Austin news

• Cow mooves out and joins wild bison herd

  24-01-2018 23:03 via kxan.com
  BIALOWIEZA, Poland (NBC News) — A cow that escaped from its owner in Eastern Poland decided to find a new family in a bison herd.
  The owner said the cow left back in November and has since been roaming around the forest with a herd of wild European bison. Forest officials say she has apparently been accepted into the herd.
  Scientists wonder whether the cow will be impregnated by one of the bulls. If that happens, the possible delivery would be difficult for the cow due to the potential siz
  
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• Hill Country girl bitten by rattlesnake suffers setback as more antivenom is used

  24-01-2018 22:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The family of a 5-year-old girl who was bitten by a rattlesnake over the weekend says they have lost count of how many doses of antivenom she’s received.
  Emily Rose Oehler was playing by the picnic area at Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet County on Saturday when a western diamondback rattlesnake bit her on the ankle. The child was taken by STAR Flight helicopter to Dell Children’s Medical Center where she received 16 doses of antivenom in 24 hours.
  On S
  
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• Missing 15-year-old girl from Kyle area found safe

  24-01-2018 22:12 via kxan.com
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — A missing 15-year-old girl from Kyle last seen in Austin has been found safe and is back with her family.
  Deputies with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office were asking for help finding Tara Yvonne Ritchie. She is described as 5-foot-5, 145 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, having a scar on her chin and a cross tattoo on her left finger.
  Ritchie was last seen wearing black Vans shoes and blue jeans — a more detailed description was not available. Deputies sa
  
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• Deputies ask for help finding missing 15-year-old girl from Kyle area

  24-01-2018 22:12 via kxan.com
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — A missing 15-year-old girl from Kyle was last seen in Austin, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
  Deputies are asking for the public’s help finding Tara Yvonne Ritchie, who has health issues. She is described as 5-foot-5, 145 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, having a scar on her chin and a cross tattoo on her left finger.
  Ritchie was last seen wearing black Vans shoes and blue jeans — a more detailed description was not available. Dep
  
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• Austin city manager suspends Citizen Review Panel

  24-01-2018 20:44 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Now that the Austin Police Department is operating under a civil service law due to the lack of an agreed-upon contract, Austin’s city manager has no choice but to suspend the Citizens Review Panel (CRP).
  According to a memo from Interim City Manager Elaine Hart, without a meet and confer agreement between the city and the Austin Police Association, the CRP can’t have access to confidential materials needed to make informed decisions regarding allegations of pol
  
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• $20,000 scholarships for kids who make machines out of cereal boxes

  24-01-2018 20:44 via kxan.com
  MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KXAN) — Parents always tell children not to play with their food, but in this case, doing just that could mean getting a college scholarship.
  General Mills is adding a little something extra to its cereal boxes to get children thinking creatively —  instructions for them to cut out various parts of the box to build a simple machine. The partnership with Rube Goldberg, Inc., is meant to encourage interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) sub
  
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• Council members want to remove parkland from MLS stadium consideration

  24-01-2018 19:53 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the owners of a Major League Soccer team considers where to possibly build a new stadium in Austin, some council members want to narrow that list even further and exclude parkland from the options. That would mean Precourt Sports Ventures’ top pick, Butler Shores, would not be able to be built.
  “We are taking this action because we believe as our city grows we must protect our parkland. Parks are a legacy for the people of Austin’s future and losing val
  
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• Meals on Wheels volunteer ‘fired’ for refusing to drop off meals at upscale Florida condos

  24-01-2018 19:40 via kxan.com
  CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – A Meals On Wheels volunteer may no longer be delivering food in Pinellas County, Florida after she refused to drop off meals to people at an upscale condo complex.
  Helen Barnes enjoyed being among dozens who bring hot meals to those in need. “I look forward to every Thursday,” Barnes said.
  But a delivery to the Harbor Oaks condos in Clearwater stopped her in her tracks.
  “I realized, why are we delivering to these wealthy people who can call a del
  
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• Austin Readathon encourages reading, buys books for children in need

  24-01-2018 19:10 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As children across Austin turn the pages of their books, many are doing more than just enjoying the written word — they’re also earning money to help others explore a love of reading.
  BookSpring’s annual Readathon started this week, encouraging students to raise money by asking friends or family to sponsor them for the number of minutes they read. Kay Gooch has worked with the fundraiser for many years. She’s a librarian at Gullett Elementary, one of
  
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• The Latest: Nassar letter: ‘Stories are being fabricated’

  24-01-2018 18:40 via kxan.com
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar and other developments in the case (all times local):
  1:10 p.m.
  The judge who sentenced a Michigan sports doctor to decades in prison read a letter that raises questions about whether he’s truly remorseful.
  A courtroom packed with victims gasped Wednesday as Judge Rosemarie Aquilina read Larry Nassar’s letter, which was written before the seven-day sentencing hearing.
  The letter stated, &l
  
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• The Latest: MSU calls sentence a “step toward justice”

  24-01-2018 18:40 via kxan.com
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of Michigan sports doctor Larry Nassar and other developments in the case (all times local):
  4:10 p.m.
  Michigan State University says Larry Nassar’s prison sentence is an “important step toward justice.”
  Nassar was a sports doctor whose reputation in the gymnastics world brought many young elite gymnasts to his campus office. He admits sexually molesting them with his hands.
  Michigan State spokesman Jason Cody says the cr
  
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• Gymnastics doctor sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison

  24-01-2018 18:40 via kxan.com
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The former sports doctor who admitted molesting some of the nation’s top gymnasts for years under the guise of medical treatment was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison by a judge who proudly told him, “I just signed your death warrant.”
  The sentence capped a remarkable seven-day hearing in which more than 150 women and girls offered statements about being abused by Larry Nassar, a physician who was renowned for treating athletes at the
  
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• NFL rejects Super Bowl ad asking people to stand during the national anthem

  24-01-2018 18:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — A Super Bowl ad submitted by the American Veterans (AMVETS) group was rejected by the National Football League.
  The commander for the organization, Marion Polk, says the ad, which asked people to #PleaseStand during the national anthem was rejected by the NFL on Friday. The ad is a single picture with a service member saluting the flag with the #PleaseStand. At the bottom of the ad is a message asking people to “Make a $20 tax-deductible donation and help us help
  
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• Chase Bank robbed in north Austin

  24-01-2018 17:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are working a bank robbery along North Lamar Boulevard just north of Rundberg Lane Wednesday morning.
  The robbery happened just after 10 a.m. at the Chase Bank located in the 9900 block of North Lamar Boulevard. There are two banks across the street from each other at the location — a Wells Fargo and a Chase bank.
  Authorities are asking people to avoid the area as they investigate the robbery.
   
  
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• Train collides with vehicle along FM 812 in Bastrop County

  24-01-2018 17:08 via kxan.com
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A train crash has shut down Farm to Market 812 just west of Farm to Market 20 in the town of Red Rock in southwest Bastrop County Wednesday morning.
  The Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office says FM 812 will be closed for an extended period of time as crews investigate the crash, which happened around 9:45 a.m. It is not known at this time if anyone was injured in the crash.
  The Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management says the train tracks are owned by
  
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• Amarillo police investigate theft of 4K antique lighters

  24-01-2018 16:57 via kxan.com
  AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — Amarillo police are investigating a burglary in which thieves lifted about 4,000 antique lighters. An Amarillo police statement Tuesday said officers on Jan. 18 responded to a burglary at a house. Investigators say the owner reported the theft of his flint butane lighter collection.
  Cpl. Jeb Hilton on Wednesday said no one has been arrested in the theft of what the officer calls a “valuable” and “very expensive” collection. Hilton declined to
  
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• Mayor won't jinx Eagles with jersey

  24-01-2018 16:42 via kxan.com
  PHILADELPHIA(AP) Philadelphia’s mayor says he won’t jinx the Eagles ahead of their Super Bowl appearance by placing the team’s jersey on the statue of William Penn atop City Hall.
  Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney said Tuesday he wants the city’s football team to win the big game. But his spokesman tells WCAU-TV he didn’t want to risk putting the jersey on the statue.
  The city placed a Phillies baseball cap on the statue during the 1993 World Series and a Flyers jersey on
  
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• Store donates ice cream after car runs into it and damages freezers

  24-01-2018 16:29 via kxan.com
  LA QUINTA, Calif. (KMIR) — A Baskin Robbins store owner is turning a bad situation into something sweet.
  When a car came crashing through the Baskin Robbins in La Quinta, California, store owner Cari Freeman was at a loss for words.
  “We’re pretty sure it hit here first and then sort of hit the two dipping cabinets there and kind of pushed everything back,” Freeman said.
  The driver walked away from the crash, but his car pinned a store clerk to a counter she was working on
  
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• Store donates ice cream after car crashes through and damages freezers

  24-01-2018 16:29 via kxan.com
  LA QUINTA, Calif. (KMIR) — A Baskin Robbins store owner is turning a bad situation into something sweet.
  When a car came crashing through the Baskin Robbins in La Quinta, California, store owner Cari Freeman was at a loss for words.
  “We’re pretty sure it hit here first and then sort of hit the two dipping cabinets there and kind of pushed everything back,” Freeman said.
  The driver walked away from the crash, but his car pinned a store clerk to a counter she was working on
  
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• MPR releases more details of allegations against Keillor

  24-01-2018 16:03 via kxan.com
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Public Radio has provided additional details of allegations of sexual harassment against humorist Garrison Keillor, saying his alleged conduct went well beyond his account in November of accidentally touching a woman’s bare back.
  MPR said in a statement Tuesday that Keillor was accused by a woman who worked on his “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show of dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents over several years, including requests for sexu
  
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• Brownfield girl about to get brain surgery gets prayers from the White House

  24-01-2018 15:45 via kxan.com
  LUBBOCK, Texas (KLBK) —  For a moment during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, the questions stopped.
  “Before we get started, I have a story and a message from the President,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “Today an inspiring family and a brave little girl from Brownfield, Texas, are facing a challenge, and inspiring friends and neighbors, and now hopefully an entire nation.”
  Sophia Campa-Peters, a little girl from Brownfield, asked for pr
  
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• Woman gives birth on international flight

  24-01-2018 14:57 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK CITY (KXAN/CNN) — Dr. Sij Hemal was just about to get some shut-eye on his flight from France to the United States when the call for a doctor came over the plane’s loudspeaker. A French pediatrician happened to be sitting right next to him.
  “She heard the announcement in French and then she nudged me,” said Hemal, a second-year urology resident at the Cleveland Clinic. He was returning from a wedding in India on the Dec. 17 flight.
  He and Dr. Susan Shepherd went
  
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• Toys R Us, hobbled by competition, will shutter some stores

  24-01-2018 14:55 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Toys R Us, squeezed Amazon.com and huge chains like Walmart, will begin closing a number of its stores starting in February.
  Hobbled by $5 billion in debt, the company that once dominated toy sales in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy protection in September.
  Chairman and CEO Dave Brandon said in a letter Wednesday that tough decisions are required to save Toys R Us.
  The letter also didn’t disclose how many stores would be closed and the company did not immediately return
  
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• Starbucks gives workers raises, stock grants due to tax law

  24-01-2018 14:21 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks is giving its U.S. workers pay raises and stock grants this year, citing recent changes to the tax law.
  All employees will soon be able to earn paid sick time off, and the company’s parental leave benefits will include all non-birth parents. Starbucks Corp. said Wednesday that the changes affect about 150,000 full-time, part-time, hourly and salaried employees, most of whom work as baristas or shop managers. The new benefits apply to workers at more than 8,2
  
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• Austin electric car maker tries to carve out space in crowded market

  24-01-2018 13:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A company founded last year in Austin is jumping into the electric car market, trying to carve out a niche in a crowded marketplace.
  After debuting a new model at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas this month, Austin Electric Vehicles says they’re on the right track and will start shipping two new vehicles to interested dealers later this year.
  Wednesday, the Austin-based restaurant chain Mama Fu’s planned to test drive one of them, the three-wheeled all-
  
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• Gay couple sues after 1 twin’s US citizenship denied

  24-01-2018 12:58 via kxan.com
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ethan and Aiden Dvash-Banks are toddler twins who share almost everything: the same toys, the same nursery, the same clothes and the same parents. Everything but a toothbrush and U.S. citizenship.
  To remedy what their parents, a gay married couple, view as an injustice, Ethan Dvash-Banks became a plaintiff at the tender age of 16 months in a federal lawsuit against the U.S. State Department that seeks the same rights his brother has as an American citizen.
  “What we
  
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• Suspect on Texas 10 Most Wanted list captured in California

  24-01-2018 12:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A suspect on the Texas 10 Most Wanted list has been caught in California after months on the run.
  The Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday announced the arrest of 32-year-old Blake Everett Reed.
  A DPS statement says Reed was captured Sunday at a home in Cayucos, California.
  Investigators say Reed has ties to Wood and Smith counties in East Texas. Reed in September 2016 was accused of assaulting a woman in Wood County, then arrested on counts including aggravate
  
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• Medics say staffing shortages are killing morale in ATCEMS

  24-01-2018 06:09 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Medics with Austin-Travis County EMS say staffing shortages within the department are leading to too much overtime and low morale.
  KXAN received a Report It from an anonymous man who says he’s an ATCEMS paramedic, reading in part:
  “Numerous paramedics are having to be forced to work overtime, which is taking a huge toll on the city’s budget, but nobody seems to be talking about it. It is also bad for morale when you are constantly having to be called in on
  
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• Medics say staffing shortage is killing morale at ATCEMS

  24-01-2018 06:09 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Medics with Austin-Travis County EMS say staffing shortages within the department are leading to too much overtime and low morale.
  KXAN received a Report It from an anonymous man who says he’s an ATCEMS paramedic, reading in part:
  “Numerous paramedics are having to be forced to work overtime, which is taking a huge toll on the city’s budget, but nobody seems to be talking about it. It is also bad for morale when you are constantly having to be called in on
  
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• Woman with cognitive impairment missing in Granite Shoals

  24-01-2018 05:21 via kxan.com
  GRANITE SHOALS, Texas (KXAN) — A 68-year-old woman is missing in Granite Shoals, last seen walking in the 2900 block of Valley East Lane — in a subdivision on the northeast shore of Lake LBJ — at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. A Silver Alert has been issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
  The Granite Shoals Police Department says Elaine Banta has a cognitive impairment and her disappearance poses a threat to her health and safety. Officers say she did not take her medication Tues
  
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• Silver Alert for Granite Shoals woman canceled

  24-01-2018 05:21 via kxan.com
  GRANITE SHOALS, Texas (KXAN) — A 68-year-old woman that was reported missing in Granite Shoals has been found and is currently being checked at the hospital.
  Authorities issued a Silver Alert for her on Tuesday when she was last seen walking in the 2900 block of Valley East Lane — in a subdivision on the northeast shore of Lake LBJ — at 4:30 p.m.
  The Granite Shoals Police Department said Elaine Banta has a cognitive impairment and her disappearance posed a threat to her health
  
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• Spurs beat Cavs on James historic night

  24-01-2018 05:12 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — LeBron James became the youngest player ever with 30,000 career points, but LaMarcus Aldridge scored 30 points to lift the San Antonio Spurs over the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers 114-102 on Tuesday night.
  James had 28 points while becoming the seventh member of the 30,000-point club, yet he couldn’t keep the Cavaliers from dropping their 10th in 13 games.
  Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray — friend and mentee of James — had 19 points, 10 rebounds and sev
  
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• Man suspected of killing beloved AISD health assistant had a history of crime

  24-01-2018 04:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More details are emerging about the domestic violence that led up to the shooting Sunday police are now investigating as the murder of an Austin woman.
  According to an affidavit, the woman who was killed, 50-year-old Ronda Beans, first called Austin police in June of 2017 with worries about the man now suspected in her murder, Waymon “Keith” Eason, 49. During that call, she asked officers to stand by while she gathered her possessions from her home. She said she
  
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• Police believe missing man fled from Lake Austin boat crash that injured 1

  24-01-2018 03:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Emergency crews have called off the search for a missing man in Lake Austin near the Loop 360 bridge after two fishing boats collided Tuesday night. Austin police believe everyone involved is accounted for and cleared the scene late Tuesday night. The person that was the focus of the search was seen crawling and running away from the lake. Police are now looking for him on land.
  A man in his 50s was taken to Dell Seton Hospital by STAR Flight with serious injuries. A t
  
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• Fisherman loses arm, leg in Lake Austin boat crash

  24-01-2018 03:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Emergency crews have called off the search for a missing man in Lake Austin near the Loop 360 bridge after two fishing boats collided Tuesday night.
  Austin police believe everyone involved is accounted for and left the scene. The person that was the focus of the search was seen crawling and running away from the lake. Police are now looking for him on land.
  A man in his 50s was taken to Dell Seton Hospital by STAR Flight helicopter with serious injuries. A third person has
  
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• Boat collision near Loop 360 bridge critically injures man, woman missing

  24-01-2018 03:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Emergency crews are searching Lake Austin near the Loop 360 bridge after at least two boats collided, injuring a man in his 50s. First responders are searching for a woman who has not been accounted for.
  The Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS were dispatched to the area south of the bridge, also known as the Pennybacker Bridge, at 7:55 p.m. Tuesday.
  The man has critical, life-threatening injuries, medics say, and was moved on a rescue boat to an awaiting ST
  
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• Austin Police believe missing man fled from boat crash in Lake Austin, one person injured

  24-01-2018 03:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Emergency crews have called off the search for a missing man in Lake Austin near the Loop 360 bridge after two fishing boats collided. Austin Police believes everyone involved is accounted for and cleared the scene late Tuesday night. The person that was the focus of the search was seen crawling and running away from the lake. Police are now looking for him on land.
  The Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS were dispatched to the area south of the bridge, also
  
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• Overhaul or another ‘Band-Aid’? Texas tries new approach to funding public schools

  24-01-2018 03:07 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After failed temporary fixes to the state’s public school finance system, lawmakers are attempting a new approach.
  The Commission on Public School Finance held its first meeting on Tuesday. The panel of 13, made up of educators and current and former lawmakers, is tasked with crafting recommendations for how the state can successfully pay to teach the 5.3 million students in Texas. Those guidelines will be delivered to the Capitol, with the idea that lawmakers use it
  
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• VIDEO: Man steals exotic fish by shoving them down his pants

  24-01-2018 02:42 via kxan.com
  CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – Clearwater police arrested a man after he was caught on camera stealing exotic fish from a pet shop.
  Detectives say Cruz Garcia Jr. entered Pet Safari on Highlands Avenue on Jan. 9 with his accomplice, Crystal Dixon, and stole Electric Blue Acaras and Blue Ram Cichlids.
  “I could see the two of them over here, kind of looking out towards me,” said store clerk Kayla Kraut.
  Kraut was behind the register that day when she said the two came in the stor
  
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• Amarillo ISD board votes to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary

  24-01-2018 02:35 via kxan.com
  AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR) — Amarillo ISD Board President Jim Austin said they have been working on the decision to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School since last April by engaging the community and its leaders.
  Austin said they felt like they had a pretty good feel for how different people felt and how to move forward by respecting the issue and keeping in mind the legacy of the school.
  “I am extremely disappointed in the results of the Amarillo Independent school board vote. To leav
  
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• Terry Black’s BBQ proposed wedding venue in limbo after neighbor concerns

  24-01-2018 01:19 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — One of the biggest names in Texas barbeque is facing off with Hays County residents who say they don’t want a large wedding venue in their neighborhood.
  The Black family, behind Terry Black’s BBQ in Austin, has purchased 64 acres off Crystal Hills Drive in Dripping Springs to build a new wedding venue, to be known as “Black Ranch.”
  Members of The Friendship Alliance are publicly opposed to the planned wedding venue, as currently
  
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• Black’s BBQ proposed wedding venue in limbo after neighbor concerns

  24-01-2018 01:19 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — One of the biggest names in Texas barbeque is facing off with Hays County residents who say they don’t want a large wedding venue in their neighborhood.
  The Black family, behind Terry Black’s BBQ in Austin, has purchased 64 acres off Crystal Hills Drive in Dripping Springs to build a new wedding venue, to be known as “Black Ranch.”
  Members of The Friendship Alliance are publicly opposed to the planned wedding venue, as currently
  
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• VIDEO: School bus slides backward on icy street

  24-01-2018 01:02 via kxan.com
  SUTTON, Mass. (KXAN) — A school bus slid backward and sideways on an icy road in Massachusetts Tuesday, before crashing into a mailbox and car, as seen on video obtained by NBC News.
  The bus in Sutton, Massachusetts, about 40 miles southwest of Boston, had 20 middle and high school students on board at the time of the crash. No one was hurt.
  A neighbor yelled, “Oh my God!” as the bus took out her mailbox and slid toward a car that was also having difficulty on the icy road.Tips
  
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• Police: Angry fast-food worker beans supervisor with burrito

  24-01-2018 00:54 via kxan.com
  SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Police say a fast-food worker upset at having to work a morning shift has given new meaning to a burrito to go, slinging a hot one at his Taco Bell supervisor.
  Police in South Carolina say officers were called to the Spartanburg eatery Monday, where a supervisor reported telling the worker to “stop being a crybaby” — just before being beaned with the food-filled projectile.
  A police report says the supervisor had turned away when melted cheese fro
  
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• Documentary on Breaion King arrest gets Academy Award nomination

  24-01-2018 00:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The day after it was announced that an Austin police officer — seen on dash cam video slamming an Austin teacher to the ground during a traffic stop in 2015 — was fired for lying about a separate incident, a documentary on the arrest has been nominated for an Academy Award.
  The film, covering the arrest of Breaion King, is competing against four others in the Documentary (Short Subject) category. “Traffic Stop” is directed by Kate Davis and produced
  
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