Austin news

• 1,000 employees evacuated after acid spill, fire in northwest Austin

  14-11-2017 23:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A hazmat situation initially described as an isolated, small chemical spill by the Austin Fire Department led to the evacuation of around 1,000 people at a company in northwest Austin.
  Firefighters were called to 3900 W. Howard Ln., just west of MoPac Expressway, at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities determined a 30-gallon container of acid was leaking and spilled inside a containment room. AFD says they worked with the company’s response team to mitigate the spill.
  
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• New video released of $100K in jewelry stolen from Dripping Springs store

  14-11-2017 23:40 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Newly released video by the Hays County Sheriff’s Office shows just how two suspects in the weekend robbery of a Dripping Springs jewelry store got away with more than $100,000 in stolen jewelry.
  Several camera angles show the suspects as they enter and walk through Vik’s Jewelers in a shopping center at 598 US 290, next to Rob Shelton Road, on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 3:23 p.m. The new video shows one of the suspects opening fire on
  
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• Texas Association of Business grades state senators, representatives

  14-11-2017 23:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state’s largest business organization released its rankings of Texas lawmakers. The report card was calculated based on the business impact of the votes recorded by each member of the Texas House and Senate.
  Twelve senators and 75 representatives “made the grade,” according to the Texas Association of Business. Only Rep. Oscar Longoria, D-Mission, received a 100 percent score.
  “Our biggest concern is that the business community hasn’t been
  
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• Texas State University president suspends all Greek activity following pledge’s death

  14-11-2017 20:35 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The death of a Texas State University sophomore may have been alcohol-related, police say.
  A university spokesperson says Matthew Ellis, 20, of Humble, Texas, died at an off-campus location. San Marcos police say Ellis’ friends called 911 around 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13 to report that he wasn’t breathing. When emergency crews arrived at the Millenium Apartments located at 1651 Post Rd. they found Ellis unresponsive and he was pronounced dead
  
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• Texas State fraternity pledge’s death may be alcohol-related

  14-11-2017 20:35 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The death of a Texas State University sophomore may have been alcohol-related, police say.
  A university spokesperson says Matthew Ellis, 20, of Humble, Texas, died at an off-campus location. San Marcos police say Ellis’ friends called 911 around 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 13 to report that he wasn’t breathing. When emergency crews arrived at the Millenium Apartments located at 1651 Post Rd. they found Ellis unresponsive and he was pronounced dead
  
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• School worksheet quizzed students on ‘boy toy,’ affairs

  14-11-2017 20:13 via kxan.com
  HOPEWELL, Va. (AP/WWBT) — Middle school students in a Virginia home economics class were mistakenly given a worksheet that quizzed them on what an extramarital affair is as well as “boy toy” and “trophy wife.”
  WWBT reported Monday that the teacher at the school outside Richmond, Virginia, had downloaded the worksheet from the internet. The superintendent for Hopewell schools said it was never part of the curriculum and not appropriate for middle school students. The
  
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• Homelessness Audit: Cities sued for ordinances similar to Austin’s

  14-11-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A newly released audit, scheduled to be presented to the Audit and Finance Committee Wednesday morning, reveals cities with similar ordinances related to homelessness have lawsuits on their hands.
  The lawsuits challenge the enforcement of city ordinances related to panhandling, camping and sit/lie because when shelters are full, people still need a place to stay. When shelters are full, the ordinances can create legal risks, the audit explains.
  The audit is the first in a s
  
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• Gov. Abbott to work with legislature to improve sexual harassment policies

  14-11-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott’s office told KXAN that he would work with the Texas legislature to make improvements to sexual harassment policy at the State Capitol.
  This comes after State Rep. Linda Koop, R-Dallas, sent Abbott a letter asking for changes because staff was not “fully educated as to where to report misconduct or harassment.”
  “Governor Abbott believes in and enforces a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to sexual harassment. No victim should
  
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• Austin’s ordinances on panhandling, camping could open city to lawsuits

  14-11-2017 20:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A newly released audit, scheduled to be presented to the Audit and Finance Committee Wednesday morning, reveals cities with similar ordinances related to homelessness have lawsuits on their hands.
  The lawsuits challenge the enforcement of city ordinances related to panhandling, camping and sit/lie because when shelters are full, people still need a place to stay. When shelters are full, the ordinances can create legal risks, the audit explains.
  The audit is the first in a s
  
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• Police: Five dead in Northern California shooting

  14-11-2017 19:51 via kxan.com
  CORNING, Calif. (AP/KCRA) — Authorities say five people, including the shooter, are dead after a shooting in rural Northern California.
  Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston says one child was shot at Rancho Tehama school in Corning, Calif. Tuesday and another was shot while riding in a pickup truck with a woman who was also wounded.
  The shooting started around 8 a.m. at a home and then moved to the school, NBC affiliate KCRA reported. That area is about 114 miles north of Sac
  
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• Police: Five dead, 10 wounded in Northern California shooting

  14-11-2017 19:51 via kxan.com
  CORNING, Calif. (AP) — The assistant sheriff in Northern California says a gunman opened fire “without provocation” in a rural town, killing four people and wounding 10, before police fatally shot him.
  Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston says investigators are trying to determine a motive in the shootings Tuesday in the small community of Tehama Ranch Reserve, which is approximately 140 miles north of Sacramento.
  Johnston says the gunman shot a person, stole a pi
  
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• Confederate monument plaque voted down by Williamson County Commissioners

  14-11-2017 19:16 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Williamson County Commissioners decided Tuesday not to install a plaque near a Confederate monument on the courthouse grounds.
  Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the statue’s unveiling on the south side of the old Williamson County Courthouse. It shows a man standing with a gun on a pedestal, and the base has “No braver patriots ever fought, no braver deeds were ever wrought” on the base. Nearby, a plaque refers to African Americans as &l
  
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• Circuit of the Americas to transform into Winter Wonderland this holiday season

  14-11-2017 19:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Instead of fast cars hitting the track at the Circuit of the Americas this holiday season, it’ll be a train that will take children to the North Pole.
  For the first time since COTA’s opening, the grounds will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland, complete with an ice skating rink, Santa’s workshop, a tunnel of lights and even a human snow globe. While there won’t be any reindeer on hand, there will be camel rides.
  Winter Wonderland opens on Dec. 1
  
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• Johnson City police chief suspended

  14-11-2017 18:27 via kxan.com
  JOHNSON CITY, Texas (KXAN) — The police chief in Johnson City has been suspended from his position due to a personnel issue.
  Mayor Dawn Capra confirms to KXAN that she suspended Chief of Police Randall Holland on Nov. 9 following a performance review. The suspension is for an undetermined amount of time.
  A search of the city council’s Nov. 7 agenda did not include any item regarding Holland or the chief of police position. Capra says it wasn’t on the agenda because the suspensi
  
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• ‘Glitch’ on US Sen. Cornyn’s website asked for Social Security Number

  14-11-2017 18:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A “glitch” on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s website asked visitors to enter their Social Security Number if they wanted to discuss an issue with the senator or get help with a federal agency.
  The personal information was being asked when users went to the “contact” section of the senator’s website. Early Tuesday morning, the fill-out form asked for the usual fields, including name, message, state, but then it also asked you to fi
  
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• Whataburger and YETI partner up in time for holiday gift shopping

  14-11-2017 17:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Many people may be amending their Christmas lists — two Texas-based companies are teaming up to create a very Texas gift just in time for the holidays.
  The 30-ounce YETI Ramblers look like Whataburger cups — but they can hold both hot and cold liquids. People can buy them on Whataburger’s website for $45.99.
  Whataburger started selling stainless steel mugs last year, but the company says fans told them that it would be even better if they were YETI-brand.
  
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• Mattress Mack, Dallas Cowboys giving back this Thanksgiving season

  14-11-2017 16:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — ‘Tis the season to give thanks — and give back. Well-known Texans are starting the holiday season off right by helping support their communities.
  In Houston, Galleria Furniture owner Mattress Mack — also known as Jim McIngvale — is hosting a free Thanksgiving lunch for its customers, neighbors and friends. According to its website, the meal will involve 2,450 pounds of turkey and 6,000 dinner rolls. It’s from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its North Free
  
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• Postal Service: Red ink for 11th year in row as mail slumps

  14-11-2017 16:56 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The beleaguered U.S. Postal Service reported a financial loss Tuesday for the 11th straight year, citing declining mail volume and costs of its pension and health care obligations even as it predicted another strong holiday season of package deliveries.
  It pleaded for more freedom to raise stamp prices to help keep pace with consumer demand for ever-quicker deliveries from online shopping.
  Without help, “our financial results will continue to deteriorate and likely
  
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• “Sun dog” phenomenon catches eye of Central Texans

  14-11-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  A fairly common, but spectacular property of optical physics prompted a flood of pictures from our KXAN viewers on Monday afternoon.
  The small rainbow feature that appeared on the sides, top or bottom of the sun yesterday is known as a “sun dog.” This occurs only when the sunshine is filtered through high, thin cirrus clouds.
  Optical physics says that when light is refracted at a 22.5° angle by the ice crystals that make up the cirrus clouds, it produces a small rainbow to those
  
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• Sydney ferry named Ferry McFerryface after ‘Boaty’ overruled

  14-11-2017 15:30 via kxan.com
  SYDNEY (AP) — A new Sydney Harbor ferry will be christened Ferry McFerryface — Sydney’s second favorite choice after the now famous jokey Mc-moniker, Boaty McBoatface.
  New South Wales state government officials overruled the most popular name for the ferry after the trendsetter was first snubbed last year as a name for a British polar survey vessel. That ship was christened Sir David Attenborough in honor of the naturalist and broadcaster and Boaty McBoatface became the name of
  
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• Girl traveling to hug police officers in all 50 states

  14-11-2017 14:30 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN/KPRC) — By the time she’s done, 7-year-old Rosalyn Baldwin will have traveled to all 50 states. More importantly — she’ll also have spread cheer and appreciation to police departments across the country.
  “God sent me on this mission of love,” Baldwin told NBC affiliate KPRC.
  Baldwin checked off her halfway mark in at the Houston Police Academy Monday. Everywhere she goes, she visits police officers and gives them hugs. She got the idea to visit o
  
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• Barbie makes doll of hijab-wearing Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad

  14-11-2017 13:36 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — The maker of Barbie has announced it will sell a doll modeled after Ibtihaj Muhammad, an American fencer who competed in last year’s Olympics while wearing a hijab.
  Mattel Inc. said the doll will be available online next fall. The doll is part of the Barbie “Shero” line that honors women who break boundaries. Past dolls have included gymnast Gabby Douglas and “Selma” director Ava DuVernay.
  NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 13: A view of the Ibtihaj
  
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• Innovative uses for drone technology on display in Austin

  14-11-2017 12:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Unmanned aerial vehicles — better known as drones — are finding their place in new applications every day, and Tuesday many of those will be on display in downtown Austin.
  Drone companies from central Texas and around the world will showcase the hardware and software they’re building to change the conversation around drones at a Consumer Technology Association exposition for state legislators to learn more about emerging technologies.
  DroneSense, based in
  
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• Judge weighs sorority sisters’ dispute over dog

  14-11-2017 12:47 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge is deciding whether a dog trained to help an Ohio State University student during panic attacks can stay at her sorority house despite another student’s allergy.
  The Columbus Dispatch reports the university ordered Madeleine Entine to remove her dog, Cory, from the Chi Omega sorority house because another resident, Carly Goldman, complained that the dog inflamed her allergies and, in turn, her Crohn’s disease.
  A school official determined t
  
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• Creating new festivals in Austin becoming difficult

  14-11-2017 12:25 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin is known for having a music festival or running event nearly every weekend. However, some changes to the rules on special events in Austin could make it more challenging for new events to find a home in the city.
  According to city officials, 85 percent of the special events that currently take place return year after year. Under this revised special events ordinance, events that have taken place more than 20 years in the city can continue to reserve that spot on
  
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• Some seniors, those with disabilities concerned about proposed CapMetro changes

  14-11-2017 06:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN  (KXAN) —  Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is scheduled to vote on whether to approve major changes to its bus routes on Wednesday. The agency hopes these changes will bring Austin a more modern transportation system, but some seniors and people with disabilities wonder why the routes they depend on could be eliminated.
  The board is voting on service changes proposed for June 2018, many of which implement changes from the 2025 Transit Service Plan the board a
  
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• Texas may swap US House seniority for staunch conservatism

  14-11-2017 05:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (AP) — Four veteran Texas Republicans are quitting Congress, meaning the country’s largest red state will be trading House seniority for newcomers who could prove even more conservative and willing to buck their party’s leadership on Capitol Hill.
  Sam Johnson, an 87-year-old Vietnam veteran and member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, announced in January he was retiring next year. Now, fellow Texans Jeb Hensarling, 60, who chairs the influential House Fina
  
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• 49ers Marquise Goodwin loses son hours before Sunday’s game

  14-11-2017 04:48 via kxan.com
  SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin played with a heavy heart Sunday against the New York Giants hours after losing his newborn baby.
  Goodwin not only played, but he caught an 83-yard touchdown pass helping to bring the 49ers to victory against the Giants.
  After the touchdown, he blew a kiss to the sky and emotionally dropped down to his knees in the end zone.
  At the time, fans had no idea that he and his wife Morgan Goodwin-Snow had lost their son at
  
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• Dogs will help Austin Fire Department detect early signs of cancer

  14-11-2017 04:38 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — They rush into burning buildings and risk their lives daily, but one of the most dangerous health risks may not become apparent until after the smoke clears.
  New research from the International Association of Firefighters says cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters. A Centers for Disease Control and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study tracked nearly 30,000 firefighters across the country in 2010 and found higher rates of can
  
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• Suspect arrested after abducted 3-year-old boy found safe in La Grange

  14-11-2017 03:21 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — A 3-year-old boy abducted in San Antonio has been found safe in La Grange, according to San Antonio police. A suspect is in custody.
  The child, Josue Gonzalez, was believed to be in grave or immediate danger by police before he was found more than 100 miles from San Antonio in Fayette County.
  The boy was last seen in the backseat of a stolen vehicle near Jean Street and South Brazos Street, about a mile southwest of downtown, police said. San Antonio NBC affiliate
  
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• Suspect arrested after abducted 3-year-old boy found safe in Fayette County

  14-11-2017 03:21 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — A 3-year-old boy abducted in San Antonio has been found safe in Fayette County, according to San Antonio police. A man is in custody.
  The child, Josue Gonzalez, was believed to be in grave or immediate danger by police before he was found more than 100 miles from San Antonio in Fayette County. Fayette County Sheriff’s Office says someone called police after getting the AMBER Alert and then seeing the car at a rest stop on Interstate 10 west of Flatonia.
  3-ye
  
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• Abducted 3-year-old boy found safe in La Grange; suspect in custody

  14-11-2017 03:21 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — A 3-year-old boy abducted in San Antonio has been found safe in La Grange, according to San Antonio police. A suspect is in custody.
  The child, Josue Gonzalez, was believed to be in grave or immediate danger by police before he was found more than 100 miles from San Antonio in Fayette County.
  The boy was last seen in the backseat of a stolen vehicle near Jean Street and South Brazos Street, about a mile southwest of downtown, police said. San Antonio NBC affiliate
  
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• Trump Jr. messaged with WikiLeaks during 2016 campaign

  14-11-2017 02:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s oldest son on Monday released a series of private Twitter exchanges between himself and WikiLeaks during and after the 2016 election, including pleas from the website to publicize its leaks.
  Donald Trump Jr.’s release of the messages on Twitter came hours after The Atlantic first reported them. In the exchanges — some of them around the time that the website was releasing the stolen emails from Democrat Hillary Clinton’s ca
  
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• After Dripping Springs robbery, a new push for city’s own police department

  14-11-2017 01:58 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – People in Dripping Springs are wondering if it’s time for the city to add a police department after an aggravated robbery last Saturday.
  In security camera video you can see two armed men hold up employees at Vik’s Jewelers on East US 290 before shooting open a display case. As it is now, the city is covered by the Hays County Sheriff’s Department which is investigating the robbery and still searching for the suspects.
  Deputies say an aggr
  
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• Microsoft CEO speaks to UT Austin students about the future of technology

  14-11-2017 01:43 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the key to running a successful technology company is to constantly reinvent ideas.
  Nadella spoke to students at the University of Texas at Austin inside the Hogg Memorial Auditorium Monday. He is currently promoting his new book, “Hit Refresh — The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone.” He told students Microsoft constantly works to portray an image of wanting to soak up infor
  
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• Video recovered, 10 more charged in Penn State frat death

  14-11-2017 01:33 via kxan.com
  Newly recovered security camera footage from inside a Penn State fraternity house showed a pledge had been given at least 18 drinks in less than 90 minutes, investigators said Monday in announcing dozens of new charges related to the pledge’s death.
  Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller charged 10 new defendants, reinstated charges against two people whose cases had been dropped and added counts against five who had previously been charged for actions surrounding the Feb. 4 de
  
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• WATCH: Floor collapses as 100 party in North Texas apartment

  14-11-2017 01:12 via kxan.com
  DENTON, Texas (KXAN) — The floor of a Denton apartment collapsed over the weekend during a party with around 100 people inside, Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS reported.
  Incredibly, only around a dozen people had minor injuries, with some driving themselves to the hospital.
  Cell phone video caught the moment the third-floor apartment at The Ridge at North Texas apartments collapsed around 1:47 a.m. on Sunday.
  The woman who lives in the apartment below was driving to the police station to re
  
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• Texas OL Connor Williams expected to play vs. West Virginia

  14-11-2017 00:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas offensive lineman Connor Williams will play Saturday against West Virginia “barring any setbacks” according to Texas head coach Tom Herman. Williams tore his meniscus during the first half of the USC game and has missed the last eight games.
  Williams has been walking for several weeks without crutches. He was a non-contact participant in practice last week. Herman expects Williams to be a full participant in full pads Tuesday at practice.
  The preseason All
  
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• Police search for man who robbed Chase Bank on Slaughter Ln.

  14-11-2017 00:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are searching for a man who robbed a Chase Bank branch in south Austin, Monday afternoon.
  Officers, located at a nearby police department substation, say they were able to get to the bank quickly around 3:10 p.m.
  Police say the man, described as a 30-40 year-old black male, walked into the bank at 140 W. Slaughter Ln. — just west of Interstate 35 — and handed a teller a note demanding money. He was last seen wearing a gray hooded t-shirt, white cap
  
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