Austin news

• Dripping Springs Marine honored after he saved another Marine's life

  14-08-2024 23:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A Marine corporal from Dripping Springs, along with three sailors, were awarded medals for rescuing a Marine last month during a training exercise. All four were honored during a ceremony at Camp Wilson, California earlier this week, according to a news release from the U.S. Marine Corps.In July, the Marine Corps said there was an incident that happened during a "live-fire range" during a training exercise. The Marine and Sailors "acted swiftly" to save the life of the Marine wh
  
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• Finding acorn-like balls in your yard? They could be wasp eggs

  14-08-2024 23:23 via kxan.com
  
  ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) — Some residents have noticed small acorn-like balls in their yard or around their oak trees, but with acorn season not starting until the fall, what are they? The balls taking space on the trees are eggs of Gall Wasps.
  Gall wasps are a small breed of wasps that lay their eggs in oak and pecan trees. Their eggs grow into the tree, leaving a hard capsule around it, which the larvae inside will eventually eat. Their eggs can be seen around the leaves and branches o
  
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• Austin City Council approves record budget, here are the changes they made

  14-08-2024 22:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Wednesday, Austin City Council signed off on a $5.9 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25. It's the largest budget in city history.
  The new budget will include a pay increase for civilian employees, millions for sheltering people experiencing homelessness, money for new fire and EMS stations and additional funding for the police department. Austin city manager proposes record budget — how much will it cost taxpayers?Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly was the lone
  
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• How to watch the Dallas Cowboys this season on KXAN, CW Austin

  14-08-2024 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the NFL preseason in full swing, the Dallas Cowboys will make periodic appearances on KXAN and CW Austin this season.The Cowboys' two remaining preseason games will be on KXAN and CW Austin while three regular season games will be part of NBC's "Football Night in America" broadcast on Sunday nights. Here’s the 2024 Dallas Cowboys scheduleDallas takes on the Las Vegas Raiders at 9 p.m. CDT, Saturday, on KXAN, meaning there won't be the typical 10 p.m. newscast. Th
  
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• Texas State University board OKs opening satellite Mexico campus

  14-08-2024 21:25 via kxan.com
  
  TEXAS (KXAN) -- Texas State University (TXST) will soon offer degrees at a satellite campus in Mexico, following approval by the Texas State University System's Board of Regents Friday.The agreement with the entity Texas State University Mexico (TXSTM) could lead to up to $10 million in revenue for TXST over the next two decades. That campus will be based in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico, offering students the ability to earn Texas State degrees in the central Mexico city.Per contract det
  
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• UT says West Campus Ambassadors successful in first year, expands program

  14-08-2024 20:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The University of Texas at Austin said a program that launched last year aimed at providing specialized safety, cleaning and hospitality services in the West Campus Neighborhood had a successful first year and is expanding for its second year.
  UT said the West Campus Ambassadors program will expand this year to cover a larger area.UT program aims to clean up, improve safety in West CampusThe program is "dedicated to revitalization of Austin’s West Campus neighborhood, whic
  
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• 22-year-old identified as victim of weekend auto-ped near downtown Austin

  14-08-2024 19:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A 22-year-old man was identified as the person who died in an auto-pedestrian crash on Interstate 35 near downtown over the weekend.1 dead after auto-pedestrian crash on I-35 near downtown AustinAustin Police Department officers responded to the crash around 2:30 a.m. It happened in the 900 block of North I-35 Southbound.
  The pedestrian, later identified as Edwin R. Beltran Rodriguez, 22, was pronounced dead on the scene.MAP: Where have Austin’s fatal crashes occurred in 2
  
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• 62-year-old identified as motorcyclist who died in Hwy. 71 crash

  14-08-2024 19:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A 62-year-old woman died after a single motorcycle crash on the State Highway 71 service road over the weekend.
  Austin Police Department officers responded to the crash shortly before 9 p.m. Aug. 10. It happened in the 2400 block of East SH 71 service road.
  The motorcyclist, who was identified as Deborah Barela, 62, was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.
  The incident is being investigated as Austin’s 53rd fatal crash of 2024, resulting in 56 fatalities
  
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• Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro housing sales continue to decline, buyers look to nearby counties

  14-08-2024 19:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Home sales in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area continue another month of decline compared to 2023, with total sales, new listings and pending sales down, while active listings and inventory increased.This is according to the Austin Board of Realtors' July 2024 Central Texas Housing Market report, which was released Wednesday. ABOR president Kent Redding said in the report that high prices are slowing sales in Austin and Travis County.“Buyers a
  
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• LIVE: Austin Police find DNA link in homicide, other investigation

  14-08-2024 19:16 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department is expected to provide an update Wednesday after it found a DNA link to separate investigations, the department announced.APD will host a press conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to share an update on the homicide investigation of victim Alyssa Ann Rivera, which happened on June 22. RELATED: APD releases photos, video of person of interest wante
  
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• Austin Police find DNA link in homicide, other investigation

  14-08-2024 19:16 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department is expected to provide an update Wednesday after it found a DNA link to separate investigations, the department announced.APD will host a press conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to share an update on the homicide investigation of victim Alyssa Ann Rivera, which happened on June 22. RELATED: APD releases photos, video of person of interest wante
  
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• Austin Police find DNA link in homicide investigations

  14-08-2024 19:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department provided an update Wednesday after it found a DNA link to separate investigations, the department announced.APD held a press conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to share an update on the homicide investigation of victim Alyssa Ann Rivera, which happened on June 22.APD revealed surveillance video of a person of interest seen walking with Rivera shortly before she was murdered. APD said the suspect appears to be a short Hispanic male.On August 7, 2024 APD fo
  
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• Austin Police find DNA link between a series of murders

  14-08-2024 19:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department's Homicide Unit has found a DNA link between the suspect in connection to a series of murders, the department announced Wednesday.APD will host a press conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to share an update on the homicide investigation of victim Alyssa Ann Rivera that happened on June 22. Related: APD releases photos, video of person of interest wanted in connection with southeast Austin homicideAPD said they have found a DNA link for the suspect in this
  
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• Safety upgrades at south Austin intersection enter new construction phase

  14-08-2024 19:15 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Safety improvements at a south Austin intersection entered a new phase of construction this month, city transportation leaders shared in an Austin Mobility newsletter Monday.Construction began in late May to revamp the intersection of Stassney Lane and South First Street after the city's Vision Zero program data noted the area was classified as a high-crash intersectio
  
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• College students are most vulnerable to online, identity fraud, report says

  14-08-2024 19:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — College students are more often falling victim to employment, investment and online purchase fraud compared to 2022 and 2023 according to the Better Business Bureau.
  The National Retail Federation reported that this year, college students are expected to spend $86.6 billion on school supplies. That's more than double of what K-12 students are expected to spend this year.College students often take out credit cards or loans to help with college expenses. In a recent report f
  
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• Austin working group aiding future of city animal services operations

  14-08-2024 18:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin is wrapping up a community survey to gain further insight into what priorities should be made at the Austin Animal Services Office (ASO).Wednesday marks the final day of the ASO community survey, with findings poised to inform the city's new Animal Services Strategic Plan. During the Austin Animal Advisory Commission's meeting Monday, officials said there had been more than 2,000 survey participants as of Monday evening.As part of the strategic planning proces
  
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• Austin's housing market: How quickly are homes selling, and for how much?

  14-08-2024 18:12 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) — For years, the Austin area has been one of the most sought-after metros in the country when it comes to real estate.Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, home prices in the are
  
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• Uvalde police discover 'additional video footage' from Robb Elementary shooting, turn it over to DA

  14-08-2024 17:43 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) -- The Uvalde Police Department's chief disclosed Wednesday morning that he discovered additional video footage from the May 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting that was not included in a recent release of what the department previously believed was all of the video footage.RELATED | ‘I don’t want to die,’ student tells 911 dispatcher from Uvalde
  
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• 'MeadowFest' -- Remembering the local queer musician

  14-08-2024 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The above video shows KXAN News’ top morning headlines from Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin declares August 24 as Mental Health Awareness day. This in honor of the late Meadow Goodman, a 15-year-old local queer musician who lost her battle with mental health illness a year ago.Meadow was a student at Anderson High School, loved deeply by her musical peers, friends, and family.
  Local Austinite, co-owner of Flora Coffee and father of Meadow,
  
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• 'MeadowFest' -- Remembering the late local queer musician

  14-08-2024 16:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin declares August 24 as Mental Health Awareness day. This in honor of the late Meadow Goodman, a 15-year-old local queer musician who lost her battle with mental health illness a year ago.Meadow was a student at Anderson High School, loved deeply by her musical peers, friends, and family.
  Local Austinite, co-owner of Flora Coffee and father of Meadow, Greg Goodman is working closely with the city to create "Meadow Fest." A music festival to honor Meadow and shar
  
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• FAA delays public hearings on SpaceX as state agency faults wastewater discharge from rocket tests

  14-08-2024 16:10 via kxan.com
  
  McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- The Federal Aviation Administration has postponed a series of public hearings that were to begin Tuesday on SpaceX's request to expand its launches in South Texas -- the same day that a report became public from a state agency that cites SpaceX is improperly discharging industrial wastewater into Texas waterways.The four FAA public hearings were to start Tuesday afternoon at two South Texas locations and have been indefinitely delayed, according to the FAA.The p
  
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• Austin Police identify teen killed in early August crash

  14-08-2024 15:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department released the name of the victim killed in a single vehicle crash back in early August.
  Authorities said the crash took place in the 6800 block of Hart Lane on Aug. 7 at 2:36 a.m. The incident caused the death of 16-year-old Andrew Reyes. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on Aug. 8.Austin Police said the driver and two other passengers of the car left the scene.APD said the crash is being investigated as Austin's 50th
  
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• Day 2: Trial for former Williamson County sheriff, prosecutor in connection with 2019 in-custody death

  14-08-2024 15:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The trial for a former Williamson County sheriff and a former county prosecutor who are charged in connection with a 2019 in-custody death continues into its second day Wednesday.
  Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and Jason Nassour, a former prosecutor with the county, were charged with tampering with evidence related to the in-custody death of Javier Ambler back in 2019. Trial begins for former Williamson County sheriff, prosecutor in connection with 2019 in-custody
  
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• Day 2: Contracts with 'LivePD' at center of testimony in Williamson Co. tampering case

  14-08-2024 15:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The trial for a former Williamson County sheriff and a former county prosecutor who are charged in connection with a 2019 in-custody death continues into its second day Wednesday.
  Former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and Jason Nassour, a former prosecutor with the county, were charged with tampering with evidence related to the in-custody death of Javier Ambler back in 2019. Trial begins for former Williamson County sheriff, prosecutor in connection with 2019 in-custody
  
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• More unaccompanied children showing up at Tijuana shelters

  14-08-2024 13:13 via kxan.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Shelters in Tijuana have seen an uptick in the number of unaccompanied minors coming into their facilities in recent months.Migrant advocates say this is due in part to many children showing up at the border hoping to get into the U.S., and when they're unsuccessful, they end up in a shelter.Enrique Lucero, director of the Migrant Affairs Office in Tijuana, says parents are also sending their children to the border ahead of themselves, hoping to reunite at some point
  
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• Pandemic blueprint gives researchers guide to preventing the next disaster

  14-08-2024 12:00 via kxan.com
  
  The WHO 2024 report list pathogens (viruses & bacteria) that should be the focus of researchers ahead of the next pandemic. (Courtesy: World Health Organization)
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Scientists are gearing up for the next pandemic. This month, the World Health Organization released its R&D Blueprint, listing the pathogens they think should be prioritized ahead of the next outbreak."There's a finite amount of resources, and so we have to try to prioritize research on those families of viruse
  
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• Virus that causes 'slapped cheek' rash in kids is rising in US, CDC warns

  14-08-2024 04:58 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Tuesday warning about a highly contagious respiratory illness detected especially among young children.Over the past two years, there has been an uptick of the common seasonal illness, known as parvovirus B19, particularly among kids aged 5 to 9. The CDC said the percentage of positive cases in this age group rose from 15% between 2022 and early 2024 to 40% in June 2024.The CDC has also received reports from doctor
  
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• More than 2,300 pounds of meth is found hidden in celery at Georgia farmers market

  14-08-2024 04:50 via kxan.com
  
  FOREST PARK, Ga. (AP) — Celery was used to conceal more than 2,300 pounds of methamphetamines that federal agents discovered in a truck at a farmers market outside Atlanta, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said.In what the DEA called one of the largest seizures of its kind, agents confiscated the drugs being delivered to the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, authorities said at a Monday news conference, WAGA-TV reported. McDonald’s debuts limited-edition colle
  
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• Embracing a no-days-off mentality, Westlake primed to make another deep playoff run

  14-08-2024 04:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The offseason is no longer the offseason in the current high school football landscape, and to stay at the top of the food chain, programs need to have that engrained into the culture.Consider the Westlake Chaparrals as one of those programs. Lake Travis set to reload, attack 2024 season with tough non-district scheduleIt was the first day of official practices Monday for the Chaps, but head coach Tony Salazar knows it was just a more organized extension of all the work the
  
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• State Fair of Texas defends new gun ban for this season

  14-08-2024 04:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The State Fair of Texas said it plans to keep in place this year's ban on guns on fairgrounds property -- despite some politicians calling to rescind the decision, the State Fair said in a statement.The fair announced its new safety plan last week, which includes those with a valid license to carry, as reported by NBC DFW. This means that no guns nor weapons of any kind will be allowed in the fairgrounds.This comes following a shooting at the fair last year that injured three pe
  
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• Downtown Austin cooling center serves thousands with hottest temperatures in sight

  14-08-2024 03:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --- With the hottest temperatures of the year expected just days away, the city of Austin is trying to get more people experiencing homelessness inside.Hottest temperatures of 2024 are just days awayThe Trinity Center along with St. David's Episcopal Church partnered with the city and the city's Homeless Strategies Office to launch a Cooling Center Pilot Project.
  "Heat strokes, people coming in with heat rashes. It's very uncomfortable and dangerous for a person to be just sitting
  
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• StubHub: Texas Longhorns are the second-best selling team this upcoming football season

  14-08-2024 01:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Excitement is building ahead of the Longhorns' inaugural game in the Southeastern Conference, and game tickets are in high demand.Data from StubHub, a third-party sports and entertainment ticket website, shows the Longhorns are the second-most in-demand team for the upcoming season, based on ticket sales. Only Michigan ranks higher, while Texas A&M ranks third, ahead of Alabama and Ohio State. Another Texas Longhorns running back suffers season-ending knee injuryThe Lon
  
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• StubHub: Longhorns are the second-best selling team this upcoming football season

  14-08-2024 01:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Excitement is building ahead of the Longhorns' inaugural game in the Southeastern Conference, and game tickets are in high demand.Data from StubHub, the ticket website, shows the Longhorns are the second-most in-demand team for the upcoming season, based on ticket sales. Only Michigan ranks higher, while Texas A&M ranks third, ahead of Alabama and Ohio State.The Longhorns, who recently were ranked #4 in the AP preseason poll, also feature in three of the top five most i
  
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• Meet the first therapy dog to join the Hays County Sheriff’s Office

  14-08-2024 01:00 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – The Hays County Sheriff’s Office recently recruited its first therapy dog. Mirko, the therapy dog, is part of HCSO’s Mental Health Unit. He will be deployed to help some going through mental health crises calm down, said Mohmmad Zaqzouq, a deputy with HCSO.  “You can notice the difference in demeanor when a dog approaches somebody who enjoys dogs,” Zaqzouq said. "In the mental health Unit and the therapy canine program, we'
  
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• Bond reduction requested for Austin human trafficking suspect

  14-08-2024 00:46 via kxan.com
  
  The National Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24/7. Call (888) 373-7888 or text "INFO" to 233733.TDLR emergency closure notice.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Juqing Lu, who police arrested on two human trafficking charges, faced a judge Tuesday as her attorney asked to have her bond reduced.Her shop, RS Foot Massage on U.S. 290 in southwest Austin, received an emergency closure order last week from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
  "I approached the judge and asked him to consider
  
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• Experts share ways for Texas to rely less on uncertified teachers

  14-08-2024 00:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — State lawmakers looked into concerns Tuesday about Texas schools employing more uncertified teachers. Education experts shared how the number of those without proper credentials is growing, as some school districts keep struggling to fill teaching positions.
  A day after restarting the debate on private school subsidies, the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Public Education held another hearing that focused on what's causing schools to hire unlicensed teachers and
  
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• Another Texas Longhorns running back suffers season-ending knee injury

  14-08-2024 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns' backfield suffered another season-ending injury in training camp, the team confirmed Tuesday.Freshman Christian Clark tore his ACL in practice Monday and will undergo surgery, the team said. He'll be out for the entire season. Some questions start to get answers following Saturday’s scrimmage for Texas LonghornsIt's the second knee injury to a running back in the past week. Sophomore CJ Baxter, the team's No. 1 back coming into camp, suffered two
  
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