Austin news

• John Mayer performs at Moody Center — what to know about safety, security at new venue

  20-04-2022 23:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Anticipation is building as the brand new Moody Center hosts its first events Wednesday and Thursday night — both performances from award-winning artist John Mayer.
  The 15,000-seat arena, which doubles as the home of Texas Longhorns basketball and a concert space, was in development for about three years.RELATED: Moody Center set for its grand opening, ribbon-cutting ceremonyBefore Mayer takes the main stage inside, Moody Center will also have a stage outside on
  
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• Report: Austin now No. 2 among cities with fastest-rising rent prices

  20-04-2022 23:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin came close to eclipsing all other major American cities for the distinction of having the fastest-rising rent prices year to year, according to one new report.
  Online real estate company Redfin released figures Wednesday showing March rental prices in the Texas capital city went up 38% in a year's time, the second highest amount in the country. Portland, Oregon claimed the top spot in Redfin's latest report, with its rental prices increasing 40% year to year.
  Austin
  
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• Could Texas' economy endure ending trade with Russia? Lawmakers discuss

  20-04-2022 23:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — At the state’s capitol on Wednesday, the International Relations and Economic Development House committee was briefed on how ending trade with Russia would affect Texans.This would be done to stand in solidarity with Ukraine, as the country endures an unprovoked war with Russia.Ray Perryman, an economist and president/CEO of The Perryman Group, has studied the economic impact this would make. According to him, Texas is mainly buying oil and refined products from Ru
  
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• Elgin double murder: Man accused of shooting 2 men in car, affidavit says

  20-04-2022 23:25 via kxan.com
  
  ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A man was arrested and charged with murder after two men were found shot inside a vehicle on the side of the road in Elgin on April 9, according to court records.
  The Travis County Sheriff's Office said Raul Molina Hernandez, 44, of Manor, died at the scene. Leonel Ayala Gamino, 31, of Port Arthur, died April 13. TCSO investigating overnight shootingsAbel Bermudez-Ornelas is currently being held in the Travis County Jail on a $500,000 bond. KXAN reached out to the pub
  
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• American Campus Communities agrees to $12.8B buyout

  20-04-2022 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  (Austin Business Journal) — In what would be a shakeup of Austin's public company hierarchy, student housing company American Campus Communities Inc. said April 19 it has agreed to be purchased by funds controlled by Blackstone Inc., a giant in alternative investment management. The all-cash deal would pay $65.47 per share and is valued at about $12.8 billion, including ACC's debt.That price represents a 22% premium compared with the 90-calendar-day average of the stock price and
  
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• Judge postpones Alex Jones' Austin trial as Infowars seeks bankruptcy

  20-04-2022 21:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN/AP) — A lawyer for Alex Jones told KXAN an Austin judge canceled a trial over how much conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. The plaintiff's attorney, Mark Bankston, told KXAN "the trial is officially postponed."The Infowars host has already lost defamation cases over his comments that the shooting was a hoax. Alex Jones’ Infowars files for bankruptcy protectionThe Associated Press reported the judge ord
  
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• Judge delays Alex Jones trial as Infowars seeks bankruptcy

  20-04-2022 21:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge has pushed back the first jury trial over how much conspiracy theorist Alex Jones should pay the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
  The Infowars host has already lost defamation cases over his comments that the shooting was a hoax.
  But a judge Wednesday delayed the trial after Infowars this week sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas.
  Attorneys for Sandy Hook families have accused Jones of trying to hide millions of doll
  
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• Group in San Marcos works to put marijuana decriminalization before voters

  20-04-2022 20:25 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A group working to decriminalize marijuana in San Marcos is using 4/20, a day recognized nationwide as one that celebrates pot, to garner enough signatures to put decriminalization before voters in November, similar to what's being voted on in Austin this May.
  Mano Amiga is one of the groups behind a petition in San Marcos to keep people from being charged for having recreational amounts of pot in the city. Should the group get the necessary signatures, more tha
  
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• Group in San Marcos working to put marijuana decriminalization before voters

  20-04-2022 20:25 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A group working to decriminalize marijuana in San Marcos is using 4/20, a day recognized nationwide as one that celebrates pot, to garner enough signatures to put decriminalization before voters in November, similar to what's being voted on in Austin this May.
  Mano Amiga is one of the groups behind a petition in San Marcos to keep people from being charged for having recreational amounts of pot in the city. Should the group get the necessary signatures, more tha
  
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• 1 person dead, 2 injured after shooting in Round Rock

  20-04-2022 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) — One person was found dead after a shooting in Round Rock Tuesday evening, police said.
  RRPD said officers responded to a report of a man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center just before 10 p.m. Tuesday.
  A witness told officers that the shooting happened in the 1600 block of Gattis School Road, which is listed in the area of the Clay Madsen Recreation Center.
  RRPD said officers responded to the location and found one man dead
  
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• Wooten Barbershop to leave The Drag after 58 years

  20-04-2022 19:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Just feet away from the University of Texas sits one of the oldest barbershops in Austin. Since 1964, the Wooten Barbershop has provided affordable haircuts and community to its clientele on The Drag, a strip of businesses facing campus on Guadalupe Street.“We are a part of UT basically,” said Wooten Barbershop manager James Nelson. “So it's a community, and we have clients that are second and third generation.”University students and faculty, Austin
  
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• BCSO: Body of 37-year-old man found on side of highway east of Elgin

  20-04-2022 19:20 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY (KXAN) — The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help after the body of a 37-year-old man was found on the side of a highway east of Elgin.
  BCSO said Leslie Loving was found on April 1 on the side of U.S. Highway 290 just east of Elgin. Loving's death is currently being investigated, officials said.
  Anyone with information about what happened to Loving is asked to contact the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office at 512-549-5100.
  BCSO said Loving is survived
  
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• Battle between Chaparral Ice, The Crossover continues in bankruptcy court

  20-04-2022 18:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An ice rink operator and landlords in Cedar Park are at odds after the operator was locked out of the facility and had its lease terminated in February.Chaparral Ice, who operated the rink and fields at Cedar Park athletic facility The Crossover, posted a letter on its Facebook page accusing the facility's landlord of not letting them get their property off the grounds. The letter said the property is "worth millions of dollars," and they need to sell the property to "cover
  
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• Austin bulk, brush pickup to resume after months-long halt

  20-04-2022 18:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Large brush and bulk collection will resume in Austin in May after it stopped in February because of a staffing shortage.Austin Resource Recovery announced Wednesday it still needs more drivers, but decided in the meantime to hire contractors so the service can start back up May 2. ARR said COVID-19 and unfilled vacant positions led it to suspend the service temporarily on Feb. 21 so it could use those drivers to ensure trash, compost and recycling could still be picked up.
  
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• Texas transportation advocates protest TxDOT's TTC public comment process

  20-04-2022 17:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Four transportation advocacy organizations from across the state gathered in Austin on Wednesday to protest the Texas Department of Transportation's Texas Transportation Commission or TTC meeting's public comment process.
  Austin-based ReThink35 is fighting TXDOT's proposed expansion of I-35 through downtown. Instead of more lanes, the group wants to replace the highway with what they call a "vibrant urban boulevard."ReThink35 alongside Stop TxDOT I-45 from Houston, Activate
  
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• North Austin duplex catches fire Wednesday

  20-04-2022 16:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Six people are without a place to live after a fire burned a duplex Wednesday morning in north Austin.The Austin Fire Department tweeted about the fire at 6:12 a.m. and said a two-story duplex in the 8300 block of Nighthawk Court caught fire. That is about a block west of North Lamar Boulevard and intersects with Meadowlark Street.AFD said in an update that the cause of the fire was an electrical failure and it caused an estimated $125,000 in damage to the building and $50,
  
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• APD: Death of man Sunday now classified as homicide

  20-04-2022 16:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A suspicious death the Austin Police Department began investigating Sunday is now considered a homicide, APD said Wednesday.When APD initially responded to the 200 block of E. Milton St. in south Austin, investigators said they found a man with a gunshot wound and "obvious trauma to his body," lying in the road around 4:30 a.m. The scene was about two blocks east of South Congress Avenue. The man was pronounced dead shortly after police arrived. MAP: Where have Austin&rsquo
  
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• Austin breweries saving the planet one batch of sustainable beer at a time

  20-04-2022 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meteorologist Sean Kelly went out in search of local breweries in Austin that have sustainability at the forefront of their practices and decision-making.First up was Beerburg Brewery to speak with Trevor Nearburg. Trevor is the owner and brewmaster of the spot on Fitzhugh Road between Austin and Dripping Springs."I am a Texas native, I always grew up outside hiking. I am an Eagle Scout," Nearburg said. "Being around all of these plants brought a lot of happiness in my life
  
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• Warm, breezy and mainly dry pattern continues

  20-04-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Clouds have tried to break apart revealing some sunny breaks this afternoon, which will push temperatures into the mid to upper 80s today. Interactive radarA spotty sprinkle is possible this afternoon, but most of us stay dry and breezy today. Sustained winds out of the south will reach 15-25 mph with gusts reaching up to 30 mph.This pattern of "morning drizzle and clouds + drier afternoon wind with sun" will continue to play out over and over through the start of the weeke
  
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• Morning rain clears to gusty winds, warm temps

  20-04-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Morning drizzle will make for a wet start to our Wednesday, but the rain gear will likely not be needed all day. Interactive radarScattered light rain is possible through late morning before drier skies, warmer temps (mid-80s) and gusty winds return for the afternoon. Sustained winds out of the south will reach 15-25 mph with gusts reaching up to 30 mph.This pattern of "morning drizzle + drier afternoon wind" will continue to play out over and over through the start of the
  
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• Meaningful rain looking more likely Sunday - Monday

  20-04-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Clouds have tried to break apart revealing some sunny breaks this afternoon, which will push temperatures into the middle 80s today. Interactive radarA spotty sprinkle is possible this afternoon, but most of us stay dry and breezy today. Sustained winds out of the south will reach 15-25 mph with gusts reaching up to 30 mph.Tonight low clouds will make a return to the area, especially overnight. It'll be a mild night with temperatures dropping down to near 70 by daybreak Thu
  
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• Local first responders to be trained on "Fire as a Weapon"events

  20-04-2022 11:27 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS (KXAN) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given a grant to the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) center at Texas State University. ALERRT and the National Fire Protection Association will train first responders to Fire as a Weapon (FAAW) events.
  ALERRT says FAAW is the use of fire, smoke or flammable materials to confuse fire and police when they respond to an incident. The group says such materials were used during the 1993 Branch Davidian standoff
  
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• Local first responders to be trained on 'Fire as a Weapon' events

  20-04-2022 11:27 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given a grant to the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University. ALERRT and the National Fire Protection Association will train first responders to Fire as a Weapon (FAAW) events.
  ALERRT says FAAW is the use of fire, smoke or flammable materials to confuse fire and police when they respond to an incident. The group says such materials were used during the 1993 Branch Davidian s
  
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• Buc-ee's closer to expanding Caldwell County location

  20-04-2022 11:26 via kxan.com
  
  LULING, Texas (KXAN) -- The Texas travel center chain Buc-ee's appears to be on the verge of expansion in a county southeast of Austin.
  The Caldwell County Commissioners Court on April 12 approved a 381 agreement with Buc-ee's. The agreement would involve the company staying in Caldwell County and building a larger store. County Judge Hoppy Haden mentioned the agreement involved a rebate, but did not go into details.
  The Comptroller's Office says a 381 agreement "allows counties to provide incen
  
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• Police looking for missing San Antonio man

  20-04-2022 11:24 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) -- Police in San Antonio are looking for a man early Wednesday morning. The Texas Clear Alert Network issued a CLEAR Alert for Alexander Moreno, 27.Police say Moreno is 5-feet, 9-inches tall, weighs 120 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a tie-dye colored shirt, black shorts and a pair of black tennis shoes with a red outline on them.Moreno was last seen around 8 p.m. Tuesday in the San Antonio Creekside neighborhood on the west side of the city.
  
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• Concert safety consultant dings Texas task force report as 'superficial'

  20-04-2022 05:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Five months after the Astroworld Festival tragedy, the final report from Gov. Greg Abbott's Texas Task Force on Concert Safety was released Tuesday — and a concert safety consultant doesn't believe it goes nearly far enough.
  The nine-page report (seven pages without the cover and table of contents) lays out recommendations to keep concertgoers safe and prevent another crowd surge like the one that killed 10 people and injured hundreds at last November's festival in Ho
  
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• Construction starts on East Yager Lane to make it safer for walkers, bicyclists

  20-04-2022 04:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Construction began Tuesday along a one-mile stretch of East Yager Lane in northeast Austin to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
  The area set to be improved is between Natures Bend and Jourdan Crossing Boulevard, where several churches and schools can be found. Here's what the project will add:A new 8-10 ft. shared-use path on the south side of East Yager LaneCrossing improvements at five intersections (which include ADA ramps, curb extensions and crossing island
  
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• Austin FC heads to San Antonio for US Open Cup competition

  20-04-2022 03:08 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) — Austin FC will get its first taste of action in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Wednesday in a total Texas showdown.Austin heads to San Antonio for a third-round cup matchup, riding a high after back-to-back MLS wins. The club's most recent win included a furious rally Saturday night to defeat D.C. United. Verde trailed D.C. 2-0 with 10 minutes left in the second half before scoring three straight goals for the three points. Austin FC mounts massive comeback in closing mi
  
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• Texas researchers find mutation in Zika virus that could launch outbreak

  20-04-2022 02:50 via kxan.com
  
  GALVESTON, Texas (KXAN) — Researchers in Texas have found a single mutation in the Zika virus, which they said could lead to a "major outbreak."
  Researchers with the University of Texas Medical Branch and La Jolla Institute for Immunology led a study together and made the discovery, according to university officials.
  The study said with this single mutation, the "already rapidly evolving Zika virus" could bypass existing immunity.Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still neededThe
  
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• Proposed VMU changes exchange taller buildings for added affordable housing

  20-04-2022 02:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  Although there are more housing developments popping up all over Austin, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee they will be affordable.This week, Austin City Council will decide on a new tier for its vertical mixed-use (VMU) program.Nowadays, any resident making 80% or less of the median family income in Austin — $98,900 — can qualify for affordable housing. Austin pilot program to give struggling residents $1,000 per monthOn average, what's defined as "a
  
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• 2 taken to hospital after separate motorcycle crashes Tuesday

  20-04-2022 02:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS responded to two crashes involving motorcycles during Tuesday's afternoon rush hour, according to ATCEMS' Twitter.An adult was taken to Dell Seton Medical Center by STAR Flight with critical, life-threatening injuries after a motorcycle and vehicle crashed at Bradshaw Road and River Plantation Drive in southeastern Travis County, ATCEMS said.Medics responded to the crash around 4:54 p.m. Tuesday, ATCEMS said.Approximately 10 minutes later, an east A
  
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• Bill Miller Bar-B-Q raises minimum wage to $15/hour for Austin employees

  20-04-2022 01:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some Bill Miller Bar-B-Q employees in Austin will soon see an increase in their hourly wage.
  The San Antonio-founded barbecue company announced on Tuesday that it was increasing its minimum wage to $15 and hour at its Austin locations.10 companies that pay workers $15 an hour or more“Our Austin market is an extension of our San Antonio family. We are eager to build working relationships with potential employees who are looking to grow a career with Bill Miller to serv
  
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• VIDEO: Park ranger 'slams' park manager into ground during water access disagreement

  20-04-2022 00:55 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Jan Barstow says her family has run the privately-owned Windy Point Park for almost 50 years.She says a park ranger "body-slammed" her after a disagreement over access to easements and boat launches on Lake Travis.Jan Barstow, the manager at Windy Point, says she had to get stitches after the confrontation."I just went face first into the hard ground," said Barstow.Windy Point is right next to the county-owned Bob Wentz Park. Barstow says patrons at Windy Poin
  
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• Park ranger 'slams' park manager into ground during water access disagreement

  20-04-2022 00:55 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Jan Barstow says her family has run the privately-owned Windy Point Park for almost 50 years.She says a park ranger "body-slammed" her after a disagreement over access to easements and boat launches on Lake Travis.Jan Barstow, the manager at Windy Point, says she had to get stitches after the confrontation."I just went face first into the hard ground," said Barstow.Windy Point is right next to the county-owned Bob Wentz Park. Barstow says patrons at Windy Poin
  
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• Former state Sen. Wendy Davis challenges Texas abortion law in court

  20-04-2022 00:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, best known for her 13-hour filibuster of a 2013 abortion bill, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Texas’ recent abortion law. The suit claims the law is “blatantly unconstitutional” and written to “make a mockery of the federal courts.”The law, which went into effect in September and empowers private citizens to bring civil lawsuits against anyone who “aids or abets”
  
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• Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed

  20-04-2022 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  (AP) - The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary.In a statement released a day after a Florida judge ended the sweeping mandate, which required face coverings on planes and trains and in transit hubs, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said officials believe that the fede
  
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• Number of daily COVID-19 deaths in Texas drops to lowest level since April 2020

  20-04-2022 00:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The average number of Texans dying each day from COVID-19 has dropped to the lowest total since the early stages of the pandemic.As of Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting an average of 16.7 deaths per day. That's the lowest seven-day average since April 7, 2020.At that time, Texas has reported a total of 154 COVID-19 deaths. As of Tuesday, the death toll in the state is 86,396.DSHS identifies COVID-19 deaths using the cause of death listed on
  
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• Welcome light rain showers overnight

  20-04-2022 00:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A few brief, light rain showers are expected through the overnight hours as a weak disturbance passes overhead. Rain amounts will not be heavy, but parts of the Hill Country have recorded 0.01-0.10" -- their first measurable rain all month. Interactive radarThe cloudy skies that came from this small storm system led to Austin's coolest day in nearly a month, with highs Tuesday at Camp Mabry only reaching 71 degrees.As this disturbance exits tomorrow, mainly dry and windy we
  
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