Austin news

• Propane truck rollover in Burnet County prompts road closure, evacuations

  17-12-2024 23:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Roads are still shut down in Burnet County, as well as evacuations of nearby residents, after a propane truck rolled over on Tuesday, the Texas Department of Public Safety told KXAN.DPS responded to the crash on a private road near RM 2342, where multiple agencies — including a Hazmat team — responded to the scene. The driver was not injured, and DPS said the truck was carrying around 2,800 pounds of propane.
  Viewer Michael Scott Wagner sent KXAN footage of a fire af
  
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• Propane truck rollover in Burnet Co. prompts road closure

  17-12-2024 23:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Roads are still shut down in Burnet County after a propane truck rolled over earlier on Tuesday, the Texas Department of Public Safety told KXAN.DPS responded to the crash on a private road near RM 2342, where multiple agencies — including a Hazmat team — responded to the scene. The driver was not injured, and DPS said the truck was carrying around 2,800 pounds of propane.KXAN viewer Michael Scott Wagner sent us footage of a fire after the rollover happened, which ca
  
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• College football playoffs in Austin to boost local tourism

  17-12-2024 23:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Darrel K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium rocking with Longhorn football in December is certainly something Austin is not used to. But it's happening Saturday with the first round of the college football playoffs happening against Clemson.The game will end up helping tourism in Austin and beyond. Tourism commission recommends improvements to Austin short-term rentals"December is typically a slower month for [Austin], so to have a major event like a home football game, which we've ne
  
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• 'Austin's New Year' celebration happening at Auditorium Shores Dec. 31

  17-12-2024 22:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For those looking for a New Year's Eve plan, the city of Austin has it all covered. The city's event, "Austin's New Year" is a free event that is open to the public and kicks off at 7 p.m. Dec. 31 at Auditorium Shores, 800 W. Riverside Drive, the agency said in a news release.The city and Visit Austin will host the event, with CNN's Sarah Sidner, Harry Enten and Cari Champion will be live during the city's countdown. This is part of CNN's "New Year's Eve Live with Anderson Coope
  
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• Suspect charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO as an act of terrorism, authorities announce

  17-12-2024 22:49 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, authorities announced on Tuesday.A New York State Supreme Court indictment has charged Mangione, 26, with one count of murder in the first degree, in furtherance of terrorism; two counts of murder in the second degree, one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism; and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
  Mangione had previously be
  
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• Police investigating shooting outside southeast Austin home as homicide

  17-12-2024 22:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man taken to the hospital early Friday morning with apparent gunshot wounds died on Sunday, according to the Austin Police Department, which is conducting a homicide investigation.The department's press release did not indicate anyone was in custody.MAP: Where have Austin’s homicides occurred in 2024?Just before 4 a.m. Friday, Dec. 13, officers responded to reports of a shooting at Thrasher Lane, which is a residential street just west of U.S. Highway 183 in southea
  
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• Woman dies over a week after Dec. 6 crash on US 183 in northwest Austin

  17-12-2024 22:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman died Sunday after being involved in a three-vehicle crash on Dec. 6 in northwest Austin, according to an update from the Austin Police Department.Police identified that woman on Tuesday as Magda Anastacia Porras, 37.
  The crash happened on Dec. 6 in the 13000 block of North U.S. Highway 183 northbound. Police said the driver of one of the vehicles, later identified as Porras, was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.PAST COVERAGE | TxDOT: Lanes back o
  
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• Texas House panel subpoenas death row inmate Robert Roberson a second time

  17-12-2024 22:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- A bipartisan committee of Texas lawmakers again issued a subpoena compelling the state’s prison system to let death row inmate Robert Roberson provide testimony at the Capitol about his murder conviction, which some legislators say is based on “junk science.”The new subpoena, issued Dec. 10 and served on Monday, comes after Texas House members said Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office stalled previous efforts to secure Roberson’s in-per
  
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• How to help keep Austinites' lights on this holiday season

  17-12-2024 21:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Those looking to give back this holiday season can help keep Austinites' lights on and energy running.The city of Austin's Gift of Comfort program allows people, businesses and organizations to help pay for a customer's utility bill when that individual might be struggling to cover those expenses. Those interested can pay for any and all amounts of the customer's bill via a check or money order.The customer's name and address are needed to participate in the Gift of Comfort prog
  
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• Grand jury indicts UnitedHealthcare CEO suspect on first-degree murder

  17-12-2024 21:44 via kxan.com
  
  Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) on Tuesday announced that a grand jury handed up an indictment against suspect Luigi Mangione for the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.  Mangione faces 11 charges, including first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.The first-degree murder charge, which carries up to life in prison without parole, requires an aggravated factor. The indictment describes the alleged murder as furthering of an act of terrorism, casting the
  
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• 17-year-old dead after being shot in apartment parking garage near The Domain

  17-12-2024 20:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A teenager died over the weekend after he was shot during what police said was an attempted robbery in a parking garage of a north Austin apartment complex, according to the Austin Police Department.Carlos Sotelo, 17, was identified as the victim of the incident.
  APD said officers responded to a shooting call at Saint David’s North Austin Medical Center on Friday, Dec. 13 around 1:40 a.m. The caller, who is a security guard for the hospital, said a man arrived at the hospi
  
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• TSA: Nearly 40M people expected to fly this holiday season

  17-12-2024 20:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Almost 40 million people are expected to take to the skies this holiday season, a 6.2% increase compared to travel figures last year, the Transportation Security Administration shared online Tuesday.The TSA is anticipating Dec. 20, Dec. 27 and Dec. 30 to be the busiest travel days this season. Those flying are advised to arrive at least two hours before their flight's boarding time to navigate parking or drop-off zones, check any luggage and undergo their security screenings. Th
  
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• Shift in Texas toll road billing to cost hundreds their jobs

  17-12-2024 19:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- A Colorado-based tech services and call center provider plans to lay off about 650 people from two of its Austin offices early next year. The moves come as the state transitions its TxTag toll billing and customer service operations to the Harris County Toll Road Authority.TTEC Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: TTEC), which had been running the billing and customer service operations, said its government solutions division is ending its Texas Department of Transportation
  
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• Austin's e-scooter limit sees decline in ridership, less clutter

  17-12-2024 19:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Six months after Austin transportation leaders limited the number of electric scooters permitted citywide, new findings revealed a slight downturn in citywide trips but improvements in minimizing device clutter on city sidewalks, curbs and right of ways.Austin implemented in May a moratorium restricting new micromobility vendors from coming online, limiting the number to the existing two vendors. The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department also minimized the total numb
  
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• Winter begins Saturday, here is why you should care

  17-12-2024 19:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- While meteorological winter began on Dec. 1, Astronomical winter begins this Saturday, Dec. 21.Winter solstice this SaturdayAstronomical winter, unlike meteorological winter, begins at different dates and times each year depending on the position of the Sun in relation to Earth. Once the Sun's rays are directly over the Tropic of Capricorn that marks the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.Winter solsticeIn Austin on the first day of winte
  
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• How well the Experimental Cone of Uncertainty performed

  17-12-2024 18:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Cone of Uncertainty is the graphic meteorologists use to show the possible track of a tropical cyclone. The National Hurricane Center provides emergency management officials, local and state governments, media outlets, and the public with updates every six hours during the lifecycle of a hurricane or tropical storm and tropical depression.If the hurricane is intense enough, then the Cone is updated every two or three hours. The cone looks at these tropical weather systems in
  
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• How well did the Experimental Cone of Uncertainty perform during the 2024 hurricane season?

  17-12-2024 18:53 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Cone of Uncertainty is the graphic meteorologists use to show the possible track of a tropical cyclone. The National Hurricane Center provides emergency management officials, local and state governments, media outlets, and the public with updates every six hours during the lifecycle of a hurricane or tropical storm and tropical depression. The true meaning of the Cone of UncertaintyIf the hurricane is intense enough, then the Cone is updated every two or three hours. The con
  
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• Taaffe, Ewers and company aim to spoil Clemson QB Klubnik's CFP homecoming

  17-12-2024 18:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Clemson and Texas meet for the first time in their storied histories Saturday in the opening round of the College Football Playoff, but for some players, it'll be like suiting up in high school again.Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik is from Austin and was a star at Westlake High School, leading the Chaparrals to two 6A state championships in 2020 and 2021. To win the 2020 title, his performance helped lift the Chaps over Southlake Carroll 52-34 and current Texas quarterback
  
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• New traffic pattern to debut on Pleasant Valley Road amid wishbone bridge construction

  17-12-2024 18:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Beginning Wednesday, drivers along South Pleasant Valley Road will need to adapt to a new lane configuration as construction work continues on Austin's Longhorn Dam Multimodal Improvements Project.
  The new traffic pattern had been scheduled to debut Tuesday, but was postponed to Wednesday due to rain over the weekend, a spokesperson for Austin Capital Delivery Services confirmed.The project is adding a "wishbone" bridge to cross Lady Bird Lake and better connect pedestrians and
  
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• New traffic pattern debuts on Pleasant Valley Road amid wishbone bridge construction

  17-12-2024 18:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Beginning Tuesday, drivers along South Pleasant Valley Road will need to adapt to a new lane configuration as construction work continues on Austin's Longhorn Dam Multimodal Improvements Project.The project is adding a "wishbone" bridge to cross Lady Bird Lake and better connect pedestrians and cyclists along the Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. As construction work continues, the following traffic patterns took effect Tuesday:
  Both traffic lanes are shifted to the east
  
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• 3 Texas films make list of 25 selected for 2024 National Film Registry

  17-12-2024 17:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Library of Congress National Film Registry added 25 films in 2024 for their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance, according to a Tuesday announcement from the federal institution. Three of those have strong ties to Texas.The selections date back almost 130 years, with their release dates ranging from 1895 to 2010. According to the Library of Congress, the National Film Registry selects 25 films each year to showcase the "range and diversity of American film heritage t
  
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• APD identifies victim in Dec. 13 fatal crash

  17-12-2024 17:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department identified the victim of a single-vehicle collision on Dec. 13 in the 11500 block of Jollyville Road. This is located near the intersection of West Braker Lane and U.S. Highway 183.The victim was identified as 73-year-old Darrell West, who was the driver of the vehicle, according to APD. He was pronounced dead at the scene by officers.APD said this was being investigated as Austin's 86th fatal crash of 2024, resulting in 91 fatalities. MAP: Wher
  
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• Austin area nonprofits say they're struggling without DEI funding

  17-12-2024 16:41 via kxan.com
  
  Austin (KXAN) — Nearly one year since the state's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion at public universities went into effect, local nonprofit leaders are reflecting on how they've adapted since its implementation.Senate Bill 17 went into effect on January 1, 2024, and its impact has been felt through the months since.This past spring, the University of Texas at Austin cut hundreds of positions and shut down its 21 DEI offices to comply with SB 17. UT System shuts down 21 DEI offices an
  
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• Violence against teachers on the rise nationally, experts weigh in with solutions 

  17-12-2024 15:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Lawyer Martha Owen thinks people would be surprised by the amount of violence teachers are subjected to.  Owen serves as special counsel to the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a union that advocates and provides resources to public school employees. She has defended several teachers who have been assaulted in the classrooms by students and has noticed an increase since the pandemic. “I think if you asked 10 teachers, nine out of 10 are going to s
  
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• Students assaulting educators on the rise across Texas 

  17-12-2024 15:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tiffany Robinson remembered approaching her school’s assistant principal in tears.“I was shaking, I was mad, I was upset, I was scared,” she said.Robinson, a chemistry teacher at Jarrell High School, explained she never felt so afraid in her 18-year teaching career.Two weeks after school started, Robinson recounted how she and her teaching aide struggled reining in her class while they waited to be dismissed to a pep rally.She said it began when one studen
  
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• Lawmakers to examine Texas truancy data collection after KXAN investigation

  17-12-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Three Texas lawmakers are looking for ways the state can better collect data on truancy cases, following a KXAN investigation that discovered no state agency has tracked outcomes for tens of thousands of students referred to court for missing too much class in the past decade.Since 2016 – the year after lawmakers reformed the truancy system and made it a civil issue rather than criminal – more than 86,000 students have had to face a judge over truant conduct, ac
  
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• Fallen San Marcos police officer recognized with Austin street name

  17-12-2024 12:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Fallen San Marcos Police Department officer Justin Putnam will be recognized Tuesday morning with an honorary street renaming. This will take place at a press conference at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Lake Creek Parkway and Mellow Meadows Drive.According to a press release from the city of Austin, a portion Mellow Meadows will be officially recognized as Officer Justin Putnam Drive through an honorary renaming. Putnam graduated from Westwood High School back in 2007, which is
  
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• 'Have hope': EMS says fentanyl deaths 'plateauing'

  17-12-2024 04:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As new details emerge about murder charges related to two fentanyl deaths from last year, Austin-Travis County EMS said joint efforts by city and state departments, as well as nonprofit organizations, have been working to curb the deadly drug's presence in the city."It's so nuanced and complicated that it's really taken a team effort," said ATCEMS Assistant Chief Stephen White.White said EMS and Austin Public Health have worked very closely to address growing fentanyl overdoses.
  
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• Police investigating deadly vehicle, pedestrian crash in Cedar Park

  17-12-2024 03:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Cedar Park Police Department is investigating a deadly crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian.The agency said on social media around 7:15 p.m. the crash happened at Royal Lane and Lonestar Drive.A KXAN photojournalist near the scene said a small section of Royal Lane between West Whitestone Boulevard and Lone Star Drive was closed due to the crash.CPPD said its Highway Enforcement Unit was conducting an investigation. No other details were released Monday.
  
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• 88-year-old Cedar Park woman dies in pedestrian crash

  17-12-2024 03:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Cedar Park Police Department said an 88-year-old woman died after a crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian Monday night in Cedar Park.Police said the crash happened around 7:15 p.m. at Royal Lane and Lonestar Drive.Investigators believe a pickup truck was driving south on Royal Lane when it hit the woman in a "dark, unlit portion of the roadway," the release said. Police believe the woman was walking in the roadway and wearing dark clothing."We believe the driver of t
  
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• 200 students team up with APD officers for annual 'Shop With a Cop'

  17-12-2024 02:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hundreds of Austin children and police officers took over Target locations on Friday and Monday for the annual "Shop With a Cop" program.
  Amigos en Azul partnered with the Austin Police Department for the annual event, sending 200 students from seven Austin Independent School District elementary schools and children from APD's Police Activities League (PAL) program to two Target locations.
  Each kid was paired with an officer and got to spend $150 shopping for themselves or their
  
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• Here are 3 of the most significant votes Austin City Council took in 2024

  17-12-2024 02:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a flurry of elections, your body of local leaders is now set. You'll have three new Austin City Council members, including District 7's Mike Siegel, who is projected to win that district after a runoff election over the weekend.Siegel got just north of 51% of the vote in his runoff for Austin City Council against Gary Bledsoe. Nearly 8,600 people in that district voted. Travis County run-off election resultsMeanwhile, the three council members outgoing just finished their
  
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• The original lyrics of 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' were extremely depressing

  17-12-2024 01:06 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is already more melancholy than most classic Christmas songs, but its earlier version was a downright downer.The song, which is credited to the late songwriting partners Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, was written for the 1944 musical “Meet Me in St. Louis” starring Judy Garland. In the film, Garland’s character sings a version of the song to her character’s younger sister, who is saddened about their fam
  
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• Remains of Wisconsin woman found 4 years after disappearance

  17-12-2024 00:51 via kxan.com
  
  MARATHON COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) — The remains of Cassandra Ayon, who disappeared more than four years ago, have been found in Central Wisconsin.Ayon's body was found on private property in the Town of Brighton, about 130 miles west of Green Bay, on November 30, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Authorities told local outlet WSAW that a citizen found Ayon's remains but did not share any additional details."We hope the discovery of her remains lends a sense of finality to her fa
  
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• California couple on vacation fatally shot in Mexico, officials say

  17-12-2024 00:48 via kxan.com
  
  (KTXL) — A couple from California were shot and killed by gunmen on Wednesday night in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, according to officials.The attack happened in the city of Angamacutiro, about 230 miles west of Mexico City, according to officials in the Michoacán state attorney general's office, The New York Times reports.City officials identified the couple as Rafael Cardona Aguilera and Gloria Ambriz, residents of Northern California who were on vacation, a
  
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• Young girl fighting cancer receives surprise Christmas parade from first responders

  17-12-2024 00:44 via kxan.com
  
  MERCEDES, Texas (ValleyCentral) — First responders and community service departments with Hidalgo County visited Mercedes on Monday to surprise a young girl who is battling cancer.The 5-year-old girl was surrounded with her family as she was surprised outside her home with a Christmas parade hosted by the Mercedes Police Department and social service agencies in Hidalgo County.Photo by Emiliano Pena (ValleyCentral) Photo by Emiliano Pena (ValleyCentral) Photo by Emiliano Pena (ValleyCentra
  
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• NM teen facing murder charges after allegedly killing family

  17-12-2024 00:36 via kxan.com
  
  UPDATE: New Mexico State Police originally reported the age of suspect Diego Leyva as 16. He is 17, according to an update NMSP issued on Monday, Dec. 16.
  EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) -- A Belen, New Mexico, teenager has been charged with four counts of murder after he allegedly killed his family while "extremely intoxicated," New Mexico State Police said.Diego Leyva, 17, of Belen, has been charged with four open counts of first-degree murder, New Mexico State Police said.New Mexico State Police said t
  
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• Why are there two 'Monday Night Football' games this week?

  17-12-2024 00:32 via kxan.com
  
  (WBOY) — Fantasy football managers and obsessed NFL fans are celebrating the extra "Monday Night Football" game, but why are there two this week?On Monday, Dec. 16, the Chicago Bears will head to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings, and the Atlanta Falcons will land in Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. Two NFL games being played on Monday night isn't a new thing and has been happening on and off for the past few seasons. Social Security retirement age set to change in 2025The answ
  
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• Bud Light no longer the best-selling draft beer at bars, data suggests

  17-12-2024 00:25 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – New data suggests Bud Light is no longer tops in America’s taprooms — at least when it comes to the most popular draft beers offered at bars across the U.S.Draftline Technologies, a company that provides software for beverage distributors, found in a recent report that Michelob Ultra — which, like Bud Light, is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev — recently overtook Bud Light in terms of the “number of tap handles” operating at U.S venues with beer
  
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