Austin news

• CapMetro names police chief of new transit force

  22-07-2024 23:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — CapMetro announced Monday Eric Robins had officially been approved to serve as chief of police for the transit authority's upcoming police force. Robins had previously been selected to serve as the upcoming force's chief administrator in June 2022.
  CapMetro President and CEO Dottie Watkins announced the news during Monday's CapMetro Board of Directors meeting. Watkins confirmed CapMetro received official authority from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to create the d
  
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• Netflix is removing its cheapest ad-free plan: What to know

  22-07-2024 23:03 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Netflix users taking advantage of one of the streaming service’s most affordable plans will soon have to decide between a cheaper ad-based plan, or a far more expensive plan without ads. During a call with investors last week, Netflix confirmed it will phase out its Basic tier in the U.S. and France. The Basic plan was previously the most affordable Netflix tier, available for less than $10 before a price hike in fall. Subscribers could access Netflix's full lib
  
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• Lawmakers call on Secret Service director to step down

  22-07-2024 22:57 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) -- The Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle says she personally apologized to former President Donald Trump after the attempt on his life."On July 13th we failed," Cheatle said.Cheatle told lawmakers on Monday she takes full responsibility for the security lapse that led to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump."We must learn what happened, and I will move heaven and earth to ensure that an incident like July 13th does not happen again," she said.However, when pres
  
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• What's an open convention, and how could that play into Kamala Harris' vie for the presidency?

  22-07-2024 22:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With President Joe Biden announcing the suspension of his re-election campaign Sunday and throwing support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the vice presidential-turned-presidential candidate now needs to gather support from Democratic delegates to formally cinch the nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August.The DNC kicks off on Aug. 19 in Chicago. Under existing party rulings, the winning Democratic candidate to claim the nomination must receive
  
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• What's an open convention, and how could that play into Harris' vie for the presidency?

  22-07-2024 22:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With President Joe Biden announcing the suspension of his re-election campaign Sunday and throwing support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the vice presidential-turned-presidential candidate now needs to gather support from Democratic delegates to formally cinch the nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August.The DNC kicks off on Aug. 19 in Chicago. Under existing party rulings, the winning Democratic candidate to claim the nomination must receive
  
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• Highland Lanes will remain on Burnet a little longer than anticipated

  22-07-2024 22:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) — Highland Lanes, the 48-year-old north Austin bowling alley that had been slated to close later this year, is getting something of a reprieve.Co-owner John Donovan said the business has received a lease extension to remain at the 8909 Burnet Road location for another 18 months.“We’ve got an extension on our lease, and so we’re going to be there for at least another year-and-a-half, so we’re just going to enjoy that for now,” D
  
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• What could the future of CapMetro's child care services look like?

  22-07-2024 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Monday, July 22, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) — After the CapMetro Board of Directors voted to extend the contract on its daycare program services earlier this year, board members received an update Monday on possible future solutions to continue providing access to child care.Donna Simmons, CapMetro's executive vice president of administration, led Monday's discussion. Currently, the Capital Metro Child Care &
  
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• Manos de Cristo's Back to School Program returns

  22-07-2024 22:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Non-profit organization Manos de Cristo prepared 2,000 low-income children for this upcoming school year.Their annual back to school event kicked off Monday July 22 and will continue until July 26. The location for the event is Midtown Church in Austin.
  Children in the program who attended today's event each received a back to school backpack filled with essentials. The backpacks included clothing, undergarments' and socks. This was all possible thanks to private donors and Aust
  
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• Most airlines — except this one — getting back to normal after CrowdStrike tech outage

  22-07-2024 21:01 via kxan.com
  
  Delta Air Lines struggled for a fourth straight day to recover from a worldwide technology outage caused by a faulty software update, stranding tens of thousands of passengers and drawing unwanted attention from the federal government.Other carriers were returning Monday to nearly normal levels of service disruptions, intensifying the glare on Delta’s relatively weaker response to the outage that hit airlines, hospitals and businesses around the world. What to know abou
  
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• US women's soccer returning to Q2 Stadium for friendly against Iceland this fall

  22-07-2024 20:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The United States Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) will grace Q2 Stadium with its presence once again this year in an international friendly match against Iceland in October, according to a Monday announcement from Q2 and the United States Soccer Federation.
  The USWNT played Nigeria in Q2 Stadium's first-ever match in 2021, and they've come back every year since. This will be the team's fourth year in a row coming to the stadium and their third match in it.RELATED | U
  
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• Texas DNC delegates to meet about supporting Kamala Harris after Biden's exit

  22-07-2024 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A virtual meeting will happen Monday evening for the Texans selected to go to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and one of the big topics of discussion will focus on whether they'd like to coalesce ahead of time and pledge their support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's nominee. How are Texas leaders reacting to Biden withdrawing from presidential race?Three Austin area delegates told KXAN they're expecting to jump onto a call at 7:30 p.m. Whether any
  
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• Texas DNC delegates to meet about supporting Kamala Harris

  22-07-2024 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A virtual meeting will happen Monday evening for the Texans selected to go to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and one of the big topics of discussion will focus on whether they'd like to coalesce ahead of time and pledge their support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's nominee. How are Texas leaders reacting to Biden withdrawing from presidential race?A couple of Austin area delegates told KXAN they're expecting to jump onto a call at 7:30 p.m. Whethe
  
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• Texas DNC delegates endorse Kamala Harris for presidential nomination in 'overwhelming majority'

  22-07-2024 20:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas delegation headed to the Democratic National Convention made it official Monday night — it wants Kamala Harris to be the party's nominee for President in an "overwhelming majority."Texas Democrats said via a press release that Harris is "uniquely qualified" to beat Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump. How are Texas leaders reacting to Biden withdrawing from presidential race?
  (Monday), the Texas Democratic National Delegation proudly announced
  
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• One killed in drag boat event on Brazos River in Waco

  22-07-2024 19:35 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Tx (FOX 44) - Waco Police confirmed one person was killed in a boat crash during Sunday's "Duel on the Brazos" drag boat event in Waco.
  The police statement said a boat driven by a single driver "caught air" while racing at an estimated speed of 200 miles per hour. The statement said the boat began flipping and the driver was ejected.
  Medical teams recovered the driver from the water in less than a minute, but the driver was unresponsive when found, and was later pronounced dead. An autops
  
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• Internal polling shows Harris ahead of Biden in net favorability

  22-07-2024 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  Vice President Harris led President Biden in favorability among key demographics, according to an internal poll run by the Biden-Harris campaign earlier this month.Harris, who now holds the inside track to become the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday, was running ahead of Biden in large part because of her lower unfavorability numbers.“What we are seeing in our data is that Harris has much better net favorability with key segments of Latino voter
  
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• ‘MAGA’ wasn’t Trump’s first slogan idea, and 3 more things to know about the phrase

  22-07-2024 18:50 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — For nearly a decade, the term "MAGA" has been associated with former president Donald Trump and his campaign. He isn’t the first Republican or politician to run on “making America great again,” however. It’s well-documented that Ronald Reagan, dubbed "The Great Communicator," used the slogan during his 1980 presidential campaign. The economy was in rough shape at the time, with Americans only just resurfacing from a period of stagflation, or a mix o
  
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• 'Tragic accident': College football player found dead after apparent drowning

  22-07-2024 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  CACHE COUNTY, Utah (KTVX) — Utah State cornerback Andre Seldon Jr. has died in an apparent drowning in northern Utah, according to authorities.Shortly after 2 p.m. MT on Saturday, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office said it was searching for a young man after he was seen diving from cliffs at Porcupine Reservoir and did not resurface. The reservoir is located about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City and 40 miles south of the Idaho border.His body was found by a dive team at around 9
  
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• Are school zone speed limits enforced during summer?

  22-07-2024 18:47 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – Summer is in full swing, meaning many kids are out of school. Even if you aren’t handling school drop-offs or pick-ups lately, you may still find yourself driving through a school zone, coasting past some version of a sign warning you to reduce your speed. Those signs, prominent with their bright yellow “SCHOOL” notice, are hard to miss. Yet you may be more inclined to disregard them during summer — school is out anyway, right?You could, however, st
  
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• Who's running for president in 2024? Here's a look at the major candidates

  22-07-2024 18:24 via kxan.com
  
  This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story.
  We've created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 2024 presidential election was set to be a rematch of 2020. That changed on July 21, 2024, when incumbent President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection, instea
  
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• Austin awarded nearly $48M grant to aid in pollution mitigation work, mass transit access

  22-07-2024 18:03 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Monday, July 22, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin and regional transportation organizations received a nearly $48 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to aid in climate pollution reduction efforts as the region revs up several major transportation projects. The EPA awarded more than $4.3 billion for selected projects, the federal agency announced.The $47.9 million Climate Polluti
  
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• WATCH LIVE: Harris makes first public appearance since Biden bowed out of presidential race

  22-07-2024 17:08 via kxan.com
  
  Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to hold an event on the White House south lawn at 11:30 a.m. ET to honor NCAA athletes. It will be her first public appearance since President Biden stepped down from the presidential race and stated Harris should be the new Democratic nominee. Her appearance and remarks will be livestreamed in the video player above.WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the Wh
  
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• Harris looks to lock up Democratic nomination after Biden's decision

  22-07-2024 17:08 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their own party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump.Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the
  
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• Harris looks to lock up the Democratic nomination after Biden steps aside, reordering the 2024 race

  22-07-2024 16:21 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump.
  Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race.
  Aiming to p
  
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• Secret Service director, grilled by lawmakers on the Trump assassination attempt, says 'we failed'

  22-07-2024 15:45 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said Monday that her agency failed in its mission to protect former President Donald Trump during a highly contentious congressional hearing with lawmakers of both major political parties demanding she resign over security failures that allowed a gunman to scale a roof and open fire at a campaign rally.Watch her full opening statement in the video above.Cheatle was berated for hours by Republicans and Democrats, repe
  
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• Back to school: When do local districts begin classes for the 2024-25 school year?

  22-07-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Students and teachers across Central Texas will be heading back to class throughout the month of August.The first day of class for the 2024-25 school year ranges from Aug. 6 to Aug. 26.To help keep track of all the dates, KXAN has created a map and compiled a list showing the first day of classes in each district in the KXAN viewing area. MAP: More than 100 Texas school districts have switched to four-day school weeksHover over or click on any district in the map below for
  
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• Police still looking for mother of newborn baby found in Lubbock dumpster

  22-07-2024 05:33 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Lubbock Police Department released a statement on Sunday after a newborn baby was found in a dumpster early Saturday morning near 4th Street and Cherry Avenue.LPD previously asked for the public's help in locating the mother of the baby that was found around 4:00 a.m. Saturday. Due to the status of the investigation, LPD said it will not comment on the health of the newborn at this time.
  A statement said authorities are grateful for the concern and support for the baby. Pol
  
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• 2024 Olympics: What events are new in Paris?

  22-07-2024 04:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — "B-Boys" and "B-Girls" from around the world will descend upon Paris to show off their moves in one of the newest Olympic events — breaking.Also known as break dancing, breaking will make its Olympic debut at the 2024 Games, and fans better savor the moment because it's not on the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 2024 Olympics: How to watch the opening ceremony on KXAN live from ParisThirty-two competitors, 16 men (B-Boys) and 16 women (B-Girls), will dance the
  
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• 'Good moment for democracy': UT historian says there is precedent of presidents stepping aside

  22-07-2024 03:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A University of Texas at Austin historian said there is a “long American tradition of [presidents] stepping aside.”Jermy Suri, a professor of History and Public Affairs at UT Austin, told KXAN President Joe Biden’s choice to withdraw from his 2024 reelection campaign is not aberrant. From as early as George Washington’s choice not to run for a third term when there were no term limits to Lyndon B. Johnson stepping aside in 1968, Suri said there are s
  
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• 2024 Olympics: How to watch the opening ceremony on KXAN live from Paris

  22-07-2024 01:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in Summer Olympic history, the opening ceremony won't be inside a stadium when the Games officially kick off in Paris. Instead, delegations will parade through downtown on the Seine River past some of the most famous landmarks in the world.You can watch the historic opening ceremony live at 12:30 p.m. CDT, July 26 on KXAN with a preview show at 11 a.m. A Spanish-language broadcast will start at noon on Telemundo. The NBC Olympics team will provide additio
  
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• Kyle Larson races to his 1st Brickyard 400 victory

  22-07-2024 01:16 via kxan.com
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Larson made a late charge through the field, managed to get his car refired after a red flag and won the final two restart battles Sunday before coasting to his first Brickyard 400 victory under caution.Larson took the lead when Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel and pulled off the track just before the second-to-last restart and beat pole winner Tyler Reddick at the end with the yellow flag out.“Today was definitely meant to be for us with the way the strategy
  
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• 2024 Election Latest: Biden ends reelection bid, endorses VP Harris for Democratic nomination

  22-07-2024 00:45 via kxan.com
  
  President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump, in a social media post that sent political shockwaves around the country and threw an element of turmoil into the election just months before voters go to the polls.
  Biden's decision came on the heels of a poor debate performance that prompted many rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers to urge him to withdraw from the race. The president said he will address the nation later this week “in more de
  
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• 2024 Olympics: How to watch gymnastics, swimming, track finals; full schedule

  22-07-2024 00:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Every four years, the trio of gymnastics, swimming and track and field takes center stage across the world, and this year in Paris is no different.Can Simone Biles add to her seven Olympic medals and lead Team USA to another title? Will she find a way to overcome her bout with "the twisties" in Tokyo? She looked great during the U.S. Olympic Trials, at least. On the men's side, can an American win gold for the first time since Paul Hamm did it at the 2004 Athens Games? Texa
  
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• Timeline of events leading up to Biden's exit from the race

  22-07-2024 00:09 via kxan.com
  
  President Biden has experienced a tumultuous past few weeks that culminated Sunday with his decision to drop out of the 2024 race.The 81-year-old president faced enormous pressure to make one of the hardest decisions of his decades-long political career, eventually announcing that he would move aside and support Vice President Harris as his successor.Here is a timeline of events leading up to Biden’s exit.June 27: Biden was forced to rethink his political future after the first p
  
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