Austin news

• SWAT call near South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse ends with 2 in custody

  07-11-2017 23:47 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The SWAT team was called to the 1100 block of South Lamar Boulevard, in the same area of the Alamo Drafthouse theater and Lamar Union apartment and retail complex.
  Austin police were called at 2:19 p.m. Tuesday for a barricaded man and the situation remained “very active” for several hours, a police spokesperson said. Officers say no one was injured in the incident and, as of around 7 p.m., two people had been taken into custody.
  The incident began with police s
  
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• Drivers reporting long backups to MoPac from Winstead Lane after restriping

  07-11-2017 23:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three weeks ago, southbound lanes of North MoPac were re-striped at Lady Bird Lake to accommodate traffic exiting from the new express lane. As express lane drivers got their own lane, incoming drivers from Winsted Lane lost their dedicated lane — forcing them to merge into traffic and adding to the evening commute.
  Drivers say the driver to the main lanes of MoPac from Enfield Road or Winsted Lane has never been a dream, but now it’s a nightmare.
  “It
  
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• Texas CB Holton Hill suspended for remainder of season

  07-11-2017 23:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas junior defensive back Holton Hill has been suspended for the rest of the 2017 season for a violation of team rules. The school announced the decision Tuesday afternoon, adding Hill will be allowed to participate in practice and is still a member of the team.
  Hill was having the best season of his Longhorn career with two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns) and six pass break-up’s in nine games. Hill was second on the team in tackles with 51 trailing onl
  
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• Motorcyclist killed in southeast Austin on Sunday identified

  07-11-2017 22:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 26-year-old motorcyclist killed in southeast Austin on Sunday has been identified by the Austin Police Department.
  The crash happened around 2:19 a.m. on Nov. 5 in a neighborhood across State Highway 71 from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
  Police say Zachary Ryan Alexander-Ball was riding his Yamaha motorcycle north on Thornberry Road at a high rate of speed that morning. When he came up to a sharp curve turning east onto Crozier Lane, police said Alexander-Ball
  
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• Trail of blood led investigators to mother of newborn left in dumpster

  07-11-2017 22:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother of the newborn baby girl found in a dumpster two weeks ago has been arrested and identified by police.
  Althea Johnson, 27, was arrested Tuesday morning and is facing a charge of abandoning a child, a second-degree felony. Her bail is set at $60,000.
  The newborn was found in a dumpster at the Mira Vista Apartment at 9601 Middle Fiskville Rd., near Rundberg Lane, around 6:55 a.m. on Oct. 25 by a man who was dumpster diving. The man told police when he heard cr
  
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• Mother of newborn girl found in north Austin dumpster arrested

  07-11-2017 22:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother of the newborn baby girl found in a dumpster two weeks ago has been arrested and identified by police.
  Althea Johnson, 27, was arrested Tuesday morning and is facing a charge of abandoning a child, a second-degree felony.
  The newborn was found in a dumpster at the Mira Vista Apartment at 9601 Middle Fiskville Rd., near Rundberg Lane, around 6:55 a.m. on Oct. 25.
  A witness said the umbilical cord was still attached to the baby. The girl, who was initially rushed t
  
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• Pitcher Roy Halladay dies in Gulf of Mexico plane crash

  07-11-2017 22:30 via kxan.com
  HOLIDAY, Fla. (AP) — Authorities have confirmed that former Major League Baseball pitcher Roy Halladay died in a small plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida.
  Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said during a news conference that Halladay’s ICON A5 went down about noon Tuesday near Holiday, Florida.
  The sheriff’s office marine unit responded to the downed plane and found Halladay’s body. No survivors were found.
  They said they couldn’t confirm if th
  
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• Round Rock teen accused of robbing Austin bank was identified by his mother

  07-11-2017 22:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 18-year-old who police say robbed a north Austin bank last week while wearing a donut-print hoodie was arrested after being identified by his mother.
  Maxwell Chase Harding-Stanley has been charged with robbery by threat, a second-degree felony.
  Harding-Stanley, of Round Rock, is accused of robbing the Chase Bank at 9901 N. Lamar Blvd. in Austin — just north of Rundberg Lane — at 5:55 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3.
  According to an arrest warrant, he approached a tel
  
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• Your driver license information is being sold by the state for a profit

  07-11-2017 22:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Identity theft hit an all-time high in 2016 with about 1 in every 16 U.S. adults being a victim according to one recent study. But it's not always hackers trolling the dark web who are the biggest threat to your personal data being released.
  A KXAN Investigation discovered it’s our own state government that’s giving out the most important key to unlocking the rest of your personal information. And it's an easy cash stream for the state, bringing in $2.7 million
  
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• State selling your identity despite laws against it

  07-11-2017 22:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Identity theft hit an all-time high in 2016 with about 1 in every 16 U.S. adults being a victim according to one recent study. But it's not always hackers trolling the dark web who are the biggest threat to your personal data being released.
  A KXAN Investigation discovered it’s our own state government that’s giving out the most important key to unlocking the rest of your personal information. And it's an easy cash stream for the state, bringing in $2.7 million
  
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• Church shooter escaped mental health facility, threatened Air Force command

  07-11-2017 20:31 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police reports show Sutherland Springs church shooter Devin Kelley escaped from a mental health facility shortly after the military charged him with assault against his then-wife and stepson.
  KPRC requested copies of the report, which showed Kelley was picked up by El Paso officers at a bus terminal in downtown El Paso, Texas on June 13, 2012. He had been living at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico at the time, which is about 94 miles away.
  Kelley escaped from Peak Beha
  
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• VIDEO: Dollar General cashier shot during robbery in Dallas

  07-11-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  DALLAS, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Dallas are releasing surveillance video of a suspect who they say shot and killed a Dollar General cashier during a robbery.
  The robbery happened at the Dollar General located on Sunnyvale Street in south Dallas on Monday, Nov. 6. Police say the suspect came into the store around 7 p.m. and demanded money from the cashier.
  At the time, the cashier pulled out the cash register drawer and handed it over to the suspect. The robber fired one shot, which struck
  
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• ‘Bad Santa’ faces drug charges after caught with crack pipe, needle, police say

  07-11-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  SOUTH HACKENSACK, NJ (WCMH) – Police in New Jersey arrested a 66-year Santa Claus impersonator on drug charges.
  Police said Charles R. Smith’s crack pipe and Santa costume were in plain view when Smith was pulled over for a traffic violation, the Hackensack Daily Voice reported.
  A search of the vehicle revealed a syringe and used bags of crack and heroin, according to police.
  “This is the guy who has our kids sitting on his lap,” Capt. Robert Kaiser told the Dai
  
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• Forget the electronics, gift a keg of ranch for Christmas!

  07-11-2017 20:07 via kxan.com
  (WATE) – Are you one of those people who put ranch dressing on, well, everything? You won’t get any judgment from Hidden Valley!
  Forget the high-priced electronics this year. The dressing maker has a plethora of ranch dressing-themed holiday gifts you can buy for the salad dressing, pizza-dipping, wing-loving, ranch-on-everything person in your life.
  Included on the gift list are a Hidden Valley ugly Christmas sweater ($40), a Hidden Valley ranch fountain with skirt and the gift
  
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• Memorials grow in Sutherland Springs

  07-11-2017 19:56 via kxan.com
  SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Memorials to the 26 lives lost in Sunday’s church massacre continue to grow as friends, family and total strangers bring cards, flowers, balloons and other tokens. Memorial grows in Sutherland Springs SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TX - NOVEMBER 06:Twenty-six crosses stand in a field on the edge of town to honor the 26 victims killed at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs on November 6, 2017 in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Yesterday a gunman, Devin Pa
  
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• FBI having trouble unlocking suspected church shooter’s phone

  07-11-2017 19:42 via kxan.com
  SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — The suspected gunman’s cell phone is proving tricky to unlock, but law enforcement officials hope it provides new details into his plans and state of mind before he opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
  Officials are 48 hours into their investigation, and have completed searches and scene processing of alleged shooter Devin Kelley‘s vehicle as well as his New Braunfels home. They expect to finish processing the “massive&r
  
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• Guest pastor and extended family of 8 died in church shooting

  07-11-2017 19:36 via kxan.com
  SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Since Pastor Frank Pomeroy was out of town, Bryan Holcombe filled in as guest pastor at First Baptist Chuch of Sutherland Springs on Sunday, Nov. 6.
  Holcombe’s wife, Karla, was in attendance as well as their children and grandchildren. A total of nine people from the extended Holcombe family, who are all from the nearby town of Floresville, were at the church.
  Bryan and Karla Holcombe’s two sons, Danny (Marc) Holcombe and John Holcombe were th
  
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• UT’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon suspended after hazing complaints

  07-11-2017 19:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity chapter at the University of Texas at Austin has been suspended due to “health-and-safety concerns” according to the national chapter of the organization.
  The charter for Texas Rho also failed to adhere to the national organization’s standards and expectations. The national chapter says the suspension will last until the current membership has graduated or for at least four years, depending on which comes first.
  UT’
  
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• Funeral set for DPS trooper killed in crash on I-35

  07-11-2017 17:06 via kxan.com
  TEMPLE, Texas (KXAN/KWKT) — Funeral services for a DPS trooper killed while working a traffic stop has been set for later this week.
  Trooper Thomas Nipper, 63, died on Saturday when a driver in a pickup truck slammed into the back of his patrol car, a Dodge Charger, while he was sitting in it. DPS says Nipper had pulled over a Mazda passenger car on southbound Interstate 35 near mile 296 — near US Highway 290 in Temple, Texas when he was hit around 3:05 p.m.
  The passenger in the
  
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• Man accused of killing Hutto police officer faces murder trial

  07-11-2017 16:35 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — More than two years after Hutto Police Sgt. Chris Kelley was killed in the line of duty while chasing after a suspect, the man who authorities say killed him is facing a Williamson County jury.
  Colby Ray Williamson’s, 29, murder trial started Monday with jury selection. Opening arguments started Tuesday morning in Judge Rick Kennon’s court. The Williamson County District Attorney’s says a grand jury decided to not pursue capital murder charges a
  
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• Vice President Mike Pence to speak in Austin

  07-11-2017 15:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Vice President Mike Pence will be in Austin in two weeks — to speak at the Republican Governor’s Association annual conference.
  The conference is an annual event where GOP governors from across the nation meet to talk about policy priorities and how Republicans are doing in their states. This year, they will also talk about the 36 gubernatorial elections coming up in 2018.
  Pence will be at the conference Nov. 15 as a featured speaker.
  Before being elected Vice P
  
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• Sia tweets nude photo in effort to thwart paparazzi

  07-11-2017 15:41 via kxan.com
  Famously photo-shy singer Sia has tweeted out a naked picture of herself after learning that someone was trying to sell nude paparazzi photos of her.
  Sia posted the blurry nude shot showing her behind Monday and added: “Someone is apparently trying to sell naked photos of me to my fans. Save your money, here it is for free.” The photo includes a watermark denoting it as a preview shot and has a message that says 14 additional photos would be made available if purchased.
  The Australia
  
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• TCU issues campus alert after shooting involving shuttle bus drivers

  07-11-2017 14:46 via kxan.com
  FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAN) — Texas Christian University is reporting an armed person on campus Tuesday morning.
  In a tweet sent out around 7:10 a.m., TCU told those nearby to “seek safe shelter immediately.” It said it would provide more updates.
  Fort Worth police told NBC affiliate KXAS that there was an argument between two shuttle bus drivers near campus, and one shot at the other. He missed, but did allegedly injure the other driver by bumping into him with his vehicle. The a
  
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• Church shooting survivor: ‘I could see bullets flying’

  07-11-2017 13:42 via kxan.com
  SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN/KXAS) — It was a typical Sunday of worship — until a gunman shattered the peace inside.  Roseanne Solis is one of the 20 people injured in a shooting at her church in Sutherland Springs. Twenty-six more didn’t make it.
  “I could see the bullets flying,” Solis told KXAS as she was recovering at home. She has bandages wrapped around her left shoulder.
  She ducked and crawled under a church pew when she heard the first gunshots. She&r
  
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• $10,000 reward in case of child found on Texas beach

  07-11-2017 13:04 via kxan.com
  GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — The FBI and Galveston police have offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification and location of relatives who were caring for an unidentified boy whose body was found on a Galveston beach more than two weeks ago.
  Authorities Monday gave the boy a name — “Little Jacob” — and say the focus of their investigation is identifying his family. He’s Hispanic, weighed about 30 pounds, 3 feet tall and between 3 a
  
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• In Seoul, Trump calls for North Korea to “make a deal”

  07-11-2017 12:51 via kxan.com
  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a striking shift of tone, President Donald Trump abandoned his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea on Tuesday, signaling a willingness to negotiate as he urged Pyongyang to “come to the table” and “make a deal.”
  Trump, in his first day on the Korean peninsula, again pushed Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but sidelined apocalyptic threats for an optimistic note, saying confidently, if vaguely, that “ultimately,
  
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• Election Day turnout expected to be dismal

  07-11-2017 12:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday is Election Day and if early voting numbers are a sign of interest in the election, the Travis County Clerk is predicting just 10-percent of the 727,000 registered voters will come to the polls.
  “On Election Day we typically double the amount of people who come for early voting,” says Dana DeBeauvoir, Travis County Clerk. “Since about 5.5 percent voted early, we’re expecting about double that on Election Day.”
  According to the League of
  
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• How a lapse in reporting allowed Devin Kelley to purchase firearms

  07-11-2017 05:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The U.S. Air Force is admitting it failed to properly notify federal law enforcement agencies of a felony domestic violence conviction for the man accused of shooting 26 people to death in a Sutherland Springs church Sunday morning.
  The Air Force, through a spokeswoman, released the admission in a statement to multiple news outlets late Monday. “Initial information indicated that Kelley’s domestic violence offense was not entered into the National Crime Informat
  
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• Air Force handling of church shooter’s criminal records allowed gun purchase

  07-11-2017 05:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The U.S. Air Force is admitting it failed to properly notify federal law enforcement agencies of a felony domestic violence conviction for the man accused of shooting 26 people to death in a Sutherland Springs church Sunday morning.
  The Air Force, through a spokeswoman, released the admission in a statement to multiple news outlets late Monday. “Initial information indicated that Kelley’s domestic violence offense was not entered into the National Crime Informat
  
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• H-E-B launches statewide checkstand donation campaign for church victims

  07-11-2017 04:36 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — H-E-B has launched a statewide donation campaign to help the families of those killed and injured in the Sutherland Springs church shooting.
  The grocery store chain is also donating $150,000 to the victims and their families.
  H-E-B and Central Market stores across Texas will, starting Monday, give customers the opportunity to make $1, $3, $5, $50 or $100 donations during checkout.
  The company says they will work through the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, w
  
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• ‘I want our water fixed’: Rockdale residents push city to fix ‘red water’

  07-11-2017 04:15 via kxan.com
  ROCKDALE, Texas (KXAN) — It’s what Danielle Donnelly-Kerlin calls a “good day”:
  “The water doesn’t smell as strong as normal and it’s clear,” she said.
  Donnelly-Kerlin has lived in Rockdale since she was a freshman in high school and can’t remember a time there wasn’t red water — what she calls “the bad days.”
  “It’s everywhere. I mean, you turn on the water faucet in the kitchen and it looks like coffe
  
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• Texas police sergeant found dead at headquarters with self-inflicted wound

  07-11-2017 03:08 via kxan.com
  SAN ANGELO, Texas (KMID) — San Angelo is mourning the loss of a police sergeant who was found dead Monday morning at the police department.
  According to a release from the SAPD, Sgt. Freddy Dietz Jr. was found dead around 10:41 a.m. at the police department with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
  The Texas Rangers are assisting in the investigation.
  Dietz’s body will be transported to Lubbock County Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
  “The Department is asking the members of the comm
  
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• Owner of TJ Maxx still paying employees in Puerto Rico despite closed stores

  07-11-2017 02:44 via kxan.com
  FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (WATE) — A retail company is getting a lot of praise for deciding to continue to pay employees in Puerto Rico even though its stores are closed.
  TJX Companies, Inc., the owner of Marshalls, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods, closed its stores due to hurricane devastation in the U.S. territory. The company’s Puerto Rico locations have been closed for at least six weeks.
  The company told the Boston Globe that workers at all of its 29 stores on the island are still recei
  
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• Mother believes she was the victim of another rock throwing on I-35

  07-11-2017 02:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Though it’s been more than a year since drivers on Interstate 35 have had to worry about rocks being thrown at them, one east Austin woman believes her car was hit by a rock thrown this past weekend.
  She tells KXAN News she was driving north on I-35 on Saturday near the 38 1/2 Street bridge when a large brown rock was catapulted toward her windshield. It struck her side mirror, leaving only a scratch and pushing it inward. But the impact was enough to freak out the mo
  
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• Crash involving alleged San Marcos stalker injures three young children

  07-11-2017 00:10 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A stalking incident in San Marcos led police on a high-speed chase to New Braunfels, ending in a crash that injured six people including the suspect, Monday morning.
  A woman called San Marcos police just after 9:30 a.m. and said Macleen William Trainor, 27, was stalking her daughter and was currently outside her workplace, Bonham Prekindergarten School.
  A responding officer, who saw the suspect vehicle near the school, learned from the woman that he had texted he
  
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• Man found guilty of killing transgender woman in 2016

  07-11-2017 00:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Travis County jury found JonCasey Rowell, 30, guilty in the murder of Monica Loera after deliberating for three hours. Loera, 43, was shot to death at her apartment in north Austin on Jan. 22, 2016.
  On the night of the shooting, police say Loera gave Rowell directions to her home because he had “forgotten his jacket,” according to an arrest affidavit.
  Loera’s roommate told police the man kept knocking on the door and Loera said she “was going
  
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