Austin news

• CapMetro to offer free rides on services for New Year's Eve

  30-12-2021 23:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Capital Metro will offer free rides on several of its services for New Year's Eve to ensure safe transportation options for those celebrating the holiday.
  CapMetro said in a release Thursday it will adjust service on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day "to meet demand levels and offer safe options for people."Austin airport saw record number of new flights in ’21 — here’s what’s coming in ’22On New Year's Eve, CapMetro will offer free rides after
  
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• COVID-19 testing demand leads to South Lamar traffic surge

  30-12-2021 23:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you've driven southbound on South Lamar Boulevard near Bluebonnet Lane recently, then you've probably noticed the slew of cars with flashing lights on in the right lane.
  As the city of Austin pivots back to Stage 4 COVID-19 risk levels and the omicron variant sweeps across Central Texas, testing demands have increased dramatically in the region. It's the kind of demand clinics like Grand Ave Pharmacy are working to stay on top of at its pharmacy and mobile testing locati
  
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• Live updates: Fire destroys hundreds of buildings in superior, mayor says

  30-12-2021 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has declared a state of emergency after wildfires in Boulder and Jefferson County forced more than 30,000 people to evacuate from their homes. The fires sparked when strong winds knocked down power lines around 11 a.m.The entire town of Superior and the City of Louisville have been evacuated as have some nearby neighborhoods. Here are the evacuation centers for multiple wildfires near Boulder4:42 p.m.: The Mayor of Superior told FOX31 News
  
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• Live updates: 580+ homes destroyed by Marshall Fire, evacuation orders continue

  30-12-2021 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has declared a state of emergency after wildfires in Boulder and Jefferson County forced more than 30,000 people to evacuate from their homes. The fires sparked when strong winds knocked down power lines around 11 a.m.The Town of Superior and City of Louisville have been completely evacuated, as have some nearby neighborhoods, including the Interlocken area of Broomfield. Here are the evacuation centers for multiple wildfires near Boulder9:
  
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• Live updates: 1,600 acre fire destroys hundreds of buildings in superior

  30-12-2021 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has declared a state of emergency after wildfires in Boulder and Jefferson County forced more than 30,000 people to evacuate from their homes. The fires sparked when strong winds knocked down power lines around 11 a.m.The entire town of Superior and the City of Louisville have been evacuated as have some nearby neighborhoods including the Interlocken area of Broomfield. Here are the evacuation centers for multiple wildfires near Boulder5:18
  
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• Live updates: 1,600-acre fire destroys hundreds, evacuation orders continue to grow

  30-12-2021 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has declared a state of emergency after wildfires in Boulder and Jefferson County forced more than 30,000 people to evacuate from their homes. The fires sparked when strong winds knocked down power lines around 11 a.m.The Town of Superior and City of Louisville have been completely evacuated, as have some nearby neighborhoods, including the Interlocken area of Broomfield. Here are the evacuation centers for multiple wildfires near Boulder8:
  
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• Austin-Travis County EMS adds ventilator device to its lifesaving fleet

  30-12-2021 22:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ambulances across Austin and Travis County have new technology to help them save lives.      
  Ventilators were bought in 2020 as part of a one-time deal aimed at helping EMS providers during the pandemic. Nearly a year later, EMS commanders are getting their hands on these lifesaving ventilators. ATCEMS faces ‘crippling shortage’ as COVID-19 cases spike among medics"You're more likely to injure a lung using the manual device. They are good, b
  
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• Hours extended at 2 Travis County COVID-19 test sites Thursday

  30-12-2021 22:30 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County is extending hours for two of its COVID-19 testing locations Thursday.The test sites at the Dove Springs Recreation Center and the Expo Center will stay open until 4 p.m., instead of closing at 2 p.m. Results from these test sites usually come back in three to five days.Get tested and boosted: How AISD is preparing to return to class amid COVID-19 surgeDove Springs (5801 Ainez Dr.) is a walk-in site, whereas the Expo Center (7311 Decker Ln.) is a
  
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• From the Golden State to Samsung: Some of Central Texas' biggest stories this year

  30-12-2021 21:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As we close out 2021, it's time to reflect on what the year brought to Central Texas.
  Will Anderson, managing editor at the Austin Business Journal, gave KXAN's Amanda Dugan an end-of-year wrap up, including their most-read story, the most impactful business news and which Austin startup gained the most traction. Musk: Austin Tesla plant grand opening, public tours coming in early 2022Q: So as we get ready to end 2021, this was another year where many people moved right her
  
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• Get tested and boosted: How AISD is preparing to return to class amid COVID-19 surge

  30-12-2021 20:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As winter break comes to an end and classes resume Jan. 5, the Austin Independent School District is encouraging staff members and students to get vaccinated, boosted and tested before returning to campus.A letter to the district community outlined things AISD officials want staff and families to do before and after classes are back in session. They aren't mandates, only suggestions, but AISD is confident the precautions they've been supporting are working like they're supp
  
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• Yelp ranks 5 Texas restaurants in Top 100 eateries of 2021

  30-12-2021 20:19 via kxan.com
  
  TEXAS (KXAN) — Craving to try some new restaurants in 2022 as part of your new year resolutions? Yelp is one step ahead of you and has outlined five Texas restaurants in its Top 100 national restaurants of 2021, including two here in Central Texas.The highest-ranked Texas restaurant on the list is also the one most local to Austin: 1618 Asian Fusion, located at 1618 E. Riverside Drive in Austin. With a combination of Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Singaporean and Southeast Asian food on its me
  
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• Will the Polar Bear Plunge happen in 2022? Organizers don't know yet

  30-12-2021 19:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — To plunge or not to plunge? That is the question organizers and participants are waiting for the city of Austin to answer.Barton Springs Conservancy, the group that organizes the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day, said it hasn't heard from city officials whether or not they'll be allowed to hold the event. It was canceled last year due to COVID-19 concerns, and there are similar circumstances surrounding this year's event.On Wednesday, Austin-Travis County health leaders
  
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• Installation underway for biggest NYE fireworks show in Central time zone

  30-12-2021 19:44 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (NBCDFW) -- From 560 feet above the pavement, workers inside Dallas' Reunion Tower are loading in fireworks and setting up launch sites for the Lone Star NYE fireworks show."This show is so different than what most people understand fireworks to be," Pyrotecnico Creative Director Matt Peterson said.Most fireworks are launched from mortars on the ground. The fireworks at Reunion Tower are launched from a few hundred locations, 360 degrees around the ball, and up and down the towe
  
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• Austin police search for drivers in deadly hit-and-run crashes

  30-12-2021 19:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police are searching for two drivers in separate deadly hit-and-run crashes.
  APD said the first crash happened at 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 in the 5300 block of N. Interstate 35 frontage road. An unidentified woman was hit in the crash. She was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries.
  Police said the driver of a 2019 to 2022 dark gray Nissan Altima left the scene heading northbound on I-35.
  Police said the car will have significant damage to the front and un
  
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• When does Austin take down the Zilker Holiday Tree?

  30-12-2021 18:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Christmas has come and gone and sights have turned to the new year, the iconic Zilker Holiday Tree is preparing to retire for the season. But when exactly will the tree be taken down?Officials from Austin Energy, the department that helps oversee the annual holiday display, said field crews will take down the Zilker tree any time from late January to mid-February, weather and schedule-dependent.
  During its off season, the holiday tree is stored in a designated trailer at
  
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• Fauci defends CDC guidelines, says ‘We’re still in the middle of a pandemic’

  30-12-2021 18:17 via kxan.com
  
  CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — New guidelines shortening COVID-19 quarantine times are about keeping people at their jobs, and does not signal the pandemic is letting up, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.Fauci joined “Morning in America” on Thursday to discuss the country’s plan for mitigating the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19 and to answer NewsNation viewer questions live. He also elaborated on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s changing recommen
  
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• Big Game Bound: Playoff spots go down to the wire in season's penultimate week

  30-12-2021 17:57 via kxan.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS – Sunday will be the busiest day in the NFL so far this season with 15 games. Several matchups will have playoff implications.The Bills, Bengals, Colts, Patriots and Titans can all clinch playoff berths in the AFC, while the Chiefs can lock up the conference’s top seed and only first-round bye.Only two playoff spots remain open in the NFC. The Eagles and 49ers can claim them with a win or tie and some help, while the Packers can secure the conference's top seed with a wi
  
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• Tesla recalls some of its cars due to camera issues

  30-12-2021 17:33 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Electric car maker Tesla is recalling certain Model 3s because a coaxial cable for its backup camera can become worn and fail to transmit to the driver’s main console.
  All Model 3s from model years 2017 to 2020 are included in the recall, with as many as 356,309 cars affected, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
  Tesla is not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths caused by the defect. Tesla discontinued the problematic trunk harness
  
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• ERCOT: Texas power generating plants are ready for winter weather

  30-12-2021 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Electric Reliability Council of Texas officials said Thursday that power generators across Texas are ready for winter weather.After on-site inspections at 302 of its electric generation units, ERCOT said mandatory winterization efforts have been completed. That represents about 85% of the megawatt-hours of power lost during the winter storm in February, ERCOT said. PUC, ERCOT promise ‘lights will stay on’ this winterERCOT filed a preliminary report of its findin
  
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• Situation resolved after person with weapon refused to leave home in Pflugerville

  30-12-2021 16:12 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Pflugerville say the situation at a home in Pflugerville was resolved Thursday morning after a person they say had a weapon refused to come out.Police were called to the scene in the 21300 block of Byerly Turk Drive at 7:34 a.m. That's east of State Highway 130 and south of County Road 138. Initially, there were three other people in the home as well as the person with a weapon, but police said they were able to get those people out. After that, the p
  
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• Shelter-in-place lifted, person in custody after Pflugerville SWAT situation

  30-12-2021 16:12 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Pflugerville say the situation at a home in Pflugerville was resolved Thursday morning after a person they say had a weapon refused to come out. That person is now in custody, according to police.
  Police were called to the scene in the 21300 block of Byerly Turk Drive at 7:34 a.m. That's east of State Highway 130 and south of County Road 138. Initially, there were three other people in the home as well as the person with a weapon, but police said they
  
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• Shelter in place as person with weapon refuses to leave Pflugerville home

  30-12-2021 16:12 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Pflugerville are at a home Thursday for a person they say has a weapon and is refusing to come out.Police were called to the scene in the 21300 block of Byerly Turk Drive at 7:34 a.m. That's east of State Highway 130 and south of County Road 138. Initially, there were three other people in the home as well as the person with a weapon, but police said they were able to get those people out. After that, the person with a weapon became "non-compliant and
  
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• How to report your positive COVID-19 home test to Austin Public Health

  30-12-2021 15:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Health is working on a way to more accurately trace COVID-19 as more people rely on at-home COVID-19 tests to determine whether they have the virus or not.
  With the omicron COVID variant already sweeping through the U.S., the demand for COVID testing has increased. The demand is so great, retailers like Walgreens have imposed purchasing limits on their at-home COVID tests and many have been wiped clean.Can’t find a COVID test? Biden’s new
  
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• TxDOT plans to fix 'dip' on new NB US 183 flyover at NB I-35

  30-12-2021 14:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just four months after reopening the northbound U.S. 183 flyover at northbound Interstate 35, drivers have noticed a dip in the road.
  Drivers Jose Reyes and Pedro Ortiz travel on the flyover daily, along with thousands of others, and said they worry about the dip causing their vehicle's issues in the long run and Ortiz worries it could lead to an accident.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NB US 183 to NB I-35 flyover to open Friday morning"Pretty much suspension, it could mess it up over
  
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• ATCEMS faces 'crippling shortage' as COVID-19 cases spike among medics

  30-12-2021 13:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A spike in positive COVID-19 cases among the city's medics could put even more stress on emergency services in Austin.According to the Austin EMS Association, the union that represents workers with Austin-Travis County EMS, one out of 15 medics either are positive with COVID-19 or are suspected to be positive, sidelining them from staffing emergency calls and putting an even further strain on the agency's resources. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ATCEMS no longer disqualifying applican
  
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• Are you boosted? What Austin's Stage 4 means for you

  30-12-2021 05:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Health has moved its COVID-19 risk-based guidelines back to Stage Four, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise, but this time, it looks different due to the introduction of booster shots.The move means APH recommends people wear a mask in all situations, regardless of vaccination status. APH recommends eligible, vaccinated people who haven't gotten their booster dose — along with unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated people — eliminate travel a
  
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• Austin's COVID-19 surge has some New Year's Eve party planners scrambling

  30-12-2021 05:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thomas Gohring's booking team has been planning for New Year's Eve at Kick Butt Coffee for months.
  "It's a huge thing. We've been doing it like, four or five years now in a row. It's always one of our best events of the year," said Gohring, the owner.
  But five days before the big event, his booking manager, Dan Mesich, texted him.
  "'Hey, the headliners dropped, and other bands are probably going to drop, too,'" Gohring recalled.
  Mesich was right. He said eight bands out of
  
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• Travis County eviction protections extended through March 1

  30-12-2021 03:56 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Travis County judge on Wednesday announced extended eviction protections for renters through March 1, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  A release from Travis County said Judge Nick Chu, Travis County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 5, issued the order, which requires eviction trials for unpaid rent to be paused for 30 days, so renters have time to get funding help, consult a pro bono attorney and/or negotiate a settlement, without the need for an eviction.
  "The
  
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• Grieving family says Texas cemetery buried loved one in wrong plot

  30-12-2021 02:20 via kxan.com
  
  WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KFDX/KJTL) — Burying a loved one is not easy, but it's especially hard when you learn your loved one's final resting place is not where it's supposed to be."It's the holidays, you know. This isn't supposed to be happening, and to get that phone call. ... The phone call set everything just more off," Kristen York said Tuesday.York said Hampton Vaughan Crestview Funeral Home & Memorial Park in Wichita Falls, Texas, called on Dec. 17 to tell her that her father, Erni
  
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• October was the 7th busiest month ever at Austin's airport

  30-12-2021 01:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 1.5 million passengers flew through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in October, about triple the total from October last year.According to airport officials, 1,521,731 passengers were recorded in October, compared to 507,858 in October 2020.The airport previously announced Oct. 25 saw a new record for most passengers in a single day. More than 35,000 traveled through the airport the Monday after F1 weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.The newly-released n
  
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• New year, new laws: From public safety funding to chicken coops, what you need to know

  30-12-2021 01:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — This Saturday, being the first day of the new year, 23 new laws officially go into effect in Texas. All were passed by state lawmakers in the spring during the regular 87th Legislative Session.
  Most of the controversial bills passed during that session, including the restrictive abortion law making national headlines, already went into effect in September.
  The bill with some of the most controversy for Jan. 1 is Senate Bill 23. The Republican authors of the law said it i
  
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• Health leaders say some rapid antigen tests might not detect Omicron variant

  30-12-2021 00:09 via kxan.com
  
  Austin (KXAN) — The Food and Drug Administration warns that antigen tests might not detect the highly-transmissible Omicron variant. The agency continues to authorize the use of the tests, but says antigen tests are generally less sensitive and less likely to pick up very early infections compared to molecular tests.
  Officials say if a person tests negative with an antigen test but is suspected of having COVID-19 — such as experiencing symptoms or having a high likelihood of infectio
  
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• Austin airport saw record number of new flights in '21 — here's what's coming in '22

  30-12-2021 00:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — This year was a busy one for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, which launched a record 35 new nonstop routes in 2021, an airport spokesperson said.Destinations like Honolulu, Nassau, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica were all added to AUS' service, as well as flights to U.S. cities including Miami, Louisville and Palm Springs.Airport data shows more than 8.8 million people passed through the airport from January to September, and since the record lows seen
  
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• Central Texas animal shelters experience overcapacity, staff shortages

  30-12-2021 00:02 via kxan.com
  
  CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN) — A combination of COVID-19 cases and staffing shortages are causing trouble for animal shelters throughout Central Texas.
  The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter announced it had to partially shutdown until the new year, while the Austin Animal Center announced Wednesday it's experiencing "critical capacity" levels."This year, it's been incoming animals all year round," said Kelsey Cler, AAC's animal shelter programs manager.Resources are currently strained at A
  
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