Austin news

• Austin Fire Department honors 32 cadets in graduating class

  10-08-2024 23:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The next class of Austin firefighters graduated Friday at Great Hills Baptist Church in northwest Austin.The Austin Fire Department Cadet Class 137 honored 32 cadets after a 28-week academy, as the fire department continues facing staffing shortages.Each cadet received a pinning by family and friends, and various awards -- like Best All-Around Cadet and the Valedictorian -- were presented during the ceremony, according to AFD. ‘Tremendous drop in interest’: Austin Fi
  
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• Celine Dion: Trump campaign can't use 'My Heart Will Go On'

  10-08-2024 23:29 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — Celine Dion’s managers and her record label say the campaign of former President Donald Trump did not have permission to use a video of Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” at a Friday Trump rally in Montana.“In no way is this use authorized and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use,” said the statement on Dion’s X account. “…And really, THAT song?” capped the post.
  Media outlets were also quick to note the
  
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• Travis Scott remains in French police custody after altercation with security guard in Paris hotel

  10-08-2024 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — Rapper Travis Scott remained in police custody after his arrest at a Paris hotel following an altercation with a security guard, French prosecutors said Saturday.
  A statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said the custody order for Scott was extended Friday night. It did not provide further details. Police are still investigating.
  Scott’s US-based representative and his lawyer did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press on the developmen
  
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• ‘I don’t want to die,’ student tells 911 dispatcher from Uvalde school during mass shooting

  10-08-2024 22:51 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — As law enforcement officers hung back outside Khloie Torres' fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde, Texas, she begged for help in a series of 911 calls, whispering into the phone that there were “a lot” of bodies and telling the operator: “Please, I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead. Oh, my God."At one point, the dispatcher asks Khloie if there are many people in the room with her.“No, it’s just me and a couple of friends. A lot of people ar
  
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• 911 call reveals uncle begged to talk Uvalde gunman out of school shooting

  10-08-2024 22:51 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The uncle of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers begged police to let him try to talk his nephew down, according to a 911 call included in a massive collection of audio and video recordings released by city officials Saturday.The records connected to the May 24, 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School were released by Uvalde officials after a prolonged legal fight. The Associated Press and other news organizations brought a lawsuit after
  
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• 'Emotional' day for KJ Adams hosting first camp

  10-08-2024 21:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Athletes that can play at the collegiate level and beyond generally have pride in where they grew up. That's not just true but an understatement with basketball standouts from Austin.One of the crown jewels of central Texas hoops over the past few years is KJ Adams. The former Westlake Chaparral is set to begin his senior campaign with the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball program."Just having a chip on their shoulder," said Adams about what is different about players from Austin.
  
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• Uvalde: 911 call reveals uncle begged to talk gunman out of shooting

  10-08-2024 20:29 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The uncle of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers begged police to let him try to talk his nephew down, according to a 911 call included in a massive trove of audio and video recordings released by city officials Saturday.The records connected to the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School were released by Uvalde officials after a prolonged legal fight. The Associated Press and other news organizations brought a lawsuit after the offic
  
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• Uvalde shooter's uncle begged police to let him talk to the gunman

  10-08-2024 19:49 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The uncle of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers begged police to let him try to talk his nephew down, according to a 911 call included in a massive trove of recordings and transcripts released by city officials Saturday.“Maybe he could listen to me because he does listen to me, everything I tell him he does listen to me,” said the man, who identified himself as Armando Ramos. “Maybe he could stand down or do something t
  
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• Charity home completed; proceeds to go toward helping homeless

  10-08-2024 19:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, home builders and local leaders celebrated the completion and sale of a charity home in southeast Austin.The proceeds of the sale benefit HomeAid Austin and Mobile Loaves & Fishes, local nonprofits that provide housing and services to people experiencing homelessness.The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home was built through the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin (HBA)’s Benefit Home program, which relies on donations of construction management, m
  
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• Texas adults: Can you answer 5 easy STAAR math questions correctly?

  10-08-2024 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Are you smarter than a Texas fifth-grader taking the STAAR Test? As another new school year begins, it’s never a bad idea to know what the kids are learning — or how hard the lessons are.Each year, Texas students prep for months leading up to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests, also known as STAAR. The following questions were taken from the Grade 5 Mathematics test administered in Spring 2023, along with the answers from its a
  
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• How much did Simone Biles make at the Olympics?

  10-08-2024 15:01 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — While she didn’t get a golden encore, Simone Biles, the most decorated American gymnast in history, will leave the Paris Olympics with four medals (and a dazzling GOAT necklace).Biles, who hasn’t ruled out participating in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, was initially battling calf discomfort at the start of the Games. That didn’t keep her from securing three gold medals — in all-around, the women’s team gymnastics final, and women’s vault
  
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• Women's sports are having a big year; Austin taps into it as local basketball league starts 20th season

  10-08-2024 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- If you haven't heard yet, sports are for the girls -- especially in the year 2024.
  Amid a growing interest in women's sports -- particularly basketball, with plenty of buzz surrounding the WNBA's rookie class and the USA Basketball Women's National Team looking to take home its eighth gold in a row at the Paris 2024 Olympics -- a nonprofit in Austin is connecting the community with the hype and love of the game.
  Before the WNBA's Olympic break started, the league's All-Star Game
  
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• Scattered showers, storms to end, then hot and dry

  10-08-2024 14:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The day dawned sunny. Most lows were in the low to mid 70s. Camp Mabry's low was 76°. The low at the airport was 75°.We started seeing a few fair-weather clouds shortly before 11 a.m. There will be an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms beginning between 2 and 3 p.m.CENTRAL TEXAS RAINFALL TOTALSThe chance of showers and thunderstorm is 20% starting after 3 p.m. Rain chances remain at 20% during the evening for the Hill Country. Most rain totals will average a
  
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• A little more rain later today

  10-08-2024 14:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The day is starting with plenty of sunshine. Clouds will roll in late this morning into the afternoon with an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms.CENTRAL TEXAS RAINFALL TOTALSThe chance of showers and thunderstorm is 20% starting after 3 p.m. Rain chances remain at 20% during the evening for the Hill Country. Most rain totals will average a few hundredths of an inch up to .10" but there may be a few places that receive more.
  Increasing chance of showers and thundersto
  
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• COVID, flu, allergies: What's going around the Austin area?

  10-08-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's back-to-school season, and with it comes an uptick in viral bugs, allergies and other respiratory illnesses swirling around.Texas, along with the majority of the U.S., continues to report high levels of COVID-19 viral activity as the respiratory condition experiences a summertime bump. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, communities across the country have seen heightened levels of COVID-19 in the summer, as well as, winter months. Texas, majority of
  
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• A groundhog got stuck in a claw machine at a Pennsylvania mini golf course. Now he needs a name

  10-08-2024 05:36 via kxan.com
  
  DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. (WBRE/WYOU) – Move over, Phil: Pennsylvania has a new "it" groundhog.Employees at The Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, were met with a surprise "prize" last week when a groundhog got itself stuck inside one of their claw machines.The Pennsylvania Game Commission said one of its wardens, Salvadore Zaffuto, was called to the amusement center after getting a report of a groundhog among the stuffed animals inside the game cabinet."When Warden Zaffut
  
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• Taylor soon home to new data center

  10-08-2024 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) -- It marks two years on Friday the CHIPPS Act was signed into law. It's meant to give a boost to to cities across the U.S. to lead the way in all areas of technology. Fast forward until now and cities like Taylor are seeing first-hand what it means for them."We're ready for Taylor to boom and hopefully bring more business," Kourtney Jirasek said. She's co-owner of The Rhinestone Cowgirl in downtown Taylor, which has been a staple there since 2011."There used to be no busine
  
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• Marble Falls ISD installs state-of-the-art security system on all campuses

  10-08-2024 03:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Marble Falls Independent School District is launching a life saving tool that enhances school safety this school year.The district has partnered with FiveStones Safety to install and train district personnel on the new CENTEGIX crisis alert system."99% of the time this system will not be used for the worst case scenario. But God forbid you need it, that one time, that is why you have it," said Rick Hoover, who is in charge of safety and security for Marble Falls ISD.Th
  
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• Austin animal shelter to continue off-site dog boarding over capacity issues, memo says

  10-08-2024 01:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A city of Austin memo released Thursday provided more details about an overview for off-site dog boarding, which is currently being utilized by Austin Animal Services (ASO).The ASO used the off-site dog boarding as a way to help clear space at the Austin Animal Center (AAC). These facilities serve as a shelter for dogs "due to space constraints at the shelter," Chief Animal Services Officer Don Bland said in the memo.This was meant to be a short term solution, according to the c
  
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• Suspects in foiled plot at Taylor Swift shows hoped to kill as many people as possible: officials

  10-08-2024 01:10 via kxan.com
  
  VIENNA (AP) — Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”Three sold-out concerts were canceled a day earlier because of the plot, devastating Swifties 
  
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• Astronauts sent on 8-day mission may be stuck in space until 2025: NASA

  10-08-2024 01:02 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — The Boeing Starliner crew may have to wait until 2025 to return from the International Space Station (ISS), NASA officials said Wednesday.The administration suggested at a press conference that they may need to use Boeing’s competitor, SpaceX, to return astronauts Suni Wiliams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth. The officials said that if Starliner cannot make it back from the ISS, the duo could possibly return on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in February 2025.“We could
  
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• Plane crashes in Brazil, killing all 61 aboard, airline says

  10-08-2024 00:44 via kxan.com
  
  VINHEDO, Brazil (AP) — A passenger plane crashed into a gated residential community in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state Friday, killing all 61 people aboard and leaving a smoldering wreck, officials and the airline said.Officials gave no immediate word of any casualties at the site of the crash in the city of Vinhedo, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Sao Paulo, but witnesses at the scene said there were no victims among residents of the neighborhood.The airline VOEPASS said that i
  
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• La Niña is set to arrive later than expected: Here's when

  10-08-2024 00:44 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – La Niña watch is on, but the wait for her to arrive may be longer than initially anticipated.
  When the Climate Prediction Center first issued a La Niña watch in June, the national meteorologists said the climate pattern was favored to take hold between July and September. That timeline has stretched out a bit, they said in an update issued Thursday.Now, La Niña isn't predicted to form until the fall, at some point between September and October.When wil
  
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