Austin news

• Drought drains greenbelt swimming holes, but springs may still provide

  13-05-2022 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Swimming holes are a summer tradition for some, but one that might be hard to find in Austin.Two iconic swimming holes on the Barton Creek Greenbelt are Campbell's Hole and Twin Falls. Both of these are currently dry, likely caused by a lack of rain in central Texas. Strongest May La Niña since 2000: What does this mean for our summer weather?The dried-up riverbeds now provide plenty of spots for small reptiles to sun themselves, an important part of their biology. B
  
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• Austin's The Driskill hotel sold to Dallas firm

  13-05-2022 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  (Austin Business Journal) — Hyatt Hotels Corp. has sold The Driskill, the grande dame of downtown Austin's hotel scene, as it moves forward with a plan to shed $2 billion worth of properties — although it will still manage the hotel that dates back to 1886.The Chicago-based company closed the $125 million sale on April 28, it said in its latest quarterly earnings reported, released May 10. CultureMap reported the buyer was Dallas-based Woodbine Development Corp. Financ
  
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• Body found in Round Rock, police investigating

  13-05-2022 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The Round Rock Police Department is investigating after a body was found near the intersection of Gattis School Road and Red Bud Lane, RRPD said.The person was pronounced dead at the scene. Police told KXAN investigators haven't determined if the death is suspicious.RRPD responded around 1:05 p.m. Friday. The investigation is ongoing.This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
  
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• Body found in Round Rock, death not considered suspicious

  13-05-2022 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — The Round Rock Police Department is investigating after a body was found near the intersection of Gattis School Road and Red Bud Lane Friday afternoon, RRPD said.The person was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the death is non-suspicious at this time.RRPD responded around 1:05 p.m. Friday. The investigation is ongoing.
  
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• Voter Guide: What you need to know ahead of the Texas primary runoffs

  13-05-2022 22:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In less than two weeks, we will know the full list of who will represent each party in the November general election. Runoffs in several federal, state and local races will take place on May 24. Here's what you need to know before heading to the polls.What am I going to see on my ballot?
  Texas is an open primary states which means you don't have to be a registered party member to vote in that party's primary. There is an important point to note if you voted in the initial p
  
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• LIVE: Voter Guide: What you need to know ahead of the Texas primary runoffs

  13-05-2022 22:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In less than two weeks, we will know the full list of who will represent each party in the November general election. Runoffs in several federal, state and local races will take place on May 24. Here's what you need to know before heading to the polls.What am I going to see on my ballot?
  Texas is an open primary states which means you don't have to be a registered party member to vote in that party's primary. There is an important point to note if you voted in the initial p
  
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• Who's paying for security at Trump's Austin tour stop?

  13-05-2022 21:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former President Donald Trump is rolling his American Freedom Tour into the Austin Convention Center Saturday and — as one would imagine — security will be tighter than your average comic book convention."As a former President, the event will have enhanced security protocols," a spokesperson with the city's Convention Center Department told KXAN.The department said while its own security and safety team would lend support, security would ultimately be up to the
  
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• Fire under control in south Austin

  13-05-2022 21:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A fire involving multiple tents, temporary structures and debris in south Austin is under control.The Austin Fire Department (AFD) said there were multiple units at the scene near the 8500 block of the South Interstate 35 frontage road Friday afternoon. The fire was 200 to 300 feet back from the road in a wooded area, AFD said.AFD estimates the fire was a quarter of an acre in size.Photo: Austin Fire DepartmentPhoto: Austin Fire DepartmentA lane was blocked on the frontage
  
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• Fire burning in south Austin woods Friday afternoon

  13-05-2022 21:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefighters are responding to a fire involving multiple tents, temporary structures and debris in south Austin Friday afternoon.The Austin Fire Department (AFD) said there are multiple units at the scene near the 8500 block of the South Interstate 35 frontage road. The fire is 200 to 300 feet back from the road in a wooded area, AFD said.AFD estimates the fire is a quarter of an acre in size.There are no road closures at this time, but a lane is blocked as fire trucks make
  
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• How Texans helped produce first image of Milky Way's black hole

  13-05-2022 21:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This week, Texans at different universities helped people across the world get a glimpse of the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.The fuzzy image of Sagittarius A* was released Thursday from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a collection of eight synchronized radio telescopes from around the world.MORE: See first image of Milky Way’s huge black holeThe research of the black hole was supported by the Frontera supercomputer at the University
  
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• Texas superintendent testifies in assault case involving student with autism

  13-05-2022 20:13 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) – The jury could begin deliberating Friday on whether a Texas special education director should be charged with assaulting a non-verbal student with severe autism and lying out about it on government paperwork.Dr. Stacie Koerth, along with colleague Karen Perez the principal of Hutto High School, are all charged in connection to the 2018 incident.Court records allege Koerth and Perez forced a non-verbal 17-year-old student with severe autism into a Dickies jumpsuit, put
  
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• You can stream the 2022, 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival on Hulu

  13-05-2022 19:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three of the country's biggest music festivals just became more accessible to music lovers.
  Hulu announced Thursday it will stream the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza in both 2022 and 2023. All three events are put on by C3 Presents. Red Hot Chili Peppers, P!nk, Lil Nas X to headline ACL Festival 2022The streaming platform said after its success with streaming Lollapalooza last year, it wanted to continue its partnership with Live Nation.
  Select
  
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• 'Bring back my parents': Ashes stolen from Austin front yard

  13-05-2022 19:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Have you ever gotten an email with the subject line, "kidnapped grandparents"? That's an email KXAN got to our ReportIt tip line this week, but the explanation in the body of the email was not exactly as the subject line announced.We would use the word stolen. Let us explain.
  Gail Hines had a series of what are called "gazing balls" in her front yard for a decade. Nobody tried to steal those yard decorations for years.
  So when Garrett Hines' grandparents, Gail's parents, pa
  
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• Is your pet's vet safe? Backlogged Texas cases may make it hard to know

  13-05-2022 18:01 via kxan.com
  
  Investigative Summary:The state agency tasked with regulating Texas veterinarians receives hundreds of complaints a year about its licensees, according to agency logs. KXAN takes a closer look at why only a few hundred licensees have been disciplined over the last five years, and why the agency reports hundreds of ongoing cases tied up in its legal department — awaiting next steps.
  =">Read Part 1: Want to look up your pet’s vet? Some Texas records may be missing online
  AUSTIN (KX
  
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• Texas Supreme Court allows abuse investigations into families of trans kids to continue

  13-05-2022 17:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' highest court on Friday reversed an injunction blocking child abuse investigations into families providing gender-affirming care to their kids across the state.
  The Texas Supreme Court issued the opinion Friday, granting partial relief.
  This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott in February directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate families of transgender children, saying some transition-related care constitutes child abuse.
  Parents of a t
  
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• Pflugerville chooses new provider for EMS services

  13-05-2022 16:37 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — On Tuesday, Pflugerville City Council chose to move forward with Travis County ESD No. 2 as its provider for emergency medical services.
  This allows the city manager to enter into contract negotiations with the agency. Details of the contract, including service expectations, price and when the transition will take place, will circle back to council members for approval in the future.
  This comes after the city terminated its contract with Acadian Ambul
  
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• Man, woman from Austin area dead after May 7 crash in Guadalupe County

  13-05-2022 15:58 via kxan.com
  
  GUADALUPE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Round Rock man and an Austin woman died May 7 after a crash in Guadalupe County, according to Texas Highway Patrol.
  They were identified as Christopher Commiato and Crystal Commiato-Martinez. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, the agency said.
  Troopers responded to the crash on State Highway 123 near mile marker 500 just before 8:30 a.m. that day.
  After investigating, they determined Christopher, who had been driving a 2020 Nissan Rogue south, veered
  
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• 'This data was alarming and disturbing': Why over a 100K nurses left their job last year

  13-05-2022 15:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Nurses hope their message has a long-lasting impact as National Nurses Week ends.“What we really need to be doing is making sure that the employers, policy makers and schools of nursing are supporting nurses every day in the job they are doing,” said Michelle Larkin, a former nurse advocating for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Austin rally challenges nurse-to-patient ratiosThe RWJF is the country’s largest philanthropy dedicated to health.
  Larkin said
  
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• One-on-one: KXAN sits down with CapMetro CEO Randy Clarke, discusses transit agency future

  13-05-2022 15:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Earlier this week, Capital Metro announced its CEO, Randy Clarke, is leaving after four years at the public transit agency. Clarke is going to Washington, D.C. to lead the nation's capital transit agency."A little bittersweet this week," Clarke said. "I mean, the city and region have been fantastic to my family, and I love this organization, love this team, got a great board, great community support. But I happen to have this amazing, unique opportunity to go to the nation'
  
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• WNBA star, Texan Brittney Griner's detention in Moscow extended for 1 month

  13-05-2022 15:04 via kxan.com
  
  MOSCOW (AP) — The lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner said Friday her pre-trial detention in Russia has been extended by one month.Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boikov told The Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon. EXPLAINER: WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in RussiaGriner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former Baylor Lady Bear, was detained at the Moscow airport after vape cartridges c
  
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• 1 dead after crash along Ben White Blvd. in southeast Austin

  13-05-2022 15:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person is dead after an overnight crash in southeast Austin, police said.
  The crash happened around 1:23 a.m., officers said, and took place in the 5700 block of East Ben White Blvd. eastbound. That's near Comsouth Drive.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said its crews took one person from the scene to the hospital.
  The road is back open now.No further details were available.
  
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• Crash causes delays on northbound I-35 in Buda

  13-05-2022 14:29 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Some northbound lanes on Interstate 35 in Buda are closed Friday morning due to a major accident, according to the Hays County Sheriff's Office.The rollover crash is near Robert S Light Boulevard.
  While two lanes have reopened, one lane and the right shoulder are blocked.
  The Buda Police Department is on scene. The highway should reopen soon, HCSO said.This is a developing story; stick with KXAN for updates.
  
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• Study shows which state is 'America's unluckiest'

  13-05-2022 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you're planning a trip to West Virginia anytime soon, we have some tips for you. Don't break any mirrors, avoid black cats, and definitely don't travel today, Friday the 13th.Why? West Virginia was named the unluckiest state in the nation, according to a report by TopUSCasinos.com.The casino news and review site ranked each state based on a number of factors to determine which was America's unluckiest.West Virginia ranked last, with an unlucky score of 75.08 out of a pos
  
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• VIDEO: Hawk family caught nesting above Texas highway

  13-05-2022 13:47 via kxan.com
  
  IRVING, Texas (KXAN) — People got an intimate look at a new family of red-tailed hawks nesting way above an Irving-area highway this week.The hawks and fledglings were recorded on a live feed from a Texas Department of Transportation camera stationed at State Highway 114 at Rochelle Boulevard.
  This isn't the first time the camera has hosted a hawk family — it's been happening since at least 2016, NBC5 in Dallas reports.What is the ‘Monarch Highway’?All About Birds says pa
  
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• City memo: Curbside improvements coming to Austin airport

  13-05-2022 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officials at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport want to make it easier for you to pick up and drop off visitors.Right now, you can only pickup and drop off visitors at the curb.According to a Thursday memo from the City of Austin Aviation Department to city council, the department has Ground Transportation Centers (GTC) on the first-floor short-term parking area. Those allow rideshare drivers and taxicabs to handle fares without bothering other drivers. ‘Messy&rsq
  
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• Wildfire burns 1,500 acres in San Saba County

  13-05-2022 11:04 via kxan.com
  
  SAN SABA COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Fire crews will work Friday morning to try to contain a wildfire burning in rural San Saba County. According to a 10:40 p.m. Thursday tweet from the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Mayfield Fire has already burned 1,500 acres and is only 25% contained.
  The service said aviation and additional resources were ordered to assist the fire fight Friday morning with crews working overnight.The fire is in a rural area in the far southwest corner of the county, nor
  
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• Wildfire burning out of control in San Saba County

  13-05-2022 11:04 via kxan.com
  
  SAN SABA COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Fire crews will work Friday morning to try to contain a wildfire burning in rural San Saba County. According to an 10:40 p.m. Thursday tweet from the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Mayfield Fire has already burned 1,500 acres and is only 20% contained.
  The service says aviation and additional resources were ordered to assist the fire fight Friday morning with crews working overnight.The fire was 0% contained as of 7:55 p.m.
  The fire is in a rural area in the f
  
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• Texas Longhorns softball crushes Texas Tech in Big 12 tournament opener

  13-05-2022 05:13 via kxan.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns softball team opened the Big 12 Conference tournament in style Thursday with a 9-1 run-rule win in five innings over Texas Tech at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.Texas scored seven runs in the third inning to turn a 1-0 lead to 8-0 behind a three-run home run from freshman outfielder Katie Cimusz. Janae Jefferson extended her career-long streak of consecutive games reaching base to 21 with a pair of hits and Mia Scott also had two hits.H
  
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• Houston Texans 2022 schedule: Opener vs. Indy, no network primetime games

  13-05-2022 04:16 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (KXAN) — The Houston Texans unloaded embroiled quarterback Deshaun Watson in a trade to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, and in Week 13, they could meet again.The Texans are hoping to bounce back from a 4-13 2021 season and are going all-in on second-year quarterback Davis Mills in hopes he can help improve an offense that ranked No. 30 last year. He'll need some help, however, as the Texans were the worst rushing team in the NFL last season, running for just 1,422 yards.Lov
  
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• Man charged with murder in deadly Buda shooting

  13-05-2022 03:06 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A 25-year-old man has been arrested on multiple counts, including first-degree murder, after a shooting in Buda in April, according to the Hays County Sheriff's Office.HCSO said Esbin Santiago Gomez, a 19-year-old from Guatemala, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the 2900 block of Main Street on April 25.Detectives linked William Rojas, 25, to the shooting, HCSO said.Rojas is charged with murder, two counts of tampering with evidence/human corpse an
  
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• Dallas Cowboys 2022 schedule: Opener vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers again, Thanksgiving vs. New York Giants

  13-05-2022 02:37 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (KXAN) — The Dallas Cowboys will open the 2022 NFL season on KXAN.The National Football League released all the schedules for its 32 teams Thursday, and the Cowboys will host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 7:20 p.m., Sept. 11, as the Sunday Night Football game on KXAN/NBC. How did the Cowboys do in the 2022 NFL Draft?Dallas opened the 2021 season against the Bucs as the league's first game on Thursday night. While up 29-28 late in the game, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady di
  
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• Austin vying to host Rugby World Cup matches

  13-05-2022 02:20 via kxan.com
  
  (Austin Business Journal) — The 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup may be in Austin's future.The Ireland-based World Rugby Council, which oversees the games, on May 12 chose the United States as host nation for the games.This is the first time a Men’s Rugby World Cup will be held in North or South America, "as a new hosting concept is put in place as the U.S. stages consecutive men’s and women’s events within the same organizationa
  
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• Rent in these Central Texas cities is rising faster than Austin rent

  13-05-2022 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City leaders and developers cheered as they cut the ribbon for Vi Collina Apartments on Thursday, signifying the grand opening of an affordable housing complex at a time when rents are increasing at historic rates.
  The 170-unit complex in the East Riverside neighborhood off of Oltorf Street was built in partnership with the City of Austin.
  All units are affordable to families making 30% to 80% of the median family income in the Austin Metro area. For a family of four, that
  
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• Rent in some Central Texas cities is rising faster than Austin's

  13-05-2022 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City leaders and developers cheered as they cut the ribbon for Vi Collina Apartments on Thursday, signifying the grand opening of an affordable housing complex at a time when rents are increasing at historic rates.
  The 170-unit complex in the East Riverside neighborhood off of Oltorf Street was built in partnership with the City of Austin. Which Austin neighborhood has had the largest rent increase?All units are affordable to families making 30% to 80% of the median family
  
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• Rent in some Central Texas cities is rising faster than Austin rent

  13-05-2022 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — City leaders and developers cheered as they cut the ribbon for Vi Collina Apartments on Thursday, signifying the grand opening of an affordable housing complex at a time when rents are increasing at historic rates.
  The 170-unit complex in the East Riverside neighborhood off of Oltorf Street was built in partnership with the City of Austin. Which Austin neighborhood has had the largest rent increase?All units are affordable to families making 30% to 80% of the median family
  
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• Lawsuit claims Bastrop County deputies 'tortured,' murdered unarmed man

  13-05-2022 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A Central Texas family is suing the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office and several other law enforcement officers, accusing them of using their "batons and TASERS to beat and torture" a man, tying him up to a horse and dragging him, then covering up the details, according to a lawsuit.
  The excessive force civil lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, lists six Bastrop County deputies as defendants, along with a Texas Department of Public Safety officer and three officers from t
  
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• Texas governor under fire after calling feds 'reckless' for giving migrant babies formula amid U.S. shortage

  13-05-2022 00:57 via kxan.com
  
  McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday criticized the Biden administration for providing baby formula to migrant children in holding facilities amid a nationwide shortage.The comments came as President Joe Biden spoke with CEOs from baby formula companies on Thursday to hasten to get more baby formula supplies on shelves nationwide and limit restrictions, senior administration officials said.Thousands of Haitian migrants arrive in Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo
  
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• Austin rally challenges nurse-to-patient ratios

  13-05-2022 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the U.S. marked 1 million lives lost to COVID-19 on Thursday, demonstrating nurses at the Texas Capitol told KXAN the nurse-to-patient ratio hasn't improved much in the nearly eight months since the Austin area saw its peak in ICU hospitalizations."As nurses, we are here to take care of people," said Amanda Rose. "And when we are being forced to take more patients than what is safe, the patients suffer, patient mortality goes up, and the nurses, themselves, get burnt out
  
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• APD finds gun in charter school Tuesday after Snapchat post surfaces

  13-05-2022 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two students at an Austin charter school were arrested after both were found in possession of a gun leading to a school lockdown Tuesday, according to an Austin Police Department affidavit.The affidavit said one of the students posted a photo of him holding the gun at KIPP Austin Collegiate, located at 8004 Cameron Road, on his Snapchat account. The student was identified as a 17-year-old boy, and he faces a third-degree felony charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm on sch
  
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• Silver Alert: Texas man missing from Fayette County

  13-05-2022 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Fayette County Sheriff's Office is searching for a 74-year-old man Thursday. A Silver Alert has been issued for Allen Campbell. He has been diagnosed with a cognitive impairment, FCSO said.Campbell was last seen around 10 p.m. Wednesday in a black 2009 Ford F-150 with an extended cab with the Texas license plate HHM0161. He was seen in the 1000 block of Camp Lonestar Road in La Grange, FCSO said.Campbell is described by FCSO as a white man, standing 6-fee
  
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• Austin Goodwill's Roman bust find now a field trip opportunity for art students

  13-05-2022 00:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Who would've thought a $35 bust found at an Austin Goodwill would be the source of art student field trips?That's the case for the San Antonio Museum of Art's latest installment, a piece of artwork purchased from an Austin Goodwill Store by resident Laura Young that was later discovered to be a first century A.D. piece of Roman artwork. ICYMI: How did an ancient Roman bust land in an Austin Goodwill store?The history of the bust and its arrival in Austin remain speculative,
  
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