Austin news

• Abbott and FEMA are using Harvey to reinvent disaster response. Some say that makes displaced Texans “guinea pigs.”

  27-02-2018 23:59 via kxan.com
  ROCKPORT, Texas (Texas Tribune) — In the weeks immediately after Hurricane Harvey, thousands of Texans lingered in emergency shelters, small coastal communities scrambled to restore electricity and entire neighborhoods sat swamped with moldy mounds of housing innards.
  As more than half a million families sought disaster relief aid and damage estimates surpassed the $100 billion mark, the Federal Emergency Management Agency worried that it didn’t have the capability to handle what was
  
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• Kushner’s security clearance downgraded per Kelly policy

  27-02-2018 23:35 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The security clearance of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has been downgraded, according to two people informed of the decision.
  Kushner had been operating with an interim clearance at the “top secret/sensitive compartmented information” level for more than a year. Now he is only authorized to access information at the lower “secret” level, according to a White House official and a person familia
  
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• Kushner security status reduced, cutting access to secrets

  27-02-2018 23:35 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The security clearance of White House senior adviser and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner has been downgraded, significantly reducing his access to classified information, according to two people informed of the decision.
  Kushner had been operating with an interim clearance at the “top secret/sensitive compartmented information” level for more than a year. Now he is authorized to access information only at the lower “secret” level, according t
  
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• ‘We’ve made mistakes’: Texas State Greek life responds to new guidelines

  27-02-2018 23:23 via kxan.com
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – After two student deaths in two years, Texas State University says it’s time to rebrand Greek life on campus.
  All Greek life chapters have been suspended since November after the death of Matthew Ellis, 20, who was pledging Phi Kappa Psi. According to media reports, Ellis’ autopsy showed he had a blood alcohol content of .38.
  On Monday, the university released new guidelines to all fraternity and sorority chapters on campus.
  “We want to make sur
  
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• K-9 Lobos and partner find $6M in liquid meth in hidden compartment

  27-02-2018 22:45 via kxan.com
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Sgt. Randy Thumann and his K-9 partner Lobos are known across Central Texas for their big drug busts along Interstate 10.
  The duo now has another mammoth haul under their belt/collar when they found 60 kilos — or 132 pounds — of liquid meth oil with a street value of $6 million.
  Sgt. Thumann pulled over a Chevrolet Tahoe on I-10 near Flatonia on Monday around 2:30 p.m. for several traffic infractions, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said
  
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• VIDEO: Woman mowed down by driver in Walmart parking lot

  27-02-2018 22:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police say they need help finding the driver of a pickup truck who ran into a woman as she was walking in a south Austin gas station parking lot a few weeks ago.
  Austin police say the crash happened around 2 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 in the Walmart parking lot in the 700 block of East Ben White Boulevard, near Interstate 35.
  Surveillance video from the business shows a large pickup truck pull up to a pump. The truck sits there for less than 30 seconds and then makes a turn in
  
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• VIDEO: Driver hits woman walking in a parking lot, leaves the scene

  27-02-2018 22:05 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police say they need help finding the driver of a pickup truck who ran into a woman as she was walking in a south Austin gas station parking lot a few weeks ago.
  Austin police say the crash happened around 2 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 9 in the Walmart parking lot in the 700 block of East Ben White Boulevard, near Interstate 35.
  Surveillance video from the business shows a large pickup truck pull up to a pump. The truck sits there for less than 30 seconds and then makes a turn in
  
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• Warning issued after mountain lion kills deer in Blue Hole park

  27-02-2018 22:00 via kxan.com
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — A deer found in Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley on Monday was killed by a mountain lion, Hays County Constable for Precinct 3 Ray Helm said in a Facebook post.
  A deputy called to the park confirmed a mountain lion was behind the kill, which comes a week after another report of a deer killed by a mountain lion on Flight Acres, just across Flite Acres Road from the Blanco River — and about a mile away from Blue Hole Park.
  “He has been working with w
  
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• Residents urged to carry pepper spray in park after mountain lion kills deer

  27-02-2018 22:00 via kxan.com
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — A deer found in Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley on Monday was killed by a mountain lion, Hays County Constable for Precinct 3 Ray Helm said in a Facebook post.
  A deputy called to the park confirmed a mountain lion was behind the kill, which comes a week after another report of a deer killed by a mountain lion on Flight Acres, just across Flite Acres Road from the Blanco River — and about a mile away from Blue Hole Park.
  “He has been working with w
  
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• After mountain lion kills deer in Wimberley park, constable issues warning

  27-02-2018 22:00 via kxan.com
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — A deer found in Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley on Monday was killed by a mountain lion, Hays County Constable for Precinct 3 Ray Helm said in a Facebook post.
  A deputy called to the park confirmed a mountain lion was behind the kill, which comes a week after another report of a deer killed by a mountain lion on Flight Acres, just across Flite Acres Road from the Blanco River — and about a mile away from Blue Hole Park.
  “He has been working with w
  
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• How opinions of Texas voters could help shape 2019 legislative agenda

  27-02-2018 20:39 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – When you vote early this week or on Primary Election day, you’ll be doing more than choosing the candidate you support.
  Each party’s primary ballot propositions reflect what they’ve identified to be important to their platform.
  “It’s a way for voters to express their preferences to the parties and the state,” Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research for the Texas Politics Project at University of Texas at Austin, said. “Flipped
  
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• RM 620 near Mansfield Dam texturized to help prevent crashes

  27-02-2018 20:30 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Blind curves mixed with fog and rain make for hazardous driving conditions on parts of Ranch to Market 620. In an effort to improve driving conditions, the Texas Department of Transporation texturized the road from Travis View Loop to Marshall Ford Road this week to help drivers with traction.
  Brian McKinney works along the road near Mansfield Dam. “We see or hear traffic, wrecks, ambulance probably three to four days a week,” McKinney says. Last week, a 54-year
  
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• A driver banned from one ride-hailing app could still work for another

  27-02-2018 20:24 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If someone is banned from driving for a ride-hailing company in Austin, there is no reporting system in place to automatically notify other companies, KXAN has learned.
  Before HB100 passed last May, giving the State of Texas regulatory authority over ride-hailing companies, that oversight rested at the city level. During that time, Fasten says once a police report was filed, the Austin Transportation Department would receive a notice that the driver was charged. The city wo
  
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• Trump tweets support for top Texas officials

  27-02-2018 20:20 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON (KXAN) — President Donald Trump endorsed four of Texas’ Republican elected officials on Twitter.
  “I want to encourage all of my many Texas friends to vote in the primary for Governor Greg Abbott, Senator Ted Cruz, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton,” the president tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “They are helping me to Make America Great Again! Vote early or on March 6th.”
  All four Republicans are party favorites in the March primaries
  
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• Fight over honey buns lands Louisiana man in jail

  27-02-2018 20:13 via kxan.com
  West Monroe, LA. (KARD) — An argument over missing honey buns ends with a Louisiana man in jail for assaulting his mother.
  According to an arrest report, 19-year-old Joseph Simpson Jr.’s mom asked him what happened to some of the honey buns in their kitchen, causing him to become, “irate.”
  Simpson Jr. pushed his mom into a wall, and pulled a knife on his brother when he tried to break it up, according to the arrest report. When police arrived, he admitted to doing both.
  S
  
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• City of Round Rock launches new utility billing portal

  27-02-2018 20:10 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Starting next week, Round Rock residents will have a new online portal to pay and manage their utility bills.
  The city of Round Rock says RRTXWater will officially launch on Tuesday, March 6. The new system has been a long time coming — it has been more than 20 years since the city’s current utility billing system was upgraded.
  People who prefer to pay their bills in person can still do so. But the new system allows for convenient and user-friend
  
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• Oklahoma school uses robots to kill germs during flu season

  27-02-2018 20:00 via kxan.com
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — One school in Oklahoma is fighting the flu with technology, using robots that were sent in to decontaminate the school.
  MAV the robot sends an ultraviolet light through the classrooms, killing those nasty lingering sickness causing germs.
  “So we’re bringing that bioburden down so any germs or bacteria that are lurking in that room, we’re going to get rid of them,” said Malinda Hart from Xenex.How Austin ISD deep-cleans to keep schools flu-free
  
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• APD officer accused of DWI clocked going double the speed limit in Corvette

  27-02-2018 18:37 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An officer who has been with the Austin Police Department for 11 years is on restricted duty after police say he was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after an officer clocked him going 60 mph on a downtown street.
  According to an arrest affidavit, an officer clocked Cpl. Shawn Williams, 34, driving 60 mph down West Sixth Street in a red Corvette around 1:30 a.m. Monday. The patrol officer says he was pulling out of a parking lot when he heard a loud car h
  
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• Sam’s Club pairs up with Instacart in Austin, Dallas

  27-02-2018 18:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A month after Sam’s Club announced numerous store closures across the country including several in Texas, the company says it’s teaming up with Instacart to offer same-day deliveries and one of the cities it’s launching in is Austin.
  The other two cities that have the program are Dallas and St. Louis. Instacart customers in these three cities now have access to Sam’s Club products regardless of whether they have a Sam’s Club membership.
  “
  
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• WATCH: Surveillance video shows shootout during liquor store robbery

  27-02-2018 17:56 via kxan.com
  TULSA, Okla. (KJRH) — Two women fought for their lives against an armed robber inside their Oklahoma family business and the horrifying moments are all caught on tape.
  Surveillance video shows the mother and daughter at work at the family-owned liquor store in Tulsa when a man walks in with a shotgun and demands money. Tina Ring said she saw the suspect walk in with a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun and told her daughter to give him the money. As the women crouched behind the counter, the man f
  
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• Police: Man was very drunk when he pointed gun at DoubleTree employee

  27-02-2018 17:42 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man arrested at a Hilton DoubleTree hotel in downtown Austin Monday was allegedly very drunk when he pointed a gun at an employee, according to an affidavit.
  Austin police officers and Department of Public Safety troopers detained Stanley Price, 61, on the fifth floor of the hotel at 303 W. 15th Street.
  A technician who came to Price’s hotel room to fix his phone told police he initially wasn’t able to fix it, but came back an hour later and knocked three time
  
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• Lewinsky calls Clinton affair a ‘gross abuse of power’

  27-02-2018 16:50 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says the affair that led to impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton “was not sexual assault,” but “constituted a gross abuse of power.”
  Lewinsky writes in the March issue of “Vanity Fair” that she is “in awe of the sheer courage” of women who’ve been confronting “entrenched beliefs and institutions.”
  She says she was recently moved to tears when a leade
  
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• Disney Marathon runner searching for locket with daughter’s ashes

  27-02-2018 16:07 via kxan.com
  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A social media search is on for a cross-shaped locket after it went missing during the Disney Princess Half-Marathon this past weekend.
  According to the Facebook post, a runner is desperate to find the missing locket because its contents are invaluable.The runner, Chasity Foster, said her locket contains the ashes of her daughter who just passed away last month in a tragic car accident.
  “It’s like losing her again, even a
  
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• Police union threatens legal action against Austin over police monitor

  27-02-2018 15:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A union that represents police officers across Texas is threatening legal action against the City of Austin because it is keeping the police monitor’s office open without a contract. The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and Austin Police Association plan to announce legal actions Tuesday morning.
  The police monitor is in charge of investigating complaints against police officers, as well as reviewing critical incidents and investigations. Currently, the
  
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• Police union takes legal action against Austin over police monitor

  27-02-2018 15:48 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A union that represents police officers across Texas filed for a temporary injunction against the City of Austin Monday because it is keeping the police monitor’s office open without a contract. The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas and Austin Police Association say the city’s actions “have created immediate and irreparable harm.”
  “The City had the Cadillac of all police oversight,” said Austin Police Association Preside
  
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• VIDEO: Houston firefighters rescue mother, children from flames

  27-02-2018 14:18 via kxan.com
  HOUSTON (KTAL) — A dramatic rescue of a family from a fire was caught on video. A mother and her three children were trapped in their Houston apartment as the building burned down around them.
  The mom was on her apartment balcony screaming “help me.” One by one, the mother passed her children off to firefighters who carried them down a ladder to safety.
  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
  
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• Teachers are already armed at one East Texas school district

  27-02-2018 14:06 via kxan.com
  CARTHAGE, Texas (KTAL) — As the national debate heats up over whether teachers should be armed in classrooms, an East Texas school district has already implemented a program that does just that.  School leaders say they want to be prepared for the worst case scenario.
  Outside every Carthage Independent School District building, you will see a sign alerting visitors that staff may be armed inside.
  “When I got into education, thinking about being armed or having to arm s
  
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• Pflugerville high school choir performs with Foreigner at ACL Live

  27-02-2018 13:50 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Sunday performance at ACL Live became a rock star experience for a Pflugerville high school choir, as students sang with Foreigner during the band’s performance of its hit song “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
  The students’ journey to the stage began back in April last year, when Connally High School’s choir entered a contest to sing with the band during its August show. Bowie High School beat them for the spot — but when Foreigner return
  
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• Student starts ‘Not #MeToo’ project to prevent teen dating violence

  27-02-2018 12:59 via kxan.com
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A local high school student is working to prevent dating violence among her peers. Tuesday night she will hold the first public meeting to talk with students and parents about harassment and abuse, the warning signs and what they can do about it.
  The program comes as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, but it’s just the start of a project Kristen Jones will pass on to future students at Rouse High School when she graduates this spring.
  &ldquo
  
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• ‘Not #MeToo:’ project aims to prevent dating violence among teens

  27-02-2018 12:59 via kxan.com
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A local high school student is working to prevent dating violence among her peers. Tuesday night she will hold the first public meeting to talk with students and parents about harassment and abuse, the warning signs and what they can do about it.
  The program comes as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, but it’s just the start of a project Kristen Jones will pass on to future students at Rouse High School when she graduates this spring.
  &ldquo
  
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• S. Congress Ave. from the lake to Slaughter could get a makeover

  27-02-2018 12:36 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – South Congress Avenue from the lake to Slaughter Lane could be the next roadway to see some major improvements. Right now city planners are working on a study and design to improve how the public drives, bikes, walks or takes transit in the area.
  “We want folks to feel comfortable biking along the roadway and walking on the sidewalks,” says Mandy McCledon, Public Information Specialist with the Corridor Program. “Like they can get to a bus stop safely.&rdq
  
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• Student protests resonate with Columbine shooting survivors

  27-02-2018 12:21 via kxan.com
  DENVER (AP) — Patrick Neville was outside, sneaking off to smoke with friends, and avoided the outburst of gunfire at Columbine High School nearly two decades ago, but he did not dodge the heartbreak. A close friend died, and the anguish in his father’s eyes is seared in Neville’s memory.
  Samantha Haviland was fundraising in the cafeteria and froze, uncomprehending, at the sound of screams just outside the window. Trance-like, she and others fled the room, then pressed against
  
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• Guns in schools? 2 Columbine survivors are split on issue

  27-02-2018 12:21 via kxan.com
  DENVER (AP) — Patrick Neville was outside, sneaking off to smoke with friends, and avoided the outburst of gunfire at Columbine High School nearly two decades ago, but he did not dodge the heartbreak. A close friend died, and the anguish in his father’s eyes is seared in Neville’s memory.
  Samantha Haviland was fundraising in the cafeteria and froze, uncomprehending, at the sound of screams just outside the window. Trance-like, she and others fled the room, then pressed against
  
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• Chip and Joanna Gaines unveil latest addition to Magnolia empire

  27-02-2018 05:58 via kxan.com
  WACO, Texas (KWKT) — The latest addition to the Magnolia Empire opened in Waco on Monday morning.
  Eight months after Chip and Joanna Gaines announced plans to rename the Elite Café, customers were allowed into the Magnolia Table.
  The breakfast through lunch spot offers some of Joanna’s favorite recipes, as well as some holdovers from the Elite days.
  The restaurant — located at 2132 S. Valley Mills Dr. in Waco — will be open from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. every day except
  
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• Chip and Joanna Gaines reopen Waco’s classic restaurant on ‘The Circle’

  27-02-2018 05:58 via kxan.com
  WACO, Texas (KWKT) — The latest addition to the Magnolia Empire opened in Waco on Monday morning.
  Eight months after Chip and Joanna Gaines announced plans to rename the Elite Café, customers were allowed into the Magnolia Table.
  The breakfast through lunch spot offers some of Joanna’s favorite recipes, as well as some holdovers from the Elite days.
  The restaurant — located at 2132 S. Valley Mills Dr. in Waco — will be open from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. every day except
  
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• $500M for school metal detectors proposed by Fort Worth congresswoman

  27-02-2018 05:36 via kxan.com
  FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAN) — A Texas congresswoman wants to bring metal detectors to schools.
  Tarrant County Republican U.S. Rep. Kay Granger plans to introduce a bill to create a federal grant program for schools interested in installing them.
  Granger says the proposal would cover the costs of metal detectors and their installation as long as schools get their security plans approved by federal officials, setting aside $500 million over 10 years.
  Granger told Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS she t
  
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• ‘We just can’t wait’: Plans for United Soccer League team no longer on hold

  27-02-2018 05:23 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Circuit of the Americas is back on track with plans to bring a United Soccer League team to the Austin-area by March 2019.
  This comes after Austin City Council postponed discussion of a move to Austin by the Columbus Crew, a Major League Soccer team in Columbus, Ohio, which hoped to build a stadium along the shores of Lady Bird Lake in the “urban core” of Austin.
  Roberto Pinto da Silva Jr., director of private and special events at COTA, says the circuit &ld
  
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• Mueller’s Airport Control Tower slated to get historic landmark designation

  27-02-2018 05:12 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin’s Historic Landmark commission voted to give historic zoning to the Robert Mueller Airport Control Tower on Berkman Drive. City Staff recommended the historic zoning ahead of this vote as well.
  The tower is not only a reminder of the Robert Mueller Airport which once surrounded it, but it also serves as an iconic sight in the distance for Mueller neighbors — something they light up each holiday season.
  A letter sent to the Mueller neighborhood
  
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• Democratic candidates in Texas governor race push for tighter gun laws

  27-02-2018 03:32 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the March 6 primary just days away, candidates are spending their time pushing their positions on statewide issues. The recent deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school prompted the two Democratic frontrunners in the race for governor to press for changes to Texas’ gun laws.
  Houston businessman Andrew White, son of late Gov. Mark White, urged Gov. Greg Abbott to convene an “emergency special session to pass common sense gun safety legislation&rdquo
  
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• Hamilton Pool Road reopens after motorcycle crash

  27-02-2018 00:54 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Multiple 911 calls about a motorcycle crash brought first responders to Hamilton Pool Road, on the other side of the Pedernales River from the entrance to Hamilton Pool.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics and Travis County deputies went to the 25000 block of Hamilton Pool Road along with a STAR Flight helicopter at 5:10 p.m. Monday. The man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
  Travis County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Kristen Dark says the cras
  
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• UT’s Andrew Jones begins outpatient treatment

  27-02-2018 00:29 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — University of Texas sophomore guard Andrew Jones was released from MD Anderson Cancer Center on Saturday and will begin treatment for leukemia on an outpatient basis.
  “That was a great night and a big step for me and my family,” Jones said in a statement on Monday.VIDEO: Andrew Jones dances in hospital bathroomMy doctors tell me I am continuing to show improvement, and that is really encouraging.My family and I will remain in Houston for this next stage of my re
  
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• Driver accused of hitting Round Rock police officer on I-35 charged

  27-02-2018 00:17 via kxan.com
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Round Rock Police Officer Charles Whites is still in serious condition after a car hit him early Sunday morning.
  “He got hit and he’s fighting for his life,” said Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks.
  Banks says Whites was diverting traffic off I-35 near US 79 around 6:40 a.m. after a pedestrian was hit and killed near Old Settlers Boulevard. Police say Whites had his lights on and was wearing a safety vest. “While he was outside of hi
  
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• Texas launches Harvey recovery tracker 6 months after storm

  27-02-2018 00:05 via kxan.com
  FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Texas launched a public online tool to track incoming and outgoing funds for Hurricane Harvey recovery on Monday, six months after the storm hit and two months after The Associated Press reported that it did not have one.
  Gov. Greg Abbott called the tracker — which provides a county-level view of the more than $13 billion in flood insurance payouts, hotel vouchers and other forms of federal aid that has been disbursed so far — “a good start in ach
  
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• VIDEO: Deputy takes suspect for a run after being separated from K-9

  27-02-2018 00:04 via kxan.com
  HUDSON, Fla. (WCMH) — Body camera video released by a Florida sheriff’s office shows a deputy drag a suspect into the woods after being separated from his K-9.
  Deputy Carmack from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office was pursuing a stolen Ford Expedition Saturday. After the vehicle crashed into a pole, the sheriff’s office said the driver ran and K-9 Shep was sent after him.
  While Carmack was running after them, the passenger got out of the car and tried to flee, according t
  
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