Austin news

• Texas sees increase in flea-borne Typhus

  30-11-2017 23:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Since the beginning of this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services says it has seen more than 400 reported cases of flea-borne typhus, the highest in the past 16 years.
  Due to the increase in the number of cases across the state, the state agency is reminding people to take precautions to prevent contracting the disease. Flea-borne typhus, also known as murine typhus, is a bacterial infection that most commonly occurs when infected flea feces are scratched
  
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• APD looks to diversify vehicle fleet as carbon monoxide leaks fixed

  30-11-2017 23:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the next budget, the Austin Police Department will look to purchase other vehicles besides Ford Explorers to diversify their fleet after recent carbon monoxide leaks.
  Forty-six repaired police SUVs are back on the street, after a fix to solve carbon monoxide leaks, around 10 percent of the original force. Since the summer, APD has been doubling up officers, but from now on more of them will ride solo. Highway Enforcement Command will get their vehicles first, returning b
  
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• Police searching for man who kidnapped, sexually assaulted woman near Hyde Park

  30-11-2017 23:15 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are searching for a man who they say kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman in the Hyde Park area on Wednesday night.
  The victim told police she was leaving a friend’s apartment around 8 p.m. in the 900 block of Duncan Lane, which is right off Red River Street, when she was hit from behind and knocked unconscious. Police say when she regained consciousness, she was inside an unknown person’s apartment where she was sexually assaulted.
  “She
  
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• ‘Wonder’ boy overcomes severe facial deformities with kindness

  30-11-2017 23:12 via kxan.com
  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The family of an Ottawa County boy, who was born without a nose as well as other deformities, talked to 24 Hour News 8 about how a new film hit very close to home.
  “Wonder” stars Julia Roberts as the mother of boy born with craniofacial difference. The story takes viewers on the family’s daily journey, which is plagued with adversity and kindness.
  It’s very similar to Easton Hirdes’ story. He is an 8-year old living in Coopersville
  
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• Baby sloth born at Snake Farm Zoo in New Braunfels

  30-11-2017 23:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While the rest of us were gearing up for the oncoming rush of Black Friday and Thanksgiving, the Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo in New Braunfels got a little surprise right before the busy holiday.
  On Nov. 17, the zoo announced their sleepy couple, Sid and Sylvia, gave birth to a healthy Linnaeus’s Two-Toed baby sloth. The sleepy nature and sedentary lifestyle of the sloths, who can sleep up to 18 hours a day, paired with their thick, wiry fur hid the pregnancy up un
  
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• New Braunfels man arrested, accused of taking photos of child inside bathroom

  30-11-2017 22:37 via kxan.com
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — The New Braunfels Police Department is looking for an additional victim in an invasive visual recording case involving a man they say took photographs of children and women when they went to the bathroom.
  Police arrested Hermes Estuardo Mendez, 36, on Nov. 28 in connection with an Aug. 12 case. In the August case, an 11-year-old girl told her parents someone had taken a picture of her under the bathroom stall of the Walmart. When officers arrived, they found M
  
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• Texas State student who wrote ‘racist’ editorial banned from paper

  30-11-2017 22:36 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – The student body president at Texas State University is calling for the author of an editorial condemned by campus leaders as “racist” to step down from the student newspaper, along with the opinions editor and editor-in-chief of the “University Star.”
  “These individuals knowingly allowed divisive, racist material to stain the reputation of this great University,” Student Body President Connor Clegg said.
  If the individuals cho
  
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• Texas State student who penned ‘racist’ editorial fired from paper

  30-11-2017 22:36 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – After the student body president at Texas State University called for the author of an editorial condemned by campus leaders as “racist” to step down from the student newspaper, the editor of the paper says the student has been fired.
  “These individuals knowingly allowed divisive, racist material to stain the reputation of this great University,” Student Body President Connor Clegg said, who is also calling for the opinions editor and edit
  
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• Texas State student president threatens to defund paper after ‘racist’ editorial

  30-11-2017 22:36 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS , Texas (KXAN) – The student body president at Texas State University is calling for the author of an editorial condemned by campus leaders as “racist” to step down from the student newspaper, along with the opinions editor and editor-in-chief of the “University Star.”
  “These individuals knowingly allowed divisive, racist material to stain the reputation of this great University,” Student Body President Connor Clegg said.
  If the individuals ch
  
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• $1.3M worth of cocaine found in diaper bag during traffic stop

  30-11-2017 21:56 via kxan.com
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Almost 30 pounds of cocaine was found by Fayette County deputies inside a diaper bag and the center console of the vehicle during a traffic stop on Wednesday.
  Sheriff Keith Korenek says Sgt. Randy Thumann and his K9 partner Lobos stopped an eastbound Ford Escape on Interstate 10 at the 660 mile marker — near the town of Flatonia — for a traffic violation around 2:15 p.m.
  Deputies say the driver and passenger had conflicting stories and “extr
  
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• UT safety Deshon Elliott going pro

  30-11-2017 21:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — University of Texas junior safety DeShon Elliott will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Elliott has also decided not to play in the upcoming Bowl game.
  “It was a very difficult decision that I put a lot of thought into,” Elliott said. “I want to thank my coaches and teammates for the support and all they’ve done to make an impact on my life. I really appreciate Coach Strong giving me the opportunity to play and grow as a player and per
  
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• VIDEO: Animals evacuated during fire at Austin Urban Vet Center

  30-11-2017 20:38 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighters put out a fire in roofing material at the Austin Urban Vet Center Thursday afternoon, as animals were evacuated from the building and flames were seen shooting from a part of the roof.
  The Austin Fire Department was called to 710 W. 5th St., near West Avenue, at 1:04 p.m.
  Video sent to KXAN shows workers bringing animals out of the building as firefighters arrive. All pets were safely evacuated and are being returned to the building. Firefighters say there was
  
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• New book remembers heyday of Armadillo World Headquarters

  30-11-2017 20:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An iconic music venue in Austin shut down 37 years ago — but the stories of the unique hangout, Armadillo World Headquarters, are living on in a new book written by one of its former owners and a musician who used to play there.
  The venue opened in 1970 and hosted a variety of bands as the punk scene made its way to Austin. The concert hall and beer garden at the old National Guard armory at the corner of South First Street and Barton Springs Road was also known for b
  
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• Cedar Ridge High School students make tamales for the holidays

  30-11-2017 20:01 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Students in Round Rock are taking their lessons from the classroom to the kitchen this week. Both the culinary and Spanish classes came together for a tamalada — a tamale-making party.
  Students at Cedar Ridge High School made tamales Nov. 29, 2017 in Round Rock (KXAN Photo/Todd Bailey)The Cedar Ridge High School students gathered to make pork, chicken and raja tamales. The process isn’t fast — so they started work Wednesday and were expected to
  
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• No asbestos found at Austin Municipal Court

  30-11-2017 19:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A city spokesperson said Thursday that the emergency maintenance closure of the Austin Municipal Court was to test for asbestos. That same spokesperson confirmed as of around 4:30 pm Thursday that the tests all came back negative for asbestos.
  City of Austin spokesperson David Green said, “The city has no reason to believe that asbestos containing material was disturbed.” However, construction workers did disturb particles of dust when they “moved ceiling
  
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• City says Austin Municipal Court closed to test for asbestos

  30-11-2017 19:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A city spokesperson said Thursday that the emergency maintenance closure of the Austin Municipal Court was to test for asbestos.
  City of Austin spokesperson David Green said, “The city has no reason to believe that asbestos containing material was disturbed.”
  However, construction workers did disturb particles of dust when they “moved ceiling tiles, which were not asbestos containing material but they were located in areas where there may have been asbesto
  
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• Jim Nabors, who made cheery Gomer Pyle a TV icon, dies at 87

  30-11-2017 19:28 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Jim Nabors made good on his last name when he brought Gomer Pyle to “The Andy Griffith Show.” His big-hearted, ever-cheery gas-pump jockey was a neighborly fit in the easygoing town of Mayberry.
  But when Gomer enlisted in the Marines for five TV seasons, he truly blossomed. So did the actor who portrayed him.
  Nabors, who died Thursday at 87, made Pvt. Gomer Pyle a perfect foil for the immovable object of Marines boot camp: Grinning, gentle Gomer was the irresist
  
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• Jim Nabors, TV’s homespun Gomer Pyle and singer, dies at 87

  30-11-2017 19:28 via kxan.com
  HONOLULU (AP) — Jim Nabors, the shy Alabaman whose down-home comedy made him a TV star as Gomer Pyle and whose surprisingly operatic voice kept him a favorite in Las Vegas and other showplaces, died Thursday. He was 87.
  Nabors, who underwent a liver transplant in 1994 after contracting hepatitis B, died peacefully at his home in Hawaii after his health had declined for the past year, said his husband, Stan Cadwallader, who was by his side.
  “Everybody knows he was a wonderful man. And
  
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• Rep. Joe Barton won’t seek reelection after nude photo leak

  30-11-2017 18:36 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, will be retiring from Congress instead of seeking re-election, he announced Thursday.
  The announcement comes after a nude photo of the representative was published on social media.
  Barton released the following statement:
  “As a young Congressman, my slogan was “listening to you in Texas, working for you in Washington.” For me that was never just a saying, but a commitment – a way of life. Over the last thirty t
  
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• Texas sheriff says it’s unlikely border agents were attacked

  30-11-2017 18:26 via kxan.com
  VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — A Texas sheriff who was among the first people to reach two U.S. Border Patrol agents who were badly injured says he thinks they were hurt in an accident, not an attack.
  Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carrillo told The Dallas Morning News that the agents, who were found along a culvert next to Interstate 10, may have been sideswiped by a passing tractor-trailer.
  Agent Rogelio Martinez died of his injuries and his partner was hospitalized after they were found Nov. 18
  
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• Torchy’s Tacos set to reopen in time for lunch after small fire

  30-11-2017 18:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A small fire at a Torchy’s Tacos restaurant in southwest Austin isn’t expected to affect the lunch rush.
  The fire started around 8:42 a.m. in the roof HVAC system of the restaurant location on 4301 W. William Cannon Dr. The Austin Fire Department says it extinguished it around 9:08 a.m. and then three units worked to remove smoke from the area.
  By 10:24 a.m. fire crews left the area, and AFD says the damage was minor.
  “Torchy’s reportedly will b
  
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• Round Rock Police will let you ship packages to them to avoid mail theft

  30-11-2017 17:38 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — To deter thieves who steal packages around the holiday season, the Round Rock Police Department is offering to be residents’ new front porch — as long as they also donate to the annual Operation Blue Santa toy drive.
  From Dec. 1 to Dec. 22, people can have their holiday gifts shipped to the police department to pick up later. That way there’s no chance someone could come along during the day while people are away from home and help themselv
  
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• Trump weighs plan to replace Tillerson with CIA’s Pompeo

  30-11-2017 17:15 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is discussing a plan to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a major shake-up of President Donald Trump’s national security team, administration officials said Thursday.
  The move would put Pompeo, a former congressman who has grown close to Trump during his tenure atop the CIA, in charge of U.S. diplomacy. Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil CEO, has had a rough first year characterized by tensions with
  
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• Dallas Cowboys punter honors Round Rock boy who died of cancer

  30-11-2017 16:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — “Team Brock.” It’s a simple message on one Dallas Cowboys player’s cleats that could have wide-reaching effects for cancer research.
  Punter Chris Jones is wearing the decals on his shoes during Thursday’s game against the Washington Redskins to honor Brock Fleming. The 7-year-old died last December after battling a rare form of brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, known as DIPG. Family and friends rallied around him a
  
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• Man who sucker-punched man with cerebral palsy gets prison

  30-11-2017 15:19 via kxan.com
  WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A man who was caught on video sucker-punching a man with cerebral palsy outside a store was sentenced to three to six years in prison.
  A tearful Barry Robert Baker Jr. asked the judge for leniency during Wednesday’s sentencing, saying he wanted to rebuild his life.
  “I want this behind me,” Baker, 29, told Common Pleas Judge William P. Mahon, according to The Delaware County Times . “I want my life back. This will affect me for the rest of my
  
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• Thief returns package with apology note after social media shaming

  30-11-2017 15:08 via kxan.com
  RIVERTON, Utah (KSL) — The social media shaming of a man who stole a package from a Utah man’s porch appears to have worked.
  Homeowner Shawn Kojima now has his property back, along with a letter of apology.
  Kojima said the letter, penned in red ink, appeared along with the package and a small stuffed animal.
  “To whom it may concern, I am writing you this letter to apologize for the scumbag move I made the other day,” the sender of the letter wrote. “When ringing the
  
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• Final day for FEMA registration for Hurricane Harvey

  30-11-2017 14:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If people affected by Hurricane Harvey have not yet signed up for FEMA help, they have until the end of Thursday to do so. FEMA said even if someone isn’t sure if they need it, to go ahead and apply because they won’t have a chance after midnight.
  Recovery from the storm is expected to take years — with damage estimates for Texas totaling more than $180 billion. Texas estimated at the beginning of November that it would need more than $61 billion from the
  
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• House panel backs bill expanding gun owners’ rights

  30-11-2017 14:04 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House committee on Wednesday approved a Republican bill to expand gun owners’ rights — the first gun legislation since mass shootings in Las Vegas and Texas killed more than 80 people.
  On a party-line vote, the Judiciary Committee backed a bill that would allow gun owners with a state-issued concealed carry permit to carry a handgun in any state that allows concealed weapons. Republicans said the reciprocity measure would allow gun owners to travel freel
  
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• School leaders try to restore trust after alleged “go back to Mexico” comment

  30-11-2017 13:06 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The principal at Fulmore Middle School in south Austin is holding a community meeting Thursday night in an effort to restore trust with parents and the community after a teacher made an insensitive statement earlier this month. A math teacher who had worked on campus for four years allegedly told a student who was speaking Spanish, “to go back to Mexico.” While her name has not been released publicly, she remains on paid administrative leave while the distr
  
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• Fulmore Middle School leaders try to restore trust after insensitive comment

  30-11-2017 13:06 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The principal at Fulmore Middle School in south Austin is holding a community meeting Thursday night in an effort to restore trust with parents and the community after a teacher made an insensitive statement earlier this month. A math teacher who had worked on campus for four years allegedly told a student who was speaking Spanish, “to go back to Mexico.” While her name has not been released publicly, she remains on paid administrative leave while the distr
  
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• Water main break sprays 40 feet into the air on W. Koenig Lane

  30-11-2017 12:33 via kxan.com
  APP USERS: Tap the image above to start the live streamAUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin woman received a very unwelcome surprise as a water main break in central Austin shot water 40 feet into the air Thursday morning near her home. It forced a road to shut down while emergency crews responded.
  “Ka-boom! 4:03 in the morning — good wake up call,” said Michelle Hunter, whose house is on the other side of the geyser and being flooded as water seeps into the area. She called 911 &md
  
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• UT Musical Theater program, annual musicals to end this spring

  30-11-2017 05:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — UT Austin’s upcoming production of the musical The Drowsy Chaperone will be the last musical on campus featuring students from the Musical Theater Training Program. The program will end this spring as the last group of students in the program graduates.
  Brant Pope, chair of UT’s Department of Theater and Dance, explained that once this program ends, musicals will no longer happen every year at UT. They will likely happen every other year instead.
  Pope explained
  
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• Man hit, killed crossing I-35 near Airport Blvd. identified

  30-11-2017 05:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 36-year-old man killed while crossing Interstate 35 in between Airport Boulevard and 51st Street last week has been identified by police.
  Christopher Joseph Gorman was hit by the driver of a vehicle heading southbound in the 5300 block of I-35 around 7:44 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20.
  Gorman died at the scene. Police say the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with officers. No charges are expected against the driver.
  Anyone with information regarding this incident is
  
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• Some Bastrop residents urging city to get rid of feral chickens

  30-11-2017 04:35 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens of people showed up to make sure their voice was heard on what many see as problem feral chickens in Bastrop.
  A town hall meeting was held Wednesday evening at City Hall to talk about the chickens and roosters found along city streets and yards.
  Residents spoke for hours on the matter, both for keeping the birds and others for getting rid of them. Some people said the feral chickens can pose a health concern and called them aggressive. Those for keeping them say
  
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• Austin shop thriving thanks to cheese-loving foodies

  30-11-2017 04:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A locally-owned cheese shop is enjoying quite a bit of success thanks to Austin’s thriving restaurant scene. John and Kendall Antonelli still can’t believe they’ve turned cheese into their bread and butter.
  The couple opened Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in February 2010. They decided on their honeymoon the year prior to make a drastic professional move, but they’re still not really sure how they settled on opening a cheese shop. “Why was it ch
  
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• Austin family makes plea for Iranian sister to be allowed to see dying mother

  30-11-2017 03:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s the call no-one wants to receive. When a loved one is close to passing away, every second counts.
  “Her condition just started getting worse,” said Houri Hedayatifar. Houri’s mother, 88-year-old Fatemeh Azartash, was already suffering from dementia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but recently she took another turn for the worse.
  “I noticed she had difficulty breathing and she was sweating and turning blue,” said&nb
  
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• Emergency maintenance shuts down Austin Municipal Court

  30-11-2017 03:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Municipal Court is closed until Friday to allow for emergency building maintenance, the city says.
  The downtown location at 700 E. 7th St. will reopen for normal business hours Friday. The city says the Jaime Padron North Substation at 12425 Lamplight Village Ave. and the South Substation at 5700 Manchaca Rd. will both remain open.
  The Downtown Austin Community Court is also open.
  All appearances and dockets at the Downtown Municipal Court for Wednesday and Thurs
  
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• Nearly $50,000 of phones, watches stolen in armed AT&T store heist

  30-11-2017 02:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are searching for the man who barged into an Austin AT&T Store with a gun Tuesday and demanded employees give him the phones.
  Officers were called to the store at 801 E. William Cannon #200 — just west of Interstate 35 — around 10:30 a.m. with word it had just been robbed.
  According to the affidavit for his arrest, Jeff Allan Johnson, pointed a gun at a woman and demanded he be taken to the back of the store where the phones are kept. He now faces up
  
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• Austin companies ask for help preventing sexual misconduct in the workplace

  30-11-2017 02:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With sexual assault at the forefront of discussion in workplaces across the country, many Austin businesses are working proactively to avoid similar conflicts. HR professionals say they’re seeing an influx in business leaders asking for help preventing such situations.
  “The phones are ringing a lot and emails are coming in,” said Laurie Howell, who runs Austin HR with her business partner, David Hughen.
  The pair says usually their company sees busines
  
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• Central Texas sees more young farmers in training, matching national trend

  30-11-2017 01:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – More young farmers are joining the agriculture industry and for the second time in the last century, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture shows an increase in the number of farmers under 35 years old.
  Farmshare Austin trains new farmers through an 18-week program on their farm. Michelle Akindiya, education manager at Farmshare Austin, says they’re out on the 10-acre farm three mornings a week. They train students in a variety of areas,
  
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• Texas health regulators overrun by ‘several hundred’ rats at Austin headquarters

  30-11-2017 01:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) — On Oct. 17, Brenda Brantley, an employee at Texas’ Health and Human Services Commission, was in her second-floor office at the agency’s Austin headquarters when she received an unexpected visitor.
  The beady-eyed infiltrator — a brown rat of the species Rattus norvegicus — scurried down the carpeted hallway before ducking behind a filing cabinet, employee correspondence shows.
  The sight was sufficiently distu
  
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• ‘Several hundred’ rats overrun Texas health regulators’ Austin headquarters

  30-11-2017 01:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) — On Oct. 17, Brenda Brantley, an employee at Texas’ Health and Human Services Commission, was in her second-floor office at the agency’s Austin headquarters when she received an unexpected visitor.
  The beady-eyed infiltrator — a brown rat of the species Rattus norvegicus — scurried down the carpeted hallway before ducking behind a filing cabinet, employee correspondence shows.
  The sight was sufficiently distu
  
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