Austin news

• Shooting victim driven to Austin hospital dies; suspect caught

  08-12-2017 23:38 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 23-year-old driven to the hospital with gunshot wounds two weeks ago died Wednesday at an Austin hospital after being put in a medically induced coma.
  Police officers were called to the shopping center at 9616 N. Lamar Blvd. — just north of Rundberg Lane — at 11:40 p.m. on Nov. 23 for a report of a shooting.
  Arriving officers were told that two shooting victims were taken to North Austin Medical Center by private vehicles. Samuel Charlez was later taken to St.
  
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• Dripping Springs soldier gets 18 months in prison for mass shooting threats

  08-12-2017 23:38 via kxan.com
  WACO, Texas (KXAN) — A Dripping Springs man who threatened to kill people on Fort Hood will spend 18 months in federal prison.
  Authorities say on Feb. 22, 2017, Thomas Anthony Chestnut, Jr., 29, called the Army post and spoke to a sergeant whom he proceeded to threaten. Chestnut went on to say he would go to Fort Hood, kill the sergeant, take hostages and stage a mass shooting and kill himself if he weren’t allowed to speak with someone of rank.
  When Chestnut was allowed to speak to
  
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• Millions of dollars in improvements coming to Austin’s trails

  08-12-2017 23:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Trail Foundation announced a major initiative Friday to take on 15 park projects across Austin, in honor of the non-profit’s 15th anniversary next year.
  Work on the 15 projects will span five years. They’re aimed at making the city’s hike and bike trail safer and more accessible and include plans to add a new trailhead, revamp restrooms, build a new playground, and link together existing trails, among other improvements. Many of the projects will cente
  
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• Suspects break through duplex ceiling to steal from neighbors

  08-12-2017 22:11 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Suspects in San Marcos are accused of breaking through their duplex ceiling to steal from neighbors next door.
  The Thursday night burglary ended in a SWAT standoff when one of the burglary suspects, who had a felony warrant for assault family violence–repeat offender, hid away in the attic.
  Officers were called to the 600 block of Mill Street, near Uhland Road, at 11:45 p.m. Dec. 7 after someone saw the suspects breaking into the duplex. Police say the witn
  
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• Calls strengthen for State Senators Miles and Uresti to step down

  08-12-2017 21:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Two Democratic lawmakers in the Texas Senate face calls to resign, amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior.
  An exposé written by the Daily Beast, details first-hand accounts of sexual misconduct pointing to Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, and Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio.
  The leader of left-leaning Annie’s List, a powerful progressive organizing group in Texas, has called for the resignation of Miles and Uresti. “The first thing to break the
  
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• Austin firefighters battling house fire in the snow

  08-12-2017 20:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the snow was falling Thursday night, firefighters in northwest Austin were bracing the cold to fight a house fire.
  The fire in the 12000 block of Swallow Drive, which is off Anderson Mill Drive, started around 6 p.m. When firefighters arrived, fire could be seen coming from the garage.
  The Austin Fire Department tweeted saying it was “rare site in Austin” to fight a fire in the snow. Within an hour, the fire was under control. No one was injured in the f
  
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• New Delta charges for baggage on discount flights to Europe

  08-12-2017 20:05 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Travelers looking to take a cheap Delta Air Lines will soon need to pay for even one piece of checked baggage when flying to Europe or North Africa.
  The airline said this week that it will charge Basic Economy passengers $60 for the first bag and $100 for a second. The fees will apply to tickets bought after Dec. 6 and for flights after April 10 originating from the U.S. and Canada.
  There is no change in policy for more expensive international flight tickets or for flights
  
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• Three Dallas Cowboys baptized at team’s practice facility

  08-12-2017 20:01 via kxan.com
  FRISCO, Texas (KETK) — Three Dallas Cowboys were baptized on Tuesday by the team’s chaplain at their practice facility, The Star.
  On Wednesday, Cowboys team chaplain Jonathan Evans posted a video of teammates; safety Kavon Frazier, linebacker Anthony Hitchens, and linebacker Justin March-Lillard, getting baptized in the training room pool.
  As of Friday morning, the video had been viewed more than 3 million times.
  
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• WATCH: ER doctor saves Elf on the Shelf injured by family dog

  08-12-2017 20:00 via kxan.com
  Orlando, Fla. (WFLA/CNN) — A severely injured Elf on the Shelf will be able to spend the holidays with his family after emergency room doctors came to his rescue.
  7-year-old Aubrey Thelen woke up to a horrific scene. Sam, her Elf on the Shelf doll, had been severely mangled by the family’s dog, Zoey. Aubrey’s mom is a nurse manager at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.Sam was brought to the hospital for emergency trauma surgery. The surgical team was able to get a special pai
  
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• State Dept says Trump travel ban fully implemented

  08-12-2017 19:29 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens of six mainly Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela is now fully operational. The announcement follows the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this week to allow enforcement of the ban as it is challenged in lower courts.
  The department said it began fully implementing the ban at the opening of business at all U.S. embassies and consulates on Friday.
  The ban restricts citizens Chad, I
  
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• More than 160 flights delayed at ABIA as storm hit

  08-12-2017 18:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The “winter wonderland” of snowfall and ice surprising Central Texas also caused some major delays and cancellations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport from Thursday night into Friday morning.
  According to FlightAware, from 5 a.m. Thursday morning and on, not a single flight took off on time at ABIA. Some were delayed by only a few minutes, others by hours. After 9 p.m., when a bulk of the storm hit, the online flight tracking system shows nearly 25 fligh
  
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• PHOTOS: Waking up to a gorgeous snow day!

  08-12-2017 18:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Central Texans can still not get over the fact that it snowed… and then snowed some more Thursday night into Friday morning.
  As the sun started to rise, the snow on top of cars and rooftops slowly melted but many took the chance to wake up early and capture the snowy scenes before the sun melted everything into slush.
  Even the deer got up early to enjoy the wintry weather!
  Now we all wait to see when the next snow day will happen again in our neck of the woods. Wakin
  
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• Truck carrying Tito’s vodka overturns in Pennsylvania

  08-12-2017 17:08 via kxan.com
  CORNWELLS HEIGHTS, PA (AP) — A tractor-trailer carrying vodka overturned, spilling cargo on a busy ramp leading to Interstate 95 near Philadelphia.
  The accident closed the Woodhaven Road east ramp to I-95 south in Bucks County around 4:45 a.m. Thursday.
  It took road crews hours to unload boxes of Tito’s vodka so the truck could be righted.
  Officials say the truck driver sustained minor injuries.
  The accident is under investigation.
  
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• J.J. Watt can’t contain his excitement about snow in Houston

  08-12-2017 16:30 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (WCMH) — If you have kids, you’ve seen the excitement build on their faces when the first snowflakes of the season start to fall outside.
  Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt is no different.
  Watt posted a video on his Facebook page late Thursday night of himself talking about seeing snow falling.
  “When I got drafted by Houston back in 2011 I was sure that I was never going to see this day. But the day has come,” Watt said. “I don’t know i
  
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• Texas pilot guilty in Gulf of Mexico crash insurance fraud

  08-12-2017 16:27 via kxan.com
  TYLER, Texas (AP) — A Texas pilot who survived a 2012 Gulf of Mexico crash and used an iPad to record his time in the water acknowledges it was insurance-related fraud.
  Theodore Robert Wright III pleaded guilty Thursday in Tyler to conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit arson. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
  Prosecutors say Wright and three others — who’ve also pleaded guilty — bought planes, boats and cars, over-insured them and destroyed the
  
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• Lindsey Vonn: I won’t represent US president at Winter Olympics

  08-12-2017 15:56 via kxan.com
  ST MORITZ, Switzerland (WCMH) — American Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn is working hard to get ready for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
  Vonn, 33, says she’s proud to represent the American people, but in a conversation with CNN, she made her feelings clear about President Trump and his administration.
  “Well I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the president,” Vonn said. “I take the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they re
  
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• PHOTOS: The snowmen of Central Texas

  08-12-2017 15:43 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While some areas only got a light dusting of snow, others had multiple inches piling up — enough to make a snowman or two. Viewers from all around Central Texas showed off their creations big and small. The snowmen of Central Texas Snowman at UT Austin (Courtesy Aaron Alterman)Snowman (Courtesy Taylor Fohn)Snowman (Courtesy Savaughna Garcia)A snowman in Bastrop (Courtesy Sarah Alison)A snowman in Mountain City (Courtesy Paul Wilson)Garfield, Texas, got 4 inches of sno
  
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• How you can help Austin kids in need get bikes this holiday season

  08-12-2017 14:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group that provides bikes to kids in need during the holidays needs your help to make Christmas a little merrier this year.
  The Yellow Bike Project in east Austin has collected a lot of children’s bikes, but many are not in good enough condition to ride. The bike collective is working to fix them up, and they need your help to do it.
  “A lot of it’s just taking apart wheels, making sure everything’s greased up and nice,” said Melody Millage, a
  
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• Man injured in shooting in east Austin

  08-12-2017 13:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was shot in the leg Friday morning in east Austin.
  It happened on the 5000 block of Regency Drive, northeast of where Farm to Market Road 969 crosses Ed Bluenstein Boulevard. The victim’s injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.
  Police have not identified a suspect and don’t know how many people were nearby at the time, but say the victim mentioned something about a white SUV.
  
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• City of San Marcos remembers fallen officer in falling snow

  08-12-2017 06:30 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The drizzling rain turned to falling snow minutes before a vigil began Thursday for San Marcos Police Officer Kenneth Copeland.
  It didn’t stop dozens from crowding around the steps of the Hays County Courthouse with glowing candles in hand.
  “It’s snowing in San Marcos — I’d like to think it’s him,” said Karen Zavala, a San Marcos 911 dispatcher.
  John Thomaides, the mayor of San Marcos, said, “Tragedy will test us bu
  
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• Regents aiming for sixth state championship

  08-12-2017 05:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Regents is back in the TAPPS state championship game.
  The Knights are playing in the second straight state title game, and looking for redemption after losing in the championship game last year.
  They’ll look to cap an undefeated, 14-0 season Friday night at 7:00 pm against Cedar Hill Trinity Christian at Waco Midway High School.
   
  
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• Rare snow event turns Central Texas into winter wonderland

  08-12-2017 05:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From the Hill Country all the way to Hays County, most Central Texans saw at least some snow flurries in their area Thursday evening.
  KXAN received reports from a couple of viewers in Hays County who recorded 4 inches of snow in their yards. Photos and videos also showed a winter wonderland in Wimberley.
  What started as rain in the Austin-area Thursday afternoon slowly turned into snow. Initially, it started as flurries being reported in the Cedar Park area around 3:30 p.m.
  
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• 3-D simulation shows Austin neighborhoods how quickly wildfire can spread

  08-12-2017 05:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jester Estates, which backs up to the Balcones Canyonland Preserve, is heeding the warning the neighboring Steiner Ranch wildfire left six years ago. Thursday night, the Jester Firewise Committee came together with the Austin Fire Department and Lake Travis Fire Rescue for a 3-D wildfire simulation designed to show just how quickly a wildfire can spread.
  The goal is to inspire people to do their part in lowering the wildfire risk.
  “If a wildfire starts in the can
  
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• Austin doctors react to new study linking birth control to breast cancer

  08-12-2017 03:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new study is sending some women into a panic.
  It turns out those newer birth control pills don’t lower breast cancer risk. A study in a New England Journal of Medicine following nearly 2 million women found their risk jumped 20 percent. After 10 years, it grew to nearly 38 percent.
  A link between hormonal contraceptives and cancer is nothing new in the medical world. But the new research out of Denmark surprised some local doctors.
  “This was really new,&r
  
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• Report: Mental health patients in Texas often forced out-of-network

  08-12-2017 03:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – While a 2008 federal law was established to ensure health insurance issuers provide equal coverage of mental health or substance use disorder treatment as they would for physical care, a new report shows patients are still facing challenges in accessing services.
  The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) generally prevents group health plans and insurance companies that provide behavioral health benefits from imposing less favorable coverage limitations on
  
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• Austin-area school delays and cancellations

  08-12-2017 02:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The following Austin-area schools and school districts have decided to delay or cancel school Friday after a rare snowstorm hit Central Texas. All city of Austin offices and facilities will open at 10 a.m. Friday.
  Austin Community College — Two-hour delay
  Austin ISD — Canceled Friday
  Bastrop ISD — Canceled Friday
  Coupland ISD — Two-hour delay
  Del Valle ISD — Canceled Friday
  Eanes ISD – Canceled Friday
  Elgin ISD — Canceled Frida
  
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• Ex-Texas nurse pleads not guilty in 1980s deaths of 5 kids

  08-12-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — An imprisoned former nurse who prosecutors believe could be responsible for the deaths of up to 60 children in Texas pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges in the deaths of five children in the early 1980s.
  Genene Jones, 67, was arraigned Thursday in San Antonio. She was brought into court in a wheelchair and wore a surgical mask.
  Jones is serving concurrent 99-year and 60-year sentences in state prison for the killing of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan and the sic
  
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• Austin narrows down city manager search to 2 candidates

  08-12-2017 00:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The field for the vacant Austin city manager position has been narrowed down to two candidates.
  The Austin City Council has invited two candidates to return for the final stages of the recruitment process. Last month, the city released the short list of six candidates it was considering. Out of the six, the council would like to move forward with Spencer Cronk and Howard Lazarus again.
  Cronk currently works as Minneapolis city coordinator. His job is to direct the managemen
  
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• Family under one roof thanks to Salvation Army’s Ring in a Miracle campaign

  08-12-2017 00:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Christmas tree is trimmed in Sandra Castillo’s Austin apartment. This holiday she will celebrate one year of having permanent housing thanks to the Salvation Army’s Ring in a Miracle campaign, which started this week.
  Castillo said last year she and her two girls, six-year-old Aiiyana and three-year-old Lena, were homeless, living with her ex-boyfriend’s parents in Killeen. She said it was tough living under someone else’s rules.
  So, Castillo con
  
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