Austin news

• Why cable bills are rising again and what can you do

  05-01-2018 23:44 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Cable and satellite TV providers are ringing in the new year with an unwelcomed gift: higher cable bills.
  Comcast, for instance, says customer bills will rise 2.2 percent, on average, in 2018. AT&T is raising DirecTV’s prices by up to $8 a month in mid-January. Smaller providers are planning increases, too.
  Cox is raising fees on cable service by up to $9.65; internet service prices could rise by up to $4. Dish Network is raising the price of most of its bundles b
  
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• FBI probing Clinton Foundation corruption claims

  05-01-2018 23:06 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is investigating whether the Clinton Foundation accepted donations in exchange for political favors while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, two people familiar with the probe confirmed Friday. The revelation comes as President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have been urging the Justice Department to look into corruption allegations involving the foundation.
  It is unclear when or why the probe began, but the sources told The Associated Press it ha
  
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• Round Rock sisters found in Colorado will be placed in foster care

  05-01-2018 22:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The two sisters abducted from Round Rock and found in Colorado Wednesday night are on their way back to Austin. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services says for now the girls will be placed in foster care for the time being.
  A foster care hearing will take place on Jan. 16 in Williamson County. During the hearing, the judge will decide where the sisters, 14-year-old Lili Griffith and 7-year-old Lulu Bandera-Margret, will live permanently — whether it be
  
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• Family says 9-year sentence for deadly wrong-way DWI isn’t harsh enough

  05-01-2018 22:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than two years after a wrong-way crash that killed a 26-year-old San Antonio man, the woman charged in connection with his death, along with the death of her passenger, has accepted a plea agreement of nine years in prison.
  As part of the plea deal, Michelle Orduna, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of intoxication manslaughter—even though she was originally charged with two counts—and will officially be sentenced on Feb. 9 in Travis County. She could be elig
  
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• Houston Rodeo announces 2018 entertainment line-up

  05-01-2018 21:17 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Garth Brooks is kicking off and closing the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this year.
  The roster of performers run the gamut from country stars such as Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan to one of the hottest Latin pop stars, J Balvin. Tickets, which start at $18, go on sale Thursday, Jan. 11 at 10 a.m.
  Several of the performers are veterans of RODEOHOUSTON while a couple are first-time performers to the stage.
  “In addition to a fantastic entertainment lineup, RODEO
  
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• IBC Bank in west Austin robbed twice in two weeks

  05-01-2018 20:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the second time in two weeks, the IBC Bank located at 10405 Ranch to Market 2222 in west Austin was robbed.
  Austin police say around 12:30 p.m. Friday, a man entered the bank, showed a weapon and demanded money. The suspect is described as a white man in his 50s, approximately 6 feet tall and has a thick build. Police say he ran away and no suspect vehicle was given.
  No one was injured during the robbery.
  On Dec. 22, a man came into the bank, pulled out a weapon and dem
  
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• Baby delivered after mother died in shooting still recovering in hospital

  05-01-2018 20:10 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Little Markeith Kamar Jones Mattox Williams has been through more than most will go through in a lifetime.
  Doctors saved his life, but couldn’t save his mother after someone shot her several times in the stomach. His tiny fingers grip a helping hand at Children’s not knowing if his next breath will be the last.  His mother Marlazia Jones-Mattox’s didn’t survive the triple shooting, neither did his father Keith Williams. Marlazia’s s
  
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• Abilene Walmart employee accused of stealing thousands of fake online orders

  05-01-2018 20:10 via kxan.com
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — A former Abilene Walmart employee accused of stealing thousands of merchandise by filling fake online orders has been arrested.
  Juan DeSantos was taken into custody after a search warrant was executed at his home in Abilene Friday morning and charged with theft.
  During a press conference, Police Chief Stan Standridge says DeSantos, who was employed at both Abilene Walmarts as an online shopping associate, took around $5,000 worth of merchandise from the stores
  
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• Despite law changes, lottery winners will face big tax bills

  05-01-2018 19:01 via kxan.com
  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pity the Powerball and Mega Millions lottery game winners.
  Federal tax law changes would seem to promise that those who beat the odds and win a jackpot could keep more of their winnings from the government. But even as the new law cut top federal income tax rates, it also reduced the ability to deduct state taxes.
  There are exceptions, as 10 states including California, Texas and Florida don’t tax lottery winnings. But in most of the country, the newly rich wo
  
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• Intersection of N. Lamar Blvd. at 38th Street closed to traffic this weekend

  05-01-2018 18:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Underground water line work will have the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and West 38th Street closed this weekend.
  Austin Water says the closure is needed to repair an aging 42-inch water valve in the 48-inch lane that runs below the street. The intersection will be closed from Saturday, Jan. 6 to Sunday, Jan. 7.
  Westbound traffic on West 38th Street will be detoured to Medical Parkway. People who need access to businesses and homes will still be able to get in.
  Wate
  
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• Round Rock man’s New Year’s Eve death deemed a homicide

  05-01-2018 18:24 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A man’s death on New Year’s Eve is now being investigated as a homicide case, says the Round Rock Police Department.
  Joshua Armstrong, 37, was found dead inside his home in the 1100 block of Preserve Place Sunday night around 8:30 p.m. At the time, Armstrong’s family member called 911 stating they found him dead and that it was a possible suicide.
  On New Year’s Day, police indicated Armstrong’s death appeared to be suspicious and on
  
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• ‘Fire and Fury’ book released, blowing open GOP feud

  05-01-2018 17:37 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The acrimony surrounding former White House adviser Steve Bannon’s very public break with President Donald Trump is escalating, suggesting a permanent split between the president and the pugilistic strategist who helped put him in the Oval Office.
  The new fissure in an already fractious Republican Party cast doubt on Bannon’s hopes to foment a movement centered on “Trumpism without Trump.”
  It already has cost him a key backer. Rebekah Mercer, the b
  
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• AFD starts new ‘Furry Friday’ tradition to help adopt out pets

  05-01-2018 17:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department is doing more than just posting photos of its firefighters posing with pets — they’re cuddling for a cause. AFD announced it’s starting a new tradition called “Furry Friday” to help find homes for Austin’s adoptable animals.
  Lieutenant Matt Heck grinned for the camera while holding 8-month-old Harry in the department’s first post of the year.
  “Harry was left outside the shelter’s door back in S
  
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• State rep: DPS’ decision to cut retire/rehire program targets ‘old’ troopers

  05-01-2018 16:55 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A state lawmaker says the Texas Department of Public Safety’s decision to cut the agency’s retire/rehire program as a cost-saving measure is a “guise” and targets “old” troopers.
  In a letter addressed to DPS Director Steven McCraw on Jan. 4, State Rep. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, wrote “The decision to cut these troopers was based on time served, not on the ability to perform job duties.” Nevárez goes on t
  
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• Man dies after crash on US 183 near FM 973

  05-01-2018 16:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Troopers are investigating a traffic fatality south of Austin Friday morning.
  The incident happened around 5:17 a.m. on US Highway 183 near Farm to Market Road 973. Austin-Travis County EMS says it took a man from the scene to the hospital, where he later died. It’s not clear at this time if anyone else was injured. We also do not know how many vehicles were involved.
  This is the third fatal incident on or near highways in Central Texas in two days. Two people died Fr
  
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• WATCH: Pig leads Columbus police on chilly chase

  05-01-2018 15:20 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS (WCMH) – Police on the west side of Columbus were squealing with excitement after catching a loose pig Thursday afternoon.
  It happened in the area of Wedgewood Drive and Eakin Road. Neighbors called police after finding the pig out in the cold in an apartment complex porking lot.
  With the help of a bag of Rice Krispies, officers and humane agents were able to surround the animal, but a ham-fisted attempt at capturing the pig led to its escape. Officers were able to corner the pig
  
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• Central Texas man gets 20 years in prison for domestic abuse

  05-01-2018 14:28 via kxan.com
  WACO, Texas (AP) — A Central Texas man described by a McLennan County prosecutor as a “serial domestic abuser” has been sentenced by a judge in Waco to 20 years in prison for assaulting the mother of his son.
  The 20-year term was the maximum jurors in state District Judge Ralph Strother’s court could recommend for 42-year-old Danny Wayne Alcoser. The former mechanic and tow truck operator from Hewitt was convicted of three counts related to abuse. Two of the counts also c
  
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• How you can help clean up decorations on Loop 360 trees

  05-01-2018 13:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A local nonprofit is asking for volunteers this weekend to help clean up what’s left of a uniquely Austin tradition.
  Decorating the juniper trees on the side of Loop 360 seems to get more popular each holiday season, but coming back after Christmas to take down the decorations does not. “People definitely go all out when they’re decorating these things,” said Myrriah Gossett, director of community engagement with Keep Austin Beautiful.
  Close to two w
  
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• Fuel tanker truck rolls over on Highway 29 east of Bertram

  05-01-2018 13:02 via kxan.com
  BERTRAM, Texas (KXAN) — State Highway 29 near the Williamson County and Burnet County line is shut down Friday morning after a semi rolled over.
  The area is about one mile east of Flying B Ranch Road, which is east of Bertram. A Department of Public Safety Trooper was called out around 4:46 a.m. and Burnet County Dispatch says it received the initial call around 3:53 a.m. It could not confirm if anyone was injured or if any fuel spilled.
  At 7:55 a.m. the Burnet County Sheriff’s
  
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• Driver in custody after brief chase through campus

  05-01-2018 08:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A police chase ends at the University of Texas late Thursday night.
  Austin Police arrested a man they say led them on a short chase from North Lamar and North Loop Boulevard area to Dean Keeton Street.
  Police say the driver was spotted driving recklessly and that’s when the chase started. It ended minutes later before midnight.
  No reports of people getting hurt during the chase. No word yet how fast the driver was going or the charges he could face.
  
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• Two people killed in fiery crash on I35

  05-01-2018 08:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two people killed on I-35 after a car and semi truck crash early Friday morning. Austin-Travis County EMS tweets there could be another victim.
  The crash happened near Reinli Street, near Capital Plaza.
  No word yet what happened, or how long the area is going to be closed for drivers. Austin Police are investigating and plan to provide a briefing soon.
  Austin-Travis County EMS sent a tweet shortly after midnight about a car on fire with a person believed to be trapped insid
  
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• Two people killed in fiery crash on I-35 south of US 290

  05-01-2018 08:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 near U.S. 290 in Central Austin Friday morning after a fiery crash involving a semi and an SUV. Austin Police say two people inside the SUV were killed.
  The collision happened on the northbound lanes of I-35 near Reinli Street, near Capital Plaza, just before midnight.
  According to Austin Police, the 18-wheeler heading northbound on I-35 hit the SUV. Police say the SUV was not moving at the time of the
  
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• Two people killed in fiery crash involving a semi on I-35 north

  05-01-2018 08:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 near U.S. 290 in Central Austin Friday morning after a fiery crash involving a semi and an SUV. Austin Police say two people inside the SUV were killed.
  The collision happened on the northbound lanes of I-35 near Reinli Street, near Capital Plaza, just before midnight.
  According to Austin Police, the 18-wheeler heading northbound on I-35 hit the SUV. Police say the SUV was not moving at the time of the
  
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• ‘Jeopardy’ host Trebek has surgery for blood clots on brain

  05-01-2018 05:35 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Longtime “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek had surgery for blood clots on the brain, but assured fans he’d be back reading clues to contestants soon.
  Trebek appeared in a video on the “Jeopardy” Facebook page Thursday to announce that he’d had the surgery during the show’s holiday break.
  Wearing a “Jeopardy” baseball cap and using the same tone he employs to explain difficult subjects on the show, Trebek says “I had a
  
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• Suspect pulled out gun during Central Austin bank robbery

  05-01-2018 05:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police released photos Thursday of a man wanted for robbing a Central Austin bank.
  At 3:56 p.m., a 911 call sent officers to the Comerica Bank at 1701 W. 35th St., a couple blocks east of MoPac Expressway.
  Officers say a man in his 50s or 60s entered the bank, pulled out a weapon and demanded cash. He was able to leave the bank with the cash in hand, but police couldn’t say if he drove or walked away once outside.
  The suspect is described as white, 5-foot-8, with a wh
  
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• One dead in crash on southbound I-35 frontage road in Kyle

  05-01-2018 04:59 via kxan.com
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — A man is dead following a crash on the southbound Interstate 35 frontage road in Kyle, police say.
  The crash happened just south of Kyle Parkway and the southbound frontage lanes are blocked. Drivers are asked to avoid the area of the one-vehicle crash. The Kyle Fire Department tweeted an alert to drivers at 9:06 p.m. Thursday.
  Video from the scene showed a white vehicle with heavy damage to its front.
  One dead in crash on the southbound I-35 frontage road in Kyle
  
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• Toll prices a guessing game for drivers merging from Far West Blvd. on-ramp

  05-01-2018 04:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A key part of using the MoPac express lane at your discretion depends on how much you feel like dishing out to cruise in the fast lane.
  Marilyn Miks merges into the southbound express lane south of the Far West Boulevard bridge to head home after her work day. She says the toll price is a guessing game. The answer arrives in her bill each month.
  “I take Far West and merge onto MoPac right there and if you get over really quickly to the left you can get onto the expres
  
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• New sewer system causes stir in Wimberley over fears it digs financial hole

  05-01-2018 04:13 via kxan.com
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — A new sewer system that will only service half a city has some in Wimberley saying their leaders are digging a financial hole that will be hard to climb out of. The plan has been in place for years, but when an agenda item popped up this week claiming the city lost $68,549.50 for not following federal requirements, it shot up another red flag.
  According to the city council agenda, in 2012 and 2017 City Council members authorized two agencies to provide financial s
  
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• Municipal Court on brink of ‘disaster,’ according to city documents

  05-01-2018 03:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The downtown Municipal Court is decrepit, riddled with asbestos and at the brink of a “disaster” that could shut the building down on any given day, according to emails obtained by KXAN and statements from court administrators.
  One recent potential disaster, which turned out to be a false alarm, struck in late November. City maintenance workers dislodged ceiling tiles and sent possible asbestos containing debris into a work space, according to city correspondenc
  
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• Father of Round Rock girl found in Colorado believes suspect was stalking her

  05-01-2018 03:01 via kxan.com
  SULPHUR, La. (KXAN) — Hundreds of miles away in Sulphur, Louisiana, a father is relieved knowing his daughter Lili Griffith is alive.
  Lili, 14, and her sister Lulu Bandera-Margret, 7, were found Wednesday night after a couple spotted the car driven by the man believed to have abducted them, Terry Miles.
  “I was just overwhelmed, I couldn’t believe it,” said Lili’s father Greg Griffith, when he found out the girls were safe.
  Police had been looking for the girls
  
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• Man seriously wounded in stabbing in front of downtown homeless shelter

  05-01-2018 02:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man is in custody after police say he stabbed another man in front of the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless Thursday evening.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to 500 E. 7th St. in downtown Austin at 6:49 p.m. They took a man in his 50s to Dell Seton Medical Center with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries from a reported stab wound.
  No one else was injured in the incident.
  Austin police said they could not provide any additional information on t
  
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• Woman recovering from church shooting files suit against Air Force, DoD

  05-01-2018 02:14 via kxan.com
  FLORESVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Inside Maggie Vidal’s room at the Floresville Residence and Rehabilitation Center, there’s a symbol of faith in every corner.
  “He’s the one that’s been pulling me through,” Vidal said.
  Vidal survived the Sutherland Springs shooting inside First Baptist Church, where she was shot twice. She attended services at that church for the last 15 years.
  “The whole time I was by the pew there, I was saying ‘help me, Jesus, h
  
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• Church shooting survivor files claim against Defense Dept., Air Force

  05-01-2018 02:14 via kxan.com
  FLORESVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Inside Maggie Vidal’s room at the Floresville Residence and Rehabilitation Center, there’s a symbol of faith in every corner.
  “He’s the one that’s been pulling me through,” Vidal said.
  Vidal survived the Sutherland Springs shooting inside First Baptist Church, where she was shot twice. She attended services at that church for the last 15 years.
  “The whole time I was by the pew there, I was saying ‘help me, Jesus, h
  
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• Train and car collide in Caldwell County, killing man in car

  05-01-2018 02:07 via kxan.com
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A train and a car collided in Dale, Thursday afternoon, killed the man driving the car.
  The Caldwell County Office of Emergency Management said the collision happened near Farm to Market 1854 and Easy Street, about 25 miles southeast of Austin.
  A southbound Union Pacific train hit the car around 2 p.m. as the car attempted to cross the tracks in front of the train, a Union Pacific spokesperson said.
  The driver was by himself in the vehicle. The train crew wa
  
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• Woman in her 60s killed in rollover crash on RM 2244

  05-01-2018 00:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman in her 60s was killed in a rollover crash on Bee Caves Road/Ranch to Market 2244 near Patterson Road Thursday afternoon.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to the 9900 block of RM 2244 at 5 p.m. A man in his 20s was also taken from the crash scene with non-life threatening injuries.
  Drivers should expect closures and watch out for Department of Public Safety and Travis County Sheriff’s Office investigators working in the area.
  Additional information o
  
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