Austin news

• Shooting at Jehovah's Witness hall in Hamburg causes deaths

  09-03-2023 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  BERLIN (AP) — Shots were fired inside a church in the northern German city of Hamburg on Thursday night, and an unspecified number of people were killed or wounded, police said.Police said on Twitter that the shooting took place in the Gross Borstel district, a few kilometers (miles) north of the downtown area of Germany's second-biggest city.They said that “several people were seriously wounded, some of them fatally," but didn't give a precise figure.German news agency dpa reported
  
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• TX iWatch needs 'significant improvements,' Sandy Hook nonprofit says

  09-03-2023 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Almost a year after the Uvalde mass shooting, education leaders from around the country met in Austin Thursday to talk about how to prevent the next one.
  "I am thinking about Dylan every single day," said Nicole Hockley, whose six-year-old son was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary a little over a decade ago.
  Hockley co-founded the nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise as a way to honor Dylan and protect her other son who survived. At the South By Southwest Education conference, she spoke
  
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• Severe thunderstorms possible overnight with large hail

  09-03-2023 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A cold front returning to the area overnight triggers scattered to numerous thunderstorms, some of which may turn severe and bring large, damaging hail. NEW BLOG: La Niña has ended — Here’s what’s next and when El Niño could beginThe same cold front that brought a brief respite from the heat and humidity Wednesday evening returns Thursday night, but this time packs more a punch. Numerous thunderstorms are expected overnight, some of which may cont
  
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• It's illegal for shelter vets to operate on pets with owners. A Texas lawmaker hopes to change that

  09-03-2023 22:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two Texas lawmakers have filed bills in hopes to expand access to life-saving veterinarian services to pet owners who can’t afford them. Texas is currently the only state in the U.S. that does not allow animal shelters to provide voluntary services to low-income pet owners during health emergencies. Because of current laws, many Texans are forced to surrender their animals when some veterinarians may otherwise choose to help out.  MORE: Animal shelter starts
  
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• Senators unveil energy insurance program among plans to revamp power grid

  09-03-2023 22:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick gathered a bipartisan group of state senators on Thursday to announce a sweeping package of bills he argued will bolster the reliability of the power grid and lower energy costs.Senator Charles Schwertner, chairman of the Business and Commerce committee, first introduced a new "Texas Energy Insurance Program" that Senate Bill 6 would create. He said this will add 10,000 megawatts of power to Texas' energy supply."Texas needs its own backup gene
  
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• Central Texas singer earns 4-chair turn on 'The Voice'

  09-03-2023 22:25 via kxan.com
  
  CENTRAL TEXAS (KXAN) — After a six-year hiatus from performing, a Hutto singer made his career return with a blind audition on "The Voice" — and earned a four-chair turn along the way.Native Texan Savion Wright — whose stage name is NOIVAS — performed Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" in the final audition of the Season 23 premiere. It's a song that Wright said deeply resonated with him, specifically with the loss of his brother, Alfred. ICYMI: City of Austin overtime
  
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• Outdoor patio at Austin airport closed; space set to become a private lounge

  09-03-2023 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An outdoor public patio at Austin's airport is closing to make way for a private lounge.The almost-4,000-square-foot space was originally opened as part of a nine-gate expansion at the airport in 2019."We realized that it was getting very low utilization by the public, even though we call it a public patio," said Mookie Patel, chief business and finance officer at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.Wendy Price Todd, a board member of the Airport Advisory Commission call
  
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• WATCH: APD, EMS holding joint news conference on safety tips for spring festival season

  09-03-2023 21:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS will hold a live news conference to talk about safety tips for spring festival season.The news conference with APD and medics will take place at 2:30 p.m. at the APD Headquarters, 715 E Eighth Street.Every city department is gearing up for a busy spring festival season with many events scheduled over the next few weeks and months. Facing staffing shortages, is APD ready for SXSW?“As we welcome all these visitors and
  
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• APD, EMS holding joint news conference on safety tips for spring festival season

  09-03-2023 21:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS will hold a live news conference to talk about safety tips for spring festival season.The news conference with APD and medics will take place at 2:30 p.m. at the APD Headquarters, 715 E Eighth Street.Every city department is gearing up for a busy spring festival season with many events scheduled over the next few weeks and months. Facing staffing shortages, is APD ready for SXSW?“As we welcome all these visitors and
  
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• APD, ATCEMS provide safety tips for spring festival season

  09-03-2023 21:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department and Austin-Travis County EMS held a live news conference Thursday to discuss safety tips for the upcoming spring festival season.Both APD and ATCEMS said they have taken proactive measures and will have staff in an around the festival to assist the public.APD said there will be a large amount of pedestrians and vehicle traffic, so attendees should plan their routes accordingly and expect longer travel and wait times.Attendees are advised to be aware
  
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• Bill would dissolve, replace Texas juvenile justice system

  09-03-2023 20:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, introduced a bill Thursday that would overhaul the state's juvenile justice system.
  House Bill 4356 would dissolve the Texas Juvenile Justice Department by 2030 and replace it with a new office — the Office of Youth Safety and Rehabilitation — according to a press release from Talarico's office.Lawmakers call for immediate action for collapsing Texas juvenile prison systemThe new office would use the savings from closing juv
  
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• New bill filed to prevent state park from becoming multi-million dollar private community

  09-03-2023 19:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new bill has been filed in the Texas Senate aiming to prevent the development of a state park into a multi-million dollar private community.Senate Bill 1656, filed by Sen. Charles Schwertner on Monday, would allow the state of Texas to acquire the land through eminent domain, in a bid to keep Fairfield Lake State Park publicly accessible.The language of the bill is an exact copy of a House Bill filed last month by Rep. Angelia Orr.The park, about 70 miles east of Waco, cl
  
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• City working with Salvation Army to relocate remaining downtown shelter clients

  09-03-2023 18:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, the City of Austin said it was working on a plan to relocate clients of the downtown Salvation Army shelter after the organization announced its closure.On Feb. 17, Salvation Army announced it would be closing its downtown shelter March 15, citing it could not continue to offer the desired level and quality of care due to the age and condition of the facility. Salvation Army’s downtown Austin shelter closingAccording to the City, the shelter’s clos
  
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• La Niña has ended — Here's what's next and when El Niño could begin

  09-03-2023 18:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in a year and a half, we're no longer in a La Niña phase, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
  As a result, the La Niña advisory has ended and the CPC has issued a Final La Niña Advisory, essentially putting a cap on the end of our most recent La Niña period and the third La Niña winter in a row.La Niña is the "cool phase" of the El-Niño-Southern-Oscillation or ENSO. It's marked by water temperatures
  
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• La Niña has ended! Here's what's next and when El Niño could begin

  09-03-2023 18:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in a year and a half, we're no longer in a La Niña phase, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
  As a result, the La Niña advisory has ended and the CPC has issued a Final La Niña Advisory, essentially putting a cap on the end of our most recent La Niña period and the third La Niña winter in a row.La Niña is the "cool phase" of the El-Niño-Southern-Oscillation or ENSO. It's marked by water temperatures
  
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• Dripping Springs ISD portable classrooms costing $1.5M for upcoming school year

  09-03-2023 17:54 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) — Dripping Springs ISD plans to purchase millions of dollars worth of portables to use as classrooms for the next few school years. This comes as the district deals with capacity issues as its student body continues to grow.
  According to the district, enrollment grew from roughly 4,500 to 8,500 students in the last decade. The district also expects enrollment to essentially double again, to 16,000, in the next decade.Dripping Springs ISD is looking at spendin
  
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• Texas WWII veteran identified 80 years after being killed in action

  09-03-2023 17:31 via kxan.com
  
  FISHER COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - A World War II veteran from Roby, Texas, has been identified 80 years after he was killed in action.
  Army Air Forces Tech Sgt. Frank C. Ferrel, 31, was officially accounted for January 10, 2023, after his remains were identified through DNA analysis.
  Sgt. Ferrel was aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber that was hit by enemy fire in Romania on August 1, 1943.
  His remains were buried in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahov
  
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• Burnet County Judge James Oakley indicted on felony and misdemeanor charges

  09-03-2023 17:02 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 9, 2023. KXAN's Brianna Hollis will have more on this story later today. Check back for updates.
  BURNET, Texas (KXAN) -- Burnet County Judge James Oakley was indicted this week on two felony and two misdemeanor charges, according to the Burnet County Sheriff's Office.The charges, according to the sheriff’s office, are:
  Tamper/Fabricate Physical Evidence W/Intent to ImpairAbuse of Official Capacity-Cn
  
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• Artificial intelligence now used as a severe weather forecasting tool

  09-03-2023 16:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The accuracy of severe weather forecasts continue to improve thanks to innovative achievements from a team of weather researchers out of Colorado State University (CSU).The team has spent the last few years working to develop and improve a new type of computer model. This model -- called CSU-MLP, or Colorado State University-Machine Learning Probabilities -- runs off of historical weather data and weather events from the past 9 years. This in return has led to improved conf
  
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• The last of 'The Golden Girls' elephant trio leaves San Antonio zoo

  09-03-2023 14:44 via kxan.com
  
  SAN ANTONIO (KXAN) -- The San Antonio Zoo says its Asian elephant Nicole is heading to Tennessee to spend her remaining years at The Elephant Sanctuary.According to the zoo's March 4 Facebook post, Nicole was one of three geriatric Asian elephants called The Golden Girls.
  She, Karen, and Lucky were together from 2016 until Karen & Lucky died in 2022.
  Nicole the Elephant will spending her retirement at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. (Photo courtesy: San Antonio Zoo)Nicole the Elephant w
  
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• How Austin Public Library's used bookstore diverts 47K pounds of items from landfills each month

  09-03-2023 13:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a 5,000-square-foot shop off Burnet Road lies Recycled Reads, a nonprofit bookstore operated by the Austin Public Library system.
  For 14 years, customers have explored donated materials and former items from APL's collection to try and find their next treasure. It's a place where first-time customers have since become regulars, said Paola Ferate-Soto, manager of Recycled Reads."There's a couple that comes here on Thursdays, right before they go on a lunch date," she said
  
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• Austin Eastciders closes Barton Springs location

  09-03-2023 13:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A restaurant that opened three years ago on Barton Springs Road near Zilker Park announced on social media it shut down this week.
  The owners of Austin Eastciders Barton Springs posted on Instagram Wednesday they shut down the location at 1530 Barton Springs Rd.The message did not say why the Barton Springs restaurant and tasting room closed but did say their original tasting room called Eastciders Collaboratory would remain open at 979 Springdale Rd.
  In March 2022, our partners
  
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• City of Round Rock wants ownership of street lights, Oncor has other ideas

  09-03-2023 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The city of Round Rock is interested in buying the streetlight system that is currently owned by Oncor in an attempt to save money and quicken response times to damaged lights.
  City council will vote Thursday night on sending a drafted letter to the utility to request the purchase of the streetlights.
  Gary Hudder, the city's department of transportation director, said the city is currently under contract with Oncor to provide maintenance and electricity for about 5,50
  
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• Council to take up paid South Congress parking, petition requirements Thursday

  09-03-2023 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council will meet Thursday with roughly 40 items on their agenda. Here's some of what we're watching.
  Petition requirements
  Austin City Council could ask the city manager to create a charter review commission. It’s goal would be to look at City Charter and recommend changes, including possible changes to petition requirements.The resolution comes shortly after council voted to put two opposing petitions — both of which address police oversight &mdash
  
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• Council takes up paid South Congress parking, petition requirements Thursday

  09-03-2023 13:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council will meet Thursday with roughly 40 items on their agenda. Here's some of what we're watching.
  Petition requirements
  Austin City Council asked the city manager to create a charter review commission. It’s goal would be to look at City Charter and recommend changes, including possible changes to petition requirements.The resolution comes shortly after council voted to put two opposing petitions — both of which address police oversight — wi
  
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• Fire burns garage in western Travis County

  09-03-2023 12:33 via kxan.com
  
  WESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Pedernales Fire Crews say they are fighting a garage fire on Angel Light Drive.
  It's in the 800 block of Angel Light Drive; that is east of Briarcliff along the Colorado River.
  The department told KXAN there are reports of several vehicles inside the garage but no one was reported to be inside. The fire was contained to the garage.
  The department asked everyone in a tweet at 4:46 a.m. to avoid the area for safety and let crews finish their work. It said it
  
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• 8,000 square foot garage a 'total loss' in west Travis County fire

  09-03-2023 12:33 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Pedernales Fire Crews say an 8,000-square foot garage in western Travis County is a "total loss" after an overnight fire.
  It's in the 800 block of Angel Light Drive, which is east of Briarcliff along the Colorado River.
  The fire department said on Twitter that there was no damage to the adjacent home or property. The cause is still under investigation.
  The department told KXAN there were reports of several vehicles inside the garage, but no one was reported to be i
  
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• 8000 sqft garage a 'total loss' in west Travis County fire

  09-03-2023 12:33 via kxan.com
  
  WESTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Pedernales Fire Crews say an 8000 square foot garage in western Travis County is a "total loss" after an overnight fire.
  It's in the 800 block of Angel Light Drive; that is east of Briarcliff along the Colorado River.
  The fire department said on Twitter that there was no damage to the adjacent home or property. The cause is still under investigation.
  The department told KXAN there were reports of several vehicles inside the garage but no one was reported to
  
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• Severe risk increases for Austin Metro tonight

  09-03-2023 12:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Wednesday's late day cold front is now moving north as a warm front allowing afternoon temperatures to return to the 80s under a mix of sun and clouds. NEW BLOG: Spring forecast: Will our wet season fix the drought?The front will then do another turn, moving in a southerly direction, and in the process, trigger storms and showers this evening into the overnight hours. Not everyone will get wet, but those that do could get some locally heavy rainfall.Storms start to organize alon
  
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• MoPac reopens after crash involving at least 4 people, including children

  09-03-2023 12:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- MoPac southbound has reopened after lanes were shut down between US 290 and William Cannon because of an overnight crash.
  Two vehicles and at least four people were involved in the crash, which happened around 2:30 a.m.
  The scene was cleared and road reopened just before 7:30 a.m.Austin Police said one person was transported to the hospital after the crash.Police said children were involved in the crash but did not know how many children.According to APD, four people were in one
  
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• Increasing risk of strong storms Thursday night

  09-03-2023 12:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A slightly cooler morning to get our Thursday started courtesy of a sneaky cold front that nudged its way in yesterday.This front will briefly reverse course, moving north as a warm front today and allowing afternoon temperatures to return to return to the 80s under a mix of sun and clouds. NEW BLOG: Spring forecast: Will our wet season fix the drought?The cold front will then return to Central Texas later this evening trigger storms and showers along its trek south. Not everyon
  
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• Crash involving children shuts down MoPac south of 290

  09-03-2023 12:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police shut down southbound MoPac between US 290 and William Cannon after two vehicles crashed early Thursday morning.
  APD says one person was transported to the hospital after the 2:30 a.m. crash which involved four people. Police said children were involved in the crash but did not know how many children were involved.
  Police confirmed to KXAN at 3 a.m. that the southbound service road was closed and a KXAN crew at the scene report at 4 a.m. that the southbound main lan
  
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• Texas baseball kicks off 14-game homestand with pair of midweek wins

  09-03-2023 05:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — That bats were hot for Texas baseball in an 11-3 win over Mercer on Wednesday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.Rylan Galvin smashed a 2-run home run for the first hit of his Longhorns career and ended the night 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Dylan Campbell collected three hits as well. Texas hammered 15 hits and scored nine of their runs in the first three innings.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newslette
  
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• No. 10 Texas softball pummels UT-Arlington 12-3 to win 10th consecutive game

  09-03-2023 05:17 via kxan.com
  
  ARLINGTON, Texas (KXAN) — The No. 10 Texas Longhorns have won 10 consecutive games ahead of a showdown with one of the best pitchers in the country.The Longhorns thumped Texas-Arlington 12-3 on Wednesday to run their winning streak to double digits with seven of their runs over the last three innings.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/newslettersYeah, we had a pretty good bounce back after
  
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• How to use APD's new online crime reporting system

  09-03-2023 04:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department (APD) said its new online reporting systems should ultimately allow officers to answer non-emergency reports more quickly.The system is for non-emergency crimes that include, but are not limited to, burglaries, minor assaults, theft and harassment.
  If you are in immediate danger, call 911. APD launches new AI non-emergency reporting system, says program will reduce wait timesThe new system uses Artificial Intelligence, or AI, to generate the report.
  
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• Temperatures in flux through Friday with a chance of strong storms Thursday night

  09-03-2023 04:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A cold front has been slowly moving through Central Texas and dropping temperatures for some of our northern communities into the 50s and 60s, while keeping areas south of the front in the 70s and 80s. Austin briefly hit the low 80s, but cooler temperatures arriving as we head into the evening.Overnight lows should drop into the upper 50s to lower 60s before warmer air makes a return. NEW BLOG: Spring forecast: Will our wet season fix the drought?This front will make its way bac
  
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• DPS identifies 3 victims in deadly Burnet County crash

  09-03-2023 03:16 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Public Safety identified three people who died in a Feb. 21 two-vehicle crash in Burnet County Wednesday, according to a news release from DPS.The crash occurred at approximately 3 a.m. at State Highway 71 near East Trail Road, DPS said.According to the preliminary investigation, a Ford F-350, occupied by the driver and three passengers, was traveling west on SH 71. A Hyundai, occupied by the driver and two passengers, was traveling eas
  
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• DPS ID 3 victims in deadly Burnet Co. crash

  09-03-2023 03:16 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Public Safety identified three people who died in a Feb. 21 two-vehicle crash in Burnet County Wednesday, according to a news release from DPS.The crash occurred at approximately 3 a.m. at State Highway 71 near East Trail Road, DPS said.According to the preliminary investigation, a Ford F-350, occupied by the driver and three passengers, was traveling west on SH 71. A Hyundai, occupied by the driver and two passengers, was traveling eas
  
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• Texas city named among the south's best small towns in 2023

  09-03-2023 02:02 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (KDAF) — Everyone has their opinions about the best places to live in America, but there's something about small towns throughout the southern US that bring more charm, better food, and peace & quiet than anywhere else.Southern Living has released its winners of 2023 South's Best Awards looking at the top small towns, best BBQ, and more!"In a year when more people than ever are traveling and moving to the South, we wanted to put a spotlight on small towns in this year's South's
  
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• Passenger growth at Austin's airport is hitting forecasts five years ahead of schedule

  09-03-2023 01:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — "Explosive growth" at Austin's airport has led officials to reevaluate terminal designs and plans for additional capacity as the airport hits passenger forecasts years ahead of schedule."We have been reevaluating the design parameters... to accommodate the rapid growth, the almost explosive growth, that happened in 2022," Somer Shindler, the airport's chief development officer, said in a Wednesday meeting of the Airport Advisory Commission."The forecast that we had planned
  
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• Artificial Intelligence tools becoming 'unavoidable', lawmakers say

  09-03-2023 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (Nexstar)-- The Artificial Intelligence revolution is upon us. Emerging technologies, like chatbots, have become almost unavoidable in recent months.
  But is Washington ready for this new wave of technological advancement?South Carolina republican Nancy Mace opened Wednesday's committee hearing on the advances AI."While the potential applications of generative models are vast and impressive, there are also serious concerns about the ethical implications of their use," Mace said.Shortly
  
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• Panel discusses libraries as 'political battlegrounds' amidst state book bans

  09-03-2023 00:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, the last day of South by Southwest (SXSW) EDU 2023, a panel of librarians assembled to discuss the rise of book bans across the U.S., labeling the legislation an attack on democracy in America.The panel included American Library Association executive director Tracie D. Hall, library consultant Carolyn Foote and Las Vegas-Clark County Library District executive director Kelvin Watson. Digital Public Library Of America executive director John Bracken moderated the
  
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• 'It's illegal': Zilker Park a popular spot for camping, but not with tents

  09-03-2023 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Zilker Park is a popular place to visit in Austin, but it has also become a place that some people are using to camp.You will not find tents set up, but instead you will see RV's, buses or people living in their cars in the lot on Stratford Drive."I really think the architecture in the city is beautiful," said Chrisopher Moogalian, who just pulled into Austin a few days ago.Moogalian who is travelling with his dog Bo, said he drove from Virginia. Currently he is living out
  
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