Austin news

• State agrees to bump funding for satellite phone services used by rural Texans

  16-07-2022 23:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Public Utility Commission voted to increase the Texas Universal Service Fund surcharge from 3.3% to 24% this week. It will allow service providers to continue serving rural Texans who don't have access to regular cell phone service.
  The vote comes after a satellite phone service provider serving nearly 3,200 Texans sent a letter to its customers warning it would no longer be able to offer its services due to a lack of financial resources from that fund.
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• Man pleads guilty to San Marcos murder of Texas State student

  16-07-2022 23:35 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — An Austin man pled guilty Thursday to a 2019 murder in San Marcos, according to Hay County court records.Martin Garcia Jr., 26, of Austin, pled guilty to one count of murder, and received a sentence of life in prison.The homicide occurred at an apartment where the victim lived. The victim was Aaron Jackson Peterman, 20, a Texas State student. San Marcos Police said in 2019 that the murder occurred during a drug-related robbery. Previous: Police arrest two in conn
  
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• 'This must end': Texas Ag Commissioner advocates for marijuana legalization

  16-07-2022 23:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texans increasingly signal their acceptance of marijuana legalization, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a Republican, said he supports the legalization of medical marijuana and nodded at conservative states that have legalized the drug for adults altogether.
  In a letter, Miller said he believes government should only be allowed to make something illegal "for a powerful reason or set of facts." He also compared marijuana being illegal to the alcohol prohibit
  
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• 'This must end': Texas Ag Commissioner advocates for expanding marijuana use

  16-07-2022 23:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texans increasingly signal their acceptance of marijuana legalization, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a Republican, said he supports the expansion of medical marijuana access and nodded to conservative states that have legalized the drug for adults altogether.
  In a letter, Miller said he believes government should only be allowed to make something illegal "for a powerful reason or set of facts." He also compared the marijuana laws now to the alcohol prohi
  
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• Law expert weighs in on Uvalde video leak, possible charges for officers

  16-07-2022 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After the Austin American-Statesman posted leaked video of the moments inside Robb Elementary school where two teachers and 19 students were shot and killed, a legal expert tells KXAN it's possible the Uvalde County District Attorney or state officials could pursue a criminal investigation into the law enforcement response.
  The full 77-minute video shows the gunman enter the school through an unlocked door, step into a classroom and start firing with his semi-automatic rifl
  
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• Helping previously incarcerated Texans get connected to employment, housing opportunities

  16-07-2022 22:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A national organization helping connect people with criminal records to employment and housing opportunities is launching in Texas.TimeDone Texas held a resource fair Saturday with 300 Austinites who signed up for help."There are over 5 million people in Texas alone who have some sort of arrest or conviction, some type of record, and we are blocked out from the resources that help us to reenter society successfully," Maggie Luna with TimeDone Texas explained Saturday. "S
  
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• Subject of Texas child abduction alert found safe

  16-07-2022 21:54 via kxan.com
  
  CORINTH, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas AMBER Alert Network discontinued a child abduction alert for a 12-year-old Texas girl Saturday night after police say she was found safe.
  The Corinth Police Department was looking for Angie Carrasco and an unknown suspect in a newer-model Chevrolet.
  Image of Angie Carrasco and suspect vehicle (Texas DPS photosThe Corinth PD posted on Facebook that at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, a silver truck believed to be a Chevy Silverado "picked up the missing person in fro
  
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• Child abduction alert issued for 12-year-old Texas girl

  16-07-2022 21:54 via kxan.com
  
  CORINTH, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas AMBER Alert Network issued a child abduction alert for a 12-year-old Texas girl Saturday afternoon.
  The Corinth Police Department said it's looking for Angie Carrasco. She is Hispanic, just taller than 5 feet and weighs 120 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing black shorts and Croc-style shoes.Image of Angie Carrasco and suspect vehicle (Texas DPS photos)The alert said police were looking for an unknown suspect in connection
  
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• Woman hurt in auto-ped crash near the Domain

  16-07-2022 13:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police said a woman was in the hospital after she was hit by a driver near the Domain early Saturday morning.APD said the crash happened at Burnet Road and Esperanza Crossing at 2:56 a.m.
  According to Austin Travis County EMS, paramedics took the adult to the hospital with serious but expected to be non life-threatening injuries.
  Austin Police said the driver stayed at the scene after the crash.
  
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• Gas prices continue to fall in Austin and Texas

  16-07-2022 13:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Drivers in the Austin area are seeing continued price relief at the pump.
  According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Austin-San Marcos is $4.08. That is 62 cents less than the record set on June 14.AAA says the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Texas is $4.07. That is 63 cents less than the record set on June 15. Only Georgia and South Carolina have lower average prices at $4.06 and $4.05 a gallon, respectively.
  According to AAA, lower prices are
  
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• Fire burns commercial building in south Austin

  16-07-2022 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Fire crews knocked down a fire at a commercial building on West Stassney Lane early Saturday morning.
  Crews were called to Ramirez Accounting Service at the northeast corner of Stassney and Blue Bird Lane just before 1:15 a.m. That is one block west of South Congress Avenue.At 1:38 a.m., Austin Fire said the fire was knocked down, and no one was hurt.AFD said the cause of the fire is under investigation, and there would be no additional updates until 9 a.m. Saturday.
  
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• Hutto moves to Stage 2 water restrictions Friday

  16-07-2022 03:38 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — The city of Hutto moved to Stage 2 water restrictions Friday.The restrictions apply to all City of Hutto water customers, including residential, commercial, industrial and institutional.Here are the new restrictions in place:Address ending in even numbers: Watering outdoors and conducting high water-use activities, such as as car washing and filling pools, can happen only before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Sundays and ThursdaysAddress ending in odd numbers: Watering outdo
  
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• Alex Jones defamation case pre-trial hearing held in Austin Friday

  16-07-2022 03:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The local defamation case against InfoWars host Alex Jones is set to start in just over a week. Today, in district court in Austin, there was a pre-trial hearing.Jury selection is scheduled to start July 25th. This is to find out how much Jones should pay to the families of victims from the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. The trial was postponed back in April.
  Jones was already found liable for damages and has already lost defamation cases over his comments that the shootin
  
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• Fire risk remains in Travis County — even after rain

  16-07-2022 03:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Parts of Central Texas have benefitted from much-needed rain over the past few days, but showers and storms have been pretty sporadic, and much of the area is still in extreme or exceptional drought."Honestly, we needed about a week's worth of rain to make a significant difference," said Will Boettner, wildfire mitigation officer in the Travis County Fire Marshal's Office. "All of our grasses are very, very dry, all of the things that were knocked down during the big freeze
  
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• Triple digits are back and so is the Saharan dust

  16-07-2022 03:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new streak of highs in triple digits started Saturday with Austin's high of 102°. Today's forecast is for another mostly sunny sky with a high forecast of 103°. Austin has had 36 days of a high of 100° or greater, outpacing the hottest year on record so far, 2011. That year, to July 16, 32 days had a high in triple digits.It's worth mentioning that at this time in 2021 Austin had only day with a high in three figures.There will be some haze to deal with from the Sa
  
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• The heat just keeps on coming

  16-07-2022 03:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Afternoon temperatures today will be in similar territory to those of Friday.Most maximum temperatures today will peak in the upper half of the 90s to around 100°.The Heat Index during the afternoon will peak between 102° and 106°. There will be a very low 10% chance of an isolated shower reaching our eastern counties later this afternoon.
  Much of the rain Friday fell in parts of Bastrop, Caldwell, and Fayette Counties.A few small showers did cross I-35 extending int
  
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• Heat wave resumes after one day reprieve

  16-07-2022 03:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin's high temperature returned to the triple digits Saturday afternoon, topping out at 102 degrees. Friday was one of only two days this month when the high stayed below 100 degrees.
  It was the 36th time this summer Austin has reached a high of anywhere from 100 to 110 degrees. High temperature records were broken on five consecutive days this week.A renewed cloud of dry air and Saharan dust off the Texas coast is poised to blow into our local skies this weekend, producing a
  
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• Heat wave intensifies this week, more high temperature records likely

  16-07-2022 03:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The heat wave resumed this weekend across Central Texas with most areas climbing back into the triple digits. Sunday's afternoon high in Austin reached 104°, just one degree below the record.An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through Tuesday for San Saba County and a Heat Advisory is in effect through Tuesday for Lampasas and Mason counties.
  Austin has had 37 days of a high of 100° or greater, outpacing the hottest year on record so far, 2011. That year, to July 17,
  
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• Forest Service opening airtanker base at AUS to help fight wildfires

  16-07-2022 03:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas A&M Forest Service is opening an airtanker base in Austin to help assist efforts to combat wildfires across the state.The base, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, will open Saturday and will allow for faster response times and greater cost efficiency, according to the forest service."The airtanker’s speed is greater than that of a helicopter or single engine air tanker," said George Martin, air operations branch director for the forest service. "
  
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• Suspect in deadly 2019 San Marcos apartment shooting sentenced to 65 years in prison

  16-07-2022 02:09 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — The suspect in a 2019 fatal shooting at Uptown Square Apartments in San Marcos was convicted of murder and sentenced to 65 years in prison on Friday, according to a press release from the Hays County Criminal District Attorney’s OfficeAn-Drew Stephen Jones, 26, turned himself in on April 9, 2019, four days after the shooting.Nicholas Devin White was shot in the parking lot of the apartment complex, where he lived at the time, and taken to a hospital where h
  
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• 100-degree stretch broken on Friday, but heat resumes again this weekend and beyond

  16-07-2022 01:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Late this morning we were notified that Hutto is going to Stage 2 Water Restrictions. This means if your address ends in an even number you can only water on Sundays and Thursdays. If your address ends in an odd number you can only water on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Watering can only be done in the morning before 10 a.m. of in the evening after 6 p.m.
  Plenty of rain fell in the Hill Country Thursday and Thursday night with a couple of reporting stations measuring more than two i
  
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• WATCH: Viral video shows Abilene fast food employee throw ice into customer's car

  16-07-2022 00:22 via kxan.com
  
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - A video that shows an employee of an Abilene fast food restaurant throwing an cup into a customer's vehicle during a dispute in the drive thru has gone viral, garnering the attention of thousands on social media. Customer Brittany Stevens starts recording as Long John Silvers employee Ethan Donald recaps her order and asks if she wants any extras or condiments - a normal encounter that escalates when Stevens asks him about a verbal altercation that took pla
  
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