Austin news

• Central Texas family finds missing Southwest luggage after watching KXAN report

  02-01-2023 23:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A New Braunfels family credited a KXAN report on missing Southwest Airlines luggage with finding and retrieving their own suitcases.Cecilia and Omar Guerrero live in New Braunfels, and they were leaving Orlando on Christmas Eve when their travel plans were disrupted. They eventually found a replacement flight and got back to Central Texas in the early hours of Christmas morning, but their luggage was missing. RELATED REPORTING: Southwest meltdown: How your baggage can end u
  
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• Students return to classes in new Del Valle elementary school

  02-01-2023 23:44 via kxan.com
  
  DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — The spring semester begins Tuesday for students at the Del Valle Independent School District, and some of them will return to classes in a brand new building.District leaders celebrated the completion of construction Monday by cutting the ribbon on the new Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary School. The new building is located directly behind the previous school at 4601 Hounddog Trail.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Manor, Del Valle ISDs pass $280M bonds, while smaller bonds fail in Bur
  
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• South Congress Books 'priced out,' announces relocation to Old Austin neighborhood

  02-01-2023 23:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — South Congress Books will relocate in 2023 to a new location, the business announced in a Facebook post on New Year's Eve.The bookstore, located at 1608 S. Congress Ave., opened back in summer 2011. Its last day operating off South Congress is Jan. 8, with a planned reopening at 3703 Kerbey Lane in March. The new location will be across the road from the original Kerbey Lane Cafe.
  South Congress Books will relocate from its location along the Austin strip to an Old Austin n
  
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• Texas rural mental health advocates call for change in 2023

  02-01-2023 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — As lawmakers prepare to return to the Texas Capitol this month, many rural communities hope the legislature will make significant investments into their mental health resources.Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner handles mental health cases not only in her county seat of Amarillo, but in more than two dozen rural counties around the Texas Panhandle. Even though Tanner said she has processed more than 5,000 cases in her tenure, the closest mental health hospital to her const
  
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• Police arrest man after allegedly striking woman near UT campus

  02-01-2023 22:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police arrested a man Monday afternoon after they said he struck a woman in the head near the University of Texas campus.
  University police put out an alert that the alleged assault happened at about 1 p.m. near West 22nd and Guadalupe streets. A woman affiliated with UT reported a man striking the back of her head "with a closed fist," according to police.
  Police said the suspect then kept making "threatening comments and boarded a bus." University police officers arrived
  
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• Legendary Longhorns baseball coach Cliff Gustafson dies at 91

  02-01-2023 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Cliff Gustafson, one of the founding fathers of Texas Longhorns baseball, has died at the age of 91.His legendary Longhorns coaching career extended over 29 years and resulted in two national championships (1975 and 1983) and 22 Southwest Conference titles. He finished with an astounding .795 winning percentage with 1,466 wins and 377 losses as Texas' head coach.Gustafson replaced Bibb Falk as the Longhorns head baseball coach in 1968, after 14 seasons as a high school coac
  
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• VIDEO: Central Texas high school band performs in Rose Parade

  02-01-2023 18:42 via kxan.com
  
  PASADENA, Calif. (KXAN) — The historic Rose Parade featured music Monday morning from the Vista Ridge High School Ranger Marching Band.
  The band members from Cedar Park performed along the parade route for the first time, as hosts Ana Gasteyer and Mario Lopez noted in their commentary. The high school holds the honor of being the only band directly invited by parade organizers to participate. The other 20 schools were selected through an application process. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Central Texa
  
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• 5 people you didn't know were Texans

  02-01-2023 17:30 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — What do ya'll think? You may think you always know a Texan right off the bat but here are a few high-profile people you may not know have Texas ties. All information is according to Britannica unless otherwise cited. What is an atmospheric river?Renée Zellweger
  Born Renée Kathleen Zellweger in Katy in 1969, the future acclaimed actress also attended the University of Texas in Austin. While the 53-year-old star may be best known for her roles in the popular "Bridge
  
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• ATCEMS: 6% of med calls are life-threatening emergencies. How the agency adapted

  02-01-2023 16:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin-Travis County EMS has made changes to help patients who don't need to go to the emergency room, but still call 911. Those calls represent the vast majority of what it handles — ATCEMS said only 6% of its calls for medical assistance are for life-threatening emergencies."Our industry has changed a lot," said Division Chief Stephen White. He added that since the pandemic, people have started to call 911 more not just for emergencies like heart attacks, strokes or trau
  
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• Nearly 20K Christmas trees stay out of landfills thanks to Austin recycling program

  02-01-2023 15:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As we head into the new year, plenty of people have begun the process of clearing out their holiday decorations.This means tossing away tons of trash, recycling paper wrapping and bidding farewell to your Christmas trees. See 'one of the best' meteor showers Tuesday nightAccording to Austin Resource Recovery spokesman Andrés Cantu, things are busy as can be for his workers.“It is a little bit more of an accelerated schedule, he said. “A little bit of a bu
  
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• Tracking Overdoses: App helps identify overdoses in community

  02-01-2023 15:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There were 308 overdose deaths in Travis County in 2021, which is a 20% increase from 2020."We have seen the increase in opioid-related deaths skyrocket over the last few years," State Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) said. ‘It is killing people’: Overdose deaths continue to rise in Travis CountyTravis County has started a campaign to raise awareness about this issue. It's called Safer Together and the goal is to reduce the number of overdose-related deaths."Right n
  
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• Why Black people are leaving Austin, new efforts bringing culture to retain professionals

  02-01-2023 14:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is diverse in a lot of ways but lacks Black professionals.  The Austin Area Urban League said it’s because there’s not enough thought being put into culture and entertainment — what happens outside of work — to keep people here.Less than 10% of Austin’s population is Black, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The Urban League said the conversation should be centered around equity, access, and job opportunities. Connected to
  
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• Why Black people are leaving Austin, new efforts bring culture to retain professionals

  02-01-2023 14:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin is diverse in a lot of ways but lacks Black professionals.  The Austin Area Urban league said it’s because there’s not enough thought being put into culture and entertainment—what happens outside of work—to keep people here.Less than 10% of Austin’s population is Black, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The Urban League said the conversation should be centered around equity, access, and job opportunities. Connected to that
  
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• January meteor shower: Quadrantids peak this Tuesday night

  02-01-2023 14:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Central Texans looking to see "one of the best" meteor showers are going to be in luck this week. The Quadrantids meteor shower will peak around 9 p.m. Tuesday night. The shower will last through early Wednesday morning.
  The Quadrantids are, according to NASA, considered one of the most consistent and "best" meteor showers of the year. During the peak, NASA said you can expect to see 60 to 200 meteors per hour.Unlike last week's rare planetary alignment, the weather will be
  
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• Visitation, funeral service for AFD battalion chief set

  02-01-2023 13:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The visitation and funeral services for an Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief are set for this week.AFD Battalion Chief Travis L. Maher, 49, died Dec. 28 from stomach cancer diagnosed about six months ago. Doctors believe his cancer is linked to when he went to New York City to help with rescue and recovery efforts with Texas A&M Task Force 1 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.Maher's visitation is scheduled for 4-7 p.m., Monday at Co
  
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• Two rounds of rain sandwich record warm afternoon

  02-01-2023 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Happy New Year from the First Warning Weather Team!Today will feature two distinct rounds of rain - the first this morning, the second late tonight.This morning's rain will be light and scattered with very little in the way of meaningful accumulation. Pockets of drizzle and patchy fog will hang with us through late morning before partial clearing gets underway by early afternoon.The combination of sunshine and a stout southerly flow will allow temperatures to soar well above ave
  
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• Some more storms possible overnight

  02-01-2023 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today was a record breaker in Austin with temperatures already reaching 82º and surpassing the record high for this date at Camp Mabry of 80º back in 1954. It's also possible we set a new record warm low temperature. Since midnight we've only dropped to 70º and if we don't drop below 67º by midnight we'll break the previous record warm low at Camp Mabry of 66º set in 1950.Records aside, it will stay warm and breezy into this evening with, initially, a lo
  
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• Scattered storms moving through Eastern Counties now

  02-01-2023 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Monday was a record breaker in Austin with temperatures reaching 83º and surpassing the record high for the date at Camp Mabry of 80º back in 1954. It was also a record high at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport where we reached 83º and beat the previous record high of 81º set in 2006.Records aside, we're watching the scattered storms moving through Central Texas over the next few hours. LIVE RADARRain coverage has been increasing in our Eastern Counties
  
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• Scattered storms moving through Austin Metro now

  02-01-2023 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Monday was a record breaker in Austin with temperatures reaching 83º and surpassing the record high for the date at Camp Mabry of 80º back in 1954. It was also a record high at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport where we reached 83º and beat the previous record high of 81º set in 2006.Records aside, we're watching the scattered storms moving through Central Texas over the next few hours. LIVE RADARRain coverage has been increasing in the Austin Metro Coun
  
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• Rain chances return tonight

  02-01-2023 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Happy New Year from the First Warning Weather Team!The first rains of 2022 happened this morning particularly in our eastern viewing area. Rain gauges at the Fayette Power Plant and Smithville recorded .40". Giddings measured .39".The will be a break from the rain this afternoon. If enough clearing occurs some highs will climb into the low 80s. Today's record high is 80° in 1954.An upper-level low moving out of northern New Mexico along with a cold front will both move east
  
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• The last Hays County volunteer fire station changing to paid

  02-01-2023 03:13 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - The South Hays Fire Department is the last completely volunteer station in Hays County. But this year, that will change.It's something former Deputy Chief Dan Kramer said impacted the department's response. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hays County fire department severely understaffed, average of 3 firefighters per shift"We were missing calls, because we weren't staffed. We were inadequately staffed, I would say the majority of the time. And we had stations that were left total
  
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• Brush fire burns 10 acres near San Marcos Premium Outlets

  02-01-2023 01:04 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — A brush fire in San Marcos was contained after burning about 10 acres Sunday afternoon. It happened near the San Marcos Premium Outlets.
  Brush fire in San Marcos (Image: KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)Brush fire in San Marcos (Image: KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)Brush fire in San Marcos (Image: KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)Brush fire in San Marcos (Image: KXAN Photo/Haley Cihock)Brush fire in San Marcos (Image: KXAN Photo/Christian Marcelli)An official cause hasn't been released,
  
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• LIVE: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump joins Hays County family following inmate death

  02-01-2023 00:08 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Following the death of Hays County inmate Joshua Wright Dec. 12, nationally recognized civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will join Wright's family at a news conference Monday. Crump has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among others.Wright was an inmate held on pre-trial detention for alleged unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was receiving medical treatment at Seton Hospital in Kyle when he tried t
  
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• Civil rights attorney Ben Crump to join Hays County family following inmate death

  02-01-2023 00:08 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Following the death of Hays County inmate Joshua Wright Dec. 12, nationally recognized civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will join Wright's family at a news conference Monday. Crump has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among others.Wright was an inmate held on pre-trial detention for alleged unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was receiving medical treatment at Seton Hospital in Kyle when he tried t
  
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• Civil rights attorney Ben Crump joins Hays County family following inmate death

  02-01-2023 00:08 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Following the death of Hays County inmate Joshua Wright Dec. 12, nationally recognized civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump will join Wright's family at a news conference Monday. Crump has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among others.Wright was an inmate held on pre-trial detention for alleged unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was receiving medical treatment at Seton Hospital in Kyle when he tried t
  
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• Attorney Ben Crump, family demand to see video of Hays County inmate's death

  02-01-2023 00:08 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Ben Crump, the nationally-known civil rights attorney, joined Joshua Wright's family members Monday afternoon to call for law enforcement to release video showing an officer shoot and kill Wright at a Kyle hospital on Dec. 12.
  Wright was an inmate held on pre-trial detention for alleged unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was receiving medical treatment at Seton Hospital in Kyle when he tried to leave the emergency room and was fatally shot by a Hays County c
  
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