Austin news

• Austin man sentenced for a 2021 murder where he killed a former co-worker's stepfather

  14-01-2023 23:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man pled guilty to murdering a 37-year-old man and assaulting two women on the 10200 block of Missel Thrush Drive in July 2021, according to Travis County court records.Aaron Garza, 20, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for shooting and killing Joshua Cooper, and 20 years for assaulting the women.On the night of the incident, APD received multiple calls reporting shots being fired followed by screams. When APD arrived on the scene, they found Cooper unrespo
  
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• Man sentenced to life for 2020 death of Austin car dealership employee

  14-01-2023 21:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County court records showed a man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for capital murder by terror threat charge from a November 2020 offense.According to Travis County court records, 33-year-old Alberto Torres initially filed a not-guilty plea to the courts two days before his conviction and sentencing.Torres was arrested in connection to the shooting death of 61-year-old Jerry Paul Lee, a northwest Austin car dealership employee. The shooting happened in the 1
  
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• US Marshals arrest suspect in connection to June shooting in Bastrop

  14-01-2023 21:09 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — US Marshals arrested a Smithville man Thursday in connection to a June shooting on State Highway 71 in Bastrop.The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrested Darrian Chandler, 25, in Smithville. He is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and deadly conduct.
  Authorities said Chandler was wanted in connection to a shooting that happened June 7.A witness reported seeing a vehicle that fired four to six rounds into another vehicle. The US Marshals sai
  
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• TCSO: Pflugerville man charged with murder after turning himself in, confessing to shooting

  14-01-2023 19:57 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Officials have charged a man with murder after he turned himself in and confessed to a Friday evening shooting in the 2800 block of Linville Ridge Lane that left one person dead.The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said 20-year-old Alian Shamar Morrison Davis, of Pflugerville, was identified as a suspect connected to the shooting death early in the investigation.TCSO said at approximately 7:37 p.m. Friday, deputies responded to a check welfare call after a
  
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• No. 10 Texas ready to faceoff against Texas Tech in first meeting of season

  14-01-2023 19:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 10 Texas will host Texas Tech for the first time Saturday night at the Moody Center.The Longhorns (14-2, 3-1 Big 12 Conference) are seeking their third straight win as they try to keep pace with the undefeated teams in the conference: Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Kansas and Iowa State will play each other Saturday.
  MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters
  
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• No. 10 Texas ready to faceoff against Tech in first meeting of season

  14-01-2023 19:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 10 Texas will host Texas Tech for the first time at the Moody Center Saturday night at 7pm.
  The Longhorns (3-1, 14-2 overall) are seeking their third straight win as they try to keep pace with the undefeateds: Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Kansas and Iowa State will play each other Saturday.
  Texas will face a Texas Tech team who has struggled since Big 12 play began, as the Red Raiders are winless since the conference schedule began.
  Despite the Red Raiders issu
  
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• El Niño: The history and impacts

  14-01-2023 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The latest update from the Climate Prediction Center shows an increasing probability of an El Niño pattern by late Summer 2023.Figure: January 2023 update on El Niño Southern Oscillation
  With a long-lasting La Niña in place for the last 3 years, many may now be familiar with the climatological pattern. But what about El Niño? What does La Niña's counterpart typically bring?El Niño the basicsSimilar to La Niña, an El Niño pa
  
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• Austin man sentenced to 25 years for 2019 road rage murder

  14-01-2023 17:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man pled guilty to a 2019 road rage incident that left a man dead on Pleasant Valley Road, according to Travis County court records.
  James Derks, 39, pled guilty to murder Jan. 5. He was sentenced to serve 25 years in state prison.In May 2019, Austin Police found Eric Walz unresponsive next to his vehicle, and he was declared brain dead the next day.On the day of the incident, a witness told police that another driver harassed Walz, and they were speeding near Wil
  
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• AISD experiencing online registration, transfer systems issues

  14-01-2023 17:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Independent School District announced it was experiencing technical issues affecting its online registration and transfer systems.Because of the issue, AISD said it would postpone all the district’s registration processes for the 2023–24 school year.AISD was able to provide new dates for the district's transfer window.
  Priority transfer window: Jan. 16–Feb. 7General transfer window: Opens Feb. 8
  In addition to the new dates, AISD said Jan. 13 wa
  
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• Where did the 'Drive Friendly - the Texas Way' highway signs come from?

  14-01-2023 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — For years, you've seen them along the many highways in the Lone Star State: signs reading "Drive Friendly - the Texas Way." Have you ever wondered what the story is behind them?The signs — and slogan — became official in June 1973 after then Gov. Dolph Briscoe approved its adoption, according to a Texas House of Representatives resolution from that time. Though the Texas Department of Transportation told Nexstar some information related to the signs is currently una
  
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• The rodeo was Austin’s most-attended event in 2022

  14-01-2023 15:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (ABJ) -- No offense, Michael Dell and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but horses and carnival rides are bigger draws coming out of the pandemic around these parts.Despite the star power of South by Southwest and Austin City Limits Music Festival, no other single clocked more attendees than the city’s rodeo, an indication that this rapidly growing tech hub still embraces the region’s cowboy past and typical southern good times.Hosted by the nonprofit Rodeo Austin, the 15-day s
  
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• Warming trend leads to 80s for MLK weekend

  14-01-2023 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A very cold Saturday morning transitions a beautiful and mild afternoon.
  Today will feature mainly sunny and dry skies areawide with afternoon highs topping out in the low to upper 60s. An occasional breeze will be noticeable but more more wind is expected tomorrow.Southerly winds will help keep our warming trend going into Sunday and Monday with temperatures well above average in the 70s and 80s. Sunday's windy conditions (15-25 mph, gusting to 35 mph) is likely to increase pol
  
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• Warm and windy weather until a wet Wednesday

  14-01-2023 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Our warm-up is already underway with highs on Saturday slightly warmer than Friday. Temperatures take an even bigger jump on Sunday.Before we get there, we've got a mainly clear, but not as chilly night ahead of us. Some patches of fog could develop southwest of Austin, but most areas stay fog-free. A warming wind will help to keep temperatures up tonight. Instead of the 30s, like we had Saturday morning, we'll begin your Sunday closer to 50 in Austin with 40s in the Hill Countr
  
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• Warm and windy weather ahead of next chance of rain

  14-01-2023 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Temperatures on Saturday were 4º warmer than Friday and our warm-up accelerates on Sunday. IN DEPTH: LA NINA ALMOST OVER, HERE'S WHEN EL NINO COULD BEGINBefore we get there, we've got a mainly clear, but not as chilly night ahead of us. Some patches of fog could develop southwest of Austin, but most areas stay fog-free. A warming wind will help to keep temperatures up tonight. Instead of the 30s, like we had Saturday morning, we'll begin your Sunday closer to 50 in Austin w
  
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• Record breaking heat ahead of two shots at rain

  14-01-2023 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Clouds are winning the battle against the sunshine today, but it's still warm with highs approaching the mid 70s. IN DEPTH: LA NINA ALMOST OVER, HERE'S WHEN EL NINO COULD BEGINWhile the winds were noticeably gusty on Sunday, we'll notice the gusts toning down as we head through tonight and into Monday.Tonight will be mostly cloudy, but mostly dry. A stray sprinkle is possible into the morning hours east of I-35, but measurable rainfall is not expected.Tonight's forecastIt will s
  
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• Increasing warmth, wind and humidity over holiday weekend

  14-01-2023 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a freezing start for most of us, we're on our way up with a mild afternoon to kick off the holiday weekend.Today will feature mainly sunny and dry skies areawide with afternoon highs topping out in the low to upper 60s. An occasional breeze will be noticeable, particularly for those in the Hill Country, but expect more wind problems tomorrow. Overall, today's weather will fully cooperate with any outdoor plans.Southerly winds will help keep our warming trend going into Sun
  
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• Increasing warmth, wind and humidity into the weekend

  14-01-2023 13:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A very cold Saturday morning transitions a beautiful and mild afternoon.
  Today will feature mainly sunny and dry skies areawide with afternoon highs topping out in the low to upper 60s. An occasional breeze will be noticeable but more more wind is expected tomorrow.Southerly winds will help keep our warming trend going into Sunday and Monday with temperatures well above average in the 70s and 80s. Sunday's windy conditions (15-25 mph, gusting to 35 mph) is likely to increase pol
  
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• Police: Texas man with stab wound crashes into Weslaco hospital; suspect detained

  14-01-2023 05:07 via kxan.com
  
  WESLACO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A suspect was detained after a man with a stab wound crashed into the Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco.
  At 9:18 p.m. Wednesday, police received a call of a single-vehicle crash into the hospital's emergency room, a news release from the Weslaco Police Department stated.Mata sentenced for deadly 2020 stabbing in EdinburgWeslaco Police Criminal Division was called to the scene, and an investigation began.Upon arrival, officers learned that the driver, identifi
  
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• Number of reported UFO incidents increasing, government says

  14-01-2023 04:17 via kxan.com
  
  The number of reported UFO incidents has sharply increased as more than 360 incidents have been reported or discovered in the past two years, according to a new intelligence report. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its annual report on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) on Thursday as required by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022. The act requires ODNI to work with the secretary of defense to submit an annual report to Congress o
  
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• Sheriff: Texas woman threatened to kill store clerk who denied her beer

  14-01-2023 04:05 via kxan.com
  
  SAN BENITO, Texas— The Cameron County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman accused of threatening to kill a store clerk who refused to sell her beer, authorities said.Sonia Maricela Reyes Mendoza, 46, was arrested Thursday on charges of terroristic threat, according to a news release from Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza.On Thursday, deputies responded to a store on the 2200 block of Highway 281 in reference to adisturbance. No action taken against officer in dog shooting, violates body came
  
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• APD searching for suspect in deadly north Austin crash

  14-01-2023 03:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is searching for a suspect wanted in connection with a deadly New Year's Eve crash, according to an APD news release.At approximately 11:45 p.m., Dec. 31, officers responded to a single-vehicle crash near the 8200 block of Research Boulevard (Highway 183 southbound), the release said.According to the preliminary investigation, Luis Angel Castilleja was driving at a high rate of speed with two other women in a vehicle when he crashed head-on into
  
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• Vaccination rate for kindergarteners in Austin dips lower for second year in a row, CDC report says

  14-01-2023 02:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Center for Disease Control report said the vaccination rate for kindergarten students across the United States has dipped lower for a second year in a row - an Austin pediatrician said she has seen that trend in her practice.The reportdetails that during the 2021-22 school year coverage decreased to 93% for all state-required vaccines - a one point drop from the previous school year.
  Vaccines the CDC were counting with this number are all state-required vaccines. In Texas
  
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• Routine vaccinations for kindergarteners dips for second year in a row, what Austin pediatricians are seeing

  14-01-2023 02:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Center for Disease Control report said the vaccination rate for kindergarten students across the United States has dipped lower for a second year in a row - an Austin pediatrician said she has seen that trend in her practice.The reportdetails that during the 2021-22 school year coverage decreased to 93% for all state-required vaccines - a one point drop from the previous school year.
  Vaccines the CDC were counting with this number are all state-required vaccines. In Texas
  
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• Travis County's largest mental health facility is its jail. Judge Brown looking at diversion options

  14-01-2023 02:10 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The largest mental health facility in Travis County isn't a hospital. According to County Judge Andy Brown, the largest mental health facility in our county is the jail.
  "Which is unacceptable to me," Brown said. "So we're trying to follow models around the country that are doing a better job of identifying people that police bring in that really have a mental health need that is unmet."
  The county is looking at building a mental health diversion center to pro
  
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• Historic Black-owned farm granted temporary injunction to stop developers on their land

  14-01-2023 00:40 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) –The Travis County District Court granted an emergency temporary restraining order and injunction against AMTEX Housing – a California-based developer – for developing on the Alexander Farm – a Black-owned farmland that has been in the Alexander family for 175  years. The temporary restraining order ceases any further development until a resolution is reached.KXAN has reached out to AMTEX Housing for comment and will update this story
  
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