Austin news

• California firefighters say they finally ‘turned a corner’

  15-10-2017 22:40 via kxan.com
  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — With the winds dying down, fire officials said Sunday they have apparently “turned a corner” against the wildfires that have devastated California wine country and other parts of the state over the past week, and thousands of people got the all-clear to return home.
  While the danger from the deadliest, most destructive cluster of blazes in California history was far from over, the smoky skies started to clear in some places.
  “A week ago this star
  
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• Watson tosses 3 TDs as Texans beat Browns 33-17

  15-10-2017 22:38 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — Deshaun Watson threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first rookie in NFL history with at least three TD passes in three straight games, helping give the Houston Texans a 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
  Watson has thrown 15 touchdown passes this season, the most in NFL history by a rookie in a team’s first six games. Itequals the number of TD throws Brock Osweiler had in 15 games last season.
  The Browns lost their 16th in a row on the roa
  
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• Lockdown for vehicle crash lifted at San Antonio air base

  15-10-2017 22:32 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio’s Randolph Air Force Base has returned to normal operations after officials say they’ve been unable to find the driver of a stolen vehicle that crashed through a fence at the base.
  The base went on lockdown Saturday evening after Guadalupe County authorities say the stolen vehicle they were chasing tore through a base fence. Two men inside the vehicle were detained but the driver fled on foot. The vehicle was stolen from Harris County, about 200 m
  
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• Public memorial service Tuesday in El Paso for slain officer

  15-10-2017 22:27 via kxan.com
  EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A public memorial service is planned this week in El Paso for Texas Tech University police Officer Floyd East Jr., who was shot and killed last week in Lubbock.
  The 48-year-old East was an El Paso native and the memorial service is set for noon Tuesday at the Abraham Chavez Theatre in downtown El Paso.
  A 19-year-old student from Seguin, Hollis Daniels III, is charged with murder in East’s fatal shooting Oct. 9.
  East had arrested Daniels on a drug possession char
  
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• Alamo plaza renovation plan draws protesters

  15-10-2017 22:23 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Plans to move a 60-foot monument that’s been in the plaza outside the Alamo for 80 years have run into opposition.
  Protesters gathered at the Texas shrine Saturday showing their displeasure with an Alamo master plan to redo the plaza and move the granite Cenotaph.The president of the Alamo Defenders Descendants Association, Lee Spencer White, who organized the rally, says the monument installed in 1936 to mark the centennial of the battle commemorates the defenders
  
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• Texas county worker arrested for $1.2 million fajitas theft

  15-10-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A former South Texas juvenile justice department employee has been arrested for felony theft after authorities say he acknowledged stealing $1.2 million worth of fajitas over nine years.
  Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz tells The Brownsville Herald that Gilberto Escaramilla was fired in August and arrested after authorities obtained a search warrant and found packages of the Tex-Mex food in his refrigerator.
  Investigators subsequently checked vendor inv
  
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• Florida man kills family friend for hitting on imaginary girlfriend, starts shootout with deputies

  15-10-2017 20:45 via kxan.com
  PASCO CO., FL (WCMH) — Authorities in Florida say a murder-turned-shootout started when a man believed a family friend was hitting on his imaginary girlfriend.
  According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Brian Desario, 30, shot and killed a friend of his mother’s, 56-year-old David Armstrong, on Thursday afternoon. Desario believed that Armstrong was hitting on his girlfriend, a woman law enforcement officials said doesn’t exist.
  When deputies arrived at the scene, Di
  
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• Florida man kills family friend for hitting on imaginary girlfriend

  15-10-2017 20:45 via kxan.com
  PASCO CO., FL (WCMH) — Authorities in Florida say a murder-turned-shootout started when a man believed a family friend was hitting on his imaginary girlfriend.
  According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Brian Desario, 30, shot and killed a friend of his mother’s, 56-year-old David Armstrong, on Thursday afternoon. Desario believed that Armstrong was hitting on his girlfriend, a woman law enforcement officials said doesn’t exist.
  When deputies arrived at the scene, Di
  
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• Runners plow through mud to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis research

  15-10-2017 19:39 via kxan.com
  Austin (KXAN)– Sloshing through muddy puddles, belly-crawling through dirt and balancing on a tightrope aren’t part of the typical Sunday morning run. These activities are messy, a challenge and all a part of MuckFest Austin.
  Runners that squelched through these obstacles didn’t mind the stains on their clothes or shoes. That’s because all proceeds from the muddy 5K benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s mission to end MS, a disabling disease of the centr
  
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• Victim of Las Vegas shooting wakes up, takes steps

  15-10-2017 19:13 via kxan.com
  CROFTON, Md. (AP) — A Maryland native who has been in a coma since being injured in a mass shooting at a concert in Las Vegas has woken up and taken her first steps.
  According to a GoFundMe page set up for Tina Frost, the 27-year-old on Friday took three steps to a chair, and three steps back to the bed, with the assistance of nurses. Frost also breathed on her own for six hours. The campaign has so far raised over $528,000 to cover her medical expenses at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Cent
  
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• District erases “To Kill a Mockingbird” from lesson plan

  15-10-2017 18:34 via kxan.com
  BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — “To Kill a Mockingbird” is being removed from a junior-high reading list in a Mississippi school district.
  The Sun Herald reports that Biloxi administrators pulled the novel from the 8th-grade curriculum this week. School board vice president Kenny Holloway says the district received complaints that some of the book’s language “makes people uncomfortable.”
  Published in 1960, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee deals with ra
  
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• State of Texas: Long shot candidates face challenges

  15-10-2017 18:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Mike Collier knows he has a tough road ahead. “I know how steep this hill is, because I’ve run up once before,” Collier said before a campaign event in Austin last week. He’s a Democrat, trying to defeat Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick in the 2018 election.
  Patrick has held his position since 2015 after he beat three-term incumbent David Dewhurst. He currently has more than $17 million saved up for his re-election campaign. Collier has less than $2 mi
  
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• Ford pledges to inspect, repair 1.3 million Explorers

  15-10-2017 17:47 via kxan.com
  Austin (KXAN)—Ford offered to inspect and repair more than 1.3 million Explorer SUV’s, Friday. Their decision comes after receiving more than 2,000 complaints of carbon monoxide leaks inside this specific car model.
  Starting November, Ford dealers will start to check for leaks in rear lift gate gaskets and seal them if necessary. They’ll also reprogram air conditioners to make sure more fresh air circulates throughout the car.
  Owners of Ford Explorer made before 2011 should exp
  
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• Going for the Gold: Looking for gold in "NASCAR on ice"

  15-10-2017 17:25 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 NASCAR on ice.The
  
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• Police: Lockdown lifted at Virginia State University

  15-10-2017 16:41 via kxan.com
  PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — A lockdown has been lifted on Virginia State University campus following a shooting that left one person injured, authorities said Sunday.
  Virginia State University Police said via Twitter that “Police have cleared the scene. Officers will remain vigilant. Campus lock down has been lifted.”
  The incident happened about 8:25 p.m. Saturday, according to a statement released by the Chesterfield Police Department. Police said responding officers found a man su
  
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• Future uncertain for upstart Austin festivals after SOS cancellation, Levitation revamp

  15-10-2017 05:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Day two of weekend two of the Austin City Limits Festival wrapped up Saturday night with a performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as tens of thousands of people once again packed into Zilker Park, pumping big bucks into Austin’s economy.
  Last year’s ACL Fest brought more than $277 million into the city according to one analysis — $124 million from festival operations and $153 million spent in town by festival-goers.
  While the central Texas festival
  
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• A week of wheelchair challenges kicked off Saturday at YMCA Town Lake

  15-10-2017 05:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Archer Hadley, who was born with cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound, has become a local advocate for people with disabilities.
  On Saturday, he launched this year’s Archer’s Challenge. It started three years ago when Archer kept getting stuck outside of Austin High School in the rain.
  He ended up more than doubling his $40,000 goal to get handicap accessible doors installed at the school after challenging students and teachers to spend a day in a wheelchair.
  
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• Advocates rally at Capitol to denounce bullying

  15-10-2017 05:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Advocates from across the state rallied at the Capitol in downtown Austin Saturday as part of an anti-bullying campaign.
  “I’m Bully Free” was behind today’s rally. People there learned about David’s Law, named after David Molack who was cyberbullied before committing suicide.
  David’s mother spoke to those in attendance as did an actor on a new Netflix series who has even been bullied as an adult.
  “Always love yourself,” said E
  
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• Thousands lose power in Wimberley Saturday night

  15-10-2017 04:10 via kxan.com
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) – Thousands of customers in Wimberley are without power Saturday night, said Pedernales Electric Cooperative.
  KXAN began receiving reports from viewers just after 8 p.m. about the outage, and Pedernales’ outage website indicated that the outage started at about 7:58 p.m.
  At its peak, nearly 5,000 customers in the 78676 ZIP code were without power. By 9 p.m. that had fallen to just under 4,000.
  The coop estimates that power will be restored by 10:30 p.m.
  Pedern
  
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• Thousands lose power in Wimberley; fully restored in under 2 hours

  15-10-2017 04:10 via kxan.com
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) – Thousands of customers in Wimberley lost power Saturday night, said Pedernales Electric Cooperative.
  KXAN began receiving reports from viewers just after 8 p.m. about the outage, and Pedernales’ outage website indicated that the outage started at about 7:58 p.m.
  At its peak, more than 5,000 customers in the 78676 ZIP code were without power. By 9 p.m. that had fallen to just under 4,000. And by 9:15 p.m. the total without power had dropped again to just over
  
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• Oklahoma tops Texas with fourth quarter score

  15-10-2017 01:27 via kxan.com
  DALLAS (AP) — Baker Mayfield threw 59 yards to Mark Andrews for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter after Oklahoma had blown a 20-point lead, and the 12th-ranked Sooners held on to beat Texas 29-24 on Saturday.Mayfield’s second TD throw of more than 50 yards came 68 seconds after freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran 8 yards to give the Longhorns their first lead after trailing 20-0 in the second quarter.
  The win kept the College Football Playoff hopes alive for the Sooners
  
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• Whataburger worker fired for refusing to serve officers in North Texas town

  15-10-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  DENISON, Texas (AP) — A worker at a popular Texas-based fast food chain has been fired after refusing to serve two police officers.
  Denison Police Chief Jay Burch says in a Facebook post that his officers were trying to get something to eat at the Whataburger early Saturday when an unidentified female employee declined to serve them. Burch says the employee cursed at the North Texas officers and alleged “cops beat up my boyfriend and are racists.”
  Burch didn’t identify th
  
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