Austin news

• Concerned state employees say internal errors put thousands at risk of losing Medicaid coverage

  31-07-2023 23:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Concerned employees at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission say Texans are at risk of losing their health insurance due to understaffing, insufficient technology, and "disheartening and unacceptable" leadership, according to an internal email shared with Nexstar."These issues are escalating rapidly, and the agency is facing significant risks, including the potential termination of Medicaid coverage for countless individuals and the potential loss of billions of doll
  
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• Cruise expands driverless rideshare services in Austin, but not everyone is on board

  31-07-2023 23:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Less than a year ago, General Motors' Cruise announced it would bring "robotaxi" technology to Austin in the form of driverless rideshare services. Now, Cruise is expanding its Austin services, moving beyond strictly testing in the Texas capital.A Cruise spokesperson confirmed Monday the company is beginning to on-board residents who joined Cruise's rideshare waitlist. Rides are offered between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Who regulates driverless vehicles in Texas?"Right n
  
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• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asks for impeachment articles to be dismissed

  31-07-2023 22:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) —Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking the Senate to dismiss the articles of impeachment he faces in his upcoming trial, arguing the bulk of allegations happened before his most recent election to a third term.In two related motions filed to the Senate on Monday, Paxton's attorneys argued that impeaching him would usurp the will of voters — considering the majority of allegations were already public and Texans still reelected the attorney general. Paxton's defe
  
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• Second supermoon of the year coming on Tuesday

  31-07-2023 22:22 via kxan.com
  
  (WKBN) -- August begins with a full moon - and what's more, it's a supermoon.
  The next full moon will occur at 2:32 p.m. ET Tuesday, Aug. 1. The moon will be below the horizon at that time, so you will have to wait until later in the day to catch the full moon.Tuesday's moon is the second of this year's four “supermoons,” which appear bigger and brighter in the sky due to the distance of the moon from the Earth.
  It is also the second of three full moons that will occur during the sum
  
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• AFD: 2 brush fires in southeast Austin contained

  31-07-2023 21:38 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for July 31, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin firefighters responded to two brush fires Monday afternoon in southeast Austin.AFD said a four-acre fire near Mabel Davis District Park and another fire near Riverside Drive and Grove Boulevard are contained.AFD estimated the park fire, which is between an apartment complex and the parking lot, is about 85% contained.Austin firefighters responded to two brush fires July 31 in south
  
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• When will I-35 road construction start in downtown Austin?

  31-07-2023 21:37 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for July 31, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With the Texas Department of Transportation poised to receive final federal clearance for its Interstate 35 Capital Express Central project next month, Austin District project heads have laid out the next steps for the eight-mile project.TxDOT is expected to receive a final verdict on its draft environmental impact statement in August, a required document that outlines all the potential e
  
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• Blue Hole awarded 'Traveler's Choice' by Tripadvisor for third year in a row

  31-07-2023 20:47 via kxan.com
  
  WIMBERLEY, Texas (KXAN) — Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley was awarded by Tripadvisor for the third year in a row.The park was given the Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice of 2023 award, making this the third consecutive year the park was named for the award. The award places Blue Hole in the top 10% of attractions worldwide, according to a social media post from the park.Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley, Texas (KXAN Photo/Abigail Jones) Blue Hole Regional Park recognized by Tripadvisor
  
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• Horses living in 'horrific conditions' taken in by Hill Country shelter

  31-07-2023 19:33 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for July 31, 2023FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) — The Hill Country SPCA is asking for donations after it took custody of two horses living in "horrific conditions," according to a press release. Texas renter says AC has been out for nearly 2 monthsFor more than 10 years, the horses lived in cramped conditions with limited food and water, the release said. HCSPCA said the sorrel gelding and blue stud horses, named Goos
  
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• LIVE: APD officers who stopped kidnapping attempt provide details

  31-07-2023 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Five officers who helped stop a kidnapping attempt and reunited a child with her family last week will provide details on the incident Monday afternoon.
  Five officers with the Austin Police Department were able to stop a kidnapping attempt last Tuesday, according to a social media post from APD Chief Joseph Chacon. RELATED: APD officers stop kidnapping attempt in north AustinA child told an employee at a north Austin store she had been kidnapped, and the kidnapper
  
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• Austin officers commend 'brave' girl who escaped from kidnappers

  31-07-2023 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several of the police officers who responded to a kidnapping call last week commended a teenage girl for hatching the plan to escape from her alleged captors.
  Three of the five officers who helped thwart the kidnapping attempt and reunite the girl with her family spoke to reporters Monday afternoon, sharing new details about how they learned of this situation. Officers Rachel Stahlke, Cody Carr and Callie Wolfe shared they went to a store located near Shoal Creek Boulevard
  
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• APD officers who stopped kidnapping attempt to provide details Monday

  31-07-2023 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Five officers who helped stop a kidnapping attempt and reunited a child with her family last week will provide details on the incident Monday afternoon.
  Five officers with the Austin Police Department were able to stop a kidnapping attempt last Tuesday, according to a social media post from APD Chief Joseph Chacon. RELATED: APD officers stop kidnapping attempt in north AustinA child told an employee at a north Austin store she had been kidnapped, and the kidnapper
  
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• APD officers who stopped kidnapping attempt provide details

  31-07-2023 19:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Five officers who helped stop a kidnapping attempt and reunited a child with her family last week will provide details on the incident Monday afternoon.
  Five officers with the Austin Police Department were able to stop a kidnapping attempt last Tuesday, according to a social media post from APD Chief Joseph Chacon. RELATED: APD officers stop kidnapping attempt in north AustinA child told an employee at a north Austin store she had been kidnapped, and the kidnapper
  
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• APD: Body found on Ed Bluestein Boulevard

  31-07-2023 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for July 31, 2023AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Police are investigating after a body was found in east Austin Monday morning.
  The Austin Police Department responded to an urgent welfare check call at 9:30 a.m. on Ed Bluestein Boulevard between the 1900 and 2700 blocks of the road.
  That area is just north of the Bolm District Park area.
  APD said the incident is not being investigated as a homicide at this point. It's unclear what the p
  
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• Progress on 183 North Mobility Project Construction

  31-07-2023 17:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With just two weeks left until Austin Independent School District heads back to school, KXAN Traffic Anchor Erica Brennes is taking a closer look at the construction projects that have ramped up over the summer that will be impacting your commute.Brennes sat down with Mike Sexton, the Director of Engineering for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, for an update on the 183 North Project in North Austin.Brennes: "Joining me today is Mike Sexton. He is an engineer with t
  
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• How to know if your plants are suffering in the heat

  31-07-2023 16:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Not only is the ongoing heatwave making it tough for us humans to stay upright, it's also stressing the life we have growing in our gardens and yards. But how do you know if your plants are struggling or thriving in the dry and hot weather?Meteorologist Kristen Currie spoke with Amy Medley, a horticulturist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, to find out how to know if your garden is under heat stress.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - KXAN/Currie
  Meteorologist Kristen
  
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• Texas A&M names Mark A. Welsh III as interim president

  31-07-2023 15:16 via kxan.com
  
  COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KIAH) -- The board of regents at Texas A&M University named Mark A. Welsh III as the new interim president in a special-called meeting Sunday.Chancellor John Sharp previously named Welsh on July 21 as the acting president of the university. The board’s action was needed to place Welsh into a longer-term role to lead the university.“I cannot think of a better person than Mark Welsh to lead Texas A&M right now,” Sharp said. “He has experience
  
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• Austinites help teach English to Ukrainian students, refugees across the world

  31-07-2023 13:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For more than three years, global nonprofit ENGin has helped teach thousands of Ukrainians to speak English fluently, in an effort to expand cross-cultural connections.Now, the organization aims to connect 100,000 Ukrainian youth with volunteers to help Ukrainians expand their skillsets and build up future opportunities, especially in the midst of the country's continued war. Here in Central Texas, more than 70 Austin-based volunteers are aiding Ukrainians, one language lesson a
  
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• Austin runner raising money for brain cancer charity in NYC marathon

  31-07-2023 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Montgomery Lax may be the only runner at the New York City marathon this year who has active brain cancer. She is attempting to run the marathon 100 days after ending her chemo treatment in order to raise money for brain cancer research.
  Lax is running for the American Brain Tumor Association. She got the call on her last day of chemo treatment and was excited to hear she got in. The charity had funded scientific research that led to the current treatment she was taking to stabi
  
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• Overnight fire damages vacant south Austin home

  31-07-2023 13:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A fire damaged a vacant home in south Austin overnight Sunday into early Monday morning.
  First responders started getting calls about the fire around 2:53 a.m. from neighbors who were woken up by it. The home is in the 6800 block of Lunar Drive, which is off of W. William Cannon Drive between South 1st Street and Congress Avenue.
  Austin Fire Department crews arrived and found the home was vacant and there was heavy fire through the roof.
  Firefighters were able to get the fire un
  
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• Two records to end July

  31-07-2023 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The month ended Monday with a record-setting high temperature of 107° at Camp Mabry. The previous record of 106° stood for 103 years. The last 24 days of July (8th to 31st) had an average high temperature of 105.1°. Those 24 days are also in second place for most consecutive three-figure highs.It was thought that this July would not be as hot as July 2022 because of fewer 100°+ days. Last year's July had 29 highs in triple-digits. This year? 25.
  Still, the averag
  
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• Closing in on another heat record

  31-07-2023 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Monday's high temperature at Camp Mabry is 107°. It's a new daily record. The former record was 106° in 1923.
  It's the 24th consecutive day for a triple-digit high. A new record in this category (27 days in 2011) will be set Friday and added to beyond that.
  And, another record was set with today's high. Unofficially, the average temperature in July 2023 is 90.7°, one-tenth of a degree higher than the 90.6° in 2022. Official records will be released by the Nationa
  
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• All-time and long-standing heat records at risk

  31-07-2023 12:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Daily records, all-time records, day-to-day consecutive records.... the ongoing heatwave continues to rewrite Austin weather history.Today's forecast high of 107° is likely to break the daily record high of 106° set 100 years ago. With nearly all of Central Texas exceeding the century mark, a mix of Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are in place 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.Heat alerts in effect MondayMonday afternoon forecast highsAustin's record for longest streak
  
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• Texas will soon eliminate sales tax on diapers, menstrual care

  31-07-2023 02:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After years of unsuccessful attempts, Texas will soon no longer collect sales tax on essential baby products like diapers and wipes, as well as menstrual products starting on Sept. 1.
  Longtime advocates like the Austin Diaper Bank say it will make certain healthcare necessities more accesible for low-income Texans. The nonprofit provides nearly 200,000 diapers per month to families, helping around 35,000 families a year. Executive Director Holly McDaniel expressed said s
  
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• Forget the heat: Here's when cooler air usually comes

  31-07-2023 01:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — This summer has been a scorcher, but despite the hot summer temperatures, we've only just reached the hottest time of year.From July 31 to August 14, our normal high reaches 99º, the hottest it gets all year. During that same period, our normal low temperature is 76º, the warmest lows of the year.Now that's out of the way, let's look ahead to cooler temperatures.Relief is coming (it has to)Our days are already gradually getting shorter, reducing the length of time
  
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• Arch Manning's first trading card makes more than $100K for charity at auction

  31-07-2023 00:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — He hasn't played a down for the Texas Longhorns yet, but that didn't stop Arch Manning's first trading card from fetching six figures at auction.A special edition, 1-of-1 trading card depicting Manning was sold Saturday for $102,500 by trading card company Panini America. All of the proceeds will go to children and their families in the Central Texas area with help from St. David's Healthcare and St. David's Foundation.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories
  
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