Austin news

• Fired Bastrop County deputy who shot woman claims his civil rights were violated

  02-02-2018 22:58 via kxan.com
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — An ex-Bastrop County Sheriffs’ Office deputy who was indicted for murder in the 2014 shooting death of Yvette Smith is suing his former department and the Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office claiming his civil rights were violated.
  The lawsuit claims a dispatcher failed to relay “vital information” to Deputy Daniel Willis, leading him to believe that he was responding to an incident involving a person with a loaded gun.
  On April 7, 2016
  
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• Couple discovers diamond ring in bottle of Vicks

  02-02-2018 22:40 via kxan.com
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — It’s not unusual for a prize to be found at the bottom of a cereal box, but what about a bottle of Vick’s VapoRub?
  New Mexico couple Sharon Roybal and Mario Casteneda made a precious discovery in a very unexpected place.
  Sharon cared for her mother and father dearly. So much so, that even after her mother’s passing four years ago, she still kept her mother’s room in the same condition, undisturbed for years.
  That’s why it came as suc
  
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• Woman hit while standing next to her car in northeast Austin dies days later

  02-02-2018 22:33 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 28-year-old woman who was hit by a driver while standing next to her vehicle Tuesday night in northeast Austin died three days later from her injuries.
  Around 10:49 p.m., officers say the woman’s Lexus was at a stop on the eastbound US 290 East toll entrance ramp near Cameron Road for an unknown reason. Police also say her vehicle lights were off.
  The driver of the Lexus, Alma Rosa Hernandez-Jaimes, was seen standing on the passenger side of her car near the open do
  
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• Fire department captain accused of inappropriately touching junior crew member

  02-02-2018 21:17 via kxan.com
  BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — A 22-year-old man who was a bus driver and substitute teacher with Burnet Consolidated Independent School District is accused of having inappropriate contact with a juvenile in his other position as a volunteer firefighter.
  According to an arrest affidavit, Daniel Dilworth was a captain with the Hoover Valley Volunteer Fire Department when he allegedly touched the VFD’s junior member inappropriately numerous times during the summer of 2017. The juvenile ma
  
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• Burnet CISD substitute teacher accused of attempted indecency with a child

  02-02-2018 21:17 via kxan.com
  BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — A 22-year-old man who was a bus driver and substitute teacher with Burnet Consolidated Independent School District is accused of trying to “initiate inappropriate contact” with a teenager.
  The district says Daniel Dilworth, who was hired in September of 2016, tried to reach out to the teenager when he wasn’t on the clock. In a letter to parents and staff, Superintendent Keith McBurnett says the incident took place after hours and did not o
  
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• 4 Alabama students taken to hospital after drinking washing detergent

  02-02-2018 20:49 via kxan.com
  PELHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Four high school students in Alabama were taken to the hospital Thursday after they drank washing detergent mixed with water.
  The incident happened at Pelham High School, which is just south of Birmingham, some time between 11 and 11:30 a.m.
  The students were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Two were taken by ambulance, and two were taken via private vehicle or by their parents. All have since been released.
  The Pelham City Schools spokesperson Nicole
  
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• Watching Sunday’s Super Bowl online gets easier this year

  02-02-2018 20:26 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — It’ll be much easier to watch the Super Bowl online for free this year.
  NBC won’t require proof of a cable or satellite TV subscription, meaning that anyone in the U.S. can watch the game online. Plus, you’ll be able to watch the game on a phone even if you aren’t a Verizon customer, as was a requirement before.
  Here’s your online guide to the matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots in Minneapolis. Kickoff is at 6:3
  
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• New York mother who left baby in plastic bag for 72 hours sentenced to 9 years

  02-02-2018 20:22 via kxan.com
  ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Harriette Hoyt, the mother who abandoned her eight-month-old baby in a garbage bag outside of a home on Walnut St., in the City of Elmira last August, has been sentenced to serve nine years in prison.
  Hoyt agreed to plead guilty to attempted murder in the second degree back in December in order to receive a lesser sentence.
  If Hoyt had gone to trial and was found guilty of attempted murder, she could have faced up to 25 years in prison.Austin mom accused of abusing 10
  
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• Austin airport visitors ate tons of brisket, thousands of tacos in 2017

  02-02-2018 20:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Bergstrom International Airport broke its passenger traffic record for an eighth consecutive year. More tellingly, it sold tons and tons of brisket.
  In 2017, 13.8 million travelers passed through the Austin airport, which is 11.5 percent more than the year before. Passengers consumed 61.5 tons of brisket, 684,199 breakfast tacos and 18,300 bottles of Shiner Bock beer.Businesses, restaurants coming to the Austin airportTo keep up with growth, the airport is expanding
  
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• Dead goose falls from sky, knocks hunter unconscious

  02-02-2018 19:54 via kxan.com
  EASTON, Md. (AP) — A waterfowl hunter is in stable condition after a dead goose fell from the sky and knocked him unconscious.
  Robert Meilhammer of Dorchester County was hunting with three other people when one of them fired at a flock of Canada geese overhead in Easton, near the Miles River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.Photos of goose attack on 5-year-old Texas girl go viralMaryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson said a falling goose hit Meilhammer, knocking him o
  
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• Baby found dead after being left in car overnight

  02-02-2018 19:48 via kxan.com
  GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — A 2-month-old baby was found dead in western New Mexico after authorities say the child was left in a car overnight.
  The Gallup Independent reports the parents called authorities Wednesday morning after the child was discovered to be not breathing outside their rural home west of Gallup.
  According to a Gallup Fire Department report, the parents drove to meet an ambulance. EMTs pronounced the baby dead.
  The cause of the death has not been determined. The body was sent to
  
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• Del Valle student arrested after tweeting about ‘school shooter’

  02-02-2018 19:42 via kxan.com
  https://twitter.com/jeremiahtorre14/status/959330865955434497DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — A 18-year-old student who tweeted about a “school shooter” while students at Del Valle High School were sheltering in place has been charged with False Alarm/Report.
  Jeremiah Torres replied to a KXAN tweet Thursday morning about the shelter in place, mentioning a school shooter. KXAN replied “Where are you hearing that? We’re only able to report what we confirm.” In response
  
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• Man who died in fiery car crash on South MoPac identified

  02-02-2018 19:25 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The man who died in a one-car crash on the frontage road of South Mopac early Sunday morning has been identified.
  Charles Kagai, 42, was traveling southbound on MoPac around 5 a.m. when his car left the road and crashed into trees near the Capital of Texas Highway exit. Kagai’s vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner, then caught fire.
  Kagai died at the scene of the crash.
  Police are still investigating the incident. If you have any information, call the APD Vehicular Hom
  
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• Boy Scouts of America Parade will close Congress Avenue Saturday

  02-02-2018 18:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Boy Scouts of America will hold their annual parade Saturday morning which will create some closures in downtown Austin.
  The event will close Congress Avenue starting at 7 a.m. Feb. 3 from Lady Bird Lake to the Texas State Capitol, many side streets will also be shut down for the event. All lanes should reopen in downtown Austin around noon.
  During the march, scouts of all ages from Texas will march up Congress Avenue to the Capitol in celebration of the 69th Annual Rep
  
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• Pep rally for Eagles QB Nick Foles held at his Austin-area elementary school

  02-02-2018 18:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Even though it’s been years since Nick Foles stepped inside the halls of his Eanes Independent School District elementary school, the football player now headed to the Super Bowl is being cheered on by his littlest fans.
  On Friday, the students at Foles’ elementary school, Bridge Point, held a pep rally for the NFL player. Outside the school, there are words of encouragement on the lawn. The school put up signs that read: Go Nick Go and #FlyEaglesFly!
  During the
  
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• UT proposes two sites for new basketball arena

  02-02-2018 17:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin will begin looking for companies to build and operate a new arena on campus and outlined two possible spots for it to be built. It also announced a new purpose for the Frank Erwin Center site.
  The first is a parking lot south of Mike A. Myers Stadium, near the intersection of Red River Street and Robert Deadman Drive. The second possible area is currently occupied by the Recreational Sports Center and Steve Hicks School of Social Work south
  
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• 5-year-old Justin Timberlake fan receives concert tickets

  02-02-2018 17:09 via kxan.com
  GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) — All four-year-old Rocco Kurilko wants is to see Justin Timberlake in concert.
  Music comes naturally to Rocco, and he is a huge JT fan. Timberlake is coming to Columbus on his world tour in May. Rocco wanted a ticket, but there was a problem: He has been saving his money for something else, a trip to Disney World.
  Rocco’s mom, Sam, says he saved $225. “I made him put all of it in his bank account and have some for souvenirs at Disney.”
  That’s w
  
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• Photo shows Congresswoman playing Candy Crush during State of the Union

  02-02-2018 16:44 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (WCMH) – U.S. Rep Brenda Lawrence (D-Michigan) was spotted playing Candy Crush on her phone Tuesday while President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union speech.
  Image metadata shows that the photo was taken at 9:42 p.m. Tuesday.
  The Detroit News and WWJ-TV reported Lawrence’s office declined to comment on the photo. The photo began to go viral after it was first published by the Daily Mail.
  While Lawrence appears to be playing Candy Crush or one of its variants, B
  
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• Father of Nassar victims lunges at doctor in court

  02-02-2018 16:12 via kxan.com
  CHARLOTTE, Mich. (KXAN/AP/NBC) — The father of three of the girls former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar is accused of molesting lunged at Nassar in court Friday.
  Randall Margraves’s daughters had finished testifying and the judge asked him if he had anything to say. He initially requested the judge let him be alone with Nassar.
  “I would ask you to, as part of this sentencing, to grant me five minutes in a locked room with this demon,” he said. The judge said she could not
  
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• Student hit by car in east Austin

  02-02-2018 15:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 10-year-old boy hit by a car in east Austin Friday morning is expected to be OK.
  He was hit near 1200 Montopolis Drive — close to the Montopolis Recreation Center — at 7:09 a.m. He has minor injuries and said he didn’t want to go to the hospital, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
  Austin police were heading to the scene and say they do not yet know if the driver stayed.
  
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• Super Bowl will feature Austin based-ad agency commercials

  02-02-2018 13:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – What would a world without chips to go with your guacamole be like? To the creators at Austin based ad agency GSD&M, life as we know it would fall apart.
  This year the ad group has created their fourth consecutive Super Bowl ad for Avocados from Mexico, a group that represents growers and producers. The spot takes you along a journey with a group of idealistic people who have come together to create the perfect society when they realize they left something very importan
  
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• Two suspects arrested in shooting of Caldwell County deputy

  02-02-2018 12:51 via kxan.com
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and taken to the hospital Friday morning, where he is in serious condition.
  STAR Flight 1 took the deputy to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he is awaiting surgery as of 8:20 a.m.
  Deputies responded to a call on Hidden Oak Road in Dale, Texas, around midnight. That’s when someone fired at them. One deputy was shot multiple times. Officials have not yet said why deputies were originally call
  
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• Caldwell County deputy shot while responding to a call

  02-02-2018 12:51 via kxan.com
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and taken to the hospital Friday morning.
  Deputies responded to a call on Hidden Oak Road in Dale, Texas, around midnight. That’s when someone fired at them. One deputy was shot multiple times.
  Two people are being questioned in the case, according to the sheriff’s office. The Texas Rangers will lead the investigation.
  KXAN has a crew on the way to the scene and will provide new details on
  
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• Caldwell County deputy shot multiple times in stable condition

  02-02-2018 12:51 via kxan.com
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and taken to the hospital Friday morning.
  STAR Flight took the deputy to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he was awaiting surgery as of 8:20 a.m. At 12:21 p.m. the Texas Department of Public Safety said he was in stable condition.
  Deputies responded to a call on Hidden Oak Road in Dale, Texas, around midnight. That’s when someone fired at them. One deputy was shot multiple times. Officials h
  
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• Caldwell County deputy shot multiple times in serious condition

  02-02-2018 12:51 via kxan.com
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and taken to the hospital Friday morning.
  STAR Flight took the deputy to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he was awaiting surgery as of 8:20 a.m. At 12:21 p.m. the Texas Department of Public Safety said he was in stable condition.
  Deputies responded to a call on Hidden Oak Road in Dale, Texas, around midnight. That’s when someone fired at them. One deputy was shot multiple times. Officials h
  
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• Caldwell County deputy in serious condition after shooting

  02-02-2018 12:51 via kxan.com
  CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and taken to the hospital Friday morning, where he is in serious condition.
  STAR Flight took the deputy to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he is awaiting surgery as of 8:20 a.m.
  Deputies responded to a call on Hidden Oak Road in Dale, Texas, around midnight. That’s when someone fired at them. One deputy was shot multiple times. Officials have not yet said why deputies were originally called
  
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• Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers prepare for new prognostication

  02-02-2018 12:39 via kxan.com
  PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog will soon be back in the spotlight — or will it be the shadows?
  Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers are set to announce at sunrise Friday what kind of weather they say the rodent is predicting for the rest of winter.
  Legend has it if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, expect six more weeks of winter-like weather. If not, expect spring-like temperatures.
  In reality, Phil’s prediction is decid
  
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• Handlers: Punxsutawney Phil sees 6 more weeks of winter

  02-02-2018 12:39 via kxan.com
  PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog foresees no early end to winter.
  The handlers of Punxsutawney Phil said the furry rodent has called for six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow at dawn Friday.
  The top hat-wearing members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle reveal Phil’s forecast every Feb. 2. It is based on a German legend surrounding Candlemas. The legend says if a furry rodent casts a shadow that day, winter continues.
  
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• White House declassifies partisan memo on Russia probe

  02-02-2018 12:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Friday declassified a partisan and bitterly disputed memo on the Russia investigation, clearing the way for House Republicans to release allegations of what they say is FBI misconduct.
  The move came over the fierce objections of the FBI and Justice Department, which have said the document prepared by Republicans on the House intelligence committee is inaccurate and missing critical context.
  The memo alleges that the FBI abused U.S. government surveillan
  
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• Trump set to defy FBI, allow release of classified memo

  02-02-2018 12:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Over the strong objections of his own Justice Department, President Donald Trump will clear the way for the publication of a classified memo on the Russia investigation that Republicans say shows improper use of surveillance by the FBI, White House officials said.
  The memo, prepared by Republicans on the House intelligence committee, is said to allege FBI misconduct in the initial stages of its investigation of potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign
  
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• Trump: FBI, DOJ have ‘politicized’ probe in favor of Dems

  02-02-2018 12:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump, dogged by an unrelenting investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia, lashed out Friday at the FBI and Justice Department as politically biased as he prepared to clear the release of a classified memo written by Republican lawmakers who say it reveals abusive FBI surveillance tactics.
  His tweet came as the morning news shows were dominated by reports that the FBI and DOJ had objected strenuously to the memo’s release. Earlier this
  
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• House Republicans release partisan memo on Russia probe

  02-02-2018 12:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Friday released a partisan and bitterly disputed memo that they say shows surveillance abuses in the early stages of the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia.
  The memo, prepared by Republicans on the House intelligence committee, says there was “a troubling breakdown of legal processes” in the Russia investigation.
  President Donald Trump, who advocated for the memo’s release over the fierce objections of the J
  
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• Hotly disputed Russia-probe memo released over FBI protest

  02-02-2018 12:23 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Friday released a bitterly disputed, formerly highly classified memo that they say shows surveillance abuses in the early stages of the FBI’s investigation into the Trump election campaign and Russia. President Donald Trump, who championed release of the document over the fierce objections of his own Justice Department, declared the memo shows a “lot of people should be ashamed of themselves.”
  The memo, prepared by Republicans on the
  
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• New research could help improve social interactions for people with autism

  02-02-2018 05:22 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new study from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas is giving some families hope. The research found a way to stimulate a specific part of a brain that controls your social interactions.
  The research, so far, has been done on mice, so Professor Peter Tsai, who led the study, told KXAN the next step would be making sure the same techniques could work for people.
  But even though this research is still in early stages, many people say it’s encouraging.
  Ann Hart has
  
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• Dallas man executed for killing daughters while mom listened

  02-02-2018 05:16 via kxan.com
  HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A former Dallas accountant condemned for fatally shooting his two young daughters while their mother listened helplessly on the phone was put to death Thursday night in Texas.
  John David Battaglia received lethal injection for the May 2001 killings of his 9-year-old daughter, Faith, and her 6-year-old sister, Liberty. Battaglia and his wife had separated and the girls were killed at his Dallas apartment during a scheduled visit.
  The punishment was carried out after
  
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• Horse farm blames tainted feed for killing 6 horses

  02-02-2018 04:58 via kxan.com
  CUBA, N.Y. (WIVB) – The owners of a boarding barn in Cuba, New York are blaming tainted horse feed for the deaths of six horses there.
  The barn and training facility houses 31 horses. All of them will likely eventually die from being exposed to the poisonous feed.
  We’re told for these horses, eating the feed is like giving a horse a death sentence.
  Now, the owners say instead of running a horse farm, they’re running a hospice facility and watching these animals die a slow
  
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• Customers question how often their Austin water meters were checked

  02-02-2018 04:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One day after Austin Energy apologized for an error in their meter readings, Austinites are expressing distrust in the billing system and in the consistency of meter readings on their property.
  Wednesday, Austin Energy made a public apology for the problem which resulted in under-billing for customers in September of 2017 and over-billing in August of 2017. In total, the city of Austin expects to credit $138,000 back to citizens. There are more than 7,000 residents along 13
  
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• Customers doubt how regularly their water meters are checked after billing problem

  02-02-2018 04:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One day after Austin Energy apologized for an error in their meter readings, Austinites are expressing distrust in the billing system and in the consistency of meter readings on their property.
  Wednesday, Austin Energy made a public apology for the problem which resulted in under-billing for customers in September of 2017 and over-billing in August of 2017. In total, the city of Austin expects to credit $138,000 back to citizens. There are more than 7,000 residents along 13
  
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• ‘A cesspool of funky flu’: Florida ER nurse goes on rant about flu season

  02-02-2018 03:23 via kxan.com
  PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Katherine Lockler, or Kat as she’s known to her patients, is an energetic nurse and mother of four who found herself in her car recording a Facebook video after a 12-hour night shift.
  “Wash your stinkin hands so you don’t get all your babies sick,” she said in the video.
  Lockler spoke to WKRG News 5 Thursday nearly a week after she made the post. In the video posted to her page, she also tells of an entire sports team who showed up to the ER
  
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• Sex offender facing a new charge still employed by the City of Austin

  02-02-2018 02:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The City of Austin has kept a registered sex offender on its payroll, even extending a new warehouse job to him following his second arrest in May on charges of child molestation, and no one has said exactly why.
  Ramon Arroyo, an IT support analyst who has been employed with the city since the late '80s, was arrested in 1996 for felony indecency with a child by contact, according to Texas Department of Public Safety records. A year later, he accepted a plea of deferred adju
  
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• City of Austin keeps registered sex offender on payroll as he faces a new charge

  02-02-2018 02:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The City of Austin has kept a registered sex offender on its payroll, even extending a new warehouse job to him following his second arrest in May on charges of child molestation, and no one has said exactly why.
  Ramon Arroyo, an IT support analyst who has been employed with the city since the late '80s, was arrested in 1996 for felony indecency with a child by contact, according to Texas Department of Public Safety records. A year later, he accepted a plea of deferred adju
  
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• Longtime Austin barbecue joint near UT campus closing

  02-02-2018 02:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For one central Austin barbecue joint, the pit is shutting off.
  Ruby’s BBQ restaurant, near the University of Texas campus, announced it’s closing later this month.
  “At this point, I believe [owner Pat Mares] probably fed me more than my mother over the years,” said Paul Minor, laughing. A self-proclaimed longtime customer who says he’s been making the trek to the barbecue restaurant since it opened back in the late ’80s.
  Minor is not the
  
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• Salons and cosmetology schools now required to post human trafficking signs

  02-02-2018 01:18 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cosmetology schools and salons now play a critical role in guiding human trafficking survivors to the right places.
  A new law that took effect Thursday, Feb. 1 requires salons and schools to display a sign with information about available resources and services to anyone who is a trafficking victim. The sign was created by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
  “I think its a really good opportunity for us to help people in situations that they might
  
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• Pink tap water propels local environmentalists to start ‘no dripping sewage’ campaign

  02-02-2018 01:03 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – A group of Dripping Spring residents will be gathering Thursday night to begin a campaign to stop the city of Dripping Springs from releasing treated wastewater into Onion Creek. The city began discussions in 2016 when it applied for a permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump one million gallons of treated wastewater a day into the creek to keep up with the growing population.
  People who live in the area say the water could potentia
  
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• ‘Pepto-Bismol pink’ water in Dripping Springs sparks campaign

  02-02-2018 01:03 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – A group of Dripping Spring residents will be gathering Thursday night to begin a campaign to stop the city of Dripping Springs from releasing treated wastewater into Onion Creek.
  The city began discussions in 2016 when it applied for a permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dump 1 million gallons of treated wastewater a day into the creek to keep up with the growing population.
  People who live in the area say the water could potentiall
  
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• Graphic Snapchat images of Bastrop ISD students under investigation

  02-02-2018 00:57 via kxan.com
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Graphic images taken of female students circulating on Snapchat are under investigation by the Bastrop Independent School District and its police department.
  The images, involving students at Bastrop High School and Cedar Creek High School, were put on the photo messaging app by students who did not have permission to use them.
  A BISD spokesperson says the accounts were created for the express purpose of sharing the images.
  “Bastrop ISD stands firm in n
  
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• Armed suspect robs Prosperity Bank in west Austin

  02-02-2018 00:51 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Prosperity Bank in west Austin was robbed by an armed suspect Thursday afternoon, next door to a Chase Bank robbed last week.
  The suspect, described as a white man in his 40s, 5-feet-tall, medium build and clean shaven, walked into the bank at 3401 Northland Dr. — just west of MoPac Expressway — around 1:15 p.m. Thursday.
  The Austin Police Department Robbery Unit and the FBI Central Texas Robbery Task Force are investigating the robbery. The suspect lef
  
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• Austin council member wants a rate comparison for garbage, water costs

  02-02-2018 00:17 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A city council member is calling for more transparency and accountability, just one day after Austin Energy and Austin Water apologized for incorrectly billing more than 7,000 customers on their water bill.
  Council Member Ellen Troxclair wants the city to set benchmarks for all city utilities to stay affordable. It was back in 2010 that the Austin City Council adopted affordability goals for Austin Energy, to keep rates in the lowest half of Texas utilities and to limit ann
  
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