Austin news

• Trump reacts as Cowboys kneel, then rise, before national anthem starts

  25-09-2017 23:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) — All eyes were on Glendale, Ariz. Monday night as the Dallas Cowboys take on the Arizona Cardinals, not because of the action on the field, but because of what happened on the sidelines during the national anthem.
  The players, including team owner Jerry Jones, locked arms and then briefly kneeled for about 15 seconds, before standing during the singing of the national anthem. A roar of boos could be heard when the team kneeled.
  As the American flag was unfurled across the
  
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• Dallas Cowboys kneel, then rise, before national anthem starts

  25-09-2017 23:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) — All eyes were on Glendale, Ariz. Monday night as the Dallas Cowboys take on the Arizona Cardinals, not because of the action on the field, but because of what happened on the sidelines during the national anthem.
  The players, including team owner Jerry Jones, locked arms and then briefly kneeled for about 15 seconds, before standing during the singing of the national anthem. A roar of boos could be heard when the team kneeled.
  As the American flag was unfurled across the
  
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• Cowboys take on Cardinals amid anthem protests

  25-09-2017 23:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) — All eyes will be on Glendale, Ariz. Monday night as the Dallas Cowboys take on the Arizona Cardinals, not because of the action on the field, but because of what will happen on the sidelines during the national anthem.
  Sunday, 200 NFL players protested the national anthem in forms ranging from kneeling, locking arms, sitting or raising a clinched-fist. Last week it was just six.
  The protests come after President Donald Trump said he wished NFL owners would fire the &ldqu
  
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• One month later: A look at the response to Hurricane Harvey

  25-09-2017 23:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hurricane Harvey dealt a devastating blow to the coastal Texas communities a month ago Monday before making a loop over Texas and dropping 40-50 inches of rain in southeast Texas and flooding parts of Bastrop, Lee and Fayette counties.
  The Austin Disaster Relief Network is planning to send 1,000 volunteers to Port Arthur on Saturday to help recovery efforts there. The group has already deployed more than 100 semi trucks worth of goods and $3 million in supplies.
  The group i
  
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• FBI: Violent crimes on the rise in Central Texas

  25-09-2017 22:56 via kxan.com
  AUSITN (KXAN) — The number of violent crimes is on the rise across Central Texas according to new data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program, or UCR, defines violent crime as murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
  According to the Crimes in the United States report for 2016, Travis, Williamson, Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Fayette and Lee counties reported an increase in violent crimes over 2
  
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• Smoke shop owner accused of filming woman using restroom, assaulting another

  25-09-2017 22:35 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A smoke shop owner in Central Austin is accused of recording a customer using the restroom, while he assaulted another customer just outside.
  Police were called to the Smoke Shop at 2801 Guadalupe St. near the University of Texas at Austin campus just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23.
  Two women told officers they went into the Smoke Shop to look around and asked the owner, 22-year-old Manesh Vislavath, to use the restroom.
  They say Vislavath first said the restroom was fo
  
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• Hot dog vendor cited by police gets check for $87,000

  25-09-2017 21:52 via kxan.com
  BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — A street vendor who had his money confiscated for selling bacon hot dogs on a Berkeley sidewalk without a permit has received more than $87,000 raised by supporters.
  It was reported that Rigoberto Matias on Saturday received a check for $87,921 from Martin Flores, who recorded a video of the Sept. 9 that went viral and sparked an outcry and a fundraising campaign.
  In the video clip Flores posted on his Twitter account, he questions a University of California, Berkel
  
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• Homeowners in southeast Travis County want municipal water service

  25-09-2017 21:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Residents in southeast Travis County say they are frustrated with a lack of water service available on their properties, after years of living with dried up water wells.
  Homeowners in the area of Dee Gabriel Collins Road say they are looking for the opportunity to apply for municipal water services with Austin Water, rather than having to rely on purchasing non-potable water at the county’s Precinct 4 site, then transporting a thousand gallons of water at a time to th
  
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• Ruling allows part of Texas sanctuary cities bill to go into effect

  25-09-2017 20:49 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will allow Texas to enforce part of its sanctuary cities law while it appeals a lower court ruling that blocked it from going into effect.
  Senate Bill 4 banned sanctuary cities and allows law enforcement agencies in Texas to ask people about their immigration status during routine traffic stops. It also threatens elected officials with removal from office if they don’t cooperate
  
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• Planes designed specifically for Alaska to take final flight

  25-09-2017 20:09 via kxan.com
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Claire Richardson remembers taking off from Nome in an airplane uniquely configured for Alaska when a horrible smell seeped into the passenger area.
  The captain soon came on the speaker to apologize for the odor, which was coming from 70 skittish baby reindeer headed for Texas. “Guess they all pooped as we lifted off from the runway,” Richardson said.
  Those days will be coming to a close as the special plane that hauls people, goods and even animals on
  
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• 2 Bush education foundations announce $2M for storm relief

  25-09-2017 18:49 via kxan.com
  DALLAS (AP) — Foundations supported by two former first ladies have earmarked about $2 million for education-related recovery from recent hurricanes.
  The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation on Monday announced the combined pledge.
  Hurricane Harvey made landfall last month in South Texas, leading to devastating flooding in the Houston area. Irma slammed parts of Florida in early September.
  The Laura Bush Foundation is dedicati
  
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• Austin program manager disputes reprimand about avoiding female coworkers

  25-09-2017 18:46 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin formally reprimanded a program manager who helps coordinate special events in the city, after he allegedly avoided one-on-one interactions with female coworkers and asked a coworker who reported him for it about her discussion with Human Resources.
  In August, Corporate Special Events Program Manager William Manno received a written reprimand saying he violated the City of Austin Employee Conduct Policy by bringing ‘personal, private matters into the
  
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• North Korean diplomat says tweet by Trump ‘declared war’

  25-09-2017 17:49 via kxan.com
  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea’s top diplomat said Monday that a weekend tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump was a “declaration of war” and North Korea has the right to retaliate by shooting down U.S. bombers, even in international airspace.
  It was the latest escalation in a week of undiplomatic exchanges between North Korea and the U.S. during the U.N. General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting.
  Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that the United Nati
  
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• North Korean diplomat says Trump has ‘declared war’

  25-09-2017 17:49 via kxan.com
  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea’s top diplomat said Monday that President Donald Trump’s tweet that leader Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer” was “a declaration of war” against his country by the United States.
  Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that what he called Trump’s “declaration of war” gives North Korea “every right” under the U.N. Charter to self-defense and to take countermeasures, “inc
  
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• North Korea says Trump has ‘declared war’ on his country

  25-09-2017 17:49 via kxan.com
  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — North Korea’s top diplomat said Monday that President Donald Trump’s tweet that leader Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer” was a declaration of war against his country by the United States.
  Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told reporters that what he called Trump’s “declaration of war” gives North Korea “every right” under the U.N. Charter to take countermeasures, “including the right to shoot down the
  
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• Target to up hourly base pay to $15 by end of 2020

  25-09-2017 17:24 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Target Corp. is raising its minimum hourly wage for its workers to $11 starting next month and then to $15 by the end of 2020 in a move it says will help it better recruit and retain top-quality staff and provide a better shopping experience for its customers.
  The initiative, announced Monday, is part of the discounter’s overall strategy to reinvent its business announced earlier this year that includes remodeling stores, expanding its online services and opening up s
  
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• WATCH: Aurora borealis from space

  25-09-2017 17:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/NBC) — It’s a sight most Texans rarely see in the state — dancing lights in the night sky. The Aurora Borealis generally concentrates on the Earth’s poles, but now new images allow people to enjoy the show no matter where they live.
  The European Space Agency released video of the aurora — also known as the Northern Lights — on Monday. The video was shot Sept. 15 from the International Space Station.
  The phenomenon occurs when electrically charged
  
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• Weiner arrives in court for sentencing in sexting scandal

  25-09-2017 16:57 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Weiner arrived at a New York courthouse Monday morning to be scheduled in a sexting scandal that some blame for Hillary Clinton’s presidential loss.
  The former New York congressman faces up to 27 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to one charge of transferring obscene material to a minor. Prosecutors say he broke the law by having illicit contact with a 15-year-old girl, including asking her to “sexually perform” for him in conversations on S
  
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• ‘Rock bottom’: Weiner gets 21 months in prison for sexting

  25-09-2017 16:57 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Anthony Weiner’s sexting compulsion cost him his seat in Congress, his shot at becoming New York mayor and his marriage, and may have even denied Hillary Clinton the presidency. On Monday, it cost him his freedom.
  Weiner, 53, dropped his head into his hands and wept as a federal judge sentenced him to 21 months behind bars for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl, his tears flowing long after the gavel came down on a case he called his “rock bottom.&rd
  
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• Official: Hurricane Maria set Puerto Rico back decades

  25-09-2017 15:35 via kxan.com
  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s nonvoting representative in the U.S. Congress said Sunday that Hurricane Maria’s destruction has set the island back decades, even as authorities worked to assess the extent of the damage.
  “The devastation in Puerto Rico has set us back nearly 20 to 30 years,” said Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez. “I can’t deny that the Puerto Rico of now is different from that of a week ago. The destruction
  
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• The brutal truth about cash

  25-09-2017 15:10 via kxan.com
  Ever consider cash as the safe option for retirement planning? In this week’s episode of Retire Ready, Chris Heerlein explains why you’re actually losing money over time.If you just sit in cash, we consider 3% inflation, the $60,000 a year you’re planning to spend as retirement expenses in your 60’s quickly becomes $125,000 in your 80’s.
  If your money isn’t keeping up with inflation you’re going to be drawing down your savings more quickly. Inflation won
  
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• WWII vet, 97, takes a knee in support of anthem protests

  25-09-2017 14:33 via kxan.com
  SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — On a day when NFL teams grabbed the nation’s attention by coordinating demonstrations during the national anthem, a 97-year-old World War II veteran went viral with a solitary show of support for the protests.
  Brennan Gilmore posted a Twitter picture Sunday morning of his grandfather, John Middlemas, kneeling while wearing a veteran’s cap. Gilmore wrote: “My grandpa is a 97 year-old WWII vet & Missouri farmer who wanted to join w/ those who #Ta
  
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• Man dies after collision on Loop 360 in west Austin

  25-09-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The southbound and eastbound lanes of Loop 360 closed for a few hours Monday morning while police investigated the scene of a two-car crash that killed a man.
  Emergency responders had to pull the man from his vehicle and took him to the hospital, where he later died. His car collided with another vehicle around 5:19 a.m. at the intersection of Courtyard Drive and North Capital of Texas Highway, just north of Pennybacker Bridge.
  The Austin Police Department said they closed
  
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• Man dies after collision on Loop 360 in northwest Austin

  25-09-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The southbound and eastbound lanes of Loop 360 are closed this morning while police investigate the scene of a two-car crash that killed a man.
  Emergency responders had to pull the man from his vehicle and took him to the hospital. His car collided with another around 5:19 a.m. at the intersection of Courtyard Drive and N. Capitol of Texas Highway.
  The Austin Police Department said as of 8:30 a.m. that intersection may be closed for another 1.5 hours as it conducts a f
  
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• Lanes closed on Loop 360 in northwest Austin for vehicle rescue

  25-09-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The southbound and eastbound lanes of Loop 360 are closed this morning after a two-car crash left one man with life-threatening injuries.
  Emergency responders had to pull the man from his vehicle. His car collided with another around 5:19 a.m. at the intersection of Courtyard Drive and N. Capitol of Texas Highway. The Austin Police Department says that intersection may be closed for some time as it conducts a full investigation.
  Northbound and westbound right turn lane
  
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• Parts of Zilker Park close as city prepares for Austin City Limits Music Festival

  25-09-2017 13:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTN (KXAN) — The fences are going up on the main lawn at Zilker Park Monday.
  As Austin prepares for Austin City Limits Music Festival, some got in a few last minutes of fun on the grass.
  “She knows the word when we go to the park, and she gets excited the whole drive,” said Austin’s Sarah Karney about her dog.
  The pair spent Friday morning at the park before the closure.
  From Sept. 25 to Dec. 23, the park’s lawn will stay fenced off. 
  Karney says it&rsqu
  
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• More than 200 NFL players sit or kneel during National Anthem

  25-09-2017 12:13 via kxan.com
  The Associated Press observed more than 200 players around the NFL kneeling or sitting during the national anthem on Sunday.
  The highest total was in Washington before the nationally televised night game, where nearly the entire Oakland Raiders team protested, in addition to six Redskins. No one sat or knelt at the Pittsburgh at Chicago game, although the Steelers stayed in the tunnel. In Tennessee, both the Titans and Seattle Seahawks remained inside through the anthem.
  Here’s a breakdown
  
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• Suspect in custody after shooting in northwest Austin

  25-09-2017 09:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police say a suspect is in custody after a man was shot late Sunday night in northwest Austin. The victim was taken to a hospital in Round Rock with life-threatening injuries. His vital signs were stable as of 2:45 a.m. Monday.
  Police were called to the shooting scene on the 14000 block of Hunters Chase Drive just before 11 p.m. Sunday. That’s a neighborhood near the intersection of Anderson Mill Road and West Parmer Lane.
  Police are still investigating why sho
  
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• Man in hospital after being shot; suspect in custody

  25-09-2017 09:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police say a suspect is in custody after a man was shot late Sunday night in northwest Austin. The victim was taken to a hospital in Round Rock with life-threatening injuries. His vital signs were stable as of 2:45 a.m. Monday.
  Police were called to the shooting scene on Hunters Chase Drive just before 11 p.m. Sunday. That’s a neighborhood near the intersection of Anderson Mill Road and West Parmer Lane.
  Police are still investigating the cause of the shooting.
  
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• Suspect’s brother speaks out after 6th Street death: ‘He’s not a killer’

  25-09-2017 05:35 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The family of the man accused of sucker punching and killing an Air Force veteran in downtown Austin last weekend says he is mentally unstable.
  Police have charged 28-year-old Nathan Marshall with manslaughter. According to court documents, Marshall claims he punched Marques Johnson after Johnson hit pizza out of another person’s hands. Johnson later died in the hospital.
  Marshall’s brother reached out to KXAN in hopes of sharing Marshall’s side of the sto
  
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• ‘He’s not a killer,’ says Sixth Street punching death suspect’s brother

  25-09-2017 05:35 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The family of the man accused of sucker punching and killing an Air Force veteran in downtown Austin last weekend says he is mentally unstable.
  Police have charged 28-year-old Nathan Marshall with manslaughter. According to court documents, Marshall claims he punched Marques Johnson after Johnson hit pizza out of another person’s hands. Johnson later died in the hospital.
  Marshall’s brother reached out to KXAN in hopes of sharing Marshall’s side of the sto
  
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• Sen. Cruz challenger O’Rourke attends Dem Party picnic in Austin

  25-09-2017 05:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was in Austin this weekend.
  U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, stopped by Blue Valley Park in southwest Austin at an annual picnic Sunday hosted by the Travis County Democratic Party.
  O’Rourke hopes senators stop the health care bill on the floor this week.
  “We not only have to stop that, we have to move forward with expanding Medicaid and ultimately getting the universal health care where everyone can s
  
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• Spieth has to settle for $3 million bonus

  25-09-2017 04:43 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA (AP) — Justin Thomas is the FedEx Cup champion, a surprise to no one who saw him power his way to scoring records, his first major at the PGA Championship and more PGA Tour victories than anyone this season.
  Standing next to him at the trophy ceremony was Xander Schauffele, who never imagined being at the Tour Championship, much less winning it.
  Both put on quite a show Sunday at East Lake.
  Schauffele, a 23-year-old rookie from San Diego who was worried about keeping his card just
  
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• Texans lose heartbreaker in New England

  25-09-2017 04:37 via kxan.com
  FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots walked off the field following their 36-33 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday feeling fortunate.
  Injuries have dogged the Patriots for each of the past two weeks. A crafty game plan helped them get past New Orleans in Week 2. This time, they needed a late push from their 40-year-old quarterback against a feisty Texans team that had several opportunities to win the game.
  This much is clear: They can’t keep going like this.
  Tom Brady
  
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• Texans lose heart breaker in New England

  25-09-2017 04:37 via kxan.com
  FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots walked off the field following their 36-33 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday feeling fortunate.
  Injuries have dogged the Patriots for each of the past two weeks. A crafty game plan helped them get past New Orleans in Week 2. This time, they needed a late push from their 40-year-old quarterback against a feisty Texans team that had several opportunities to win the game.
  This much is clear: They can’t keep going like this.
  Tom Brady
  
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• Cornyn endorses Cruz in 2018 race, sets sights on 2020

  25-09-2017 03:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The race for Texas’ Senate seat in 2018 received a major development over the weekend.
  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is seeking a second term, received the public support of the No. 2 Republican in the Senate: his Texas colleague John Cornyn.
  Cornyn made the announcement on Sunday in a rare appearance with Cruz. The pair joined together for an interview at the Texas Tribune Festival.
  “I think it’s important to have a unified delegation and I told him
  
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• Major changes coming to CapMetro bus routes, public outreach meetings begin

  25-09-2017 03:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Capital Metro is calling it “the most significant transformation of its bus network” in more than 30 years.  The Connections 2025 Transit Plan. If approved, it could bring changes to more than half of the city’s 82 bus routes.
  KXAN caught up with riders who rely on routes currently on the chopping block.
  “We need it. We use it. We use it every single day,” Bill Oakey, who rides the Exposition route said.
  For Oakey, the bus route serve
  
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• How your commute could change as CapMetro alters its bus routes

  25-09-2017 03:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Capital Metro is calling it “the most significant transformation of its bus network” in more than 30 years.  The Connections 2025 Transit Plan. If approved, it could bring changes to more than half of the city’s 82 bus routes.
  KXAN caught up with riders who rely on routes currently on the chopping block.
  “We need it. We use it. We use it every single day,” Bill Oakey, who rides the Exposition route said.
  For Oakey, the bus route serve
  
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• Franklin’s Harvey fundraiser feeds 800 over two weekends

  25-09-2017 02:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While the restaurant remains closed after a fire, Franklin Barbecue is still smoking for a second straight weekend to help with the Hurricane Harvey recovery.
  A $30 ticket bought customers a full plate of Franklin’s brisket, sausage and all the fixins’ at The Mohawk live music venue in downtown Austin on Sunday.
  Owner Aaron Franklin says all the proceeds are going to recovery efforts.
  So how well did the benefit do?
  “Ya, pretty good,” said Franklin.
  
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• Progressive pastor retires from University Baptist Church

  25-09-2017 02:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A senior pastor with the University Baptist Church of Austin is retiring after 30 years on the job.
  The Rev. Dr. Larry Bethune is known for being an advocate for LGBTQ equality and progressive Christian values.
  He says that even though he is retiring from this position, he plans to keep pushing for change.
  “I will continue my work at the capitol to encourage our legislators and political leaders to include everyone in the grace of being a Texan and to recognize that T
  
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• Woman falls 10 feet, suffers serious injuries in a home under construction

  25-09-2017 02:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A woman in her 60s was injured after she fell about 10 feet inside a house under construction in northwest Austin Sunday.
  The Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS said it happened at about 12:30 p.m. in the 5700 block of Lost Horizon Drive near the Arboretum.
  The fire department said she and her husband were walking around a new subdivision being built. When they walked inside one of the homes, she slipped and fell about 10 feet onto the bottom floor of a spl
  
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• Protesters claim millions will lose health care under latest bill

  25-09-2017 01:52 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens turned out Sunday morning outside the Texas Tribune Festival to protest the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, saying it would have a negative impact on Texans. The protesters said almost 3 million people would lose health care coverage by 2027.
  “People on Medicare, Medicaid will lose their health care,” said one protester. “People in nursing homes will lose their care. Children with disabilities will lose their health care. People will die.”
  Se
  
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• Crowd boos Sen. Cruz during remarks on NFL national anthem controversy

  25-09-2017 01:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — During a panel at the Texas Tribune Festival on Sunday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was asked to weigh in on Colin Kaepernick and the current NFL controversy on taking a knee during the national anthem.
  “I believe in free speech for people I agree with and people I disagree with,” he said. “Colin Kaepernick has every right to say what he wants to. He has every right. If he wants to disrespect the flag, he can. And the rest of us have a right to express ou
  
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