Austin news

• Man found dead after SWAT standoff identified as detectives look for answers

  07-02-2018 23:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The man found dead inside a south Austin home following a SWAT team standoff has been identified as 47-year-old Kenneth “Kyle” Keller.
  Detectives are trying to answer how he was killed and how a woman was critically injured Monday afternoon in the 3000 block of Fontana Drive, near South First and Oltorf streets.
  Around 4 p.m., Austin-Travis County EMS medics responded to a medical call from a neighbor about a woman who had fallen and was bleeding heavily from he
  
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• List of improvements for 9 major Austin roads released

  07-02-2018 23:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin hopes to start construction that will improve conditions on nine major roads by 2020.
  The $482 million to fund the mobility project will come from the $720 million bond Austin voters said yes to back in 2016. In March, planners with the Corridor Construction Program will seek approval from the Austin City Council to approve the funds to design and construct the projects.
  “Implementing the 2016 Mobility Bond will cut traffic delays by 25% a
  
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• VIDEO: Tour bus fire on SH 130 in Pflugerville

  07-02-2018 23:05 via kxan.com
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Video showed a tour bus engulfed in flames on State Highway 130 in Pflugerville Wednesday.
  Around 3 p.m., a KXAN viewer sent us a video of the fire near East Pecan Street, as firefighters tried to put out the blaze around the center of the bus.
  A spokesperson for Pflugerville police says the tourists on the bus were able to get off the bus safely and moved to a nearby building to get out of the cold.
  Travis County Emergency Services District #2 was on scene put
  
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• Vandegrift football signing day

  07-02-2018 22:46 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three Vandegrift football players are moving on to the college level after National Signing Day ceremonies Wednesday morning.
  Defensive lineman Oso Ifesinachukwu will play at Yale next year. Vandegrift’s leading receiver Peyton Ausley accepted a preferred walk-on spot at Arkansas. Kicker Alex Stadthaus signed with USC and is expected to compete for the punter position.
  
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• Hays County sees its first flu-related death this season

  07-02-2018 22:36 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Hays County health officials say there are clinics still offering free flu shots as the county records its first flu-related death this season.
  Hays County says the number of flu cases in the county jumped from 697 in December to 1,046 in January. The first week of February has already confirmed 366 positive flu cases.
  “This year’s Flu Season has been one of the worst ones Hays County has seen in years, and there are no signs that it will be stop
  
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• Lake Travis Football signing day

  07-02-2018 22:26 via kxan.com
  LAKE TRAVIS (KXAN) — Lake Travis football sent four players to college programs Wednesday on National Signing Day.
  Safety Nathan Parodi signed with Arkansas, offensive lineman Steven Posey signed with Midwestern State, defensive tackle Kade Langston accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Texas State, and defensive end Reid Bacon signed with Texas A&M-Commerce.
  Parodi will be joining Texan Chad Morris at Arkansas. Morris was hired by the university in December to replace coach Bret Biel
  
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• Tom Herman completes first full recruiting class

  07-02-2018 22:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tom Herman completed his second recruiting class as the Longhorns Head Coach, but it was his first class under his complete control.
  The finished product was a statement to college football as most recruiting services ranked the Longhorns class third in the nation. Texas added eight players to the roster on Wednesday after doing most of the heavy lifting during the early signing period in December.
  In total, Texas signed 27 players to the 2018 class. While Herman insinuated
  
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• Video raises new questions of Round Rock mayor’s ability to hold office

  07-02-2018 21:31 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) – A video of a July 2016 council meeting in Weatherford, Texas has stirred new questions over whether Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan has told the complete story of his relationship with McCreary, Veselka, Bragg, and Allen, P.C. — a law firm that counts him as an employee.
  Morgan has worked at the firm, known as MVBA, since 2006 and his biography on the law firm’s website listed him as a “partner” in the firm when KXAN checked the website last
  
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• Installation of additional track lines along the MetroRail will reduce wait times

  07-02-2018 21:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Approximately 34 minutes is the average time you have to wait to catch a ride on Austin’s MetroRail. Capital Metro wants to improve that time by installing additional track lines.
  “Right now our trains only have two places where they can pass one another other, which is what limits us,” says Sam Sergent with Capital Metro.
  Double-tracking allows trains to pass one another without having to wait for a clearing. It is already in place at the Kramer Lane and
  
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• Austin’s first female fire chief announces retirement

  07-02-2018 20:56 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Rhoda Mae Kerr, Austin’s first female fire chief, announced her intention to retire from the department Wednesday. Her last day on the job is July 1.
  “Words cannot begin to describe how much I have enjoyed my time in Austin and in serving as the Fire Chief here,” Kerr said in a release. “It has been one of the most special periods in my life and I will treasure it always. But what I will miss most is the men and women of the Austin Fire Department; t
  
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• Meet Lucas, the first Gerber baby with Down syndrome

  07-02-2018 20:33 via kxan.com
  DALTON, Georgia (NBC Today) — The 2018 Gerber baby is Lucas Warren, a 1-year-old from Dalton, Georgia, who is the first child with Down syndrome to be named a Gerber baby since the contest’s start more than ninety years ago.
  “He’s very outgoing and never meets a stranger,” Lucas’s mom, Cortney, told TODAY Parents. “He loves to play, loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh.”
  Cortney Warren said she entered t
  
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• Police searching for woman they say robbed West Campus Subway restaurants

  07-02-2018 20:08 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are searching for a 42-year-old woman who they say robbed several Subways in the West Campus area since the beginning of the year.
  Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Dieta Lashell Lee, who is wanted in connection with the robberies.
  On Jan. 19, two Subways were robbed on the same day within a few minutes of each other. The first one was at 3:45 p.m. at the restaurant located at 2323 San Antonio St. In both cases the suspect was described as a black
  
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• Suspected San Marcos car thief suffers sawed-off shotgun wound

  07-02-2018 20:06 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A minor accidentally shot himself in the leg with a sawed-off shotgun while he and two others allegedly stole a car in San Marcos Wednesday morning.
  A 911 call reporting shots fired sent San Marcos police to the scene at East Hutchison Street and Moon Street around 3:28 a.m. Officers found a juvenile with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his calf. He was taken to the hospital. Another juvenile was taken into custody while the third juvenile was nowhere to be fou
  
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• Officer cleared after shooting Burnet County road rage suspect

  07-02-2018 19:10 via kxan.com
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — An Austin police officer who intervened during an apparent road rage attack on a family will not face charges for shooting the suspect.
  A grand jury cleared Jason Jewett and found his use of force was lawful and justified. The detective has worked with the Austin Police Department for 19-and-a-half years. The interim police chief credits him with saving the lives of Johnny Henderson and his family.
  The group was driving on Farm to Market 1431 in November when
  
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• Your 2018 Winter Olympics opening week guide

  07-02-2018 18:56 via kxan.com
  PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA (WCMH) – Opening week for the 2018 Winter Olympics is finally here!
  We have all you need to know about this year’s Olympic Games. From curling and speed skating to skiing figure skating, here’s your guide to can’t-miss moments in the opening week.
  Wednesday, Feb. 7:
  PYEONGCHANG-GUN, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 04: Yunhoo Kim prepares the ice at the Gangneung Curling Centre ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics on February 4, 2018 in Pyeon
  
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• Prosperity Bank in Austin robbed twice in one week

  07-02-2018 18:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Prosperity Bank located on Northland Drive in west Austin was robbed for the second time in less than a week.
  Austin police say the bank located at 3401 Northland Dr. was robbed just after 9 a.m. Wednesday. Police say the suspect showed a note to the teller as well as brandished a weapon.
  The same bank was robbed by a man last Thursday, Feb. 1. The suspect in last week’s robbery was described as a white man in his 40s, 5-feet-tall, medium build and clean shav
  
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• WATCH: Man arrested on DUI charge does cartwheel instead of sobriety test

  07-02-2018 17:43 via kxan.com
  CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WBBH) — A Florida man was arrested for DUI after a McDonald’s employee found the man slumped over the wheel at the drive-thru in Cape Coral.
  Officers said they knew 30-year-old Christopher Bidzinski from an incident the night before where they had to take him home.
  He told police he had been drinking chardonnay all night.
  When police asked him to do a field sobriety test, he said, “Can I eat more french fries?”
  He eventually agreed, but officers said he
  
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• Woman says store-bought lettuce had a 3-inch lizard in it

  07-02-2018 17:27 via kxan.com
  KITTERY, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman who prepared a salad says she realized after a couple of bites that her fork was stuck in a 3-inch lizard, minus the tail.
  After vomiting and getting over her shock, Michelle Carr, a nurse from Kittery, said she feared she could have ingested harmful bacteria. A biologist friend believes she found a blue-bellied lizard from California.
  Carr said she bought a bag of store-brand romaine lettuce at a supermarket in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Jan. 26. The
  
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• Man, 22, dead, father injured in East Texas lightning strike

  07-02-2018 16:55 via kxan.com
  KOUNTZE, Texas (AP) — Authorities say an East Texas man has died and his father was injured during an apparent lightning strike as the two were fixing a cattle fence.
  The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office says the deadly incident happened Tuesday afternoon in the community of Honey Island, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) northeast of Houston.
  Sheriff Mark Davis says emergency personnel found 22-year-old Sebastian Ramos of Honey Island was unresponsive. Davis says Ramos was pronounced de
  
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• Shutdown less likely as Senate closes in on budget agreement

  07-02-2018 16:52 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Buoyed by the sudden likelihood of a budget pact, lawmakers are on track to avoid a repeat of last month’s government shutdown — though President Donald Trump unexpectedly raised the possibility of closing things down again if he can’t have his way on immigration.
  “I’d love to see a shutdown if we can’t get this stuff taken care of,” Trump declared Tuesday, repeating the sentiment for emphasis.
  Trump’s comments were striking
  
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• VIDEO: DWI suspect drags Williamson Co. deputy during traffic stop

  07-02-2018 16:50 via kxan.com
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Dash camera video from a Williamson County patrol car appears to show a deputy being dragged as a car speeds away from a traffic stop.
  The Williamson County Sheriff’s office said the suspect was arrested and is in custody. The incident happened around 3 a.m. Wednesday, and shortly before 8 a.m. Sheriff Robert Chody tweeted video of the incident, calling out the “highly intoxicated driver in possession of harmless marijuana & harmless cough
  
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• 6 dead, 76 missing after strong quake hits Taiwan

  07-02-2018 16:19 via kxan.com
  HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) — Rescuers worked Wednesday to free people trapped after a strong earthquake near Taiwan’s east coast caused several buildings to cave in and tilt dangerously. At least six people were killed and 76 could not be contacted following the quake.
  At least four midsized buildings in worst-hit Hualien county leaned at sharp angles, their lowest floors crushed into mangled heaps of concrete, glass, iron and other debris. Firefighters climbed ladders hoisted against wind
  
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• Carrying Hope makes sure foster children have everything they need

  07-02-2018 15:47 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s a scene many foster parents experience: a child in need coming to their home, often with just the clothes on their backs. It’s what Kristin Finan, an emergency foster parent, has seen too often.
  “You’re having children arrive to the doorstep with absolutely nothing, and we just thought ‘What kind of start is that to come to a new home and have nothing to their name?'” Finan said. “And we wanted to try to change that.”
  So
  
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• 2 arrested in slaying of Houston-area man trying to sell car

  07-02-2018 14:53 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (AP) — Houston police say a man and his 16-year-old girlfriend have been accused of stabbing a driver more than 50 times while stealing his for-sale car then dumping his body.
  Records show 20-year-old Terrell Derrick Funches (FUN’-ches) was being held without bond Tuesday on capital murder, evading arrest and unauthorized use of a vehicle charges. The girlfriend was in juvenile custody on capital murder and trespass of a motor vehicle charges.
  Sgt. Matthew Brady says Altaf Hu
  
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• Autopsy: Head trauma killed agent; cause of trauma unknown

  07-02-2018 14:30 via kxan.com
  EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A newly released autopsy report sheds little new light on how a U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally injured when found beside a remote West Texas highway.
  In a report issued Tuesday night, the El Paso County medical examiner’s office said agent Rogelio (roh-HEE’-lee-yoh) Martinez had severe head trauma and multiple bone fractures when he and another injured agent were found on Nov. 18 in a culvert beside Interstate 10 near Van Horn, Texas. However, the re
  
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• How to recommit to New Year’s resolutions as others fall off

  07-02-2018 14:16 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s been more than a month since people across the world rang in the New Year, and it’s about this time when resolutions start to slip.
  Between February 7 and 9 is when many gyms, such as Hyde Park Gym in Austin, start to see fewer people show up, after a spike in sales at the beginning of the year. The gym at 4125 Guadalupe St. says it sees an uptick of about 25 percent in sales, mainly from “resolutioners” trying to form new routines.
  “
  
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• Woman found holding her eyeball outside S Carolina church

  07-02-2018 13:43 via kxan.com
  ANDERSON, S.C. (AP/WYFF) — Authorities say a woman was found holding her eyeball outside a South Carolina church.
  Elizabeth Hiott says she felt like dispatchers didn’t at first believe her when she called 911.
  “When I got close enough and they were able to get her stabilized and on a stretcher, I realized then that it was terrible and that she had done something that’s going to traumatize her life forever,” Hiott said.
  Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride tells news
  
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• More Americans hold stocks, for better or for worse

  07-02-2018 12:23 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — A plunge in stock prices always stings, but this recent one dug deeper because more Americans are participating in the market, particularly older ones.
  Slightly more than half of all U.S. families own stocks in some way, from workers who got automatically enrolled into their 401(k) retirement accounts to day-traders working their personal accounts. The rate of stock ownership is the highest since the dawn of the Great Recession in 2007.
  On the whole, higher stock ownership
  
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• VIDEO: Suspects use SUV to rip doors off San Marcos hardware store

  07-02-2018 05:21 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Two suspects broke into a San Marcos hardware store by attaching chains to the front doors and using an SUV to rip the doors off.
  Police are asking for help identifying the suspects in the surveillance video released Tuesday of the burglary on Friday, Feb. 2 at Hoffman’s Supply Store at 440 S. Guadalupe St.
  The pair of suspects then stole three Miller welders and one Lincoln welder kept near the front of the store. The first suspect, the driver, is describe
  
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• Austin Energy factoring in president’s solar tariff into future planning

  07-02-2018 04:26 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Wednesday, the federal tariffs the Trump administration announced will go into effect, placing a tariff of 30 percent on imported solar panels the first year and then decreasing to 15 percent.
  The Trump administration said they decided on the tariff in an effort to protect American manufacturing of solar panels, as the popularity of cheaper panels from overseas has skyrocketed. The decreasing cost of solar has made it a more popular option for both the consumer and utility
  
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• Archaeologists cataloging Central Texas’ past as development soars

  07-02-2018 04:14 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Most of us observe how Central Texas has changed from the ground up, but some people see progress below the surface. Archaeologists often work with contractors to look out for our past, while we move into the future.
  “You start to understand how cities grow, how people move in and out, and how things develop the way they do,” said Nesta Anderson, who has been an archaeologist for about two decades.
  She works for Pape-Dawson Engineers. It’s common for large
  
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• City Council candidate says he should be eligible to run, despite killing man

  07-02-2018 04:06 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man convicted of killing someone launched his campaign for Austin City Council Tuesday night.
  The candidate’s supporters gathered in northeast Austin to celebrate his campaign kickoff.
  Lewis Conway Jr. is drawing a lot of attention, all because of his criminal history.
  “I felt like my life was over when I was arrested,” Conway said.
  He’s trying something unprecedented, at least in Austin, according to the Office of the Texas Secretary of State.
  &ld
  
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• Austin City Council candidate says he should be eligible to run, despite killing man

  07-02-2018 04:06 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man convicted of killing someone launched his campaign for Austin City Council Tuesday night.
  The candidate’s supporters gathered in northeast Austin to celebrate his campaign kickoff. Lewis Conway Jr. is drawing a lot of attention, all because of his criminal history.
  “I felt like my life was over when I was arrested,” Conway said.
  He’s trying something unprecedented, according to the Office of the Texas Secretary of State.
  “I think it&rsquo
  
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• Pentagon says Trump ordered Washington military parade

  07-02-2018 02:58 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has asked the Pentagon to plan a grand parade of the U.S. armed forces in Washington this year to celebrate military strength, officials said Tuesday.
  The Washington Post, which was first to report the plan, said Trump wants an elaborate parade this year with soldiers marching and tanks rolling, but no date has been selected.
  White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the request Tuesday evening. She said Trump wants the Pentagon t
  
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• ‘Do not hire’ list would ban teacher-student offenders from jobs at other schools

  07-02-2018 02:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan aimed at aiding victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and students involved in inappropriate relationships with teachers.
  “Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our communities,” Abbott said in a video statement.
  “Working together, we will ensure a safe or future for the Lone Star State,” he said.
  Part of Abbott’s plan would fund crime lab testing “to eliminate the backlog of se
  
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• VIDEO: Golden retriever stealing pancakes starts house fire

  07-02-2018 02:19 via kxan.com
  SOUTHWICK, Mass. (NBC News) — A dog stealing pancakes off of the stove started a fire in a Massachusetts home.
  In a video posted on Southwick Fire’s Facebook page, a dog is shown trying to steal some pancakes on top of the stove and accidentally turns on the gas stove while the owners were not home.
  A few minutes later, something ignites on the stove and smoke fills the room, triggering the fire alarm.
  Two golden retrievers are then seen lounging on the couch while the stove becomes
  
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• TxDOT launches investigation into crews dumping waste near Dripping Springs

  07-02-2018 01:32 via kxan.com
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – Two days after a KXAN Investigation exposed Texas Department of Transportation employees dumping dead animals and waste at a site near Dripping Springs, the agency said it has launched an internal investigation.
  “TxDOT takes this matter seriously and as soon as TxDOT supervisors became aware of the issue, steps were quickly taken to address the problem,” said Executive Director James Bass in a prepared statement. “We will be doing a system
  
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• Got a warrant? Get it resolved during the warrant amnesty period

  07-02-2018 01:29 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you have a warrant for an active case before the Austin Municipal Court or Downtown Austin Community Court, you can get it resolved during an upcoming warrant amnesty program.
  From Friday, Feb. 9 through March 4, people with active warrants can get their warrant fees waived; however, they must contact the court to take advantage of the program.
  The city of Austin says no officers will be sent out to take defendants into custody during the timeframe and those who come to
  
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• Deputy shot multiple times in Caldwell County to undergo more surgery

  07-02-2018 01:11 via kxan.com
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) — The Caldwell County deputy who was shot multiple times while answering a call in Dale last week remains hospitalized as he awaits further surgeries.
  On Tuesday, the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office identified the injured officer as Deputy Jay Johnson. Johnson has only been with the agency for less than a year.
  Kimberley Moore, 54, and Eduardo Padilla Jr., 33, are both in jail charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and deadly conduct dischar
  
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• Drivers are spending less time stuck in Austin traffic

  07-02-2018 00:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It might not feel like it, but drivers in Austin spent less time in traffic gridlock in 2017, according to a new report compiled by INRIX, a company that specializes in transportation analytics and connected car services. INRIX data actually powers KXAN’s Traffic map. 
  The report shows people spent 9 percent less time in peak congestion hours last year compared to 2016. To calculate the 2017 Global Scorecard, INRIX looks at the percentage of time drivers spend in
  
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• Signal light re-timing knocks minutes off Cesar Chavez Street commute

  07-02-2018 00:04 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Re-timing signal lights along Cesar Chavez Street has shaved several minutes off the morning and evening commute.
  The Austin Transportation Department re-timed the street from Interstate 35 to MoPac Expressway in early December to make up for the increased demand after the opening of the new MoPac express lanes.
  Drivers going westbound between 7:15 and 9 a.m. are seeing two minutes taken off their commute — or a 25 percent shorter travel time on the road. Those going
  
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