Austin news

• Round Rock arrest made in April homicide investigation

  25-08-2022 23:31 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) – A man was arrested Wednesday on manslaughter charges connected to an April fatal shooting investigation conducted by the Round Rock Police Department.According to RRPD, Nicholas Carter-Cain, 19, was arrested for shooting and killing Arturo Granados, 18, in the 1600 block of Gattis School Road on April 19. RELATED COVERAGE: Round Rock police search for gray SUV involved in drive-by shooting, homicide
  “The shooting incident at the Round Rock Skate Park was is
  
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• DPS fitness policies modified, waist-measurement rule relaxed

  25-08-2022 23:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Public Safety Commission made changes Thursday to the Department of Public Safety’s physical fitness policies by relaxing, but not eliminating, controversial “command presence” rules that set limits on troopers’ waist sizes, according to an approved resolution.Richard Jankovsky, president of the Department of Public Safety Officers Association, spoke out against the command presence rules Thursday. He said the policies have become a source of &l
  
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• Austin mayor to give State of the City address Thursday

  25-08-2022 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Mayor Steve Adler is expected to give his final State of the City address Thursday, just a few months before departing from office.The mayor is expected to talk about his, and Austin City Council's, achievements over the mayor's eight year tenure. Adler has led the city in the mayoral role since 2015.He is likely to talk about pay raises for employees, transportation advancements and the council's efforts to end homelessness.Race for next Austin mayor heating upWhile the
  
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• Austin mayor gives State of the City address Thursday

  25-08-2022 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Mayor Steve Adler gave his final State of the City address Thursday, just a few months before departing from office.The mayor talked about his, and Austin City Council's, achievements over the mayor's eight-year tenure. Adler has led the city in the mayoral role since 2015.He talked about pay raises for employees, transportation advancements and the council's efforts to end homelessness.Race for next Austin mayor heating upWhile the mayor talked largely about city achieve
  
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• Austin mayor gives State of the City address

  25-08-2022 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Mayor Steve Adler began his final State of the City address Thursday by thanking Austin City Council, his staff and the people who have worked alongside him in office over the past eight years.
  The mayor's remarks Thursday mark the near end of the long-time mayor's seat at the head of the city's largest governing body.
  "For tonight we are going to pause and celebrate where we are and what we have achieved and how we got here and where we're gonna go," he said.
  The mayor t
  
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• Judge to release redacted affidavit on FBI's Trump home search

  25-08-2022 21:56 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) - A federal magistrate judge on Thursday said he would release a redacted version of the affidavit that convinced him to approve a warrant to search former President Trump’s Florida home.The decision from Judge Bruce Reinhart comes after he ordered the Justice Department to propose redactions to a document whose full release they argued would compromise their ongoing investigation.In his order Reinhart found the redactions from DOJ to be sufficiently narrow.“I find that th
  
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• APD identifies victim, releases more details in SH 71 fatal crash in Oak Hill area

  25-08-2022 21:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A six-vehicle crash in the 8600 block of State Highway 71 Monday resulted in the death of a 52-year-old woman. On Thursday, Austin police released additional details surrounding the crash.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: SH 71 reopens after deadly crash in Oak Hill area
  According to the Austin Police Department, a box truck driver failed to maintain a clear distance and hit five vehicles that were stopped at a red light.Police said the driver of one of the vehicles, Shala Morgan, died at the
  
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• Austin restaurant could take the throne for 'Best Restroom' in the nation

  25-08-2022 19:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin restaurant is looking to take the throne in a competition for America's Best Bathroom. It could give Buc-ee's bathroom a run for its money.Eberly, which serves American cuisine and drinks in south Austin, is one of 10 finalists for the contest by Cintas, a business supplies company."While most people would likely characterize their trip to the restroom as a fairly unremarkable experience, we at Cintas think it should be unforgettable!" said the contest information
  
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• $500K federal grant given to Austin-Travis County to help prevent domestic violence killings, firearm injuries

  25-08-2022 19:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Tuesday, the Austin Public Health’s Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) announced it received federal funding to help prevent domestic violence fatalities and the use of firearms to inflict injury, fear, intimidation, and coercive control over victims. According to a release, the $500,000 grant will be implemented in partnership with Travis County and SAFE Alliance.“The project will take a comprehensive, culturally specific approach to address firearm re
  
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• What does this week's flooding mean for Austin's toxic algae issue?

  25-08-2022 18:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While Monday's rains might have been a welcome reprieve amid a lengthy drought, the waterfall and flooding could spell bad news for toxic blue-green algae blooms in city waterways.Cyanobacteria, also referred to as blue-green algae, produces toxins that can be lethal for dogs when ingested. The toxins first emerged in 2019 and have been linked to several dog deaths in the years since.Dr. Brent Bellinger, a senior environmental scientist with the city's Watershed Protection
  
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• Texas State receives $250K grant to study how to use AI when collecting pavement condition data

  25-08-2022 16:14 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — For the next two years, these students will use machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to identify and measure any cracking on roads across the country."We probably will travel to states like Oklahoma, Arkansas and Alabama, just states close to Texas," explained Texas State associate civil engineering professor Feng Wang.The National Science Foundation awarded the university a $250,000 grant this month, and Wang said the Texas Department of Transpor
  
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• Victim identified in Barton Springs Pool homicide

  25-08-2022 15:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are investigating a homicide Thursday morning after they said they found a man's body near Barton Springs Pool.
  During a news conference, Senior Patrol Officer Demitri Hobbs told reporters police initially responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle at 7:15 a.m. in the 2200 block of Barton Springs Rd. The caller reported shots through a car window. When police got there, Hobbs said they found a blood trail near the sedan, and then spotted a man's body on the pool
  
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• LIVE: APD investigating homicide near Zilker Park

  25-08-2022 15:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officers are investigating a homicide near Zilker Park Thursday morning, according to the Austin Police Department. Austin-Travis County EMS said one person died at the scene.
  ATCEMS said it was called out to the 2200 block of Barton Springs Rd. around 7:30 a.m. for a gunshot wound.
  Medics got to the scene and pronounced one person dead, ATCEMS said.Officers are asking people to avoid the area. APD is expected to release more details Thursday.Austin police are investigating
  
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• APD investigating homicide near Zilker Park

  25-08-2022 15:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officers are investigating a homicide near Zilker Park Thursday morning, according to the Austin Police Department. Austin-Travis County EMS said one person died at the scene.
  ATCEMS said it was called out to the 2200 block of Barton Springs Rd. around 7:30 a.m. for a gunshot wound.
  Medics got to the scene and pronounced one person dead, ATCEMS said.Officers are asking people to avoid the area. APD is expected to release more details Thursday.Austin police are investigating
  
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• APD investigating homicide near Barton Springs Pool

  25-08-2022 15:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are investigating a homicide Thursday morning after they said they found a man's body near Barton Springs Pool.
  During a news conference, Senior Patrol Officer Demitri Hobbs told reporters police initially responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle at 7:15 a.m. in the 2200 block of Barton Springs Rd. The caller reported shots through a car window. When police got there, Hobbs said they found a blood trail near the sedan, and then spotted a man's body on the pool
  
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• Skybox, Prologis buy 200-plus acres outside Austin for data center campus

  25-08-2022 14:36 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (Austin Business Journal) — More than 200 acres along a desirable stretch of highway in Hutto is set to be transformed into a large data center campus as officials continue to push for development of a "technology superhighway" in Williamson County north of Ausin.Dallas-based Skybox Datacenters LLC and its partner, San Francisco-based Prologis Inc., acknowledged Aug. 23 they have purchased 221 acres from the City of Hutto along U.S. Route 79, where they plan to build
  
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• Texas trigger law banning most abortions officially taking effect in the state

  25-08-2022 14:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas “trigger law” that bans virtually all abortions took effect Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a judgment July 24 overruling Roe v. Wade.The Texas law automatically bans most abortions in the state. Thursday marked 30 days since the high court issued its official judgment. Texas’ ‘trigger law’ bans majority of abortions as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. WadeThe judgment came after justices issued an opinion in Dobbs v. Jacks
  
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• Texas trigger law banning abortion officially taking effect in the state

  25-08-2022 14:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas “trigger law” that bans virtually all abortions took effect Thursday. The U.S. Supreme Court issued a judgment July 24 overruling Roe v. Wade.The Texas law automatically bans most abortions in the state. Thursday marked 30 days since the high court issued its official judgment. Texas’ ‘trigger law’ bans majority of abortions as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. WadeThe judgment came after justices issued an opinion in Dobbs v. Jacks
  
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• Hurricane Harvey: experts remember one Texas' worst storms 5 years later

  25-08-2022 14:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Aug. 25, 2017 marked the beginning of a devastating period for parts of southeast Texas as Hurricane Harvey brought long lasting and flooding rains to the area.Harvey rapidly intensified over the western Gulf and made landfall in Port Aransas as a Category 4 hurricane bringing intense winds onshore.Hurricane Harvey satellite view. Courtesy: WPCDespite the Category 4 status, it was the rain and not the winds that caused the most problems. As the storm's forward movement drop
  
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• Hurricane Harvey: experts remember one of Texas' worst storms 5 years later

  25-08-2022 14:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Aug. 25, 2017 marked the beginning of a devastating period for parts of southeast Texas as Hurricane Harvey brought long lasting and flooding rains to the area.Harvey rapidly intensified over the western Gulf and made landfall in Port Aransas as a Category 4 hurricane bringing intense winds onshore.Hurricane Harvey satellite view. Courtesy: WPCDespite the Category 4 status, it was the rain and not the winds that caused the most problems. As the storm's forward movement drop
  
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• Hurricane Harvey: 5 years later

  25-08-2022 14:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Aug. 25, 2017 marked the beginning of a devastating period for parts of southeast Texas as Hurricane Harvey brought long lasting and flooding rains to the area.Harvey rapidly intensified over the western Gulf and made landfall in Port Aransas as a Category 4 hurricane bringing intense winds onshore.Hurricane Harvey satellite view. Courtesy: WPCDespite the Category 4 status, it was the rain and not the winds that caused the most problems. As the storm's forward movement drop
  
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• Austin's Vancerts brings mobile shows to evolving Live Music Capital

  25-08-2022 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  VancertsRotating locations
  ~30 minutes from Austin Cost: Usually freeAUSTIN (KXAN) — In December 2020, lifelong Austinite and musician David Castro looked around at all the music venues closed due to COVID-19 and wanted to create a refuge for other artists looking for gigs.Then came Vancerts, a mobile music venue that has helped redefine how Austinites can hear from local artists in the Live Music Capital of the World."It's just given a multitude of opportunities," Castro said.
  Vancerts i
  
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• Lakeway cookie maker wins $20,000 H-E-B prize

  25-08-2022 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) — A Lakeway mom who began baking cookies after her son endured heart disease won a major prize Wednesday from Texas' largest grocery store chain.
  H-E-B named Ashley Cameron of Love & Cookies as first place winner in its 2022 Quest for Texas Best contest. Cameron won $20,000 and a spot on H-E-B store shelves for her frozen cookie dough.According to the H-E-B site about her entry, Cameron's son was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when he was five.
  The CDC said Kawas
  
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• How falling chicken wing prices impact an Austin restaurant

  25-08-2022 13:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — Robert Reed, owner of Wicked Wings in south Austin and Kyle, was pleasantly surprised two weeks ago when he saw the price of a 40-pound case of chicken wings fall from $104 to $76.After 15 years owning Domino's Pizza franchises, Reed started his wing business four years ago. He said the lowest he has seen wing prices fall is $65 a case.The average nationwide wholesale price of chicken wings fell to roughly $1.68 per pound in July, according to an Aug. 18
  
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• Texas Lottery to move claim center to Capitol complex

  25-08-2022 13:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Lottery said Wednesday it will move its Austin claim center over the weekend.
  The claim center opens Monday at 8 a.m. in the George H.W. Bush Building at 1801 Congress Ave.The claim center's current location at 611 E. 6th St. will be closed to the public on Friday.The building in the Texas Capitol complex is the new headquarters for the Texas Lottery Commission.
  Lottery officials said Wednesday you should follow directional signage and proceed to the building lobb
  
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• HALFTIME: Anderson in control, up 28-3 over McCallum in 21st Taco Shack Bowl

  25-08-2022 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  Taco Shack Bowl results
  2002-2021AUSTIN (KXAN) — High school football is back for another fall and it kicks off Thursday night with the Taco Shack Bowl.Anderson and McCallum renew their north Austin rivalry on the gridiron for the 21st time at 7:30 p.m. live from House Park on KBVO. You can stream the game on NFHS — the official high school football streaming partner of KXAN. LAST YEAR: McCallum opens season with 14-13 win over Anderson in Taco Shack BowlIf you're watching on KBVO, t
  
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• FINAL: Anderson romps over McCallum 49-3 in 21st Taco Shack Bowl

  25-08-2022 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  Taco Shack Bowl results
  2002-2021AUSTIN (KXAN) — High school football is back for another fall and it kicks off Thursday night with the Taco Shack Bowl.Anderson and McCallum renew their north Austin rivalry on the gridiron for the 21st time at 7:30 p.m. live from House Park on KBVO. You can stream the game on NFHS — the official high school football streaming partner of KXAN. LAST YEAR: McCallum opens season with 14-13 win over Anderson in Taco Shack BowlIf you're watching on KBVO, t
  
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• Anderson, McCallum square off in 21st Taco Shack Bowl

  25-08-2022 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  Taco Shack Bowl results
  2002-2021AUSTIN (KXAN) — High school football is back for another fall and it kicks off tonight with the Taco Shack Bowl.Anderson and McCallum renew their north Austin rivalry on the gridiron for the 21st time at 7:30 p.m. live from House Park on KBVO. You can stream the game on NFHS — the official high school football streaming partner of KXAN. LAST YEAR: McCallum opens season with 14-13 win over Anderson in Taco Shack BowlIf you're watching on KBVO, the over
  
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• Very humid, but mainly dry through the weekend

  25-08-2022 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A few spotty showers and storms will be possible today. With that said, the chance of rain is lower than yesterday (10%) and we should see more sunny skies. Temperatures will be a few degrees hotter today with highs climbing into the middle to upper 90s with "feels-like" temperatures close to 101 degrees! Stay hydrated!Mold counts are very high behind recent rainfall, but are expected to slowly improve for allergy sufferers through the coming weekend.Allergy reportAs the station
  
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• 'I just couldn't believe what happened': Tesla crashes into Central Texas garage

  25-08-2022 05:16 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- It's a trip Swarajyalaxmi Rao makes often: From her home in the Houston area to her son's in Leander.
  One day in May, she was driving her sister's week-old Tesla Model Y, with her sister in the car.
  Everything went smoothly, she said, until she got to her son's driveway.
  "I was going very slow. And all of a sudden, this Tesla car, like accelerated by itself, and hit the car in the front-- that's my son's car," Swarajyalaxmi recalled.
  "I was inside at the moment and I hea
  
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• Severe weather response team launched after Shoal Creek floods in record-breaking rainfall

  25-08-2022 04:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Record-breaking rainfall hit Austin on Monday amid a very hot and dry summer, causing flash flooding all around the city. Shoal Creek got nearly five inches of rain, damaging surrounding parkland, trails, nearly flooding a restaurant, and creating other safety hazards.
  In response, Shoal Creek Conservancy and Pease Park Conservancy launched a unified severe weather response team on Wednesday.
  “[The team] will get out to the banks of Shoal Creek with grabbers and trash
  
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• Hot & humid with isolated rain chances through the weekend

  25-08-2022 04:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A few spotty showers and storms will be possible today. With that said, the chance of rain is lower than yesterday (10%) and we should see more sunny skies. Temperatures will be a few degrees hotter today with highs climbing into the middle to upper 90s with "feels-like" temperatures close to 101 degrees! Stay hydrated!Mold counts are very high behind recent rainfall, but are expected to slowly improve for allergy sufferers through the coming weekend.Allergy reportAs the station
  
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• Hutto's new city manager wants to keep small-town feel

  25-08-2022 02:02 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — Last month, James Earp was named Hutto's new city manager. As multiple development projects are underway in his new city, what will he do to manage its rapidly growing population?Earp said he was drawn to apply for the Hutto city manager job because of his prior experience working for the City of Kyle. He said, while being an assistant city manager, he saw how the city adapted to a spike in its population — it's a similar situation in much of Williamson County.&
  
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• Fewer 911 call-takers per shift, why APD did this intentionally

  25-08-2022 01:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department has lowered the minimum number of 911 call-takers required per shift, which will result in longer hold times.
  Lieutenant Ken Murphy, who heads APD's Emergency Communications Division, said the move was crucial to the well-being of staff members - and, by extension, the retention of those staff members at a time where vacancy rates are nearing 50 percent.Austin faces 911 staff shortages. How did San Antonio fix theirs?"Most of them are working 20-36 h
  
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• Williamson County burn ban lifted

  25-08-2022 01:16 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- After the recent rainfall, Williamson County's burn ban has been lifted.County Judge Bill Gravell lifted the ban for unincorporated areas of the county on Wednesday, effective at noon.“Due to the recent rains and higher humidity levels, I am lifting the burn ban; however, if the weather continues to be warm and dry, the burn ban could be implemented again as early as next week, so please burn while conditions are favorable,” Gravell said.Williamson
  
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• Local districts still looking to hire more than 300 school bus drivers

  25-08-2022 01:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — School districts across the Austin metro area are still short more than 300 bus drivers, even a couple of weeks into the new school year.Several districts have had to make significant changes to bus routes, such as Lake Travis ISD, which has had to resort to only providing transportation for students every other week."It’s been an extreme struggle to find those drivers,” said Brad Bailey, assistant superintendent for operations at LTISD. "It’s a very unpop
  
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• Hays CISD & Kyle PD address increase in teen fentanyl deaths

  25-08-2022 00:30 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - In the past month, three Hays CISD high school students died from suspected fentanyl overdoses. The most recent student was just 15-years-old. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Three Hays CISD high school students die from suspected fentanyl overdoses in past monthThe Kyle Police Department and Hays CISD came together Wednesday morning to discuss their concerns and their plan to address this increase in deaths and overdoses.
  Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said the small, light blue
  
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• 'I've spent probably $2k': What to do if you're a renter and find mold

  25-08-2022 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Joni Mason has spent the last few weeks trying to figure out how to navigate an unfortunate discovery in her north Austin apartment -- mold.
  "Four tests have been done in here and only one came back 'no mold,'" Mason said, standing outside of her apartment, which she has moved most of her furniture and clothes out of.
  Mason said her apartment complex offered to move her to a new unit, but that one tested positive for dangerous mold too. The complex then offered Mason a release f
  
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• 'Really had a lot of misconceptions': Texas faith leaders visit southern border

  25-08-2022 00:11 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Nexstar) — A small group of Texas faith leaders was on the border in South Texas this week, hoping to help find common ground on the immigration crisis.
  "Really had a lot of misconceptions about what was going on," Elia Moreno with the Texas Christian Community Development Network said.Moreno—who lives in the Amarillo area—said her visit wasn't what she expected."I truly believe that sometimes, politicians may create a narrative that would cause fear in the
  
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