Austin news

• Greg Abbott takes control over who will lead Texas’ troubled power grid, sources say

  10-08-2022 23:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — When Brad Jones was tapped as interim CEO of the nonprofit that runs the state’s power grid following the deadly February 2021 winter storm that left most of Texas without power for days, he said he would help stabilize the grid and get it through the summer. Jones was clear that he wasn’t interested in keeping the job long term.Now, 15 months after Jones became interim CEO — and more than a month after the June target date when Jones ha
  
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• Man dies in custody at Travis County jail one day after being booked

  10-08-2022 23:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 46-year-old man died in custody at the Travis County jail on Tuesday morning, according to a press release from the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
  A medical emergency alarm was called for Kyle George Wagner at approximately 10:30 a.m. after a corrections officer observed he was unresponsive in his cell.
  CPR was administered immediately by TCSO medical staff and Austin-Travis County EMS, but resuscitation efforts were not successful.Wagner was pronounced dead at 11:18 a.m
  
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• TxDOT seeking input on FM 973 expansion project

  10-08-2022 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual public hearing Thursday, with an in-person option, to discuss a proposed project that would widen a portion of FM 973.
  The project would construct a roadway, partially in a new location, between SH 130 and US 290. It would expand FM 973 from two to six travel lanes; three in each direction.
  The section of FM 973 that would be affected is in Manor.
  There would also be a grassy median and turn lanes in various
  
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• CDC: Less than a third of Hepatitis C patients seek treatment for curable virus

  10-08-2022 23:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new study published Tuesday in the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report suggests that less than a third of adults with hepatitis C receive treatment for the curable disease.Hepatitis C is liver inflammation caused by a viral infection that spreads via blood. Usually, modern sanitation and sterilization practices prevent the spread, but lax procedures allow it to perpetuate. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, unlike for h
  
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• LIST: What are the current watering restrictions in your city?

  10-08-2022 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As drought continues to expand across Central Texas, many local cities are implementing tighter watering restrictions to safeguard water supplies.Restrictions vary from city to city, and each community has its own hierarchy of restrictions based upon drought contingency plans. For example, Stage 1 restrictions in Austin may not be the same as those in Dripping Springs. How does this year compare to the record summer of 2011? Here’s a breakdown of the dataTo help keep
  
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• 'Error made': Austin family loses Bahamas trip after false positive COVID test

  10-08-2022 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Austin family said after months of planning and saving, they had to cancel their Bahamas trip because of a positive COVID-19 test which later turned out to be a false positive.
  Michael Perez and Lima Morales said they got PCR tested for COVID-19 at the Austin Regional Clinic in Round Rock to ensure their family was not carrying the virus asymptomatically before getting on a plane. At the time, the Bahamas also required a negative test within 72-hours to enter the country. Tha
  
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• Best chances of rain and storms since June the next several days, though some could still miss out

  10-08-2022 21:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today marks 'day 1' of a welcome pattern change marked by relatively cooler temperatures and meaningful rain chances.Mother Nature is finally throwing us a bone in giving us the right ingredients for rain: high pressure displaced to our north, a disturbance in the flow aloft, daytime heating and lift from the sea breeze. These 4 lifting mechanisms (and really, lack of sinking air) will interact with the Gulf moisture already in place to allow for scattered showers after lunchtim
  
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• Police: Man dead from 'blunt force trauma' outside north Austin store

  10-08-2022 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police said they're investigating a homicide after they found a man dead Wednesday from "blunt force trauma to the head" outside of a store in north Austin.
  It's unclear what caused the deadly injuries to the man, police said. Detectives are now on scene at 1200 Kramer Lane, which is close to Plains Trail just south south of West Braker Lane.
  Police said first responders initially believed a vehicle struck and killed the man because one sped away close to 1 p.m., which Aust
  
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• Police: 18-year-old beat man to death with baseball bat in north Austin

  10-08-2022 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police have arrested an 18-year-old after they found a man dead Wednesday from "blunt force trauma to the head" outside of a store in north Austin.
  Detectives responded to the scene around 1 p.m. Wednesday, near 1200 Kramer Lane, close to Plains Trail just south of West Braker Lane.Police said first responders initially believed a vehicle struck and killed the man because one sped away close to 1 p.m., which Austin-Travis County EMS tweeted about Wednesday afternoon.
  
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• 1 dead after being hit by vehicle in north Austin, EMS says

  10-08-2022 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A person died after reportedly being hit by a vehicle in north Austin Wednesday afternoon, Austin-Travis County EMS said.
  ATCEMS said the crash happened just after 1 p.m. at 1200 Kramer Lane. That's near Plains Trail just south of West Braker Lane.
  One adult was pronounced dead at the scene, ATCEMS said.
  The Austin Fire Department also responded to the scene.
  
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• Airplane helping to fight Texas wildfires crashes into lake

  10-08-2022 20:36 via kxan.com
  
  LIVINGSTON, Texas (KETK) — An aircraft helping to fight wildfires in southeast Texas crashed into a lake Tuesday night, the Texas A&M Forest Service said in a press release.The pilot was quickly rescued and taken to shore. The individual was treated at the scene, the release said. Texas girl sworn in as police officer before her 7th chemo roundThe release said the Fire Boss Single Engine Air Tanker/Scooper crashed into Lake Livingston around 5 p.m. Tuesday while helping with a fire in
  
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• Man receives 30-year sentence for 2020 crash that killed 1, injured another

  10-08-2022 20:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A man was sentenced to 30 years in a Texas prison after he pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault connected to a 2020 incident that caused a death in Manor, Texas.Candelario Antonio Flores, 41, was sentenced Monday by a Travis County judge. The intoxication manslaughter plea resulted in 20 of the 30 years, and the intoxication assault followed with the remaining 10 years.Flores will be held at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Hu
  
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• NOAA reveals a declining Gulf of Mexico 'dead zone'

  10-08-2022 20:14 via kxan.com
  
  LOUISIANA (KXAN) — Recent measurements taken by NOAA-supported researchers from Louisiana State University and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) revealed this year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" is more than 1,000 square miles smaller than the five-year average.A "dead zone" is a large area of water containing almost no oxygen, which can lead to the deaths of large quantities of sea life. Here you can find NOAA's original forecast for this year's Gulf of Mexico dead
  
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• Texas DPS to provide over 30 officers to Uvalde school district for added security

  10-08-2022 20:12 via kxan.com
  
  UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) — The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District is getting an added boost in security from the state after 21 people were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in May.
  Gov. Greg Abbott said the Texas Department of Public Safety will provide over 30 law enforcement officers to campuses in the district for the upcoming school year. Abbott said the superintendent, Hal Harrell, requested the personnel.
  This comes after Uvalde CISD announced steps to revamp its
  
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• Choco Taco might be gone, but Taco Sweets' creations go beyond

  10-08-2022 19:48 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — The Choco Taco is no more. Klondike said it is "reconsidering" a return for the novelty ice cream, but for Central Texas residents who don't want to wait, there's Taco Sweets. Is the Choco Taco coming back? Klondike hints at future of discontinued treatThe Cedar Park business began in 2017 when owners DeShawn and Jessica Scott started exploring ideas in 2017 for "something no one else was doing." The two tried ice cream in burritos and on nachos, before landing o
  
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• Judge denies Texas senator's request to release Uvalde shooting records

  10-08-2022 19:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Wednesday, a Travis County district judge denied a state senator's request to order the Texas Department of Public Safety to release records related to the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde.Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, requested various records under public information laws that could provide more clarity on the emergency response following the Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. After his request to DPS went unfulfilled,
  
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• Williamson County animal shelter at critical capacity after rescuing 44 animals

  10-08-2022 19:34 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter said it was at critical capacity and seeking immediate adoptions and fosters after it took in 44 animals Tuesday from a cruelty case.The shelter said it now has 28 chickens and roosters, nine dogs, six ducks and a goose on top of its already critical capacity level. RELATED: Pflugerville animal shelter has new platform to help with rehoming petsAccording to a statement, the cruelty seizure has strained the shelter&rsq
  
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• With recruitment over, Westlake stars solely focused on 4th straight title run

  10-08-2022 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Westlake is poised to make a run for a fourth straight state championship, and two of their stars Colton Vasek and Jaden Greathouse are beyond thrilled they can make that their top priority.Both Greathouse and Vasek were highly recruited and had the biggest programs in the country vying for their commitment.A four-peat? Westlake could do what no school has ever done beforeGreathouse, a wide receiver that broke a Class 6A championship game record with 236 yards in last
  
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• LIVE: 'Allow our children to be children': Health leaders weigh in on back-to-school as monkeypox spreads

  10-08-2022 17:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As families gear up to send their kids back to school, they are yet again facing questions about whether students will be safe and healthy in classrooms. This year, on top of lingering concerns about COVID-19, parents are also asking about monkeypox.
  How worried do you need to be? We took that question to various health leaders in Texas. It's also something a member of Out Youth asked during a monkeypox roundtable last week.
  "What should we be telling our parents about how
  
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• 'Allow our children to be children': Health leaders weigh in on back-to-school as monkeypox spreads

  10-08-2022 17:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As families gear up to send their kids back to school, they are yet again facing questions about whether students will be safe and healthy in classrooms. This year, on top of lingering concerns about COVID-19, parents are also asking about monkeypox.
  How worried do you need to be? We took that question to various health leaders in Texas. It's also something a member of Out Youth asked during a monkeypox roundtable last week.
  "What should we be telling our parents about how
  
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• Pflugerville animal shelter has new platform to help with rehoming pets

  10-08-2022 17:25 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) —Surrendering a pet can be a heartbreaking, stressful process for owners and pets alike. Pflugerville Animal Welfare Services has a new platform to make the process easier that can be found on its website.It's called Home To Home — a site where pet owners can register and create a profile with photos and details about the animal they need rehomed. Those looking for a new pet can search the profiles.This allows owners to find a new home for their pets withou
  
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• How much sunscreen are you using? Hint: it's not enough!

  10-08-2022 16:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This time of year, you hear us telling you all the time not to forget to apply sunscreen. But how much should we be using, and what does SPF mean?Meteorologist Sean Kelly spoke with Dr. Aleksandra Zajac, who is a medical skin expert.Zajac said the sun produces three types of radiation: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC is the most dangerous, but never makes it down to earth. UVA is responsible for skin aging and skin cancers, while UVB causes sunburn."This is the type of the sunlight t
  
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• Majority of Uvalde law enforcement officers never had active shooter training

  10-08-2022 16:15 via kxan.com
  
  This story is part of a KXAN series of reports called “Stop Mass Shootings,” providing context and exploring solutions surrounding gun violence in the wake of the deadly Uvalde school shooting. We want our reports to be a resource for Texans, as well as for lawmakers who are convening a month after the events in Uvalde to discuss how the state should move forward. Explore all “Stop Mass Shootings” stories by clicking here.UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) – Less than h
  
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• Why did Austin airport's fire alarm go off?

  10-08-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Operations inside the Barbara Jordan Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport are returning to normal after a falsely-triggered fire alarm caused an evacuation Wednesday morning.
  The airport issued an alert about the terminal evacuation on social media around 7:45 a.m., asking passengers to follow directions from staff to exit the facility.
  About 15 minutes later, the airport said in an update the alarm was canceled, and passengers were reentering the terminal and
  
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• Austin airport flyers to be rescreened after evacuation

  10-08-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Staff at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport are working to bring all passengers back inside Barbara Jordan Terminal to be rescreened Wednesday morning, after the facility was evacuated due to a falsely-triggered fire alarm.
  AUS explained a water main break on the airport apron, or the space where planes are parked as passengers board and deplane, triggered the fire alarm.
  "Out of an abundance of caution," all passengers were evacuated starting around 7:30 a.m. while the
  
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• Austin airport flyers rescreened after terminal evacuation

  10-08-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Staff members at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport worked to bring all passengers back inside the Barbara Jordan Terminal for rescreening Wednesday morning, after a falsely-triggered fire alarm caused evacuations at the facility.
  AUS explained a water main break on the airport apron, or the space where planes are parked as passengers board and deplane, set off the fire alarm. Daily rain chances today through the start of the weekend"Out of an abundance of caution," all
  
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• Texas girl sworn in as police officer before her 7th chemo round

  10-08-2022 14:29 via kxan.com
  
  GRANITE SHOALS, Texas (KXAN) — The police department in a Burnet County town has a new officer, and she’s just 5 years old. Isabella is being treated for neuroblastoma, which is a cancer usually found in the adrenal glands.
  Police told KXAN, they first met the girl in 2020 when officers did a birthday drive-by at her home. The Granite Shoals Police Officer's Association also held a fundraiser to help the family with travel costs. Isabella's first battle with neuroblastoma e
  
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• Thrall ISD superintendent discusses new school year, ongoing drought challenges

  10-08-2022 13:57 via kxan.com
  
  THRALL, Texas (KXAN) — About 45 miles northeast of downtown Austin sits the City of Thrall in Willaimson County.
  Thrall Independent School District is home to a little more than 800 students from the surrounding communities of Thrall, Beaukiss, Shiloh, Noack, Hare, Structure and Sandoval. This year, Superintendent Tommy Hooker is working to battle the ongoing drought.
  "We've recently experienced a major shortage of water not only in the city but also in this part of the state," Hooker said
  
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• Daily rain chances today through the start of the weekend

  10-08-2022 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today marks 'day 1' of a welcome pattern change marked by relatively cooler temperatures and meaningful rain chances.Mother Nature is finally throwing us a bone in giving us the right ingredients for rain: high pressure displaced to our north, a disturbance in the flow aloft, daytime heating and lift from the sea breeze. These 4 lifting mechanisms (and really, lack of sinking air) will interact with the Gulf moisture already in place to allow for scattered showers after lunchtim
  
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• Person in hospital after reported semi-truck crash near Manor

  10-08-2022 12:24 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS said paramedics took an adult to the hospital after a Wednesday morning crash between a vehicle and a semi-truck.ATCEMS said the crash happened just after 2:35 a.m. on the westbound lanes of Highway 290 at FM 1100. That is four miles east of Manor.According to ATCEMS, a person was trapped inside the vehicle after the crash, but crews able to get them out.
  Paramedics took the person to the hospital with potentially serious injuries. ATC
  
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• Woman arrested on DWI charge after crash sends man to hospital

  10-08-2022 11:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police arrested a woman early Wednesday morning, suspecting her of driving while intoxicated after a car crash in north Austin.Police said a man was taken to the hospital after being thrown from the vehicle. Austin-Travis County EMS said the adult was transported with critical, life-threatening injuries.Police said the crash occurred at the intersection of the northbound Interstate 35 service road and West Parmer Lane around midnight.
  
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• Woman arrested for DWI after crash sends man to hospital

  10-08-2022 11:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police arrested a woman early Wednesday morning for driving while intoxicated, after a car crash in far north Austin.Police say a man was taken to the hospital after being thrown from the vehicle. Austin-Travis County EMS says the adult was transported with critical, life-threatening injuries.Police say the crash occurred at the intersection of the northbound I-35 Service Road and West Parmer Lane around midnight.
  
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• A four-peat? Westlake could do what no school has ever done before

  10-08-2022 05:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Westlake was the first team in the Texas six-class era to win three consecutive state championships when the Chaps beat Denton Guyer 40-21 to finish a perfect 16-0 season.What does a team like that do for an encore? Try for a fourth consecutive title and be the first-ever team in Texas high school football history to accomplish the feat. Longhorns ranked No. 18 in preseason USA Today Coaches pollLegendary Chaparrals head coach Todd Dodge retired following last year's perfec
  
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• How worried should you be about monkeypox?

  10-08-2022 05:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- As more monkeypox cases appear in Texas and all across the nation--so do the questions.While most cases are among men who partake in sexual activity with other men---health officials are saying anyone can get it."We really need our community to stand with us," said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin's local health authority, during a news briefing Tuesday in which she declared monkeypox a public health emergency.Austin-Travis County leaders issue emergency orders for monkeypoxIt poses the
  
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• Q&A: What is the Opioid Abatement Fund Council?

  10-08-2022 05:19 via kxan.com
  
  (KXAN) -- The Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council met for the first time Tuesday to guide how the state spends millions of dollars after drug companies settle with the state.
  Senate Bill 1827 passed last year and it requires the state to maintain an account and a fund related to opioid abatement settlements. That's how the state's opioid abatement council was formed. It's made up of 14 members, including law enforcement and health professionals. Members are recommended by local and state governm
  
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• Neighbors band together to evacuate animals during wildfire

  10-08-2022 05:02 via kxan.com
  
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) -- Fire evacuees had to band together to save their beloved animals during the Hermosa Fire last week in Wimberley.Multiple homes evacuated due to wildland fire in Wimberley"I have quite a few horses, and a couple of mini donkeys and dogs and cats," said Kellee Ferguson, the president of the River Mountain Ranch Property Owners Association. "So it was stressful."Ferguson, like several of her neighbors, has a lot of animals.Kellee Ferguson said her neighbor Tim Brown was i
  
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• 'Extreme struggle to find drivers': Lake Travis ISD to implement major transportation changes

  10-08-2022 03:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Lake Travis ISD announced some significant changes to it transportation services for the upcoming school year to deal with an ongoing bus driver shortage.
  The district said it has done aggressive recruitment efforts and increased starting salaries to $23 per hour, but the shortage continues. LTISD announced in a letter to parents on Tuesday that the following changes will be implemented, effective the first day of school, August 16:Students who reside outside a two-mile radius f
  
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• Suspect arrested in murders of Albuquerque Muslim men

  10-08-2022 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Police have arrested a suspect in the investigation tied to the murder of four Muslim men. Police say 51-year-old Muhammad Syed was taken into custody last night near Santa Rosa, roughly 118 miles east of Albuquerque.APD seeks vehicle of interest in homicide investigation
  According to APD, Syed is currently being charged two of the four homicides under investigation. Those include the July 26 shooting of Aftab Hussein and the August 1 shooti
  
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• Hays County doesn't pass request for early renewal of water management plan

  10-08-2022 02:24 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - With Central Texas in a drought, water supply is on the minds of many, prompting a push to start discussions about updating the Lower Colorado River Authority's Water Management Plan.Jo Karr Tedder, president of Central Texas Water Coalition, is leading that charge.Some Austin homes’ foundations are crumbling this summer — here’s why"Right now this drought we're in... is worse than we were in 2011," Tedder said.LCRA is already scheduled to revisit th
  
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• Lawmakers call for immediate action for collapsing Texas juvenile prison system

  10-08-2022 02:08 via kxan.com
  
  (Texas Tribune) — Texas’ youth prison system urgently needs money to crawl out of its growing crisis, in which children are at times locked in cells 23 hours a day and nearly half of detained youth have been on suicide watch, the agency’s director told lawmakers Tuesday.The Texas Juvenile Justice Department — currently under federal investigation for an alleged pattern of abuse and mistreatment — is severely understaffed, with agency officials saying
  
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• Tech exec recycles old speech on making social media safer to Texas lawmakers

  10-08-2022 01:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar)— Reading word for word what he described as innovative solutions to make social media safer, a tech exec was called out for his years-old speech during a joint hearing with the Homeland Security & Public Safety and the Youth Health & Safety committees.This comes on the heels of the tragedy in Uvalde, where the accused shooter's questionable social media posts weren't flagged for law enforcement ahead of time.Servando Esparza is TechNet’s executive director fo
  
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• Driussi to put skills on display at MLS All-Star Week

  10-08-2022 00:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC's first-ever all-star will represent Verde and Black over the next two days in St. Paul, Minnesota.Sebastian Driussi, the top goal scorer this year in Major League Soccer and frontrunner for league MVP, will participate in the MLS Skills Challenge on Tuesday night and then be part of the MLS All-Star squad Wednesday when they take on the Liga MX All-Star team at 7:30 p.m. Austin FC ties with San Jose for second time this season in crazy matchDriussi is on the 10-p
  
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