Austin news

• Woman says lemur attacked her at Austin Aquarium

  19-05-2023 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Charmaine Dickerson's trip to visit her boyfriend ended with her in pain - and is considering a lawsuit.
  "I remember looking down and my face was like dripping blood," she said.
  The culprit was a lemur at the Austin Aquarium, according to Dickerson. The location is one of two in the United States that allows guests to interact with lemurs, according to the aquarium's website.
  Dickerson said she signed up for an "animal encounter," where she was told she could pet a lemur under s
  
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• Texas Attorney General to investigate 2nd children's hospital over reports of gender care provided to minors

  19-05-2023 22:02 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched his second investigation into a children's hospital in the state within a month.
  Paxton announced Friday morning an investigation into Texas Children's Hospital, which is based in Houston, to "determine if the entity is actively engaging in illegal behavior and performing 'gender transitioning' procedures on children," the announcement said.
  He did not specify what laws it may have broken, but indicated "I've been clear that any 'g
  
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• Severe Thunderstorm Watch in the Hill Country, where flooding is also possible tonight

  19-05-2023 21:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding are most likely in the Hill Country Friday night into early Saturday morning, but rain and thunderstorms will also be possible in the Austin area.A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for the entire Hill Country, but not currently the Austin Metro area, until 10 p.m. Friday night. Large hail and strong, damaging wind gusts are the main threats.Storms are developing now in the Hill Country and may produce hail and damaging wind gusts in
  
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• Bill to close 'dead suspect loophole' one step closer to final vote

  19-05-2023 21:04 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the bill heads to the Senate for a vote.AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Uvalde approaches, a bill that would end a controversial legal loophole used to block victims and families from seeing important records is the closest its ever been to closing.The “dead suspect loophole” refers to an exemption in Texas’ public records law that gives police discretion to withhold information in c
  
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• Bill to close 'dead suspect loophole' heads to final Senate vote

  19-05-2023 21:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in Uvalde approaches, a bill that would end a controversial legal loophole used to block victims and families from seeing important records is the closest its ever been to closing.The “dead suspect loophole” refers to an exemption in Texas’ public records law that gives police discretion to withhold information in criminal cases that haven’t gone through the court process — even when a suspe
  
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• Round Rock ISD school board green lights salary increase for all staff

  19-05-2023 20:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Round Rock Independent School District Board of Trustees on Thursday approved salary increases for all staff during its approval of the 2023-24 school year compensation plan.Trustees gave the green light on Thursday during their regular meeting Thursday night.
  The currently approved compensation plan for the upcoming year includes a 3% general pay increase for teachers and librarians. The increase was based on the median teacher salary of $58,467, which e
  
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• How plants can protect our lakes

  19-05-2023 19:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meteorologist Sean Kelly spoke with Doctor Brent Bellinger at Emma Long Park along Lake Austin to discuss how runoff from flooding rain plays a role in erosion and lake quality. Doctor Brent Bellinger is the Conservation Program Supervisor with the city of Austin's Watershed Protection Department. Dr. Bellinger said Central Texas is located in 'Flash Flood Alley' our waterways are a haven for changing frequently and quickly."And those types of large events, mobilize a lot o
  
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• Report: Central Texas homes prices down from last year while housing market stays strong

  19-05-2023 19:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Home prices in Austin continue to cool after reaching a zenith last year. The median home price in the Austin-Round Rock region fell 15% last month to $466,705, per an Austin Board of Realtors report. In April 2022, the median home price in Austin-Round Rock was $521,100.  MORE: This is what $2,000 in rent will get you in these Texas cities
  “A normalizing housing market, along with more inventory, is unequivocally a good thing for buyers, especially first-ti
  
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• Texas patient safety bill, sparked by KXAN, heads to final vote

  19-05-2023 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A patient safety bill aimed at protecting Texans from potentially dangerous doctors, filed in response to KXAN's "Still Practicing" investigations, is one step closer to becoming law. If House Bill 1998 clears one last final vote in the full Texas Senate, it would then go to the governor's desk.In a last-minute move, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a previously unscheduled hearing Friday — just under the wire to meet key legislative deadlines. The
  
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• Census Bureau: Texas continues to top the charts with fastest-growing cities

  19-05-2023 17:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Six of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the United States were in Texas, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.Georgetown, Texas, topped the list with a population increase of 14.4%.“Georgetown, Texas, remained the fastest-growing city by percent change in 2022, with the highest rate of growth among all U.S. cities and towns with at least 50,000 people,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. Following Sant
  
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• Sports car racing returns to COTA

  19-05-2023 17:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A major race returns to Circuit of the Americas this weekend, as the Fanatec GT World Challenge America will take place on the track.Along with sports car racing, the three-day festival of speed is offering engaging activities for fans of all ages.Kids age 12 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Thus far, over 10,000 tickets have been sold.Throughout this weekend, over 140 cars will race around the track, representing brands such as Aston Martin, Mercede
  
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• Consumer group asking law enforcement to step up response after signs AI may contribute to fraud

  19-05-2023 16:21 via kxan.com
  
  (KXAN) -- Fraud may have hit a crisis level, according to the AARP.“It's not just us. Most Americans in a survey we just produced say the same thing. And we're seeing it in the data,” said Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs at AARP.“Just what was reported last year to the Federal Trade Commission was $9 billion in losses and we know that's just the tip of the iceberg," Stokes said.
  Experts worry artificial intelligence, or AI, may make things worse. Last month,
  
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• Pflugerville ISD offering free meals through summer break

  19-05-2023 15:56 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) -- The Pflugerville Independent School District will be offering meals to children throughout the summer break.
  PfISD announced this week that it will offer open community lunch to children this summer through the USDA summer meals program. Many children receive free and reduced-price meals at school, which can mean they go hungry in the summer, PfISD said.
  The meals will be provided at the following locations on the dates and times listed below:
  TIMMERMAN ELEMENTARY
  5
  
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• Refugee families face eviction following budget issues with resettlement agency

  19-05-2023 14:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Dozens of refugee families in Austin are facing eviction notices following issues with Refugee Services of Texas (RST), the state's largest refugee resettlement agency, according to an Austin church that is providing help to families.
  Alliance Samuragwa oversees the refugee ministry at Gateway Church. He said in the past week, 25 refugee families have reached out to the church for help, with some saying RST had not been paying their first three months of rent like they promised,
  
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• Bill reforming Texas law enforcement oversight inches forward

  19-05-2023 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A senate bill that would revamp the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement’s authority passed a second reading Thursday in the House, moving the legislation another step closer to the finish line after years of effort.Senate Bill 1445 by Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, would reform TCOLE’s role in overseeing law enforcement. As it currently stands, the expansive bill would create a definition for police misconduct and a process for reporting it to TCOLE, make a fit-for-
  
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• This is what $2,000 in rent will get you in these Texas cities 

  19-05-2023 13:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – In recent years, hunting for an apartment in Austin has probably had many wondering if a California zip code was accidentally input into the real estate search engine rather than an Austin one. While the Austin area has become well known for its soaring rent prices, some Texas metropolitan centers remain more affordable. KXAN looked at five cities in the Lone Star State to see what living accommodations would be available for $2,000 using Zillow and the average fair ma
  
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• Indicted Austin police officer resigns from TCOLE board

  19-05-2023 13:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – An Austin Police officer indicted in connection to the 2020 racial injustice protests resigned from a state commission on Wednesday.
  Justin Berry confirmed to KXAN on Thursday the Senate confirmed his resignation on the floor Wednesday. In August 2022, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Berry to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for a term set to expire August 30, 2027.Earlier in 2022, Berry was indicted, along with 18 other APD officers, on aggrava
  
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• Internal memos find 'no fault' in suspended Texas Ranger's Uvalde response

  19-05-2023 13:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN/Nexstar) — Internal records obtained by KXAN show the two highest-ranking Texas Rangers said a suspended Ranger should not face repercussions for his actions after the Robb Elementary mass school shooting in Uvalde — and also provide new details of the widespread misinformation between officials during the response.The Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Texas Rangers, sent a letter to suspended Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell on Jan. 5 stating its intent to
  
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• Texas woman gets three years in prison for exporting guns to Mexico

  19-05-2023 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  McALLEN, Texas (KXAN) – A Texas woman will spend three years in federal prison for exporting firearms and ammunition, according to an announcement Thursday from the office of the United States Attorney's Southern District of Texas.
  The office said Brenda Belinda Barba, 33, of Spring, Texas, pleaded guilty on April 7, 2022.At the time of her plea, Barba admitted to attempting to unlawfully exporting a Glock 9mm pistol, Glock .22 caliber pistol, four Glock pistol magazines, and 550 rounds of
  
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• Suspects in 2016 Manor death detained in Mexico: U.S. Marshals

  19-05-2023 13:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The U.S. Marshals said Wednesday two suspects in the 2016 death of a man in Manor will be extradited back to Travis County after they were detained in Mexico.
  According to the Marshals office, Manor Police were looking for Thomas Bernal, 25, and his mother Dernal Bernal, 51, of Elgin.Thomas Bernal is charged with manslaughter and failure to render aid. Authorities allege Bernal drove away from the scene of a crash on Maria Lane in Manor on July 27, 2016. According to the Ma
  
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• Youth mental health awareness campaign aimed at parents, caregivers

  19-05-2023 12:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Public Health and Integral Care Wednesday announced a public awareness campaign aimed at getting parents and caregivers to help children and teens when it comes to mental health.
  According to APH, there has been a national rise in depression, trauma, and suicidality among youth, which resulted in a declaration of a national state of emergency in children's mental health.
  APH said those trends are mirrored in Austin and Travis County, which is why APH and Integral Car
  
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• Hail, damaging winds possible late Friday

  19-05-2023 12:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A quiet and dry morning, but we'll likely finish our Friday with storms, some of which could be severe.Mainly sunny skies will help temperatures return to the low 90s this afternoon. It's not until late afternoon (4-5 p.m.) do we start to see a few isolated storms bubble up in the northwest Hill Country.Friday afternoon forecast highsAs the afternoon turns to evening, storms will grow in coverage and intensity. Well-developed thunderstorms will be capable of large hail, damaging
  
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• Flash flooding and severe storm concern into tonight

  19-05-2023 12:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Most of this afternoon will be hot and dry but we'll likely finish our Friday with storms, some of which could be severe with a flash flooding risk.Mainly sunny skies will help temperatures return to the low 90s this afternoon. It's not until late afternoon (4-5 p.m.) do we start to see a few isolated storms bubble up in the northwest Hill Country.Friday afternoon forecast highsAs the afternoon turns to evening, storms will grow in coverage and intensity. Well-developed thunders
  
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• Austin ISD plans to pull millions from reserve funds to give educators 7% raise

  19-05-2023 05:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin ISD Board of Trustees on Thursday approved using up to $53 million of the district's reserve funds to give teachers and school employees a raise next school year.It comes as the legislature has yet to get a bill addressing teacher pay to the governor’s desk after months of promising solving the state’s teacher shortage was a top priority.In a statement to KXAN, the district’s Chief Finance OIfficer Ed Ramos said it could not wait on legislative
  
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• Austin ISD plans to pull millions from reserve funds to give educators 7 percent raise

  19-05-2023 05:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin ISD Board of Trustees on Thursday approved using up to $53 million dollars of the district's reserve funds to give teachers and school employees a raise next school year.It comes as the legislature has yet to get a bill addressing teacher pay to the governor’s desk after months of promising solving the state’s teacher shortage was a top priority.In a statement to KXAN, the district’s Chief Finance OIfficer Ed Ramos said it could not wait on legi
  
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• AISD board approves pay raises for teachers and staff

  19-05-2023 05:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin ISD Board of Trustees approved pay raises for it teachers and staff during a school board meeting Thursday.Texas is reeling from a record number of teacher resignations, according to information obtained by KXAN.KXAN Investigators obtained exit forms from hundreds of Austin ISD teachers who quit their jobs in the middle of the school year since the pandemic began, and similar data from several other districts across the state.Both reveal how inflation, stagnant salari
  
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• Brown smacks 3 HRs, ties Texas total bases record in 12-2 rout of No. 6 West Virginia

  19-05-2023 04:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Porter Brown had one of those nights where just about everything went his way Thursday against No. 6 West Virginia.The Longhorns outfielder smashed three home runs and ended the night 4-for-5 with eight RBIs in a 12-2 romp to open a 3-game series with the Mountaineers at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.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/newslettersBrown hit home runs to all areas of
  
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• ChatGPT: School districts discuss policies addressing Artificial Intelligence in the classroom

  19-05-2023 04:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Artificial Intelligence has become a popular topic lately, but some people have concerns.In Eanes ISD, the district is looking into current policies and figuring out how applications like ChatGPT can be used."I think it has lots of value in education we are just trying to figure out where that fits," said Fred Benitez, who is the director of educational technology at Eanes ISD.Benitez pulled up the application, ChatGPT, which he said is currently restricted for students in
  
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• Texas guard Tyrese Hunter to return for junior season

  19-05-2023 03:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — He tested the waters leading up to the NBA Draft, but Tyrese Hunter has decided he wants another year on the 40 Acres.Hunter made the announcement on social media Thursday with the caption, "Aye, run that back."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/newslettersHunter had until May 31 to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft pool in order to keep his eligibility. He initially mad
  
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• Hot, dry weather ends with Friday evening severe thunderstorm risk

  19-05-2023 03:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hot, dry weather continues Friday, but scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected late Friday evening. Some storms may contain hail and wind damage.High temperatures in Austin made it to 91 degrees on Thursday, and we expect even hotter temperatures on Friday. But an approaching storm system and cold front will change the weather Friday night.Slight risk (2 out of 5) for severe storms late FridayStorms look most likely after 5 p.m. beginning in the Hill Country, then build
  
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• Texas mother fights for swim school legislation after 3-year-old son drowns

  19-05-2023 02:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - A bill one Texas mother said is designed to better protect children at swim schools is in jeopardy at the Texas Capitol this week as we near the end of the session. It would take a last-minute push for the Mitchell Chang Swim Safety Act to pass in the Senate.  The bill is named after three-year-old Mitchell Chang, who drowned after a parent's night out event at a Texas swim school.  "The best way to describe him was warmth -- you just felt him when he came in the r
  
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• Victims in deadly Brownsville migrant center crash identified

  19-05-2023 01:59 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Brownsville police have identified the victims in a crash near a migrant center that killed eight and injured nearly a dozen.At 8:30 a.m. May 7, an SUV crashed into a group of 18 people in front of the Ozanam Center near Minnesota Road. On Tuesday, police released the identities of those killed and injured in the crash.Those killed in the crash include:
  Jose Javier Carrio Moreno (18)Cristian Jesus Sangranis Rodriguez (19)Brayan Garcia (24)Hector David M
  
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• Woman found in U-Haul during traffic stop; Maryland man arrested for kidnapping

  19-05-2023 01:52 via kxan.com
  
  PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) — A 62-year-old Maryland man was arrested Friday night after allegedly kidnapping a woman and making her sit, naked, in a U-Haul as he drove around for hours.
  Maryland State Police said Dennis Bell of Lanham faces 14 criminal charges including first-degree assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, fourth-degree sex offense, possession of suspected crack cocaine, and driving while impaired. Bell also faces 19 traffic charges related to the incident.Accordin
  
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• 2 facing charges after drugs found hidden in rubber pregnancy belly

  19-05-2023 01:51 via kxan.com
  
  ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said two people are facing drug charges following a traffic stop.According to the sheriff's office, deputies initiated the traffic stop along I-85 while conducting proactive patrol.Deputies pulled over Anthony Miller and Cemeka Mitchem.Deputies said the first red flag began when the two gave conflicting information about her "due date."Officials say as Mitchem realized deputies were becoming more suspicious of the conflict
  
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• Good Samaritans in Texas assist rescue of driver from burning vehicle

  19-05-2023 01:50 via kxan.com
  
  FREESTONE COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) — Freestone County residents helped the Sheriff's Office and rescue crews save a person trapped in a burning vehicle.Sheriff Jeremy Shipley says that a Freestone County deputy, along with Fairfield Fire and Fairfield EMS, responded at approximately 4:56 p.m. May 11 to the scene of a single-vehicle accident with entrapment on S. Highway 75, just south of Fairfield. The vehicle was found with a lot of smoke coming out of it, and a fire was starting in the eng
  
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• Abbott confirms first bus of migrants has arrived in Colorado

  19-05-2023 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) confirmed on Thursday that the first bus of migrants has arrived in Colorado. "Texas' overwhelmed and overrun border communities should not have to shoulder the flood of illegal immigration due to President Biden's reckless open border policies, like his mass catch and release without court dates or any way to track them," Abbott said in a news release, noting that the migrants were dropped off near the Civic Center Park in Denver, Colo. Ab
  
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• Man arrested after $385K worth of cocaine found in vehicle in Fayette County

  19-05-2023 00:54 via kxan.com
  
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A man was arrested Tuesday after the Fayette County Sheriff's Office found 13 bundles of cocaine with a street value of $385,000 in his vehicle, according to a FCSO news release.Shortly before 8 a.m., FCSO Drug Interdiction Investigator David Smith made a traffic stop on Interstate 10 at the 668 mile marker eastbound near Engle for a traffic violation, the release said.Smith found "several criminal indicators" and was given consent to search the vehicle, the relea
  
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• 'Bright and talented young woman': Ortralla Mosley honored at Texas Capitol Thursday

  19-05-2023 00:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's been 20 years since Ortralla Mosley was stabbed to death at Reagan High School in Austin. On Thursday, the Texas House of Representatives gathered at the Texas Capitol to commemorate the life and legacy of Mosley.On March 28, 2003, Mosley was 15 years old when she was violently attacked by her ex-boyfriend at the high school, according to a news release from the Texas Advocacy Project.Carolyn White-Mosley became an advocate for teen dating violence awareness and prevention
  
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• Austin has MLS' 5th-highest payroll; who makes the most?

  19-05-2023 00:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC announced a contract extension for star midfielder Sebastian Driussi in February, saying there was "worldwide interest" in him following his fantastic 2022 season.
  According to data released Tuesday by the Major League Soccer Players Association, the club opened up its checkbook to keep him in Austin.
  MLS Players Association salary chartThe players union published player salary data for all MLS teams, and along with signing and other applicable bonuses, Driussi's
  
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