Austin news

• Austin ISD high school student wins Texas Journalist of the Year

  29-02-2024 23:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – In a surprise ceremony on Thursday, The Texas Association of Journalism Educators named McCallum High School senior Alice Scott Texas Journalist of the Year.Scott is the co-editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Shield. Scott has also been published in the Austin-American Statesman, PBS NewsHour and the On Our Minds podcast – all while finishing high school.“Please keep doing what you are doing – powerful and truthful storytelling, which make
  
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• Kyle reminds drivers of free steering wheel lock offer after thefts

  29-02-2024 23:53 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) -- The arrest of three people in connection with a stolen vehicle in Kyle earlier this month prompted the city to remind drivers of a program aimed at protecting its residents from similar crimes.Around 4:19 a.m., Feb. 10, officers with the Kyle Police Department tried to make a traffic stop on a Hyundai Elantra that was reported stolen from the Aidan Apartments on Amberwood South in Kyle, a City of Kyle news release said.Once police initiated the traffic stop, the driver of t
  
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• New report highlights what's next for Texas restaurants in 2024

  29-02-2024 23:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --- The National Restaurant Association released its annual State of the Restaurant Industry Report that highlights new data, trends and expectations for 2024.
  According to the report, the restaurant industry will continue to grow this year.How Austin Public Health completes thousands of health inspections each yearThe National Restaurant Association estimated that restaurant sales would hit a historic $1.1 trillion by the end of 2024.
  Key findings include:200,000 additional restau
  
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• Georgetown says it's not expected to run out of water by 2030

  29-02-2024 23:09 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the City of Georgetown issued a statement after other media outlets reported the city’s water utility may run out of water by 2030.In the statement titled "Georgetown is not in danger of running out of water by 2030," the city said its current water sources were expected to supply the city in the coming decades, but it would have to find a new supply to supp
  
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• Meet Austinites celebrating Leap Day birthdays

  29-02-2024 23:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's a once-in-every-four-years occasion for some Austinites, who finally get to celebrate their Leap Day birthday on Feb. 29.
  And they're in rare company: Approximately five million people worldwide celebrate a Leap Day birthday, compared to roughly eight billion people on the planet, per the Associated Press. For River Anderson, he said he doesn't know anyone else with the same specialty birthday.River's mom, Melinda Anderson, said the family has traditionally picked when
  
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• 'Soccer city': Council moves forward with resolution to bring more soccer to Austin

  29-02-2024 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On a chilly Thursday afternoon, with school in session, the Onion Creek Soccer Complex in south Austin is only home to the occasional speed walker -- not a soccer ball in sight.
  But when school lets out and the clouds part to nicer Austin weather, those fields become part of a growing Austin turf war.
  "There needs to be more places to play, for youth, for adults of all different levels. And there's a huge shortage of that, particularly compared to other cities with MLS teams," s
  
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• One person taken to hospital after single vehicle crash in Lakeway

  29-02-2024 22:38 via kxan.com
  
  LAKEWAY, Texas (KXAN) -- Austin-Travis County EMS responded to a single vehicle crash in Lakeway on Thursday afternoon.Around 2:50 p.m., Lake Travis Fire Department confirmed with medics the crash happened in the 1300 block of South FM 620 and Dave Drive, medics said on social media.Medics transported the person to Baylor Scott and White Lakeway. Futhermore, medics said the crash appeared to be a medical issue in nature.Medics are no longer on the scene. No other information was available Thursd
  
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• Texas hospitals welcome leap year babies

  29-02-2024 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The bundles of joy born Thursday have a little extra to celebrate! The newest residents of the Lone Star State are celebrating Leap Day birthdays, ringing in the specialty occasion on Feb. 29.Here in Austin, St. David's Women's Center of Texas welcomed two "leaplings" today. Baby girl Stevie Lien was born Thursday, weighing eight pounds and eight ounces and measuring 21 inches long. Baby boy Ignatius was also born at the medical center, weighing in at seven pounds and 15 ou
  
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• Texas Children's Hospital announces its first leap day baby

  29-02-2024 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Children's Hospital is celebrating its first leap year baby born on Thursday morning.The pediatric hospital system announced Aaron McAdams was born just after 6:30 a.m. weighing eight pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long.Texas Children's went on to say Aaron isn't the only baby born on leap day for the hospital system and others are getting ready for their photo op.Texas Children's shared that being born on a leap day is the rarest of birthdays, with only
  
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• Fastball, Goo Goo Dolls, Switchfoot to headline 2-day eclipse festival in Fredericksburg

  29-02-2024 21:40 via kxan.com
  
  FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (KXAN) -- Central Texans looking for a way to commemorate the April 8 total eclipse have plenty to choose from, including a two-day festival in Fredericksburg.The Arch Ray Resort will host its two-day Arch Ray Solar Eclipse Fest on Sunday, April 7, and Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Living Tree Amphitheater. The lineup includes bands like the Goo Goo Dolls, Fastball, Switchfoot, and more.Taxidermy, massages & weddings: Unique Texas eclipse festivals prepare for Apri
  
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• How Austin Public Health completes thousands of health inspections each year

  29-02-2024 21:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In Travis County and some parts of Williamson County, Austin Public Health bears the responsibility for checking restaurants, pharmacies, schools and other necessary locations for sanitation in order to safeguard public health.But with thousands of inspections each year, how does the task get done? KXAN's Central Texas Food storiesAnne Cline, APH environmental health officer, joined the department after 20 years working in restaurants."The main goal is to make sure that no
  
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• Texas senators demand murder suspect’s immigration files

  29-02-2024 19:58 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Tuesday, U.S. Senators, including John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), sent a letter demanding answers as to why 26-year-old Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra was allowed to enter and remain in the United States.Ibarra was charged with the murder of 22-year-old Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student. PAST COVERAGE | Police arrest man in killing of nursi
  
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• Construction starts for Dripping Springs skatepark, named after Dorian Kweller

  29-02-2024 19:43 via kxan.com
  
  DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) -- Construction has officially started on a new skatepark in Dripping Springs.
  Groundbreaking for the Dorian Zev Kweller Memorial Skatepark, named in honor of Ben Kweller's 16-year-old son who died last year, was held earlier this month.
  Groundbreaking ceremony for the Dorian Zev Kweller Memorial Skatepark. Picture from left to right: Dripping Springs Mayor Pro Tem Taline Manassian; Ben Kweller; Liz Kweller; Judah Kweller; Dennis Baldwin; and Hays County Commission
  
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• LGBTQ+ advocacy group sues AG Paxton, says it won't identify transgender families

  29-02-2024 19:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) -- A national LGBTQ+ advocacy group is suing the Texas Attorney General's office rather than hand over information about its support of transgender children receiving gender-confirming medical care.
  According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in a Travis County court, PFLAG National says Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton's office is demanding “documents and communications” related to a sworn statement the group's CEO Brian Bond provided to a court last year while o
  
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• Kacey Musgraves to perform 2 nights at Austin's Moody Center

  29-02-2024 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's a golden hour for Kacey Musgraves fans, as the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter is set to perform at Austin's Moody Center as part of her 2024 "Deeper Well World Tour."Musgraves is slated to return to Austin for a two-night run Nov. 26-27. Opening acts include Madi Diaz, Father John Misty, Lord Huron and Nickel Creek, per a Moody Center release.The "tour "Deeper
  
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• 'Doesn't change because there are cameras': WCSO Asst. Chief testifies on Day 4 of in-custody death trial

  29-02-2024 18:31 via kxan.com
  
  Austin (KXAN) — An Assistant Chief with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office gave jurors insight into how LivePD cameras were following deputies the night Javier Ambler died.Former deputies James Johnson and Zach Camden have been charged with manslaughter for the Ambler's death.On March 28, 2019, deputies attempted to pull Ambler over for failing to dim his headlights. A 20-minute chase ensued and ended with a crash near St. John's and Bethune Avenue.The former deputies are accused of ac
  
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• Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of being in country illegally blocked by federal judge

  29-02-2024 17:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — A federal judge in Austin on Thursday halted a new state law that would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally.The law, Senate Bill 4, was scheduled to take effect Tuesday. U.S. District Judge David Ezra issued a preliminary injunction that will keep it from being enforced while a court battle continues playing out. Texas is being sued by the federal government and several immigration advocacy organizations.Ezra
  
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• How to support Texas wildfire victims from afar

  29-02-2024 17:54 via kxan.com
  
  TEXAS PANHANDLE (KXAN) -- Wildfires blazing across the Texas Panhandle have burned more than one million acres as of Thursday morning.
  The fires have devastated ranch and farmlands in the area. Groups across the state are sharing ways people can help support those affected by the fires, even from afar.
  The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is setting up Animal Supply Points in several locations to accept donations of hay, feed, fencing supplies, cow feed and milk replacer to support lives
  
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• SXSW 2024: Big names, strange activations and free events in store

  29-02-2024 17:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (ABJ) — A carnival with a ferris wheel sponsored by Audible. Pop-up pickleball courts promoted by Smirnoff's new Smash Vodka Soda. And a 30-foot inflatable turd produced by the maker of Poo~Pourri spray.Those are just a few of the strange sights that will be part of the downtown Austin landscape in March, when thousands of people from around the world convene at South By Southwest to learn about what's next in tech, music, film, education, comedy and pretty much anything else you ca
  
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• Austin man teaches boxing to keep people out of trouble, but finds impact limited

  29-02-2024 17:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The first boxing ring ever put in Austin sits in the middle of Rosewood Neighborhood Park, Ray Williams said while sitting in the center of it, smiling."I love this ring," he said.After he served 20 years in prison for getting caught with 200 pounds of marijuana, Williams now spends his days at places like Givens Park and the Montopolis and Rosewood recreation centers - all places where young people often hang out on the east side. If he sees them with weapons, fighting or other
  
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• A wildfire scorching the Texas Panhandle has grown to the largest in state history

  29-02-2024 16:23 via kxan.com
  
  CANADIAN, Texas (AP) — A wildfire spreading across the Texas Panhandle became the largest in state history Thursday, growing to nearly 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers) of scorched rural ranchlands and destroyed homes.The Smokehouse Creek Fire has merged with another blaze and is 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.The fire's explosive growth slowed as snow fell and winds and temperatures dipped, but it was still untamed and threatening more death and des
  
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• Texas Sen. Cornyn announces run for GOP leader as scramble to succeed McConnell begins in the Senate

  29-02-2024 16:14 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. John Cornyn has informed his colleagues that he intends to run for Senate Republican leader, becoming the first senator to announce a campaign after Sen. Mitch McConnell said he will step down from the post in November.Cornyn, who served as McConnell’s No. 2 in leadership before he was term-limited out of the job five years ago, is citing his experience in that role in a statement Thursday to fellow senators announcing his run. But he also is trying to di
  
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• President Biden visits South Texas border

  29-02-2024 16:08 via kxan.com
  
  BROWNSVILLE, Texas (Border Report) — President Joe Biden is visiting the South Texas border on Thursday as immigration and how he's handling it remains a top issue for voters.Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are scheduled to land Thursday afternoon at Brownsville-South Padre International Airport in Brownsville, Texas.Biden is scheduled to meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, law enforcement officials, frontli
  
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• Texas deploys more emergency resources amid Panhandle wildfires, federal assistance on the way

  29-02-2024 15:33 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video is from live reporting in Canadian, Texas on Feb. 28, 2024.
  TEXAS PANHANDLE (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed more state emergency response resources to the Panhandle as multiple fires blaze across nearly a million acres combined.
  Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) on Wednesday to deploy additional state emergency response resources to support wildfire response operations in the area. This followed a disaster declaration
  
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• New joint Fire/EMS station opens Saturday in southeast Austin

  29-02-2024 15:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS Wednesday evening invited the public to a grand opening of a joint Fire/EMS station in southeast Austin this weekend.
  ATCEMS said the unveiling of the Goodnight Ranch Fire/EMS Station will happen Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m.City breaks ground on fourth new joint Fire EMS station in southeast AustinThe station at 9400 Capitol View Dr. is the fourth joint station built by the city in the past six years.The city broke ground on the Goodnight Ran
  
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• Insight into the race to replace Mitch McConnell

  29-02-2024 15:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday he will step down as leader in November.
  Republican senators will choose McConnell's replacement. A top candidate is Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.
  KXAN Anchor Daniel Marin sat down with political expert Brian Smith from St. Edwards University to explain why Cornyn's name is in the race.
  Daniel Marin: Let's go ahead and start with the general impact of Senator McConnell's announcement. I mean, he's been in this pos
  
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• New book highlights Black Austin's social, political, and cultural leaders

  29-02-2024 15:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – As part of our Black History Month coverage, KXAN on Wednesday spotlighted a soon-to-be-published book celebrating the men and women who played a critical role in shaping Black Austin's social, political, and cultural heritage.KXAN’s Jennifer Sanders spoke with Terry P. Mitchell. Mitchell co-wrote The City We Built: Black Leaders of Austin.Arcadia Publishing said the paperback will be published on April 15 for $14.99.The following conversation has been edited for clar
  
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• Amber Alert for missing 12-year-old girl from Fort Bend County

  29-02-2024 14:07 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KIAH) — A regional Amber Alert is out for a 12-year-old girl from Fort Bend County who has been missing for almost a week.The Texas Center for the Missing issued an alert for 12-year-old E’minie Hughes, who was last seen getting into a pickup truck on Feb. 22 at 1:40 a.m. at the 7700 block of Waterchase Drive in Missouri City.The truck is described as a dark-colored four-door Dodge pickup truck.Hughes, who is 4-foot-6 and weighs 100 pounds, was last seen wearing a white
  
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• High Plains communities, fire departments, agencies advise how to help first responders amid wildfires

  29-02-2024 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  New developments and updates on the wildfires in the High Plains region can be found here.
  AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Across the high plains, fire departments, cities, and other organizations are advising how to help first responders and are giving options to those affected by the ongoing evacuations and fires.
  The Wheeler County Emergency Management announced on social media items needed for local fire departments and encouraged those to help supply the local departments including:Elec
  
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• Major weather reversal follows this chilly, gray day

  29-02-2024 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today will be the coolest day of the next seven as temperatures struggle to warm out of the 50s.Thursday afternoon forecast high temperaturesMainly cloudy skies will blanket our area with a few spots of light rain in the mix. Although the majority of us are expected to stay dry, a few of us could pick up a few hundredths to a couple tenths of an inch of rain by the end of the day.Spotty rain possible ThursdayBy tomorrow, we're back to the spring-like weather. Afternoon highs wil
  
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• Gray day with sprinkles ahead of quick warm up

  29-02-2024 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today will be the coolest day of the next seven as temperatures will struggle to warm.Thursday afternoon forecast high temperaturesMainly cloudy skies will blanket our area with a few spots of light rain in the mix. Although the majority of us are expected to stay dry, a few of us could pick up a few hundredths to a couple tenths of an inch of rain by the end of the day.Spotty rain possible ThursdayBy tomorrow, we're back to the spring-like weather. Afternoon highs will soar int
  
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• 25º warmer on Friday, but storms possible Monday

  29-02-2024 12:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today's highs were the coldest of the entire month of February. We left it until Leap Day, but highs haven't climbed into the 50s as I write this.February highs in Austin (Camp Mabry)Spotty showers and sprinkles remain possible this evening with a general drying trend overnight.Spotty shower possible tonightOvernight lows will sink into the low 40s by the start of Friday.Temperatures go from chilly, to much warmer than normal within 24 hours as we jump roughly 25º warmer by
  
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• Matthew McConaughey reads latest children's book to patients at St. Jude

  29-02-2024 04:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As a way to bond with children and their families, Matthew McConaughey read his new children's book to patients at St. Jude earlier this month.His book, "Just Because" is a "soulful and and irreverent collection of life lessons that empowers readers," according to the book website. Matthew McConaughey takes photos, signs new book ‘Just Because’ for hundreds in AustinOn Feb. 13, McConaughey talked for 30 minutes to patients and their families in three different rooms
  
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• What's the process for issuing mandatory evacuations during wildfires in Texas?

  29-02-2024 03:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Residents in several counties in Texas’ Panhandle were issued evacuation orders as multiple wildfires have burned and spread in the area since Monday. PHOTOS: Panhandle fire grows to 2nd-largest wildfire in Texas historyOne of the fires, called the Smokehouse Creek wildfire in Hutchinson County, has now grown to 850,000 acres, making it the second-largest wildfire in Texas history, according to maps and archives from the Texas A&M Forest Service.In
  
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• Texas man who long claimed innocence is executed for the slayings of 2, including cousin

  29-02-2024 03:01 via kxan.com
  
  HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas man who had long claimed his conviction more than 20 years ago was based on false testimony and questionable evidence was executed Wednesday for fatally shooting two people, including his cousin.Ivan Cantu received a lethal injection and was pronounced dead at 6:47 p.m. at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the November 2000 fatal shooting of his cousin, James Mosqueda, 27, and his cousin’s girlfriend, Amy Kitchen, 22. In final words from the ex
  
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• 'Gut-wrenching': On the ground in the Panhandle wildfires

  29-02-2024 02:47 via kxan.com
  
  CANADIAN, Texas -- When one of the largest wildfires in Texas history barrels through your small town of a population less than 2,300, you either lose your home or help your neighbor pick up the ashes of their own. For some, mere feet – and a whole lot of luck – made all the difference.“By the grace of God, our house is still standing,“ Canadian resident Casey Long said, whose next-door neighbors -- a family of seven -- lost everything. “It’s just gut wrenchin
  
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• Man tells APD shooting in 'self-defense' after tires slashed

  29-02-2024 01:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, the Austin Police Department identified a 34-year-old man who died in a shooting on North Lamar Boulevard.APD responded to the shooting on Feb. 24 around 2 p.m. after a caller said they "shot someone in self-defense," the release said. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2024?Officers found a man with a gunshot wound, later identified as Christopher Hernandez. Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:34 p.m., police said.Detectives and
  
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• APD: Shooting in 'self-defense' after tire slashing incident

  29-02-2024 01:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, the Austin Police Department identified a 34-year-old man who died in a shooting on North Lamar Boulevard.APD responded to the shooting on Feb. 24 around 2 p.m. after a caller said they "shot someone in self-defense," the release said. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2024?Officers found a man with a gunshot wound, later identified as Christopher Hernandez. Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:34 p.m., police said.Detectives and
  
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• Police identify man killed in southeast Austin homicide

  29-02-2024 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, the Austin Police Department identified the man killed in southeast Austin early Monday morning.Police said officers responded to a call at approximately 3:38 a.m. in the 2900 block of South U.S. Highway 183 southbound. MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2024?According to APD, 31-year-old Rigoberto Castro-Momner was found lying on the ground outside of a vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead at the scene at 3:54 a
  
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• APD: Woman arrested for northwest Austin stabbing

  29-02-2024 01:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A woman was arrested for a stabbing that happened at a hotel in northwest Austin last week, the Austin Police Department said in a news release Wednesday.Police also identified the victim as Robert StJohn, 54.Around 5:04 p.m., officers responded to a check welfare call at the InTown Suites, located at 12989 U.S. Highway 183. A man was reported as unresponsive in a hotel room. When officers arrived at the room, they found the man, later identified as StJohn, with a stab wound, ac
  
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• APD: Woman accused of stabbing man in northwest Austin arrested

  29-02-2024 01:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A woman who was accused of stabbing a man at a hotel in northwest Austin last week was arrested, the Austin Police Department said in a news release Wednesday.Police also identified the victim as Robert StJohn, 54.Around 5:04 p.m., officers responded to a check welfare call at the InTown Suites, located at 12989 U.S. Highway 183. A man was reported as unresponsive in a hotel room. When officers arrived at the room, they found the man, later identified as StJohn, with a stab woun
  
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• Kingsland man sentenced to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child

  29-02-2024 00:50 via kxan.com
  
  BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A Kingsland man was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty by a jury of aggravated sexual assault of a child, the Burnet County District Attorney's Office said.On Feb. 21, Christopher Broadus was found guilty of the charge by a Burnet County jury, the DA's office said in a news release Wednesday. Due to Broadus' prior conviction for sexual assault of a child, Texas law gives an automatic life sentence with no possibility for parole.Broadus was s
  
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