Austin news

• Missing Austin woman last seen by family on Sunday

  28-11-2017 23:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is asking for your help finding a 65-year-old woman last seen by her family in north Austin on Sunday.
  Shasta Neelley, described by police as a 5-foot tall white female, has red hair, blue eyes and weighs around 100 pounds.
  She was last seen in the area near Anderson Lane and North MoPac Expressway wearing a black top and black pants. She is believed to be driving a white 2013 Infiniti G37 with Texas license plate GRB-3005. Austin police, in a t
  
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• Lady Bird, President Johnson’s granddaughter offers perspective on Austin’s growth

  28-11-2017 23:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As much as Austin’s skyline has changed, there has been at least one constant for the last half century.
  The name has changed, but Lady Bird Lake is as popular as ever. Lady Bird Johnson’s granddaughter says the lake’s namesake might not recognize the landscape she worked so hard to protect.
  As both an Austinite and the granddaughter of Lady Bird and President Lyndon Johnson, Catherine Robb has a unique perspective on the city’s growth and the skylin
  
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• Elderly man, great-grandson killed in North Texas house fire

  28-11-2017 23:04 via kxan.com
  WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KFDX) — An overnight house fire in Wichita Falls took the lives of an elderly man and his great-grandson.
  Firefighters were called to the scene on Tradewinds Road around 2:30 a.m. Monday.
  Around that same time early Monday morning, Cathy and Mike Scitern saw flames just steps from their home.
  “We were just awakened by our neighbor across the street telling us to get out because the house was engulfed,” Cathy Scitern said. “We came running out and it
  
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• Travis County approves electronic tablets for jail inmates

  28-11-2017 22:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County Commissioners Court approved tablet use for Travis County Jail inmates Tuesday morning.
  For decades Travis County has contracted with Securus Technology for phone and video services. Now the company is throwing in hundreds of tablets free of charge for now but leaving the door open to charge for services down the road.
  “We’re actually getting application and apps that are going to be beneficial to the inmates as they go through their process of
  
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• Texas’ Barton draws GOP challenger after nude photo surfaces

  28-11-2017 22:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Congressman Joe Barton has drawn a Republican primary challenger a week after a nude photo of him circulated on social media.
  Jake Ellzey, a retired Naval combat pilot and member of the Texas Veterans Commission, filed paperwork Tuesday.
  The 68-year-old Barton, from Ennis, south of Dallas, announced his re-election campaign last month. An explicit picture of him appeared on Twitter last week.
  The Washington Post has reported that Barton told a woman that he would
  
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• Inmate with facial skull tattoo escapes work crew in California

  28-11-2017 22:08 via kxan.com
  STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say an inmate with a skull tattooed on his face has escaped from a work crew in central California.
  The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office says 27-year-old Corey Hughes was discovered missing from his work crew near Interstate 5 in Stockton on Monday afternoon.
  Hughes was serving time on a weapons charge and is due to be released in February.
  The sheriff’s office released a photo of Hughes, who has blonde hair and a tattoo on his face that r
  
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• Forklift rollover critically injures man in southeast Travis County

  28-11-2017 22:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man in his 30s was critically injured Tuesday afternoon in a forklift rollover in southeast Travis County, a few miles east of State Highway 130 on State Highway 71.
  Medics with Austin-Travis County EMS were called to the 5000 block of East SH 71 — near Richards Drive in the town of Garfield — at 2:31 p.m. Only one person was injured in the rollover.
  The man was taken to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center.
  Additional information on the rollover was
  
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• NKorea launches intercontinental missile, spiking tensions

  28-11-2017 21:24 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea abruptly ended a 10-week pause in its weapons testing Tuesday by launching what the Pentagon believes was an intercontinental ballistic missile, a move that will escalate already high tensions with Washington.
  Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said that the missile was launched from Sain Ni, North Korea, and traveled about 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan. Japan said it may have landed within 370 nautical kilometers (200
  
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• NKorea launches ICBM in possibly its longest-range test yet

  28-11-2017 21:24 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea abruptly ended a 10-week pause in its weapons testing Tuesday by launching what the Pentagon said was an intercontinental ballistic missile — apparently its longest-range test yet — a move that will escalate already high tensions with Washington.
  Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said the missile was launched from Sain Ni, North Korea, and traveled about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan within 370 nautical kilometer
  
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• Survivor in Sutherland Springs church shooting sues Air Force

  28-11-2017 21:12 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP/KXAN) — The family of one of the victims in a shooting that killed 26 people at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs filed a claim on Tuesday against the U.S. Air Force, alleging the military branch’s failure to report the criminal history of the gunman to an FBI database — used to check the backgrounds of prospective gun buyers — helped cause their loved one’s death.
  The administrative claim filed by Joe Holcombe, who lost eight members of his
  
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• Trial begins for man accused of killing 75-year-old

  28-11-2017 21:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The trial of a man accused of killing a 75-year-old last year began Tuesday in Austin.
  Irwin Pentland, 48, faces a capital murder charge for the Nov. 19, 2016 killing, in which Phillip Leon Liberty was found shot to death in his garage in northwest Austin. Investigators found a trail of blood and believe Liberty may have been dragged from the living room to the garage.
  Pentland is also charged in a related case in which he picked up Liberty’s 2-year-old grandson
  
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• Meat-loving Arby’s to buy Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.4B

  28-11-2017 20:32 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Arby’s said Tuesday that it is buying Buffalo Wild Wings for about $2.4 billion, making it the latest casual restaurant chain to be taken private.
  Buffalo Wild Wings, which serves chicken wings in a sports bar-like atmosphere, has reported falling sales as it and other casual restaurants lose customers to cheaper and faster chains. In the most recent quarter, it reported a 2.3 percent sales drop at its established restaurants.
  Last month, struggling sit-down chain Rub
  
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• Meat-loving Arby’s buying Buffalo Wild Wings

  28-11-2017 20:32 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Meat-centric sandwich chain Arby’s said Tuesday that it’s buying Buffalo Wild Wings for about $2.4 billion, making it the latest casual restaurant chain to be taken private.
  Buffalo Wild Wings, which serves chicken wings in a sports bar-like atmosphere, has reported falling sales as it and other casual restaurants lose customers to cheaper and faster chains. In the most recent quarter, it reported a 2.3 percent sales drop at its established restaurants.
  Other ch
  
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• Austinite to receive new home as part of Habitat for Humanity’s ‘blitz build’

  28-11-2017 19:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ten days, 300 volunteers and boxes upon boxes of nails. That’s what it’s going to take to build a brand new Habitat for Humanity home for Austinite Laura Soto.
  The non-profit kicked off its 22nd annual “Home for Holidays” Blitz Build at 7203 Boyle Lane. While it’s an empty slab right now, in less than a few weeks, it’ll be the site of Soto’s new home in east Austin.
  Even with working a full-time job as a medical assistant for the pa
  
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• Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Siemens developing a hybrid plane

  28-11-2017 18:48 via kxan.com
  FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Airbus, Siemens and Rolls-Royce are teaming up to develop a hybrid passenger plane that would use a single electric turbofan along with three conventional jet engines running on aviation fuel.
  The plane is an effort to develop and demonstrate technology that in the future could help limit emissions of carbon dioxide from aviation and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
  The three companies said Tuesday they aim to build a flying version of the E-Fan X technology demon
  
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• Austin police want access to your private security cameras

  28-11-2017 18:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In an era where homeowners and businesses can easily get their hands on a fully-functioning surveillance system, law enforcement agencies are trying to figure out a way to tap into the video feeds when a safety need arises.
  For the Austin Police Department, the idea of asking businesses to give them access to surveillance cameras was proposed in early 2015. After years of preparation work, the department says they’re ready to implement the program.
  Tuesday morning, th
  
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• Jay-Z leads Grammy noms with 8 as rap, R&B take center stage

  28-11-2017 18:26 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z is the leader of the 2018 Grammy Award nominations in a year where the top four categories are heavily dominated by rap and R&B artists, giving the often overlooked genres a strong chance of winning big.
  The Recording Academy announced Tuesday that Jay-Z is nominated for eight honors, including album, song, and record of the year. Bruno Mars is also nominated for the big three, while Kendrick Lamar — who earned seven nominations — and Childish Gambino
  
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• NASA invents new type of tire for Mars and Earth

  28-11-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  CLEVELAND (KXAN/CNN) — NASA researchers are trying to solve an age-old problem — how to keep tires from going flat.
  It’s something that could be dangerous for drivers on the road, but especially important for the Mars rovers, which can’t get a fix, let alone a tow, if their tires are destroyed by rough terrain. So scientists at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland created a new type of tire. It’s made of woven mesh and can “remember” its shape. If
  
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• Diver finds woman’s lost wedding ring in Lake Travis

  28-11-2017 18:15 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – When Hannah Austin removed her wedding ring, it was only supposed to be for a short moment.
  As she was sitting at Lake Travis’ Gnarly Gar with her husband Chris and other family members during Thanksgiving weekend, the ring dropped off the table and slipped between two floorboards. The ring then fell into the depths of Lake Travis.
  The couple, who was visiting from Colorado, wondered how they would ever recover the ring. The restaurant staff called Robert Weiss w
  
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• DPS trooper killed on Thanksgiving Day to be laid to rest Friday

  28-11-2017 18:02 via kxan.com
  TEAGUE, Texas (KXAN) — Services for a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
  The visitation for Trooper Damon Allen, 41, will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bowers Funeral Home in Teague, Texas. Funeral services will be held on Friday, Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Mexia High School football stadium, located at 1100 North Bailey St. in Mexia. Allen will be buried at the Salem Cemete
  
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• Child sexually assaulted at clothing store, police searching for person of interest

  28-11-2017 17:26 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities in San Antonio have released surveillance video of a man they believe sexually assaulted a child while he was in the bathroom of a clothing store earlier this month.
  The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says the assault happened on Thursday, Nov. 10, at a retail store located at 6226 Wood Glen Dr. in northeast Bexar County, which is just next to the city of San Antonio.
  The victim was at the store with his mother around 2 p.m. when he went to use
  
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• Missing 10-year-old boy in north Austin found

  28-11-2017 17:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police say a missing 10-year-old boy was found safe Tuesday morning in north Austin
  Police say Jesus Moreno was found safe around 10:17 a.m. after he was last seen at his home on the 7000 block of Carver Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. and may have also been seen at JJ Pickle Elementary at 7:20 a.m.
   
   
  
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• High schooler saves 8th grader who choked on quarter

  28-11-2017 16:52 via kxan.com
  WENTZVILLE, Mo. (KSDK) — A Missouri high schooler is a hero after saving the life of an 8th grade student.
  Kaelie Burk was heading home from Wentzville Middle School on the bus when she said someone up front tossed a quarter down the aisle.
  The quarter happened to land in Kaelie’s throat. Austin Medlock, a high school sophomore, was a couple seats away from Kaelie when he saw her choking.
  He stood up and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on her, a quick action that saved Kaelie’s
  
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• Police identify two pedestrians killed in separate weekend crashes

  28-11-2017 16:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two men died over the weekend in south Austin and Buda after cars hit them in separate crashes.
  The first happened Friday around 8:01 p.m. on the 800 block of W. Slaughter Lane, which is between Manchaca Road and South First Street. The Austin Police Department said a black Ford Fusion was driving eastbound in the center lane when it hit Sean Gayle, 30, who was crossing in the middle of the block. Gayle died at the scene and the driver stayed nearby.
  On Saturday, a Toyota H
  
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• Some ‘bone treats’ dangerous for dogs, FDA says after 15 deaths

  28-11-2017 15:53 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCMH) – The Food and Drug Administration is warning against giving dogs “bone treats” after dozens of reports of illnesses and at least 15 deaths.
  According to the FDA, the “bone treats” are different from uncooked butcher-type bones. They are processed and packaged for sale as dog treats. A variety of commercially-available bone treats for dogs — including treats described as “Ham Bones,” “Pork Femur Bones,”
  
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• San Marcos man receives more than 1,000 years on sex assault charges

  28-11-2017 15:33 via kxan.com
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A San Marcos man sentenced on child sexual abuse charges Monday received double life sentences, in addition to more than 1,000 years in prison.
  Robert Benjamin Franks, 39, was convicted on multiple counts after harming two children, one of whom was a family member, over a number of years.
  According to trial testimony, a 9-year-old girl told her father that Franks was doing “disgusting things” to her — including having her and the other little g
  
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• Hundreds of Central Texas non-profits hope for help on Giving Tuesday

  28-11-2017 14:52 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a weekend of “buy, buy, buy,” local organizations hope people will turn around and “give, give, give.” First came Black Friday, then Small Business Saturday, then Cyber Monday and now it’s Giving Tuesday.
  The group I Live Here, I Give Here is encouraging people to do a million actions for good today — like donating to one of the more than 700 non-profits in Central Texas or volunteering. They’re asking people to post a photo w
  
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• ‘Fear the Walking Dead’ filming in southeast Austin this week

  28-11-2017 14:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The zombie invasion is here — at least, for a few days. AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead” will film scenes in southeast Austin Nov. 29, according to a city permit.
  Stalwart Films is shooting the scene in the area of Shady Cedar Drive and Onion Creek Drive, and expects some equipment to take up space in those areas as well as Sand Hill Drive and Thatch Lane. Traffic could be affected in the area intermittently, and the Austin Police Department will be on
  
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• Florida mother helps police care for toddlers

  28-11-2017 12:33 via kxan.com
  CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – A mother in Florida is getting a huge “thanks” from a local police department.
  Kim MarvinMegan Andrews helped an officer trying to corral two toddlers at an accident scene. On Sunday afternoon in Clearwater, Fla., police say Kim Marvin was driving drunk and rear-ended another car.
  Cops arrived to find two young boys in their car seats.
  Megan Andrews, a mother of two girls herself, made a U-turn.
  “I saw the two kids and I saw this one officer
  
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• Suit for rancher over spiders aims to curb endangered species regulations

  28-11-2017 07:12 via kxan.com
  Williamson County, Texas (KXAN) — A lawsuit over small, Central Texas cave spiders is moving closer to an appearance in federal court. The parties suing the federal government over the Bone Cave Harvestman spider’s place on the Endangered species list hope that this suit may pave the way to curb federal regulation of endangered species.
  Robert Henneke, General Counsel for the with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, explained that this lawsuit has been pending for two years. TPPF joi
  
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• Endangered spiders on Williamson County ranch at the center of lawsuit web

  28-11-2017 07:12 via kxan.com
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A rancher’s legal battle over small cave spiders on his Williamson County land is becoming a much bigger battle about governmental powers and how the Endangered Species Act applies to landowners.
  Williamson County is home to the Bone Cave Harvestman spider which has been listed as an endangered species since 1988, meaning those who own land or oversee land in the spider’s natural habitat must take care to preserve the habitat.
  Rancher John Year
  
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• Austin hardware store closing after 15 years

  28-11-2017 05:52 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Zinger Hardware & General Merchant is closing its doors after 15 years in business. The owner says the innovative spirit that attracted him to Austin has simultaneously led to his store’s demise.
  Michael Ferweda, the store’s owner, sold household goods and toys from about 100 independent manufacturers and artisans. “It was clever solutions to everyday problems,” says Ferweda.
  The prices may have been a bit higher, but he hoped the shopping experi
  
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• Woman stabbed on the Drag has potentially serious injuries

  28-11-2017 04:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman in her 40s was stabbed on the Drag, the famous stretch of Guadalupe Street that forms the western border of the University of Texas at Austin campus.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to the intersection of 24th and Guadalupe streets at 8:59 p.m. Monday, responding to a stabbing.
  ATCEMS says the woman has potentially serious injuries and medics took her to Dell Seton Medical Center. University police say the stabbing happened at University United Methodist
  
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• Transient woman stabbed on The Drag, across from UT

  28-11-2017 04:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman in her 40s was stabbed on the Drag, the famous stretch of Guadalupe Street that forms the western border of the University of Texas at Austin campus.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to the intersection of 24th and Guadalupe streets at 8:59 p.m. Monday, responding to a stabbing.
  ATCEMS says the woman has potentially serious injuries and medics took her to Dell Seton Medical Center. University police say the stabbing happened at University United Methodist
  
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• Homeless woman stabbed on The Drag, across from UT

  28-11-2017 04:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A homeless woman in her 40s was stabbed on the Drag, the famous stretch of Guadalupe Street that forms the western border of the University of Texas at Austin campus.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to the intersection of 24th and Guadalupe streets at 8:59 p.m. Monday, responding to a stabbing.
  ATCEMS says the woman has potentially serious injuries and medics took her to Dell Seton Medical Center. Police say the stabbing happened at University United Methodist C
  
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• Trump, honoring Navajos, revives ‘Pocahontas’ jab at Warren

  28-11-2017 03:41 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used an event honoring Native American veterans Monday to take a shot at Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, whom he has long derided as “Pocahontas.”
  Trump welcomed three Navajo code talkers from World War II to the Oval Office. He called them “incredible” and “very special people.”
  And then he added: “We have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas. But yo
  
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• KXAN’s Shannon Wolfson bids farewell

  28-11-2017 03:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After 11 years at KXAN, Shannon Wolfson is signing off for the last time on Monday evening.
  Shannon started at KXAN in 2006 as reporter and 9 p.m. anchor, then moved to full-time investigative reporter, and then became main evening anchor in 2013. She has received an array of accolades for her work, including a 2016 regional Emmy recognizing her as the state’s top anchor, as well as winning “Best Anchor” in 2016 by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters A
  
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• UT System will submit bid to operate Los Alamos National Laboratory

  28-11-2017 03:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday, the University of Texas System Board of Regents authorized submission of a formal bid for a contract to run the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
  LANL is one of the Department of Energy’s national labs which is known for its work in the areas of nuclear weapons, security, environmental management and energy.
  The vote to submit a bid was not unanimous.
  This is the first time since 2005 that LANL has been open for parties to apply to manage the lab,
  
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• Texas teachers could be impacted if Congress ends teacher spending deduction

  28-11-2017 02:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – As lawmakers in Congress continue working toward a tax reform proposal they can all agree on, Texas educators could end up feeling the impact.
  Under the House GOP tax bill, the teacher spending deduction would be entirely cut. The Senate’s version aims to double the tax break from $250 to $500.
  Susan Savoie, owner of Teacher Heaven in Austin, said 95 percent of their business comes from teachers spending their own money to get materials for the classroom.
  “That&
  
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• Texas educators could be impacted if Congress ends teacher spending deduction

  28-11-2017 02:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – As lawmakers in Congress continue working toward a tax reform proposal they can all agree on, Texas educators could end up feeling the impact.
  Under the House GOP tax bill, the teacher spending deduction would be entirely cut. The Senate’s version aims to double the tax break from $250 to $500.
  Susan Savoie, owner of Teacher Heaven in Austin, said 95 percent of their business comes from teachers spending their own money to get materials for the classroom.
  “That&
  
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• City of Kyle warns those downstream of Plum Creek after wastewater plant failure

  28-11-2017 01:04 via kxan.com
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — Partially treated wastewater could make its way into Plum Creek if a component failure at the Kyle Wastewater Treatment Plant is not fixed in time.
  The city of Kyle is asking people who live downstream of the plant stay out of the water and keep animals away from the water until the “significant” failure is resolved. If it’s not fixed, there is the possibility more than a million gallons of partially treated effluent could be released into the creek e
  
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• VIDEO: Wild boar runs through Kyoto, injuring two people

  28-11-2017 01:01 via kxan.com
  KYOTO, Japan (NBC News) — A wild boar caused a chaotic scene when it ran through the ancient capital of Japan on Monday.
  The boar was first spotted by a guard at the famous Heian Shrine. He then was caught running through bicycle racks and various streets throughout Kyoto.
  A man’s arm was fractured when the animal ran into him from behind. The boar then ran into and injured a construction worker.
  Numerous people gathered with nets and other tools to try to corral the boar, but the an
  
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• Running back Chris Warren will transfer from Texas

  28-11-2017 00:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Longhorns running back Chris Warren is transferring from the Texas program, the school announced on Monday.
  “After putting a lot of thought into it with my family, I talked to Coach Herman this morning and let him know I have decided it’s in my best interest to transfer from The University of Texas to continue my education and football career. It was a difficult decision, and I’m thankful to all of my teammates and coaches I’ve had on the 40 Acres. T
  
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• UIL postseason football schedule for 3rd round

  28-11-2017 00:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Local teams are at the halfway point of the postseason with the UIL State Football Championships beginning in three weeks at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium. There are still a dozen Central Texas teams gearing up and vying up for the championships.
  Here’s the schedule for the regional round of the UIL Playoffs.
  6A D1 Region 2Coppell (11-1) vs. Round Rock Cedar Ridge (11-1), 7 p.m. Saturday at Baylor’s McLane StadiumGarland Sachse (12-0) vs. Pflugerville
  
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