Austin news

• Lamborghini has landed: Is Austin ready for it?

  07-03-2018 23:03 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While most of us can only dream about owning a Lamborghini, the Italian sports car maker believes more Austinites than ever will be purchasing their high-ticket vehicles. That is why the company decided to invest in a dealership here in Austin — recently opening where the Ferrari dealership used to be on North Lamar Boulevard near 42nd Street.
  For the dealership’s grand opening party last week, the CEO of the company, Stefano Domenicali, was on hand to usher in
  
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• AT&T boosting internet connectivity around downtown during SXSW

  07-03-2018 22:19 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the masses descend on Austin over the next two weeks for South by Southwest, telecommunication companies want to make sure everyone can Insta, Snap and Tweet to their heart’s content.
  AT&T says it’s bringing in four Cell on Wheels (COWs) to boost internet connectivity around the downtown area. The COWS will give customers faster and more reliable connections through March 17.
  The company is also adding two temporary Wi-Fi clusters where data traffic is ex
  
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• Elderly woman dies in Lago Vista crash on FM 1431

  07-03-2018 20:30 via kxan.com
  LAGO VISTA, Texas (KXAN) — An elderly woman who was rushed to the hospital after a crash on Farm to Market 1431 in Lago Vista Monday died from her injuries.
  The crash happened around 7 p.m. on FM 1431 near Adrian Way. Lago Vista police say Jeanette Lehigh, 86, of Lago Vista, was driving westbound on FM 1431 when she crossed the double yellow lines and ran head-on into a pick-up truck that was headed eastbound.
  Lehigh was taken by STARFlight to a hospital in Round Rock where she died a
  
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• Reagan Elementary students spread love with ‘peace rocks’ project

  07-03-2018 20:16 via kxan.com
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Two drones lifted off from the grass surrounding Reagan Elementary Monday, hovering higher and higher with cameras in tow as they zoomed out on a massive display: hundreds of people arranged to form a peace sign.
  Two fifth graders piloted the drones to snap pictures and video of the students, teachers and staff. Each student held a hand-painted rock in his or her hand, which they walked around and used to create two more peace signs outside the school, says Chris
  
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• Lago Vista schools put on lockout after visitor became “unruly”

  07-03-2018 19:31 via kxan.com
  LAGO VISTA, Texas (KXAN) — Lago Vista ISD said two of its schools were immediately placed on lockout Tuesday when a visitor “became unruly” on campus.
  The district said a man arrived at Lago Vista Middle school at 1:10 p.m. At some point, he was asked to leave. The school called police and put all classes on lockout.
  During a lockout, the perimeter of the building is secured because of a potential hazard outside. School leaders said classes resume as normal inside during the si
  
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• Clerk at Taylor private school accused of padding paycheck

  07-03-2018 19:03 via kxan.com
  TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — The administrative clerk at St. Paul Lutheran School in Taylor is accused of padding her paycheck to the tune of $7,400 over the span of a few months, according to an arrest affidavit.
  Shanna Inez Richardson, 31, is accused of issuing herself payroll checks which were over the authorized amount. The school found out about the alleged theft when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contacted the school board president and principal requesting paperwork for the time peri
  
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• Feds: 23 Ghostface Gangsters arrested, most already jailed

  07-03-2018 18:43 via kxan.com
  ATLANTA (AP) — Federal authorities say they’ve arrested nearly dozen members of the Ghostface Gangsters on charges including racketeering, wire fraud and drug and gun violations.
  The U.S. attorney’s office in Atlanta said in a news release after the indictment was unsealed Tuesday that 23 members of the violent prison gang had been arrested, including 20 who were already in custody on state and local charges.
  Federal prosecutors say the gang originated in the Cobb County jail i
  
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• Barbie adding 17 historical, modern-day role models

  07-03-2018 18:12 via kxan.com
  EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (KETK) — Ahead of International Women’s Day, Thursday, March 8, Barbie announced they are honoring 17 historical and modern-day role models from around the world.
  These women come from diverse backgrounds and fields and are breaking boundaries to inspire the next generation of girls. With 81 percent of moms globally worried about the type of role models their daughters are exposed to, Barbie is igniting a conversation around the importance of positive role models.
  
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• Georgetown cracking down on parking offenders in the town square

  07-03-2018 17:34 via kxan.com
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Georgetown has hired two part-time employees to enforce its parking rules around the town square.
  The two “parking ambassadors” will focus on enforcing the three-hour parking ordinance for on-street parking in the downtown zone during business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) on Monday through Friday. A violation of the ordinance can result in a warning followed by a fine of $20 for a second offense, $50 for the third offense, and $100 for a fourth o
  
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• Zuckerberg, Chan give $30M to Harvard and MIT for literacy

  07-03-2018 17:18 via kxan.com
  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are giving Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology $30 million to help improve the literacy skills of elementary school students across the nation.
  The Reach Every Reader program will combine scientific research with methods of tracking and predicting students’ reading abilities to develop a web-based screening tool to identify kindergartners at high risk of reading difficu
  
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• Busch beer cans litter I-10 in Florida after semi overturns

  07-03-2018 17:02 via kxan.com
  OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WCMH) — A beer truck traveling westbound on Interstate 10 in the Florida Panhandle ran off the road and overturned, dumping nearly 30 tons of beer on the road.
  The crash happened around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday near the 45 mile marker, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
  The driver of the truck, Michael Powell, 44, received minor injuries, NBC4 sister station WKRG-TV reports. Troopers say Powell failed to maintain his lane, hitting the shoulder of t
  
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• 2 deputies wounded by gunfire at San Antonio-area home

  07-03-2018 16:39 via kxan.com
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Two sheriff’s deputies have been wounded in a shooting at a San Antonio-area home where authorities say a gunman has shot at propane tanks in an effort to cause explosions.
  Bexar County sheriff’s officials say the incident began Tuesday evening when deputies trained in interacting with the mentally ill attempted to serve a warrant on a 60-year-old man at the home.
  Gunfire erupted that forced the deputies to retreat, resulting in a standoff that continues.
  Dep
  
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• Little girl fascinated by Michelle Obama’s portrait meets the real woman

  07-03-2018 16:26 via kxan.com
  WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN) — Two-year-old Parker Curry couldn’t take her eyes from the portrait more than twice her height. Even when her mother asked her to smile in front of the new Michelle Obama painting in the National Portrait Gallery, she wouldn’t turn away from the former first lady.
  A few days later (and after a picture of her snapped by a stranger went viral March 1) Curry got to see her in person.
  Obama posted a video of them on Twitter dancing to Taylor Swift&rsqu
  
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• ‘Christopher Robin’ trailer shows Pooh reunite with old friend

  07-03-2018 15:41 via kxan.com
  (WCMH) — Disney released its first trailer Tuesday for the upcoming ‘Christopher Robin’ film.
  The teaser trailer starts with Giles Winslow (Mark Gatiss), pressure an older Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) into canceling a weekend trip for an emergency company meeting.
  Christopher Robin is sitting on a park bench, contemplating what to do when his old friend Winnie the Pooh comes up behind him.
  “I’ve cracked,”  Christopher Robin says. “Oh, I don&rsq
  
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• VIDEO: New chamber found near Cambria Cavern west of Round Rock

  07-03-2018 13:40 via kxan.com
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The cavern underneath a neighborhood west of Round Rock could be even bigger than engineers first thought.
  While Williamson County officials were drilling for core samples around the cave that opened up in the Brushy Creek neighborhood Feb. 8, they discovered an air pocket about 20 feet away from the entrance, toward Ephraim Road. On Tuesday, they lowered a flashlight and camera down through the bore hole and estimate the chamber is about 20 feet belo
  
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• Texas poised to send its first two Latinas to Congress

  07-03-2018 13:11 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The state of Texas is all but certain to break a major glass ceiling and send at least one, and likely two, Hispanic women to Congress next year.
  In El Paso, former El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar declared victory Tuesday night in her race to replace Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
  Across the state, state Sen. Sylvia Garcia won her bid for the Democratic nomination for the seat to replace U.S.
  
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• Police: Man who was killed by APD officers left a suicide note

  07-03-2018 12:15 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A deadly officer-involved shooting occurred in east Austin Wednesday morning after APD received a call from someone claiming to have killed his father and brother. Police say they found no evidence of the killings and instead found a man armed with a pickax when they arrived at the home.
  Police say it happened in the 4800 block of Tanney Street, which is off Springdale Road between Airport Boulevard and 12th Street. Officers responded to the call there at 4:18 a.m. and talk
  
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• Officer-involved shooting in east Austin

  07-03-2018 12:15 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An officer-involved shooting occurred in east Austin Wednesday morning.
  Police have not released many details, but say it happened in the 4800 block of Tanney Street, which is off Springdale Road between Airport Boulevard and 12th Street.
  Tanney Street is closed off at every intersection as of 5:30 a.m. The Austin police monitor will be at the scene this morning.
  The last officer-involved shooting involving the Austin Police Department was Feb. 19, when seven officers fired
  
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• Man allegedly ran at officers with pickax before five fired

  07-03-2018 12:15 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A deadly officer-involved shooting occurred in east Austin Wednesday morning after APD received a call from someone claiming to have killed his father and brother. Police say they found no evidence of the killings and instead found a man armed with a pickax when they arrived at the home.
  Police say it happened in the 4800 block of Tanney Street, which is off Springdale Road between Airport Boulevard and 12th Street. Officers responded to the call there at 4:18 a.m. and talk
  
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• Rockets top Thunder for 16th straight win

  07-03-2018 05:23 via kxan.com
  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chris Paul scored 25 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-112 on Tuesday night for their 16th straight win.James Harden had 23 points and 11 assists, and Trevor Ariza added 15 points for the Rockets, who are on the second-longest win streak in franchise history.
  Russell Westbrook scored 32 points and Carmelo Anthony added 23 for Oklahoma City, which is in a logjam of teams trying to fight their way into third place in the West.
  Oklahom
  
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• George P. Bush locks GOP nomination to keep job as Texas land commissioner

  07-03-2018 05:22 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — George P. Bush, the Texas land commissioner and the only remaining member of the Bush family in state or federal office, secured the GOP nomination for re-election Tuesday night and avoided a runoff with his predecessor, Jerry Patterson.
  Preliminary voting totals show Bush with a 58 percent lead over Patterson’s 30 percent, with around 548,000 votes to 286,000 votes.
  A controversial and featured element of the race between Bush and Patterson is the plan for the &ldquo
  
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• List of candidates vying for Rep. Lamar Smith’s seat narrowed down

  07-03-2018 04:49 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The large field of contenders vying for their parties nomination for Texas’ 21st Congressional District has been whittled down.
  The race for the Republican nomination will go to a runoff. Early returns show Republicans Chip Roy leading the field with 26 percent of the votes and Matt McCall and William Negley with 17 percent each.
  Democrats vying for the seat will also go to a runoff; Joseph Kopser was leading with 31 percent of the vote while Mary Street Wilson was cl
  
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• State Rep. Dawnna Dukes loses her seat; Democratic candidates head to runoff

  07-03-2018 04:28 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After serving 11 terms, State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, lost her seat by a considerable amount.
  House District 46, which covers east Austin, was a hot race in the Texas House. With 56 percent of polling places in Travis County reported as of 10:30 p.m., Jose “Chito” Vela and Sheryl Cole are neck-and-neck with 39 percent each, which means they’ll head into a runoff election in May. Incumbent Dukes notched 10 percent of the votes.
  Dukes will serve ou
  
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• Two GOP challengers emerge for Rep. Farenthold’s seat in the General Election

  07-03-2018 04:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From Nueces County in the south to Bastrop County in the north, Texas’s 27th Congressional District represents almost 740,000 residents. Amid sexual harassment allegations, incumbent GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold announced he would not be running for re-election.
  Five Democratic and six Republican candidates fought in the Primary for a chance at the General Election.
  Early voting totals show Republican Michael Cloud leading with 38 percent of the vote (around 5,
  
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• School bus driver allegedly threatened to ‘shoot up’ middle school

  07-03-2018 03:54 via kxan.com
  UNION COUNTY, N.C. (WCNC) — A North Carolina bus driver is behind bars after deputies say she made a social media threat targeting middle school students and staff.
  The Union County Sheriff’s Office charged 32-year-old Lashauna Beachum with two felony counts of making false reports concerning mass violence on educational property.
  According to deputies, the social media threats targeted Porter Ridge Middle School but also mentioned several members of the school staff by name.
  Officia
  
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• Sexually explicit Snapchat photos under investigation at Johnson City ISD

  07-03-2018 03:47 via kxan.com
  JOHNSON CITY, Texas (KXAN) — An active investigation is underway in Blanco County involving Johnson City Independent School District after investigators discovered sexually explicit photos on social media.
  “It’s an ongoing investigation of children distributing pornography amongst themselves and they were all minors,” said Cindy Keele, a Child Protective Services’ investigator. “The [FBI] still doesn’t know who it is.”
  On Friday, Mar
  
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• Johnson City ISD students under investigation after inappropriate Snapchat photos

  07-03-2018 03:47 via kxan.com
  JOHNSON CITY, Texas (KXAN) — An active investigation is underway in Blanco County involving Johnson City Independent School District after investigators discovered sexually explicit photos on social media.
  “It’s an ongoing investigation of children distributing pornography amongst themselves and they were all minors,” said Cindy Keele, a Child Protective Services’ investigator. “The [FBI] still doesn’t know who it is.”
  On Friday, Mar
  
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• Gov. Abbott easily secures GOP nomination; Democratic nominees head to runoff

  07-03-2018 03:29 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott easily secured the GOP nomination for the General Election.
  Abbott took 90 percent of the votes early on, easily beating Barbara Krueger and Secede Kilgore. He will now face whoever wins the Democratic nomination in a runoff in May.
  With 12 percent of the precincts reporting, the Associated Press says Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez and Andrew White, son of former Texas Gov. Mark White, will head to a runoff election in May. As of 9:30 p.m., Valdez had 43
  
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• Gov. Abbott easily secures GOP nomination

  07-03-2018 03:29 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott easily secured the GOP nomination for the General Election.
  Abbott took 90 percent of the votes early on, easily beating Barbara Krueger and Secede Kilgore. He will now face whoever wins the Democratic nomination in November. There are 10 Democratic candidates running in the Primary.
  Early voting numbers show Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez with 48 percent of the vote and Andrew White, son of former Texas Gov. Mark White, with 26 percent of the vote.
  Anyo
  
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• With primary win, Beto O’Rourke will face Ted Cruz in Senate race

  07-03-2018 03:20 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The battle between Beto O’Rourke and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has officially begun.
  O’Rourke, who was favored to win the Democratic primary, easily secured his slot by a 63 percent margin, according to the Associated Press. The other Democratic primary candidates were Edward Kimbrough and Sema Hernandez. Cruz easily won his GOP primary with 84 percent of the vote. 
  O’Rourke, an El Paso congressman, has spent the past few months crisscrossing Texas t
  
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• Recap of big races KXAN tracked during the March 6 primary

  07-03-2018 03:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN followed several big races this Primary Election Day.
  Congressional District 21
  One of the hottest races in Texas is the 21st Congressional District, which covers Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country. When Republican Congressman Lamar Smith announced he wasn’t running for reelection, people started queueing up for the chance to take his seat.
  Current early voting numbers show Chip Roy leading the pack for the Republican nomination with 27 percent of the vote
  
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• Primary races KXAN is keeping a close eye on

  07-03-2018 03:02 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN’s following several big races happening this Primary Election Day.Click here for FULL Election ResultsCongressional District 21
  One of the hottest races in Texas is the 21st Congressional District, which covers Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country. When Republican Congressman Lamar Smith announced he wasn’t running for reelection, people started queueing up for the chance to take his seat. Now 18 Republicans and four Democrats are fighting to take
  
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• West Virginia teachers cheer pay hike deal to end walkout

  07-03-2018 02:38 via kxan.com
  CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s striking teachers cheered, sang and wept joyfully Tuesday as lawmakers voted to give them a 5 percent raise, ending a nine-day walkout that closed schools across the state.
  A huge crowd of teachers packing the Capitol jumped up and down, chanted “We love our kids!” and sang John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The settlement came after a crippling strike had idled hundreds of thousands of students, forced
  
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• New Mexico man pleads guilty to shooting neighbor’s dog

  07-03-2018 02:37 via kxan.com
  ANTHONY, N.M. (KTSM) — A 30-year-old Anthony, New Mexico man pleaded guilt to extreme cruelty to animals after he shot his neighbor’s dog several times with a rifle last summer.
  Gustavo Filerio, is facing a mandatory year in prison on a firearms charge and an additional 18-months on the animal cruelty charge after pleading guilty in a Las Cruces courtroom Monday.
  According to court documents, Filerio fired at least 18 rounds from a .22 caliber rifle into his neighbor’s yard whe
  
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• SXSW speakers suggest Pre-K may lower crime rates

  07-03-2018 02:27 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — At South by Southwest EDU on Tuesday, leaders in the military, law enforcement, business and education discussed ways to better prepare young adults, starting with Pre-K education.
  According to a 2016 Citizen Readiness Index Report compiled by the nonprofit Council for a Strong America, many young Americans are not prepared to be fully-involved citizens. The report cites that many young adults are unprepared for the workforce, involved in crime and unqualified for service i
  
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• Video: Man forces son to run to school in the rain for bullying

  07-03-2018 01:10 via kxan.com
  ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A father in Virginia who said his son was kicked off the bus for three days for bullying made him run to school instead. In the rain.
  Bryan Thornhill’s Facebook Live video, recorded while driving behind his son, picked up more than 1.6 million views. Thornhill says they joke that the boy will either be fast or obedient, but “so far we’re working on fast.”Girl goes under the knife to face off against bullyingThornhill also shared video of his son
  
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• Man shot, critically injured in The Domain

  07-03-2018 00:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man shot in The Domain has been taken to the hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries, Austin-Travis County EMS said. Police are asking people to avoid the area.
  The incident happened in the middle of the popular north Austin shopping center.
  Austin police say they were called to 3210 Kramer Ln. — which is the address of DICK’S Sporting Goods — around 4:46 p.m. Tuesday. Initial information indicates the suspect left in a vehicle. No one is in c
  
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• Man killed in shooting in The Domain parking lot near DICK’S Sporting Goods

  07-03-2018 00:13 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man shot in a parking lot in The Domain taken to the hospital with critical injuries has died, Austin police said.
  The shooting, which happened in the middle of a popular north Austin shopping center, is believed to be an isolated incident, based on interviews with witnesses, police said.
  Austin police say they were called to 3210 Kramer Ln. — the parking lot in front of DICK’S Sporting Goods — around 4:47 p.m. Tuesday. Initial information indicates the
  
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• Target increasing minimum hourly pay to $12

  07-03-2018 00:04 via kxan.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — Target is increasing the minimum hourly pay to $12 starting this spring, the second increase in a matter of months, while accelerating its reinvention plan to make the discounter more competitive in the age of Amazon.
  The discounter’s moves, announced at its annual investor meeting in Minneapolis, where the company is based, come as its ambitious plan to make itself over is driving more people to its stores and its website. But the cost of such a massive overhaul, alo
  
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