A business’s grand opening is supposed to be a time of excitement and anticipation for its owner. Sayeed Anam had those feelings Saturday as he welcomed visitors to his new Oak Hill body shop, but the feeling of sorrow was also what brought him to this day.
  “After a tragic accident with my son, we decided – after seven, eight months of really struggling – we needed to find our footing,” Anam said. “What can we do with our lives? We needed
  
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• Theme park workers scurry to shelter animals

  10-09-2017 21:47 via kxan.com
  TAMPA BAY, Fla. (CNN) –A flamingo flock at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is led to shelter in advance of the storm.
  Workers at the Busch Gardens theme park moved some 12,000 animals to safe locations ahead of the storm. This flock of Flamingos is walking single-file into a shelter room in the Florida park.Zoological teams are going to be in the park around the clock monitoring the animals.Hurricane Irma will hit parts of Tampa and Central Florida beginning Sunday night and into Monday morning. +
  
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• Irma sucks water out of Tampa waterways

  10-09-2017 21:36 via kxan.com
  TAMPA, Fla. (CNN) — Folks in Tampa are actually walking on the ocean floor, going out on the mud where the water has receded in Miami Bay, playing around and taking selfies.
  In an eerie signal of Irma’s approach, water is draining from the waterways. The video above was taken at Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa. The storm’s low pressure sucked in wind, which then pulled water from the shore.
  Police have been trying to keep people out of the potentially dangerous area. Though, the fu
  
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• Red Cross training volunteers for next disaster

  10-09-2017 21:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)– The Red Cross Volunteer Resource Center is hosting a volunteer training and open house Sunday afternoon in preparation for any future disasters.
  After Hurricane Harvey ravaged South Texas and Central Texas, many people wanted to volunteer to aid the relief efforts. The Red Cross says more than 6,000 new volunteers signed up in less than two weeks.
  Many of these volunteers did not have the opportunity to help during the relief efforts, so the Red Cross is offering additional
  
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• Police make 2 arrests for graffiti at Pflugerville HS

  10-09-2017 21:03 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Police arrested two men in Pflugerville early Saturday morning in connection with graffiti found at Pflugerville High School, said the Pflugerville Police Department.
  Police said Adrian Gamez, 18, and Anthony Meeks, 17, were taken into custody after 3 a.m. for the graffiti, which is a state jail felony charge when on school property.
  In a statement on Facebook, police said, “The Pflugerville Police Department and Pflugerville Independent School District a
  
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• Couple attacked, stabbed while sleeping in East Austin woods

  10-09-2017 20:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)– A woman and her boyfriend were attacked and stabbed by two people while they were sleeping in a wooded area behind a bus stop in east Austin. It happened at the intersection of East Riverside Drive and Clubview Avenue according to an arrest affidavit.
  The woman, Christel Lopez, told police she woke up early Saturday morning to sounds of commotion and witnessed 32 year-old Maurice Tuamokumo stabbing her boyfriend, Jaime Aguilar.
  According to the affidavit, Lopez says she
  
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• Florida man’s joke about shooting Irma gets taken seriously

  10-09-2017 20:03 via kxan.com
  PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man says his Facebook event inviting people to shoot at Hurricane Irma was a joke that got out of hand, saying Sunday that he never expected anyone to take his suggestion seriously.
  More than 50,000 people had signed up by Sunday after 22-year Ryon Edwards of Daytona Beach posted the invitation with the note, “YO SO THIS GOOFY LOOKING WINDY HEADASS NAMED IRMA SAID THEY PULLING UP ON US, LETS SHOW IRMA THAT WE SHOOT FIRST.”
  Edwards told
  
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• Feds, Texas offer choices for students homeless after Harvey

  10-09-2017 19:22 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — Many families now homeless after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area are returning to class on Monday after weeks of delays or interruptions to the school year.
  Texas education officials estimate that 35,000 to 40,000 students have been affected by the storm.
  Federal and state laws are designed to make it easier for homeless students to get their educations, even in the midst of a disaster.
  Federal protections require schools to immediately enroll children who have
  
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• Couple steals tow truck, attempts to flee from officers

  10-09-2017 19:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)– Around 10:45 p.m.  on Friday, Austin police responded to reports of seeing a bright blue and orange tow truck at a gas station on Airport Boulevard.  The truck had been reported missing earlier that day.
  The suspects, Jag Stephens and Chelsea Mercer, refused to exit the vehicle and drove through the parking lot of a gas station and a McDonald’s  to evade the officers, according to an arrest affidavit.
  Stephens then drove the stolen truck into a ditch, wh
  
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• Huge crane atop Miami high-rise collapses in Irma’s winds

  10-09-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A crane atop a high-rise building under construction collapsed Sunday in downtown Miami amid strong winds from Hurricane Irma — the first known crash of the two dozen such heavyweight hazards looming over the city skyline as the monster storm powers across the state.
  The crane collapsed in a bayfront area filled with hotels and high-rise condo and office buildings, near AmericanAirlines Arena, according to a tweet from the cit
  
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• Wyoming mom with cancer dies days after giving birth

  10-09-2017 17:28 via kxan.com
  ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WOOD) — A Wyoming mother who sacrificed cancer treatment for her sixth child has passed away.
  According to a Facebook post, Carrie DeKlyen died early Saturday morning, three days after giving birthday to Life Lynn DeKlyen.
  As of Friday afternoon family told 24 Hour News 8 Carrie was surrounded by loved ones at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor.
  The Wyoming mother gained national attention earlier this year when she learned she had a terminal brain
  
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• Crane collapses in downtown Miami as Irma hits

  10-09-2017 17:08 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The National Weather Service says that a crane has collapsed in Miami as strong wind from Hurricane Irma blows in.
  It’s one of two-dozen in the city.
  The weather service’s Miami office said in a Tweet that one of its employees witnessed the crane boom and counterweight collapse in downtown Miami. The employee captured video of the collapse.
  It wasn’t immediately clear if the collapse caused damage or injuries.
  The cranes have been a c
  
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• State of Texas: Countdown to The Texas Tribune Festival

  10-09-2017 16:55 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)– The Texas Tribune Festival is set to return to Austin on September 22 – 24. The festival has become an essential event for key players in state politics, but it’s also expanded to include people on the national political stage. More than 260 people are scheduled to speak as part of panels over the three days of the festival.
  Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith spoke about the festival Sunday morning on KXAN’s State of Texas. He pointed with pride to
  
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• Countdown to The Texas Tribune Festival

  10-09-2017 16:55 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN)– The Texas Tribune Festival is set to return to Austin on September 22 – 24. The festival has become an essential event for key players in state politics, but it’s also expanded to include people on the national political stage. More than 260 people are scheduled to speak as part of panels over the three days of the festival.
  Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith spoke about the festival Sunday morning on KXAN’s State of Texas. He pointed with pride to
  
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• Kenny Chesney loses his Virgin Islands home; sends water, dog food to neighbors

  10-09-2017 16:11 via kxan.com
  ST. JOHN, U.S. Virgin Islands (WKRN) – Country music star Kenny Chesney says he lost his U.S. Virgin Islands home in the wake of Hurricane Irma.
  Chesney told HLN’s Robin Meade that his house was “simply gone” after the storm wreaked havoc on the tropical paradise.
  The country star said that, while he wasn’t there, he had at least 20 people taking shelter in his home.
  “We thought it was a very safe place for everyone because it was built with stone, concrete an
  
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• Waves from Irma flood Havana coast even as storm moves away

  10-09-2017 14:39 via kxan.com
  HAVANA (AP) — Powerful waves and storm surge from Hurricane Irma topped Havana’s iconic Malecon seawall and left thousands of homes, businesses and hotels swamped Sunday, even as the storm moved away from the island.
  There were no immediate reports of fatalities in Cuba, where the government prides itself on disaster preparedness and said it had carried out evacuations totaling more than 1 million people.
  Authorities warned that the floodwaters could linger for more than a day, and t
  
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• Cuba surveys toppled houses, flooded cities in wake of Irma

  10-09-2017 14:39 via kxan.com
  CAIBARIEN, Cuba (AP) — Hurricane Irma ripped roofs off houses, collapsed buildings and flooded hundreds of miles of coastline as it raked Cuba’s northern coast after devastating islands the length of the Caribbean in a trail of destruction that has left 22 people dead so far.
  As Irma left Cuba and directed its 130 mph (215 kph) winds toward Florida Sunday, authorities on the island were warning of staggering damage to keys along the northern coast studded with all-inclusive resorts a
  
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• Cuba sees devastation as Hurricane Irma veers toward Florida

  10-09-2017 14:39 via kxan.com
  CAIBARIEN, Cuba (AP) — Hurricane Irma ripped roofs off houses, collapsed buildings and flooded hundreds of miles of coastline as it raked Cuba after cutting a trail of destruction across the Caribbean. It has killed at least 22 people and has officials scrambling to bring aid on Sunday.
  As Irma left Cuba and directed its 130 mph (215 kph) winds toward Florida, authorities on the island were warning of staggering damage to keys along the northern coast studded with all-inclusive resorts and
  
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• Mo the Sloth and Kramer the Emu do time in county jail

  10-09-2017 14:24 via kxan.com
  MIAMI (AP) — Mo the Sloth and Kramer the Emu are as innocent as they come, but they’re doing time in a county jail in Florida.
  So are plenty of horses, pigs, goats, sheep, tropical birds, alligators, snakes, turtles and other species the sheriff’s office cares for at a farm for abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated animals.
  Once the 426 humans who normally occupy cells at the Monroe County Jail were evacuated by bus to lockups in Palm Beach County, there was an opportunity
  
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• The Latest: Utility says it will take weeks to restore power

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  1:30 p.m.
  Florida Power & Light says it will be weeks, not days, before electricity is fully restored because of the damage being done by Hurricane Irma.
  Spokesman Rob Gould said Sunday that an estimated 3.4 million homes and businesses will lose power once the worst of Irma reaches the Florida mainland. He expects thousands of miles (kilometers) of poles and lines will need to be replaced, particularly on the
  
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• The Latest: Roof leaks as thousands shelter in Germain Arena

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  7 p.m.
  The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says water began leaking through the roof at the Germain Arena shelter in Estero just as the eye of Hurricane Irma drew near.
  Thousands of evacuees have crowded into the minor-league hockey stadium, which seats about 8,400 people and is being used as a shelter.
  The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that authorities are monitoring the problem.
  __
  6:50 p.m.
  Florida
  
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• The Latest: More than 1 million lose power as Irma hits

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  9:40 a.m.
  Florida utility officials say more than 1 million customers have lost power as Hurricane Irma hits the state.
  Florida Power & Light Company said that nearly 1.1 million customers statewide were without power Sunday morning.
  About 574,000 of those outages were in Miami-Dade County, while there were 360,000 in Broward and nearly 136,000 in Palm Beach County.
  The massive storm made landfall in the Florid
  
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• The Latest: Irma makes landfall on Marco Island

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  3:45 p.m.
  Hurricane Irma has made landfall on Marco Island, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane.
  The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Irma’s powerful eye roared ashore at Marco Island just south of Naples with 115-mph (185-kph) winds, for a second U.S. landfall at 3:35 p.m. Sunday.
  Category 3 storms have winds from 111 to 129 mph, but 130-mph (21-kph) wind gust was recently reported by the Marco Island
  
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• The Latest: Irma inland near Tampa, still Category 2 storm

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  12:15 a.m.
  The National Hurricane Center says the core of Irma is now nearing Tampa in an area south of Lakeland — a community inland and to the east of the heavily populated Tampa Bay region.
  A hurricane center update at midnight said Irma remained a Category 2 hurricane with top sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) and was located about 25 miles (35 kilometers) south of Lakeland.
  The storm is moving north a
  
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• The Latest: House-to-house search begins Monday in Keys

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  9:05 p.m.
  The county administrator in the Florida Keys says crews will begin house to house searches Monday morning, looking for people who need help and assessing damage from Hurricane Irma.
  Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi says relief will arrive on a C-130 military plane Monday morning at the Key West International Airport.
  Once it’s light out, they’ll check on survivors. They suspect they m
  
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• The Latest: Cuban coffee is a must-have on some Irma patrols

  10-09-2017 09:22 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  11:40 a.m.
  Some Miami Police officers remembered to pack an essential in their hurricane survival pack: Cuban coffee known as cafecito.
  The department tweeted a picture showing a coffee maker atop a camp stove. It read: “As our officers ride out the storm, some have brought the (hashtag) Miami essentials to help them get through the night.”
  The strongly caffeinated brew is a staple in Miami.
  Former FEMA
  
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• Going for the Gold: One Olympian’s quest began with non-Olympic sport

  10-09-2017 05:26 via kxan.com
  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Every Olympian has a story on how they became one of the best of the best in the world.
  Usually this story includes a love for their sport, but for bronze medalist Allison Baver, she didn’t start her Olympic sport until high school.
  “Becoming an Olympian was a journey, it was almost like a life purpose,” Baver said.
  Baver’s quest for Olympic glory began with a non-Olympic sport.
  “When I was in fourth grade, I decided to join the speed skati
  
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• From dream to reality for NOAA’s hurricane hunter crew member

  10-09-2017 05:05 via kxan.com
  TAMPA (WFLA) – More invaluable data on Irma from NOAA’s hurricane hunter planes.
  WFLA’s Chip Osowski rode along with the crew on an early flight Saturday morning where their mission is now personal.
  NOAA has two types of planes — the P-3 that flies at a lower altitude into the eye of the storm — and the Gulfstream 4 that flies at up to 45,000 — around and over the hurricane.
  Both deploy dropsondes – a GPS device that measures wind speed and directio
  
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• Tampa Bay area beach towns brace for 1-2 punch from Irma

  10-09-2017 05:04 via kxan.com
  PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay area beach towns are bracing for Irma’s “one-two punch” with the possibility of high winds and a dangerous storm surge.
  Gulf Boulevard on Indian Shores is mostly vacant, except for heavy police presence.
  Homes and businesses are boarded up.
  Across the bridge in Seminole, workers closed the doors at a Rally store, not knowing when they’ll open again.
  “It was busy because everything was closed. So right now, even cops wer
  
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• Irma turns Caribbean island paradises into nightmares

  10-09-2017 04:49 via kxan.com
  ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Strung like beads along the northeast edge of the Caribbean, the Leeward Islands are tiny, remote and beautiful, with azure waters and ocean breezes drawing tourists from around the world.
  The wild isolation that made St. Barts, St. Martin, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands vacation paradises has turned them into cutoff, chaotic nightmares in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which left 22 people dead, mostly in the Leeward Islands. Looting and lawlessness were rep
  
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• The Latest: More than 170K without power in Florida

  10-09-2017 04:48 via kxan.com
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Hurricane Irma (all times local):
  Midnight
  The National Hurricane Center says Irma’s projected path is continuing to shift to the west, just a few crucial miles, that should keep its eye just off Florida’s west coast on a track to hit St. Petersburg, not Miami or even Tampa.
  The hurricane’s leading edge was already lashing the Florida Keys with hurricane force winds. If the center of the storm keeps moving over warm Gulf of Mexico
  
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• Vietnam vets have emotional homecoming after Honor Flight trip

  10-09-2017 04:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – About 100 Vietnam War veterans returned home to Central Texas Saturday evening, after visiting our nation’s capital on behalf of Honor Flight.
  It’s an experience they said was special for them, and the reception they received upon arrival back at Austin Bergstrom International Airport brought out an emotional response.
  “It was my first time in D.C. I really enjoyed it, and I wish everybody could do it,” said Alerse Martinez, Vietnam veteran. “T
  
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• Neighbors say ‘illegal game room’ APD broke up has been operating for months

  10-09-2017 04:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — At least one person is facing charges after police raided what they say was an illegal gambling room off of South Congress Avenue in south Austin.
  According to arrest affidavits KXAN obtained Saturday, police accuse 22-year-old Kevin Pineda of running the gambling spot based on information they received from customers of the gambling room. He’s charged with keeping a gambling place, gambling promotion, and possession of gambling equipment, all class A misdemeanors.
  Wi
  
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• Hurricane Irma sucks water away from shorelines, changing shape of ocean temporarily

  10-09-2017 04:09 via kxan.com
  LONG ISLAND, Bahamas (WCMH) — Is Hurricane Irma changing the shape of the ocean?
  Videos posted to social media appear to show no water in the ocean on Long Island in the Bahamas. But where did the water go?
  Washington Post meteorologist Angela Fritz sums it up thus: “Basically, Hurricane Irma is so strong and its pressure is so low, it’s sucking water from its surroundings into the core of the storm.”
  It’s a rare sight, she says.
  MORE: Interactive tracking map for
  
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• Irma spawns waterspout in Fort Lauderdale

  10-09-2017 04:02 via kxan.com
  FORT LAUDERDALE (KXAN/CNN) — As Hurricane Irma’s outer bands begin to lash Florida, parts of southern Florida are seeing waterspouts.
  The video above shows a waterspout over Fort Lauderdale beach Saturday evening; a Tornado Warning was issued as the spout moved closer to land.
  There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries due to the spout.
  Hurricanes quickly spin up weak tornadoes and waterspouts, particularly in the right front quadrant of the storm. These tornadoes are weak
  
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• More than 50 animals found tethered to trees in Florida county

  10-09-2017 03:23 via kxan.com
  PALM BEACH CO., FL (WCMH) — Animal control officers in Palm Beach County say they are seeing animal abuse like they’ve never experienced before.
  Palm Beach County Animal Care reports animal control officers have rescued 49 dogs and two cats in the last 48 hours, according to WPTV. Local animal officials reported finding dozens of dogs chained to trees and parked cars as thousands of people flee the Sunshine State.
  High winds have now made it impossible f
  
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• Texas gets first win, 56-0, under Tom Herman, blows out SJSU

  10-09-2017 00:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas blew out San Jose State on Saturday, 56-0.
  Shane Buechele didn’t play after suffering a bruised shoulder in the season opener. In his place, true freshman Sam Ehlinger, a Westlake product, made his first career start.
  In his Longhorns debut, Ehlinger was 15-of-27 passing for 222 yards and one touchdown. He also carried the ball seven times for 48 yards.
  After an embarrassing loss to Maryland to open the season last week, Tom Herman finally earned his first win a
  
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• KXAN Meteorologist David Yeomans tracking Irma from Miami

  10-09-2017 00:29 via kxan.com
  MIAMI (KXAN) — If you’ve been following KXAN Meteorologist David Yeomans on Facebook, then you know he’s in Miami waiting for Hurricane Irma to arrive.
  David was just in Rockport days ago when Hurricane Harvey hit. This time, he is not on the clock. David is just downright passionate about hurricanes, and this is how he chose to spend his weekend “off.”
  The video below is one of the Facebook Live videos he posted Saturday afternoon to show viewers what the condition
  
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