Austin news

• Fisher-Price recalls infant motion seats due to fire hazard

  25-10-2017 23:49 via kxan.com
  EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WCMH) — Fisher-Price is recalling more than 60,000 Soothing Motion Seats after dozens of reports of the product overheating, including one incident of a fire in the device.
  According to the CPSC, nearly 63,000 of the infant seats are being recalled due to the fire hazard.
  Fisher-Price has received 36 reports of the infant seat overheating, with one instance where there was a fire in the motor housing.
  The recall involves Fisher-Price Soothing Motions Seats with model num
  
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• Actress accuses George H.W. Bush of touching her from behind

  25-10-2017 23:18 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A television actress has accused former President George H.W. Bush of touching her from behind while she was posing for a photo alongside him and telling her a dirty joke.
  People magazine reports Heather Lind said in a now-deleted Instagram post that the incident took place while she was posing for a photo with Bush during a promotional tour for her AMC series “TURN: Washington’s Spies.”
  Lind appears alongside the 93-year-old Bush, who’s seated in
  
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• Not at home? Amazon wants to come in and drop off packages

  25-10-2017 22:47 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Don’t want Amazon boxes sitting on the porch? The company hopes you’ll let a stranger inside to drop them off.
  Amazon said Wednesday it’ll launch a service called Amazon Key next month that will let people allow the door to be unlocked when they’re not there so packages can be left inside.
  The proposal drew plenty of humorous reactions on social media, as well as concerns about safety or delivery employees being mistaken for intruders. Amazon said th
  
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• San Marcos man stabbed five times trying to stop robbery

  25-10-2017 22:18 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – Some are calling a San Marcos man a hero after he helped stop an aggravated robbery in downtown San Marcos last month. However, when he stepped in he was stabbed five times.
  Mason Ellis tells KXAN he and a woman he met the night of Sept. 30 had just left a bar when two men started hassling her. He says one of the men grabbed the woman’s wallet and took off.
  “The other guy, the one who eventually stabbed me, I grabbed him and wouldn’t let him go.
  
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• Woman attacked in Halloween corn maze by man posing as employee

  25-10-2017 22:05 via kxan.com
  LITTLETON, Colo. (KUSA) — Police in Littleton, Colorado are investigating a terrifying assault inside a Halloween corn maze.
  A woman claims she was assaulted by a masked man posing as an employee inside the maze.
  The woman was visiting the Chatfield Corn Maze when a man in all black, wearing a white mask, jumped out from the corn stalks and demanded she dance with him, touch him, or kiss him in order to pass.
  The victim told police she was walking through the corn maze around 8:30 p.m. Sat
  
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• Lumber Liquidators plans $36M settlement in flooring cases

  25-10-2017 21:18 via kxan.com
  TOANO, Va. (AP) — Lumber Liquidators has agreed to a $36 million settlement to resolve claims brought on behalf of people who bought Chinese-manufactured laminate flooring reported to contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde.
  The Virginia-based company said Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding to settle all claims in two class-action lawsuits filed in the Eastern District of Virginia.
  Lumber Liquidators will pay $22 million in cash and provide $14 million in store-credit v
  
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• Best Buy to open early for new Super Mario Odyssey game

  25-10-2017 21:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A few dozen Best Buy stores across Texas will open early Thursday, Oct. 26 for the release of the anticipated video game, Super Mario Odyssey.
  Texas stores will open at 11 p.m. These are the stores in Central Texas that will be open:
  Cedar Park
  Austin – Mueller location
  Austin – Gateway Center location
  Round Rock
  San Marcos
  Austin – Southpark Meadows location
  Best Buy warns that some stores might have gamers waiting in line to get their hands on the new ga
  
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• Rep. Byron Cook won’t seek re-election

  25-10-2017 20:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, announced Wednesday he will not be running for re-election.
  Cook’s announcement comes the same day House Speaker Joe Straus also said he would not seek another term in office. 
  Cook was one of a dozen Republicans members who teamed up with Democrats in 2009 to propel Joe Straus to the top spot in the Texas House. Since then, he’s been a major supporter of policies put forward by Straus.
  In the 2017 legislative sessi
  
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• Astros fans ask Texas governor not to tweet during World Series

  25-10-2017 19:38 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Houston Astros fans are begging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to keep away from Twitter — at least until the World Series is over.
  Fans accuse the governor of jinxing the team two years ago, when his official account tweeted out congratulations to the Astros for advancing to the division series. The only problem? They didn’t win — and the Kansas City Royals went on to be World Series Champions.
  The governor tweeted from his personal Twitter account shortly after,
  
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• Wedding ring found under mounds of cardboard

  25-10-2017 19:36 via kxan.com
  BROWNWOOD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — Employees at the city of Brownwood landfill came to the rescue Tuesday morning, finding a wedding ring that had been recycled in 1,400 pounds of cardboard.
  Landfill supervisor Todd Thompson and his team jumped into action after receiving a phone call that a 30-year-old diamond ring may have been lost.
  1,400 pounds of baled cardboard was sifted through before the ring was found, but their mission was ultimately a success and the ring was reunited with the
  
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• Man accused of killing, eating girlfriend deemed incompetent

  25-10-2017 19:17 via kxan.com
  JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body isn’t mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.
  Clark County Circuit Court Judge Vicki Carmichael deemed 36-year-old Joseph Oberhansley incompetent after hearing testimony from three doctors who evaluated him.
  Prosecutors allege that Oberhansley broke into the Jeffersonville home of his 46-year-old ex-girlfriend, Tammy Jo Blanton, in September 2014, and that
  
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• Bond company offering $10K reward for missing murder suspect

  25-10-2017 19:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The bail bondsman who put up the $250,000 bail amount for a murder suspect who is now missing is offering a $10,000 reward for his capture.
  Kevin Michael Waguespack, 34, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Catherine Dyer, in their north Austin home on Nov. 16, 2015. His murder trial was scheduled to start on Monday, Oct. 23, but when he failed to show up at a final pre-trial hearing on Thursday, Oct. 19, the judge presiding over the case issued a warrant for his arre
  
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• Texas House Speaker Joe Straus will not run for reelection

  25-10-2017 17:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a major shift in the Texas Legislature, longtime Texas House Speaker Joe Straus announced Wednesday morning he is not seeking reelection.
  Straus, R-San Antonio, ran for the Texas House in 2005 and has been serving as the House speaker since January 2009.
  In a letter to his constituents, Straus says, “In every legislative session, I’ve tried to bring real solutions to real challenges.” He notes that even as “politics has become more tribal and divi
  
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• After partisan year, Speaker Joe Straus not seeking reelection

  25-10-2017 17:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a major shift in the Texas Legislature, longtime Texas House Speaker Joe Straus announced Wednesday morning he is not seeking reelection.
  Straus, R-San Antonio, ran for the Texas House in 2005 and has been serving as the House speaker since January 2009.
  In a letter to his constituents, Straus says, “In every legislative session, I’ve tried to bring real solutions to real challenges.” He notes that even as “politics has become more tribal and divi
  
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• Fats Domino, rock ‘n’ roll pioneer has died at age 89

  25-10-2017 17:15 via kxan.com
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Fats Domino, the amiable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honoring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died. He was 89.
  Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes early Tuesday.
  In appearance, he was no matinee idol. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a hai
  
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• Fats Domino, New Orleans rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, dies at 89

  25-10-2017 17:15 via kxan.com
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Fats Domino, the amiable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honoring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died. He was 89.
  Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes early Tuesday.
  In appearance, he was no matinee idol. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a hai
  
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• Fats Domino dies at 89; gave rock music a New Orleans flavor

  25-10-2017 17:15 via kxan.com
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Fats Domino, the amiable rock ‘n’ roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honoring the traditions of the Crescent City, has died. He was 89.
  Mark Bone, chief investigator with the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, coroner’s office, said Domino died of natural causes early Tuesday.
  In appearance, he was no matinee idol. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a hai
  
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• Man accused of causing his boyfriend’s death found guilty of assault

  25-10-2017 17:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On its second day of deliberations, a jury found 22-year-old Bryan Canchola not guilty of aggravated assault but guilty of a lesser assault charge in the death of his boyfriend at their West Campus apartment in 2015.
  On Monday, the judge dismissed Canchola’s murder and aggravated assault with serious bodily injury charges, reportedly because of disputed testimony from the medical examiner.
  Stephen Sylvester, 18, died after a fight with Canchola following a night of dr
  
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• Hundreds get refunds on too-high Austin Water bills

  25-10-2017 16:44 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Water customers could get 100 percent refunds on unexplained water bill overages if a new amendment passes Austin City Council. Since the refund program was implemented last year, 581 customers have had a total of $150,000 refunded under the current high water bill adjustment program, which can pay back about 70 percent of overage charges.
  Council Member Ellen Troxclair introduced the program in 2016 after receiving numerous complaints from constituents about un
  
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• Newborn girl found in north Austin apartment dumpster

  25-10-2017 15:46 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A newborn girl was found in a dumpster in North Austin Wednesday morning.
  The dumpster was near the Mira Vista apartment complex in the 9600 block of Middle Fiskville Road. Austin police say they responded to a check welfare call around 6:55 a.m. after a passerby spotted the infant.
  Austin-Travis County EMS transported the baby to Dell Children’s Medical Center in critical condition.
  The APD Child Abuse Unit is investigating. Officials could be seen photographing the
  
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• ‘I just started crying hysterically:’ Woman details baby’s rescue from dumpster

  25-10-2017 15:46 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A newborn girl was found in a dumpster in north Austin Wednesday morning and now police are trying to piece together what happened. In an afternoon press conference, Austin police said the child is in fair condition.
  The dumpster was located at the Mira Vista Apartment located at 9601 Middle Fiskville Rd., which is near Rundberg Lane. Austin police say they responded to a check welfare call around 6:55 a.m. after a passerby spotted the infant. A witness who saw the baby tel
  
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• The Latest: Royal Jordanian also to screen travelers to US

  25-10-2017 15:00 via kxan.com
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on new security measures on U.S.-bound flights from the Middle East (all times local):
  5:30 p.m.
  Jordan’s national carrier says it will implement new security procedures on U.S.-bound flights in mid-January, at the request of U.S. aviation authorities.
  Basel Kilani, a spokesman for Royal Jordanian, said on Wednesday that the airline will submit questions to passengers before check-in.
  Kilani says he doesn’t know what types of questi
  
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• The Latest: New security measures apply to all flights to US

  25-10-2017 15:00 via kxan.com
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on new security measures on U.S.-bound flights from the Middle East and elsewhere (all times local):
  7:15 p.m.
  A U.S. government spokeswoman says new security measures on incoming flights to America from abroad “will impact all flights.”
  Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that affects the approximately 2,100 flights arriving daily to America.
  She
  
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• The Latest: Air France to start interviews on US flights

  25-10-2017 15:00 via kxan.com
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on new security measures on U.S.-bound flights from the Middle East (all times local):
  4 p.m.
  Air France says it will begin new security interviews of passengers on U.S.-bound flights.
  The airline says it will start the new procedures on Thursday at Paris Orly Airport and a week later, on Nov. 2, at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
  Air France said on Wednesday that the extra screening will take the form of a questionnaire handed over to “100 pe
  
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• Coca-Cola profit rise 38 percent, on higher Sprite demand

  25-10-2017 14:58 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA (AP) — Coca-Cola’s third-quarter profit rose 38 percent as it sold more Sprite and bottled tea and coffee drinks in the U.S.
  The Atlanta company has been diversifying its drinks and lowering the sugar in its sodas to try to adapt to changing tastes. During the quarter, the company relaunched Coca-Cola Zero in the U.S. as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and it bought Mexican sparkling water brand Topo Chico. However, Coca-Cola said Wednesday sales volume of sugar-free Diet Coke and its v
  
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• White House welcomes Senate vote killing consumer rule

  25-10-2017 14:52 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is welcoming a congressional measure killing the ability of millions of Americans to band together to sue bank or credit card companies to resolve financial disputes in a major win for Wall Street.
  The Senate narrowly voted late Tuesday night to nullify the rule, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the final vote to break a 50-50 tie. The measure now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.
  “President Donald J. Trump applauds the Congress
  
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• Senate GOP votes to repeal consumer rule

  25-10-2017 14:52 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — In a further rollback of Obama-era regulations, the Republican-led Senate voted narrowly to repeal a banking rule that would have allowed consumers to join together to sue their bank or credit card company to resolve financial disputes.
  Vice President Mike Pence cast the final vote late Tuesday to break a 50-50 tie. The banking industry had been lobbying hard to roll back the regulation from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The bureau had moved to ban most types
  
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• La Grange businesses still recovering from Harvey get help from business adviser

  25-10-2017 14:10 via kxan.com
  LA GRANGE, Texas (KXAN) — Businesses in Fayette County are still struggling to reopen two months after Hurricane Harvey brought the worst flooding the city of La Grange has seen in more than a century.
  Even those that didn’t flood or have direct damage as a result of the storm might see the effects for months or years to come, the city’s economic development office said. Tuesday an adviser with a small business support office in Central Texas was in La Grange to meet with hurti
  
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• Hurricane Harvey dogs take a plane to new homes

  25-10-2017 13:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens of dogs are hopping on a plane in Austin Wednesday morning, bound for new homes across the country.
  These pups were displaced following Hurricane Harvey. Wings of Rescue is taking these adoptable pets to no-kill shelters in other areas of the U.S.
  Austin-based Tito’s Handmade Vodka is raising money to support the effort to get these dogs new homes. It plans to match donations up to $12,500 to specifically help the dogs affected by Hurricane Harvey. People can m
  
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• IDEA opening new schools as enrollment drops for some public schools

  25-10-2017 13:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting next school year parents will have more choices for where they can send their child to learn. IDEA Public Schools will open four new schools for the 2018-2019 school year, IDEA Academy and College Prep Pflugerville and schools by the same names in Kyle. It will be the first ever charter school in Kyle.
  Students in kindergarten through second and sixth grade will be admitted for next fall and then each year after that IDEA will add a grade level. Each school ha
  
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• Lake Worth 6-month-old girl found safe after AMBER Alert

  25-10-2017 12:33 via kxan.com
  LAKE WORTH, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities found a baby last seen in the Fort Worth area.
  Lake Worth Police Department says Aryana Dawn Creech is safe. She is about 13 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jean pants and a black shirt that says “Daddy Did My Hair” in pink writing.
  Police believed she was with David Alan Derleth, 29. He’s white, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a tattoo of a swastika with the date 1488 on his right arm. He&rsqu
  
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• Lakeway mayor fined $500 after misrepresenting himself on Nextdoor

  25-10-2017 05:37 via kxan.com
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) — The mayor of Lakeway has been fined a civil penalty of $500 for encouraging people online — while using a fictitious name — to vote for specific candidates.
  According to a Texas Ethics Commission report online, commissioners met on Sept. 27 to go over the complaint that Bain misrepresented himself on political advertising or campaign communications.
  In April 2017, Bain posted multiple comments on the Nextdoor app using the pseudonym “John Smart&rdq
  
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• Dodgers grab 1-0 World Series lead over Astros

  25-10-2017 04:41 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (KXAN) — Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner hit a two-run home run off Dallas Kuechel in the bottom of the sixth inning surging Los Angeles to a 3-1 win over Houston.
  Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw went seven innings and allowed one earned run to help get LA to a 1-0 World Series lead. Astros starting pitcher Dallas Kuechel had a good outing, going six and two-thirds innings, but the Dodgers batters hit two homers to make the difference.
  Game two is Wednesday night a
  
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• Vista Ridge HS assistant band director quits after student relationship claim

  25-10-2017 03:09 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Allegations of an inappropriate relationship between an ex-assistant band director at Round Rock High School and a former student were reported to the school district earlier this month.
  In a letter to the Round Rock High community Tuesday, Principal Matt Groff said the relationship allegedly happened in 2012.
  The employee involved left the district at the end of the 2015-2016 school year to become the assistant band director for Vista Ridge High School in Leande
  
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• Austin ISD makes case for $1B bond at KXAN-hosted community debate

  25-10-2017 02:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With a billion dollars on the table, groups for and against Austin Independent School District’s largest bond proposal ever gathered at a community-wide debate to discuss the pros and cons of the bond.
  The debate was hosted in downtown Austin by KXAN as well as the Travis County Democratic Party and the Travis County Republican party.
  The district says the $1.05 billion bond will lead to 16 schools being modernized or built. AISD says every school in the dis
  
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• After Harvey, some legislators cite need for more federal help

  25-10-2017 02:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Many of the costs related to damage from Hurricane Harvey are still unknown and state lawmakers are continuing to meet with officials to discuss recovery efforts.
  “It has left people homeless,” said State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, in her opening remarks during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts Tuesday. “It has caused unprecedented damage and it will have lasting effects on our economy and our budget. However,
  
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• Gov. Abbott makes beer, wine wager with California governor on Astros outcome

  25-10-2017 01:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A six-pack of Houston-brewed beer and Texas BBQ will be going to California Gov. Jerry Brown, courtesy of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott if the Astros lose the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  But, if the Astros win, Abbott will be getting a selection of California wine from the Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino regions.
  Either way, Gov. Abbott says he will be making a donation to the recovery and relief efforts for the devastating wildfires in Northern California.
  California Gov.
  
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• Dawnna Dukes’ lawyers: we had the real story, prosecutors didn’t

  25-10-2017 00:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When the Travis County District’s Attorney’s Office dropped its entire case against State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, prosecutors say they would not have filed charges against her if they had known how the House Business Office conducted everyday business.
  Dukes’ lawyers tell KXAN they had proof she did not break Texas House rules despite the urging from investigators she did. Texas Rangers investigating the case in 2016 never received a sworn statement from Steve
  
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