Austin news

• Texas mayor helps his city brave the cold by wrapping pipes himself

  23-12-2022 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  HITCHCOCK, Texas (Nexstar) — As Texans in the small city of Hitchcock brace for a frigid Christmas, the warmth of one helpful neighbor shines through.Chris Armacost remembers the destruction 2021's winter storm brought to his close community. His neighbors were left powerless and stranded with broken water lines, an emergency uniquely impacting his small community of many elderly and disabled residents just north of Galveston. When he realized their pipes may burst again, he took it upon h
  
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• Texas power grid holds amid record winter demand, but test isn’t over

  23-12-2022 23:16 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (Texas Tribune) — As freezing temperatures enveloped Texas late Thursday and into Friday morning, demand for electricity shattered the grid operator’s peak expectations for the maximum amount of power people would use to stay warm this winter.Luckily, the state’s grid held, but the resiliency test isn’t over: High demand is forecast to continue into Saturday while power supplied from wind, which has been offering a significant boost during the blustery Arctic blas
  
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• Texas running back Roschon Johnson the latest to declare for NFL Draft, opt out of Alamo Bowl

  23-12-2022 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas running back Roschon Johnson is the latest Longhorn to opt out of the Alamo Bowl.Johnson made the announcement Friday on social media, saying he's going to prepare for the NFL Draft and will not play Dec. 29 at the Alamodome. "I gave the university all of me," he said in a statement. Texas Longhorns football compile one of top recruiting classes in country on National Signing Day"I devoted myself in every way possible to get this university back on the pedestal it sho
  
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• Austin sheltered 431 people on first night of cold snap, thousands more without

  23-12-2022 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As a brutal cold front swept into Austin Thursday, people began showing up at the One Texas Center, across the river from downtown Austin. It was the check-in point for Austin's overnight cold shelters.
  On the first night of below freezing temperatures, 431 people were taken to overnight shelters, according to an Austin Public Health spokesperson. Unlike during previous freezes, people will be allowed to stay in those overnight shelters during the day.Busloads of people show up
  
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• Austin sheltered 431 people on first night of cold snap, registration open again Friday

  23-12-2022 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As a brutal cold front swept into Austin Thursday, people began showing up at the One Texas Center, across the river from downtown Austin. It was the check-in point for Austin's overnight cold shelters.
  On the first night of below freezing temperatures, 431 people were taken to overnight shelters, according to an Austin Public Health spokesperson. Unlike during previous freezes, people will be allowed to stay in those overnight shelters during the day.Busloads of people show up
  
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• Win tickets to Pretty Woman: The Musical

  23-12-2022 21:18 via kxan.com
  
  Win two tickets to "Pretty Woman: The Musical" at Bass Concert Hall.
  The contest opens Dec. 26 and closes Jan. 1. Tickets are for the Jan. 17 performance. A winner will be notified Jan. 3. Enter below:
  
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• Hard Freeze Warning extended through Christmas morning

  23-12-2022 20:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Friday morning's temperatures dropped down to 15º at Austin's Camp Mabry making for the coldest morning in nearly two years. Low temperatures in some rural valleys were as cold as 8º in San Saba and Gillespie counties. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freezeMostly sunny skies will gradually give way to more clouds later this evening. High temperatures will attempt to reach the low 30s before once again dropping into the teens tonight.Wind chills in the teens and s
  
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• Why cedar didn't spike Friday, but will soon

  23-12-2022 20:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Typically after a December or January cold front, mountain cedar pollen jumps up and bothers many allergy sufferers here in Central Texas. With our very strong Arctic cold front that pushed through on Thursday, the cedar count actually dropped by Friday morning!KXAN spoke with Elizabeth McGreevy, local author of the book "Wanted! Mountain Cedar: Dead and Alive" and CEO of non-profit Roots in Karst. She blames the lack of a cedar pollen spike on the potency of the cold front Thurs
  
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• Texas Longhorns sign 4-star receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., add to No. 3 signing class in the country

  23-12-2022 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns added another top recruit to its 2023 signing class late Thursday.Texas signed wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., rated by 247Sports as a 4-star recruit from Anaheim, Calif., Moore played for St. John Bosco, one of the most successful high school football programs in the entire country. The Braves won the CIF Open Division championship with a 45-0 win over the San Mateo Serra Padres on Dec. 10, and MaxPreps named them the 2022 high school football national
  
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• Trail of Lights plans to reopen Friday, close early due to Arctic blast

  23-12-2022 20:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Trail of Lights will open Friday with an early closing time due to frigid temperatures, organizers said.The Trail was closed Thursday due to the cold weather that moved into the area, but organizers said prepaid general admission will begin at 7 p.m. and all ticketholders must be through the gates by 8:30 p.m."Guests should ensure their attendee group is planning for the outdoor walking experience which minimally includes 45 minutes to one hour at the Trail plus any wal
  
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• City of Leander opens warming center for Atmos customers without gas

  23-12-2022 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — The City of Leander opened a temporary warming center for residents experiencing natural gas outages.
  Many Atmos Energy customers have been experiencing low or no gas pressure Friday. The gas company issued a conservation alert.Many Central Texans without gas in extreme cold, Atmos asks customers to conserve"The City of Leander is working with Atmos officials to assist where possible and communicate with affected residents," the city's website read.
  Leander res
  
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• 'Superfan' has eaten at Whataburger every day for 10 years. Here's what she's learned

  23-12-2022 18:32 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (FOX 44) — Whataburger is a Texas staple and the fast food chain has no shortage of ardent fans. But there are regular fans and there are die-hard fans. Ashley Bean Thornton belongs to the latter category.
  Thornton, who lives in Waco and describes herself as a Whataburger "superfan," said she has been going to the restaurant just about every day for the last 10 years or so.
  (Photos Courtesy: Ashley Bean Thornton)"To me, it’s a clean, comfortable place where I feel welcome
  
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• How you can check Texas power grid conditions

  23-12-2022 18:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas provides real-time updates to its grid conditions online.As of Friday before 11 a.m., there is enough supply to meet demand, with about 6,854 MW of operating reserves. As of 10 a.m., the actual hourly average was about 338 MW less than the forecast for the system-wide demand. ERCOT leader expects power grid to handle frigid cold frontIt also added a new tool in mid-December, updating its Fuel Mix dashboard to show the generation by
  
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• Hays County upgraded to high COVID risk in latest CDC update

  23-12-2022 18:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in four months, Hays County is rated at high risk from COVID-19 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, Dec. 22 update, Hays County was upgraded from medium to high risk because of the number of new cases and hospitalizations in the county.Mason County was downgraded from hi
  
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• Many Central Texans without gas in extreme cold, Atmos asks customers to conserve

  23-12-2022 17:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Amid extremely low temperatures, several natural gas customers in Central Texas have reported low or no gas pressure Friday morning.
  The company Atmos Energy has also issued a conservation alert.Several people in KXAN's viewing area have sent emails to us reporting that they're experiencing low or no gas pressure, leaving them without heat and other necessities in their homes.
  "ATMOS gas is currently having an 'outage' and it appears to be over a large area. Gas line pressure is
  
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• Tesla to add more infrastructure at gigafactory near Austin, filings show

  23-12-2022 16:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- Tesla Inc. plans to further entrench itself along the State Highway 130 corridor with added infrastructure at its gigafactory site east of Austin, public filings show.Construction is expected to begin on a new project at 1 Tesla Road in the coming days, according to a Dec. 20 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.And plans filed with the city of Austin further indicate Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) has its eye on developing land it owns
  
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• Austin medics are used to 911 calls of extreme heat, but how do they respond to extreme cold-related emergencies?

  23-12-2022 16:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Dozens of calls rolled into Austin 911 dispatch overnight as temperatures fell and the gusty winds caused weather-related emergencies.“We did certainly expect to see an increase in hypothermia-type weather-related calls. And we also expected to see some carbon monoxide or toxic exposure type calls,” said Captain Darren Noak with Austin Travis County EMS.Local medics are used to treating people exposed to extreme heat, but extremely cold, windy weather is something Ce
  
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• How Austin Zoo is protecting animals from the cold

  23-12-2022 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With a Hard Freeze Warning over Central Texas, it's important to protect yourself and your pets from the cold.
  That's exactly what the Austin Zoo did for their animals before temperatures dropped Thursday.
  Zookeepers took precautions like adding jackets to smaller animals and those without much fur, but the zoo also has specific protocols for the cold.RELATED: Coldest temperatures of the year have arrived"A lot of our larger animals will actually have access to a back area where
  
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• How to celebrate the holidays with higher flu, COVID, RSV levels

  23-12-2022 14:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Many people will be ringing in the holiday season surrounded by friends, family and loved ones. But with colder temperatures in the forecast and higher transmission levels of COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulating, that could make this holiday season riskier for community members.Austin Public Health recommended everyone get up to date on their COVID-19 primary series and booster shots, along with their flu vaccines. Anyone feeling sick is advis
  
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• Austin weather history: The hottest, coldest and wettest Christmases over the years

  23-12-2022 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Has Austin ever had snow on Christmas? The answer, which may comes as a surprise, is yes!The National Weather Service has weather data for Austin dating back to the 1890s.KXAN dug through the archives to find the hottest, coldest, wettest and, yes, snowiest(!) Christmases in history.Austin has officially recorded a trace of snow once on Christmas Eve, in 1998, and once on Christmas Day, back in 1939.Here's what it looked like outside the KXAN studios on Christmas Eve in 199
  
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• Unique Guinness World Records done by Texans in Texas

  23-12-2022 13:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The state of Texas is known (and sometimes mocked) for several of its southern (and often cliché) staples, but these Guinness World Records just prove...Everything is bigger in Texas, including the record for the...Largest spurIn February 2017,  Leah Caruthers and Abe Caruthers built the largest spur in Lampasas. It measures 10.33 m (33 ft 10.75 in) tall, 6.44 m (21 ft 1.5 in) long and 2.65 m (8 ft 8.52 in) wide."Leah and Abe attempted this record to bring more touri
  
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• Austin firefighter injured at house fire

  23-12-2022 12:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Austin Fire Department firefighter went to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury after a fire in east Austin Thursday night, according to AFD.
  AFD said the fire was reported around 10 p.m. at a home on McKinley Avenue near East Martin Luther King Jr. and Airport Boulevards.
  AFD said no one was at the home.
  According to a 11:08 p.m. tweet from AFD, the fire was out and the cause was under investigation.
  KXAN requested an update on the condition of the firefighter and
  
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• AISD pauses transfers for five schools

  23-12-2022 12:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Independent School District said Wednesday five campuses will be frozen and not accept transfers from outside their attendance areas during the 2023-24 school year.They are:McCallum High SchoolLamar Middle SchoolMarshall Middle School (priority and general transfers)Gullet Elementary (1st through 5th grades)Barton Hills Elementary (1st through 6th grades)
  Transfer requests for students living inside AISD boundaries for the 2023-24 school year begin Jan. 9.
  The distric
  
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• AISD freezes five schools for transfers

  23-12-2022 12:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Independent School District said Wednesday five campuses will be frozen and not accept transfers from outside their attendance areas during the 2023-24 school year.They are:McCallum High SchoolLamar Middle SchoolMarshall Middle School (priority and general transfers)Gullet Elementary (1st through 5th grades)Barton Hills Elementary (1st through 6th grades)
  Transfer requests for students living inside AISD boundaries for the 2023-24 school year begin Jan. 9.
  The distric
  
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• Missing 71-year-old found

  23-12-2022 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police said a 71-year-old man they were looking for was located safely.APD issued an alert early Friday morning for the man, and said he was found Friday afternoon.
  While he was missing, police were concerned for his safety due to his health.
  
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• APD looking for missing man

  23-12-2022 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police are looking for a missing man they believe is in danger.
  APD issued an alert early Friday morning for Joseph Campbell, 71. According to the alert, Campbell was last seen on Metcalfe Road off Burleson Road in South Austin on Dec. 13.
  Police said his family last heard from Campbell on Tuesday.APD is concerned about Campbell's safety due to his health.According to the alert, Campbell is described as:White6'0"200 lbs.Gray hairBlack eyes
  If you have any information abou
  
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• Busloads of people show up to stay in overnight shelters, others remain in camps

  23-12-2022 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin-Travis County EMS' community health paramedics were out Thursday tracking down people without a warm place to sleep as a strong Arctic cold front dropped temperatures well into freezing.
  The paramedics were bringing people to One Texas Center on Barton Springs Road, where they were checked in and taken to one of several overnight shelters. People who need a place to stay have a two-hour window -- between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. -- to get checked in.
  Despite the window, once the
  
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• Bus loads of people show up to stay in overnight shelters, others remain in camps

  23-12-2022 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin-Travis County EMS' community health paramedics were out Thursday tracking down people without a warm place to sleep as a strong Arctic cold front dropped temperatures well into freezing.
  The paramedics were bringing people to One Texas Center on Barton Springs Road, where they were checked in and taken to one of several overnight shelters. People who need a place to stay have a two-hour window -- between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. -- to get checked in.
  Despite the window, once the
  
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• No. 7 Longhorns hit 100 for the 1st time this season in win over Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

  23-12-2022 05:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 7 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team scored a 100-72 win over Louisiana on Wednesday at the Moody Center, and acting head coach Rodney Terry thinks "the sky is the limit" for his team.It's Terry's third game as the acting head coach following Chris Beard's arrest and suspension Dec. 12, and the Longhorns are 3-0 in those games. Terry said after the game he didn't know anything about his position as acting head coach moving forward or if he'd be named the interim
  
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• 'That's a life,' Watch out for roadside crews during holiday travel

  23-12-2022 04:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More cars on the road full of people heading across the state for holiday plans - means a higher chance for accidents, and a busy weekend for tow truck operators."We're ready," said Brittany Sizemore with Eagle Towing and Recovery in North Austin.When it comes to your own car, Sizemore said dead batteries and flat tires are the most likely to leave you stranded during this cold spurt, adding that her crews see an uptick in accidents around the holidays on the major highways
  
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• 1 arrested after SWAT situation at south Austin hotel

  23-12-2022 03:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person was arrested after an attempt to make an arrest for felony warrants escalated to a SWAT situation in south Austin Thursday, the Austin Police Department said during a media briefing near Santiago Street.At approximately 3:30 p.m., officers arrived at a Super 8 in the 4200 block of Interstate 35service road southbound, and attempted to arrest a person with three felony warrants, police said.However, police said the person, who as not identified Thursday, ran into
  
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• 1 seriously injured after vehicle-pedestrian crash in south Austin

  23-12-2022 03:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person was seriously injured after a vehicle-pedestrian crash in south Austin Thursday, Austin-Travis County EMS said in a tweet.ATCEMS said one adult patient was taken to St. David's South Austin Medical Center with critical, life-threatening injuries.
  CPR was also in progress when ATCEMS posted its tweet just before 8 p.m.No other information was available at the time this article was published.
  This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
  
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• Sun helping, but another frigid night ahead

  23-12-2022 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A remarkably strong Arctic cold front blew through the area Thursday, dropping temperatures from 59 degrees in Austin at 11:50 a.m. to 34 degrees just one hour later. Dangerously cold weather has settled into the area through midday Saturday. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freezeFriday morning's temperatures dropped down to 15º at Austin's Camp Mabry making for the coldest morning of the year.Mostly sunny skies will gradually give way to more clouds later this aftern
  
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• Dangerously cold weather, biting winds blowing across central Texas

  23-12-2022 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A remarkably strong Arctic cold front blew through the area today, dropping temperatures from 59 degrees in Austin at 11:50 a.m. to 34 degrees just one hour later. Dangerously cold weather has settled into the area through midday Saturday. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freezeArctic freeze: Timing and impactsFriday morning will bring the coldest weather since Feb. 2021, with forecast low temperatures just 3-5 degrees "warmer" than the worst of that event. Though temperatu
  
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• Coldest temperatures of the year have arrived

  23-12-2022 02:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A remarkably strong Arctic cold front blew through the area Thursday, dropping temperatures from 59 degrees in Austin at 11:50 a.m. to 34 degrees just one hour later. Dangerously cold weather has settled into the area through midday Saturday. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freezeFriday morning's temperatures are the coldest conditions our area has seen since Feb. 2021. Though temperatures will not be much different, this cold weather will not last nearly as long as that c
  
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• How the arctic front impacts all corners of Texas

  23-12-2022 01:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — As an arctic front blankets nearly all of Texas Thursday night, 30 million people brace for the unique challenges it brings their corner of the state.The front first hit Amarillo, bringing brutal wind chills plunging the temperature into double-digit negatives. Texas' northernmost major city is used to it, though."When they say there's problems on the Texas grid, they usually mean the ERCOT region. Don't be panicked if you hear something about that," said Xcel Energy spo
  
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• 3 Texas Longhorns named to 2023 NFL Pro Bowl Games rosters

  23-12-2022 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This year's NFL Pro Bowl is going to look a lot different from years past, but it'll still include two former Texas Longhorns.Seattle defensive back Quandre Diggs and Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker, both stars for the Longhorns in their days, will suit up for what's now a flag football game among other competitions in activities in Las Vegas on Feb. 5. The rebranded name is the "Pro Bowl Games."MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up f
  
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• 'You're not alone in this': Homeless shelter provides overnight stay during Arctic Freeze

  23-12-2022 01:10 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Warming centers in Hays County are on standby waiting to open if the county says its needed.But the Southside Community Center in San Marcos is taking in the homeless community this entire weekend regardless of power outages or not.They have their gym filled with rows of about 50 beds and piles of pillows.The center said even if they reach capacity, they'll try to get hotel waivers for those they can't house.
  "We expect for every cot to be taken," said Director Debora
  
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• Police release more photos of suspect in north Austin food truck theft

  23-12-2022 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department Auto Theft unit released additional photos of the suspect accused of stealing a food truck in north Austin earlier this month.The food truck theft happened in the early morning hours Dec. 11 in the from a parking space directly in front of the Le Bleu Vietnamese restaurant, located at 9070 Research Blvd. near Burnet Road. Thief steals hopes for north Austin restaurant expansion“It’s lost,” Trinh Nguyen, the restaurant’s co-owne
  
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• While there's more time to build 2023 roster, Texas football triumphs in early signing period

  23-12-2022 00:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While Wednesday was a big day for college football programs to lock in recruits and give them a chance to get to campus early, it's not the only opportunity they'll get to build next year's team. Texas Longhorns football compile one of top recruiting classes in country on National Signing DayThis year, the early signing period for NCAA Division I and II football programs runs from Dec. 21-23. Created in 2017, it gives schools and recruits an opportunity to lock in longtime
  
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• Ranked: San Antonio River Walk among top Christmas traditions in nation

  23-12-2022 00:12 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- The Alamo City is one of Texas' top tourist destinations year-round--and a recent marketing survey suggests that remains true during the holidays.According to Mixbook Photo Co., a business specializing in the creation of photo albums, the River Walk is one of America's favorite Christmas traditions.Mixbook polled 1,500 Americans about every state's top holiday traditions, and the San Antonio River Walk nearly topped the list, finishing at No. 2.As for the No
  
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• 16-foot python captured in north Austin reunites with owner after nearly half a year

  23-12-2022 00:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Monday, the Austin Animal Center got a call from a concerned Coronado Hills resident about a 16-foot-long albino python they had captured roaming around their neighborhood. In an Instagram post by the Austin Animal Center, it wrote the Cornado Hills couple had spotted the snake multiple times since July. With the colder weather, the snake’s energy levels reduced enough for the couple to capture it and call the agency.There are a total of 76 native snake specie
  
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