Austin news

• Father, 9-year-old daughter killed in apparent murder-suicide

  13-12-2017 23:22 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Authorities believe a father killed his 9-year-old daughter before turning the gun on himself in their southwest Travis County home Monday morning.
  The Travis County Sheriff’s Office says Lielle Kaplan’s death appears to be a homicide while Yariv Kaplan’s, 42, gunshot wound appears to be self-inflicted.
  Deputies were originally sent to the home in the 8000 block of El Dorado Drive at around 5:44 a.m. Dec. 11 for a check welfare call. When they entered
  
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• VIDEO: Pre-schoolers brawl over baby Jesus during Nativity pageant

  13-12-2017 22:25 via kxan.com
  WHITE PINE, Tenn. (KXAN) — It’s never a good sign when one of your Nativity scene characters puts someone in a headlock — even if both are in pre-school.
  A 2-year-old girl playing a sheep decided the baby Jesus doll in a church Christmas pageant in White Pine, Tennessee was hers, as seen in video taken Sunday by Tara Benson and obtained by NBC News.
  Mary wasn’t having it, and after a brief scuffle, the 3-year-old playing Jesus’ mother put the sheep in a headlock.
  A
  
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• Cedar season has officially returned to Central Texas!

  13-12-2017 21:38 via kxan.com
  It’s here! The highly dreaded cedar season is finally upon us. While traces of cedar did start to appear in our daily pollen counts earlier this week, the pesky pollen officially made its return Wednesday morning, remaining in the “low” category…for now.
  Cedar’s arrival this week is actually not all that early. Allergists confirm that cedar season usually starts the week of Christmas. However, this one is expected to be bad. The reason? The trees that generate poll
  
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• Bastrop County commissioner indicted on abuse of official capacity charges

  13-12-2017 21:28 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — A Bastrop County commissioner has been indicted on three counts of abuse of official capacity.
  Records show Commissioner Gary “Bubba” Snowden, 72, was arrested and booked into the Bastrop County Jail on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The specifics of the charges are not yet known.
  In an emailed response to the indictment, Snowden says he has known of the allegations for a long time. “I am not guilty of each and every charge contained in this indictment,”
  
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• Bastrop County commissioner accused of using county resources to repair private roads

  13-12-2017 21:28 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — A Bastrop County commissioner has been indicted on three counts of abuse of official capacity.
  Records show Commissioner Gary “Bubba” Snowden, 72, was arrested and booked into the Bastrop County Jail on Tuesday, Dec. 12. The indictments allege Snowden used county resources and employees to work on private roads.
  In an emailed response to the indictment, Snowden says he has known of the allegations for a long time. “I am not guilty of each and every
  
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• Goodwill Central Texas gives former inmates a second chance

  13-12-2017 20:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In 2009, David Long was arrested in the Bryan-College Station area for drug possession. He’d been arrested two times prior for similar offenses. At the time, Long says he was going through a break-up with his now-ex.
  “I was in the process of losing my daughters at the time and started using drugs again, so one step lead to the next and I’m kicking her door in,” Long said.
  Eight years later, Long is out of prison and working with Goodwill Central Texa
  
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• UK surgeon admits signing initials on patients’ livers

  13-12-2017 20:04 via kxan.com
  LONDON (AP) — A British surgeon has admitted to assaulting two patients by burning his initials into their livers during transplant operations.
  Simon Bramhall pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of assault, in a case a prosecutor called “without legal precedent in criminal law.”
  Bramhall used an argon beam coagulator, which seals bleeding blood vessels with an electric beam, to mark his initials on the organs.
  Prosecutor Tony Badenoch says the brandings were “an intent
  
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• Fort Worth expands ordinance to ban smoking in bars

  13-12-2017 19:48 via kxan.com
  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Fort Worth has become one of the last major cities in Texas to ban smoking in bars.
  Beginning March 12, smoking will be banned in bars and bingo parlors in the city. The City Council on Tuesday voted 8-1 to approve updates to the city’s smoking ordinance for the first time since 2008. The new law also prohibits the use of e-cigarettes.
  Councilman Dennis Shingleton says, “this is a step in the right direction.”
  The push for the ordinance change cam
  
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• $2,000 tip left behind on a diner tab in Scottsdale

  13-12-2017 19:28 via kxan.com
  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (KXAN) — If you thought your 20 percent tip on a dining tab was generous, one person in Arizona has you beat.
  KPNX reports the staff at the 5 & Diner in Scottsdale received a $2,000 tip on a $17 bill. The staff dubbed the diner guest as their “secret Santa” who came in to eat breakfast Saturday morning.
  The “secret Santa” also left a note on the receipt asking staff members to “Please split with the whole staff. Merry Christmas!” Th
  
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• Woman fills home with more than 1,000 Santa decorations

  13-12-2017 19:16 via kxan.com
  GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) — A Colorado woman has more than 1,000 Santas decorating her home.
  Karen Kalvar said it all started with one picture from the 1960s, where her mom and dad dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus before he went off to fight in Vietnam. Then, when she got a Santa from her kids about 25 years ago, her collection slowly began to grow and grow.
  “And the momentum picked up, and every single year, somebody would get me a Santa Clause, everybody would get me a Santa Clau
  
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• Texas Juvenile Justice Department staff members accused of sexual misconduct

  13-12-2017 18:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Recent reports of state employees engaging in sexual misconduct at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) has Gov. Greg Abbott asking for the Texas Rangers to investigate.
  In a letter sent to Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw dated Dec. 13, Abbott says the reports are “reprehensible and necessitate an appropriate response.”
  According to Abbott’s letter, the TJJD Office of the Inspector General has investigated the allegat
  
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• Seton to build new medical center in Elgin

  13-12-2017 18:22 via kxan.com
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — As more and more people move to Austin’s suburbs, Seton Family of Hospitals is making sure they have access to health care services.
  On Wednesday, Seton along with the city of Elgin announced they have signed an agreement to build a medical center complex at the southwest corner of US Highway 290 at Roy Rivers Boulevard. Seton says the new 5,000-square-foot clinic, which will start construction in late 2018, will provide primary care and after-hours urgent care
  
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• The Latest: Trump praises deal on GOP tax cuts

  13-12-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Republican tax overhaul (all times local):
  12:51 p.m.
  President Donald Trump says Republicans are “very, very close to a historic legislative victory” on taxes.
  Trump says Wednesday that a deal is “very, very close.” He added that it is “very important” to vote on the legislation next week.
  House and Senate GOP leaders have forged an agreement on an overhaul of the nation’s tax laws. It paves the way for final vo
  
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• The Latest: IRS says bill could benefit taxpayers by Feb.

  13-12-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Republican tax overhaul (all times local):
  9:30 p.m.
  The IRS says taxpayers could begin seeing less money withheld from their paychecks “as early as February” if Congress passes a Republican tax overhaul plan this month.
  The agency says in a statement released Wednesday night that it “is continuing to closely monitor the pending legislation in Congress,” and “taking the initial steps to prepare guidance on withholding for 20
  
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• The Latest: Fed chair expects ‘modest lift’ from tax cuts

  13-12-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Republican tax overhaul (all times local):
  3:50 p.m.
  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen says she and her colleagues expect a “modest lift” to economic growth from the tax cuts being proposed by President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.
  Yellen said at a news conference the likelihood of lower taxes is why Fed officials expect the economy to grow at 2.5 percent in 2018. But growth would then slip back closer to its recent 2 percent avera
  
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• The Latest: Breaks for college students back in tax bill

  13-12-2017 18:16 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Republican tax overhaul (all times local):
  6 p.m.
  Congressional aides say negotiators have removed several controversial provisions from sweeping tax legislation, including one that would have eliminated the deduction for interest on student loans and another deduction for medical expenses.
  Two congressional aides also say the bill will no longer start taxing graduate-school tuition waivers. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
  
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• Prominent black supporter of Trump set to leave White House

  13-12-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says Omarosa Manigault Newman — one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent African-American supporters — plans to leave the administration next month.
  White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Manigault Newman’s resignation is effective Jan. 20, one year since Trump’s inauguration.
  Manigault Newman’s decision comes at the start of what’s expected to be a round of departures heading into the new ye
  
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• Former ‘Apprentice’ contestant Omarosa leaving White House

  13-12-2017 17:12 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Omarosa Manigault Newman — the former “Apprentice” contestant who became one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent African -American supporters — was escorted off the White House grounds after resigning her post as a presidential adviser.
  White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday that Manigault Newman’s last day will be Jan. 20, one year since Trump’s inauguration. “We wish her the best in future
  
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• How to watch the Geminid meteor shower Thursday morning

  13-12-2017 16:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There will be a light show in the sky early Thursday morning — if you either stay up late or get up early enough to see it.
  The Geminid meteor shower is making its annual pass near Earth, in what NASA scientists call “the best shower this year.” It will peak between midnight and 4 a.m. Dec. 14 — when people will be able to see about one per minute. There are also less frequent chances for people to see them from sunset Wednesday, Dec. 13, to dawn Dec
  
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• Ready, set, go: Kendra Scott holds digital scavenger hunt for Austinites

  13-12-2017 16:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — To show support for the Austin community and her home base, jewelry designer Kendra Scott is hosting a digital scavenger hunt for fans of her jewelry line.
  Starting Wednesday, Dec. 13, the jewelry company will share clues on its social media channels that people will need to use to figure out where a surprise party is being held in downtown Austin Thursday afternoon. The first clue will post in Kendra Scott’s Instagram on Wednesday and three additional clues
  
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• PHOTOS: Remembering fallen San Marcos Officer Kenneth Copeland

  13-12-2017 16:36 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Dozens of patrol vehicles and motorcycles formed a long line of lights as escorts for the funeral procession of a San Marcos police officer who died in the line of duty.
  Officer Kenneth Copeland’s funeral is 11 a.m. Wednesday at a San Antonio church. Officers traveled with the hearse 43 miles to the Community Bible Church at 2477 North Loop 1604. He was a 19-year veteran with SMPD and leaves behind a wife and four children. Funeral procession for San Marcos
  
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• Fetid attraction: London fatberg to go on museum display

  13-12-2017 16:04 via kxan.com
  LONDON (AP) — Part of a monster fatberg that clogged one of London’s sewers is destined for fame in a museum.
  The Museum of London says it will put the only remaining chunk of the 130-metric-ton (143-U.S.-ton) mass of oil, fat, diapers and baby wipes on display early next year.
  Workers for utility company Thames Water spent weeks this year dislodging the smelly 250-meter-long (820-foot-long) blob by breaking it up with high-powered hoses.
  The museum’s shoebox-sized chunk is all
  
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• ‘I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas’ wish granted, again

  13-12-2017 14:02 via kxan.com
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City native Gayla Peevey has welcomed another hippopotamus to the city’s zoo, more than 60 years after her song about wanting one for Christmas helped the facility purchase its first.
  The singer was on hand as the 26-year-old pygmy hippopotamus Francesca made her first Oklahoma public appearance since moving from the San Diego Zoo.
  In 1953, the then-10-year-old Peevey sang the novelty hit, “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas.” It led to a st
  
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• VIDEO: Pipeline explosion in Burleson County could be seen for 12 miles

  13-12-2017 12:54 via kxan.com
  BURLESON COUNTY (KXAN) — A pipeline explosion early Wednesday morning in Burleson County sent flames high into the air.
  No one was injured when the gas inside an Energy Transfer pipeline on County Road 132 near the Lee County border caught fire. Crews worked to put out several nearby grass fires. The fire was contained as of 4:18 a.m. but it was still burning off the gas line, according to the Burleson County Sheriff’s Office.
  The Giddings Times & News reported the fire was visib
  
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• TOWER OF FLAMES: Pipeline explosion in Burleson County

  13-12-2017 12:54 via kxan.com
  BURLESON COUNTY (KXAN) — A pipeline explosion early Wednesday morning in Burleson County sent flames high into the air.
  No one was injured when the gas inside an Energy Transfer pipeline on County Road 132 near the Lee County border caught fire. Crews worked to put out several nearby grass fires. The fire was contained as of 4:18 a.m. but it was still burning off the gas line, according to the Burleson County Sheriff’s Office. It shut down CR 132 from County Road 130 to County Road 1
  
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• What you need to know about San Marcos officer Kenneth Copeland’s funeral

  13-12-2017 12:53 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The flashing lights of first responders will mark the long procession from San Marcos to San Antonio Wednesday, as a fallen officer will be remembered and laid to rest.
  Officer Kenneth Copeland worked for 19 years at the San Marcos Police Department and was the first of their officers to ever die in the line of duty. He died Dec. 4 after serving a warrant on his day off, volunteering to work to help his co-workers and his family. The public is invited to gat
  
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• WATCH: Funeral procession for San Marcos officer Kenneth Copeland

  13-12-2017 12:53 via kxan.com
  APP USERS: Tap the image above to start the live stream
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The flashing lights of first responders will mark the long procession from San Marcos to San Antonio Wednesday, as a fallen officer will be remembered and laid to rest.
  Officer Kenneth Copeland worked for 19 years at the San Marcos Police Department and was the first of their officers to ever die in the line of duty. He died Dec. 4 after serving a warrant on his day off, volunteering to work to help his co-
  
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• Brothers in blue remember San Marcos Officer Kenneth Copeland

  13-12-2017 12:53 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The flashing lights of first responders will mark the long procession from San Marcos to San Antonio Wednesday, as a fallen officer will be remembered and laid to rest.
  Officer Kenneth Copeland worked for 19 years at the San Marcos Police Department and was the first of their officers to ever die in the line of duty. He died Dec. 4 after serving a warrant on his day off, volunteering to work to help his co-workers and his family. The public is invited to gat
  
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• Big crowd expected as Austin city council debates APD contract

  13-12-2017 12:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police could find out as early as Wednesday if they will have a new contract to work under. A big crowd is expected at City Hall in the afternoon — to call on city council to scrap the entire contract all together.
  More than 15 activist groups are asking council to not vote on this deal and rethink it.
  “So we want to invest more in the root causes of public safety and that includes things like  mental health services, treatment centers, counseling, y
  
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• Popular Austin wedding venue shutting down suddenly

  13-12-2017 06:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A popular wedding venue just outside of downtown Austin is closing its doors, despite more than a dozen weddings already having been planned to take place there next year.
  Owner Morgan Daily Jackson says the Inn at Wild Rose Hall will be moved and re-branded, to open up under a different name next year. She says she’s been leasing the venue property for nearly 10 years with plans to eventually buy it, but that she was recently informed it would be sold to someone else
  
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• Longhorns suffer first home loss of the season

  13-12-2017 05:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 17 points and 10 rebounds, including a key 3-pointer, and Michigan beat Texas 59-52 on Tuesday night.
  Abdur-Rahkman was 7 of 15 from the floor, and his 3 with 4:53 remaining gave Michigan a 10-point lead. Charles Matthews added 12 points, while Moritz Wagner and Duncan Robinson scored 10 apiece for the Wolverines (9-3).
  Dylan Osetkowski scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to lead Texas (6-3), which shot a season-low 36.5 percent
  
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• Help Texas Game Wardens ‘gear up’ by chipping in for pricey equipment

  13-12-2017 04:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As many people creep closer to crossing off their holiday shopping lists, the Texas Game Wardens want you to know they have a wishlist too.
  Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) has launched a new program and website to help Texas Game Wardens get the job done out in the field. Through private donations, Gear Up for Game Wardens will provide specialty, high-tech equipment the wardens could otherwise not afford.
  “This is specific equipment, to specific a
  
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• Democrat Doug Jones wins Alabama Senate seat

  13-12-2017 03:42 via kxan.com
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — In a stunning victory aided by scandal, Democrat Doug Jones won Alabama’s special Senate election on Tuesday, beating back history, an embattled Republican opponent and President Donald Trump, who urgently endorsed GOP rebel Roy Moore despite a litany of sexual misconduct allegations.
  It was the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter-century in Alabama, one of the reddest of red states, and proved anew that party loyalty is anything but sure in the age o
  
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• VIDEO: Little boy tries to rescue sister during her wrestling match

  13-12-2017 03:12 via kxan.com
  (WFLA) — Little brothers, they’ve always got your back!
  Five-year-old Ryan Prendergast was wrestling against a little girl in his elementary league when all of a sudden reinforcements showed up to help her.
  Ryan’s mom, Tori, told WFLA News Channel 8’s Lila Gross when the girl’s little brother saw the match begin, he just couldn’t let his big sister fight the battle all on her own.
  So he ran out to offer some assistance.
  In the now viral vid
  
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• After stabbing, UT student looks to teach entire campus about trauma response

  13-12-2017 02:31 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A student at the University of Texas at Austin has made it her mission to teach the entire Longhorn community how to respond when traumatic injuries happen around them.
  Claire Zagorski was on campus on May 1, 2017 when freshman student Harrison Brown was fatally stabbed by another student. Since then, she’s been using her training as a paramedic to teach others on campus simple things they could do to help if another similar incident happened nearby.
  Zagorski got her
  
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• Woman had locks changed 4 times, yet San Marcos stalking suspect kept breaking in

  13-12-2017 01:45 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – Women are coming forward saying they were victims of a San Marcos peeping tom. Police say instead of just looking through windows, Chaitanya Cherukuri, 24, took it one step further and would routinely crouch in their bedrooms while women slept.
  Police arrested Cherukuri last week after they say he stalked a woman and stole from her apartment. Police say there could be at least 15 other victims. Sabrina Bauer says she was one of those.
  “It was clear as dayli
  
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• TABC tries to turn away from tumultuous year with roundtable meetings

  13-12-2017 01:29 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — State alcohol regulators are hosting a series of roundtable meetings across the state in the coming weeks and months, in an attempt to win favor with lawmakers and members of the alcoholic beverage industry.
  This comes after a turbulent 2017, with half a dozen top officials leaving the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, and a newly-implemented warning-based system. The agency is also up for review by the state’s Sunset Commission.
  Spokesperson Chris Porte
  
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• UTPD: Man took inappropriate photos of women on campus

  13-12-2017 01:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin Police Department has posted descriptions of women who had inappropriate photos of taken of them without their knowledge while walking around campus.
  UT police officers were notified of the male suspect taking inappropriate photos of women walking near UT’s Main Building between 12:45 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
  Officers found the man — described as a 54-year-old Hispanic male — and arrested him, giving him a cr
  
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• Mattress merchant sends bedding for displaced horse workers

  13-12-2017 01:16 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston businessman known for his generosity to Hurricane Harvey victims and his love of horses has donated dozens of mattresses for California wildfire relief.
  Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale (MAK’-uhn-vayl) used to have 30 horses at San Luis Rey Downs in Southern California. KPRC-TV reports McIngvale over the weekend sent about 60 mattresses to help displaced horse trainers and workers. More than 40 horses were killed at the training facility as wildfires
  
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• Mom of bullied Tennessee boy responds to Confederate flag photos

  13-12-2017 00:43 via kxan.com
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The mother of the Union County boy whose anti-bullying video went viral over the weekend responded Tuesday to criticism of photos she posted online.
  Photos Kimberly Jones posted of her and her children with the Confederate flag began circulating around the internet on Monday.
  Jones admitted she posted the picture with the flag.
  “It was meant to be ironic and funny and extreme,” Jones told Good Morning America. “If I could take it b
  
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• GoFundMe account for bullied Tennessee boy frozen

  13-12-2017 00:43 via kxan.com
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Social media is fueling questions about a fundraising effort for Keaton Jones and his family after a viral video concerning bullying.
  The New Jersey man who started a GoFundMe for the Jones family has now frozen the account after getting more than $56,000 in donations.
  Joseph Lam posted on the site saying, “I can’t even say for sure that any of what’s being said is true. I don’t know the family personally and never claimed to have known the
  
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• Flu outbreak forces North Texas school district to close for two days

  13-12-2017 00:19 via kxan.com
  SUNNYVALE, Texas (KXAN) — A small school district just east of Dallas has shut down classes Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to stop the spread of the flu.
  The Sunnyvale Independent School District says the flu kept 85 students home from its elementary school Monday. The district, which has approximately 1,800 students, tells KXAS this is the first flu-related closure in the district in the last decade.
  While the district’s three schools are closed, janitors will work to disin
  
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