Austin news

• Lost GoPro returned to owner after a year away — and many other adventures

  28-12-2017 23:37 via kxan.com
  SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — An Oregon teenager is reunited with his lost GoPro after nearly a year.
  Ethan Tolle, 16, and his friends lost his camera underwater while swimming in the Tamolitch Blue Pool in 2016. Ethan never thought he’d get it back, until he received a phone call from his aunt and uncle. They spoke to Louie Wray, an explorer who retrieved the GoPro from the bottom of the pool. For the past year, he has been using Ethan’s camera to document his travels across the
  
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• Hit-and-run that killed Kyle teenager still unsolved one year later

  28-12-2017 23:14 via kxan.com
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — One year ago this week, a 15-year-old boy from Kyle was hit and killed while walking along the side of a county road. Law enforcement never made an arrest and investigators say there are no solid leads.
  Department of Public Safety investigators say Michael Mince was walking along Farm to Market 2001 near Niederwald when someone they believe to be driving a red Dodge Ram dually hit him.
  “He was with two other friends. They didn’t get to spend Christmas toget
  
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• KXAN’s Top 10 stories of 2017

  28-12-2017 23:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From emergencies and tragedies to animals showing up where they shouldn’t be — a variety of stories rounded out the Top 10 most read on kxan.com. Three stories following updates on a fatal stabbing on the UT Austin campus in May resonated with readers, and people also appreciated “news you can use” pieces that highlighted how to watch the solar eclipse and where to find gas in Austin.
  10. North Texas family finds rattlesnake slithering up toilet
  Ratt
  
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• Sisters arrested on suspicion of DWI minutes apart in front of their home

  28-12-2017 22:32 via kxan.com
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Police video shows the moment two sisters got arrested within minutes of each other in front of their home for allegedly driving drunk.
  According to a criminal complaint, a police service aid spotted a car swerving and called for an officer’s assistance last Thursday around 10 p.m.
  An Albuquerque police officer pulled in behind Karina Grajeda, 29, at her home in the South Valley. She told the officer she was at a friend’s house and admi
  
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• Texas charter schools struggle with classroom overcrowding

  28-12-2017 21:56 via kxan.com
  DALLAS (AP) — An annual report suggests that several charter schools in Texas have some of the state’s largest class sizes.
  The Texas Education Agency report says most of the roughly 8,700 public schools in the state had about 22 students per teacher during the 2016-2017 school year. The Dallas Morning News reports that more than half the schools averaging at least 30 students per classroom were charter schools. Charters only make up about 7 percent of Texas public schools.
  Charters
  
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• Power outage impacting traffic on US 290 in Elgin

  28-12-2017 21:06 via kxan.com
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A large power outage in Elgin is causing major traffic issues along US 290.
  The city says traffic lights aren’t working but to keep traffic moving through the intersections, officers are helping with traffic control.
  Oncor’s outage map indicates there’s a large outage just east of Elgin impacting more than 2,000 customers. The website indicates the power should be restored by 3 p.m.
   
  
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• Power back on in Elgin

  28-12-2017 21:06 via kxan.com
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A large power outage in Elgin Thursday afternoon caused major traffic issues along US 290.
  The city says when the lights were out, officers came in to help move traffic through the intersections.
  A spokesperson for Oncor says the power outage was caused by a property owner who was cutting a tree and it fell across a power line. During the peak of the outage, approximately 2,000 customers were without power.
  By 2:45 p.m., power was restored to all but 10 customers.
  
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• TxDOT to start pretreating roads for ice Thursday night

  28-12-2017 20:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As everyone gears up for the New Year’s Eve weekend, the Texas Department of Transportation is monitoring the arctic blast that could bring wintry weather.
  Starting Thursday night, TxDOT crews will pretreat Austin highways in case icing occurs this holiday weekend. The crews will start pretreating Interstate 35, then move on to other major highways in the region.
  Pretreating dry roads in advance of a storm impedes ice or snow from sticking to the pavement.
  The Fi
  
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• WATCH: Brawl inside an Ohio Waffle House

  28-12-2017 20:28 via kxan.com
  LIMA, Ohio (KXAN) — Authorities in Lima, Ohio have released a 2-minute long cellphone clip showing a brawl inside a Waffle House in hopes of getting tips on who was involved.
  The Allen County Sheriff’s Office says the fight happened on Dec. 26 around 3 a.m. In the video, it looks like a dozen or so people were involved in the fight. The large brawl also had mini fights going on within the 24-hour diner.
  The person recording the fight, towards the end of the clip can be heard standing
  
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• Suspected drunk driver causes fiery crash near Del Valle

  28-12-2017 20:04 via kxan.com
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — A driver who ran into another vehicle head-on causing the car to catch on fire appeared to be driving drunk, according to an arrest affidavit.
  On Tuesday, Dec. 26, Travis County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash in the 12000 block of Pearce Lane, which is just east of SH 130, around 6:50 p.m. When emergency crews arrived, the 51-year-old driver in a Chevy Cobalt had to be pulled out because his car was on fire. The victim told police
  
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• Woman accused of damaging Houston lawyer’s Warhol painting on drunken first date

  28-12-2017 19:15 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — A 29-year-old Dallas woman on a first date with a Houston attorney is accused of damaging three of his paintings — including an original Andy Warhol — during a drunken night that has led to a criminal mischief charge.
  Prosecutors say Lindy Lou Layman damaged three paintings and two sculptures belonging to high-profile attorney Tony Buzbee after the Dec. 23 incident, according to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC.
  He alleged Layman became heavily intoxicated, and when
  
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• Top 5 videos on KXAN.com in 2017

  28-12-2017 19:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several different videos resonated with KXAN.com visitors in 2017. One harrowing clip shows a car plunging several stories from a downtown Austin parking garage. KXAN’s Alyssa Goard’s emotional interview with the UT stabbing victim’s mother recounting the moments leading up to her son’s death was also one of the most-watched stories of the year.
  Here’s a look at the top 5 videos watched on KXAN.com in 2017:
  5. Disturbing photos posted by Austin
  
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• Florida trooper accused of having sex with crash victim while on duty resigns

  28-12-2017 18:26 via kxan.com
  PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida Highway Patrol trooper resigned Wednesday while he was being investigated for having an alleged affair with a crash victim.
  Complainant Robert Abruzzese claims Trooper Scott Maus had a sexual relationship with his wife and claims one incident happened while Maus was working.
  Abruzzese claims it happened last week behind an abandoned church building on Little Road in New Port Richey.
  “That Thursday, it was right here, in a patrol vehicle
  
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• Big changes coming to intersection of South MoPac and Slaughter Lane

  28-12-2017 18:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Crews have started construction on improvements to South MoPac at Slaughter Lane and La Crosse Avenue in south Austin.
  The Texas Department of Transportation says work has already begun on relocating the utilities at the intersections and in mid-January work will begin on right-of-way preparations.
  The work will construct two mainlanes in each direction on MoPac underneath Slaughter Lane and La Crosse Avenue. The intersection at MoPac and Slaughter Lane will also be turned
  
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• Six Flags Fiesta Texas gets rid of Scooby-Doo ride

  28-12-2017 17:52 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — If you’re a fan of the Scooby-Doo Ghostblasters ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, you might want to head to the theme park soon since the park is decommissioning the ride on Jan. 7.
  The 15-year-old attraction will be removed and in its place will be a new “dark ride.” A “dark ride” is a term used for an indoor ride that has special effects, animatronics, etc.
  The Scooby-Doo Ghostblaster game gave fans a laser gun to shoot at ghosts that woul
  
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• Islamic State claims attack on cultural center in Afghan capital, 41 dead

  28-12-2017 17:39 via kxan.com
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A brutal attack claimed by the Islamic State group devastated a two-story Shiite Muslim cultural center in the Afghan capital on Thursday, killing at least 41 people and wounding another 84, many suffering severe burns from the intensity of the explosions.
  The IS-linked Aamaq news agency said three bombs were used in the ferocious assault as well as a single suicide bomber who blew himself up inside the center, where scores of people had gathered to mark the 1979
  
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• What to know about prepaying your property taxes in Travis County

  28-12-2017 17:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While December is always a busy period for the Travis County Tax Office, this week has been busier than ever. Clerks have been fielding customer visits, phone calls and emails seeking clarification on the new property tax deductions and how they can prepay for 2018.
  Tiffany Seward, a spokesperson for the Travis County Tax Office, says by noon Wednesday the office had received 500 calls about property taxes and many of those calls were about tax deductions. On Wednesday afte
  
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• PHOTOS: Longhorns celebrate Texas Bowl victory

  28-12-2017 17:13 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns football team defeated the University of Missouri Tigers Wednesday, earning their first winning season since 2013.
  Texas won 33-16 in the Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium in Houston.
  As KXAN’s Andrew Schnitker reported, it was the Texas special teams that kept the Longhorns ahead. Punter Michael Dickson was named Texas Bowl MVP for his efforts.
  The Longhorns defense, which stabilized this team all season, stymied Tigers quarterback Drew Lock and sco
  
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• Waco woman wins $50K in national Christmas lights competition

  28-12-2017 16:15 via kxan.com
  WACO, Texas (KWKT) — People across the nation now know about the Waco house that lights up during the Christmas season.
  Alice Tristan puts up all the Christmas lights and decorations by herself.
  “It’s the man upstairs, me and my cousin Arthur. And when they ask me who? I say ‘arthritis,'” said Tristan. It takes her at least two months to put up her Christmas decorations, but she says it’s all worth it because in return she gets a smile from the kids.
  “Th
  
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• 4-year-old boy died in treehouse collapse near Houston

  28-12-2017 15:31 via kxan.com
  CLEVELAND, Texas (KXAN) — A 4-year-old boy died on Christmas Eve when his treehouse collapsed outside a relative’s home near Houston.
  Cleaveland ISD Police Chief Rex Evans, in a Facebook post, said Kade Dylon Contreras was critically injured by the collapse and passed away three days later.
  “He now rests, laughs and loves among the Heavens above with the Angels,” Chief Evans wrote. The boy’s mother, Courtney Contreras, posted on Facebook Wednesday: “I’m
  
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• Roy Moore files lawsuit to block Alabama Senate result

  28-12-2017 14:18 via kxan.com
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Republican Roy Moore filed a lawsuit to try to stop Alabama from certifying Democrat Doug Jones as the winner of the U.S. Senate race.
  The court filing occurred about 14 hours ahead of Thursday’s meeting of a state canvassing board to officially declare Jones the winner of the Dec. 12 special election. Jones defeated Moore by about 20,000 votes.
  Moore’s attorney wrote in the complaint filed late Wednesday that he believed there were irregularities during
  
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• Democrat Jones officially declared winner over Roy Moore

  28-12-2017 14:18 via kxan.com
  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Democrat Doug Jones’ historic victory over Republican Roy Moore was declared official Thursday as Alabama election officials certified him the winner of the special Senate election earlier this month, despite claims of voter irregularities from his opponent.
  Jones defeated Moore on Dec. 12 by about 22,000 votes in a stunning victory in a deeply red state. It was the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter-century in Alabama. Moore was dogged by accusation
  
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• Dick’s Sporting Goods $10 Astros jersey prices were too good to be true

  28-12-2017 14:01 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — A massive drop in the online prices for Astros World Series gear turned out to be too good to be true.
  Jerseys and other clothing items normally going for anywhere from $70 to more than $300 were marked down to $9.98 on DICK’s Sporting Goods website.
  The Pennsylvania-based company apologized to disappointed customers, who got an email Wednesday saying the company “reserve[s] the right to cancel any orders that were affected by the issue.”
  Astros fan Alex
  
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• VIDEO: Man running from police drives off Oregon pier into river

  28-12-2017 13:57 via kxan.com
  PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was arrested in Astoria Wednesday after police said he drove his truck off a pier into the Columbia River.
  Astoria police said officers went to North Tongue Point to investigate reports of a man possibly trespassing on boats. They found Timofey Erofeeff, 27, who they learned was on parole for offences in Deschutes County. He is from Scotts Mills.
  When officers approached Erofeeff’s Ford F150 to take him into custody, he fled and then drove down the
  
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• Texas authorities nab murder suspect with cigarette butt

  28-12-2017 13:12 via kxan.com
  BAYTOWN, Texas (AP) — A breakthrough in a long-stalled murder case in Baytown, Texas, has come in the form of a discarded cigarette butt.
  The Beaumont Enterprise reports that Byron Lloyd Collins was picked up by authorities last week at the same complex where 50-year-old Natalia Shal was discovered slain on May 8, 2016.
  Crime scene DNA didn’t initially match anything in police databases.
  In early 2017, investigators learned about using familial DNA testing to help identify suspects n
  
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• Plans for LBJ High will make it more accessible to east Austin neighborhood

  28-12-2017 12:25 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A local nonprofit that works to beautify Central Texas plans to use new grant money to fix up outdoor spaces at an east Austin high school to make the campus more accessible for people in the neighborhood to use outside of school hours.
  Keep Austin Beautiful got a $225,000 grant from the St. David’s Foundation last week — part of $14.6 million the foundation gave to various groups for health-related projects — to improve the sprawling grounds at LBJ Early
  
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• Nonprofit plans to make east Austin high school more accessible to neighborhood

  28-12-2017 12:25 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A local nonprofit that works to beautify Central Texas plans to use new grant money to fix up outdoor spaces at an east Austin high school to make the campus more accessible for people in the neighborhood to use outside of school hours.
  Keep Austin Beautiful got a $225,000 grant from the St. David’s Foundation last week — part of $14.6 million the foundation gave to various groups for health-related projects — to improve the sprawling grounds at LBJ Early
  
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• Chick-fil-A giving away profits to help fallen officer’s family

  28-12-2017 10:10 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Call it chicken for a cause — in this case, helping the family of a fallen police officer.
  Chick-Fil-A stores in San Marcos, Kyle and New Braunfels are all donating the profits from Thursday, Dec. 28, to the family of Officer Kenneth Copeland. Copeland was a 19-year-veteran of the San Marcos Police Department who died Dec. 4 while serving a warrant on his day off.
  In a video posted to Facebook, Chick-Fil-A called it “Ken Copeland Day.” Sinc
  
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• Longhorns take the Texas Bowl

  28-12-2017 06:42 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Texas defeated Missouri 33-16 in the Texas Bowl earning its first winning season since 2013. The Longhorns (7-6) scored 21 points in the first half while the defense pestered Missouri into three total turnovers.
  The Longhorns defense, which stabilized this team all season, stymied Tigers quarterback Drew Lock and scored nine points of their own. Lock finished 16 of 30 passing for 233 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Longhorns linebacker Anthony Wheeler scooped
  
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• South Carolina lottery winners find out their tickets were glitches

  28-12-2017 06:18 via kxan.com
  COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA/NBC) – The South Carolina Education Lottery says a glitch made some tickets look like winners. Now, that game is on hold — and dashing dreams of people across the state.
  “When I got those tickets, I though, ‘Whoo! All my Christmas is paid for! All my bills are paid for! Everything!'” Taylor Hook said.
  West Texas family uses lottery winnings to help their church
  According to a press release, the lottery’s computer system vendor, Intralot, e
  
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• Good Samaritan helps driver escape south Austin car fire

  28-12-2017 04:57 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 22-year-old came across a rolled over pickup truck in flames — and didn’t hesitate to help the driver.
  The man’s black pickup truck rolled over on State Highway 183 near the intersection of Ben White Boulevard on Tuesday. Cole Pohlman credits God for putting him at the right place at the right time — a place he normally never would be.
  “I was talking to my dad and we were like, ‘What are the odds that our schedule had to be redone, we h
  
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• Claire’s issues recall after family finds asbestos in makeup

  28-12-2017 04:15 via kxan.com
  BARRINGTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Claire’s, the popular kids’ accessories chain, is pulling more than a dozen items from store shelves after a Rhode Island family found asbestos in their 6-year-old daughter’s makeup.
  Kristi Warner was concerned about the ingredients in her six-year-old daughter’s glitter makeup kit that the family purchased at their local Claire’s. So, the Barrington mom who works for Deaton Law Firm, mailed the makeup to an independent lab in North C
  
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• 911 calls show chaos of Washington state train derailment

  28-12-2017 03:37 via kxan.com
  SEATTLE (AP) — Whimpering in pain, bleeding from head injuries and dazed by the enormity of the crash, victims in the Amtrak train derailment south of Seattle begged 911 dispatchers for help and said “tons of people” had been hurt.
  Dozens of emergency recordings released Wednesday by South Sound 911 Dispatch provided a vivid account of what happened during the deadly Dec. 18 crash.
  “My abdomen hurts really bad. I don’t feel good,” said a crying woman identifie
  
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• Bundle up for City of Austin New Year’s Eve celebration

  28-12-2017 01:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Families can head to downtown Austin to ring in the new year a few hours early on the last day of 2017.
  The city is putting on a New Year’s Eve bash at Auditorium Shores — on South First Street and Riverside Drive — starting Sunday at 3 p.m. and ending with a fireworks show at 10 p.m. Nearly two dozen bands will perform on four stages, and people can also check out a variety of art and food trucks. Alcohol is not allowed at the event.
  KXAN Meteorologist Ji
  
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• Long lines at tax offices as homeowners try to beat hike

  28-12-2017 01:31 via kxan.com
  HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Homeowners are lining up in droves at local tax collection offices, hoping for one last chance to take advantage of a major tax deduction before it is wiped out in the new year.
  In Hempstead, town Tax Receiver Donald Clavin said “thousands” of people packed his office Tuesday trying to pay their 2018 property and school taxes a year in advance.
  “This is almost chaotic,” Oyster Bay Tax Receiver James Stefanich told Newsday. He said homeowners b
  
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• Texas State Board of Education looks to improve teacher retention rates

  28-12-2017 01:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Tonesha Holland has learned a lesson from teaching the last 13 years.
  “You have to truly understand you’re making a difference whether your students appreciate it every day,” she said.
  The Hutto High School English department chair knows the career isn’t easy and that’s a common feeling educators can have, she said.
  “I think that there’s this old adage that teaching is a thankless profession,” she said. “It’s not a
  
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• Longhorns prep for Texas Bowl with help from UofH Cougars

  28-12-2017 00:32 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Texas and Missouri face off at 8 p.m. in Houston at the Texas Bowl. Fans on both sides are dealing with cold temperatures and dreary weather, but thankfully the NRG Stadium will have the roof closed.
  Coach Tom Herman’s roots run deep in the city of Houston — it’s where he coached the University of Houston Cougars for two years before coming to Austin.
  The Longhorns season is ending in a swap of how it started. The Cougars practiced at Texas before the sta
  
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• Community builds world-record Lego tower to honor 8-year-old

  28-12-2017 00:31 via kxan.com
  TEL AVIV (KXAN) — A record-breaking tower of toy bricks in Israel is honoring a young boy who died of cancer.
  Ben Sayag loved playing with Legos — so his teachers decided to remember him by building a large tower out of the bricks to try to break a Guinness World Record. It’s 118 feet tall — the equivalent of a 12 story building — and thousands of community members in Tel Aviv used about half a million Legos to create it.
  “It’s a community effort to buil
  
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• Rising property taxes making it hard for Austin businesses to stay open

  28-12-2017 00:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The price per square foot in Austin continues to set new records. While properties are worth more, landlords are offsetting that cost through higher rent, which is making it hard for some businesses to stay afloat.
  Stanley Moore remembers signing a retail lease typed on a typewriter 42 years ago. Things have changed for his Over the Rainbow toy store in Tarrytown, which specializes in toys and children’s books.
  “There’s an educational, developmental aspect
  
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