Austin news

• 31 homeless people moved from north Austin encampment to shelter

  25-03-2022 23:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than 30 people experiencing homelessness were moved from an encampment in north Austin to a temporary shelter, the city said Friday.
  The city and its partners moved 31 people from an encampment near St. John Neighborhood Park into a temporary bridge shelter as a part of the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) Initiative. The initiative, in its second phase, focuses on closing homeless encampments in areas that pose "the highest public health and safety ri
  
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• 'I survived that': Meet the Texas teen hit by a tornado in his red truck

  25-03-2022 22:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's a storyline that couldn't be more Texas.
  A 16-year-old said he was driving home from a job interview Monday at Whataburger when his red truck was picked up by a tornado, thrown around a few times and spit out upright. In a now-viral video of the event, the truck can be seen landing on all four tires before speeding away.We found the red pickup truck that flipped over in Elgin tornadoThe teen behind the wheel was Riley Leon and he's alive to tell the tale.
  Riley Leon, 16, st
  
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• Twins born after receiving historic laser surgery in womb at Dell Children's

  25-03-2022 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Twin boys who underwent a historic surgery in utero in December at Dell Children’s Medical Center were born earlier this month.
  Yadier and Yasiel were delivered on March 12 to Cedar Park mom Jeanette Becerra, 26, according to Ascension Texas. They were born at Dell Children's Specialized Delivery Unit.‘Game changing for pregnancies.’ First laser surgery on twins in the womb at Dell Children’sMom Jeanette Becerra, 26, her boyfriend and her newborn twi
  
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• 30-acre wildfire in rural Burnet County 90% contained

  25-03-2022 21:53 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Crews responded to a wildfire in Burnet County Friday afternoon. The Texas Department of Transportation is asking residents to avoid the area.
  TxDOT said there was a wildfire reported at RM 963 and CR 210B near Bertram just before 3:30 p.m. The department said it was helping with traffic control.Why is it so smoky in Austin on Friday?Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Barho said the fire started as a rekindling from an earlier fire. It spread q
  
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• IRS hopes to hire 1,000 new workers in Austin

  25-03-2022 21:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of people will end the week with new jobs at the Internal Revenue Service thanks to a two-day, in-person hiring event at the agency's Austin headquarters.The IRS has 1,000 positions to fill in Austin and an additional 4,000 to fill in Ogden, Texas and Kansas City, Missouri. The opening includes full- and part-time positions and is part of a nationwide effort by the IRS to hire 10,000 workers nationwide.Christine Armstrong, director of talent acquisition, wants appl
  
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• How to help get medical supplies to Ukraine

  25-03-2022 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texans are helping to send medical supplies and medications to Ukraine.
  Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian medical organization, is loading up a donated FedEx plane full of medical aid.“We are rushing insulin, tens of thousands of inhalers and hyper tension medication,” said Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Direct Relief. Your neighbors might have family in Ukraine — how you can helpTo ensure the medication and supplies get to the Ukrainian people,
  
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• Austin home prices: How did they get so high? Can we get them back down?

  25-03-2022 19:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — To many, a $250,000 home in Austin seems like a relic, given the meteoric rise of home prices since the start of the pandemic. To others, the price point isn’t so far out of reach — all we need to do, they say, is change the way we think about homebuilding.In January 2016, the median home price in the Austin metro was just under $255,000, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors. It’s nearly doubled since then, reaching $499,9
  
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• PGA Tournament ushers millions to local organizations

  25-03-2022 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  (KXAN) — It’s a sight to see the world’s most elite golfers teeing off, signing autographs, and posing for pictures right here in Central Texas. Something that might not be seen by the masses is the millions of dollars funneled to local organizations that help Austin kids.(KXAN)
  The WGC Dell Technologies Match Play is in full swing at Austin Country Club and so is the PGA tour’s efforts to give back to local children.How to watch the WGC-Dell Technologies Match PlayExecut
  
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• Austin tops list of cities where rent has risen the fastest, analysis finds

  25-03-2022 18:58 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) - The hot — and expensive — housing market isn't limited to just homebuyers. According to a new report from Redfin, rent prices are on the rise throughout the U.S., putting pressure on many already burdened by rising inflation.
  Nationally, the average rental rate in February increased by 15% compared to the same time last year, Redfin's analysis found. Rising rent costs can largely be blamed on the housing market, which is so competitive in some areas that bidding wars are
  
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• Job hunting? Austin's airport is spending millions on new employees

  25-03-2022 17:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin City Council on Thursday approved adding dozens more employees to Austin Bergstrom International Airport in an effort to keep up with increasing traffic.The council authorized the hiring of 80 full-time staff for this fiscal year at a cost of just under $2.3 million. The money will come from unexpected revenue at the airport, according to city documents.The cost for the employees next fiscal year is expected to be $5.3 million.
  Airport officials said Austin Bergs
  
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• Why is it so smoky in Austin on Friday?

  25-03-2022 17:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From Round Rock to southwest Austin, KXAN has received several reports of hazy, smoky conditions and a burning smell Friday morning.The Austin Fire Department confirmed it had personnel at a fire near Parmer Lane and McNeil Road. Officials with the Round Rock Independent School District sent a tweet saying there was "heavy smoke in the area," but classes weren't interrupted.Reports of smoke and haze have also come from areas of the Oak Hill area in southwest Austin, particu
  
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• LIVE: Cleanup begins in Jarrell after EF-1 tornado damages homes, property

  25-03-2022 16:03 via kxan.com
  
  JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) — A city-wide cleanup began at 8:45 a.m. Friday in Jarrell, a city in Williamson County where an EF-1 tornado touched down on Monday.
  Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell posted a flyer calling for volunteers for the effort on Thursday, stating that more than 20 homes and other structures were damaged.Tornado survey: Jarrell tornado hit same areas as F-5 in ’97Cleanup volunteers should meet at the Jarrell Memorial Park & Community Center, located at 1651 Cou
  
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• Cleanup begins in Jarrell after EF-1 tornado damages homes, property

  25-03-2022 16:03 via kxan.com
  
  JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) — A city-wide cleanup began at 8:45 a.m. Friday in Jarrell, a city in Williamson County where an EF-1 tornado touched down on Monday.
  Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell posted a flyer calling for volunteers for the effort on Thursday, stating that more than 20 homes and other structures were damaged.Tornado survey: Jarrell tornado hit same areas as F-5 in ’97Cleanup volunteers should meet at the Jarrell Memorial Park & Community Center, located at 1651 Cou
  
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• NASCAR returns to COTA for the second year this weekend

  25-03-2022 15:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's a tripleheader racing weekend at Circuit of the Americas with the Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck series. All the events surrounding NASCAR at COTA kick off Friday at 9 a.m. and run through Sunday afternoon.NASCAR coming back to COTA in 2022 with March racesThese are the types of events those at Visit Austin like to see as it brings in millions of dollars for Austin's economy.
  "The meetings and events industry is roaring back in Austin," said Steve&n
  
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• Man convicted of murder in Travis County's 1st jury trial in 2+ years

  25-03-2022 15:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Travis County jury handed down a conviction March 22, the first time in over two years an in-person trial with a jury was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Paul Ray Adams, 39, was found guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree felony tampering with a corpse. He was being tried in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Robin Hatcher, who was 52 at the time. She had been missing since August 2019, and Adams was arrested in April 2020. Boyfriend strangled and ki
  
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• Texas tornadoes and wildfires: is climate change to blame?

  25-03-2022 15:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Another week, another round of historic weather in Texas. From five tornadoes touching down in the Austin-metro area, to tens of thousands of acres burned in another round of wildfires. In the last few years Texas has been plagued with several instances of once-in-a-lifetime weather.So that begs the question: is climate change to blame?"Climate change affects everything a little bit," said Texas' State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon. According to Nielsen-Gammon, scientists lo
  
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• Machine Gun Kelly opens tour in Austin, tickets on sale Friday

  25-03-2022 14:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Machine Gun Kelly is opening his Mainstream Sellout Tour at Austin's Moody Center.
  This will be the genre-bending artists first-ever arena tour with 52 stops across North America and Europe. The Cleveland native first stepped onto the scene as a rapper. Since then he's come out with pop-punk hits and even starred in Netflix's 'Bird Box.' He's also made headlines for his romance with fiancée Megan Fox.George Strait, Willie Nelson to play at Moody Center’s grand-
  
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• Texas Relays return, offers big opportunities for athletes

  25-03-2022 12:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in two years, the stands will be packed for the Texas Relays as high school, college and professional athletes head to Austin."It is always something you look forward to on every level," said Mychal Dungey, who competed in the Texas Relays both in high school and college. History for Longhorns with first men's track and field titleThe former Austin High School sprinter was a two-time state champion in the 200 meters, he then went on to be a three-tim
  
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• Clear Alert issued for woman last seen in Robstown, police concerned for her safety

  25-03-2022 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  KINGSVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Police in Kingsville are worried about a woman who went missing Thursday afternoon, saying her disappearance "poses a credible threat to her own health and safety."In conjunction with the Kingsville Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a Clear Alert for 40-year-old Estrellita Campos Mireles. She was last seen in Robstown, about 25 miles north of Kingsville on Highway 77, at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. What is a CLEAR Alert, and when is it issue
  
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• Shead scores 21 points, Houston knocks out 1-seed Arizona

  25-03-2022 05:53 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jamal Shead scored a career-high 21 points and Houston led throughout in a 72-60 victory over top-seeded Arizona on Thursday night, moving the Cougars within one win of a second straight Final Four.With Taze Moore getting into early foul trouble after his 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead in the first two minutes, Shead and Kyler Edwards were both on the court nearly the entire game for the Cougars (32-5). Edwards, the Texas Tech transfer who played in the 2019 national champions
  
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• Fort Worth dealership gifting new truck to teen caught in tornado

  25-03-2022 04:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's a red truck you've probably seen all over social media by now, and it's definitely totaled. Now, a Fort Worth dealership is offering to help out.
  KXAN showed you the photos of this red truck first, which was caught on video getting tossed in a tornado near Rio Rancho Monday, flipping over and then finally landing upright.Red pickup truck after flipping over in Elgin tornado on March 21, 2022 (KXAN Photo/Brianna Hollis)Riley Leon, the 16-year-old behind the wheel, is th
  
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• Austin City Council gives greenlight to trauma recovery center

  25-03-2022 03:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Victims of violence are moving closer to taxpayer-funded help after Austin City Council unanimously approved a $1 million preliminary plan for a trauma recovery center on Thursday.Texas' first trauma recovery center will help deliver targeted treatment to people often under-served.Local crime survivor Clarence Watson is an advocate for the center.As a child, he was sexually abused and later struck by a bullet in a drive-by shooting as a young adult. “I used thing
  
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• Tornado survey: NWS rates Elgin tornado EF-2 intensity

  25-03-2022 03:17 via kxan.com
  
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — As the National Weather Service continues to survey the damage caused during the March 21 tornado outbreak, it is releasing detailed reports about each tornado.Elgin tornado factsRating: EF-2Estimated peak wind: 130 mphPath length: 12.12 milesPath width (maximum): 500 yardsFatalities: 0Injuries: 3Start time: 6:30 PM CDTStart location: 6 miles NE of Garfield (Travis Co.)End time: 6:50 PM CDTEnd location: 3 miles ENE of Elgin (Bastrop Co.)The Elgin tornado began ro
  
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• RRISD board reinstates Superintendent Azaiez after investigation

  25-03-2022 03:02 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The Round Rock Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 5-2 Thursday night to reinstate Superintendent Dr. Hafedh Azaiez. The reinstatement will take effect Friday at 8 a.m.This comes after the board chose earlier this year to hire an outside investigator to look into Azaiez's conduct as alleged in a protective order issued by a Travis County district court. The board placed him on paid administrative leave in early January.BACKGROUND: RRISD board plac
  
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• What 'off the charts' demand for new homes looks like

  25-03-2022 01:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — The market for newly built homes in Central Texas is strong — and growing stronger by the day.In February, the median home price in the city of Austin was $565,000. At the same time, there was only 0.3 months of inventory on the market, according to the Austin Board of Realtors. This means that if no new homes hit the market, the city would run out of stock in just over a week. For comparison, a balanced housing market has about six months of invent
  
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• Texas lawmakers failed to legalize fentanyl testing strips last year, but there's still a push for access

  25-03-2022 01:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — During the 2021 legislative session, a Dallas Democrat managed to gain bipartisan support in her committee for a bill that would remove criminal penalties for possessing drug paraphernalia, but it never made it to the House floor for a vote.Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Houston, said she believes moving toward harm reduction practices will help reduce the number of overdose deaths in Texas."Our code is not keeping up with the times in general, as we are developing new medical
  
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• This app and 3 words could save your life, City of Austin says

  25-03-2022 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin is urging you to download a phone app it believes could save your life during an emergency.
  What3Words is a free, location-based app that divides the globe into 10-foot squares, assigning each square a unique three-word sequence, like "frog.tumbler.book."The words can then be used by emergency responders to track a person's precise location without an address."There are 57-trillion 10-foot squares around the world, and there's a unique combination of thre
  
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• Texas women chase dream season into Sweet 16

  25-03-2022 01:00 via kxan.com
  
  SPOKANE, Wash. (KXAN) — Here come the Texas Longhorns into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.Vic Schaefer has his team playing its best basketball at the right time with a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 6-seed Ohio State Friday at 6 p.m. CDT on ESPN2. The Longhorns are in the Pacific Northwest at the Spokane Regional — joined by No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Maryland and the No. 6 Buckeyes. VIDEO: Sergio Garcia practices his putting with 5-year-old battling
  
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• School nurse starts GoFundMe for teen caught in red truck during tornado

  25-03-2022 00:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A school nurse at IDEA Rundberg, a charter school in Austin, started a GoFundMe Thursday for the teen who was caught on video getting tossed by a tornado in his red truck.
  Bianca Jaimes said the 16-year-old student of hers, who is identified as Riley Leon in the GoFundMe, originally did not go to the hospital after the incident, because the family does not have health insurance and nothing appeared to physically wrong with him.We found the red pickup truck that flipped over
  
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• NWS: 16 injuries, mostly minor, in Round Rock EF-2 tornado

  25-03-2022 00:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The National Weather Service released its detailed storm survey report Thursday evening regarding the Round Rock/Granger tornado earlier this week.This was the strongest and longest-track tornado of the five confirmed tornadoes thus far in our area, staying on the ground for 41 minutes Monday evening.
  We are now learning there were at least 16 injuries, mostly minor, in the tornado.Round Rock/Granger tornado factsRating: EF-2Estimated Peak Wind: 135 mphPath Length: 29.29 mi
  
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