Austin news

• 'They were eating one meal a day': More college students facing food insecurity than you might think

  18-01-2023 23:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The pandemic increased the number of Americans going to bed hungry, but one of those groups experiencing food insecurity is one you might not think about - college students."I was speaking to a student last year who told me before they found out about the food pantry, they were eating one meal a day," said Liza Manjarrez, senior associate director of campus ministry for St. Edwards University.St. Edwards University recently received a $10,000 grant from Central Texas Food Bank.
  
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• Austin airport in top 10 for most guns found in carry-on luggage in 2022

  18-01-2023 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport ranks among the top 10 airports for the highest number of firearms found in carry-on luggage at a checkpoint last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
  These incidents have risen nationwide from 5,972 in 2021 to 6,542 in 2022. In 2010, there were only 1,123 firearms found at TSA checkpoints nationwide, according to the TSA.IN-DEPTH: These are the new flights coming to Austin-Bergstrom International Ai
  
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• Road closure in Williamson Co. due to heavy police presence

  18-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas-- The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said heavy police presence in Liberty Hill Wednesday shut down certain intersections shortly after 4 p.m., according to a tweet from WCSO.The heavy police presence area is located at Ranch-to-Market 1869, WCSO said. Traffic on RM 1869 is closed between Highway 183 and Indian Ridge.WCSO said there is no further danger to the public, but drivers are urged to find an alternate route until traffic flow can be restored.
  
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• Officials investigating officer-involved shooting in Williamson Co.

  18-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Williamson County Sheriff's Office, along with the Texas Rangers, are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Liberty Hill, WCSO said.WCSO said heavy police presence in Liberty Hill Wednesday shut down certain intersections shortly after 4 p.m., according to a tweet from WCSO.The heavy police presence area is located at Ranch-to-Market 1869, WCSO said. Traffic on RM 1869 is closed between Highway 183 and Indian Ridge.WCSO said there is no further dang
  
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• Liberty Hill PD identifies officer in deadly Wednesday shooting

  18-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Liberty Hill Police Department on Thursday identified the officer involved in a deadly shooting that left one man dead Wednesday, according to a news release from LHPD.Officer Esteban Gomez-Sanchez responded to 750 Ranch Road 1869 at approximately 3 p.m. to assist the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office with a priority call, the news release said.DPS said the Williamson County Sheriff's Department got a call around 3 p.m. about the man, who was later i
  
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• DPS: Man dies after being shot by Liberty Hill Police officer

  18-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of Public Safety says a man suspected of trespassing died Wednesday after he was shot by an officer with the Liberty Hill Police Department.
  According to DPS Sgt. Deon Cockrell, the man had been in a crash and wandered onto a property where he got into a fight with the people who lived there.
  DPS said the Williamson County Sheriff's Department got a call around 3 p.m. about the man trespassing on the property.DPS said a Liberty Hill police
  
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• 1 person dead after officer-involved shooting in Williamson Co.

  18-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- One person is dead after the Williamson County Sheriff's Office confirmed an officer-involved shooting Wednesday in Liberty Hill.According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a call came into WCSO at approximately 3 p.m. reporting an individual was trespassing on a property.
  DPS said a Liberty Hill police officer who was closest arrived first to the scene where there was an altercation between the residents and the trespassing suspect.
  Another altercation
  
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• ACC chancellor announces retirement, nationwide search for successor to begin

  18-01-2023 23:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Leaders at Austin Community College (ACC) will begin looking for someone to succeed the current chancellor after he announced his intent to retire later this year.
  Dr. Richard Rhodes shared Wednesday that he will conclude his 12 years of service as chancellor on Aug. 31. He called it the "greatest pleasure" to hold this position, according to a statement shared by ACC.IN-DEPTH: Voters approve $770 million Austin Community College bond"Coming to ACC and serving this communit
  
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• Cooler weather finally returns in the midst of second-warmest January on record

  18-01-2023 23:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Cooler, more seasonable weather blows in on a northwesterly breeze overnight into Thursday. Overnight lows drop into the 40s with daytime highs back to the 60s.Forecast low temperatures early Thursday IN-DEPTH: LA NIÑA ALMOST OVER, HERE'S WHEN EL NIÑO COULD BEGINThursday brings pleasant sunshine, but clouds increase on a gray day Friday as the next western storm approaches. The cloud cover limits high temperatures to the 50s in some areas Friday and Saturday, with
  
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• Williamson County finds workaround solution to long state hospital waitlists

  18-01-2023 22:26 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — At Tuesday's commissioner court meeting, Williamson County leaders heard more details about a competency restoration program at the county's jail - this would speed up time inmates with mental illness receive treatment in order to stand trial.The program is being lead by the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, which provides mental health services across the county.During the meeting, BTCS Executive Director Andrea Richard
  
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• Homes in Austin metro are taking longer to sell than they have in more than a decade

  18-01-2023 21:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin housing market has "shifted and started to rebalance," with homes now spending an average of more than two months on the market.The Austin Board of Realtors President Ashley Jackson made the comments in the December edition of the board's monthly housing market report, released Wednesday."December tells us a lot about how the market has shifted and started to rebalance as there was a sales price drop and a staggering increase in how long homes take to sell," Jack
  
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• Cedar and other seasonal allergens can affect our fur babies

  18-01-2023 21:41 via kxan.com
  
  As the mountain cedar season continues we wanted to find out if our pets can be allergic to this pollen specifically and pollens in general. Are they as susceptible to the misery brought about by the miserable feeling experienced by humans?The short answer, according to Melissa Barrow from the Bluebonnet Animal Hospital, is yes.Anything that humans can be allergic to "our pets can be allergic to as well."Shaken cedar trees. Courtesy: Getty ImagesShe said there has been an increase in the number
  
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• TikTok banned at UT Austin, but still accessible at Moody Center

  18-01-2023 21:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A recent decision by Texas Governor Greg Abbott led to a ban of the social media website TikTok on state-owned devices and networks, including the University of Texas system. However, the site remains accessible at Moody Center, which is on the UT campus.UT-Austin bans TikTok access on campus networksThe site is still accessible for students and staff with personal devices via cellular data, but for those without data at UT-Austin, the Moody Center's public Wi-Fi network has a s
  
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• Calling all carnivores, the Meat Carneval comes to Austin

  18-01-2023 20:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – This Friday and Saturday, 20 chefs from around the world are coming together to serve up carnivorous delights to Central Texans at the Meat Carneval. This festival celebrates all things meat – though they do offer vegetarian substitutes – and encourages guests to “get primal,” by ditching the cutlery and eating with their hands. The Meat Carneval was started by two Israeli chefs – Gili Ben Shahar and Ohad Kvity  – and this weeke
  
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• PHOTOS: Morning cold front in Central Texas caught on camera

  18-01-2023 20:15 via kxan.com
  
  CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN) — A cold front pushed through Central Texas Wednesday morning, dragging a line of light showers through our area.
  We received several videos and photos from KXAN viewers of the cold front moving in, which made its presence known with bold cloud formations.FORECAST: Dry winds prompt Fire Weather WarningsHere are some of the best shots.
  Cold front spotted at the intersection of I-35 and Highway 45 in Central Texas the morning of Jan. 18, 2023 (Courtesy: Michael Bowes)
  Co
  
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• Marble Falls ISD names Dr. Jaff Gasaway as interim superintendent

  18-01-2023 19:14 via kxan.com
  
  MARBE FALLS, Texas (KXAN) -- The Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees has named an interim superintendent. Previous: Marble Falls ISD superintendent named as lone finalist to serve school district near WacoMFISD announced in a press release Dr. Jeff Gasaway was named Tuesday as the interim superintendent after Dr. Chris Allen, the former superintendent, left to serve another school district.
  Allen was recently named as the lone finalist to serve as the superintendent for Mi
  
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• 'Racism is still alive:' Texas Democrats push to end Confederate Heroes Day

  18-01-2023 19:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Three days after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Texas will observe the state holiday of Confederate Heroes Day on Thursday. Democrats in the Texas House say it should be the last time.The Texas legislature established the holiday in 1973 "to honor Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and other Confederate heroes." Lawmakers on Wednesday morning argued that phrase is an oxymoron.
  "We are celebrating a harmful, hateful past," Rep. Jarvis Johnson (D-Houston) said. "We celebrate th
  
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• You might have lived in a Texas ghost town without realizing it

  18-01-2023 18:54 via kxan.com
  
  (Nexstar) — Have you ever lived in a ghost town? If you're a Texas resident, it's more likely than you think.
  As of July 2022, Texas joined California as one of the only two states with a population greater than 30 million, clocking in at an estimated 30,029,572. Texas saw the fourth-largest percentage of growth in the country in 2022 at 1.6%, according to the US Census Bureau, and southern states generally outpaced other regions in population growth in 2022.
  However, driving through hours
  
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• Traffic Alert: I-35 to close for Williams Drive bridge demolition

  18-01-2023 17:45 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) -- A section of I-35 will close overnight for the next two weekends while a bridge is demolished.
  The Texas Department of Transportation said it would close the north and southbound lanes of I-35 between Lakeway Drive and SH 29 to nightly traffic to demolish and remove the northern part of the Williams Drive Bridge.
  Closures will occur Friday and Saturday nights, over two weekends, between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., weather permitting. Traffic will be affected from Jan. 20-
  
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• Thousands waiting in jail for state hospital beds, is help coming?

  18-01-2023 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Officials with a Health and Human Services Commission advisory committee meet Wednesday to discuss chronic problems in the Texas' mental hospital system, which has been plagued by understaffing and has lost roughly a third of its bed capacity, according to state data.With available state hospital beds full, thousands of people found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to the hospitals for treatment have been placed on a waitlist that can last years. Officials with the HH
  
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• Where George P. Bush is working after leaving Texas elected office

  18-01-2023 16:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new professional chapter is beginning for George P. Bush, the former Texas land commissioner who also ran last year for attorney general.
  Bush announced he's now joining a law firm based in Wisconsin. According to a news release sent out Wednesday, he'll work as a partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and a principal at Michael Best Strategies LLC. The firm shared Bush will advise on issues that include commercial real estate, investment fund formation, administrati
  
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• Radio signal detected from galaxy 8 billion light years away; breaks previous records

  18-01-2023 15:24 via kxan.com
  
  SPACE (KXAN) - A new record has been broken in the search for signals in deep space. Scientists using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope in Pune, India detected a radio signal emitted by hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen is believed to be 8.8 billion years old and is the furthest radio signal of this type detected by scientists on Earth.The findings were published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in December.Researchers from McGill University in Canada and the Indian Institute of
  
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• Pflugerville firefighters gear up for fire danger amid warm, dry weather

  18-01-2023 15:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gusty winds plus low humidity could result in critical fire danger for many across Central Texas.With a Fire Weather Watch in effect, firefighters with the Pflugerville Fire Department Emergency Services District 2 are keeping a close eye on conditions.Only three weeks into one of the warmest Januarys on record, assistant chief A.J. Stacer said he’s seen an increased number of calls.“We've already had to staff additional trucks, multiple days in January for fire
  
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• Lakeway council denies permit to daycare owner

  18-01-2023 14:19 via kxan.com
  
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Lakeway City Council voted Tuesday night to deny a request from a daycare owner for a special permit to run the daycare out of her home.Council voted 4-3 to deny the request from Bianca King.
  King launched her at-home daycare in March 2020. Her home is near a golf course. A few months after she launched the service, she said started hearing about complaints from nearby golfers.“The City of Lakeway called me and said I needed to apply for an additional home-use
  
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• Military widow says Texas law is costing her thousands

  18-01-2023 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — The saying “time heals all wounds” doesn't quite apply to Miriam Dugan.“There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him,” Dugan said, with tears in her eyes. COVID-19 letter typo sends customers to people looking to get personal, credit card infoNearly three decades after her husband Donald's death, the Georgetown widow still gets emotional talking about him.“The love that he gave me, it was so strong that I will always b
  
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• Foundation to give progress report on new Uvalde elementary school

  18-01-2023 13:39 via kxan.com
  
  UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) -- A foundation seeking donations to make schools in Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District more secure, help build a new school and build a memorial park at the location of a mass shooting will give a progress report Wednesday night.
  The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation is hosting its second community meeting at 6 p.m. at the Herby Ham Activity Center at 248 FM 3447 in Uvalde.
  The Foundation says it will show plans for the exterior of the new campus to replace
  
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• Focus quickly turns from morning rain to afternoon fire danger

  18-01-2023 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hold on tight today - we're in for a bit of weather whiplash over the next 12 hours.Ahead of an incoming cold front, moisture brought in by southerly winds will allow for scattered light rain, mist and fog to develop early this morning. As the front pushes through our area mid- to late morning, more light rain is expected. Unfortunately, very little in the way of meaningful rain is expected as most areas won't see much more than a few hundredths of an inch.Once the front exits m
  
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• Dry winds prompt Fire Weather Warnings

  18-01-2023 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hold on tight today - we're in for a bit of weather whiplash over the next 12 hours.Ahead of an incoming cold front, moisture brought in by southerly winds will allow for scattered light rain, mist and fog to develop early this morning. As the front pushes through our area mid- to late morning, more light rain is expected. Unfortunately, very little in the way of meaningful rain is expected as most areas won't see much more than a few hundredths of an inch.Once the front exits m
  
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• Astros World Series Trophy to be at State Capitol Wednesday

  18-01-2023 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The World Series Trophy is coming to the State Capitol of Texas.
  The Houston Astros announced Tuesday that its Astros Caravan would make three stops at the Capitol on Wednesday.
  The team said pitcher Ryan Pressly and recently retired catcher Jason Castro would stop by the House, the Senate, and the Governor's Reception room as part of their tour.
  Houston won the 2022 World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies 4-2.
  
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• 3 "wily" subjects flee when they can't steal ATM from Roadrunner in Texarkana

  18-01-2023 05:36 via kxan.com
  
  TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) – The Texarkana Texas Police Department is investigating an attempt three masked subjects made to remove an ATM machine from a convenience store in Texarkana early Sunday morning.Texarkana police believe the three masked subjects used a truck stolen from the Texarkana Arkansas School District to ram the front doors of the Roadrunner Convenience Store on Richmond Road a little after 4:00 a.m., when the subjects unsuccessfully tried to remove an ATM from the stor
  
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• No. 11 Iowa State sinks No. 7 Texas behind big 2nd half

  18-01-2023 05:25 via kxan.com
  
  AMES, Iowa (KXAN) — The No. 7 Texas Longhorns couldn't hang on to an early lead and fell 78-67 on the road Tuesday to No. 11 Iowa State.The Longhorns led by as much as 11 points following a Jabari Rice layup made it 29-18 with 7:28 left in the first half, but fueled by their raucous home crowd, the Cyclones roared back and went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to a point. With 1:09 left in the first half, Iowa State took the lead on a Tamin Lipsey jump shot.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to
  
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• Will Austin Madonna tickets mirror Taylor Swift Ticketmaster breakdown?

  18-01-2023 05:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- "I love music, and I love live music even more. I live in the best city for it," said Amy Becker.
  The native Austinite has grown up in the Live Music Capital of the World, and it shows-- she's got ticket stubs dating back to the 1990s."I have a long standing rule-- and my friends know this, that I never pass up an opportunity to see a legend," she said.
  Madonna fits that category.
  "She's the soundtrack of my generation," Becker said. "She's an icon."Madonna making ‘Celebrat
  
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• 6th Street shooting victim's family in town for hearing, addresses downtown safety

  18-01-2023 04:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The family of Douglas Kantor, the 25-year-old Michigan man killed in the June 2021 mass shooting on Sixth Street, flew in from out of town to attend a hearing for the accused gunman.
  "It brings it all to the surface again, and it's like the first day all over again," said his mother Julia.
  Kantor's family spoke with KXAN about their hopes for the trial while wearing badges with Doug's face on them. ORIGINAL STORY: Mass shooting in downtown Austin kills 1, injures 13 others"I thi
  
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• Amber Alert discontinued after baby found

  18-01-2023 04:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Texas Department of Public Safety discontinued an Amber Alert after it said a baby who was abducted was found early Wednesday.
  DPS earlier said 11-month-old Darla Steve was last seenin Midland early Monday morning.
  
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• Amber Alert: Baby missing from West Texas

  18-01-2023 04:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- An Amber Alert was issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday for a baby believed to be abducted in West Texas.According to DPS, 11-month-old Darla Steve was last seen in Midland. Steve has black hair and brown eyes, DPS said.DOS said the suspect in her abduction is 29-year-old Zach Smith. He's believed to be driving a gray 2022 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup with Texas license plate SDD9435.Smith is described as a white man who's 5-foot-6 and 167 pounds with brown hair an
  
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• $1 million Powerball ticket sold at central Austin store

  18-01-2023 02:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Someone in the Austin area is $1 million richer after winning a Powerball prize. A central Austin gas station sold the winning ticket for the Monday Powerball.The gas station, named Muchos 3, is located at 3201 N. Lamar Boulevard. The ticket matched all five numbers for the $1 million. If the ticket would've also matched the Powerball, it would have been worth $416 million.A Round Rock gas station, named Luck Zone, has sold two winning tickets over the last month.Central Te
  
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• Feds: Man's gas tank hid 180 pounds of cocaine at border checkpoint in Texas

  18-01-2023 01:32 via kxan.com
  
  McALLEN, Texas — A man was arrested after authorities said he transported more than 180 pounds of cocaine hidden in a gas tank.Glafiro Valle Jr. was arrested Jan. 14 on charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiring to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, federal records show.A criminal complaint obtained by ValleyCentral details federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents in McAllen began investigating Valle on the suspicion he was tr
  
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• With states in charge of NIL laws for now, federal legislation may take years to come

  18-01-2023 01:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Don't expect any laws to pass at the federal level on how college athletes can make money off their name, image and likeness anytime soon, an expert in the field says.Ayden Syal, the chief executive officer and co-founder of MOGL, a company that provides technology for college athletes and collectives to connect with businesses interested in making NIL deals, said it would make it easier to do business if federal laws were passed, but he doesn't think that'll happen for at
  
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• Georgetown guitarist added to Tejano Hall of Fame

  18-01-2023 00:55 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) — Longtime guitarist Johnny Joe Leal said he was deeply touched to have been added to the Tejano R.O.O.T.S. Hall of Fame just a few weeks ago.The awards are selected and handed out by a nonprofit of the same name - selecting multiple musicians over several categories for the honor.R.O.O.T.S in the hall of fame title stands for 'Remembering our own Tejano stars' according to the organization's listing on the Texas State Historical Society website.Leal said his own m
  
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• Texas Supreme Court clears way for state’s education agency to take over Houston ISD

  18-01-2023 00:46 via kxan.com
  
  By Alex Nguyen and Alejandro Serrano, The Texas TribuneJan. 13, 2023"Texas Supreme Court clears way for state’s education agency to take over Houston ISD" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.Th
  
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• More people willing to get vaccinated when they know others plan to get one, international survey says

  18-01-2023 00:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- One of the largest international surveys ever conducted shows people are more willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine when told how many others in the community plan to get one, UT-Austin said in a news release Tuesday. Health officials: New COVID-19 variant most contagious so far“Our study shows that accurate information about what most other people are doing can substantially increase intentions to accept a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Avinash Collis, co-author and assistant
  
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• Eanes ISD discussing $130 million spring Bond Package

  18-01-2023 00:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — After more than a year of discussions, Eanes ISD board of trustees has received the final recommendation from the citizens bond advisory committee."(We) worked through more than $150 million of identified needs and worked down to a final recommendation totaling $130 million," said Jeremy Trimble, Eanes ISD assistant superintendent of operations and planning.The suggested $130 million would go towards facilities, new technology and upgrading athletic facilities, but it would
  
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