Austin news

• Six Jason’s Deli locations in Austin-area potentially hit by data breach

  17-01-2018 23:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Jason’s Deli has released a list of its stores potentially affected by a data breach, including five of its restaurants in Austin and one in Round Rock.
  The company was first notified of the breach by a payment processor on Dec. 22, 2017. The personnel reported there was a large amount of credit card information for sale on the “dark web” and at least a portion of the data came from Jason’s Deli locations.
  Investigators determined that criminals used
  
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• Apple to build 2nd campus, hire 20,000 in $350B pledge

  17-01-2018 22:54 via kxan.com
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is planning to build another corporate campus and hire 20,000 workers during the next five years as part of a $350 billion commitment to the U.S. that will be partially financed by an upcoming windfall from the country’s new tax law.
  The pledge announced Wednesday comes less than a month after Congress approved a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code championed by President Donald Trump that will increase corporate profits.
  Besides dramatically lowering th
  
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• Apple banks on tax break to build 2nd campus, hire 20,000

  17-01-2018 22:54 via kxan.com
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple is planning to build a new corporate campus and hire 20,000 U.S. workers in an expansion driven in part by a tax cut that will enable the iPhone maker to bring an estimated $245 billion back to its home country.
  The pledge announced Wednesday comes less than a month after Congress approved a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code championed by President Donald Trump that will increase corporate profits.
  Besides dramatically lowering the standard corporate tax rat
  
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• New salvage grocery store offers discounts

  17-01-2018 22:46 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — It doesn’t take long to rack up a hefty grocery bill, especially if you have a family to feed. That is why Angie Seto decided to open up what she believes is the Austin area’s first salvage grocery store.
  “I stayed at home with our kids when they were little and there were times that we really had to piece together money,” explains Seto. “I think regardless of where the economy is at, there’s always people that need to save mon
  
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• I-35 in Georgetown back open after downed power lines, grass fire

  17-01-2018 22:37 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — All northbound lanes and the northbound frontage of Interstate 35 near SE Inner Loop in Georgetown are back open due to a downed power line that also sparked a grass fire. One southbound lane remains closed as of 3:45 p.m.
  Electrical crews are on the scene to make repairs.
  The average speed through the area is 5 mph and delays are stacking up as of 3:30 p.m. Drivers who need to get around the delay should try using Farm to Market 1460. Check KXAN’s Traffic
  
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• Suspect arrested in transgender drag queen sex assault case

  17-01-2018 21:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nearly eight months after a popular transgender drag queen reported she was raped and attacked by a man, Austin police say they have made an arrest in the case.
  The alleged sexual assault happened on Sunday, May 28, 2017 at the victim’s south Austin home. When KXAN spoke to Christi Long, a transgender woman who performs as a drag queen known as Christi Foxx Paris, last year, she said the suspect — identified by police as 29-year-old Eric Nelson — used a ha
  
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• Missing Buda man with ‘severe medical issues’ found dead in Travis County

  17-01-2018 20:19 via kxan.com
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Buda say 69-year-old David Paul Dvorchak, who was last seen at his home on Monday, Jan. 15, was found dead in Travis County Wednesday.
  Police say he was last seen leaving his home in the 1300 block of Cabela’s Drive and was headed to an appointment at 2500 W. William Cannon Drive in Austin. Family and friends were concerned because Dvorchak had severe medical issues.
  Dvorchak was driving a 2013 white-colored Chevrolet Equinox, bearing Texas Handicap Lic
  
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• Buda man with ‘severe medical issues’ reported missing

  17-01-2018 20:19 via kxan.com
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Buda are searching for 69-year-old David Paul Dvorchak, who was last seen at his home on Monday, Jan. 15.
  Police say he was last seen leaving his home in the 1300 block of Cabela’s Drive and was headed to an appointment at 2500 W. William Cannon Drive in Austin. Family and friends are concerned because Dvorchak has severe medical issues.
  Dvorchak is 6-foot-2, 270 pounds and has a full head of graying brown hair. He is described as having a large torso a
  
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• New California? Longshot bid would split state in 2

  17-01-2018 20:13 via kxan.com
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A fresh effort is underway to split California into multiple states, one including its coastal cities and the other its rural and inland areas.
  “New California” is just the latest proposal to divvy up the nation’s most populous state. But like efforts before it, it’s highly unlikely to gain significant traction.
  KOVR-TV reports founders Robert Preston and Tom Reed read their own Declaration of Independence on Monday at a small ceremony in M
  
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• Man accused of setting downtown public restroom on fire 4 times

  17-01-2018 19:43 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The public restroom recently installed by the city of Austin at the corner of East Sixth Street and Red River Street was set on fire Tuesday morning.
  An ambassador employed by the Downtown Austin Alliance to clean the restroom told police the suspect started two fires inside the restroom that morning and two fires in the restroom the previous morning, according to an arrest affidavit. The employee said on Monday, Jan. 15, just before 6 a.m., he went to clean the restroom bu
  
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• Student with weapon report forces Cedar Park High lockdown

  17-01-2018 19:30 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park high school was placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon following a report of a suspicious person in the area, according to Cedar Park police.
  The lockdown went into effect shortly after noon at the campus on 2150 Cypress Creek Road. The school’s principal sent a letter to families saying “Students are safe and we will share details when they become available.” It also said the school is working with Cedar Park police to “re
  
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• Report of student with weapon forces Cedar Park High lockdown

  17-01-2018 19:30 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park high school was placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon following a report of a suspicious person in the area, according to Cedar Park police.
  The lockdown went into effect shortly after noon at the campus on 2150 Cypress Creek Road. The school’s principal sent a letter to families saying “Students are safe and we will share details when they become available.” It also said the school is working with Cedar Park police to “re
  
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• All clear given after Cedar Park High School placed on lockdown

  17-01-2018 19:30 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Cedar Park high school was placed on lockdown Wednesday afternoon following a report of a suspicious person in the area, according to Cedar Park police.
  The lockdown went into effect shortly after noon at the campus on 2150 Cypress Creek Road. The school’s principal sent a letter to families saying “Students are safe and we will share details when they become available.” It also said the school is working with Cedar Park police to “re
  
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• WH involvement in Bannon testimony shows ‘privilege’ dispute

  17-01-2018 19:10 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s White House is relying on a sweeping interpretation of executive privilege that is rankling members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as current and former advisers parade to Capitol Hill for questioning about possible connections with Russia.
  The White House’s contention:Pretty much everything is off limits until the president says it’s not.
  The argument was laid bare this week during former White House chief strategist Ste
  
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• IRS reminding employers to be leery of phishing scams asking for W-2s

  17-01-2018 19:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As companies start sending out their employees W-2 forms, the Internal Revenue Service wants to remind employers to be careful about a phishing scam that targets people who work on payroll.
  Last year, the IRS says more than 200 employers fell victim to the phishing scam, which translated into hundreds of thousands of employees who had their information compromised. The IRS says the Form W-2 scam has emergeed as one of the most dangerous phishing emails in the tax community.
  
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• AP Sources: WH directed Bannon silence in House interview

  17-01-2018 19:10 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Steve Bannon’s attorney relayed questions, in real time, to the White House during a House Intelligence Committee interview of the former Trump chief strategist, people familiar with the closed-door session told The Associated Press.
  As lawmakers probed Bannon’s time working for President Donald Trump, Bannon’s attorney Bill Burck was asking the White House counsel’s office by phone during the Tuesday session whether his client could answer the que
  
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• Spain, Portugal seize cocaine hidden in shipped pineapples

  17-01-2018 18:59 via kxan.com
  LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Spanish and Portuguese police say a joint operation resulted in the seizure of 745 kilograms (1,642 pounds) of cocaine, much of it allegedly concealed inside pineapples shipped from Latin America.
  The Iberian police forces announced the big drug bust on Wednesday. They said it unfolded over several months, led to nine arrests and broke up an international smuggling ring led by Colombians.
  In November, Spanish police discovered almost 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of co
  
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• Photo of dog outside prompts concerns, reminders about pet safety in the cold

  17-01-2018 18:33 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A story of a dog chained outside ahead of the coldest night in a year sparked outrage on social media, as well as reminders to keep pets warm as the temperatures drop.
  KXAN first learned of the story when a concerned viewer emailed a photo of a dog outside around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. KXAN’s Jim Spencer mentioned it on the evening news, prior to receiving details from the city of San Marcos about the dogs. Spencer also used the opportunity to remind peopl
  
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• Mom-daughter duo show 2 carjackers crime and cocoa don’t mix

  17-01-2018 17:16 via kxan.com
  WOODBRIDGE, Va. (AP) — Police in the Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital say two would-be carjackers fled from their intended victims when a splash of hot cocoa and a dash of resourcefulness entered the mix.
  Police in Prince William County, Virginia, said in a statement that a 50-year-old woman exited a 7-Eleven convenience store on Saturday night with some purchased items when two men, one with a handgun, approached and demanded her vehicle.
  Police say the woman struck one man
  
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• Cedar Park police reconstruct collision that killed two boys

  17-01-2018 17:01 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Earlier this week, Cedar Park traffic officers reconstructed a collision that killed two boys and left their driver in the hospital with a coma.
  Police say the Nissan Rogue SUV the children were riding in collided with a Dodge Ram pickup truck on Jan. 10 just before 4 p.m. on West Whitestone Boulevard (FM 1431) and Walton Way. The boys, 1-year-old Daniel Chaudhary and 8-year-old Elijah Chaudhary, were laid to rest last week. The 31-year-old woman who was dri
  
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• Ex-doctor’s victims recount sex abuse as young gymnasts

  17-01-2018 16:41 via kxan.com
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — One after one, gymnasts and other victims of a disgraced former sports doctor stepped forward in a Michigan courtroom Tuesday to recount the sexual abuse and emotional trauma he inflicted on them as children, including one who warned that girls eventually “grow into strong women that return to destroy your world.”
  Nearly 100 victims are expected to address the court during the four-day sentencing hearing for 54-year-old Larry Nassar. Many cried as they tol
  
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• Rival Koreas agree to form first unified Olympic team

  17-01-2018 15:43 via kxan.com
  SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The rival Koreas agreed Wednesday to form their first unified Olympic team and have their athletes parade together for the first time in 11 years during the opening ceremony of next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, officials said.
  The agreements still require approval from the International Olympic Committee. But they are the most prominent steps toward rapprochement achieved by the Koreas since they recently began exploring cooperation during the Oly
  
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• VIDEO: Officer slips and slides directing traffic on icy Texas road

  17-01-2018 15:19 via kxan.com
  TEXARKANA, Texas (KXAN) — As an ice storm moved through Texas, a police officer’s near-fall served as a good reminder for people to be careful on icy roads and sidewalks.
  Texarkana Police officer Clint Akin was directing traffic Tuesday when he slipped — and his dash cam caught him trying to right himself before grabbing ahold of a bar on the front of his patrol car. The department posted the clip on social media, saying “If you don’t REALLY have to be out, stay whe
  
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• Walmart offers way to turn leftover opioids into useless gel

  17-01-2018 14:21 via kxan.com
  Walmart is helping customers get rid of leftover opioids by giving them packets that turn the addictive painkillers into a useless gel.
  The retail giant announced Wednesday that it will provide the packets free with opioid prescriptions filled at its 4,700 U.S. pharmacies.
  The small packets, made by DisposeRX, contain a powder that is poured into prescription bottles. When mixed with warm water, the powder turns the pills into a biodegradable gel that can be thrown in the trash.
  It works on othe
  
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• New peak energy demand record set on coldest morning in Austin

  17-01-2018 12:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Austin experienced its coldest morning in seven years and the rest of the state saw below-freezing temperatures, people’s use of electricity peaked Wednesday morning and set a new record.
  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, said it had a “significantly high load” when the energy use peaked at 65,731 MW between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. It says “historically high usage” and low temperatures will cause the peak.
  During peak times, ERC
  
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• High energy load expected between 7 and 8 a.m.

  17-01-2018 12:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Austin experiences its coldest morning in a year, the group is expecting people’s use of electricity to peak Wednesday morning.
  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, expects a “significantly high load” at an energy peak between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and is asking people to conserve energy if they can. It says “historically high usage” and low temperatures will cause the peak.
  Here are ERCOT’s tips to conserving energy, espec
  
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• Even the eyelashes freeze: Russia sees minus 88.6 degrees F

  17-01-2018 11:59 via kxan.com
  MOSCOW (AP) — Even thermometers can’t keep up with the plunging temperatures in Russia’s remote Yakutia region, which hit minus 67 degrees Celsius (minus 88.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas Tuesday.
  In Yakutia — a region of 1 million people about 3,300 miles (5,300 kilometers) east of Moscow — students routinely go to school even in minus 40 degrees. But school was canceled Tuesday throughout the region and police ordered parents to keep their children inside.
  In
  
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• Some businesses stay busy, despite icy weather

  17-01-2018 05:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Many businesses told their employees to stay home and stay safe Tuesday. Across town, that meant it was a little harder to find stores and restaurants that were open.
  While one big snow day can mean a big loss in profits for those businesses, those that did stay open and worked through the cold had anything but a quiet, slow day.
  Employees at Wright Bros. Brew and Brew on Austin’s east side said because other restaurants in the area were closed, they were busier
  
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• Meteor credited for bright light, noise rattling Michigan

  17-01-2018 05:25 via kxan.com
  DETROIT (AP) — Experts say a bright light and what sounded like thunder in the sky above Michigan was a meteor.
  The American Meteor Society says it received hundreds of reports of a fireball Tuesday night over the state, including many in the Detroit area. Reports also came in from several other states and Ontario, Canada.
  Some Michigan residents reported their homes shaking.
  The society says the reports suggest a space rock penetrated deep into the Earth’s atmosphere before it broke
  
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• Meteor? Bright light, loud noise rattle Michigan residents

  17-01-2018 05:25 via kxan.com
  DETROIT (AP) — The National Weather Service says the bright light and what sounded like thunder in the sky across the Detroit metropolitan area may have been a meteor.
  Meteorologist Jordan Dale says the weather service hasn’t been able to confirm that it was a meteor despite reports and videos received by the agency late Tuesday. But he says “it was not thunder or lightning or weather-related.”
  Some residents reported their homes shaking.
  The weather service says by about
  
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• High court rejects Texas Democrats’ gerrymandering complaint

  17-01-2018 05:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal from the Texas Democratic Party charging that the Republican-controlled Legislature illegally gerrymandered the state’s electoral maps.
  The nation’s high court said Tuesday that it lacked jurisdiction to consider the complaint.
  Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Texas’ appeal to preserve two congressional districts and statehouse districts affecting four counties that a lower court struck down as racial
  
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• Indicted Texas attorney general has war chest worth $5.7M

  17-01-2018 05:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has a campaign war chest of $5.7-plus million as he seeks re-election.
  Paxton campaign’s announced Tuesday that the Republican raised nearly $775,000 through the end of 2017.
  Paxton faces no opposition in the GOP primary March 6 and is heavily favored in November’s general election.
  His Democratic opponent, Houston lawyer Justin Nelson, previously announced raising about $900,000 through the end of last year, inclu
  
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• Texas athletes who’ve punched their ticket to PyeongChang

  17-01-2018 03:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Have no fear, Texans already have several athletes to cheer on in the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. A handful of athletes with ties to the Lone Star State have qualified in the last couple of weeks for the 2018 Games in South Korea.
  JONATHAN GARCIA | U.S.A. SPEED SKATING | HOUSTON, Texas
  Houston-native Jonathan Garcia, 31, is heading to his second Olympics games. He secured his spot at the U.S. Olympic Long Track Speed Skating Trials in Milwaukee. Garcia will be competing
  
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• Hays County first responders busy after ice coats roads

  17-01-2018 03:23 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – Monday night’s winter weather made roads difficult to drive on all morning and into the afternoon.
  In San Marcos, first responders were called to 41 crashes. The Kyle Fire Department responded to around 20 which included multiple rollovers.
  Some of the problem areas in the county included State Highway 21, State Highway 123 and Interstate 35.
  “Highway 21 is a solid block of ice,” said Kyle Fire Department Chief Kyle Taylor. “We’re se
  
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• TxDOT to monitor Central Texas roadways overnight

  17-01-2018 02:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — TxDOT says the good news is most of the roads are improving, but they’ll keep a few crews working overnight to spot treat any remaining ice.
  “We just want to make sure the areas that have gotten some moisture are safer for people to drive on,” Diann Hodges, a spokesperson for TxDOT, said.
  Hodges said crews put out about 80,000 gallons of pre-treatment and as soon as the storm hit late Monday night, they started working overtime to treat roadways. By Tuesda
  
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• One dead as vehicle crashes off Slaughter Lane overpass

  17-01-2018 00:41 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A vehicle traveling on West Slaughter Lane Tuesday afternoon crashed at least 30 feet off an overpass, killing a man in his 30s or 40s. Austin-Travis County EMS says the crash may be due to ice on the bridge.
  Medics were called to the 1500 block of Slaughter, just east of Manchaca Road, at 5:14 p.m. Another man has been taken to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center with critical injuries.
  Austin police say the overpass, which is over railroad tracks, is closed to t
  
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• Firefighters trying to put out heavy fire in east Austin house

  17-01-2018 00:21 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighting crews are working to put out a heavy fire in what is possibly an abandoned east Austin home.
  A photo and video tweeted by the Austin Fire Department showed flames shooting out of the home in the 1100 block of Shady Lane, near the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Springdale Road.
  Firefighters were called to the fire at 5:01 p.m. Tuesday. Around 5:20 p.m., crews said the main body of the fire was put out and they had completed an initial search of the home.
  
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• Firefighters put out heavy fire in east Austin house

  17-01-2018 00:21 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighting crews put out a heavy fire in what is possibly an abandoned east Austin home, Tuesday afternoon.
  A photo and video tweeted by the Austin Fire Department showed flames shooting out of the home in the 1100 block of Shady Lane, near the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Springdale Road.
  Firefighters were called to the fire at 5:01 p.m. Around 5:20 p.m., crews said the main body of the fire was put out and they had completed an initial search of the home.
  Inves
  
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