Austin news

• With the third-most quadrant one wins in the country, Texas is in great shape for March Madness

  28-02-2023 23:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the Big 12 Conference regular season comes to a close, the anticipation of Selection Sunday grows as the Texas Longhorns put the finishing touches on their March Madness resumé.In the NCAA tournament selection committee's first release of their top 16 seeds Feb. 18, Texas came in as the No. 5 overall seed, just one spot out of contention for a regional top seed. With two games left on the Big 12 slate, including a Moody Center showdown with Kansas on Saturday, now
  
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• Nurses rally at Texas Capitol to stem 'significant' staff shortages, violence

  28-02-2023 23:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of nurses rallied at the Texas State Capitol Tuesday to ask lawmakers for aid.Holding signs saying "Care goes both ways" and "#valuenurses," the biennial "Nurse Day at the Capitol" gathering was aimed, in part, at asking lawmakers for legislation and funding. Nursing advocates want help preventing workplace violence — like a gunshot fired at an Austin hospital pedestrian bridge and two employees killed at a Dallas hospital shooting last year.
  "We'd really lik
  
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• Severe thunderstorm risk on Thursday

  28-02-2023 23:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Mar. 1 marks the unofficial start of severe weather season in central Texas, and not far behind comes our first threat of damaging thunderstorms. Thunderstorms that develop Thursday in our area may contain large hail and damaging wind gusts. KXAN First Warning Weather forecastThe set-upA potent upper-level low will advance east through the Four Corners region and into Texas Wednesday to Thursday. It is expected to pass north of Central Texas but still having an influence on
  
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• TxDOT: Austin has until fall 2024 to identify $350M in funds for 'Cap and Stitch' project

  28-02-2023 23:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Transportation confirmed Tuesday the City of Austin has until fall 2024 to identify $350 million in funding sources to build its Our Future 35 Cap and Stitch program.The program is a planned city-led project to be built concurrently with TxDOT's I-35 expansion near downtown. TxDOT's $4.5 billion in funding for its downtown project doesn't cover the costs of building the caps — or deck plazas that can host community spaces — above the high
  
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• Austin records 10th-warmest meteorological winter on record

  28-02-2023 22:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - February ends today with more unseasonably warm temperatures. After highs in the low to mid 80s Monday today's highs will peak in the mid to upper 80s. Most highs will be in the 80s on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. BLOG: March forecast: What to expect as severe weather season beginsIn the short term there will be increasing clouds tonight with overnight drizzle and fog likely in some locales. Wednesday will be mostly cloudy in the morning with some afternoon clearing and jus
  
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• Julio Cascante, Austin FC defender, out at least 8 weeks with severe groin strain

  28-02-2023 22:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC will be without central defender Julio Cascante for at least eight weeks due to an injury suffered in the season-opening match against St. Louis City FC, the club announced Tuesday.Cascante suffered a severe left adductor strain in the eighth minute of the match and was down on the Q2 Stadium pitch for several minutes. He was able to get up and walk off the field, but with a heavy limp. The adductor muscles are commonly called the groin muscles since they are part
  
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• Musician Ben Kweller announces death of 16-year-old son Dorian

  28-02-2023 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today's top headlines for Feb. 28, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN)-- On Tuesday, Austin singer-songwriter Ben Kweller announced the death of his son, Dorian Zev Kweller. He was 16.In an Instagram post, Kweller said Dorian was killed Tuesday night.Dorian was a musician, just like Kweller, and released several songs under the name Zev, according to an article from Entertainment Tonight News.Dorian was signed to record label The Noise Company, who said he died in a
  
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• Man, service dog start 24-hour Texas motorcycle trip raising money for dyslexia foundation

  28-02-2023 21:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Central Texas man and his 10-year-old German Shepherd service dog are revving to start a 1,000-mile Texas road trip Wednesday they hope to complete in one day for a good cause.Mike Grubbs, a veteran of the U.S. Marines, and his service dog, Simon, are preparing for the 24-hour trip that will begin and end in Central Texas.Simon is a 10-year-old service dog to Mike Grubbs. (KXAN Photo/Taylor Girtman)
  The trip, called Ride4Rite, will start Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Austin
  
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• One of Texas' oldest elementary schools has a cemetery on campus

  28-02-2023 21:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – When considering elementary school campuses, you might expect to find an art room, a playground or a cafeteria. Someone touring Eanes Elementary School in Austin’s West Lake neighborhood would find those elements, but they would also discover something else a little out of the ordinary: a cemetery. The school is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, and quite a bit of history comes with all of those active years of service. “In 1872, Robert Eane
  
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• Police investigating mid-February fatal rollover crash in east Austin

  28-02-2023 21:10 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today's top headlines for Feb. 28, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Police are investigating a single-vehicle rollover crash that killed one person in east Austin in mid-February.
  The crash happened around 11:22 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 in the 7200 block of Ed Bluestein Boulevard, south of Manor Road.According to the Austin Police Department, officers responded to the crash and found an SUV flipped upside down. Someone inside the SUV was ejected and died on the s
  
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• UT Austin launches transportation research hub to study travel behavior shifts

  28-02-2023 20:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin is helming a new transportation research program that will study changing travel behaviors related to work habit shifts.UT will lead the multi-university effort, named the Center for Understanding Future Travel Behavior and Demand. The center will conduct its "Transportation Heartbeat of America Survey" to analyze how people's travel patterns and behaviors have changed.The focus of the survey is to study ways to make travel safer, more reli
  
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• $1M federal grant awarded to Austin's I-35 'Cap and Stitch' program

  28-02-2023 19:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday more than $1 million has been awarded to the City of Austin's I-35 Cap and Stitch program.The $1.12 million grant will fund a mobility study for Our Future 35, the proposed plan to add deck plazas and east-west connectivity to the Texas Department of Transportation's I-35 expansion near downtown. This comes nearly a week after Austin City Council issued its support for the cap and stitch design, along with calli
  
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• These beaches are 'the best of the best' in US, according to Tripadvisor

  28-02-2023 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Millions of people will be heading somewhere sunny in the coming weeks, trading winter storms for sunshine – but not all spring break getaways are created equal.
  Tripadvisor announced its 2023 Travelers' Choice Award list of "The Best of the Best Beaches" in the United States.
  According to Tripadvisor, the award is their "highest recognition" and is only presented to spots with reviews so favorable, they rank among the top 1% of listings on the site.Unsurprisingl
  
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• School safety and gun rally center stage at Texas Capitol

  28-02-2023 18:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A gun advocacy rally is coinciding with legislative conversations around how to improve schools safety, nine months after the second-deadliest mass school shooting in the nation's history took place in the small Texas town of Uvalde.At least hundreds of people are expected to rally at the State Capitol Tuesday, calling for tighter restrictions around how Texans are able to purchase firearms.Big showing in Austin of advocates in favor of more gun restrictions —
  
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• 'Cultural erasure': Austin's Conjunto Music Festival denied city funding — what changed?

  28-02-2023 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)— It's a tradition with deep Tejano roots, celebrated by Latino families for generations.Austin's Conjunto Music Festival celebrates the historic music genre popular among Mexican-Americans in Texas. The music, played with a button accordion and bajo sexto, is commonly heard in South Texas and Northern Mexico. Austin arts nonprofits get nearly $4 million for activities marketed to touristsSince 2014, the spring festival has relied heavily on funding from the City's Cultural Ar
  
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• 'Cultural erasure': Austin Conjunto music festival denied city funding — what changed?

  28-02-2023 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)— It's a tradition with deep Tejano roots, celebrated by Latino families for generations.The Rancho Alegre Conjunto Music Festival, organized by the local Rancho Alegre nonprofit, celebrates the historic music genre in Austin in late April. The music, played with a button accordion and bajo sexto, is commonly heard in South Texas and Northern Mexico and is considered the root of Tejano music. Austin arts nonprofits get nearly $4 million for activities marketed to touristsSince
  
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• Dripping Springs resident wins $1M in Texas Lottery

  28-02-2023 17:35 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — A Dripping Springs resident is $1 million richer after claiming a winning ticket in the Texas Lottery's $1 million Crossword scratch ticket game, per a news release.The resident, who has chosen to remain anonymous, purchased the ticket from an H-E-B located at 598 E. Hwy. 290 in Dripping Springs. Their lottery luck didn't begin with this latest $1 million prize — they told the Texas Lottery they also won $20,000 in a 2008 scratch-off game. LOTTO TEXAS
  
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• Physician shortage solution? Arkansas looks to students to help

  28-02-2023 17:28 via kxan.com
  
  NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) – Texas is one of a number of states facing a doctor shortage — with 8.8% of the U.S. population, it has 7.3% of the nation's active physicians, according to the Texas Medical board. Another state, Arkansas, is exploring a solution to its own doctor shortage.As Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley continue growing, so is the area's need for healthcare workers. But without action, the disparity between the number of physicians and the number of patien
  
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• Rep. Joaquin Castro announces he's recovering from surgery after cancer diagnosis

  28-02-2023 15:26 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) announced Monday he underwent surgery after a cancer diagnosis last summer.
  He tweeted after the procedure, saying it was a successful surgery to remove gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors.
  Doctors discovered the "small, slow-growing, and mostly asymptomatic tumors" last summer, Castro said in the series of tweets.
  "My prognosis is good," Castro continued. "I expect to be home recovering in Texas for several weeks before return
  
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• Severe Risk potential remains for Thursday afternoon and evening

  28-02-2023 14:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday will be a weather transition day as we are looking at our first chance for thunderstorms that could go strong to severe.KXAN First Warning Weather forecastThe set-upA potent upper-level low will advance east through the Four Corners region and into Texas Wednesday to Thursday. It is expected to pass north of Central Texas but still having an influence on the forecast. A strong cold front attached to this system will push through our area, triggering a line of storm
  
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• SEVERE RISK: first storm threat of the season comes Thursday

  28-02-2023 14:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Right on schedule with the start of severe weather season, we begin the month of March with our first risk of strong to severe storms coming Thursday. KXAN First Warning Weather forecastThe set-upA potent upper-level low will swing east through the Four Corners region and into Texas on Thursday. A strong cold front attached to this system will push through our area, triggering a line of storms Thursday afternoon and evening.The riskThe latest data points towards a greater r
  
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• LIVE: Doctors could get a Texas medical license in 10 days or fewer. What it means for you

  28-02-2023 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  Investigative Summary: Facing a doctor shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas leaders entered a compact with dozens of other states to expedite licensing — largely allowing out-of-state physicians to utilize telemedicine to fill the gap. KXAN and its Arkansas sister station took a solutions journalism approach to closely examine the expected surge in applications and more broadly explore the nationwide program and its limitations. Send us your questions about telehealth by using the
  
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• Doctors could get a Texas medical license in 10 days or fewer. What it means for you

  28-02-2023 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  Investigative Summary: Facing a doctor shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas leaders entered a compact with dozens of other states to expedite licensing — largely allowing out-of-state physicians to utilize telemedicine to fill the gap. KXAN and its Arkansas sister station took a solutions journalism approach to closely examine the expected surge in applications and more broadly explore the nationwide program and its limitations. Send us your questions about telehealth by using the
  
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• 'Not constitutional': Lawmakers hear how efforts to save a state park from permanent closure failed

  28-02-2023 13:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A subcommittee of the Texas House of Representatives heard Monday how negotiations to save a state park from sale and permanent closure failed, with a developer calling the state's offer to purchase the land "not palatable and not constitutional."Fairfield Lake State Park, about 70 miles east of Waco, will close Tuesday after almost 50 years of public access.KXAN previously reported the current landowner, Vistra Energy, has leased land for the park to the state at no cost s
  
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• Smithville High junior wins Bastrop County ‘I Voted’ sticker design competition

  28-02-2023 13:42 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP (KXAN) — Those who vote in Bastrop County will soon see new ‘I Voted’ and ‘Future Voter’ stickers after casting their ballots.This comes after the Bastrop County Elections Office held a sticker design contest for K-12 students.The competition was stiff, with over 140 kids submitting a sticker sketch.On Monday, the top ten winners in each category were honored in front of local leaders at the Bastrop County Commissioners Court meeting.With a unique design tha
  
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• 'We are not on track,' New affordable housing project proposed as city tries to keep up with 10-year goal

  28-02-2023 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A proposed project in southeast Austin would bring roughly 150 new affordable housing units as the city tries to keep pace of building 60,000 new units by 2027.
  The project site is right in the heart of the Dove Springs neighborhood on two different pieces of land that are separated by homes. The land sits between Pleasant Valley road and Nuckols Crossing Road, right across the street from Mendez Middle School. The Austin Housing Finance Corporation, a quasi-public non-profit en
  
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• Spring temperatures ahead of approaching thunderstorms

  28-02-2023 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - February ends today with more unseasonably warm temperatures. After highs in the low to mid 80s Monday today's highs will peak in the mid to upper 80s. Most highs will be in the 80s on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.Today's normal high is 69° BLOG: March forecast: What to expect as severe weather season beginsIn the short term there will be increasing clouds tonight with overnight drizzle and fog likely in some locales. Wednesday will be mostly cloudy in the morning with s
  
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• Record-tying warmth ahead of late week severe risk

  28-02-2023 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Looking back, we started the month of February with temperatures in the 30s and a crippling ice storm. To say we'll finish the month much differently is, well a huge understatement. BLOG: March forecast: What to expect as severe weather season beginsMorning fog will clear to afternoon sunshine with dry skies areawide today. Temperatures will soar well above average with most of us well into the 80s. Austin's forecast high of 88° will tie the record last set in 1932.Temperatu
  
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• One injured in north Austin shooting Monday night

  28-02-2023 12:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One person was injured in a shooting at an apartment complex in north Austin Monday night.
  The shooting happened around 9:22 p.m. in the 1800 block of West Rundberg Lane, where the apartment complex Ascent at Walnut Creek is located.
  According to the Austin Police department, one person was shot. After undergoing emergency surgery, the victim is now in stable condition.The shooting is still under investigation and no arrests have been made yet in connection to the shooting.We wi
  
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• Bijan Robinson will do all drills, run the 40-yard dash at NFL Scouting Combine: report

  28-02-2023 05:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Prospective NFL draft picks have a few different opportunities to impress professional scouts and executives after their collegiate days are over, and it appears the reigning Doak Walker Award winner will try to seize his moment early.According to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Texas running back Bijan Robinson will participate in all of the on-field drills March 6 in Indianapolis. Robinson was one of five Longhorns invited to the combine, but participating is optional an
  
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• If you see these candy wrappers, alert Texas law enforcement

  28-02-2023 05:29 via kxan.com
  
  CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Caddo Parish narcotics agents are asking the public to be on the lookout for some very specific types of candy wrappers.DaMarquez Mitchell, 31, was arrested by members of the United States Marshal’s Task Force for possession of schedule I with intent to distribute, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, illegal carrying of weapons while possessing a controlled dangerous substance, and two counts of convicted felon in possession of a firearm.Image: Ca
  
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• Nine arrested in Texas town over weekend for crimes against children

  28-02-2023 05:22 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Nine individuals were arrested and booked into the Tom Green County Detention Center for crimes against children over the weekend.
  According to a release from Homeland Security Investigation Dallas San Angelo Field Office, 9 men were arrested in San Angelo after a joint investigation led by HSI with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the San Angelo Police Department and other law enforcement agencies was conducted. HSI says that joint operat
  
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• Trial date set for Austin airport expansion suit

  28-02-2023 04:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A U.S. district judge set a trial date in a lawsuit tied to the City of Austin's efforts to oust the South Terminal through eminent domain. City of Austin ordered to pay $90M in airport expansion suitAs part of expansion plans for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the City of Austin authorized eminent domain in June to take over the property where the South Terminal sits. The South Terminal is owned and operated by the private company LoneStar Airport Holdings, and is
  
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• Trial date set for airport expansion suit

  28-02-2023 04:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A US district judge has set a trial date in a lawsuit tied to the City of Austin's efforts to oust the South Terminal through the eminent domain. City of Austin ordered to pay $90M in airport expansion suitAs part of expansion plans for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the City of Austin authorized eminent domain in June to take over the property where the South Terminal sits. The South Terminal is owned and operated by the private company LoneStar Airport Holdings,
  
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• The Black Fund awards $355K to Austin nonprofits

  28-02-2023 03:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Several Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits in Central Texas are getting more than $350,000 from The Black Fund at Austin Community Foundation.  The fund, which launched in 2022, is a collective giving network aimed at unleashing the power of Black-led organizations and uplift solutions to benefit the Black community in Central Texas.   It is part of the Austin Community's Foundation strategy to close the opportunity gap in Central Texas.  Leaders behi
  
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• The Black Fund awards $355K to Austin non-profits

  28-02-2023 03:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Several Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits in Central Texas are getting more than $350,000 from The Black Fund at Austin Community Foundation.   The fund, which launched in 2022, is a collective giving network aimed at unleashing the power of Black-led organizations and uplift solutions to benefit the Black community in Central Texas.   It's part of the Austin Community's Foundation strategy to close the opportunity gap in Central Texas.  Leaders
  
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• No. 12 Texas can't clinch regular season title, fall to Baylor at home 63-54

  28-02-2023 03:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 12 Texas Longhorns had a shot at clinching at least a share of the Big 12 Conference regular season title, but the Baylor Bears had other plans Monday at Moody Center.The Bears handed the Longhorns its second loss at home this season 63-54 with tough defense, causing 17 Texas turnovers and scoring 17 points off of them.
  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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• $4.6 billion proposed for more Texas border security funding

  28-02-2023 00:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Billions more could go to border security efforts funded by Texas taxpayers, and state lawmakers asked questions Monday about the proposed cost to keep Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star going into the future.
  Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives would like to surge an additional $4.6 billion into border security this session. The 1,033-page budget proposal they released in January calls for dividing that among 13 state agencies helping to carry out the gov
  
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• 'I was raped, I'm OK' graffiti sparks controversy

  28-02-2023 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  The SAFE Alliance encourages anyone who is a survivor of sexual violence to seek help. You can call their 24-hour hotline at 512-267-SAFE (7233), text 737-888-7233, or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4573) for help.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Disturbing graffiti is popping up all over Austin lately with a message that is sparking debate and protest, and raising questions, about the tactic used to talk about sexual abuse.
  The same cursive graffiti, written in red and blank ink, wi
  
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• 'I was raped, I am OK' graffiti sparks controversy

  28-02-2023 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  The SAFE Alliance encourages anyone who is a survivor of sexual violence to seek help. You can call their 24-hour hotline at 512-267-SAFE (7233), text 737-888-7233, or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4573) for help.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Disturbing graffiti is popping up all over Austin lately with a message that is sparking debate and protest, and raising questions, about the tactic used to talk about sexual abuse.
  The same cursive graffiti, written in red and blank ink, wi
  
  Read more

• 'I was raped, I am OK' graffiti in Austin sparks controversy

  28-02-2023 00:16 via kxan.com
  
  The SAFE Alliance encourages anyone who is a survivor of sexual violence to seek help. You can call their 24-hour hotline at 512-267-SAFE (7233), text 737-888-7233, or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4573) for help.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Disturbing graffiti is popping up all over Austin lately with a message that is sparking debate and protest and raising questions about the tactic used to talk about sexual abuse.
  The same cursive graffiti message, written in red and bl
  
  Read more

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