Austin news

• Liberty Hill boy catches Astros home run ball one month after brother dies

  17-10-2017 23:32 via kxan.com
  LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) — It’s a heartwarming story with a heartbreaking backstory.
  During Game 2 of the Houston Astros and New York Yankees ALCS series on Saturday, Oct. 14, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa opened the scoring with a home run that just barely cleared the fence in right field.
  An eager young fan sitting in the outfield ended up catching the ball and catching a bit of controversy after he appeared to reach for the ball, potentially distracting Yankees rightfielde
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Wrong-way driver passes numerous vehicles on South MoPac

  17-10-2017 23:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several drivers who were traveling along South MoPac Expressway Tuesday morning experienced a terrifying situation as a wrong-way driver approached them.
  Dash camera footage was posted to YouTube showing a white sedan traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of South MoPac near the Southwest Parkway exit. The driver with the camera was driving southbound in the in the far right lane as the wrong-way driver can be seen going northbound in the far left lane.
  Austin police
  
  Read more

• Safety group urges Ford to recall Explorers over carbon monoxide issues

  17-10-2017 23:08 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — The Center for Auto Safety is calling on the Ford Motor Company, along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to recall all Ford Explorers from 2011-2017.
  The non-profit, described as the nation’s leading independent non-profit organization for auto safety, urged the recalls due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning to drivers and occupants of the more than 1.3 million vehicles.
  In July, the Austin Police Department pulled its nearly 400 Ford
  
  Read more

• Luxury cars seized in pill mill hit the auction block in Austin

  17-10-2017 22:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — High-end sports and luxury vehicles seized by federal authorities during an investigation into a pill mill in Alabama will be auctioned off in Austin.
  The U.S. Marshals Office says the live auction will be held on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Hilton Austin Airport located at 9515 Hotel Dr.
  The 21 vehicles being auctioned off include Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Mercedes and Ferraris. In addition to the vehicles, more than 100 pieces of fine jewelry and watches from o
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Mayor: Much of Rockport will not be rebuilt following Harvey

  17-10-2017 22:35 via kxan.com
  VICTORIA, Texas (AP) — The mayor of the Gulf Coast community of Rockport says Hurricane Harvey destroyed about a third of the town and that 30 to 35 percent of it will probably never be rebuilt.
  Mayor Charles “C.J.” Wax said during a panel discussion Tuesday in Victoria that only about 300 businesses out of the 1,300 in Rockport have reopened since Harvey came ashore in August.
  Wax says people know Rockport as the city of trees but most were lost as crews have removed nearly 80
  
  Read more

• Police name suspect in deadly north Austin hit-and-run

  17-10-2017 21:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A week after the deadly hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 77-year-old woman in north Austin, police have released the name of the man they believe is responsible.
  Police say a gold 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe with Texas license plate GSX3645 drove off after crashing into Linda Kay Fletcher in the 9300 block of Parkfield Drive on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at around 4:30 p.m.
  The driver, Fernando Lazcano Sarabia, 27, struck the woman and the vehicle she had just exited, police sai
  
  Read more

• Massive feral hog killed in East Texas

  17-10-2017 21:09 via kxan.com
  UNION GROVE, Texas (KETK/KXAN) — An East Texas man captured a monster hog over the weekend.
  According to the Gregg County Game Warden, Union Grove resident Joe Clowers noticed the feral hog was tearing up his food plots on his property. In the darkness of the night, Clowers shot and killed the hog approximately 20 yards away from his home.
  The hog weighed around 416 pounds.
  In Texas, hunters are allowed to kill wild hogs year-round without limits.
  
  Read more

• WATCH LIVE: Memorial service for fallen Texas Tech police officer

  17-10-2017 20:41 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) — A public memorial service honoring Texas Tech Police Officer Floyd East Jr. is being held in Lubbock on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Abraham Chavez Theatre. To honor Officer East, the entire community was encouraged to wear blue.
  The ceremony will begin with the presentation of the colors by the Andress High School ROTC and the singing of the National Anthem by Eladio Valenzuela, the Andress High School choir director.
  Speakers at the memorial will include L. Fredrick &
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Memorial held for fallen Texas Tech police officer

  17-10-2017 20:41 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KXAN) — A public memorial service honoring Texas Tech Police Officer Floyd East Jr. is being held in Lubbock on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Abraham Chavez Theatre. To honor Officer East, the entire community was encouraged to wear blue.
  The ceremony will begin with the presentation of the colors by the Andress High School ROTC and the singing of the National Anthem by Eladio Valenzuela, the Andress High School choir director.
  Speakers at the memorial will include L. Fredrick &l
  
  Read more

• 3 roofers stop working to stand for national anthem

  17-10-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  WATERVILLE, Maine (WFLA) — As the high school football players in a small New England town took the field before their big game, the fans in the crowd stood for the national anthem.
  One of the fans, Michelle Lyons Cossar, turned around from her seat and spotted three men on top of a roof adjacent to the field standing at attention.
  The roofers placed their hands across their chests as the anthem boomed through the town.
  In awe, Cossar, snapped a photo and posted it to Facebo
  
  Read more

• Trump to call families of slain soldiers, questions Obama

  17-10-2017 19:56 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday will call the families of four soldiers killed this month in Niger, the White House says, as Trump again casts doubt on whether his predecessor appropriately consoled the families of military personnel who died in war.
  Trump suggested Tuesday that President Barack Obama did not call John Kelly, a former Marine general who is now White House chief of staff, when his son, Marine 2nd Lt. Robert Kelly, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.
  &ldqu
  
  Read more

• Politics and the fallen: Trump hasn’t called all families

  17-10-2017 19:56 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pulled bereaved military families into a painful political fight of his own making, going so far Tuesday as to cite the death of his chief of staff’s son in Iraq to question whether Barack Obama and other presidents did enough to honor the military dead.
  He’s boasted that “I think I’ve called every family of someone who’s died,” though AP found relatives of two soldiers who died overseas during Trump’s p
  
  Read more

• San Antonio Stars moving to Las Vegas, bought by MGM Resorts

  17-10-2017 19:54 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Las Vegas is getting a WNBA franchise.
  The San Antonio Stars are moving to the gambling mecca after being bought by MGM Resorts International, the league said Tuesday.
  “Las Vegas has been on our radar screen for some time,” WNBA President Lisa Borders said in a phone interview. “We’ve had conversations with the MGM family, executive team. They are bringing live sports to Las Vegas.”
  The team will join the NHL as a second professional team in La
  
  Read more

• North Texas pilot surprises girlfriend with plane-ride proposal

  17-10-2017 19:23 via kxan.com
  FRISCO, Texas (KXAN/NBC) — A Texas pilot is on cloud nine after coming up with a unique proposal: asking his girlfriend to marry him while flying 1,000 feet in the air.
  Nick Cannan received his pilot’s license a few days before, and decided to take his girlfriend, Kerryn Beattie, for a ride. He set up a camera to record her reaction as he took off and flew around near Frisco, Texas.
  “See something down there?” Cannan asked as they passed over a field.
  On the ground below
  
  Read more

• Police: Atlanta mother put children in oven and turned it on

  17-10-2017 18:56 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — A warrant says an Atlanta woman put her two young sons in an oven and turned it on.
  Local media reported Monday the warrant charging Lamora Williams with murder in the deaths of 1-year-old son Ja’Karter Penn and 2-year-old Ke-Yaunte Penn says she put them in the oven sometime between midnight Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday.
  The 24-year-old Williams previously told police late Friday she found the boys dead in her apartment after she had left them with a car
  
  Read more

• $6,000 reward offered in 1982 Travis County cold case murder

  17-10-2017 18:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A $6,000 reward is now being offered in a cold case murder where a woman was found shot to death in a field in northeast Travis County in 1982.
  Ruth Elizabeth Bettis was last seen the night of Nov. 24, 1982. She was a 19-year-old college student who worked part-time at Sugar’s, a well-known strip club on Highland Mall Boulevard in Austin.
  Witnesses that night told authorities Bettis left the club after her shift and had gotten into a car with an unknown black man. The
  
  Read more

• Lyft driver accused of sexually assaulting rider

  17-10-2017 17:43 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Lyft driver is accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman he gave a ride home to in 2015.
  The victim came forward to police in July 2015, saying a Lyft driver sexually assaulted her after she spent the night out drinking with friends.
  A friend requested a Lyft and walked her to the car around 11 p.m. according to an arrest warrant. A man, who police identified as 36-year-old Angel Interial, gave her a ride from downtown Austin.
  The victim told police that before
  
  Read more

• Demolition begins at Austin’s TA Brown Elementary School

  17-10-2017 16:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin elementary school in that abruptly closed last year because of structural concerns is being torn down Tuesday. The Austin Independent School District said demolition of the T.A. Brown Elementary School is set to begin at 10 a.m.
  The process is expected to take between five and six weeks, according to the district.
  T.A. Brown Elementary School, located along US 183 near North Lamar Boulevard, was built in 1957. Last year the district conducted engineering
  
  Read more

• Trial begins in 2015 West Campus murder

  17-10-2017 16:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial for the man accused of murdering his boyfriend in July 2015 during a fight after a night of drinking in downtown Austin.
  On July 17, 2015 at approximately 5:49 a.m., Austin police responded to the GrandMarc Austin Apartments located on West 26th Street for a check welfare call. When officers arrived, they found Stephen Sylvester, 18, unconscious with a head injury. Sylvester was taken to the hospital where he later died.
  Accordi
  
  Read more

• AISD’s breakfast in the classroom program keeps students in school

  17-10-2017 15:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Roughly 200 students at Oak Spings Elementary in Austin receive free breakfast in the classroom each school day.
  It’s part of a larger initiative Austin ISD is rolling out with the help of a grant from Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom.
  Anneliese Tanner, AISD’s Executive Director of Food Services, believes the program is producing the desired results.
  “We have seen at Akins High School an increase in attendance since we started the program, and
  
  Read more

• MLS Columbus team considers move to Austin

  17-10-2017 15:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Columbus Crew soccer team could be making the switch from Ohio to Texas. The Major League Soccer team is considering moving to Austin.
  The owner of Columbus Crew says the team is going through growing pains they are talking about leaving Columbus, Ohio, if a new stadium is not in their near future. The team is exploring the idea of moving to Austin in 2019, with initial games played at a temporary facility. It hopes to have a new stadium built in Austin in 2021.
  Precour
  
  Read more

• Major League Soccer team from Ohio could move to Austin

  17-10-2017 15:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Columbus Crew soccer team could be making the switch from Ohio to Texas. The Major League Soccer team is considering moving to Austin.
  The team says it will leave Columbus, Ohio, if that city doesn’t build it a new downtown stadium. It is exploring the idea of moving to Austin in 2019, with initial games played at a temporary facility. It hopes to have a new stadium built in Austin in 2021.
  Precourt Sports Ventures, LLC, owns the Columbus Crew SC. Its CEO Anthony
  
  Read more

• A new spectator sport for the TV superfan: ‘binge racing’

  17-10-2017 14:30 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — For a special breed of TV superfans, this isn’t streaming. This is a gusher.
  Behold the spectator sport known as “binge racing,” defined as plowing through a streaming-network series’ full season in less than 24 hours after the release of those episodes.
  Sure, any viewer may speak of bingeing on a chosen show, by which they may mean watching several episodes in two or three sittings. That’s not this! Binge racing is an extreme sport, a test of
  
  Read more

• Spurs’ Popovich labels Trump ‘a soulless coward’

  17-10-2017 13:46 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has called President Donald Trump “a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others” in response to Trump’s comment Monday that former President Barack Obama and other commanders in chief “didn’t make calls” to families of fallen soldiers.
  Former Obama staffers and a spokesman for former President George W. Bush pushed back on Trump’s comments. The White House
  
  Read more

• Feds mull tougher balloon pilot rules year after Texas crash

  17-10-2017 12:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas lawmaker expects federal investigators to call for hot air balloon pilots to obtain medical certificates following a crash last year that killed 16 people.
  The July 2016 crash in a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, was the worst hot air balloon disaster in U.S. history. The balloon struck a high-voltage power line before going down.
  The National Transportation Safety Board could recommend new safety regulations at a hearing Tuesday in Washington. Medical experts ha
  
  Read more

• Feds mull tougher balloon pilot rules year after Lockhart crash

  17-10-2017 12:54 via kxan.com
  APP USERS: Tap the image above to start the live streamAUSTIN (AP) — A Texas lawmaker expects federal investigators to call for hot air balloon pilots to obtain medical certificates following a crash last year that killed 16 people.
  The July 2016 crash in a pasture near Lockhart, Texas, was the worst hot air balloon disaster in U.S. history. The balloon struck a high-voltage power line before going down.
  The National Transportation Safety Board could recommend new safety regulations at a h
  
  Read more

• High rent forces yet another South Congress business to move

  17-10-2017 12:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Another long-time business along South Congress that helped Keep Austin Weird will close its doors Tuesday night. Uncommon Objects has been a staple for more than 25 years. After the building was sold, the new owners offered to let the long-time business stay, but a higher rental rate is now forcing them to move further south.
  “We’ve loved growing with South Congress and I guess we have just out grown it and now we are moving on,” says DeAndra Breeden, Unc
  
  Read more

• Selena honored with her own Google Doodle

  17-10-2017 09:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The queen of Tejano music is being honored on Google. Selena has her own animated Google Doodle. The late singer released her first album, “Selena” on October 17, 1989.
  According to Forbes Magazine, the idea started two years ago by Perla Campos who is the Global Marketing Lead for Google Doodles. She considered the late singer a role model.
  Google also worked with the Quintanilla family to launch a special web collection. It shows off some of her most iconic ou
  
  Read more

• Yankees get back in series with 8-2 win

  17-10-2017 06:03 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Back in the Bronx, the big guys delivered.
  Greeted by an array of “All Rise” signs in a ballpark that fits their style, Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer and made a pair of sparkling catches, leading CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros 8-1 Monday night and cutting their deficit to 2-1 in the AL Championship Series.
  Todd Frazier hit a go-ahead, three-run homer into the short porch in right field in the second against Charlie Morton.
  The 6
  
  Read more

• Yankees get back in series with 8-1 win

  17-10-2017 06:03 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Back in the Bronx, the big guys delivered.
  Greeted by an array of “All Rise” signs in a ballpark that fits their style, Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer and made a pair of sparkling catches, leading CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees over the Houston Astros 8-1 Monday night and cutting their deficit to 2-1 in the AL Championship Series.
  Todd Frazier hit a go-ahead, three-run homer into the short porch in right field in the second against Charlie Morton.
  The 6
  
  Read more

• School districts look to bonds to pay for new school bus seat belt requirements

  17-10-2017 05:47 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state of Texas now requires seat belts on any new buses a school district buys, but the state isn’t providing any extra funding for the pricey change, so some local school districts are looking to taxpayers to foot the bill.
  “Everybody agrees a seat belt makes it a little safer,” said Lake Travis ISD Superintendent Brad Lancaster. “The problem is funding.”
  LTISD is asking voters to approve a $253 million bond, which includes $1.3 milli
  
  Read more

• Liberty Hill police urge victims to report credit card fraud, not post online

  17-10-2017 05:42 via kxan.com
  LIBERTY HILL, Texas (KXAN) — As worries about credit card crimes escalate on Liberty Hill social media pages, police say they are aware of the concerns but face a problem because, as of Monday, no one has filed a report.
  Liberty Hill Police Chief Maverick Campbell Sr. said his department first got word a week ago about residents going to social media saying they had been victims of credit card fraud.
  “We actually conducted a reports inquiry for the last 30 days and in those last 30 d
  
  Read more

• 21st annual ‘Pug-A-Ween’ celebrated in Texas

  17-10-2017 05:12 via kxan.com
  GRAPEVINE, Texas (WFLA/KXAS) – Texas residents are dressing up their pugs for Halloween to raise money for a good cause.
  Pugs from all over Texas gathered in Grapevine to celebrate the 21st annual “Pug-A-Ween.”
  Pug-A-Ween featured a parade and a costume contest.
  This year, the celebration was held on “National Pug Day.”
  All of the proceeds were donated to one of the largest pug rescue organizations in the United States.
  
  Read more

• Will California wildfires have an impact on Texas wine?

  17-10-2017 04:41 via kxan.com
  MARBLE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) — After a week of grief and death, Northern California’s destructive wildfires are showing signs of easing off. The 11,000 firefighters battling “one of the greatest tragedies” to ever strike California are gaining control of the blazes that have claimed the lives of 41 people so far.
  For the thousands of people who lost their homes, the long road to recovery is becoming more apparent. The same can be said about the state’s postc
  
  Read more

• COTA’s pit road goes pink for breast cancer awareness

  17-10-2017 04:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Visitors coming from around the world to the Circuit of the Americas this weekend will see something a little different at this year’s Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.
  The big red stripe that runs down the pit road has been painted pink to raise breast cancer awareness.
  Formula 1 has partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation to raise money, and has also donated $100,000 to the foundation to be used for research and treatment for women with metastatic breast canc
  
  Read more

• Family dog emerges alive and happy from wildfire aftermath

  17-10-2017 02:19 via kxan.com
  SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — Jack Weaver and his brother-in-law Patrick Widen walked around police barricades, through a creek and up treacherous hilly roads to save Weaver’s mother from the grim task of recovering the body of the family’s beloved dog Izzy.
  Katherine Weaver was convinced Izzy died in a ferocious wildfire that destroyed their Northern California neighborhood and sent them fleeing for safety, Katherine still in her nightgown.
  When the men reached the end of the narr
  
  Read more

• Package sent to San Marcos school led to bomb squad response

  17-10-2017 02:03 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A suspicious package delivered to Goodnight Middle School in San Marcos led to a response from the bomb squad Monday evening. Officials said after scanning the package they determined the contents were not harmful.
  As a safety precaution, San Marcos CISD evacuated all students from campus and canceled evening activities.
  The Austin Police Department bomb squad was called to the school, located at 1301 State Highway 123, a few blocks south of Interstate 35.
  The sc
  
  Read more

• Bomb squad called to middle school in San Marcos

  17-10-2017 02:03 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A suspicious package delivered to Goodnight Middle School in San Marcos led to a response from the bomb squad Monday evening.
  As a safety precaution, San Marcos CISD said they have evacuated all students from campus and canceled evening activities.
  The San Marcos Police Bomb Squad is at the school, located at 1301 State Highway 123, a few blocks south of Interstate 35.
  The school district said all students are safe and asks parents to pick up their children at Bo
  
  Read more

• Music video empowers Texas domestic violence victims

  17-10-2017 01:51 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Domestic violence abusers killed 146 Texas women in 2016. The Texas Council on Family Violence wants to lower that number.
  The council launched a series of public service announcements with the theme: “When Words Fail, Music Speaks.”
  One of the founding members of all-female band “The Mrs,” who performed in the music video, said the idea is to empower women and let them know they are not alone as they seek help for abuse.
  “[We hope that women]
  
  Read more

• ALDI opens first Austin-area grocery store next month

  17-10-2017 01:32 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Austin-area is getting its first ALDI grocery store next month, part of the company’s aggressive plan to expand nationwide.
  The Pflugerville store, located at 1415 Farm to Market 685 — a block south of Pflugerville Parkway — will host a grand opening on Thursday, Nov. 2.
  The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be at 8:25 a.m. and the public is invited. The first 100 customers will get a golden ticket containing ALDI gift cards of various amounts.
  
  Read more

• Doctors: Children need to get flu shot before Halloween

  17-10-2017 01:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Before your child dons his or her Halloween costume, experts recommend they should have their flu shot by then.
  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children 6 months and older get the flu shot before the end of October. The agency says it takes two weeks for the flu shot to take full effect to protect against the virus.
  “It can cause respiratory problems that could land them in the hospital and can even cause death,” said Dr. Ajay Zachar
  
  Read more

• Driver of deadly immigrant smuggling run pleads guilty

  17-10-2017 00:45 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The driver of a semitrailer packed with at least 39 immigrants, 10 of whom died, has pleaded guilty to making the deadly smuggling run.
  James Matthew Bradley Jr. pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in San Antonio to one conspiracy count and a count of transporting the immigrants resulting in death. He faces up to life imprisonment when he’s sentenced on Jan. 22.
  Bradley could have faced the death penalty had he gone to trial.
  Authorities say at least 39 immigran
  
  Read more

• ‘Me too’ movement gives sexual assault survivors a voice

  17-10-2017 00:35 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Social media has made it easier than ever to keep tabs on your favorite celebrities — what they’re doing and who they’re with. But with the two simple words “me too,” it’s getting more personal.
  In light of recent sexual assault claims against film producer Harvey Weinstein, actress Alyssa Milano tweeted Sunday encouraging everyone who has been sexually harassed or assaulted to write ‘me too’ in their status, to get
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!