Austin news

• VIDEO: Central Texas police officer takes in abandoned wildlife

  04-06-2022 23:46 via kxan.com
  
  NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — We're not going to waste your time with a bunch of text, we just wanted you to see this adorable video of a New Braunfels police officer holding a baby deer and racoon after the two were abandoned in the wild:The PD posted the video on the city's TikTok explaining that the fawn was rescued after its mother was hit by a car and the raccoon was rescued by animal welfare officers after it was abandoned by its mother.
  That's where Officer Flugrath comes in. He has
  
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• Texas school shooting: 9-year-old victim discharged from hospital

  04-06-2022 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — University Health System in San Antonio said one of the victims of the Texas school shooting has been released from the hospital. She is 9 years old.
  The hospital also released the conditions of the two other patients they received from Uvalde: One a 66-year-old woman, the shooters grandmother, who is in good condition, and the other a 10-year-old girl who is still in serious condition, they posted.Nineteen young students and two teachers died in that mass shooting after an
  
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• Texas school shooting: 9-year-old discharged from hospital

  04-06-2022 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — University Health System in San Antonio said one of the victims of the Texas school shooting has been released from the hospital. She is 9 years old.
  The hospital also released the conditions of the two other patients they received from Uvalde: One a 66-year-old woman, the shooters grandmother, who is in good condition, and the other a 10-year-old girl who is still in serious condition, they posted.Nineteen young students and two teachers died in that mass shooting after an
  
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• Man sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to 2020 south Austin murder

  04-06-2022 22:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man pled guilty to a 2020 murder in south Austin and was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday, according to the court.
  Christopher Cate pled guilty to the April 2020 murder of Sandra Jo Vollette, 60. According to the arrest affidavit, Vollette was stabbed 17 times. PREVIOUS: Man saying he’s 2nd coming of Christ stabs and kills 60-year-old woman in south AustinAt the time, Austin police said they found Vollette dead with “penetrating wounds” in
  
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• Austin riders forget more stuff in Ubers than people in any other city, report

  04-06-2022 21:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For the second year in a row, a report from Uber showed Austin is the most "forgetful city" in the US, leaving behind items in vehicles at higher rates than anyone else in the country. Go us!The ride share company comes out with an Uber Lost & Found Index every year, breaking down cities and days when people are leaving stuff behind in Ubers, and reporting it. They also break down some of the weirdest items that people asked to have returned."Phones, wallets and keys topped
  
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• WEEKEND READ: Austin restaurant tops list of best places to eat, other good news for your weekend

  04-06-2022 21:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It was undeniably another very heavy week in Texas. If you would like to find ways you can donate or help the victims of the shooting in Uvalde, we have resources to do that here. We also have a running list of everything we know here.
  Paper Route Bakery on Yelp’s 100 places to eat in Texas (Photo/Paper Route Bakery on Yelp)That said, you might have missed some of the good, positive things we reported on and that's where we focus this weekend's weekend read.
  Austin restaur
  
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• HAAM Battle of the Bands raises record-breaking amount

  04-06-2022 20:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin businesses participated in a Battle of the Bands and raised more than $227,000 Thursday for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, a local nonprofit.Seven bands from local businesses performed live at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, and according to HAAM, the 2022 Corporate Battle of the Bands drew in a crowd of more than 1,200 attendees.According to the HAAM website, the bands aim to impress a panel of celebrity and music industry judges. The panel decides which b
  
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• ERCOT demonstrates communication improvements with notification tests

  04-06-2022 20:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas tested its automated emergency notification system.The test was an example of how ERCOT has worked to improve communications since the 2021 Texas power crisis after more than 200 Texans died when the power grid failed amid a winter storm. Millions of Texans were without power, heat and running water during the storm.
  Included in the hour-long notification test were temporary changes and notifications to ERCOT’s we
  
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• 45th, Lamar location becomes first Texas Starbucks to unionize

  04-06-2022 18:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One Austin Starbucks location has become the first Texas Starbucks to unionize.
  Employees of the store at 45th Street and Lamar officially voted to unionize Friday, the group announced on Twitter.
  45th and Lamar is officially the first Unionized Starbucks store in the state of Texas! Thank you so much to everyone for all the support through our campaign. 🤠✊— 45th & Lamar Starbucks Workers United (@sbwuatx45lamar) June 3, 2022
  The employees filed to j
  
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• Lightning strike causes attic fire in north Austin early Saturday

  04-06-2022 15:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A lightning strike caused a fire at a north Austin home Saturday during morning thunderstorms.
  The Austin Fire Department responded to the fire around 7:40 a.m. and extinguished the fire. The single-family home was in the 13300 block of Lamplight Village Avenue.
  AFD said this was the only lightning-caused fire reported Saturday morning.
  
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• APA! provides tips to keep pets safe amid rising temperatures

  04-06-2022 15:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With rising temperatures and some even peaking over 100 degrees this coming week, Austin Pets Alive! provided tips for dog owners to remember.APA! reminds owners that hot sidewalks and pavement can burn the pads of a dog’s paws, and if a dog is left outside in extreme heat, it can easily get heat stroke.To avoid injuring the dog's paw pads, check the pavement before going on a walk. The shelter recommended placing a hand on the pavement for 10 full seconds.&ldquo
  
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• Texas ranks second for dog attacks on USPS postal workers

  04-06-2022 13:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas ranks second nationwide for the most dog attacks on U.S. Postal Service workers last year.A total of 368 attacks were reported statewide in 2021. Only California reported more, with 656 attacks.Nationwide, more than 5,400 postal workers were attacked by dogs last year.
  Now, the USPS is reminding dog owners to be responsible as part of its annual National Dog Bite Awareness Week campaign.This year's campaign runs from June 5 through June 11. The theme? "The USPS Delive
  
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• Texas restaurants desperate for staff despite rising wages

  04-06-2022 04:52 via kxan.com
  
  Austin (KXAN) — New numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs report show the United States has added 390,000 jobs in May, which is the 17th monthly gain in a row. With all of that job growth comes the need for workers, but the Central Texas restaurant industry is still in a desperate search for staff. Over at The County Line, the flow of customers is steady and so is the work for everyone on their team. "Our business is coming back and that's how you get your emp
  
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• Republicans say gun restrictions don't prevent deaths: How Texas compares to California

  04-06-2022 03:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The day after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Gov. Greg Abbott said gun restrictions are not “real solutions.” "People who think that maybe we can just implement tougher gun laws, it’s gonna solve it. Chicago and LA and New York disprove that thesis," Abbott said at a May 25 press conference in Uvalde.California has become a frequent foe of conservatives when pointing to gun control as ineffective mea
  
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• Austin provides resources in response to baby formula shortage

  04-06-2022 02:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. families have faced a scarcity of baby formula in recent months due to both long-term supply disruptions and unsanitary conditions that forced an Abbott Industries plant to close in February.The City of Austin partnered with organizations, facilitated by the Community Resilience Trust, to share information on the shortage and direct families to resources, according to a press release. Small baby formula shipment comes to Austin — how it will be distributedCRT, Ma
  
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• Security group offering free school consultations, labor following Uvalde shooting

  04-06-2022 02:46 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KXAN) — The tragedy in Uvalde has weighed heavy on the CEO of San Antonio-based BPS Security."Very saddening," said Glen Bhimani.Search warrants: What authorities found inside Uvalde shooter’s home, truckThe company wants to offer free help to schools and districts
  "We want to offer free help in regards to a security inspection, so we know where they're lacking in security -- whether its people or technology," Bhimani said. "And we're offering free labor to the sc
  
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• Hear from officer who trained Uvalde school police in 2020

  04-06-2022 02:46 via kxan.com
  
  UVALDE Texas (KXAN) — The Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers has thrust the topics of school resource officer training and campus security back into the spotlight.
  "If you hear gunshots, that's the potential that people are dying," said Richard Bryan, a law enforcement training instructor who conducted a state-mandated active shooter training session for Uvalde CISD police in 2020. He couldn't comment on the response to the shooting itself, but provided insight
  
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• Court monitors call for investigation into 'problem' of child runaways from Bastrop facility

  04-06-2022 02:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A group of court monitors appointed to oversee the Texas foster care system are now calling for an investigation into what appears to be a "systemic problem" of runaway children from a facility housing underage girls in Bastrop.Leadership for The Refuge for DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking) said they were "grateful that the court monitors are shining a light on the challenge of runaways" to help people understand.
  Authorities were already investigating The Refuge, after repo
  
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• "What I always wanted Pride to be:" Queerbomb Austin returns after pandemic pause

  04-06-2022 01:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — LGBTQ+ Pride Month arose out of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising and the struggle for gay and transgender rights in the U.S., but acceptance also led to commercialization. Now, major corporations change to rainbow logos for a month while also supporting anti-gay and anti-transgender politicians during the rest of the year.
  This is why Queerbomb exists. The radical alternative Pride event returns Saturday at the Native Hostel (807 E 4th St.) for its 12th non-consecutive year. It
  
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• Austin dog becomes first to walk around the world

  04-06-2022 01:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin dog finished her seven-year trek around the globe alongside her best friend, Tom Turcich.Motivated to make the most of his life after the passing of a close friend, Turcich set off on a 25,000-mile walk across the world in 2015. The New Jersey resident started out alone, but soon realized he needed more protection while camping in unknown areas around the globe, an Austin Pets Alive! spokesperson told KXAN. San Antonio teen wins, makes history at Scripps National
  
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• Vanessa Guillen's family fighting to end 'Dead Suspect Loophole'

  04-06-2022 01:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The family of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen is still fighting for answers — a fight made harder by Texas' so-called "Dead Suspect Loophole." It's the same loophole transparency advocates worry could be used to block the release of records in Uvalde.
  "It has been a long two years," said Mayra Guillen, in an exclusive interview. "I'm very hesitant to accept what happened. For me, it's like she's still out there deployed somewhere and I'm waiting for that day when she's
  
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• 'Guess what? You need surgery' — Austin ER doctor blasts e-scooters in speech

  04-06-2022 00:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Scrapes, sprains, fractures, and head injuries. Emergency room doctor Nick Steinour says he sees them all following accidents involving the thousands of electric scooters zipping around Austin streets.
  In a conference room filled with dozens of his medical colleagues, Dr. Steinour delivered a presentation Friday titled, "Abolish E-Scooters: These things are dangerous!" as part of the 2022 Austin Trauma & Critical Care Conference.ALSO: Scooter rider hit, killed in south
  
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• Officials, family speak after 5 killed amid Texas inmate hunt

  04-06-2022 00:17 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) – Officials and the extended family of a Texas family of five killed Thursday in Leon County spoke Friday n Houston. Law enforcement believed the man responsible for the killings was an escaped convict.Texas capital murder inmate Gonzalo Lopez, 46, escaped from a prison transport bus May 12. Lopez was on the bus with 15 other inmates and two guards on their way from Gatesville to Huntsville, Texas, when he got free from his restraints and assaulted the guards. MORE: Escaped
  
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• Family speaks after 5 killed amid Texas inmate hunt

  04-06-2022 00:17 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) – The extended family of a Texas family of five killed Thursday in Leon County spoke Friday at a church in Houston. Law enforcement believed the man responsible for the killings was an escaped convict.Texas capital murder inmate Gonzalo Lopez, 46, escaped from a prison transport bus May 12. Lopez was on the bus with 15 other inmates and two guards on their way from Gatesville to Huntsville, Texas, when he got free from his restraints and assaulted the guards. MORE: Escaped i
  
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• Report: More children abused or revictimized after entering Texas foster care

  04-06-2022 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than a decade after a federal lawsuit was filed over the treatment of children in the Texas foster care system, a new report highlights challenges still remaining to prevent abuse.It is the fourth report filed by the court monitors — two people appointed to oversee the state's child welfare system as the lawsuit proceeds. The filing comes just days before the next hearing in the ongoing lawsuit, scheduled in U.S. District Judge Janis Jack's courtroom on Monday.OR
  
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• CapMetro awarded $780,000 grant from American Rescue Plan

  04-06-2022 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin's transportation agency has been awarded almost $800,000 in funding from the American Rescue Plan.CapMetro announced Friday it would receive $780,100 to help with staff recruitment, retention and training, as well as career development services.The agency said the American Rescue Plan Route Planning Restoration grant would allow CapMetro to implement training for front-line staff. This included operators, mechanics, supervisors and dispatchers "to better su
  
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