Austin news

• Shortage in Austin-area pediatric ICU beds as more kids get sick

  22-09-2022 23:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- There's a surge in kids landing in the hospital right now, causing a shortage in intensive care unit beds.
  Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services indicated on Sept. 22 there are just 11 staffed pediatric ICU beds for our entire region, trauma service area O. That includes Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, San Saba, Travis, and Williamson counties.
  Many other regions show no available pediatric ICU beds.
  Healthcare giants Ascension Set
  
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• All local counties at low COVID risk for the first time since May, CDC says

  22-09-2022 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in 18 weeks, every county in the KXAN viewing area is rated at low risk from COVID-19 in the weekly update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Each week since Feb. 24, the CDC has assigned a "COVID-19 Community Level" to every county nationwide based on how the virus is impacting local populations.
  In the Thursday, Sept. 22 update, Fayette County was downgraded from high to low risk. All other local counties remain at low risk. DATA: Check o
  
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• Records: Man arrested in road-rage incident, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

  22-09-2022 23:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man was arrested Sunday by the Austin Police Department and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.Manuel Carrillo-Osorio Jr., 19, was identified as the suspect and accused of pointing a gun at another man before discharging the weapon.According to court records, officers responded to a road rage incident Sunday near the 2800 block of Sol Wilson Drive.The victim told police while he was stopped at a red light, he checked his phone and waited for the light to chan
  
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• 2023 considered key year for Austin homeless response, officials say

  22-09-2022 23:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Officials with Austin's Homeless Strategy Division are flagging 2023 as the year there will be a "dramatic increase in our program capacity," as more permanent and rapid rehousing resources come down the pipeline. The update came in a news conference with Austin's Homeless Strategy Officer Dianna Grey Thursday.
  The city has identified a 1,300-unit housing goal for its support initiatives, featuring a combination of permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing. Of that 1
  
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• Autumn officially begins with triple-digit heat

  22-09-2022 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- While Freeze Warnings are in effect for parts of the Great Lakes on this first official day of fall, Central Texas bakes in near-record heat with highs for some in the triple digits.Forecast high temperatures on Friday hit record values in Austin reaching 101 degrees. The current record stands at 100 degrees, set in 2019. Hot, dry weather continues through your weekend plans. NEW BLOG: Fall is here: When to expect the first freezeSinking air associated with the high pressure sys
  
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• KBVO Game of the Week: Weiss hosts Harker Heights at The Pfield

  22-09-2022 22:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Weiss is looking to make it a winning streak tonight at The Pfield when it hosts Harker Heights in a district matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday.The Wolves have won their last two games, 28-15 over Converse Judson in Week 2 and a wild 49-42 contest over the New Braunfels Unicorns last week. Odessa Permian ended Harker Heights' three-game winning streak last week 28-27.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports n
  
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• KBVO Game of the Week: Harker Heights leads Weiss 21-7 at halftime

  22-09-2022 22:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Weiss is looking to make it a winning streak tonight at The Pfield when it hosts Harker Heights in a district matchup at 7 p.m. Thursday.The Wolves have won their last two games, 28-15 over Converse Judson in Week 2 and a wild 49-42 contest over the New Braunfels Unicorns last week. Odessa Permian ended Harker Heights' three-game winning streak last week 28-27.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports n
  
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• KBVO Game of the Week: Harker Heights hangs on for 21-14 win over Weiss

  22-09-2022 22:58 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Weiss made it interesting late, but couldn't capitalize on its chances when they needed to as Harker Heights fends off the Wolves 21-14 Thursday at The Pfield in Pflugerville.Weiss quarterback Jax Brown hit Tory Simmons for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 0:49 left to get the Wolves within a score, but Harker Heights fell on the ensuing onside kick and ran the clock out to hang on for the road victory.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like th
  
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• Police looking for witnesses after car hits pedestrian near Round Rock Walmart

  22-09-2022 22:15 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK (KXAN) -- The Round Rock Police Department said it was looking for witnesses of an aggravated assault.
  It happened on Sept. 9 near the Walmart at IH-35 and SH-45.
  Police posted a video of the incident. It shows a car leaving the gas station parking lot and striking a person walking beside the road.
  The involved parties have been identified, RRPD said, but they're still looking for potential eyewitnesses to help in the prosecution of the case.
  If you have any information regarding this
  
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• Kansas man sentenced for performing illegal autopsies did at least 2 in Central Texas

  22-09-2022 20:19 via kxan.com
  
  TOPEKA, Kan. (KXAN) — A Kansas man who admitted to running an illegal autopsy scheme has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for wire fraud.Shawn Parcells, 42, who lived in Topeka and Leawood, was sentenced Monday in federal court to one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. He pleaded guilty in May. As part of the plea deal, nine other fraud counts were dropped.Parcells, a self-taught pathology assistant with no formal education, as the owner of National Aut
  
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• Hays County Sheriff's Office applies for bullet-resistant shield grant

  22-09-2022 20:17 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Sheriff's Office said it applied for a state grant to get more bullet-resistant shields for the county.It's part of Gov. Greg Abbott's Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program. Last month, the governor announced the Governor’s Public Safety Office (PSO) was accepting applications from law enforcement agencies for Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) travel assistance and the Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program for fiscal
  
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• VP Harris to headline Austin Democratic fundraiser ahead of midterms

  22-09-2022 20:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Austin next month to help Texas Democrats raise more money for the upcoming midterm election.
  The Texas Democratic Party announced Thursday Harris would speak at its Johnson-Jordan Reception in Austin on Oct. 8. The event is named for former President Lyndon B. Johnson and Rep. Barbara Jordan and aims to fundraise to help with things like "vote-by-mail assistance, voter protection efforts, community organizing, direct voter contact, a
  
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• July passenger totals show continued growth at Austin-Bergstrom airport

  22-09-2022 19:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin's airport continues to see incredible growth in passenger numbers, with newly released data for July showing the month was the third busiest of all time.The new numbers mean each month from March through July now ranks in the top five busiest months of all time.Almost 12 million passengers flew through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport between January and July.In July alone, 1,968,613 passengers were recorded. May remains the busiest month ever at AUS, with more
  
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• Lake Travis ISD approves giving some staff access to naloxone

  22-09-2022 19:16 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Lake Travis Independent School District board approved giving some staff members access to naloxone to help treat suspected opioid overdoses.The measure was approved at a Wednesday night meeting.
  School police and nurses will be able to access the naloxone or opioid antagonist, a treatment that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.
  The district said Wednesday's vote was not sparked by any specific incident.
  In the Hays Consolidated Independent School Distri
  
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• 800 Ascension Seton nurses in Austin vote to join national union

  22-09-2022 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A national union is celebrating a successful vote this week by 800 Ascension Seton Medical Center nurses to officially join its ranks.
  The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United announced in a news release Thursday the nurses from Ascension Seton voted — with 72% in favor — to now become part of the largest nurses' union in the country. In its statement, the union explained, "Nurses said they formed a union to win improved patient care stand
  
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• TCSO makes arrest in connection with threats made against an area school

  22-09-2022 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office said it made an arrest in connection to a threat against an area school Monday.According to TCSO, Austin Waldorf School reported receiving five threatening voicemail messages Monday, and the threats were severe enough for the school to close as a precaution.During the investigation, TCSO identified the caller as 37-year-old Carlos Lorenzo Michaelis of Kyle, Texas.TCSO said Michaelis was found and interviewe
  
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• TCSO makes arrest in connection to threats made against an area school

  22-09-2022 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office said it made an arrest in connection to a threat against an area school Monday.According to TCSO, Austin Waldorf School reported receiving five threatening voicemail messages Monday, and the threats were severe enough for the school to close as a precaution.During the investigation, TCSO identified the caller as 37-year-old Carlos Lorenzo Michaelis of Kyle, Texas.TCSO said Michaelis was found and interviewe
  
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• Fall is here: When to expect the first freeze

  22-09-2022 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Central Texas may be in the midst of summer heat, but the changing of the seasons will, inevitably, bring cooler temperatures.As we head into October, cooler temperatures typically arrive in a hurry. Average high temperatures drop from the upper 80s at the beginning of the month to the upper 70s by the end of the month. Average low temperatures drop from the mid-60s to the mid-50s by the time we reach Halloween.October normals for AustinBy late October, however, our record lows
  
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• UT Austin enrollment hits new record high as university sees largest-ever freshman class

  22-09-2022 18:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The number of students enrolled at the University of Texas has hit a new all-time high, according to preliminary data.The university reports enrollment figures using data collected on the 12th class day of each term.For the fall 2022 semester, a total of 52,384 students were enrolled at UT, beating the previous record of 52,261 that was set 20 years ago.Helping to bolster the numbers is the largest-ever number of first-time, first-year undergraduates: 9,109 in total, which
  
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• Rural Texas highways in critical need of repairs

  22-09-2022 18:18 via kxan.com
  
  BLANCO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A stretch of road in rural Central Texas is in "desperate" need of improvements. That's according to a national transportation research group.The Texas Department of Transportation wants your feedback on a plan to improve that road.
  On Thursday, Sept. 29, TxDOT is hosting a meeting about improving 19 miles of U.S. Highway 281 in Blanco County, from U.S. Highway 290 to the Comal County line.TxDOT plan to expand US 281 worries Blanco neighbors as they work to cr
  
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• 3 Austin taco joints ranked among Yelp's Top 100 spots in US

  22-09-2022 17:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Is it time to make Taco Thursday a thing? We think so, and so do Yelp reviewers when it comes to Austin's taco scene.On Thursday, Yelp released its list of the Top 100 taco joints in the U.S., with three Austin spots joining the ranks. The list comes in advance of National Taco Day, celebrated on Oct. 4. After NY Times mention, reservations at Canje booked through NovemberThe three featured Austin restaurants include Granny's Tacos (No. 4) off E. Seventh Street, Cuantos Tac
  
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• Austin Transit Partnership passes $90.6 million budget on its own

  22-09-2022 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Transit Partnership, which was created in 2020 as a separate entity to oversee Project Connect, passed its first budget as an independent group Wednesday.
  Project Connect is the City of Austin's more than $10 billion plan to create a light rail system and expand the city's public transit.PREVIOUS: Project Connect light rails will likely cost $10.3B, twice as much as first plannedAccording to budget proposal documents for Fiscal Year 2022-23, ATP's full budget tot
  
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• Despite some colleges making SAT optional, students are still submitting scores

  22-09-2022 15:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A growing number of colleges across the country are changing their admissions applications, abandoning requirements for SAT and ACT scores.Last year, the University of Texas at Austin suspended these test score requirements for its incoming class of students.This fall, Texas State won't require SAT and ACT scores for applicants ranked in the top 75% of their high school class. UT makes ACT, SAT test scores optional for fall 2023 applicantsAll of these new requirements have
  
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• Farming enters the drone revolution; led by former University of Texas students

  22-09-2022 14:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of former University of Texas students are taking farms around the world to the skies. It's part of a new trend in the agriculture world that's expected to be worth $5.7 billion by 2025: farming drones.
  "Our curriculum at UT Austin was very drone focused," said Arthur Erickson. A former UT student, Erickson and his roommates from Texan Tower went on to found Hylio in 2015. "Whereas everybody and their mom was doing like a delivery drone, we thought the AG industry w
  
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• Gunshot fired at Austin hospital bridge highlights healthcare violence

  22-09-2022 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bullet didn't just break a glass window at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin. For some, it also shattered their sense of safety."I'm working today during the busy holiday and nobody from the hospital's leadership team told any associates that this happened," one person, who identified himself as an employee, told KXAN about the incident which took place on the Fourth of July. "Everyone that works here walks through that sky bridge. There isn't even a security presence."
  
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• Gunshot fired at Austin hospital bridge highlights health care violence

  22-09-2022 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bullet didn't just break a glass window at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin. For some, it also shattered their sense of safety."I'm working today during the busy holiday, and nobody from the hospital's leadership team told any associates that this happened," one person, who identified himself as an employee, told KXAN about the incident which took place on the Fourth of July. "Everyone that works here walks through that sky bridge. There isn't even a security presence.
  
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• LIVE: Fall starts with record heat and dry skies

  22-09-2022 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Fall in Texas? You mean 'second summer'?We kick off the new season with more of the same -- hot, dry and sunny. These summer-like conditions persist through the upcoming weekend. The heat peaks today and tomorrow with afternoon highs climbing into the low 100s - flirting with records both days.First day of fall feeling like mid-summerSinking air associated with the high pressure system overhead will push pollution towards the surface, increasing the concentration of ground-level
  
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• Fall starts with record heat and dry skies

  22-09-2022 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Fall in Texas? You mean 'second summer'?We kick off the new season with more of the same as hot, dry and sunny conditions persist through the upcoming weekend. The heat peaks today and tomorrow with afternoon highs climbing into the low 100s - flirting with records both days.First day of fall feeling like mid-summerHigh pressure weakens some this weekend keeping us out of the low 100s but still hotter than normal (upper 90s). Sunshine and dry skies will stretch areawide.We are t
  
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• It's World Car Free Day — what does that mean?

  22-09-2022 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday is World Car Free Day and CapMetro wants you to take part.According to the United Nations, World Car Free Day encourages drivers to give up their cars for a day.
  CapMetro has a Commute Solutions Cost Calculator, so you can figure out how much you would save by taking public transit to work every day.
  CapMetro also has a Carbon Savings Calculator to figure out how many pounds of carbon dioxide you can save a week.
  
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• SWAT callout ends in Buda

  22-09-2022 12:26 via kxan.com
  
  BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — Buda Police said a SWAT callout ended Thursday morning in a condo just south of downtown.
  Police said a woman refused to come out of a condo at Bella Vita Garden Homes off South Loop 4.
  Police did not say why they wanted the woman to come out but said she eventually did.
  Buda Police said they would provide more information about the SWAT callout later Thursday.
  
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• Texas lawmaker pushes for accountability after delay of maternal death data

  22-09-2022 11:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A state lawmaker is looking for accountability after Texas delayed publication of maternal death data, which was due to be released on Sept. 1, a deadline mandated by state law.Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, is now meeting with attorneys to see if she can get her hands on the data. She and 29 other lawmakers sent a letter to the Texas Department of State Health Services on Monday pushing the department to release the 2022 Texas Maternal Mortality Report.Thierry told KXAN on Wedn
  
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• 'It was wild to not have that control': Nursing shortage hits some Austin delivery rooms

  22-09-2022 05:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A pandemic nursing staffing shortage persists -- and KXAN is learning it's hitting some Austin delivery rooms.KXAN first started digging into this when a patient in the St. David's HealthCare system said they weren't able to schedule an elective induction before their baby was a week past due, or if it was medically necessary for another reason.
  St. David's HealthCare said the nationwide nursing shortage means medical facilities will sometimes make schedule changes for elective
  
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• Veterans group provides security amid protest at Pflugerville drag brunch

  22-09-2022 03:05 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A photo provided to KXAN showed a group of people with a Nazi flag and transphobic signs, protesting outside of a drag brunch at Hanover's Draft Haus in Pflugerville this last weekend.After seeing some posts on social media, the bar's owner contacted Veterans for Equality (V4E), a Texas-based group of U.S. military veterans, to provide security at the event, Gen Pena, one of the group's founders, said. Report: Austin metro to surpass San Antonio metro populatio
  
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• Photo shows group with Nazi flag protesting at Pflugerville drag brunch

  22-09-2022 03:05 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — A photo provided to KXAN showed a group of people with a Nazi flag and transphobic signs, protesting outside of a drag brunch at Hanover's Draft Haus in Pflugerville this last weekend.After seeing some posts on social media, the bar's owner contacted Veterans for Equality (V4E), a Texas-based group of U.S. military veterans, to provide extra security at the event. Report: Austin metro to surpass San Antonio metro population by 2040Gen Pena, one of the group's f
  
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• Are there legal differences in how Texas and Florida are transporting migrants?

  22-09-2022 02:03 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (Nexstar/Texas Tribune) — Legal backlash into how Florida transported migrants quickly followed Gov. Ron DeSantis' announcement that the state chartered two planes to send roughly 50 immigrants from Texas to the East Coast, yet the Lone Star state hasn't faced the same legal action since it started busing migrants.DeSantis sent the planes to Martha’s Vineyard last Thursday, mimicking Gov. Greg Abbott’s months-long practice of busing migrants to Democr
  
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• City of Leander watches water usage closely as 14-day repair to underwater pipeline starts

  22-09-2022 01:56 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA) contractors shut off a 36-inch pipeline in Lake Travis Wednesday morning to repair a leak found back in August. With repairs taking up to two weeks to fix, the city of Leander is asking customers to conserve as much water as they can to avoid depleting resources.On its Facebook page, the City of Leander has posted daily water usage updates, comparing how closely customers could stick to its goal of only using 9 million gall
  
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• City of Leander watches water usage as 14-day repair to underwater pipeline starts

  22-09-2022 01:56 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority (BCRUA) contractors shut off a 36-inch pipeline in Lake Travis Wednesday morning to repair a leak found in August. With repairs taking up to two weeks to fix, the City of Leander is asking customers to conserve as much water as they can to avoid depleting resources.On its Facebook page, the City of Leander posted daily water usage updates, comparing how closely customers could stick to its goal of only using 9 million gallons
  
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• Missing 1-month-old baby last seen with mother in east Austin

  22-09-2022 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Austin Police Department said it was searching for a missing baby last seen in east Austin.Jamire Hardin was last seen late Tuesday evening in the 7300 block of Lazy Creek Drive with his mother, 16-year-old, Nevaeh Hardin-Doucet. According to APD, Hardin's family was concerned about the baby’s well-being. Jamire Hardin is described as a one-month-old Black male baby, measuring 21 inches long and weighing 9 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes.The mot
  
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• 1-month-old baby last seen with mother found

  22-09-2022 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Austin Police Department said it located a missing east Austin infant and his mother.Both were found safe, according to APD.APD was previously searching for the baby last seen in the 7300 block of Lazy Creek Drive with his mother.According to APD, family members were concerned about the baby’s well-being.
  
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