Austin news

• Woman in her 60s killed in north Austin hit-and-run

  10-10-2017 23:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman was hit and killed by a vehicle near Rundberg Lane, Tuesday afternoon.
  Police say the driver did not stay at the scene.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said the woman was hit in the 1300 block of Quailfield Circle, near the intersection of Rundberg and Parkfield Drive. Medics were called to the scene at 4:28 p.m. and were performing CPR on the woman in her 60s, but she died at the scene.
  The street is residential and there are cars parked on both sides of the street.
  Drive
  
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• Woman in her 60s hit and killed by vehicle in north Austin

  10-10-2017 23:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman was hit and killed by a vehicle near Rundberg Lane, Tuesday afternoon.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said the woman was hit in the 1300 block of Quailfield Circle, near the intersection of Rundberg and Parkfield Drive.
  Medics were called to the scene at 4:28 p.m. and were performing CPR on the woman in her 60s, but she died at the scene.
  Drivers should expect closures in the area.
  KXAN has a crew on the way to the scene. We’ll update this story as we get additional
  
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• Political flags created ‘dissension, strife’ at football game, Bastrop ISD says

  10-10-2017 23:51 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Bastrop High School administrators have investigated claims that inappropriate remarks were made at its Friday night football game after social media posts showed fans waving “TRUMP” flags.
  Social media posts claim racial remarks were made against Hispanic attendees at the game. The school district said Tuesday its findings were inconclusive, but a spokesperson said the presence of a political flag and banner in the stands “created dissension and s
  
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• Family leaves 3-year-old behind overnight at corn maze

  10-10-2017 22:48 via kxan.com
  WEST JORDAN, Utah (KTVX) — Police say a mother didn’t realize until Tuesday morning that her 3-year-old child had been left behind while visiting a corn maze Monday night.
  Officers were called to the Crazy Corn Maze around 7:30 p.m. Monday on reports of a child left behind. They say they weren’t able to find the child’s parents, so the 3-year-old spent the night with the Division of Child and Family Services.
  Around 7 a.m. Tuesday, police say they received a call from a m
  
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• New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift

  10-10-2017 22:30 via kxan.com
  DETROIT, Mich. (WCMH) — A Detroit firefighter was fired for bringing a watermelon to the station as a welcoming gift.
  According to WJBK, Robert Pattison, 41, brought a watermelon as part of the tradition of new firefighters bringing gifts to help introduce themselves at their assigned stations.
  However, WJBK reports, Pattison was terminated from his new job after several African-American firefighters were offended by the gift.
  The story garnered so much nation attention
  
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• 6th Legionnaires’ disease case confirmed at Round Rock hotel

  10-10-2017 21:54 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A sixth case of Legionnaires’ disease tied to a Round Rock hotel has been confirmed by the Williamson County and Cities Health District.
  The SpringHill Suites by Marriott, at 2960 Hoppe Trail, was forced to close on Oct. 4 after five cases of the disease, which has symptoms similar to pneumonia, were reported.
  Lab results are still pending. The six affected have either stayed at the hotel or worked there since June 2017, a Health District spokesperson said.
  
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• WATCH: Utah girl jumps for joy upon learning of her adoption

  10-10-2017 21:15 via kxan.com
  SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (KXAN/NBC News) — When a student is called to the school office, it can always be a little unnerving. But the news that 11-year-old Tannah Butterfield received had her jumping for joy.
  Last week, American Heritage School’s office manager, Jackie Alexander, called Butterfield into the office to give her the news that she was getting her “forever family.” After more than two years, a judge gave the green light for Butterfield and her siblings to officiall
  
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• UT Austin offers free training for parents of children with autism

  10-10-2017 20:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Parents whose children are autistic now have a new resource to help improve communication skills and behavior. The University of Texas at Austin’s Speech and Hearing Center is offering free online or in-person training.
  It’s something Christina and Evan Phelps have tried with their son, Carter. They say he’s seen a huge improvement. After three months of training he now knows dozens of words, as opposed to just “mama,” “dada” and a
  
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• How Halloween costumes can spread lice

  10-10-2017 20:13 via kxan.com
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – It’s almost that time of year for kids to go trick-or-treating.
  But parents, be aware when you’re shopping for costumes, especially ones that have hats or wigs. Some medical officials say cases of head lice rise this time of year.
  KXAN sister station WFLA has more on how you can prevent these creepy predators from getting into your children’s hair in the video above.
  
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• Paltrow, Jolie join flood of allegations against Weinstein

  10-10-2017 19:46 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — An avalanche of allegations poured out Tuesday against Harvey Weinstein in on-the-record reports that detailed claims of sexual abuse and included testimonies from Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, further intensifying the already explosive collapse of the disgraced movie mogul.
  Three women accused Weinstein of raping them in a story published online by The New Yorker, including the Italian actress Asia Argento and a woman who was an aspiring actress in college when she c
  
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• Wildfires ravage Northern California with shocking speed

  10-10-2017 19:24 via kxan.com
  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — An onslaught of wildfires across a wide swath of Northern California broke out almost simultaneously then grew exponentially, swallowing up properties from wineries to trailer parks and tearing through both tiny rural towns and urban subdivisions.
  Authorities said that at least 11 people are dead, with 100 injured, and as many as 1,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed. All three figures were expected to surge in the coming days as more information is repor
  
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• Wildfires leave chimneys, charred appliances in their wake

  10-10-2017 19:24 via kxan.com
  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — The flames that raced across California wine country left little more than smoldering ashes and eye-stinging smoke in their wake. House after house is gone, with only brick chimneys and charred laundry machines to mark sites that were once family homes.
  The wildfires burned so hot that windows and tire rims melted off cars, leaving many vehicles resting on their steel axles. In one driveway, the glass backboard of a basketball hoop melted, dripped and solidified l
  
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• Ashes and stinging smoke mark devastation in wine country

  10-10-2017 19:24 via kxan.com
  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — In neighborhood after neighborhood, all that remains are the smoldering ashes and eye-stinging smoke from a day of utter devastation.
  Newly homeless residents of California wine country took stock of their shattered lives Tuesday, a day after wildfires killed at least 15 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses. Hundreds more firefighters joined the battle against the blazes, which were still completely uncontained.
  Authorities also began to ident
  
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• Witnesses cast doubt on victim’s fiance’s testimony at Rodney Reed hearing

  10-10-2017 18:54 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Rodney Reed’s defense team worked Tuesday to show an alternative timeline for the whereabouts of murder victim Stacey Stites’ former fiancé on the night before her killing, but the state appeared to undermine the testimony of some key witnesses.
  The defense first called Curtis Davis to the stand. Davis is a Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office investigator and former friend of Jimmy Fennell, who was set to marry Stites, 19, just days before she w
  
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• Victim’s fiance pleaded the Fifth during Rodney Reed hearing

  10-10-2017 18:54 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Jimmy Fennell, the former fiance of murder victim Stacey Stites, has declined to take the stand at Rodney Reed’s hearing Tuesday. In an affidavit, Fennell said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment in response to any questions about the case.
  Reed was convicted and sentenced to death by a Bastrop County jury in 1997 for Stites’ murder. The State Court of Criminal Appeals remanded Reed’s case back to Bastrop County for a four-day hearing to discuss a
  
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• Rodney Reed hearing: Victim’s fiance invokes Fifth Amendment, won’t testify

  10-10-2017 18:54 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Jimmy Fennell, the former fiance of murder victim Stacey Stites, has declined to take the stand at Rodney Reed’s hearing Tuesday. In an affidavit, Fennell said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment in response to any questions about the case.
  Reed was convicted and sentenced to death by a Bastrop County jury in 1997 for Stites’ murder. The State Court of Criminal Appeals remanded Reed’s case back to Bastrop County for a four-day hearing to discuss a
  
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• What we know about the suspect in the Texas Tech officer shooting

  10-10-2017 18:42 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) — As the Texas Tech Police Department works to piece together what happened during a drug arrest that ended with an officer shot to death, more information is becoming available about the alleged shooter.
  Here is what we know about so far about Hollis Alvin James Daniels.
  Age: 19
  Status at Texas Tech University: Freshman
  He lived in Talkington Hall, one of the residence halls that allows campus carry guns. Carrying a gun is allowed on some areas of campus for those wh
  
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• Welding work might have caused 3-story condo fire in downtown Austin

  10-10-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After fighting a 3-story condo fire in the 600 block of West Lynn Street in downtown Austin Tuesday for approximately an hour, Austin firefighters have it under control.
  The Austin Fire Department responded to the fire at the corner of West Lynn Street and West Sixth Street just before 11 a.m. The fire department upgraded to a two-alarm shortly after arriving to the fire. Then, around 11:25 a.m., the fire was upgraded to a third alarm but then was canceled shortly thereafte
  
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• Welding work caused 3-story condo fire in downtown Austin

  10-10-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After fighting a 3-story condo fire in the 600 block of West Lynn Street in downtown Austin Tuesday for approximately an hour, Austin firefighters have it under control.
  The Austin Fire Department responded to the fire at the corner of West Lynn Street and West Sixth Street just before 11 a.m. The fire department upgraded to a two-alarm shortly after arriving to the fire. Then, around 11:25 a.m., the fire was upgraded to a third alarm but then was canceled shortly thereafte
  
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• Firefighters battling 3-alarm fire in downtown Austin

  10-10-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighters are battling a two-alarm fire at a 3-story condo building in the 600 block of West Lynn Street in downtown Austin Tuesday morning.
  The Austin Fire Department responded to the fire at the corner of West Lynn Street and West Sixth Street just before 11 a.m. The fire department upgraded to a two-alarm shortly after arriving to the fire. And then around 11:25 a.m., the fire was upgraded to a third alarm.
  AFD says the fire has moved into the attic. Smoke can be seen
  
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• $49 tickets? Southwest Airlines launches another 72-hour fare sale

  10-10-2017 18:14 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Southwest Airlines has kicked off another fare sale, and there are some cheap tickets from Columbus if you’re not looking to go far.
  The sale launched Tuesday morning, and have to be booked by October 12.
  There are also other restrictions, like the fact you won’t be able to buy tickets for flights on Fridays and Sundays, and the fares apply to non-stop options only.
  Regardless of the fine print (which you can read here), there are still some great deals f
  
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• Going for the Gold: Searching for gold in “NASCAR on ice”

  10-10-2017 17:42 via kxan.com
  Michigan native, Jessica Kooreman, grew up an inline speed skater. A summer sport on wheels. A sport that does not participate in the Olympics.
  Inspired by her dream of one day representing Team USA, a change had to be made.
  “My ultimate goal was to become an Olympian,” Kooreman said. “The closest thing to my sport was switching to the ice. I decided to make the switch to make my dream of becomming an Olympian a reality.”
  Short track speed skating is often referred to as
  
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• Will Rogers statue wrapped in black at Texas Tech

  10-10-2017 17:35 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — Early Tuesday morning, the Saddle Tramps, an all-male booster organization that supports the university’s men’s athletics, gathered on campus to wrap the Will Rogers statue in black following the deadly shooting of a Texas Tech police officer.
  The Saddle Tramps said they usually wrap the statue in black following tragedies. In the past they have wrapped the statue following 9/11, the death of Spike Dykes, and the fatal homecoming crash at Oklahoma State
  
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• Police: Florida Airbnb rental recorded guests with hidden cameras

  10-10-2017 17:32 via kxan.com
  LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (WFLA) — A vacation rental in Florida had a hidden camera secretly recording guests in the bedroom, according to police. They arrested the homeowner, but now they want to find people who stayed at that unit because there are more victims.
  Last month, an Indiana man and his wife were staying at a Longboat Key, Fla., condo they found on Airbnb at 623 Cedars Court.
  During their stay, the man noticed something odd about the smoke detector above the bed in the master bedroom.
  
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• Train hits and kills man in Buda

  10-10-2017 16:57 via kxan.com
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — A train hit and killed a man Monday night in north Buda, Texas.
  Buda Police Department officers responded to an area along the railroad tracks near Garison Road around 9:54 p.m.
  A Union Pacific train hit Ian Antonellis, 21, and he died at the scene. The railroad crossing at Main Street and Houston Street was closed for an extended period of time while police investigated.
  A Justice of the Peace ordered an autopsy. Police are waiting for the results before they release
  
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• Trump says US should change tax law to punish NFL

  10-10-2017 15:54 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suggesting the U.S. change its tax laws to punish organizations like the NFL if members are “disrespecting” the national anthem or flag.
  The NFL gave up its federal tax-exempt status a few years ago and now files tax returns as a taxable entity. So it’s unlikely that Trump’s proposal, tweeted in the early hours Tuesday, would change anything. Trump tweeted : “Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the sam
  
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• Could Vegas police have taken down the gunman sooner?

  10-10-2017 14:55 via kxan.com
  The revised timeline given by investigators for the Las Vegas massacre raises questions about whether better communication might have allowed police to respond more quickly and take out the gunman before he could kill and wound so many people.
  On Monday, Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Stephen Paddock shot and wounded a Mandalay Bay hotel security guard outside his door and sprayed 200 bullets down the hall six minutes before he opened fire Oct. 1 from his high-rise suite on a crowd at a country music
  
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• 1,000 leads later, authorities still stumped by Vegas gunman

  10-10-2017 14:55 via kxan.com
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — More than a week after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history investigators are stumped about the key question: What led a 64-year-old high-stakes gambler to kill 58 people and wound hundreds of others at a country music concert?
  It’s an answer they may never find.
  The FBI and Las Vegas police have sorted through more than a thousand leads and examined Stephen Paddock’s politics, finances, any possible terrorist radicalization and his social behavio
  
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• New ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ trailer highlights Hamill’s Skywalker

  10-10-2017 13:02 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disney’s Lucasfilm has released a new trailer for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” the second installment in the sequel trilogy to the original films that hits theaters in December.
  Parts of the trailer pick up where 2015’s “The Force Awakens” leaves off with protagonist Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, learning from Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker on a remote island. The two-and-a-half minute clip also features Carrie Fisher in her role as
  
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• Austin developer suing Austin ISD over Baker Center bidding process

  10-10-2017 06:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin developer is suing the Austin Independent School District over a multi-million dollar building that’s up for sale.
  David Kahn with ColinaWest Real Estate claims the bidding process to buy the Baker Center on Avenue B in Hyde Park was unfair. Kahn tells KXAN he submitted two bids to buy the former school built in 1911, and wants to turn the building into office space.
  His first offer was $12 million cash, plus a 2-year lease back of the propert
  
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• Off-duty DPS officer finds couple’s lost wedding ring in Lake Travis

  10-10-2017 05:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It might just be one of the worst feelings — losing something you can’t replace.
  It’s what happened to a Houston couple after their wedding in Austin last month. That is, until they got a phone call they never expected.
  Houston couple Nathalie and Jesse White are high school sweethearts. The two said “I do” in Austin on Sept. 9, 2017, their 10-year anniversary.
  The day after the celebration, the Whites decided to have a post-wedding party
  
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• Texas Tech student arrested, accused of killing campus officer

  10-10-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) — A 19-year-old student at a West Texas university has been charged with capital murder of a peace officer in the shooting of a campus officer at the school’s police headquarters.
  Texas Tech University officials identified the gunman as Hollis Daniels, who was booked into the Lubbock County jail early Tuesday. Online jail records don’t indicate if he has an attorney to comment on his behalf.
  The Texas Tech University police officer was shot and killed
  
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• Texas Tech police officer shot and killed on campus; shooter in custody

  10-10-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) — A Texas Tech University police officer was shot and killed Monday evening by a suspect brought to the police station for a standard debriefing, police said.
  The suspect is in custody after he was caught near the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. The university has identified the alleged gunman as 19-year-old Hollis Daniels.
  The lockdown order for the university was lifted shortly after Daniels was caught. The university has told students and staff to avoid the campus poli
  
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• Texas Tech police officer shot and killed on campus; shooter at large

  10-10-2017 03:30 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) — A Texas Tech University police officer was shot and killed Monday evening by a suspect brought to the police station for a standard debriefing, police said.
  According to KXAN sister station KAMC, police were called at 7:50 p.m. Monday to the TTPD building at 413 Flint Ave. in Lubbock.
  The shooter is at large and the campus is on lockdown. Texas Tech police say early in the evening they made a student welfare check. After entering the room, police said they found ev
  
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• Cowboys owner draws sharp response from NFL players’ union

  10-10-2017 02:49 via kxan.com
  DALLAS (AP) — The declaration by the powerful owner of the Dallas Cowboys that he would bench anyone who shows disrespect to the American flag drew a sharp response from the NFL players’ union Monday and raised the possibility of another call to action by athletes who have kneeled during the national anthem.Executive Director DeMaurice Smith of the NFL Players Association said the most provocative comments yet by Jerry Jones on the anthem controversy contradicted assurances last
  
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• Houston Astros advance to ALCS

  10-10-2017 02:44 via kxan.com
  BOSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros poured back onto the field after advancing to their first AL Championship Series, posing for pictures with the Green Monster as a backdrop before a few players bellyflopped in the puddles in the infield dirt.They were already soaked with celebratory beer and sparkling wine.
  “Both teams were throwing their guys, and that’s what you live for,” Houston third baseman Alex Bregman said on Monday after Justin Verlander came out of
  
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• Homeland Security will soon start tracking social media of immigrant applicants

  10-10-2017 01:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some immigration attorneys are worried a small change in how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) monitors social media for immigrants could soon have a big impact.
  “We’re not sure what it’s going to mean,” Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an immigration attorney based in Austin, said.
  In September, DHS posted a notice on the Federal Register, where it states starting Oct. 18, the official record of an individual’s immigration history will be expan
  
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• Car dealership gives free truck to veteran who saved lives in Vegas shooting

  10-10-2017 01:24 via kxan.com
  GILBERT, Ariz. (WCMH) – After a veteran commandeered a truck to help get several people to the hospital after shots were fired on the Las Vegas Strip, an Arizona car dealership is providing him with a brand new truck.
  B5 Motors in Gilbert, Arizona began searching for Taylor Winston after reading reports of what happened.
  The dealership wrote in a Facebook post:
  At B5Motors we have been overwhelmed with the heartbreaking stories coming out of Vegas. Yesterday, we read of a Vet, Taylor Winst
  
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• Towing fees could increase by $100 in Travis County

  10-10-2017 01:02 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Calvin Deardorff spends most of his time in his tow truck waiting for people who need a lift. By noon on Monday, he had already towed three cars.
  “Just a lot of vehicles not starting this morning,” said Deardorff, who work for Bulldog Recovery in Round Rock and responds to Travis County about once a week.
  The Austin Towing Association, which contracts with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, wants to pay drivers like Deardorff $100 more per tow,
  
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• Requiring E-Verify is one of Trump’s demands in DACA negotiations

  10-10-2017 00:52 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The White House has listed several demands for immigration reform and Democrats say it puts any deal in jeopardy that would protect the status of people who came here illegally as children.
  One of the demands is requiring employers to use the online portal “E-Verify” to check employee work status.
  Democratic leaders say the best way to solve the problem of illegal immigration is to create an easier path to become a permanent resident or a citizen. However, GOP l
  
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• ESPN suspends anchor for breaking social media rules

  10-10-2017 00:17 via kxan.com
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — ESPN suspended anchor Jemele Hill on Monday for two weeks for making political statements on social media.
  Hill, an African-American co-host of the 6 p.m. broadcast of “SportsCenter,” received backlash last month after referring to President Donald Trump as a “white supremacist” in a series of tweets that referenced the president’s comments about a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
  Trump later suggested that NF
  
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