Austin news

• Leander family seeks help after battery ignites, catches home on fire

  01-04-2024 23:56 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — A dad and his two sons are seeking help in all forms after a battery ignited inside their Leander home over the weekend. The family is now left without a home because of a fire and two of their four cats who didn't make it out of the home alive.Around 12:04 p.m. Friday, the Leander Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire at 1814 Southcreek Drive, according to the city.Two people in the home were able to escape with no injuries. However, there were
  
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• Judge issues warrant in unrelated case for concrete truck company owner tied to school bus crash

  01-04-2024 23:53 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The owner of a concrete pumping truck company connected with a fatal school bus on March 22 – which left a preschooler and the driver of another vehicle dead – had a warrant issued for his arrest on Monday by a Hays County court for an unrelated 2021 misdemeanor ticket for employing an unlicensed driver, according to court records obtained by KXAN.The office of Hays County Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 Judge John Burns issued the warrant for Franci
  
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• 1 person found dead near Austin Pennybacker Bridge

  01-04-2024 23:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department said one person was found dead near the Pennybacker Bridge at Lake Austin over the weekend.Around 5:46 p.m. Sunday, APD officers responded to 500 Zone Lake Austin for a check welfare call. That's the area under the Loop 360 bridge, according to police.According to police, this is not being investigated as a homicide.APD Lake Patrol officers got to the location and found a person dead. No other details were available Monday.
  
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• VOTE: Help us choose the best KXAN viewer photo of March 2024

  01-04-2024 22:50 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month by viewers just like you.We want to showcase some of the best pictures we receive, so we narrowed them down to our 10 favorites for the month.Help us choose the best viewer photo of March 2024. Look through the 10 pictures below, then vote for your favorite. The winning photo will move on to represent
  
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• RESULTS: This is the best KXAN viewer photo of March 2024, as voted by you

  01-04-2024 22:50 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month by viewers just like you.We want to showcase some of the best pictures we receive, so we narrowed them down to our 10 favorites for the month.The winning photo will move on to represent March in the best viewer photos of the year poll.#10. Soaking Up Spring (1.7% of votes)Austin, March 19. Courtesy Ba
  
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• LIVE: Horns Report: Texas women knocked out in Elite 8; have plenty of pieces returning to make another run

  01-04-2024 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The top-seeded Texas Longhorns exited the NCAA women's basketball tournament earlier than they had hoped, falling Sunday to North Carolina State in the Elite Eight.The Wolfpack, the No. 3 seed in the region, went on a 17-2 run in the second quarter and held off the Longhorns for a 76-66 win and a spot in the Final Four. It's the third time in four seasons the Longhorns have been eliminated in the Elite Eight.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these,
  
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• Horns Report: Texas women knocked out in Elite 8; have plenty of pieces returning to make another run

  01-04-2024 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The top-seeded Texas Longhorns exited the NCAA women's basketball tournament earlier than they had hoped, falling Sunday to North Carolina State in the Elite Eight.The Wolfpack, the No. 3 seed in the region, went on a 17-2 run in the second quarter and held off the Longhorns for a 76-66 win and a spot in the Final Four. It's the third time in four seasons the Longhorns have been eliminated in the Elite Eight.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these,
  
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• ACC, University of Texas to launch new semiconductor training center

  01-04-2024 22:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --- A new semiconductor training center will set up shop in Central Texas.
  It's thanks to a new partnership between The University of Texas at Austin, Austin Community College District and Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE).
  In a news release, UT said the program will "serve as a one-stop shop for an industry in need of skilled labor, creating seamless and coordinated education pathways between UT and ACC to address every skill set on the semiconductor workforce continuum, rangi
  
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• Man arrested in hit-and-run during South by Southwest now facing murder charge

  01-04-2024 21:36 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Monday, April 1, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The man who was arrested in connection with a deadly hit-and-run in downtown Austin during South by Southwest now faces a murder charge in the incident, according to court documents.
  Tyrone Thompson, 23, was arrested by the Austin Police Department last month and booked into the Travis County jail on several charges, including Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), resisting arrest search
  
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• Austin cat on the mend after 2 months trapped in vacant home

  01-04-2024 21:25 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Monday, April 1, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's a homecoming for the ages as an east Austin couple celebrates the return of their cat, two months after he had gone missing and was presumed dead.Doug and Monet Bennett said their indoor-outdoor cat, Hans Ellie, spend most days playing outdoors before returning home before sundown every night. But on January 24, there was a thunderstorm that January day, and Hans -- who the Benn
  
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• Former NFL star Vontae Davis, 35, found dead in Florida home

  01-04-2024 21:06 via kxan.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — An investigation is underway after the body of former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis was discovered at a home in Southwest Ranches, Florida, Monday.Davis was 35.Officials with the Davie Police Department identified Davis as the deceased Monday afternoon, amid reports of a body discovered in a Florida residence, ESPN and the NFL confirmed.Police said no foul play was suspected.NFL owners approve a radical overhaul to kickoff rules, adopting setup used in XFL
  Friends and f
  
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• 'Cicada-geddon': Biggest bug emergence in centuries is coming

  01-04-2024 20:53 via kxan.com
  
  Trillions of evolution’s bizarro wonders, red-eyed periodical cicadas that have pumps in their heads and jet-like muscles in their rears, are about to emerge in numbers not seen in decades and possibly centuries.Crawling out from underground every 13 or 17 years, with a collective song as loud as jet engines, the periodical cicadas are nature’s kings of the calendar.These black bugs with bulging eyes differ from their greener-tinged cousins that come out annually. They stay buried ye
  
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• Borger Fire Department responding to 'active fire' at Phillips 66 Borger Complex

  01-04-2024 19:55 via kxan.com
  
  BORGER, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) -- The City of Borger/Hutchinson County OEM posted on social media that crews are responding to a described "active fire" at the Phillips 66 Borger Complex as of noon on Monday.The post read that at around 11:20 a.m. on Monday, emergency responders and the Borger Fire Department were called to a fire at the complex in Borger. Crews, according to the post, are currently working the scene and are "working to account for all personnel."First Texas Panhandle Career Signing
  
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• Texas reports human case of avian flu virus, DSHS issues health alert

  01-04-2024 19:45 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Monday, April 1, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Department of State Health Services, or DSHS, reported Monday a human case of avian influenza A(H5N1), also known as bird flu, in the state.
  According to a press release from the department, the person had direct contact with dairy cattle presumed to be infected with avian influenza. Related: Dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas test positive for bird fluDSHS did not specify wh
  
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• Suspect in 2021 Bastrop County murder sentenced to 30 years

  01-04-2024 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The suspect in a September 2021 murder in Bastrop County was sentenced to 30 years for the crime, according to court documents.
  Davion Markeith Veal entered a guilty plea for the charge of first-degree murder in the case. He was sentenced to 30 years in jail, with jail credit of 878 days already served, and pay restitution of $5,278.Previous: Bastrop County murder suspect says he ‘maybe’ stabbed victimVeal was apprehended in Allen Parish, Louisiana, se
  
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• Record number of book titles challenged in 2023 — here's how Texas fared

  01-04-2024 18:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The American Library Association found a record number of unique book titles were challenged in schools and libraries across the United States during 2023, with 4,240 individual book titles challenged. Those efforts marked a 65% increase in the number of targeted titles compared to 2,571 titles challenged in 2022, ALA said in its 2023 report.Here in Texas, ALA's reporting found there were 49 attempts to limit access to books statewide during 2023. Included in those 49 attem
  
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• Kite Fest returns to Zilker Park for 96th year

  01-04-2024 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The longstanding Austin tradition of ABC Kite Fest returns to Zilker Park on Sunday, April 14. This will be its 96th year.
  From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., families can enjoy the free event, which features a kite flying contest, kite making, a children's music concert called MossFest as well as food and drink options from local vendors.
  “Each year, ABC Kite Fest stands as a testament to what makes this city great: Austinites of all kinds coming together in celeb
  
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• Eastside Day brings family, friends together on Easter

  01-04-2024 17:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate Easter and Eastside Day in Rosewood Neighborhood Park in east Austin Sunday.Event organizers Antony Jackson and "Skip" Thomas said Eastside Day is a way to gather with community members and get to know new people."Me and my brother Skip are from this community," said Jackson. "We grew up coming to this park and through gentrification we have not seen our people outside and fellowshiping like we are used to, so my brother Skip and I w
  
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• Austin receives $1.5M for affordable housing near Crestview Station

  01-04-2024 17:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — CapMetro is receiving $1.5 million in federal funding to help support affordable housing development near Crestview Station, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) announced Monday.The funding came courtesy the Federal Transit Administration's Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning. The City of Austin and CapMetro will partner on the affordable housing and infrastructure development work along a 5.5-acre tract of land next to the Crestview Station in north Aust
  
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• April coming in like a tamed lion

  01-04-2024 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The start of April will be much warmer than normal as highs are forecast to peak in the upper half of the 80s. That "tamed lion" the headline alludes to is the moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms that are forecast Monday evening through the early overnight hours Tuesday.March ended as it was predicted to be as temperatures were warmer than normal. However, the forecast of near-normal rain did not happen for the second straight month.The average high temperature for Marc
  
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• Checklist: How to prepare for the solar eclipse in Central Texas

  01-04-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A total eclipse will bathe a swath of Texas in darkness for anywhere from under a minute to more than four minutes in the middle of the day. A number of large cities in Central Texas— Austin included — are in this path of totality. Here's everything you need to know to prepare for eclipse day.Decide where you'll beIn many cases, you won't have to go far to see totality. But the further toward the center you are, the longer you'll experience it. For example, Del
  
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• Strange holidays for every day in April

  01-04-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — We’re not fooling around when we say there are some strange holidays in April.April Fools' Day might be the most widely celebrated holiday in the month, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy these other strange holidays. Strange holidays for every day in MarchApril 1Edible Book Day & St. Stupid DayApril 2National Love Your Produce Manager Day & National Ride Your Horse to a Bar DayApril 3Don't Go to Work Unless it's Fun Day & National Find a Rainbow DayAn
  
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• Round Rock looks to improve Crisis Response Unit with state money

  01-04-2024 12:51 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- When your home is on fire or you're involved in a car crash, the first thing you want to see is the big red truck that says, "Round Rock Fire Department" on it. It's equipped with all the necessary resources and manpower needed to respond to emergencies.
  But for Annie Burwell, an employee of the fire department, it's not her choice of vehicle when she is working.
  "It's a little too big for me," Burwell said with a smile. She is the program manager of the city's Crisis
  
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• Storms bring hail but weakening, will end tonight

  01-04-2024 12:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A couple of severe thunderstorms developed Monday evening dropping golf ball to egg size hail from near Fredericksburg to Johnson City and Lakeway. The storms weakened after 10 p.m. as they moved across parts of the Austin metro area and were forecast to end overnight. FIRST WARNING: Solar Eclipse weather forecast for April 8Future clouds and radar show the storms weakening as they cross the interstate. Mostly showers with a few isolated non-severe thunderstorms are forecast bet
  
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• Hail threat increases this evening

  01-04-2024 12:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Another cloudy and warm day is ongoing.High temperatures will warm to the mid to upper 80s. This will be warmer than normal, which is 77°.The day dawned overcast with many lows in the lower 70s. Both Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom recorded lows of 71°, well above the normal of low to mid 50s. FIRST WARNING: Solar Eclipse weather forecast for April 8The afternoon will be overcast with fog diminishing. A cold front along with an attendant upper low moving east out of Ariz
  
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• Drier skies, sunshine through week's end

  01-04-2024 12:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Now that this week's severe threat has cleared, our eyes turn to a quiet stretch of weather leading up to our next storm late weekend. FIRST WARNING: Solar Eclipse weather forecast for April 8Northwest winds will usher in cooler and drier air today. Afternoon highs will warm to seasonable levels (70s), but will fall about 5°-8° short of yesterday's readings. Sunshine and low humidity can be expected areawide.The weekend is forecast as mostly cloudy, a slight chance of la
  
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• Transgender Day of Visibility coincides with Easter, sparking outrage

  01-04-2024 04:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Hundreds attended a community picnic and art market event, hosted by Gender Unbound, to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on Sunday.The event comes two days after President Joe Biden proclaimed March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.“We have several transgender artists, as well as transgender musicians who are showcasing their art and their creativity today,” said Evan Mahoney, an organizer with Gender Unbound. “Trans Day of Visibility is r
  
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• Texas women's basketball ready to reload, use heartbreak from Elite Eight loss as fuel

  01-04-2024 04:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the third time in the past four seasons, the Texas Longhorns women's basketball team ended its season in the Elite Eight.
  The pain of a 76-66 loss to North Carolina State on Sunday will linger with the Longhorns for a while, and for those players who wore burnt orange for the last time, it'll probably hang on even longer. With the heartache, however, comes a sense of accomplishment and pride because given how the season went, it could have taken a wrong turn quickly.MOR
  
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• LIVE: Latest weather forecast for the April 8 Total Solar Eclipse

  01-04-2024 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's almost here, perhaps the most important weather forecast for the millions of people in the path of, or heading to the path of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Many of those people are coming to Texas for a view. KXAN First Warning ForecastKXAN will update this page daily with our First Warning Weather Team's latest Central Texas forecast for April 8, along with weather updates for the rest of Texas. On the day, this page will receive multiple updates as conditions develop
  
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• Latest weather forecast for the April 8 Total Solar Eclipse

  01-04-2024 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's almost here, perhaps the most important weather forecast for the millions of people in the path of, or heading to the path of the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Many of those people are coming to Texas for a view. KXAN First Warning ForecastKXAN will update this page daily with our First Warning Weather Team's latest Central Texas forecast for April 8, along with weather updates for the rest of Texas. On the day, this page will receive multiple updates as conditions develop
  
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