Austin news

• Hit-and-run driver who killed pedestrian in southeast Travis County sentenced to 4 years in prison

  02-07-2022 23:27 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY (KXAN) — A man who hit and killed a pedestrian in his truck before driving away from the scene has been sentenced to four years in prison.Francisco Aviles, 65, pleaded guilty to an accident involving a death charge and was sentenced June 15. In addition to the prison sentence, he was fined a total of $350.Aviles hit Stephanie Lunt, 41, while driving his 1994 Toyota Tacoma eastbound in the 14000 block of FM 812 road in southeast Travis County in October 2020.Emergency crews re
  
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• Palestinians give bullet that killed journalist to US team

  02-07-2022 21:29 via kxan.com
  
  RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian Authority on Saturday said it has given the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to American forensic experts, taking a step toward resolving a standoff with Israel over the investigation into her death.Abu Akleh, a veteran correspondent who was well known throughout the Arab world, was fatally shot while covering an Israeli military raid on May 11 in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.The Palestinians, along wi
  
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• 'This ... sucks and you don't want it': Monkeypox patient opens up about his ordeal

  02-07-2022 21:25 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Amid the rising numbers of monkeypox cases in the United States, one actor who splits his time between West Hollywood and New York has come forward with his own bout against the illness.Matt Ford, 30, went public with his story, lesions and all, in a BuzzFeed post on Wednesday called "I Have Monkeypox — Here's What It's Like And What You Should Know."In short, "This ... sucks and you don’t want it," he wrote.Ford found out on June 17 that he was exposed to
  
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• Explainer: What happens when a 13-year-old is charged with murder in Texas?

  02-07-2022 21:22 via kxan.com
  
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - One week ago, an Abilene 13-year-old was charged with murder after he and three other teens were involved in a stolen car crash that turned fatal, leaving a lot of lingering questions about what will happen to the young suspect in court due to his age.
  KTAB and KRBC sat down with Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Taylor, Callahan, and Coleman counties Allison Stafford, who explained what a juvenile could face during the justice process.Stafford says that the juven
  
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• Texas teen arrested for planning mass shooting at Amazon Delivery Station, police say

  02-07-2022 21:15 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — San Antonio police arrested a 19-year-old man accused of planning a mass shooting.Rodolfo Valdivia Aceves was arrested on a charge of terroristic threats, according to a preliminary report from San Antonio Police Department.At 10:34 a.m. on June 27, police responded to the 8200 block of Sous Vide Way to an Amazon Delivery station after a report of threats.An officer spoke with multiple people there who said the suspect, identified as Aceves, was plannin
  
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• Uvalde CISD police chief to resign from city council

  02-07-2022 19:07 via kxan.com
  
  UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) —Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police chief Pete Arredondo will resign from his seat on the Uvalde City Council, according to a local newspaper report.“After much consideration, I regret to inform those who voted for me that I have decided to step down as a member of the city council for District 3. The mayor, the city council, and the city staff must continue to move forward without distractions. I feel this is the best decision for Uvalde,&rdq
  
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• Report: Uvalde CISD police chief to resign from city council

  02-07-2022 19:07 via kxan.com
  
  UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) — Pete Arredondo will resign from the Uvalde City Council, according to a local Uvalde newspaper's Friday report.The resignation comes after people demanded Arredondo step down from the position after questions were raised about his response to the Robb Elementary school shooting where 19 students and two teachers were killed. PREVIOUS: Why did Uvalde CISD police chief testify in secret, escorted through a back door?According to reports, Arredondo remains on administra
  
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• Lake Austin watercraft ban starts at sunset Saturday for July 4 weekend

  02-07-2022 17:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Starting at sunset Saturday, no watercrafts will be allowed on Lake Austin. The city's annual ordinance will lift Tuesday at sunrise.
  The ban applies to personal watercrafts, wet bikes, motorized surfboards and similar devices. Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards are allowed.READ MORE: Travis County Sheriff's Office asks people to be ‘lake wise’ this weekendAccording to a city release, Austin Police Department's Lake Patrol Unit will enforce the ordinance. If a boat
  
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• Texas Supreme Court blocks order that resumed abortions

  02-07-2022 08:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Supreme Court has blocked a lower court order that had allowed clinics in the state to continue performing abortions even after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it's landmark 1973 ruling that confirmed a constitutional right to abortion.It was not immediately clear whether the clinics in Texas that resumed performing abortions just days ago would halt services again following the ruling late Friday night. A hearing is scheduled for later this month.
  The whip
  
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• Texas clinics halt abortions after state high court ruling

  02-07-2022 08:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Clinics were shutting down abortion services in the nation's second-largest state Saturday after Texas' Supreme Court blocked an order briefly allowing the procedure to resume in some cases, the latest in legal scrambles taking place across the United States following the reversal of reversal of Roe v. Wade.
  The Friday night ruling stopped a three-day-old order by a Houston judge who said clinics could resume abortions up to six weeks into pregnancy. The following day,
  
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• Head of Austin's civil rights office on leave amid investigation into alleged employee mistreatment

  02-07-2022 04:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The head of Austin's Office of Civil Rights has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into complaints made against her.Carol Johnson is director of the OCR. She began her tenure with the city in February 2021.KXAN reported back in April that a third party city-funded investigation into Johnson was underway amid allegations of mistreatment and retaliation against office employees.“To establish the next steps and ensure OCR has a successful path forwar
  
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• New UT data shows possibility of more COVID-19 hospitalizations

  02-07-2022 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — COVID-19 cases are on the rise nationwide, and local experts are warning people to stay vigilant as holiday and summer travel begins.Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, says Travis County is averaging 500 to 600 new cases per day, but those numbers could be much larger."We know there are more than that occurring, and we are not getting those reports because people are doing home testing," said Walkes.Nick Hays recently tested positive and had mild symp
  
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• Proposal to call slavery 'involuntary relocation' rejected by State Board of Education

  02-07-2022 03:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas State Board of Education has rejected a proposal by a group of educators to describe the slave trade as 'involuntary relocation' in second grade classes.The proposal, first reported by our partners at Texas Tribune, was discussed at the board's June 15 meeting. It came from a work committee of nine educators tasked with reviewing second grade social studies standards. The group is one of several offering guidance to the state education board as it works to develop
  
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• Meet the Texas-designed app targeting low literacy rates in adults

  02-07-2022 02:14 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (Nexstar) — A long-term study showed students who aren’t reading proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school, an event likely to impact one's life in the years to come. It's why nonprofits like the Barbara Bush Foundation are working to improve literacy skills in students and turning to technlogy for solutions in closing that gap for struggling adult readers.BBF partnered with Southern Methodist University and the Dollar General Foundation
  
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• Uber reveals data on rape, sexual assault incidents in 2019-2020 safety report

  02-07-2022 02:04 via kxan.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (KXAN) — On Thursday, Uber published its 2019-2020 US Safety Report. A section of the report highlighted rapes and sexual assaults.From 2019 to 2020, a total of 388 rape incidents were reported — 247 in 2019 and 141 in 2020. This showed a 6% decrease from Uber’s 2017-2018 report. In total, there were 3,824 incidents reported.According to the report, the overall rate of sexual assault reported on the Uber app decreased by 38% between the first safety report coverin
  
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