Austin news

• Academy ready to sell Astros World Series gear *when* they win

  31-10-2017 23:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — T-shirts and baseball caps emblazoned with the Houston Astros as the 2017 World Series champs are ready for the public to buy… if they win Game 6 Tuesday night.
  Academy Sports and Outdoors says the unopened boxes of Astros Champion gear are in their stores just waiting to be opened! All the Astros have to do is win.
  If the Houston team wins in Game 6, all 31 Houston-area Academy stores will reopen after the game and stay open throughout the night so fans can get thei
  
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• Man critically injured after falling 30 ft. in south Austin

  31-10-2017 23:21 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was critically injured in a 30-foot fall near Interstate 35 and Ben White Boulevard.
  Medics with Austin-Travis County EMS were called to the 3500 block of South I-35 southbound and warned the incident was impacting traffic. Austin police say they were called to conduct a “check welfare” in the area around 4:38 p.m. Initial information indicates the person fell from the overpass onto the frontage road.
  The injured man was taken to South Austin Medical Cente
  
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• 2 suspects in deadly beating of Austinite in Greece fled to Serbia

  31-10-2017 22:52 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two suspects linked to the beating death of Austinite Bakari Henderson in Greece over the summer have fled to their native country of Serbia, according to a letter sent to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson from U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Congressman Michael McCaul, R-Austin.
  In the letter dated Oct. 31, the Texas lawmakers are urging Tillerson to utilize “all diplomatic means available to ensure that the aggressors do not escape justice.”
  Henderso
  
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• Why tolls could be the answer to traffic problems on I-35

  31-10-2017 22:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When we told you about the proposed toll lanes on Interstate 35, many of you reached out to us and asked, ‘Why more tolls?’
  Transportation advocate John Langmore, who has worked with Capital Metro and the Lone Star Rail, gives us an idea on how adding tolls lanes are a key to helping reduce delay.
  The overall goal is to have the proposed toll lanes run in each direction of I-35 from Ranch to Market 1431 in Round Rock to State Highway 45 SE near Buda. &ldquo
  
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• Widows of fallen officers could lose benefits if they remarry

  31-10-2017 21:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A proposition that is up for public vote in Texas would provide tax breaks for spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty, but those benefits would disappear if the widow remarries.
  Proposition 6, tied to Senate Joint Resolution 1, provides for “an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a first responder who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.” It is on
  
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• Buda increasing security at vandalized skate park

  31-10-2017 21:21 via kxan.com
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) – The city of Buda is increasing security and looking at the possibility of adding cameras to the Jackson Tyler Norris Memorial Skate Park after vandals have continually targeted the park over the past six months.
  “They’ve done severe damage to the restroom which we now have shut down. They actually took the porcelain toilet and pushed it off its foundation, they’ve broken in through the bathroom vents,” said Buda spokesperson David Mari
  
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• Truck driver hits people on bike path near World Trade Center

  31-10-2017 21:05 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Police are responding to a report of gunfire a few blocks from the World Trade Center site and memorial, and witnesses say a vehicle drove down a popular bike path and struck pedestrians and cyclists.
  NBC News is reporting multiple people have been killed in the incident.
  The New York Police Department posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody Tuesday.
  An Associated Press photographer on the scene saw at least one person lying motionless on the Manhattan bi
  
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• 8 killed in ‘cowardly act of terror’ near World Trade Center

  31-10-2017 21:05 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — A man in a rented truck drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring several others, NBC News reports. The driver was then shot by police after jumping out with what turned out to be two fake guns.
  The mayor of New York called the incident a “particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives.”
  The 29-year-old attacker was taken into custody. H
  
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• Paranormal investigator on Austin’s most haunted spots

  31-10-2017 20:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, you might want to call Austin Paranormal Investigations.
  Bill Pappin is part of the private professional group of researchers that looks into reports of strange activity, provides education on how to deal with various situations and also offers “cleansings” if needed. The group has about 20 members, ranging from mediums to skeptics.
  Pappin showed some of the paranormal detecting equipment, all of which he
  
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• Dozens of Dairy Queens to close after franchisee files for bankruptcy

  31-10-2017 19:08 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) — The parent company of dozens of Dairy Queen locations, including one in Central Texas, filed for bankruptcy on Monday.
  The Vasari LLC website listed more than 70 Dairy Queen locations, including one in Giddings, Texas.
  A call to the company headquarters revealed a recorded message saying the company filed for bankruptcy but the recording did not reveal much more. A look at court records made it clear the company is trying to find a way to stay in busi
  
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• President Trump, Vice President Pence portraits unveiled

  31-10-2017 18:47 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — It’s official — the White House released portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday.
  Both are wearing American flag pins and standing in front of a flag.
  The U.S. Government Publishing Office produced the photographs. They will be distributed to federal facilities across the United States so they can be displayed. The public will also be able to purchase their own copies of the portraits, but it is not known at this time wha
  
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• ‘All clear’ given at Texas State University after second bomb threat

  31-10-2017 18:28 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Texas State University police had to evacuate the LBJ Student Center on the campus in San Marcos after a second bomb threat was made Tuesday afternoon. It’s the site of a similar bomb threat Oct. 26.
  On Tuesday morning, the school said a threat was made to the center but by 12:40 p.m. the university said there was no threat. Then, it said it was evacuating the student center again around 1:38 p.m. out of an abundance of caution following another threat whic
  
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• Baby found with maggots in diaper, North Carolina couple charged

  31-10-2017 18:26 via kxan.com
  LEXINGTON, N.C. (WXII) — A couple in Lexington, N.C. has been charged with felony child abuse after maggots were found in the diaper of an 18-month-old baby.
  The baby was one of seven children in the care of 25-year-old Jamie Leigh Hiatt and 26-year old Michael Patrick McKnight. They were jailed on $100,000 bond each.
  According to Lexington police, officers performing a welfare check at a home last Friday discovered seven children all under the age of 6 that were malnourished and uncl
  
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• 10,000 arrests since Texas AG Criminal Investigations Division created

  31-10-2017 16:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Attorney General’s Office marked two milestones in the past month after its Criminal Investigations Division reached 10,000 arrests and 9,000 fugitive apprehensions.
  The Criminal Investigations Division began in 2003 and coordinates with various levels of law enforcement. Within that group is the Fugitive Apprehension Unit, which helps find convicted child sex offenders and also assists in tracking down missing and endangered runaway children.
  Attorney Gener
  
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• 5 things to know about Pyeongchang Winter Olympics next year

  31-10-2017 16:05 via kxan.com
  PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s sleepy skiing destination of Pyeongchang is finally looking like a Winter Olympics host city after more than a decade of work, two failed bids, and chapters of controversy over venue locations, construction delays and costs.
  With a little more than three months until the opening ceremony, workers are putting finishing touches on scenic skiing and sliding venues and high-rise athletes’ villages. Restaurants have popped up in empty fi
  
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• Warrant: Punished child forced to brush teeth with cat feces

  31-10-2017 15:49 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Investigators say a San Antonio-area couple punished their three young children by forcing one to brush her teeth with cat feces, using a shock collar as punishment and beating them with a thorny switch.
  Thirty-two-year-old James Chalkley and 22-year-old Cheyanne Chalkley were being held Tuesday on charges of injury to a child.
  James Chalkley is the father of a 3-year-old boy and two girls who are 5 and 10. Cheyanne Chalkley is their stepmother.
  Arrest warrants show a te
  
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• Bag of meth found among Halloween candy in Wisconsin

  31-10-2017 15:34 via kxan.com
  KESHENA, Wis. (KXAN/NBC) — A child’s trick-or-treat bag in Wisconsin contained something much more dangerous than candy — a small amount of methamphetamine.
  The child’s mother went through the Halloween candy and found a small bag with yellow powder among the treats. She said her child brought it back after going trick-or-treating on the Menominee Indian Reservation over the weekend.
  The child did not eat any of the meth, and police are investigating.
  Officials say it&rsq
  
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• Severe water main break shuts down San Marcos road

  31-10-2017 15:12 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A severe water main break in San Marcos could potentially close roads in the area for a day, according to the city.
  The main broke around 5 a.m. on East Sessom Drive between Ed J L Green Drive and Aquarena Springs Drive. Crews shut off the water in less than 30 minutes, but all four lanes of the road were affected.
  The city said water service for customers shouldn’t be affected.
  Officials are working to determine what caused the break, but they say the area
  
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• Tokyo police find multiple bodies in apartment, arrest man

  31-10-2017 13:58 via kxan.com
  TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo police have arrested a man after finding “multiple” dismembered bodies in coolers in his apartment in a city southwest of the capital.
  The 27-year-old suspect, Takahiro Shiraishi, confessed to cutting up the bodies after killing the victims and hiding them in cold-storage cases covered with cat litter, a police spokesman said Tuesday. Shiraishi said he did that to hide the evidence, police said.
  Investigators found the bodies while searching for a 23-year-old
  
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• Which one’s right? Burger emoji sparks online toppings debate

  31-10-2017 13:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN/CNN) — Some say there’s a right way to stack a burger — and then there’s Google’s way.
  An emoji of a hamburger is sparking a fierce debate online, because Google’s version differs in one particular way from all others: it shows the cheese beneath the patty, instead of on top.I think we need to have a discussion about how Google's burger emoji is placing the cheese underneath the burger, while Apple puts it on top pic.twitter.com/PgXmCkY3Yc
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• Popular Austin graffiti art scares up playful imitation

  31-10-2017 12:55 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Many people take photos of their costumes before they go trick or treating — but some may want to save a few snaps for a yard that’s the perfect place for a picture.
  A couple from Leander is keeping Halloween weird with an “I Scare You So Much” decoration on its garage. It’s a play on the popular “I Love You So Much” mural on Congress Avenue in Austin.
  Dan McDorman reached out to KXAN with this photo op, and said the yard is also de
  
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• Austin man’s all-out Halloween decorations a labor of love for the holiday

  31-10-2017 12:06 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Decorating for Halloween can be a full-time job — at least it has been recently for a man in northwest Austin.
  Eleven months out of the year, Robert Baker’s yard is what you’d expect to find in a quiet neighborhood near U.S. 183 north of S.H. 360. The month of October, Baker transforms it into his graveyard and mortuary. Over the years he’s stocked up around a hundred skeletons, demons and zombies that move, light up and make ghoulish noises.
  Now, as
  
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• Vacant for one year: city manager candidates begin interviews

  31-10-2017 11:35 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in more than one year, Austin city council will begin interviewing candidates for city manager. Former city manager Marc Ott announced in August of 2016 he would resign to take a job in Washington, D.C., and left his office at Austin City Hall on Oct. 30.
  According to the search firm hired by the city, Russell Reynolds Associates, between six and nine candidates will interview Tuesday and Thursday at City Hall for the job. However, city officials will not
  
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• APNewsBreak: Lost sailors did not activate emergency beacon

  31-10-2017 11:19 via kxan.com
  HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that the two Hawaii women who say they were lost at sea never activated their emergency beacon, adding to a growing list of inconsistences that cast doubt on the women’s harrowing tale of survival.
  U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Scott Carr told The Associated Press that their review of the incident and subsequent interviews with the survivors revealed that they had the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) aboard but
  
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• People in T-Rex costumes stampede down Nashville streets

  31-10-2017 04:24 via kxan.com
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WCMH) – For the second year in a row, people wearing dinosaur costumes took to the streets for the “T-Rex Stampede.”
  The annual event took place Saturday afternoon in Nashville, WTVF reported.
  An organizer said the event started as a social media joke, but it quickly gained interest. Now, it could be a new tradition.
  Around 25 people participated in Saturday’s stampede.
  Once they got to the end of the stampede, runners hopped out of their dinosaur c
  
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• Z’Tejas files for bankruptcy and closes one Austin location

  31-10-2017 03:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The owner of Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after closing one restaurant in Austin and three others in Arizona.
  Cornbread Ventures, LP, the restaurant chain’s owner, said in a statement Monday they intend to restructure their balance sheet, reorganize and enhance their operations in Phoenix and Austin.
  The locations at the Arboretum and Sixth Street in Austin will remain open, the company said, but the Avery Ranch location at 1052
  
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• Judge reinstates 6-game suspension for Cowboys’ Elliott

  31-10-2017 03:50 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge cleared the way Monday night for the NFL to enforce a six-game suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott over domestic violence allegations.
  U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla denied the request for a preliminary injunction from players’ union attorneys working for Elliott. Failla put the ruling on hold for 24 hours to give Elliott’s legal team time to appeal, a likely move.
  It’s the second time a federal ruling has o
  
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• Can Texas football get a signature win?

  31-10-2017 03:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns moved back to even for the season at 4-4 after a win at Baylor. Do they have a chance this week against TCU? The KXAN sports crew discusses the weekend that was in college football.
  
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• No injuries reported in southeast Austin apartment fire

  31-10-2017 01:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Residents of a southeast Austin apartment building were evacuated Monday evening after a fire broke out on the first floor.
  The Austin Fire Department was called to 2425 Elmont Dr., near South Pleasant Valley Road and East Riverside Drive, at 7:26 p.m.
  A KXAN photographer at the scene says the residents of an adjacent building were evacuated due to smoke from the fire.
  AFD said the fire has been put out and no injuries have been reported.
  KXAN will update this story as we g
  
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• Starting quarterback up in the air for TCU

  31-10-2017 01:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Again Tom Herman is faced with a starting quarterback decision. Again the Texas head coach doesn’t have to divulge which player will get the first snaps against TCU.
  Sam Ehlinger has been cleared for practice after recovering from a concussion in the Oklahoma State game. Shane Buechele guided the Texas offense to its fourth win of the season Saturday at Baylor, throwing for 256 yards accounting for 2 total touchdowns.
  Each quarterback’s tallied two wins thi
  
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• HOA law loophole leaves some homeowners powerless

  31-10-2017 00:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- New neighborhoods are popping up across Central Texas at a staggering rate. Many of the new neighborhoods have homeowners associations that offer you amenities and help you preserve your home's value. However, a KXAN Investigation uncovered there is a loophole in the Texas law that keeps homeowners from having control of their HOA.
  Reinna Ortega and her family live in Bradshaw Crossing in south Austin. The mother of two worries her sons, Jonas and Jason, will get hurt when
  
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• Violation notices sent to 127 Texas businesses accused of gouging during Harvey

  31-10-2017 00:29 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Violation notices from the Texas Attorney General’s Office have been sent to 127 Texas businesses accused of price gouging during Hurricane Harvey
  All of the consumer complaints involve gas stations that allegedly charged $3.99 or higher for a gallon of unleaded gasoline or diesel, according to Attorney General Ken Paxton.
  “At the outset of Harvey, I made it clear that my office would not tolerate price gouging of vulnerable Texans by any individuals or business
  
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• TX Attorney General releases names of 127 stores accused of Harvey price gouging

  31-10-2017 00:29 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It took a formal request under the Public Information Request Act to see the names of the 127 gas stations accused of jacking up gas prices during Hurricane Harvey. The state Attorney General’s Office has now released that information to KXAN.
  The AG sent formal violation letters to the stores, accusing each of price gouging gas prices during the time Harvey hit the Texas coast in August. The letters allow the businesses the chance to “resolve” the allegat
  
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• Future of Obamacare will depend on how many people enroll

  31-10-2017 00:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Open enrollment begins Wednesday for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Whether you’re on the federal marketplace or covered through an employer, Medicaid or Medicare, this year’s enrollment is already impacting your costs.
  At this point, the future of Obamacare might not be decided in Congress, but by the people who enroll after Wednesday.
  While Republicans didn’t end Obamacare, they did cut 90 percent of the funding for outreach and marketing. In
  
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• Plans for revamped I-35 include 4 toll lanes, getting rid of decks

  31-10-2017 00:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — New improvements may be coming to Interstate 35, including through the downtown corridor.
  On Monday, Texas Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin, along with TxDOT representatives announced new plans to address congestion and mobility issues along the highway. The project is called “Capital Express” and includes reconstruction and the lowering of I-35.
  The project looks to add two managed express lanes in each direction for 33 miles of I-35 from Ranch to Market 1431 in R
  
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• State funds for child therapy programs have fallen nearly $20M since 2011

  31-10-2017 00:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Adriana Peek remembers what went through her mind a year ago as she was taking care of her son Nathan.
  “As a mom, I just knew something was not quite like with my other son so when the diagnosis came, we had already worked so hard with so many therapists that I just knew I was in good hands,” Peek said.
  Doctors diagnosed Nathan with cerebral palsy. Peek says the state helps Nathan with getting Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services from Any Baby Can.
  &ldquo
  
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