• PHOTO: Vandals draw obscenities on Highland Lakes Golf Course

    LAGO VISTA, Texas (KXAN) — The green lawn at Highland Lakes Golf Course in Lago Vista was defaced overnight with an obscenity.
    Lago Vista police say they were notified of the vandalism Thursday morning and the incident is considered criminal mischief. Highland Lakes Golf Course, which is owned by Lago Vista, was closed to the public at the end of September.
    The suspects etched out “F— You” next to a drawing of penis. It not not clear if the vandals mowed the obscenity in
  • City of Austin employee and AISD trustee accused of misusing city resources

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A city of Austin communication office employee who is also on the board of the Austin Independent School District will be disciplined after an audit determined she was misusing city resources for non-work related items.
    Yasmin Wagner  “misused city resources for non-city purposes relating to her non-city duties as a school board trustee,” according to a city investigative report released Thursday.
    Wagner has worked for the city since January of 2015 as a pu
  • Court clears way for 6-game suspension of Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott

    FRISCO, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court cleared the way for the NFL to impose a six-game suspension on Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott over domestic violence allegations on Thursday, siding with the league in the latest high-profile fight over its ability to punish players for off-field behavior.
    In a 2-1 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New Orleans granted the league’s emergency request to set aside an injunction and ordered a district court in Texas
  • Texas and OU feature a battle of first year coaches

    NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman have played supporting roles in the long, bitter rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas.
    They will take center stage on Saturday.
    Riley was Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator the past two years before being promoted in June. Herman was a graduate assistant coach at Texas in 1999 and 2000 and took several detours before returning to Austin as head coach. It’s the first time since 1947 that the game will feature two coaches in their fir
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  • Richardson toddler still missing as parents hire separate attorneys

    RICHARDSON, Texas (KXAN) — The mother and father of a 3-year-old Richardson girl who is still missing have hired separate attorneys.
    An attorney representing the girl’s mother says the woman is “distraught” over her daughter’s disappearance, reports KXAS.  Attorney Kent Starr told reporters the parents have two attorneys to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
    An Amber Alert for Sherin Matthews was issued on Saturday, Oct. 7, after her parents reporte
  • Body cam video shows overdosed moms with babies in back of SUV

    BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WFLA/NBC NEWS) — Police in Boynton Beach have released body camera video showing the discovery of two mothers suspected of overdosing on heroin with their babies in the back of their SUV.
    “I’ve got two overdoses and two babies in the back,” said the police officer in a radio call.
    Police say 27-year-old Kristen O’Connor and 28-year-old June Schweinhart were passed out in the front of the vehicle after overdosing.
    Their 1-month-old and 2-month-ol
  • Officers shoot and kill chase suspect at Williamson-Bell County line

    WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A high-speed chase led Williamson County deputies into Bell County Thursday, where the suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire.
    Williamson County Sherif Robert Chody say the incident started as a response to a suicidal person, after his department received a call from Fort Hood asking for a welfare check on a man.
    “They were concerned about the safety of this person, so my deputies in the Williamson County side started looking for this person an
  • Chase suspect shot and killed by officers at Williamson-Bell County line

    WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A high speed chase led Williamson County deputies into Bell County Thursday, where the suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire.
    Authorities say the incident started as a response to a suicidal person, after Williamson County received a call from a military base asking for a welfare check on a man.
    Fort Hood is about 15 miles north of the shooting scene, but officials did not specify if the call came from there.
    Deputies found the man parked west of th
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  • Shares of TV providers drop as AT&T warns of video losses

    NEW YORK (AP) — Signs that more people are dropping their traditional TV subscriptions weighed on TV providers’ stocks Thursday.
    AT&T said it lost 90,000 video subscribers in the U.S. in the third quarter. It’s a steeper drop than the same period last year, even though gains from its newer, cheaper online cable-like service, DirecTV Now, are included. DirecTV Now wasn’t available in the July-September quarter in 2016.
    DirecTV Now added 300,000 subscribers in the quart
  • Visit Austin’s entertainment spending, budget to be scrutinized by city council

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — City Council is set to approve the Austin Convention and Visitor Bureau’s budget and marketing plan, following a two-week postponement to address concerns about the organization’s spending on entertainment, dining and gifts.
    KXAN first reported on spending at ACVB, officially called Visit Austin, in late September. A line-item review of two years of American Express credit card statements and receipts found Visit Austin charged nearly a half million dollars on b
  • City Council unanimously approves Visit Austin’s budget, marketing plan

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau’s budget and marketing plan, following a two-week postponement to address concerns about the organization’s spending on entertainment, dining and gifts.
    KXAN first reported on spending at ACVB, officially called Visit Austin, in late September. A line-item review of two years of American Express credit card statements and receipts found Visit Austin charged nearly a
  • City Council unanimously approves Visit Austin’s budget

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — City Council unanimously approved the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau’s budget Thursday, following a two-week postponement to address concerns about the organization’s spending on high-price entertainment, dining and gifts.
    KXAN first revealed the questionable spending at ACVB, officially called Visit Austin, in late September. A line-item review of two years of American Express credit card statements and receipts found Visit Austin charged nearly a half m
  • CIA Director Michael Pompeo speaks at UT National Security Forum

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — The director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael Pompeo spoke Thursday before a packed audience at UT Austin. Pompeo discussed national security and alliances as the keynote speaker for the fourth annual Texas National Security Forum.
    Pompeo was appointed by President Donald Trump and sworn in on Jan. 23, 2017. Previously he was a congressman in Kansas, serving on the House Intelligence Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee.
    Other distinguished speake
  • Police: Victim in deadly stabbing was dating suspect’s girlfriend

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police believe a fatal stabbing in south Austin Sunday night may have been retaliation against the victim for allegedly assaulting the man’s girlfriend and threatening his family.
    Police responded to 500 E. Stassney Lane around 9:22 p.m. and found Fabian Michael Gutierrez, 23, seriously injured. He died at the hospital about 30 minutes later.
    Witnesses told police that two men circled the apartment complex in their pickup truck, and then started chasing Gutierrez. One
  • Which school districts in Travis County have the highest obesity rates

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A recent childhood obesity report shows there is a high correlation between the percentage of students who were overweight or obese and the percentage of students in a district with economic disadvantage.
    In Travis County, the Austin Public Health published a report stating in 2013-24, 28.1 percent of students in the country (grades 3-12) were overweight or obese. The report shows boys have a higher percentage of obesity at 28.5 percent compared to the girls 27.5 percent.
    O
  • State questions Rodney Reed’s former attorney in Bastrop hearing

    APP USERS: Tap the image above to start the live stream
    Watch the live stream of the hearing below:BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — State attorney Matt Ottoway questioned death-row inmate Rodney Reed’s 1998 defense attorney, Lydia Clay-Jackson, Thursday in the third day of a hearing. He tried to get her to admit that details and evidence contradicted itself in the original trial, nearly 20 years ago, and that new revelations aren’t as important as the defense insists they are.
    A hearing
  • Rodney Reed’s trial attorney said she only had 8 weeks to prepare

    BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — State attorney Matt Ottoway questioned death-row inmate Rodney Reed’s 1998 defense attorney, Lydia Clay-Jackson, Thursday in the third day of a hearing. He tried to get her to admit that details and evidence contradicted itself in the original trial, nearly 20 years ago, and that new revelations aren’t as important as the defense insists they are.
    A hearing on the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites continues in Bastrop. In 1998, Reed was convicted for her rape
  • US World Cup absence could have wide-ranging effects

    The 2018 World Cup will be a unique test of soccer’s appeal in the United States.
    Will Americans still watch if their national team isn’t there? Fox certainly is hoping so.
    The U.S. failed to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia when it lost at Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night, and the effects of that defeat may be felt for quite some time. The team, and indeed the whole U.S. Soccer Federation, faces a period of soul searching — but broadcasters, sponsors and t
  • Trump’s health care end run reflects frustrations

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Frustrated over setbacks in Congress, President Donald Trump wielded his rule-making power Thursday to launch an end run that might get him closer to his goal of repealing and replacing “Obamacare.”
    Whether Trump’s executive order will be the play that breaks through isn’t clear.
    Experts say consumers aren’t likely to see major changes any time soon, although the White House is promising lower costs and more options.
    Some experts warned that
  • Trump hopes to boost lower-premium health insurance plans

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Frustrated by failures in Congress, President Donald Trump is moving to put his own stamp on health care with an executive order Thursday that aims to make lower-premium plans more widely available.
    But the changes Trump hopes to bring about could take months or even longer, according to administration officials who outlined the order for reporters Thursday morning. The proposals may not be finalized in time to affect coverage for 2019, let alone next year.
    White House do
  • Calling it a beginning, Trump signs health care order

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Frustrated by health care failures in Congress, President Donald Trump directed his administration Thursday to rewrite some federal insurance rules as a beginning of renewed efforts to undermine “Obamacare,” the program he’s promised to kill.
    “With these actions, we are moving toward lower costs and more options in the health care market,” Trump said before signing his directive in the Oval Office. Trump said he will continue to pressure Cong
  • Black & White ball seeks to end domestic violence

    AUSTIN (KXAN) – The 11th Annual Black & White ball takes place on Friday, October 27th.
    Community leaders will come together for an unforgettable evening to celebrate 35 years of the Texas Advocacy Project. It’s an evening of cocktails, dinner, live music and auctions.
    The Black & White Ball honors those working to put an end to domestic violence across Texas.
    This year’s event takes place at the JW Marriott starting at 7 p.m.
    Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriett
  • Pedestrian hit and killed, two others injured in downtown Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person has died and two others were injured when a vehicle hit them in downtown Austin.
    Austin police say the crash initially started as a collision between two vehicles along the northbound Interstate 35 service road and E. Cesar Chavez Street around 8:35 a.m. After the collision, police say the driver of the van veered under the underpass and struck three people.
    A woman in her 40s died at the scene. The others have minor injuries and were not taken to the hospital.
    T
  • Pedestrian hit and killed in downtown Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person has died and two others were injured when a vehicle hit them in downtown Austin.
    The crash happened at the northbound Interstate 35 service road and E. Cesar Chavez St. around 8:35 a.m.
    A woman died on scene, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. The others have minor injuries and may not be taken to the hospital.
    KXAN is sending a crew to the scene and will have more information as this story is updated.
  • Chain reaction crash in downtown Austin kills one

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person has died and two others were injured when a vehicle hit them in downtown Austin.
    Austin police say the crash initially started as a collision between two vehicles along the northbound Interstate 35 service road and E. Cesar Chavez Street around 8:35 a.m. After the collision, police say the driver of the van lost control, went over the curb and struck three people under the bridge.
    A woman in her 40s died at the scene. The others have minor injuries and were not t
  • Visit Austin budget and the ARCH up for council discussion

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here’s a quick rundown of some of the items topping city council’s Thursday agenda.
    The Austin Resource Center for Homelessness (ARCH)
    The ARCH’s current contract expires in 2018. The Ending Community Homelessness Coalitions (ECHO) annual point in time count data showed the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the downtown area increase 50 percent between January 2015 and January 2017. This item would direct the city manager to engage st
  • Free adoptions at full Williamson County animal shelter

    GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter put out a call for pet parents to-be: now is the time to adopt because the shelter is at capacity.
    “Yikes, the shelter is still over full!” the organization posted on its Facebook page Wednesday.
    It is offering free adult dog and cat adoptions through the weekend, Oct. 13-15. Normally, it costs $75. People must be 18 years or older with a valid ID and fill out an application before they can take a new frie
  • Southwest to begin flying to Hawaii

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Southwest Airlines is saying “Aloha” to a new opportunity: flying to the Hawaiian Islands.
    The company announced Wednesday at a company gathering and in a blog post that it will begin selling tickets to the Pacific Ocean vacation destination in 2018. It did not have more specifics about schedules or markets. It did say it hoped to have non-stop service from California.
    “Those Southwest shockwaves of our terrific value and bar-setting Customer Service will
  • NASA using asteroid’s close flyby to test warning network

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is using an asteroid’s close flyby to test Earth’s warning network for incoming space rocks.
    The small asteroid was on track to pass within 27,200 miles of Antarctica early Thursday.
    Program scientist Michael Kelley said that’s “pretty close” as these things go. But he stressed there’s no chance it will hit us. Future space rocks might, though — thus this first-of-its-kind cosmic fire drill.
    “You never expect
  • Car seat checks: Professionals ready to show parents what they do wrong

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — The number of parents using child safety seats in Texas increased for decades. Now, as it’s leveling off, there’s renewed focus on making sure people use those seats correctly.
    A study from the Texas Transportation institute showed about 1 in 5 seats are not installed correctly.
    Parents can get their seats checked out Thursday at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center at 2400 Round Rock Dr. from 9 a.m. to noon. They can also get more information from Willia
  • Stabbing survivor part of ROTC taking UT’s game ball to Dallas

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Early Thursday morning UT’s Naval ROTC left campus and headed to Dallas with the game ball. It’s a time-honored tradition before the rivalry game with the University of Oklahoma on Saturday.
    Wednesday night the Texas Exes started the tradition by holding the Texas Fight Rally. This year organizers decided to cancel the torchlight parade due to the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. UT football coach Tom Herman still gave ROTC members the gam
  • Lawyers want Supreme Court to block Texas from executing man

    HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Attorneys for an inmate convicted in a prison guard’s death are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to halt his scheduled execution.
    They want justices to review whether lower courts properly denied a federal civil rights lawsuit that sought additional DNA testing in Robert Pruett’s case and whether a prisoner who claims actual innocence, as Pruett does, can be put to death.
    The execution is set for Thursday.
    The 38-year-old Pruett was already serving 99 year
  • Smart Trips encouraging south Austinites to get around without cars

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new version of an Austin program is looking to curb traffic by getting more people in south Austin to travel without cars.
    The Austin Transportation Department and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority teamed up to launch the second round of the Smart Trips Austin program on Oct. 1.  They will be encouraging people who live and work in the Zilker, Bouldin and Travis Heights neighborhoods — south of the river and north of Oltorf Street — to wal
  • Burnet CISD elementary student removed from bus for showing BB gun

    BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — An elementary school student in Burnet was removed from his bus Tuesday after he pulled out a BB gun from his backpack.
    A Burnet CISD spokesperson says at around 4 p.m., the student was reported after he starting showing the BB gun to other students.
    “As soon as the driver became aware of the BB gun, the student was removed from the bus and a school resource officer was contacted along with the child’s parent,” the school district said.
    Parents were
  • Texas man gets 5 years in prison for threatening Obama, FBI

    SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A 21-year-old Central Texas man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after admitting that he made threats against President Barack Obama and the FBI.
    Gavin Friedman of Austin was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison for mailing a letter in January 2016 that contained the threat against the president. The letter stated that Obama would be assassinated so Friedman could be martyred in the name of Allah.
    He also admitted to mailing a letter in Se
  • Austin man gets 5 years in prison for threatening Obama, FBI

    SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A 21-year-old Central Texas man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after admitting that he made threats against President Barack Obama and the FBI.
    Gavin Friedman of Austin was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison for mailing a letter in January 2016 that contained the threat against the president. The letter stated that Obama would be assassinated so Friedman could be martyred in the name of Allah.
    He also admitted to mailing a letter in Se
  • San Marcos CISD bus involved in crash

    SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Three school children had to be taken home by their parents after the bus they were riding in was involved in a crash Wednesday afternoon.
    San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District says the crash happened along Farm to Market 1978 near Farm to Market 621 around 3:30 p.m. The school district says the bus was rear-ended by an SUV.
    The three students who were on board at the time were not injured. The district says the children were picked up by their pare
  • Proposed repeal of Clean Power Plan raises questions about energy reliability

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Supporters of the coal industry in Texas are praising the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to repeal the Clean Power Plan, which was part of the Obama Administration’s goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent by 2030.
    “What that actually meant in effect was it was going to put coal-powered plants basically out of business,” Drew White, senior federal policy analyst with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said. “If you&rs
  • Is Austin ready to handle new Amazon headquarters?

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Time is running out for Austin leaders to officially make a bid to bring Amazon’s second headquarters to Central Texas. On Wednesday, in a joint letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz urged Amazon to come saying “everything is bigger in Texas including our economy, workforce and quality of life.”
    With tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment at stake, leaders in multiple cities want to court Ama
  • Winds whip new terror into deadly California wildfires

    SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Fueled by the return of strong winds, the wildfires tearing through California wine country exploded in size and number Wednesday as authorities ordered new evacuations and the death toll climbed to 21 — a figure expected to rise higher still.
    Three days after the fires began, firefighters were still unable to gain control of the blazes that had turned entire Northern California neighborhoods to ash and destroyed at least 3,500 homes and businesses.
    “We ar
  • Deadly California wildfires flare up and swallow more homes

    SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Wildfires tearing through California wine country flared up again Wednesday, destroying hundreds more homes and other buildings and leading to new evacuation orders as authorities raised the death toll to 21 and warned that the number would rise.
    At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed since the wildfires started Sunday, making them the third deadliest and most destructive blazes in state history.
    Nearly three days after the flames ignited in North
  • Texas Tech shooting suspected indicted on federal firearms charge

    LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK/KXAN) — The Texas Tech student who is in jail charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a campus police officer has also been indicted on a federal firearms charge.
    Hollis Alvin Daniels, 19, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for possession of a stolen firearm. According to the indictment, Daniels knowingly possessed the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol that federal officials say had “been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign
  • Texas Tech shooting suspect indicted on federal firearms charge

    LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK/KXAN) — The Texas Tech student who is in jail charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a campus police officer has also been indicted on a federal firearms charge.
    Hollis Alvin Daniels, 19, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for possession of a stolen firearm. According to the indictment, Daniels knowingly possessed the .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol that federal officials say had “been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign
  • AISD school buses speeding less after KXAN Investigation

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A KXAN Investigation that uncovered speeding school buses is continuing to help keep your kids safer.
    We first revealed school buses speeding in districts across Central Texas last May. To follow up, KXAN Lead Investigator Brian Collister just checked back with Austin ISD, the area’s largest district, which cracked down on speeding bus drivers before summer break because of our report. We wanted to see if the district is continuing to monitor drivers in this new schoo
  • North Texas newlyweds missing during Bahamas honeymoon

    CRESSON, Texas (KXAN) — A North Texas couple that left on a private plane to the Bahamas for their honeymoon have been missing for more than two weeks.
    The couple’s friend, Jason Fox, told KXAS he is trying to retrace their trip.
    “My biggest fear is that we’ll never know — never be found, never know anything.”
    Forrest and Donna Sanco, of Cresson, Texas — just southwest of Fort Worth — bought the single engine 1966 vintage Cessna to go on the trip.
  • Woman dies in Central Texas jail after struggle with jailers

    GATESVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Jailers went to the cell of a Coryell County inmate Sunday in response to jail violations, but got into a struggle with the woman who later died.
    The Coryell County Sheriff’s Office said jailers first tried to de-escalate the situation verbally, before using a chemical agent, which had no effect.
    Jailers then entered the cell to try to restrain 46-year-old Kelli Leanne Page, leading to what the sheriff’s office described as an altercation with the inm
  • Trial date set for ex-APD officer accused of murdering pregnant girlfriend

    BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — By the time VonTrey Clark faces a jury for his capital murder trial in the death of Samantha Dean, it will have been three years since she was found shot to death in the parking lot of a strip mall in Bastrop County.
    Bastrop County court records show Clark’s case will head to trial on March 19, 2018. Last month, KXAN reported that both prosecutors and defense lawyers in the case met to discuss evidence that needs to be tested in the case.
    Clark, who has pleade
  • Jailers fired, accused of pepper spraying Central Texas inmate’s food

    GATESVILLE, Texas (KWKT) — Two Coryell County jailers have been fired and arrested on charges of official oppression in connection with an incident in which pepper spray was allegedly placed in an inmate’s food at the Coryell County Jail.
    Jailer Jason Sherrill is named in an arrest affidavit, accused of putting the pepper spray in the bowl of food on June 6, 2017.
    Court papers say that the victim was examined by a nurse and sent to the hospital.
    Court papers indicated that when confr

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