Austin news

• 4-year-old boy dies in accidental shooting at Texas home

  27-01-2018 23:41 via kxan.com
  TEXAS CITY, Texas (AP) — Police southeast of Houston say a 4-year-old child has died after he found a handgun in the bedroom of a home and accidentally shot himself.
  Authorities in Texas City say the shooting occurred Saturday afternoon as the child’s grandmother was caring for him. Police responded after receiving a 911 call.
  Police are continuing to investigate the shooting and no other information was immediately available.
  The child’s death occurred just days after another
  
  Read more

• 5 Dallas-area high school soccer players arrested on sex assault charges

  27-01-2018 23:16 via kxan.com
  FORNEY, Texas (AP) — Two more suburban Dallas high school soccer players have been arrested on sexual assault charges stemming from hazing allegations.
  That brings to five the number of Forney High School soccer players charged in the case, four of them juveniles. The last two were arrested Friday at the school.
  Their 18-year-old teammate, Jacob Fisher, has been charged as an adult. He was released on $75,000 bond Friday after making his initial court appearance. Judge Dennis Jones ordered
  
  Read more

• Texas Rally for Life to commemorate 45th anniversary of Roe V. Wade decision

  27-01-2018 19:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Marchers will pour into downtown streets on Saturday for the 2018 Texas Rally for Life.
  The rally is happening on the 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Participants will march from 17th Street and North Congress Ave. to the Capitol where a rally will be hosted on the South Steps and Governor Greg Abbott is set to speak at 2 p.m.
   
  
  Read more

• Texas Rally for Life marks 45th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade decision

  27-01-2018 19:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Marchers poured through downtown streets Saturday for the 2018 Texas Rally for Life.
  The rally is happening on the 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade. Participants walked from 17th Street and North Congress Avenue to the State Capitol where a rally was hosted on the South Steps and Gov. Greg Abbott spoke.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Texas Rally for Life draws thousands to State Capitol

  27-01-2018 19:58 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands took over the state capitol today for the 2018 Texas Rally for Life.
  The goal was to draw attention to the 45th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade.
  Gov. Greg Abbott served as the keynote speaker and praised the passage of 10 anti-abortion bills at the state house in the last year.
  Abbott said because of their efforts there were 9,000 fewer abortions in Texas last year compared to the previous year.
  “We will continue to defend the unbor
  
  Read more

• Salvage yard blaze destroys 2 vehicles, Saturday morning

  27-01-2018 18:40 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department responded to the scene of a two car fire at a salvage yard early Saturday morning.
  607 Farley, our FF’s hard at work pic.twitter.com/MgN7oPQYPz
  — Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) January 27, 2018AFD tweeted that the fire happened at 607 Farley Drive off Braker Lane. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the two vehicles. No structures were damaged and no one was injured.
  607 Farley Dr, vehicles on fire only. No damage to stru
  
  Read more

• 3 Pflugerville ISD students injured in Saturday morning bus crash

  27-01-2018 18:14 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) – Pflugerville Independent School District students are safe with their parents after their school bus was involved in a crash with a pick-up truck early Saturday morning.
  The crash happened on FM 685 and East Pfenning Lane in Pflugerville according to the Pflugerville Police Department. The 39 students in the bus were being transported from Hendrickson High School to Pflugerville High School for a regional band event when the crash happned.
  Three students w
  
  Read more

• US Postal Service hosting passport fair, Saturday

  27-01-2018 17:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As spring and summer approach, the U.S Postal Service wants to make sure you are ready for your international travels. This Saturday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., USPS will be hosting a passport fair at the Austin General Mail Facility at 8225 Cross Park Dr. Austin, TX 78710.
  .
  For this event, it is not necessary to make an appointment and customers will be served on a first come first served basis until the applicant maximum capacity has been reached.
  You will need to bring ea
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• TreeFolks, City of Austin giving away free trees to reduce energy use

  27-01-2018 16:45 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) –- If you are looking for your next Mexican plum, lemon or fig tree, one Austin organization wants to help.
  Austin’s local organization, TreeFolks, is giving away 1200 fruit and shade trees on Saturday to Austin Energy customers.
  As part of a partnership between TreeFolks and the City of Austin, the organization is encouraging the community to plant trees to create a canopy of tree coverage around neighborhoods to help keep them cool and to reduce energy consumption.
  Th
  
  Read more

• Austin students promote literacy with reading challenge

  27-01-2018 15:00 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From graphic novels to the latest installments of their favorite series, student across Austin grabbed books off library shelves to get ready for a lot of reading.
  “I like the paper ones, where you have the paper cover,” Gullet Elementary School student Charlie Maloy said while sifting through a stack of Harry Potter books. He’s read the first three books in the series so far, and is working on tackling the fourth.
  He challenged himself to read 500 pages i
  
  Read more

• Two Pflugerville police K-9s retiring after 12 combined years on the force

  27-01-2018 05:24 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Two K-9 officers, Inka and Scorpio, will be retiring next week from the Pflugerville Police Department.
  The Belgian Malinois dogs have been on the Pflugerville force for more than 12 combined years.
  “These K-9s were able to accomplish the work of several officers with the help of their handlers,” said Chief Jessica Robledo. “Now it’s our turn to say thank you and give these dogs a chance to enjoy chasing squirrels instead of criminals.&r
  
  Read more

• Volunteers setting out this weekend to count Austin’s homeless

  27-01-2018 05:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of volunteers are setting out to count every single homeless person in Austin this weekend. Each year local groups organize the count which allows them to receive federal grant money to fund homeless services.
  In 2017, volunteers counted 2,036 people living on the streets.
  “We plan the point-in-time count all year, we never stop planning it. We call it our [South by Southwest],” said homeless management information system director Katy Manganella.
  Volun
  
  Read more

• Secret backyard theater fights to preserve piece of ‘old Austin’

  27-01-2018 05:01 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An east Austin backyard theater has been given a new life.
  Step inside the “Sekrit Theater” and you’re transported to a wonderland. It’s described as a destination for photographers, private events and movie screenings, and has welcomed visitors from around the world.
  That said, part of the tug-of-war between the old and new Austin, “The Sekrit Theater” has been on the battleground for years.
  “I don’t know how my backyard
  
  Read more

• Crew SC in talks with investors to keep team in Columbus

  27-01-2018 04:17 via kxan.com
  COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Big news for Crew fans as Columbus Crew soccer owner Anthony Precourt is in talks with city leaders and local investors to try to keep the team here.
  Crew fans have been anxiously waiting to see what will happen with this team. Are they headed to Austin? Will they stay in Columbus? Friday’s news brings a lot of hope.
  Alex Fischer, CEO of Columbus Partnership, says after meeting with Precourt, city leaders and Major League Soccer in New York, he was approached
  
  Read more

• KXAN’s Olympics reporter Erin Cargile learns a few moves on the ice

  27-01-2018 04:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — You’ve seen her hard-hitting investigations, but for nearly a decade, KXAN reporter Kylie McGivern was hitting it hard on the ice.
  She was a competitive skater for nine years, and taught KXAN’s Erin Cargile a few moves before she leaves to cover the Winter Olympics.
  “I started at about 9 years old and did it up until I graduate high school — so 9 years,” McGivern said, who remembers being a young girl, looking up to Olympians.
  Skaters
  
  Read more

• Concerns over police accountability rise amid Citizen Review Panel suspension

  27-01-2018 03:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The investigation is underway into the first Austin officer-involved shooting of 2018. But without a police contract in place, it remains to be seen how officers at the Austin Police Department will be held accountable by members of the community.
  The identity of the man shot and killed by an APD officer Friday morning has not yet been released.
  Officers responded to the burglary call at around 3:40 a.m. in Central Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood when residents called
  
  Read more

• Duerson Act would ban pre-teen tackle football in Illinois

  27-01-2018 03:04 via kxan.com
  CHICAGO (AP) — Organized tackle football would be banned for Illinois children younger than 12 years old under a bill unveiled Thursday.
  The Dave Duerson Act to Prevent CTE is named for the Chicago Bears defensive back who was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy after he killed himself at the age of 50. Duerson shot himself in the chest so his brain could be studied for signs of the disease that has been linked to concussions or repeated head trauma.
  “When my father tragi
  
  Read more

• Response to professor’s domestic violence guilty plea leads to UT policy review

  27-01-2018 00:09 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The president of the University of Texas at Austin says he has received feedback from many people about a professor’s continued employment following his guilty plea to a 2016 domestic assault charge.
  President Greg Fenves said Friday the university has policies and procedures in place that require them to determine “whether off-campus conduct has a direct impact on an employee’s on-campus duties.”
  Fenves said the university’s response to Profes
  
  Read more

• Texas will start using screening tool to identify youth victims of sex trafficking

  27-01-2018 00:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – John Nehme knows how difficult it is when it comes to identifying victims of sex trafficking.
  “Victims don’t self-identify as victims,” he said.
  Nehme is with Allies Against Slavery, an organization based in Central Texas focused on supporting survivors, publishing research and working with partners who provide services to victims.
  “The responsibility is on us to get better at recognizing if it’s happening,” he said.
  However, providers an
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!