Austin news

• Family: Boy injured in Texas church shooting in good spirits

  18-12-2017 23:58 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The family of a 5-year-old boy who remains hospitalized after being injured in the November shooting rampage inside a Texas church says his recovery is going well and he remains in good spirits.
  Ryland Ward has been hospitalized since the Nov. 5 shooting inside the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs.
  He was shot five times. His stepmother and his two sisters were killed.
  KSAT-TV reports that Ryland’s great uncle, Earl McMahan, said Monday the boy has had se
  
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• Iraqi refugee gets 16 years for trying to help Islamic State

  18-12-2017 23:56 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — An Iraqi refugee who authorities say wanted to set off bombs at two Houston malls has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for trying to help the Islamic State group.
  Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan was sentenced in Houston federal court on Monday.
  He pleaded guilty in October 2016 to attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
  The 25-year-old came to Houston from Iraq in 2009. He was arrested in January 2016.
  Authorities sa
  
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• APD, FBI seek northwest Austin bank robber

  18-12-2017 23:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are asking for the public’s help identifying the robber who held up an Austin Telco Credit Union Saturday afternoon.
  APD says the man walked into the branch at 13831 Research Blvd., across from Lakeline Mall, and demanded cash. He left the bank on foot and was last seen heading west.
  The robber is described as a white man, between 20 and 30 years old. He stands about 6-feet tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He had reddish-brown hair, which they say, could have
  
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• UT freshman’s chronicle of getting to her first final goes viral

  18-12-2017 23:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ann Mark wanted to share with friends about her wild experience just getting to her first final of college. What started as a Snapchat story about the comedy-of-errors turned into a viral sensation that’s been viewed more than 7 million times on Twitter.
  “It’s been a crazy couple days,” Mark said of her chronicle of her first and last final of the semester, which she eventually posted to Twitter after friends told her how much they enjoyed it. The 19
  
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• Shipping Deadlines: Dates to know to ensure Christmas delivery

  18-12-2017 22:44 via kxan.com
  (WATE) – More than two billion packages are headed out this holiday season, destined for the doorsteps of friends and family around the world.
  If you still have some gifts to order, your best (and cheapest) bet is to take care of business right now.
  Most retailers have named Tuesday as the cutoff date for standard shipping to ensure delivery by Christmas.
  Wednesday is the deadline for FedEx Two-Day delivery, UPS Second-Day Air and USPS Priority Mail.
  Thursday is the final day to
  
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• Judge rules Greg Kelley’s conviction should be thrown out

  18-12-2017 22:28 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Greg Kelley, the man convicted in 2014 and sentenced to prison on charges he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old boy, is innocent of the charges, Judge Donna King ruled Monday.
  “The court finds that the cumulation of evidence supports applicant’s claim of actual innocence. He has met his burden and established he is actually innocent of the offense for which he was convicted.
  The court recommends the applicant’s claim of actual innocence be granted
  
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• Pair of Austin area teams to play for a State Championship

  18-12-2017 22:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lake Travis (13-2) is back in the State Championship game. The Cavaliers will play for their second straight title and 7th overall when they meet Allen (15-0) on Saturday afternoon, 3 p.m. at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium in the 6A Division 1 Championship game.
  The Cavaliers beat The Woodlands in the 2016 Championship game led by quarterback Charlie Brewer, now the starter at Baylor.
  Now it’s senior Matthew Baldwin leading the Lake Travis offense, he has passed f
  
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• Namesake of Jack Brown Cleaners dead at 89

  18-12-2017 22:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jack Brown, the man behind the dry cleaning empire with the same name, has died. He was 89.
  The University of Texas graduate with the help of his wife, children and grandchildren, built Jack Brown Cleaners into one of the largest family-owned dry cleaners in the nation.
  In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Jack’s honor to Coats for Kids online at www.jlaustin.org/coats; the Salvation Army online at www.salvationarmyaustin.org/don
  
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• Flying Saucer closing Triangle location

  18-12-2017 20:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After 10 years in Austin, the Flying Saucer is closing its doors when its lease ends on Jan. 1.
  “We have had 10 great years in Austin and have met a lot of wonderful beer lovers along the way,” said Keith Schlabs, partner at Flying Saucer. “During that time, we’ve focused on bringing the best beer to Austin, and we’ve shared our knowledge with countless employees and customers, all of whom are very special to us. I hope our faithful A
  
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• Officials investigate after 11-month-old girl dies in Bastrop

  18-12-2017 20:17 via kxan.com
  BASTROP (KXAN) — The Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of an 11-month-old girl.
  Officials say they got a call Dec. 10 at 10:39 a.m. saying the baby had fallen out of the bed and was not responsive. The girl was taken to the hospital where she later died. The home is in the Lake Bastrop area in the Riverchase subdivision between Highway 21 North and Highway 95 North.
  The sheriff’s office says no one has been arrested as of Dec. 18.
  The American Academy o
  
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• FedEx warns of fake email alerts

  18-12-2017 18:14 via kxan.com
  MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WCMH) — FedEx is warning consumers about a scam using fake emails.
  According to FedEx, fraudulent emails are being sent to people with the subject line “FedEx: Delivery Problems Notification,” which redirects the consumer to a site that infects their computer.
  FedEx says some of the redirected sites even look like FedEx.com, but are an infected site.
  “If you receive a message matching the description below, do not open the email or click on the h
  
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• Mattress Mack surprises family who lost home to Harvey with new furniture

  18-12-2017 18:09 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN/KTRK) — A family who had a difficult year got a surprise from their community and a well-known mattress king on Sunday. Mattress Mack, also known as Jim McIngvale, filled their house with free furniture.
  “Thank you for everything, to everybody that helped and all the neighbors,” Rick Elizondo told CNN affiliate KTRK.
  Two weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit, Elizondo fell while remodeling his family home. He was paralyzed. Then, they lost that home when the storm cam
  
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• Prince William and Kate share family Christmas card

  18-12-2017 18:05 via kxan.com
  LONDON (KXAN) — Merry Christmas from the royals! Prince William and Duchess Kate released a holiday photo of their family on Monday.
  Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 2, are posed in front of their mom and dad, who are all wearing light blue. The family used the image as their Christmas card this year.
  RELATED: Prince Harry shares the story behind the ring he used to propose to Meghan Markle
  Kensington Palace also announced that Charlotte, who turns 3 in May, will begin attending t
  
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• Deaths reported as Amtrak train derails in Washington

  18-12-2017 17:29 via kxan.com
  TACOMA, Wash. (KXAN) — A highspeed train derailed Monday morning outside of Tacoma, Washington killing several people.
  “There have been multiple casualties as a result of the Amtrak derailment near Tacoma, Washington,” Pierce County spokesman Ed Troyer said.
  The train, Amtrak 501, is part of the new Amtrak Cascades route which connects Seattle to Portland. This was the train’s inaugural run along the new route before it derailed about 40 miles south of Seattle.
  NBC News r
  
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• Amtrak train hurtles off Washington overpass; at least 6 killed

  18-12-2017 17:29 via kxan.com
  DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — An Amtrak train making the first-ever run along a faster new route hurtled off an overpass Monday south of Seattle and spilled some of its cars onto the highway below, killing at least six people, authorities said. The death toll was expected to rise.
  Seventy-eight passengers and five crew members were aboard when the train moving at more than 80 mph derailed on a route that had raised safety concerns. At least 50 people were hospitalized, more than a dozen with critic
  
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• Amtrak train hurtles off Washington overpass; at least 3 killed

  18-12-2017 17:29 via kxan.com
  DUPONT, Wash. (AP) — An Amtrak train making the first-ever run along a faster new route hurtled off an overpass Monday south of Seattle and spilled some of its cars onto the highway below, killing at least three people, authorities said. The death toll was expected to rise.
  Seventy-eight passengers and five crew members were aboard when the train moving at more than 80 mph derailed on a route that had raised safety concerns. At least 50 people were hospitalized, more than a dozen with crit
  
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• 7-year-old who survived fatal Eastland fire wants letters for Christmas

  18-12-2017 17:05 via kxan.com
  EASTLAND, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – A 7-year-old girl hospitalized after a fire that killed her father and little sister Friday needs cards and letters to ‘lift her spirits’.
  Family members say Emily is recovering in ICU at a Dallas hospital after receiving 4th-degree burns on 30 percent of her body, leaving her in need of multiple surgeries and skin grafts. Emily’s loved ones say she’s in a lot of pain and is heartbroken over the loss of her sist
  
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• Lindsey Vonn claims first victory of Olympic season

  18-12-2017 16:45 via kxan.com
  VAL D’ISERE, France — Lindsey Vonn powered down a shortened course to win a World Cup super-G race on Saturday and clinch her first victory of the season.
  It was the 33-year-old American skier’s 78th World Cup race win, but her first since winning a downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in January.
  “I just had some bad luck and things weren’t just lining up the first few races of the season,” Vonn said. “But I knew that my skiing was there, I just had to ex
  
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• Man shot by police Friday after allegedly stabbing woman now in custody

  18-12-2017 16:44 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who police shot after he allegedly stabbed a woman to death Friday is in jail on a $1,000,000 bond as of Monday. Aubrey Quentin Garrett, 50, faces a first-degree murder charge.
  According to an arrest warrant affidavit, police received multiple calls around 6:38 a.m. about a man assaulting a woman outside an apartment at 5007 Lynnwood Street. Officers arrived and saw a man, later identified as Garrett, “pacing” with a knife in his hand, according to the aff
  
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• Christmas snow flurries possible in Central Texas

  18-12-2017 16:06 via kxan.com
  Our second round of snow early this winter season appears possible sometime between Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.
  While details are impossible to pin down this far in advance, reliable computer models are consistently indicating that temperatures may dip below freezing with a chance of precipitation in the forecast.
  Right now, we are more confident in our temperature forecast than our precipitation forecast. This means that it will likely be cold, but we’re still unsure if any
  
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• Trump unveils details of ‘America First’ security strategy

  18-12-2017 15:50 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared a new national security strategy on Monday, stressing the “America first” message of his 2016 campaign and faulting previous U.S. leaders for failing to measure up to it and look out for the nation’s citizens.
  “Our leaders engaged in nation building abroad while they failed to build up and replenish our nation at home,” he said, pointing to the economy’s strong performance and predicting even better under
  
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• Trump to unveil ‘America First’ national security strategy

  18-12-2017 15:50 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is outlining a new national security strategy that refocuses the United States’ relationship with the rest of the world, essentially implementing his “America First” mantra on a global scale.
  It envisions nations in constant competition, reverses Obama-era warnings on climate change, and affirms that the United States will unilaterally defend its sovereignty, even if that means risking existing agreements with other countries that
  
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• Trump doctrine: Economic security is national security

  18-12-2017 15:50 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared a new national security strategy on Monday, echoing the message of his 2016 campaign as he declared “America is in the game and America is going to win.”
  In a speech at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Trump faulted previous U.S. leaders for failing to look out for the nation’s citizens. He promised to seek openings to cooperate with rivals, but added that “we will stand up for ourselves and
  
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• Family shares warning after baby nearly loses finger to jingle bell

  18-12-2017 15:34 via kxan.com
  ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO (WCMH) — A 1-year-old girl in Missouri nearly lost her finger after getting it stuck inside a jingle bell.
  Sean and Lisa Jackson baby-proof everything, but on a Sunday around Thanksgiving, 14-month-old Andi found trouble in the most unusual way.
  “My husband comes up and says, ‘look what trouble does.’ Our fourth, Andi, she’s got a jingle bell on her finger. We laughed for a second because she’s the mischievous one,” Lisa told&nb
  
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• Chick-Fil-A opens on Sunday to help stranded Atlanta airport passengers

  18-12-2017 15:17 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA (KXAN/AP) — It’s a sight many never expected to experience — eating Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday. The store, which normally closes that one day a week, turned on its friers to help those in need at the Atlanta airport when it experienced a major power outage over the weekend.
  A sudden power outage that Georgia Power said was caused by a fire in an underground electrical facility brought the airport to a standstill Sunday about 1 p.m. All outgoing flights were halted, and arr
  
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• Christmas light display pays tribute to Selena

  18-12-2017 14:56 via kxan.com
  Boerne, Texas (KXAN) — A Hill Country family has a tradition and it is lighting up the neighborhood. This year the Hinojosa family is honoring Selena, the late queen of Tejano, with a Christmas light show.
  The family lives out in Boerne, 90 minutes from Austin.
  They posted their video on Saturday on Facebook, and since then its been viewed more than a million times, and shared by thousands.
  KXAN reached out to the family to find the story behind the display. “We’ve been doing i
  
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• LeBron wears 1 black shoe, 1 white shoe, speaks about Trump

  18-12-2017 14:08 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — LeBron James made a statement during an NBA game with his shoes — one black, one white, with the word “equality” in capital gold letters on the back of each.
  Then, after the game, James made a statement about President Donald Trump, saying: “This is a beautiful country and we’re never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are.”
  The four-time NBA MVP was asked about his choice of footwear for the first half of
  
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• Komen Foundation needs volunteers to wrap gifts for donations this week

  18-12-2017 12:49 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With just a week before the holiday, the rush is on to finish shopping for and wrapping Christmas gifts; but for a few bucks for a good cause, Central Texans can leave the latter part of that to someone else.
  The Susan G. Komen Austin Foundation needs volunteers this week to help wrap gifts for shoppers at Barton Creek Square to help the organization raise money. Several shifts are still available as of Monday morning, including one starting at 9 a.m. Monday. The breast can
  
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• McCain treated for viral infection, returns home to Arizona

  18-12-2017 12:20 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain has returned home to Arizona after being hospitalized for a viral infection while battling brain cancer and will miss a crucial Senate vote on the GOP tax package, his office said Sunday.
  The 81-year-old senator will undergo physical therapy and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in the state after spending several days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. In a brief statement, the office provided an assessment from Dr. M
  
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• Cowboys win in a wild finish over the Raiders

  18-12-2017 05:50 via kxan.com
  OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dallas kept its playoff hopes alive by the slimmest of margins after Dak Prescott converted a fourth-down sneak by the width of an index card to set up Dan Bailey’s go-ahead 19-yard field goal, and Derek Carr fumbled the ball inches from the goal line with 31 seconds left to give the Cowboys a 20-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night.
  The first key play came when Cowboys coach Jason Garrett decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 39 with
  
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• Scammers targeting parents shopping for hot Christmas toy

  18-12-2017 04:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There is one every holiday, a hot toy list.  This year Fingerlings are on that list, and as parents scramble to find them, scammers are close behind.  Fingerlings are sold out in many stores.  The toys wrap around a finger, move and make sounds.
  Sunday morning, parents like Jill Adams rushed to Toys “R” Us in Austin which just got a shipment.
  “I looked online, but there were none available,” said Adams. “We came as soon as we cou
  
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• Greg Kelley will be in Cabo when judge rules on his conviction

  18-12-2017 03:43 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — This weekend Greg Kelley boarded a plane to Cabo San Lucas with his girlfriend ahead of a big decision Monday that will dictate his future.
  A judge is expected to hand down a recommendation on Kelley’s conviction to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In 2014, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child.
  He’s been out on bond since August when Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick reopened the case.
  Now a judg
  
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• Woman assaults Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, faces charges, officials say

  18-12-2017 02:57 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KPRC) — A woman was charged after she assaulted Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo during her arrest, according to court documents.
  Danielle Paris, 40, was charged with harassment of public servant after the assault on Acevedo on Saturday.
  Paris is being held at the Harris County Jail on a $3,000 bail.
  Acevedo served as Austin’s police chief for nearly a decade before leaving to take the top job in Houston in November 2016.
  
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• Austin mother who abducted children from foster care released from Florida jail

  18-12-2017 01:49 via kxan.com
  PENSACOLA, Fla. (KXAN) — The mother who triggered a multi-state search after taking her 10-year-old daughter from Oak Hill Elementary in west Austin without authorization is heading back to Central Texas.
  Sarah Jordan has been in the Escambia County Jail in Pensacola, Fla., since her arrest in mid November.
  Jordan was indicted in Travis County on Friday on a charge of “interfering with child custody.”
  At the time of the incident, she and her husband Anthony Jordan were involved
  
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• Houston firefighter charged with sexual assault of a child

  18-12-2017 01:08 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — A 27-year-old Houston firefighter has been arrested on a charge of sexually assaulting a child.
  The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says Brandon Ramirez met the girl online, sent sexually explicit photos and videos of himself to her over weeks and then met her in person for a “sexual encounter.”
  The charge indicates the girl is from 14 to 17 years old.
  Ramirez was arrested Saturday and jailed on $100,000 bond after investigators from the sheriff’s chil
  
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• Despite legislative blow, Texas mother continues fight to ban potentially dangerous piping

  18-12-2017 01:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Brennen Teel was 31 years old when he died in a house explosion in Lubbock in 2012 after lightning struck the garage he was inside taking cover from a thunderstorm. According to a fire marshal investigation, the bolt struck corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) and ignited the gas it carried.
  "It's changed our life," said Brennen's mother Becky Teel. "Every waking moment, every breath. The phone doesn't ring. The conversations don't happen."
  After her son's death, Teel m
  
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• Sinkhole closes Springdale Road in east Austin near Givens District Park

  18-12-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Police have closed off a block of Springdale Road in East Austin because of a sinkhole, said the Austin Police Department.
  Police said they were notified by the Austin Public Works Department about the problem and closed Springdale between Webberville Road and East 12th Street at about 4:40 p.m. Sunday. That part of Springdale runs alongside Givens District Park.
  They said a crew from Public Works had not yet arrived on the scene as of 5:20 p.m.
  Police did not have any info
  
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• Minor sinkhole closes Springdale Road in east Austin near Givens District Park

  18-12-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Police have closed off a block of Springdale Road in East Austin because of a minor sinkhole, said the Austin Police Department.
  Police said they were notified by the Austin Public Works Department about the problem and closed Springdale between Webberville Road and East 12th Street at about 4:40 p.m. Sunday. That part of Springdale runs alongside Givens District Park.
  They said a crew from Public Works had not yet arrived on the scene as of 5:20 p.m.
  In a KXAN photo, the h
  
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• Hole in pavement closes Springdale Road in east Austin near Givens District Park

  18-12-2017 00:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Police closed off a block of Springdale Road in east Austin because of a minor “pavement failure,” said the Austin Public Works Department. It was repaired by 8 p.m. Sunday.
  Austin police said they were notified by the Austin Public Works Department about the problem and closed Springdale Road between Webberville Road and East 12th Street about 4:40 p.m. Sunday. That part of Springdale runs alongside Givens District Park.
  In a KXAN photo, the hole appears to be
  
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