Austin news

• Tech uses ChatGPT software to generate police reports

  30-08-2024 23:56 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) -- At the Leander Police Department (LPD), long-time employee Luana Wilcox, the administrative analyst, is the go-to for all things innovation."I was an officer for 17-and-a-half years," she said. "I'm the person who's been doing all of our technical stuff, so they created a civilian position to specifically focus on those components."She got a firsthand look at how a new program called Draft One works. Axon, a company that makes law enforcement body cameras and other polic
  
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• City says special election on charter amendments no longer on November ballot

  30-08-2024 23:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin said Friday that amendments to the Austin City Charter are no longer on the November 2024 ballot, a city spokesperson told KXAN in a statement.This comes after a lawsuit was filed against Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Austin City Council, which challenged all 13 amendments on the Austin City Charter. That lawsuit said Watson and the city council violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when adding those amendments to the November ballot, a news release from the Sav
  
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• 'Don't have representation': City council member disproportionately missing meetings

  30-08-2024 23:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- When Austin City Council met Thursday to work through a more than 200 item agenda, District 1's Natasha Harper-Madison didn't attend. Her office told KXAN it was for "health reasons."
  "CM Harper-Madison was off the dais today, like many of her colleagues have been before and will be at some point in the future. It happens," Sharon Mays, the council member's chief of staff, wrote.
  But KXAN found it's not happening at the same rate. We went through every Austin City Council meetin
  
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• 100 Central Texans certified in CPR at Q2 Stadium event Friday

  30-08-2024 23:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Approximately 100 Central Texans learned CPR at an event hosted at Q2 Stadium in Austin Friday.St. David's HealthCare held the event, which participants now trained in CPR offered complimentary tickets to Saturday's Austin FC game for their contributions.Officials said St. David's HealthCare's CPR and Stop the Bleed training team will be acknowledged as part of the Saturday match's halftime, according to a release.Training teams pointed to the value of bystander CPR, with d
  
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• How does UT prepare for storm chances on football game days?

  30-08-2024 22:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Excitement is through the roof for the very first game of the University of Texas at Austin's football season, with the Longhorns taking on Colorado State on Saturday. However, rain chances may bring the possibility of soggy fans.UT game forecastA weak front is expected to move into Central Texas and stall out creating rain chances over the weekend. While most models are keeping the showers isolated at best for Saturday, the chance of rain falling while the game is going on
  
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• Insulin inhalant is just as effective as other treatments, study says

  30-08-2024 21:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — People living with diabetes who depend on insulin now have a different option that doesn't require needles or pumps to regulate a person's blood sugar."People might think you are vaping," Dr. Tom Blevins said as he demonstrated how insulin in a powder form can be inhaled.Blevins helped with a national study that looked at the effectiveness of Afrezza's inhalant. He said the treatment is one of the most rapid insulin treatments that can help the body in minutes compared to a
  
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• Why football players cramp more during early season games

  30-08-2024 20:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A football game against two local high schools saw several players experience muscle spasms called cramps.Dr. Winnie Whitaker, Dell Children's Medical Center division director for pediatric emergency medicine, said that heat can increase the risk of cramps and that they can be a sign of more serious heat-related illnesses."Kids will start complaining of just being really thirsty and asking for more water. As heat-related symptoms continue and worsen, we start seeing things like
  
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• Public Utility Commission adopts reliability standard for ERCOT following reform bills prompted by 2021 freeze

  30-08-2024 20:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Public Utility Commission of Texas voted this week to adopt a reliability standard for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, following legislation that was filed in 2021 to reform the electric grid operator after shortcomings during the February 2021 winter freeze.
  The PUCT said in a release "setting a standard for reliability in ERCOT will allow for regular assessments of the grid’s ability to meet consumer demand and help the PUCT and ERCOT determine w
  
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• New national campaign aims to combat discrimination against LGBTQ+ people

  30-08-2024 19:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Videos sharing real stories and statistics are part of the "American Dreams Love Has No Labels," campaign.“This campaign is a national effort designed to address bias, hate and discrimination through a lens of our shared humanity,” said Heidi Arthur from the Ad Council.“It's all about highlighting that we all share the same hopes and dreams in our country, to have a safe home, the opportunity for a better life, to go to bed at night feeling that you are truly s
  
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• Four Texas laws passed in 2023 take effect on Sunday

  30-08-2024 19:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A handful of state laws passed in 2023 go into effect on Monday, with more still to come in 2025.Victims of dating violence will now be able to access family violence centers under Senate Bill 1841. Dating violence itself is newly defined with the law, and is noted as an act by someone in a dating relationship that causes physical harm, places someone in a situation where they fear for their safety and emotional abuse.Also, those centers must now show the state that they ar
  
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• Four Texas laws passed in 2023 take effect on Monday

  30-08-2024 19:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A handful of state laws passed in 2023 go into effect on Monday, with more still to come in 2025.Victims of dating violence will now be able to access family violence centers under Senate Bill 1841. Dating violence itself is newly defined with the law, and is noted as an act by someone in a dating relationship that causes physical harm, places someone in a situation where they fear for their safety and emotional abuse.Also, those centers must now show the state that they ar
  
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• Need a job? Travis County hiring for 100+ open positions

  30-08-2024 18:52 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County will host a job fair next week to fill more than 100 positions available within the county.The job fair will be held Sept. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of the Travis County Administrative Building, located at 700 Lavaca Street. Available positions include application developers, paralegal team members, investigators, mechanics, groundskeepers and juvenile probation officers, among others. RELATED COVERAGE: Advocates call for Travis
  
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• Study on closing the SH 45 Gap wrapping up

  30-08-2024 18:11 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Hays County leaders are getting closer to presenting a proposal to close the State Highway 45 Gap to Travis County leaders, who have historically been against the roadway expansion.At an open house in Buda Thursday night, residents got to view the findings, maps and impacts to traffic the SH 45 Gap would incur.The SH 45 Gap refers to an actual gap in SH 45 down south. Currently SH 45 Southwest ends at FM 1626 and SH 45 Southeast ends at Interstate 35.
  There is h
  
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• New law raises awareness of food allergies after mom's fight for late son's memory

  30-08-2024 17:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- On June 25, 2014, Sergio Lopez walked into a McAllen restaurant on his lunch break and ordered a vegetarian taco. He asked the restaurant workers if the taco had peanuts and was told no. When he received his food, he asked again. As he began to feel his mouth tingling and his throat constricting, he called to confirm a third time and received the same denial. He died of severe anaphylactic shock at just 24 years old that night.Lopez' death spurred his mother, Belinda Vaca, to
  
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• Food allergy posters now required in Texas restaurants

  30-08-2024 17:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Beginning Sept. 1, restaurants across Texas will be required to display food allergy awareness posters in the hopes of saving lives and preventing unknown allergens in foods.Last year, new requirements went into effect requiring restaurants to display a food allergy awareness poster that includes major food allergies, symptoms and how to respond to an allergic reaction.The new requirements come after Sergio Alexander Lopez of McAllen died from an allergic reaction to peanut b
  
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• Where can I park for UT football home games?

  30-08-2024 17:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hook 'em! Football is back at the University of Texas at Austin as the Longhorns take on the Colorado State Rams in their 2024 season opener.As fans flock to the Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff, there will be plenty of traffic in and around UT's campus. Here's a breakdown of some of the planned pre-game and post-game road closures, as well as available parking near the stadium.Which roads will be affected by Saturday's UT
  
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• Houston lawmaker switches parties after Democratic primary loss

  30-08-2024 17:47 via kxan.com
  
  HOUSTON (KXAN) — A state lawmaker announced Friday she's switching parties after a challenger ousted her earlier this year in the Democratic primary for her Houston seat.
  Texas Rep. Shawn Thierry released a lengthy statement explaining why she's officially becoming a Republican, setting off a flurry of welcome messages from other GOP leaders and sharp criticism from her former Democratic colleagues. Her decision comes after she lost a primary runoff in May for House District 146, the predo
  
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• Austin Police arrest woman after crash with AISD buses

  30-08-2024 16:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police arrested a person after a crash involving two Austin Independent School District buses and another vehicle Thursday night, APD said Friday.The buses were returning McCallum High School band students to campus from the Taco Shack Bowl, according to AISD.The driver of the other vehicle, identified by police as 23-year-old Fallon R. Ramos, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, police said.The crash happened just before midnight near North Lamar Boul
  
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• Austin ISD buses involved in crash after Taco Shack Bowl game

  30-08-2024 16:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Two buses returning McCallum High School band students back to campus from the Taco Shack Bowl were involved in a crash Thursday night, according to the Austin Independent School District.The crash occurred just before midnight near North Lamar Boulevard and San Gabriel Street.The school district said five students and a driver were treated at the scene, however, they did not require transport by EMS.Two buses returning McCallum High School band students back to campus from the
  
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• Austin ISD bus involved in crash after Taco Shack Bowl game

  30-08-2024 16:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Two buses returning McCallum High School band students back to campus from the Taco Shack Bowl were involved in a crash Thursday night, according to Austin Independent School District.The crash occurred just before midnight near North Lamar Boulevard and San Gabriel Street.The school district said five students and a driver were treated at the scene, however, they did not require transport by EMS.
  The driver of the car that hit the bus suffered "potentially" serious injuries and
  
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• Dark matter experiment delves into Earth's underbelly, sets records

  30-08-2024 16:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The most sensitive dark matter detector in the world is showing results in the hunt for the hypothetical particle. The results: they can't find it."If you think of the search for dark matter like searching for buried treasure," said Scott Kravitz, an associate professor in the physics department at the University of Texas, "we've basically dug part of the way down to where it might be, it could still be deeper below what we've searched so far."Members of the LZ team in the LZ wa
  
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• Person hit, killed by vehicle on US 290

  30-08-2024 15:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A person died Friday morning after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 290 near Cedar Valley.
  The Travis County Sheriff's Office posted on X at 7:37 a.m. that there was an auto-pedestrian fatality on the eastbound sound of Hwy 290 near Circle Drive.
  TxDOT said all lanes of Eastbound Hwy 290 at Baxter Lane were closed at 7:15 a.m. Traffic was being diverted to Nutty Brown. TCSO said the roadway would be shut down for at least two hours.
  Austin-Travis County EMS medics responded to
  
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• Campaign Context: Can fake AI images, videos still resonate with voters?

  30-08-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  As campaign season nears, politicians are turning up the volume on campaign rhetoric. To cut through the noise, we’re launching Campaign Context, a series providing clarity on the messages you’re hearing from candidates on the campaign trail. We’re digging past the politics and into the facts to provide you with the transparent, spin-free information you need to make informed decisions this election season.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The spread of misinformation and disinformation on
  
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• Austin major league pickleball team hosts ladies night in east Austin

  30-08-2024 11:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Austin-based major league pickleball team, The Texas Ranchers, hosted a ladies night event with the team's co-owner Kendra Scott.The even brought women together at the Eastside Paddle Club in east Austin to play a few games and enjoy each other's company.KXAN spoke with the jewelry mogul on what a time this is for women in sports."I mean when you look at just what's happened here in Texas with Simone Biles, Gabi, and look at our UT volleyball team. I mean, things are just unb
  
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• One dead in Thursday night crash on north I-35, APD says

  30-08-2024 10:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One person is dead after a crash Thursday night on the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 in downtown Austin, according to the Austin Police Department.APD said the crash occurred at 11:09 p.m. near 15th Street on the upper deck of the interstate.Austin-Travis County EMS previously said in a social media post paramedics took the person to Dell Seton Medical Center with critical, life-threatening injuries.This is a developing story. Check back with KXAN.com for updates.
  
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• VIDEO: Why do you love the sport of football?

  30-08-2024 06:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Football season is here. It marks a great and busy time of the sports calendar as the sport of football reigns king in Texas.As KXAN continues to preview the high school football season here in Central Texas, we now turn to love of the sport as a whole.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersOn our tour of Central Texas high schools, we asked all the players and coaches to
  
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• Texas high school football scores for Thursday, Aug. 29

  30-08-2024 06:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — High school football in Texas kicked off Thursday with a relatively light slate of games, but the season is finally upon us.Anderson picked up its third consecutive win in the Taco Shack Bowl over McCallum 57-40 while Weiss outlasted McNeil 42-41 in overtime. Westlake, ranked No. 4 in the Class 6A Dave Campbell's Texas Football preseason poll, used a big second half to take out No. 15 Prosper 35-14 in Belton.
  MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these
  
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• 'Made me very concerned': Dispute over bus safety rules in Bastrop ISD

  30-08-2024 04:34 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) --- During a meeting before the school year began, Bastrop Independent School District bus drivers said they were told by their transportation company to no longer help students in case of a medical emergency."She said that we weren't allowed to do CPR. We weren't allowed to administer medications," said one Bastrop ISD bus driver, who didn't want to share their identity.
  The company, GoldStar, claims it was a misunderstanding. However, the bus driver KXAN spoke with said t
  
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• Project 20 years in the making will help protect Barton Springs in drought conditions

  30-08-2024 04:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A project that has been 20 years in the making was approved by Austin City Council on Thursday and is a way to protect Barton Springs during droughts, a news release from the city of Austin said.The project includes building a channel that will flow from Little Bear Creek "during times of high flow," the release said. This is a way to preserve the flow at Barton Springs during droughts. The water that flows from Little Bear Creek will then "be directed to a former quarry, where
  
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• Cedar Park hosts blood drive ahead of Labor Day

  30-08-2024 01:55 via kxan.com
  
  CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — We Are Blood, a nonprofit blood center in Central Texas, said it was partnering with the city of Cedar Park on Aug. 30 for a blood drive.“Labor Day weekend usually brings more accidents and more blood transfusion needs, while the blood bank experiences low donations throughout the summer. WRB and its partners urge the community to make a difference this Labor Day and lend an arm,” WAB said. Williamson County EMS now equipped for lifesaving blood trans
  
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• Colorado State's Air Raid offense gives Sarkisian pause ahead of season opener

  30-08-2024 01:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Colorado State may have finished with a losing record last season at 5-7, but they lost a lot of those games by a touchdown or less, and with the way they can throw the ball, they're never out of a game.Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is hyper-aware of that and expects his defense to respond accordingly. Here’s what Colorado State Rams head coach Jay Norvell said about the Texas LonghornsThe Longhorns and Rams clash at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at DKR-Texas Memori
  
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• Texas Attorney General launches illegal voting tipline'

  30-08-2024 00:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday announced his office is launching an email tipline enabling the public to report "suspected violations of Texas election law."Paxton encourages Texans to report suspected violations to the email address "[email protected]." Austin voter among 2.2 million on ‘suspense list’ shares how he fixed itNexstar asked the Attorney General's office how exactly they plan to review and investigate the tips, how much fund
  
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• MEDAL COUNT: Who is topping the table in the 2024 Paris Paralympics?

  30-08-2024 00:46 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.PARIS (KXAN) — More than 4,400 athletes from across the world are competing in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France.With 549 medal events in total, KXAN is keeping track of how many meda
  
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• Climate friendly investment firms sue Texas Comptroller, Attorney General for infringing on free speech

  30-08-2024 00:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar and Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday over the enforcement of a state law it claimed infringed on business' rights to free speech and equal protection.The Texas Legislature passed that law, SB 13, during its 2021 regular session. It bans government agencies from "investing and contracting with companies on the basis of the companies’ actual or perceived
  
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• Former Llano County librarian can move forward with lawsuit, federal judge rules

  30-08-2024 00:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A former librarian for a Llano County library can now move forward with a lawsuit saying she was wrongfully terminated after she refused to remove books from library circulation due to their content, a federal judge ruled in lawsuit documents.Barbara Baker worked for the Kingsland Library from 2016 until March 2022, the lawsuit said. She argued in the lawsuit that she was terminated for not removing books that county officials called "pornographic filth" or contained content on
  
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• Texas Attorney General Paxton sues to block gun ban at the sprawling State Fair of Texas

  30-08-2024 00:24 via kxan.com
  
  DALLAS (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to block a ban on firearms at the State Fair of Texas, one of the state's biggest annual celebrations.Fair organizers earlier this month announced a ban on guns after a shooting last year on the 277-acre (112-hectare) fairgrounds in the heart of Dallas. The move drew swift criticism from Republican state lawmakers, who have proudly expanded gun rights in recent years. Paxton, a Republican, threatened to sue if
  
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• Why Barton Springs Pool is closed

  30-08-2024 00:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Barton Springs Pool will remain temporarily closed after crews found a leak that will need repairs, the City of Austin said in a news release Friday."Initial inspection appears to indicate that an old water bypass pipe, estimated from the 1940s, developed two holes causing water to be pulled into the now abandoned pipe below the pool's dam," the city said in the release.The pool now needs to remain closed, so that water levels can be reduced and crews can access repai
  
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• Why Barton Springs is closed

  30-08-2024 00:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the Austin Parks & Recreation Department (PARD) announced Barton Springs Pool would be temporarily closed.According to the department, the close was due to maintenance.“Staff is working diligently to reopen the facility as quickly as possible,” PARD said.According to a statement, the maintenance was associated with the pool and not the Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse Rehabilitation project.The City of Austin said further up
  
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