Austin news

• Mural dedicated to Olympic medalist, Texas native to be unveiled in February

  27-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Taylor is inviting the public to a dedication ceremony for a mural honoring Olympic silver medalist and Taylor native Fred Kerley, according to a city news release.The event will take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 4 at 1601 N. Main St., the release said.The mural features a rendition of Kerley running his World-title-winning 100-meter run in Eugene, Oregon, during the World Athletic Championship in July 2022, the release said.Kerley produced his best on the big occasi
  
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• Mural dedicated to Olympic champion, Texas native to be unveiled in February

  27-01-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Taylor is inviting the public to a dedication ceremony for a mural honoring Olympic Champion and Taylor native Fred Kerley, according to a city news release.The event will take place at 10 a.m. Feb. 4 at 1601 N. Main St., the release said.The mural features a rendition of Kerley running his World-title-winning 100-meter run in Eugene, Oregon, during the World Athletic Championship in July 2022, the release said.Kerley produced his best on the big occasion, run
  
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• The mystery of the north Austin scarecrows remains unsolved

  27-01-2023 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A barrier between the road and the train tracks? A cheeky sight gag meant to spook passersby? A profound message encouraging Austinites to think critically and not believe everything they hear? These are all theories posited online by people trying to figure out why over a dozen scarecrows were erected on a north Austin road last weekend.  What gives with the ‘Buscar’ graffiti?According to Reddit users, the scarecrows were placed on, or around, Jan. 21 underneat
  
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• Texas awarded $363M in grants to increase affordable internet access

  27-01-2023 22:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- More than $350 million in grants was awarded to the Texas Comptroller's Office to increase access to affordable, high-speed internet to more than 150,000 homes and businesses in the state.
  The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the $363.8 million award for the Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas (BOOT) program, which is a competitive grant application program administered by the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) housed within the Comptroller's office.Related: &l
  
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• Musk’s potential plan to build homes for workforce is not a first in Texas 

  27-01-2023 22:01 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) -- KXAN reported Thursday that Lennar Corp., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, appears to have teamed up with Elon Musk’s The Boring Company to build a 110-home subdivision off FM 1209 near FM 969.If the company did, in fact, team up with home developers to create a housing development in Bastrop County for his Central Texas Workforce, Adam Perdue, Economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Center, called it a rare move but not unheard of. When Toy
  
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• Musk’s potential plan to build homes for workforce could be a first in Texas 

  27-01-2023 22:01 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) -- KXAN reported Thursday that Lennar Corp., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, appears to have teamed up with Elon Musk’s The Boring Company to build a 110-home subdivision off FM 1209 near FM 969.If the company did, in fact, team up with home developers to create a housing development in Bastrop County for his Central Texas Workforce, Adam Perdue, Economist at the Texas Real Estate Research Center, called it a rare move but not unheard of.
  When Toyota a
  
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• Police: SWAT responding to call in south Austin

  27-01-2023 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police said they sent SWAT officers Friday afternoon to a neighborhood in south Austin.
  Police said the response is happening in the 2200 block of Perry Avenue, which is close to West Oltorf Street and South Fifth Street. No other details are known at this time about what officers are investigating.
  Police shared that a department spokesperson is on the way to the scene, so more information should be shared at some point Friday afternoon with reporters.
  KXAN will follow thi
  
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• Police: SWAT responding after woman won't leave south Austin apartment

  27-01-2023 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police said a family violence call led to a SWAT situation Friday afternoon because a woman will not leave her south Austin apartment.
  The initial 911 came at about 12:30 p.m. at a complex in the 2200 block of Perry Avenue, which is near West Oltorf and South Fifth Streets. First responders treated a woman there with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
  Police sent SWAT officers to the scene after they said a female suspect who may be armed with several knives refuse
  
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• Police SWAT respond to call in south Austin

  27-01-2023 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police said they sent SWAT officers Friday afternoon to a neighborhood in south Austin.
  Police said the response is happening in the 2200 block of Perry Avenue, which is close to West Oltorf Street and South Fifth Street. No other details are known at this time about what officers are investigating.
  Police shared that a department spokesperson is on the way to the scene, so more information should be shared at some point Friday afternoon with reporters.
  KXAN will follow thi
  
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• LIVE: Police SWAT respond to call in south Austin

  27-01-2023 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police said they sent SWAT officers Friday afternoon to a neighborhood in south Austin.
  Police said the response is happening in the 2200 block of Perry Avenue, which is close to West Oltorf Street and South Fifth Street. No other details are known at this time about what officers are investigating.
  Police shared that a department spokesperson is on the way to the scene, so more information should be shared at some point Friday afternoon with reporters.
  KXAN will follow thi
  
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• 2 Austin locations make Yelp’s Top 100 US Restaurants of 2023

  27-01-2023 20:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Yelp released its annual list of the top 100 restaurants in the United States, and of course, some Texas locations made the cut. Austin restaurant tops 100 Places to Eat in Texas listIn Austin, 1618 Asian Fusion and Kiin Di were both highly praised by Yelpers, and each restaurant focused on Asian-American cuisines.1618 Asian Fusion said it offered diners a taste of Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Singaporean and Southeast Asian food in its own fusion style, while Kiin Di, an all
  
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• Trailer full of equipment valued at $15,000 stolen from Brushy Creek Brass Band

  27-01-2023 19:50 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- The Brushy Creek Brass Band is out of around $15,000 worth of property after its trailer was stolen earlier this week.
  The band's director said the 20-foot trailer -- which contained music stands, speakers, electrical equipment and over 100 songs of sheet music -- was stolen from one of the members' yards in Leander on Monday.
  The Brushy Creek Brass Band is a community band that has existed for 30 years. The band would play for free, so they have no income to replace the
  
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• Video: Footage of Paul Pelosi attack released

  27-01-2023 19:17 via kxan.com
  
  Warning: Graphic and explicit videoSAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Footage of the attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi was released Friday morning.Police body cam footageBody cam footage shows the San Francisco police officer walking up to the door. The suspect David DePape and Pelosi answer the door. DePape is holding a hammer as well as Pelosi's arm. Pelosi also seems to have a hand on the hammer.Police ask what's going on. DePape appears to be smiling when answering, "Eve
  
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• Austin aims to address systemic racism, equity with new walk and bike trail plans

  27-01-2023 19:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We're getting our first look at what future sidewalks, trails and bikeways could look like in Austin.
  Austin Public Works and Austin Transportation departments released three draft plans Friday available for the public to view, and comment on: Sidewalks, Crossings and Shared Streets; Urban Trail, and Bicycle.
  The city said it tried to apply an equity lens to all plans, starting by creating a base map called Equity Analysis Zones (EAZ), areas of Austin that have higher concentrat
  
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• All local counties now below high COVID risk for first time since early December

  27-01-2023 18:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time since early December, no counties in the KXAN viewing area are rated at high risk from COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Each week since Feb. 24, 2022, the CDC has assigned a “COVID-19 Community Level” to every county nationwide based on how the virus is impacting local populations.In the Jan. 26 weekly update, Caldwell and Hays counties were downgraded from high to medium risk, while Mason County dropped from high to
  
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• Tyre Nichols' family before video release: 'We want peace'

  27-01-2023 18:18 via kxan.com
  
  MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The attorneys and family of Tyre Nichols asked for justice for their son, and peace in their city, at a press conference in Memphis on Friday.Speakers included family members, attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci and Van Turner, president of the Memphis branch NAACP.Crump noted that charges were brought up against the officers by the district attorney within 20 days. Similar past cases across the country have taken months to move forward. Crump said this should be the
  
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• LIVE: Tyre Nichols' family, legal team speaks ahead of video release

  27-01-2023 18:18 via kxan.com
  
  MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The attorneys and family of Tyre Nichols asked for justice Friday at an 11 a.m. press conference. You can watch it live here at 11 (CT).Speakers will likely include family members, attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci and Van Turner, president of the Memphis branch NAACP.Crump noted that charges were brought up against the officers by the district attorney within 20 days. Similar past cases across the country have taken months to move forward. Crump said this should b
  
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• LIVE: Tyre Nichols' family, legal team set to speak Friday

  27-01-2023 18:18 via kxan.com
  
  MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The attorneys and family of Tyre Nichols are scheduled to speak Friday at an 11 a.m. press conference. You can watch it live here at 11 (CT).Speakers will likely include family members, attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci and Van Turner, president of the Memphis branch NAACP.Crump noted that charges were brought up against the officers by the district attorney within 20 days. Similar past cases across the country have taken months to move forward. Crump said this sho
  
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• Austin ISD interim superintendent talks priorities, safety

  27-01-2023 17:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Austin Independent School District works to find its next superintendent, KXAN's Nabil Remadna sat down with the current interim leader, Matias Segura.Remadna: You're just taking on the position here. What are your first priorities?
  Segura: Well, I mean, priorities are, you know, for me in this role, it's kind of what I said in the beginning, right. It's about compensation, special education, multilingual... Making sure that we're improving our teachers experience.
  We certain
  
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• One person rescued from north Austin boarding house fire

  27-01-2023 17:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One person was rescued through a window during a fire in north Austin Friday morning.The Austin Fire Department said the fire was in the garage of a boarding house located in the 1100 block of Bending Bough Trail.
  No one else needed to be rescued, and there were no other injuries reported.
  AFD said it was investigating the cause of the fire.
  
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• New report finds improvements in Texas foster care system, judge calls for 'urgency' on remaining issues

  27-01-2023 16:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Less children in Texas are spending nights in unregulated places while waiting for foster placement, according to a new report.
  The report marks the latest released by the court monitors, who were appointed to track the progress made by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services during a years-long federal lawsuit over the treatment of children in the agency's care. The monitors' most recent update noted other improvements made in the last year, including more manage
  
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• New report finds improvements in Texas foster care system

  27-01-2023 16:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Less children in Texas are spending nights in unregulated places while waiting for foster placement, according to a new report.
  The report marks the latest released by the court monitors, who were appointed to track the progress made by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services during a years-long federal lawsuit over the treatment of children in the agency's care.
  The monitors most recent update noted other improvements made in the last year, including more managea
  
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• Prescribed burn happening in southwest Austin

  27-01-2023 15:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Fire Department is conducting a prescribed burn on the Water Quality Protection Lands Friday.The city says crews plan to safely treat up to 55 acres near MoPac and State Highway 45 in Southwest Austin with the prescribed fire to help restore native grasslands in the area.
  According to the announcement from Austin Water, the Water Quality Protection Lands (WQPL) program manages more than 30,000 acres to benefit the quality and quantity of water recharging the Edwards A
  
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• Declassification conference at LBJ Library Friday

  27-01-2023 14:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The committee that advises the President on which secrets to make public is co-sponsoring a conference at LBJ Presidential Library on Friday.
  According to the National Archives, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) advises the President on national classification and declassification policy.The conference comes as the Archives has asked former U.S. presidents and vice presidents to recheck their personal records for any classified documents following the news that&n
  
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• 'It was pretty alarming seeing the broken glass'; Criminals targeting people on Butler Trail

  27-01-2023 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Criminals are taking advantage of people along Lady Bird Lake, according to data from the Austin Police Department crime maps.The APD crime maps show parking lots near the Butler hike and bike trail are a popular place for car burglaries.Data shows since Nov. 1, 2022, there were 21 reported car burglaries in the public parking lot near Zac Theater. Additionally, there were 11 car burglaries in the area around Austin High School."It was pretty alarming seeing the broken glas
  
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• A group of theaters used to line Congress Avenue. Here’s what’s left of Austin’s ‘Show Row’

  27-01-2023 14:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the 20th century, Congress Avenue was the home to a group of movie houses and theatres. It was nicknamed "Show Row."
  Paramount Theatre and State Theatre are the two remnants of what was once an entertainment and movie house district.LIST: Celebrities who live in the Austin areaAt least 12 theatres made up “Show Row" along Congress Avenue, according to the Paramount Theatre.
  But there are not many photos of the theaters today, said Erin Waedler, the Paramount and St
  
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• New speed limits for Round Rock drivers

  27-01-2023 13:32 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The Round Rock City Council approved new speed limits for drivers Thursday evening.
  Council members passed new limits for drivers in Old Settlers Park. Drivers will now have to have to drive 25 miles per hour on the following roadways:T.C. Oates LaneWhitlow WaySports Capital CrossingAten Loop from Harrell Parkway to East Old Settlers Boulevard
  In addition, drivers will need to slow down to 30 miles per hour on both directions of East Main Street between College and Mo
  
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• Wettest pattern of the year (so far) about to begin

  27-01-2023 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Limited breaks of sun wrap up our afternoon, unless you're in the Hill County where the sun has been shining for hours.Tonight clouds will thicken back up for those that experienced sun and eventually damp weather rolls in.We'll be in for a gray Saturday with sprinkles, drizzle and some showers too. Rainfall looks scattered at best with areas near and east of I-35 the most likely to see measurable rainfall. It will be a warmer day, however, with highs heading for the mid 60s.Sun
  
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• Light weekend rain marks beginning of wetter pattern

  27-01-2023 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As if it being Friday wasn't enough to celebrate, today will be the nicest weather day of the next 7 as wetter weather returns for the weekend and beyond.Very cold morning temperatures will moderate through the day with afternoon highs topping out in the 60s. South winds will boost temperatures, but also will also bring thicker clouds after sunset.A few light rain showers are expected both Saturday and Sunday.Light weekend rain with mild afternoon temperaturesFirst Warning: Stor
  
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• Teacher shortages: How Texas, each state is handling it

  27-01-2023 12:32 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — Recruiting veterans and first responders. Offering $60,000 starting salaries. Providing student loan forgiveness. Helping with mortgages.Every state in the country is coming up with solutions to combat the teacher shortage.Across the country, there are 36,000 teacher vacancies, from kindergarten through high school, and another 163,000 teachers aren't qualified for their jobs, according to data collected by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. The shortage is so
  
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• 3 dead after law enforcement chase ends in fiery crash in Milam Co., officials say

  27-01-2023 05:16 via kxan.com
  
  MILAM COUNTY, Texas — Three people are dead after a vehicle led a Milam County Sheriff's Office deputy on a chase, which ended in a fiery crash Thursday, according to a MCSO news release.Milam County is located northeast of Austin.At approximately 3:49 p.m., a vehicle evading the MCSO deputy at a high rate of speed left the roadway and crashed south of County Road 337 on Highway 36/U.S. 190 onto private property, the release said.As a result of the crash, the vehicle became fully engulfed
  
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• Judge allows Laundrie family lawyer to be added to Gabby Petito lawsuit

  27-01-2023 01:57 via kxan.com
  
  VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) -- A Florida judge granted a motion Tuesday to add a new defendant to the lawsuit filed by Gabby Petito's parents against the parents of Brian Laundrie – the Laundries' family attorney.Judge Danielle Brewer ruled that the Petito family and their attorneys did not abuse their privilege to amend their lawsuit and that the amendment itself was not futile.Petito's parents, Joe Petito and Nichole Schmidt, sought to add Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino to the suit ag
  
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• Feds: Texas woman used Instagram to commit fraud; pleads guilty

  27-01-2023 01:55 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Texas woman admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud through Instagram and has pleaded guilty, authorities say.Desiree Coleman, 22, of Houston, used her Instagram account with over 3,000 followers to conspire with others and commit wire fraud by submitting false applications for government assistance, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of Texas.A judge accepted Coleman's plea, and she is scheduled to be sent
  
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• Former Houston shop owner sentenced in 2018 murder of man he mistook for thief

  27-01-2023 01:52 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KIAH) -- A man who fled the country in 2018 after killing a man he mistook for a thief was sentenced to 35 years in prison.Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg made the announcement Saturday, saying 35-year-old Oscar Aristides Garcia was sentenced Wednesday. Garcia pleaded guilty to murder in October and agreed to his sentencing by visiting Judge Marc Brown.Court records show Garcia was in his Pasadena transmission shop on Oct. 28, 2018, when he saw the victim, Nicolas Bautista, 37,
  
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• Researchers find Black and Hispanic veterans waited longer for medical services

  27-01-2023 00:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A team of researchers found that Black and Hispanic veterans waited longer for some medical services at Veteran Affairs (VA) hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic years than their white counterparts. The study authors, who work with the VA, wrote that previous research has shown that Black and Hispanic veterans wait longer for care than white veterans. The researchers wanted to see if the same pattern could be found in the pandemic years. “These results suggest
  
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• APD: Officers to return to duty, not face discipline after Jan. 2021 police shooting

  27-01-2023 00:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – On Thursday, the Austin Police Department said it completed its administrative investigation related to the police shooting that occurred Jan. 5, 2021, involving Officers Gabriel Gutierrez and Luis Serrato.APD said its investigation revealed that when Gutierrez came into contact with 27-year-old Alexander Gonzales, Gutierrez acted as a private citizen who defended himself in the face of a deadly threat, and Serrato's actions in response to the incident were in accordance wi
  
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