Austin news

• ‘Firefighting at Christmas’ may become normal in California

  09-12-2017 23:20 via kxan.com
  FALLBROOK, Calif. (AP) — A week of destructive fires in Southern California is ending but danger still looms.
  Well into what’s considered the wet season, there’s been nary a drop of rain. That’s good news for sun-seeking tourists, but could spell more disaster for a region that emerged this spring from a yearslong drought and now has firefighters on edge because of parched conditions and no end in sight to the typical fire season.
  “This is the new normal,” Gov
  
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• Trump hails civil rights heroes; protesters pan his record

  09-12-2017 23:19 via kxan.com
  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — President Donald Trump paid tribute Saturday to the leaders and foot soldiers of the civil rights movement whose sacrifices help make the United States a fairer and more just country, though protests surrounding his visit to Mississippi laid bare the stark divisions among Americans about his commitment to that legacy.
  As Trump gazed at an exhibit on Freedom Riders at the new Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, demonstrators near the
  
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• Snow slows or shuts down much of normally sunny Deep South

  09-12-2017 23:17 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA (AP) — An unusually heavy December snowfall across much of the Deep South tapered off Saturday, icy road conditions were still a threat and thousands remained without electricity throughout the region.
  Forecasters warned that moisture on the roadways could freeze overnight and cause black ice to form. The National Weather Service said that even after snow flurries ended by midday, areas including metro Atlanta would still be cold enough for transparent layers of thin ice to form on
  
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• Snow exits South, marches toward Northeast

  09-12-2017 23:17 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA (AP) — A pre-winter storm that roared through the Deep South and coated half of North Carolina and portions of Virginia in snow pushed northward on Saturday, leaving motorists to brave potentially icy roads and utility crews trying to restore heat and light to thousands.
  Forecasters were warning that the slush created during daylight would turn to ice from temperatures dropping below freezing, creating black ice on roads, bridges and other elevated surfaces.
  “That catches peo
  
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• Motorcyclist injured in crash along Burnet Road

  09-12-2017 21:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A man was seriously injured when a car and a motorcycle collided in north Austin Saturday afternoon, said Austin-Travis County EMS.
  It happened at about 1:58 p.m. in the 7900 block of Burnet Road and Anderson Lane just east of Mopac Expressway, ATC EMS said.
  Medics treated a man in his 20s and transported him to Dell Seton Medical Center with potentially serious injuries. No one else was injured in the crash.
  Emergency personnel asked drivers to avoid the area while the cra
  
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• Man, 20s, seriously injured when motorcycle, car crash in N. Austin

  09-12-2017 21:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A man was seriously injured when a car and a motorcycle collided in north Austin Saturday afternoon, said Austin-Travis County EMS.
  It happened at about 1:58 p.m. in the 7900 block of Burnet Road and Anderson Lane just east of Mopac Expressway, ATC EMS said.
  Medics treated a man in his 20s and transported him to Dell Seton Medical Center with potentially serious injuries. No one else was injured in the crash.
  Emergency personnel asked drivers to avoid the area while the cra
  
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• Texas hires Chris Del Conte as next athletic director

  09-12-2017 21:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas has hired TCU Athletic Director Chris Del Conte as the next Longhorns athletic director. Del Conte will replace Mike Perrin, who took over for Steve Patterson as interim AD in September of 2015.
  Texas removed the interim tag from Perrin in December of 2015, extending him until the end of the 2017-18 academic year.
  Del Conte was hired as the TCU Athletic Director in October of 2009. During his time in Fort Worth, Del Conte spearheaded massive upgrades to TCU athletic f
  
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• Ex-priest gets life in prison for 1960 parishioner slaying

  09-12-2017 20:48 via kxan.com
  EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — A jury on Friday sentenced an 85-year-old former priest to life in prison for the 1960 killing of a schoolteacher and former beauty queen who was a member of the parish he served.
  The same jurors in Hidalgo County in South Texas found John Bernard Feit guilty of murder Thursday night. Prosecutors asked jurors Friday for a 57-year prison term — one year for each year he had walked free since killing Irene Garza after she went to him for confession at Sacred Hear
  
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• Texas man accused of killing girlfriend, leaving baby alone

  09-12-2017 20:03 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston man remains jailed after being accused by authorities of fatally shooting his girlfriend and leaving their infant daughter alone in their home after the slaying.
  During a court hearing Saturday, a judge ordered that Jasper Davis be jailed under a $100,000 bond on a murder charge.
  Authorities say Davis and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jennifer Nicole Mamo, got into an argument early Friday morning after having gone out to a bar.
  Investigators say the 29-year-old Davi
  
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• PHOTOS: Take a stroll through Austin’s Trail of Lights

  09-12-2017 19:38 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When all 2 million lights are turned on, Austin’s Trail of Lights turns Zilker Park into a magical place.
  Whether its the Beauty and the Beast display or the Peanuts display, there’s a display that will make every child and adult smile. Trail of Lights runs from Dec. 9-23.
  Before you make your way out there, take a look at our guide on what you need to know before you go. Trail of Lights 2017 Trail of Lights entry tunnel! (KXAN Photo/Calily Bien)The dinosaur lig
  
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• Man seriously injured in South Austin trench collapse

  09-12-2017 17:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in the hospital with injuries after a trench collapsed in South Austin  on Saturday morning.
  Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS responded to the incident at the Flagstone Terrace Condominiums on Deaton Hill just north of West William Cannon Drive and west of Manchaca  Road. around 9:56 a.m.
  AFD said the man, who is in his 30’s, was pulled from the collapsed trench and EMS was administering CPR to him. EMS later tweeted that the man
  
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• Man critically injured in South Austin trench collapse

  09-12-2017 17:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in the hospital with critical injuries after a trench collapsed in South Austin on Saturday morning.
  The Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS responded to the incident at the Flagstone Terrace Condominiums in the 6900 block of Deatonhill Drive just north of West William Cannon Drive and west of Manchaca Road at about 9:56 a.m.
  AFD said the man in his 30s was pulled from the collapsed trench, and EMS administered CPR to him. EMS said he regained a pul
  
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• How to prevent toy related injuries this holiday season

  09-12-2017 17:22 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The last thing you want this holiday season is to give a child a gift and have it cause harm to them.Seton family Dr. Ajay Zachariah joins us on KXAN News Today to talk about how to keep kids safe even during the season of giving.
  He says in his experience the most common injuries that he witnesses with kids relating to toys during the holidays are bumps bruises and cuts to the face and head. He says small toys put children at risk of choking on small toys. Toys that are po
  
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• 3rd Zika infection by Texas mosquito reported this year

  09-12-2017 15:42 via kxan.com
  EDINBURG, Texas (AP) — Health officials say a person in Texas appears to have been infected with Zika after being bitten by a local mosquito, the third such instance this year.
  Officials said Thursday that a McAllen resident appears to have been infected by a mosquito in Hidalgo County, located on the border with Mexico. Previously this year, another local transmission was reported in Hidalgo County and one in neighboring Cameron County.
  The Texas Department of State Health Services says R
  
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• Krampus: A Haunted Christmas comes to Austin

  09-12-2017 05:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Traditional holiday fun is getting a rude awakening from some competition: Krampus!
  Friday and Saturday only, the Christmas themed scare fest is invading Austin.Krampus: A Haunted Christmas draws on the Bavarian and Alpine tradition of the half demon. He punishes the bad children while Saint Nicholas rewards the good.
  But at this haunted house, he’s not the only monster you face.
  “We have taken the best of our three Halloween attractions, as you can see we have
  
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• Drunk driver gets 28 years in prison for deadly north Austin crash

  09-12-2017 05:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than two years after the crash that killed a 20-year-old woman, the man charged in connection to her death has been sentenced to prison for 28 years.
  Maleeca Smith was killed while driving in north Austin in the intersection of Gracy Farms Lane and Burnet Road in April 2015. The University of Texas at San Antonio sophomore was home visiting her family for the weekend when police said Shawn Amende was driving drunk, ran a red light, and slammed into Smith’s car.&n
  
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• Driver who killed college student from Austin gets 28 years in prison

  09-12-2017 05:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than two years after the crash that killed a 20-year-old woman, the man charged in connection to her death has been sentenced to prison for 28 years.
  Maleeca Smith was killed while driving in north Austin in the intersection of Gracy Farms Lane and Burnet Road in April 2015. The University of Texas at San Antonio sophomore was home visiting her family for the weekend when police said Shawn Amende was driving drunk, ran a red light, and slammed into Smith’s car.&n
  
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• Austinites, here’s your chance to meet city manager candidates

  09-12-2017 05:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin residents are invited to meet and hear from the two finalists for the job of city manager on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
  The two candidates, Spencer Cronk and Howard Lazarus, will be introduced at the City Managers Town Hall at the Austin Convention Center at 7 p.m., the city said in a statement.
  Doors will open to the public at 6:30 p.m. and free parking will be provided at the parking garages at 601 E. 5th St. and 201 E. 2nd St.
  The city says the public will hear presen
  
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• Woman wakes to man staring at her, finds she has same lock and key as neighbor

  09-12-2017 03:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A south Austin woman says she is terrified to go to sleep at night after a man walked into her apartment and stared at her while she slept.
  She says it happened on Nov. 20 after the apartment complex, located near the intersection of Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road, changed all of the locks and some tenants ended up with the same key.
  “He walked past the couch, he walked past the fireplace and then he gets to here,” said Ronda, who asked us not to use her last
  
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• Florence police chief ready to hand over ‘bear crawl’ injuries investigation

  09-12-2017 02:22 via kxan.com
  FLORENCE, Texas (KXAN) — The Florence police chief says he is wrapping up the investigation into whether there was any wrongdoing when two substitute teachers had students do bear crawls in class that resulted in bruises and blisters.
  Police Chief Adam Marsh told KXAN Thursday he interviewed the injured students and the two substitute teachers in charge of the physical education class at Florence Middle School. Parents and students said on Thursday, Nov. 30 students were made to do the bea
  
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• Joe Schwartz joins MTTS to talk charity efforts

  09-12-2017 02:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas basketball’s Joe Schwartz joins More than the Score to talk about his efforts to raise $10,000 to buy toys for patients at Dell Children’s Hospital.
  
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• Husband and wife accused of cleaning out elementary PTA’s account

  09-12-2017 01:48 via kxan.com
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — An investigation into a husband and wife’s dealings with a Hutto elementary school’s parent teacher association began when a bank alerted board members that the PTA’s account balance was in the red.
  Board members for the Ray Elementary School PTA contacted police on June 29, 2017, to report about $16,000 stolen from the account.
  A+ Federal Credit Union called one of the members concerning suspicious activity on the account after checks written by Nat
  
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• Missing 11-year-old boy found dead in Cedar Park

  09-12-2017 01:35 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — A 11-year-old boy missing Friday has been found dead, Cedar Park police said.
  Officials did not say how long the boy was missing, but said the death did not appear to be suspicious and was a potential suicide.
  Neighbors in the Caballo Ranch subdivision — north of the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and East Whitestone Boulevard — saw increased police activity as officers searched for the boy.
  Additional information on the boy’s death was
  
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• These are our favorite snow photos

  09-12-2017 00:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — We have some of the best viewers in the world. When snow blanketed Central Texas, you captured the moment and Report(ed) It.
  The KXAN.com team reviewed the thousands of photos from across the state you submitted to Report It. Many of the photos brought smiles to our faces, some even made us laugh out loud, we asked our coworkers to arrange some of their favorite pictures. Enjoy!
  Horse enjoying the snow in Paige. (Report It: Kelly Reed)Snowman when the snow first started on
  
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• Advocates for people with disabilities fear a tax cut means a service cut

  09-12-2017 00:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While the stage is set for massive tax cuts for the majority of Americans, some fear it will lead to service cuts down the road. Top negotiators from the House and the Senate are working to iron out the details and Republicans hope to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk before Christmas.
  People with disabilities came out as the snow came down Thursday night in Austin to voice their fear.
  “It would impact my freedom,” said Heiwa Salovitz, an
  
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