• California lawmaker wants to stop restaurants from giving out plastic straws

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. (WCMH) — A California lawmaker has introduced legislation making it a crime for a server to provide unsolicited plastic straws in restaurants.
    Ian Calderon, the majority leader in California’s lower house, introduced the measure a week ago.
    If passed, the bill would make it illegal to provide single-use plastic straws to consumers unless requested by the consumer. The legislation exempts take-out and fast food restaurants.
    A violation of the law would be a mis
  • Austin man arrested, accused of trying to meet up with 14-year-old for sex

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 30-year-old Austin man is in jail accused of trying to meet up with someone who he thought was an underage girl for sex, authorities say.
    The Attorney General’s Office said Alberto Vazquez was arrested on one count of online solicitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. The state’s Child Exploitation Unit interacted with Vazquez who they said allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl.
    Over the course of the conversat
  • Trees torn down along South MoPac will be replaced

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — When construction crews started tearing down trees along South MoPac at Slaughter Lane this week to clear the area for new lanes and a revamped intersection, people started raising concerns about the removal of the greenery.
    When homeowners said it seemed like the contractor had marked too many trees for removal, they contacted the Texas Department of Transportation before it was too late. TxDOT determined too many trees were earmarked for removal and stopped the crews
  • Jefferson Davis monument vandalized in south Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Confederate monument in south Austin was recently vandalized when someone spray-painted a red hammer and sickle, a Communist symbol, on it.
    The Jefferson Davis monument, located at 6812 S. Congress Ave., was put up by the Texas Division United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1931.
    According to waymarking.com, this monument was one of many put up by the United Daughters of Confederacy on various roads as part of the “Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway.”
    Davis was
  • Advertisement

  • Grass fire that forced evacuations near Lake Travis contained

    LAKE TRAVIS, Texas (KXAN) — What started as a grass fire near Lake Travis led to Travis County Sheriff’s Office deputies to evacuate some homes as a precaution Thursday afternoon.
    The fire, which has since been contained, started in the 28000 block of Turner Ranch Road — southwest of Farm to Market 1431 and Muleshoe Bend Trail — around 12:22 p.m.
    STAR Flight was helping to put out the 10-acre fire, according to the Austin Fire Department.
    Grass fire contained in the 28000
  • 25-acre grass fire that forced evacuations near Lake Travis contained

    LAKE TRAVIS, Texas (KXAN) — What started as a grass fire near Lake Travis led Travis County Sheriff’s Office deputies to evacuate two homes as a precaution Thursday afternoon.
    The fire, which has since been contained, started in the 28000 block of Turner Ranch Road — southwest of Farm to Market 1431 and Muleshoe Bend Trail — around 12:22 p.m.
    STAR Flight was helping put out the 25-acre fire, according to the Austin Fire Department. The fire got within 10-15 feet of a thir
  • Severely obese Beagle drops pounds and prepares for adoption

    NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. (WGRZ) — Honey the Beagle was dropped off last June for euthanasia at New York’s SPCA of Niagara County. She weighed 68 pounds, which is about forty pounds above a healthy Beagle weight.
    She could hardly move, her belly scraped the floor as she dragged herself by her front paws, and she was urinating and defecating on herself.
    The SPCA said her owner was an elderly woman with dementia. They suspect she would forget she fed Honey and feed her again. The pup also h
  • Man who hit, killed Georgetown cyclist will serve 2 years in prison

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man accused of hitting a cyclist in Georgetown before driving off pleaded guilty to manslaughter and accident involving death, according to his attorney.
    Thomas “Tommy” Ketterhagen, 19, was last seen riding his bicycle January 23, 2017. When he didn’t return home, his family reported him missing. His mother found his body the next morning on the 2300 block of Patriot Way. 
    Thomas (Tommy) Ketterhagen (via Facebook)
    Aaron Davison turned himself into p
  • Advertisement

  • Man who hit, killed Georgetown cyclist expected to serve 2 years in prison

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man accused of hitting a cyclist in Georgetown before driving off pleaded guilty to manslaughter and accident involving death, according to his attorney.
    Thomas “Tommy” Ketterhagen, 19, was last seen riding his bicycle January 23, 2017. When he didn’t return home, his family reported him missing. His mother found his body the next morning on the 2300 block of Patriot Way. 
    Thomas (Tommy) Ketterhagen (via Facebook)
    Aaron Davison turned himself into p
  • Skeletal remains found near J.J. Pickle Research Campus

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are investigating skeletal remains found in a wooded area near a University of Texas at Austin campus in north Austin Thursday morning.
    Austin police and UT Austin police are on scene at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus off Braker Lane, which is about 9 miles north of the UT Austin main campus. In a tweet, UT Austin police said the remains were found in “what appears to have once been a transient camp.” It says there is no evidence of foul play, and provid
  • Lawyer: Hotel valet gave his $300,000 Ferrari to wrong man

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The owner of a $300,000 Ferrari is suing Marriott International, saying a hotel valet gave his keys to a young man who was trying to impress a woman he just met.
    The Tampa Bay Times reports that 73-year-old attorney James “Skip” Fowler parked his yellow 458 Italia Spider outside the Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club last July 27 while attending a lawyer’s convention in St. Petersburg.
    There the 2014 Ferrari remained for more than 12 hour
  • Southwest Airlines launches additional nonstop from Austin to Cancun

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — If the sandy beaches of the Riviera Maya are calling your name, Southwest Airlines is making it easier for you to get there from Austin.
    Starting June 9, Southwest Airlines, which already operates a daily nonstop from Austin to Cancun, is increasing its seasonal nonstop between the two airports with an additional Saturday flight for June and July 2018.
    The new schedule begins with the first Saturday nonstop departing Austin at 7:55 a.m. and arriving in Cancun at 10:25 a.m.
  • Chase Bank in central Austin robbed

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are working a second robbery of a Chase Bank in as many days.
    The Chase Bank located at 3300 Northland Dr., which is along the southbound frontage of North MoPac, was robbed just before 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
    On Wednesday, a Chase Bank located on North Lamar Boulevard near Rundberg Lane was robbed. The person there made an undisclosed threat that forced the evacuation of the building.
    No other details regarding the suspect have been released. No one was injured
  • 3 women die in Central Texas house fire

    NOLANVILLE, Texas (AP) — Three women were killed in a fire that destroyed their Central Texas home.
    Authorities say those killed in the fire in Nolanville, Texas, were an 85-year-old woman, her 46-year-old daughter and her 19-year-old granddaughter. Nolanville Police Chief Daniel Porter said the family’s pet dog and cat also died in the fire. A 16-year-old grandson was at school and was not injured.
    Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
    The fire was
  • Egypt places colossus of Ramses II in atrium of new museum

    CAIRO (AP) — With much fanfare, Egypt on Thursday placed the ancient statue of one of its most famous pharaohs, Ramses II, in the entrance hall of a new antiquities’ museum under construction near the pyramids of Giza, just outside Cairo.
    This was fourth time the statue, which dates back 3,300 years, had been moved. It was first discovered in 1820 near ancient Memphis by Giovanni Battista Caviglia, an Italian explorer and Egyptologist who was also a key figure in the excavation of th
  • Egypt places colossus of Ramses II at new museum’s entrance

    CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry says it has placed the ancient colossus of famed pharaoh Ramses II at the entrance of a museum under construction near the country’s famed pyramids outside the capital Cairo.
    Thursday’s placement of the colossus, which weighs over 80 tons and is some 12 meters (13 yards) high, occurred amid a great deal of fanfare and in the presence of Western and Egyptian officials.
    The colossus, which dates back some 3,300 years, will be on dis
  • Mother of teen who had Taser used on him files lawsuit against APD

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is facing a federal lawsuit alleging a white police officer used a Taser on a black teenager.
    Edwards Law is representing Latasha Alexander, the mother of a 17-year-old boy who was stunned by Austin Police Officer Joel Kuchenski, who has been with the department since 2012. Attorney Jeff Edwards said the incident shows “shocking disregard for human dignity.”
    Latasha Alexander allegedly called police for help with her son, and started
  • Mother files lawsuit against APD after Taser used on son

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is facing a federal lawsuit alleging a white police officer used a Taser on a black teenager.
    Edwards Law is representing Latasha Alexander, the mother of a 17-year-old boy who was stunned by Austin Police Officer Joel Kuchenski, who has been with the department since 2012. Attorney Jeff Edwards said the incident shows “shocking disregard for human dignity.”
    Latasha Alexander allegedly called police for help with her son, and started
  • Favor app offers free P. Terry’s cheeseburger Thursday

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Who doesn’t love free food? People can get a P. Terry’s cheeseburger delivered to them Thursday.
    The app Favor is offering the burger and free delivery as a promotion. Technically, people will need to pay at least $2 in tip to get the deal. For those still interested, they can download the Favor app and tap on the “Free P. Terry’s” banner between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. They can also add more to their order, but will have to pay for it.
    Favor is a d
  • China railway station project completed in 9 hours

    LONGYAN, China (KXAN) — In a feat of efficiency, a new railway station in China was literally built overnight.
    More than 1,500 construction workers showed up to the job site in Longyan, China, on Jan. 20. They worked for just less than nine hours to complete the job.
    The station is part of a line that will connect the Yangtze River Delta with the Pearl River Delta. The Nansanlong Railway line will stretch 152 miles between Nanping and Longyan. It’s expected to start operating at the
  • Couple weds in courthouse bathroom after mom falls ill

    FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey couple recently changed their wedding venue from a judge’s chambers to a courthouse bathroom after a relative had an asthma attack.
    Brian and Maria Schulz were set to tie the knot when the groom’s mother had difficulty breathing. She was taken to a women’s room at the Monmouth County Courthouse, where sheriff’s officers administered oxygen and called EMT’s.
    If they had postponed the wedding, they would have had to wait 45 day
  • Freshman emails every Claudia on campus after Tinder mishap

    SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri State University student who feared he swiped a potential sweetheart out of his life with a dating app mishap has emailed every Claudia on campus to find her.
    The freshman meant to swipe right on the woman’s Tinder profile — a sign that he wanted to meet her. Instead he swiped left, rejecting her.
    All he knew was her first name and that she also was a Missouri State student. Over the weekend, he began emailing the 22 Claudias on campus, offeri
  • Trump says he’s open to pathway to citizenship for Dreamers

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s open to an immigration plan that would provide a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the country as children and are now here illegally.
    “We’re going to morph into it,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “It’s going to happen, at some point in the future, over a period of 10 to 12 years.”
    Trump’s pronouncements came as the White House announced it
  • Trump plan offers citizenship path to 1.8 million immigrants

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is proposing a plan that provides a path to citizenship for 1.8 million of the so-called “Dreamer” immigrants, tighter restrictions on legal immigration and $25 billion in border security, the White House said, putting forward an outline likely to find resistance from some of Trump’s conservative allies and deep opposition from immigration activists.
    Senior White House officials offered a preview of Trump’s immigration framew
  • Democrats buoyed by Trump support for Dreamer’s citizenship

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats said they were heartened Thursday by President Donald Trump’s support for an immigration plan that would provide a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, while Republicans were more cautious.
    Moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he was “very encouraged” by Trump’s surprising words, which the president made late Wednesday in impromptu comments to reporters. Like other Democrats, Manchin shrugged off subse
  • Tips to avoid (or fix) ‘Text Neck’

    ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — Looking at your phone for hours each day could be taking a toll on your health.
    “We’re not supposed to have headaches two and three times a week, you know. We’re not supposed to have these aches and pains regularly,” chiropractor Donna Rodriguez says.
    Rodriguez said the habit has it’s hazards. The head weighs about as much as a bowling ball, and depending how you hold it can put a strain on your neck, upper back and shoulders.
    “This
  • Town devastated by 2013 fertilizer plant blast reaches deal

    WEST, Texas (AP) — A Central Texas town devastated by a 2013 fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people, many of them emergency personnel, has reached a settlement of its lawsuit for damages caused by the blast.
    The city council in West this week approved of accepting $10.44 million to settle its claims against the defendants, including makers and suppliers of ammonium nitrate, the explosive fertilizer involved in the blast, and Adair Grain Inc., owner of the fertilizer plant itself.
  • Grumpy Cat snatches lump of cash in California court

    SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — It still won’t make her smile, but Grumpy Cat has won some scratch.
    A California jury gave the furry frown queen more than $700,000 this week in a federal lawsuit over the use of her identity.
    According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, owner Tabatha Bundesen of Morristown, Arizona, won the lawsuit first filed three years ago against the Grenade beverage company.
    She signed on for the cat to endorse a “Grumpy Cat Grumpuccino,” but the
  • Teen walking home shot in north Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A teen was taken to the hospital Thursday morning after a shooting.
    No one else was injured, according to Austin-Travis County EMS, who said the injured boy was in his “late teens.” He was taken to Round Rock Medical Center with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries. Austin police don’t know how many times he was shot but said as of 8:25 a.m. his vital signs were stable and he was cooperating with police.
    A teen was shot in north Austin Jan. 25, 2
  • Teen shot in North Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — A teen was taken to the hospital Thursday morning after a shooting.
    No one else was injured, according to Austin-Travis County EMS, who said the injured boy was in his “late teens.” He was taken to Round Rock Medical Center with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries. Austin police don’t know how many times he was shot.
    A teen was shot in north Austin Jan. 25, 2018 (KXAN Photo/Chris Davis)
    The Austin Police Department says the teen was shot walking
  • Hurricane relief effort led by ex-US presidents raises $41M

    COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — A hurricane relief effort led by five former U.S. presidents that included a Texas concert with rock star Lady Gaga has raised more than $41 million.
    A statement Wednesday from One America Appeal says the money benefited hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Spokesman Jim McGrath says more than 110,000 donors gave $41.3 million.
    Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25 in South Texas. Hurricane Irma later hit Florida. Mar
  • Local curling club introducing many first-timers to the sport

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s a sport that gets a lot of attention during the Winter Olympics — and some fans get downright addicted to watching curling.
    The Lone Star Curling Club reached out to KXAN’s Erin Cargile to make sure she got a lesson under her belt before leaving to cover the games in South Korea.
    Pat Popovich has introduced many first timers to her favorite sport. “I was a little worried I was going to tip right over,” Cargile said, before getting reassura
  • Future construction could shut down the Wimberley Square for weeks

    WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — Some business owners say construction of a new sewer system in downtown Wimberley could really hurt the businesses on the square. Although most shop owners agree a sewer system is needed, they’re frustrated with what they say is a lack of planning on the city’s part.
    Wednesday evening, city leaders led a public meeting for anyone in the community to ask questions about the project. In total, the sewer system is estimated to cost $7.5 million and will p
  • How Austin ISD deep cleans to keep schools flu-free

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the flu continues to infect more people in Central Texas, Austin ISD is working to assure parents their kids’ classrooms aren’t serving as breeding grounds for the virus.
    AISD custodial crews are working to keep the spread of flu germs down. Each school has its own team of several janitors. AISD Housekeeping Supervisor Linda Coronado says they’ve been trained to handle flu outbreaks and are working throughout the school day and for hours after scho
  • AISD going to great lengths to keep schools flu-free

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the flu continues to infect more people in Central Texas, Austin ISD is working to assure parents their kids’ classrooms aren’t serving as breeding grounds for the virus.
    AISD custodial crews are working to keep the spread of flu germs down. Each school has its own team of several janitors. AISD Housekeeping Supervisor Linda Coronado says they’ve been trained to handle flu outbreaks and are working throughout the school day and for hours after scho
  • Williamson County animal shelter more than doubling in size

    GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Georgetown is more than doubling its size, as crews broke ground Wednesday on a 17,000-foot addition.
    The 2-story expansion will include almost 50 new dog kennels and allow them to take in twice as many cats, as well as offering a new parking area for the adoption center and an exercise yard for dogs. The shelter’s current building was finished 11 years ago and is not big enough for the shelter’s needs.
  • DJ Thorpe rattles rims across Austin

    LAKE TRAVIS (KXAN) — DJ Thorpe may just be a junior in high school, but on the court, there’s nothing junior about his game.
    “He’s got a grown-man’s body right now, for sure,” Lake Travis coach Clint Baty said.
    So much so that during a practice earlier this month, when he went up for a dunk, he came down with more than just two points. Thorpe tore down the rim and shattered the backboard.
    “Just like a normal dunk, and the rim just sorta came with me. All
  • UT students left in a pinch after West Campus apartment complex overbooks

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — After one West Campus apartment complex signed leases with more tenants than they had room for, students who were supposed to live there are left searching for new options.
    As first reported by The Daily Texan, one first year student, Rylan Maksoud, who was told he could no longer live in the apartment he’d signed a lease for, created a website and began advocating for other students to be fairly compensated.
    In the West Campus neighborhood where a majority of UT Aust
  • Motorcyclist killed in crash with truck in northeast Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Medics were performing CPR on a man in his 40s after a crash involving a motorcycle and truck in northeast Austin. Police say the motorcyclist died at the hospital.
    Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to East Howard Lane and Cape Horn for the crash at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and alerted drivers to avoid the area.
    The man was taken to Round Rock Medical Center. No other people were taken to the hospital.
    Officers said they did not know if speed or alcohol were factors i
  • CPR in progress after motorcyclist crashes with vehicle in northeast Austin

    AUSTIN (KXAN) — Medics are performing CPR on a man in his 40s after a crash involving a motorcycle and vehicle in northeast Austin.
    Austin-Travis County EMS medics were called to the intersection of East Howard Lane and Dessau Road for the crash, and alerted drivers to avoid the area after first responders were called to the scene at 6:31 p.m. Wednesday.
    The man with critical, life-threatening injuries was taken to Round Rock Medical Center.  No other people were taken to the hospital
  • PHOTO: Dog named Violet almost dies from burns caused by hair dye

    PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Pinellas County animal shelter is warning people not to dye their pets’ hair with dye intended for humans after an adorable Maltese-mix dog suffered life-threatening injuries.
    Pinellas County Animal Services posted disturbing photos to its Facebook page showing a severely burned 5 lb. dog named Violet whose hair had been dyed purple. It almost killed her.
    “Violet’s eyes were swollen shut, she was limp and listless, she had obvious burns to
  • Round Rock synchronizing traffic signals to improve traffic flow

    ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Sharon Bailey knows when to skip the main lanes of Round Rock.
    “If I have to go at rush hour I’ll go the back roads, I know the area around here well,” explains Bailey, who lives in between Round Rock and Georgetown.
    Bailey says at times, the wait for a traffic light to change from red to green can feel like five minutes. In reality, the traffic signal cycle is about two minutes, but you may wait longer if there is more traffic.
    The city of Roun
  • Suspicious package at A&M Health Science Center in Round Rock cleared

    ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas A&M Health Science Center in Round Rock was on lockdown Wednesday evening as police responded to a suspicious package nearby, which has since been cleared.
    Several KXAN viewers sent in reports indicating the campus, which is located at the corner of North A.W. Grimes Boulevard and Avery-Nelson Boulevard, was surrounded by officers around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
    Round Rock police say the package was found in the center’s northeast parking lot. The Au
  • VIDEO: High-speed chase with ‘sovereign citizen’ ends in head-on crash

    TEMPE, Ariz. (KXAN) — A high-speed chase involving a “sovereign citizen,” someone who believes they are not bound by the law, ended in a violent and head-on crash Wednesday.
    The NBC affiliate in Phoenix reports 31-year-old Mitchell Tabel refused to pull over during a traffic stop with a Department of Public Safety trooper on State Route 85.
    The chase ended in Tempe, Arizona when Tabel’s car slammed into another vehicle head-on and, as seen on helicopter video obtained by
  • Program that helps low-income people save for homes, education scrutinized

    AUSTIN (KXAN) – The city of Austin auditor’s office said a program that gave away hundreds of thousands of your tax dollars was not overseen properly and the “lax monitoring” may have allowed participants to take advantage of the program.
    The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department is in charge of handing out money as part of the Matched Savings Account (MSA) Program, which was started by the federal government in 2011. The department has doled out $300,
  • Houston homeowner dead in wall apparently fell through attic

    HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities say skeletal remains found inside the wall of a Houston house are the former homeowner who apparently fell through the attic floor and became trapped.
    A spokeswoman for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said Wednesday there wasn’t enough physical evidence to determine cause or manner of death for Mary Cerruti. Tricia Bentley says it appears that Cerruti, who was 61 at the time she disappeared, “accidentally fell from her attic.”
    N
  • Texas hospitals worried about impact of cuts to drug discount program

    AUSTIN (KXAN) – For more than two decades, safety net hospitals and community health centers have relied on the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which allows participating entities to get discounts on outpatient prescription drugs.
    The cost savings are meant to help hospitals provide additional services to their patients, often low income or uninsured.
    “Those are the ones providing significantly more care to patients who are not able to afford medical care and prescription drugs,” 34

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!