Austin news

• Climate report: Situation more dire than ever, but it's not too late to act

  21-03-2023 23:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The recently-released Sixth Assessment Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) paints a clear message from the world's best climate scientists: Drastic changes are needed immediately to secure a livable future on this planet.Chief Meteorologist David Yeomans interviewed Dr. Ben Kirtman of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School -- a climate science Ph.D and one of the authors of a previous IPCC report -- on KXAN News at 4 p.m. Tuesday.Dr.
  
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• A one-woman mission to save 15 duck eggs from being destroyed in Cedar Park H-E-B parking lot

  21-03-2023 23:09 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 21, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) – Mieka Davenport was headed Saturday to her local H-E-B in Cedar Park when she spotted two black-bellied whistling ducks in the parking lot. “There's no water or anything around, so they were kind of out of place,” Davenport said. “We were curious as to what they were doing because they seemed a little distressed.”Davenport is a self-described &ldq
  
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• WTAMU President provides reasoning on canceling on-campus drag show in letter to students, staff, faculty

  21-03-2023 23:08 via kxan.com
  
  Update (March 21, 4:04 p.m.)
  In an additional petition, posted Tuesday on the Conservative Change website, students with the Young Conservatives of Texas's West Texas A&M University branch, as well as other community members, are voicing their support for Wendler, stating that they "Stand with Dr. Wendler and WTAMU to ban drag shows on campus."
  In the petition, which as of around 4 p.m. Tuesday has 215 signatures, the community member is asking the public to sign the petition to "encourage D
  
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• Affidavit: Suspect accused of $5K fraud, impersonating victim's grandson in jail

  21-03-2023 23:07 via kxan.com
  
  BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) — Police said a person has been charged, accused of stealing $5,000 from a victim in Bee Cave after the suspect pretended to be the victim's grandson in jail seeking bond, according to an arrest affidavit issued Tuesday.
  The Bee Cave Police Department issued the warrant for a suspect accused of financial abuse of an elderly individual. Court records show the suspect has not been arrested yet.The victim told Bee Cave police in December that he received a phone call fr
  
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• APD provides new details in northwest Austin vehicle-pedestrian crash

  21-03-2023 22:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Tuesday, the Austin Police Department provided more details about a vehicle-pedestrian crash that occurred in northwest Austin March 14, according to a APD news release.At approximately 9:20 p.m., officers responded to the crash between an SUV and an unidentified pedestrian in the 12300 block of Farm-to-Market 620, the release said.1 dead after a vehicle-pedestrian crash in northwest AustinPolice said the pedestrian died on the scene. By Tuesday, detectives were working to id
  
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• Texas may create 7-person artificial intelligence advisory council

  21-03-2023 22:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Legislature may move forward with creating a new group to study how helpful or risky artificial intelligence systems may be in state government.
  The Texas House state affairs committee will meet Wednesday morning to discuss a bill filed by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, which would create a new, seven-person artificial intelligence advisory council for the state. The hearing related to this proposal and a number of other bills will begin at 10:30 a.m., an
  
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• Project Connect debuts 5 scaled down light rail options

  21-03-2023 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin residents are getting their first look at the future of light rail in the city, with five scaled-down proposals on the table for Project Connect's mass transit system. The new options will be on display at an open house at the Austin Public Library's Central location from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday.Voters approved the multi-billion-dollar Project Connect back in November 2020, greenlighting a property tax revenue stream to go toward the expansion of bus transit along with the
  
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• UT professor, Uvalde author named 2023 Women of the Year honoree

  21-03-2023 20:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A University of Texas at Austin professor and Uvalde-born author was named one of USA Today's Women of the Year for 2023.
  Monica Muñoz Martinez, a UT associate professor of history, was honored for "her active participation in speaking out about the 2022 Uvalde shooting and in developing solutions that address racial injustice," according to a release.Muñoz Martinez was nominated alongside Michelle Obama, Goldie Hawn, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Sandra Day O'Connor and
  
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• 2 hospitalized after 2-vehicle crash in north Travis County, ATCEMS says

  21-03-2023 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Two people were hospitalized after a two-vehicle crash just northwest of Austin Tuesday, Austin-Travis County EMS said in a tweet.Shortly after 11:15 a.m., ATCEMS medics and the Austin Fire Department responded to the crash at 13047 Pond Springs Road, the tweet said. Medics said one patient was pinned in their vehicle, and extrication was in progress.Furthermore, medics confirmed both patients were taken to St. David's Round Rock with serious injuries.The crash rem
  
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• Williamson County looks at animal shelter expansion with Georgetown

  21-03-2023 19:34 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Williamson County's no-kill animal shelter could expand, again, to add another city to the areas the county shelter helps.
  Williamson County commissioners approved a feasibility study to see how the shelter can grow on its five acres of land and how many kennels could be added to the shelter. But the decision was divided in a 3-2 vote. PREVIOUS: Georgetown City Council hears proposal for county shelter taking over city shelterAn expansion would add Georget
  
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• Austin ISD schools to get $4 million in federal funding to help narrow equity gap

  21-03-2023 19:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a perfect world, all Austin Independent School District campuses would be equitable in terms of resources and opportunities.
  While the district strives for this, that's not the case yet, according to school officials and Democratic Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Austin.
  That's why Doggett and AISD were thrilled to partner together, announcing $4 million in federal funding that'll be distributed among 36 campuses district-wide.
  These campuses, a school official said, are in
  
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• Rural districts fret as Gov. Abbott rallies supporters for 'school choice' at Capitol

  21-03-2023 18:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a rally for "parental empowerment" at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, advocating for his plan to subsidize private education in front of supporters his team bussed to Austin.Senate Bill 8 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. That legislation, which the governor dubs the "parental bill of rights," would create education savings accounts the state would fund with $8,000 per eligible family to send their children t
  
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• Gov. Abbott rallies supporters for 'school choice' at Capitol

  21-03-2023 18:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a rally for "parental empowerment" at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, advocating for his plan to subsidize private education in front of supporters his team bussed to Austin from San Antonio and Cypress.Senate Bill 8 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. That legislation, which Abbott dubs the "parental bill of rights," would create education savings accounts the state would fund with $8,000 per eligible family t
  
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• Dylan Disu peaking at the right time for Longhorns during March Madness run

  21-03-2023 18:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Longhorns senior forward Dylan Disu ended the regular season averaging 7.6 points per game, but once the postseason hit, he turned into a bucket machine and is a big reason why the team is in the Sweet 16.After three terrific games in the Big 12 Conference tournament to lead the Longhorns to the championship, he was named the tournament's most outstanding player with 44 points, 25 rebounds and a 74% field goal percentage. He wasn't done, though.MORE THAN THE SCORE: St
  
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• Austin nonprofit receives $250K grant for HACA households' broadband access

  21-03-2023 18:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Pathways, a subsidiary of the Housing Authority in Austin, received a $250,980 grant from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promote affordable broadband internet access to eligible low-income households.The Austin Pathways grant was one of 32 awards, totaling more than $4.9 million nationwide, for the "Your Home, Your Internet" pilot program to promote awareness, eligibility and registration assistance from the ACP to participants in Housing Choice Vouch
  
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• Round Rock man says home still damaged one year after tornado

  21-03-2023 17:56 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Some are still waiting to repair home damage caused by an EF-2 tornado last March.Preliminary reports said 80 residential structures were damaged by the storm at an estimated cost of $32 million. 1 year later: March tornado outbreak in Central TexasOne week after the tornado, Round Rock city leaders said 13 structures were destroyed and 93 sustained major damage. Round Rock tornado causes estimated $32 million in damages to homesSam Baker in the Forest Bluff neig
  
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• Austin police officer indicted, accused of excessive force

  21-03-2023 17:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin police officer was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday, charged with one felony and two misdemeanors following an alleged assault in March 2021, the Travis County District Attorney's Office said in a release.
  Officer Alejandro Gaitan was charged with aggravated assault by a public servant, a first-degree felony, and two counts of official oppression, Class A misdemeanors, according to the release. Court orders Travis County DA to record grand jury in law en
  
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• Asteroid expected to pass close to Earth this Saturday

  21-03-2023 16:56 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (KXAN) -- Scientists looking to observe asteroids will get a rare chance this weekend. NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office is reporting that a newly discovered Near-Earth Object will pass within just 100-thousand miles this weekend.According to the office, the asteroid, named 2023 DZ2, measures between 140 feet and 310 feet in diameter.A fly-by of this size happens once every ten years.The asteroid will pass between the Earth and the Moon's orbit. It will be closest to E
  
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• 1st Texas case of avian influenza in mammal confirmed in skunk

  21-03-2023 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  CARSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A skunk recovered from Carson County is Texas' first confirmed case of avian influenza in a mammal.
  The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed this week the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a striped skunk recovered from the north Texas county.
  According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, HPAI is a highly contagious virus that transmits easily among wild and domestic birds and is detected in all U.S. states e
  
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• Travis County mental health diversion center moving forward with unanimous commissioners vote

  21-03-2023 15:52 via kxan.com
  
  Travis County, TEXAS (KXAN) -- Travis County Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with recommendations from a forensic mental health project conducted by Dell Medical School Tuesday.
  The project report identified five “high priority” recommendations made at the end of the 10-month project, which looked at people in Travis County’s jail with mental health and substance use disorders. The recommendations were the following:
  Make data sharing easier and update the
  
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• Travis County Commissioners to vote on future of mental health diversion center

  21-03-2023 15:52 via kxan.com
  
  Travis County, TEXAS (KXAN) -- Travis County Commissioners could vote to move forward with recommendations from a forensic mental health project conducted by Dell Medical School Tuesday.
  The project report identified five “high priority” recommendations made at the end of the 10-month project, which looked at people in Travis County’s jail with mental health and substance use disorders. The recommendations were the following:
  Make data sharing easier and update the county&
  
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• New bills take aim at Texas program blocking driver license renewals over unpaid traffic tickets

  21-03-2023 15:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas program that allows judges to block driver license renewals over unpaid traffic tickets will face possible changes, and even repeal, this legislative session.It comes after a KXAN investigation revealed more than 980,000 current court orders to block drivers from getting their license renewed, as of October 2022. Those were sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety vendor OmniBase.Already, more than 445,000 Texans can’t get their license renewed or repla
  
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• New bill takes aim at Texas program blocking driver license renewals over unpaid traffic tickets

  21-03-2023 15:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas program that allows judges to block driver license renewals over unpaid traffic tickets will face possible changes, and even repeal, this legislative session.It comes after a KXAN investigation revealed more than 980,000 current court orders, as of Oct. 2022, sent to Texas Department of Public Safety vendor OmniBase to block drivers from getting their license renewed.  Already, more than 445,000 Texans can’t get their license renewed or replaced if they
  
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• Survey: Americans are better at keeping up with car maintenance than health screenings

  21-03-2023 13:56 via kxan.com
  
  ALEXANDRIA, Va. (KXAN) -- The first annual Early Detection Survey from the Prevent Cancer Foundation found Americans are better setting up appointments for routine car maintenance than routine cancer screenings.“65% of Americans aged 21 and older are not up to date with at least one of their routine cancer screenings,” said Jody Hoyos with the Prevent Cancer Foundation. “That's an important issue because routine screenings really give us the chance to have a cancer either preve
  
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• Austin Public Works asking for feedback on MoKan Trail extension

  21-03-2023 13:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin is making progress on plans for expanding a new urban trail in east Austin. The city is now asking residents to weigh in on the project.
  The MoKan Trail Preliminary Engineering Phase Virtual Open House, which launched Monday, debuts recommendations for the trail’s alignment and design features. The open house is available online in English and Spanish 24 hours a day, seven days a week.The open house will end Sunday April 23.Its focus is on six segments o
  
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• Did you know UT's art program has 28 artworks borrowed from The Met museum?

  21-03-2023 12:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — If you've spent time on the University of Texas at Austin campus, you've most likely taken a look at the school's public art program—which includes many pieces borrowed from the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
  UT's public art program, called Landmarks, started in 2008 with 28 borrowed works from the Met. Since then, it has grown to 46 installations across campus and at the Dell Medical School. How does ‘tip creeping’ affect Texans?The collect
  
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• Possible designs for Project Connect's light rail system to be unveiled Tuesday

  21-03-2023 12:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Transit Partnership, the entity responsible for delivering Austin's Project Connect, will unveil several options to the public on the scope and design of a new light rail system during an open house on Tuesday night.
  The open house will be from 4-7 p.m. at the Austin Public Library’s Central location at 710 W. Cesar Chavez St.The design of the public transit system was put on hold in the summer of 2022 because ATP discovered the cost of building two light rail l
  
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• Where did Texas' record budget surplus come from?

  21-03-2023 12:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — You've heard us talk about the state's record budget surplus of $32.7 billion dollars. A viewer reached out to KXAN via Report!t asking where the money came from.The surplus is money expected to be left over at the end of this fiscal year.
  State Comptroller Glenn Hegar has said you can thank inflation for a lot of it; people paying more for goods and services means more sales tax pouring into the state.
  Hegar also pointed to spikes in energy and gas prices for some o
  
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• Warming back to the 80s starting Wednesday

  21-03-2023 11:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The chill is over as we look to several afternoons with highs in the lower half of the 80s. That won't happen today but will beginning tomorrow. Southerly winds have returned to give us those warmer temperatures.That south wind has also returned moisture which resulted in the dense fog that continued into the afternoon along with areas of drizzle/light rain/mist. Some .10" to .25" rain totals have been measured since midnight in some of Travis Co. BLOG: April showers: Here's the
  
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• Warmer, muggier leading up to next cold front

  21-03-2023 11:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After an extended stretch of cooler weather, our much-anticipated warm-up begins today. BLOG: April showers: Here's the outlook for Central TexasToday starts cloudy for all and wet for some with spotty light rain making for a slick commute in parts of the Austin-metro. By midday, rain clears and clouds thin. Afternoon highs will return to the 70s with breezy south winds gusting to 25 mph.First Warning: Next Threat of Severe ThunderstormsA strong storm system passing north of our
  
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• Man shot, killed on Montopolis Drive overnight

  21-03-2023 11:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man was shot and killed in southeast Austin overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning.
  Austin Police said a 911 call of gunshots near 800 Montopolis Drive came in around 12:28 a.m.That area is between Hwy 183 and East Riverside Drive, close to the intersection of Montopolis Drive and Felix Avenue.
  APD arrived at 12:36 a.m. and found a man in his early 20s with signs of trauma. Police tried to save his life until EMS got there, but he died on the scene around 12:47 a.m.Anothe
  
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• Man arrested after fire burns vacant downtown Austin building

  21-03-2023 11:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was arrested one day after Austin Fire crews put out a fire at a vacant building on Congress Avenue between 9th and 10th streets. No one was hurt, but it caused an estimated $1 million in damages, AFD said.The Austin Fire Department told KXAN crews were called out around 11:40 p.m. Monday after a 911 caller reported seeing smoke. Fire crews saw flames in a second-floor window of the building at 907 Congress Avenue and called out more crews to help.
  AFD posted on socia
  
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• Fire burns vacant downtown Austin building

  21-03-2023 11:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Fire crews put out a fire at a vacant building on Congress Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets early Tuesday morning.
  AFD told KXAN that crews were called out around 11:40 p.m. Monday after a 911 caller reported seeing smoke.
  AFD says a responding fire crew saw fire in the second floor window of the building at 903 Congress. That's when more crews were called.
  According to AFD, the fire did not spread beyond the vacant structure and there was no one inside at the time of
  
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• Rangers sign Lefty Will Smith to 1-year, $1.5M deal

  21-03-2023 04:21 via kxan.com
  
  SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Left-handed reliever Will Smith agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract with the Texas Rangers on Saturday and will report to spring training.The 33-year-old was 0-3 with a 3.97 ERA and five saves in 65 relief appearances last year for Atlanta and Houston, which acquired him on Aug. 2 for current Ranger Jake Odorizzi. The Astros declined a $13 million option on Nov. 9, allowing Smith to become a free agent as he completed a $40 million, three-year contract.He was
  
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• Texas senate passes bill on harsher penalties for tampering with ankle monitors

  21-03-2023 03:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Monday, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would make it a crime for a person to knowingly remove or disable and ankle monitor tracking device that they're required to wear as a condition of house arrest, parole or release on bail.According to Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), the bill's author, 76,940 people are currently on parole in Texas, and 4,315 of them have a monitoring device. She said in the last year, 1,127 monitor straps were either cut, or an active warrant remains
  
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• APD searching for suspect vehicle in central Austin hit-and-run

  21-03-2023 03:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is searching for a suspect wanted in connection to a central Austin hit-and-run that occurred March 11, according to an APD news release.Shortly before 7 p.m., APD officers responded to a crash between an unknown vehicle and a cyclist near Guadalupe Street and Nelray Boulevard, according to police.According to the preliminary investigation, the cyclist was headed east on Nelray Boulevard, when the driver of an unidentified vehicle driving north on Gu
  
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• Louisville blows out Texas at home 73-51 to move on to women's Sweet 16

  21-03-2023 03:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns suffered their worst home loss of the season Monday, falling 73-51 to Louisville in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Moody Center.The loss eliminates the Longhorns from the tournament and they finish the season with a 26-10 record. Louisville, the No. 5 seed in the region, now goes to Seattle to take on No. 8 Ole Miss in the Sweet 16 on Friday. The Rebels pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far, knocking off top
  
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• Waco teen receives 10K cancer grant

  21-03-2023 02:36 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (FOX 44) - Blain Lenoir, 19, received big help to pursue his college career after years of battling Leukemia.
  Blain was given a $10,000 scholarship through Northwestern Mutual's 2022 Childhood Cancer Survivor program.
  The scholarship aims to ease the financial burden for families who undergo childhood cancer treatments.
  Northwestern Mutual Foundation president, Steven Radke says, "Childhood cancer robs children and their families of far too much, and that should not include the oppor
  
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• Daughter of American woman kidnapped in Mexico receives ransom call

  21-03-2023 02:30 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — It has been 39 days since Maria Del Carmen Lopez was kidnapped from her home in Pueblo Nuevo, Mexico. Her family has yet to receive any updates from the FBI on the status of the investigation.
  "It's been a roller coaster for the last 39 days. It definitely seems like we're actually living inside of a nightmare,” said Zonia, Maria's daughter.Ohio State student dead after spring break in MexicoZonia was alerted by family members in Mexico about her mother's kidnapping. T
  
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• Lawmakers prepare to grill TikTok CEO amid calls to ban the app

  21-03-2023 02:24 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — TikTok's CEO is about to be in the hot seat on Capitol Hill.
  At a highly anticipated hearing this week, lawmakers will get the chance to grill him as they weigh legislation to ban the app altogether.On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing focused on the popular app. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to answer questions about that hearing.Lawmakers are expected to address concerns about what data the Chinese-owned app collects, who
  
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• 1 year later: March tornado outbreak in Central Texas

  21-03-2023 02:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One year ago, five separate tornadoes moved through Central Texas causing damage and injuries-- but thankfully no deaths.Jeff Mangum was a storm chaser with Tornado Trackers. He, along with his partner Gabe Cox, were our eyes on the ground as they chased the longest track tornado that day which moved through Round Rock toward Granger and then into Bell County before dissipating.The EF-2 tornado was on the ground for 29 miles from 5:54 p.m. to 6:34 p.m.KXAN Meteorologist Nick Ban
  
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• Austin Police congratulate rabbi as new police chaplain

  21-03-2023 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department pinned and congratulated Rabbi Marie Betcher on her new leadership role as the lead chaplain for APD, the agency confirmed in a tweet Monday.Betcher is the first woman to take on the role, APD said.She will oversee a team of chaplains in the department that provide support to officers.
  
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• Police identify victim in north Austin homicide

  21-03-2023 00:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- On Monday, the Austin Police Department identified the man who was the victim in a weekend homicide in north Austin, according to a APD news release.Shortly after 7 a.m., March 18, APD officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 300 block of Deen Avenue, the release said. Someone called 911 and reported a person was shot and lying outside a home. Officials responding to fatal shooting in north AustinWhen officers arrived on the scene, they found Barry Dockery, 20, lying in
  
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• Murder affidavit provides more details into man accused of stabbing wife in north Austin

  21-03-2023 00:09 via kxan.com
  
  If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 273-8255. More than 100 local crisis centers are a part of a national network working on this lifeline and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.AUSTIN (KXAN)-- An arrest affidavit provided more details into a north Austin homicide that left one person dead March 14.According to the affidavit, a witness at an apartment complex in the 11700 block of Metric Boulev
  
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