Austin news

• Austin company started during pandemic now thriving

  25-12-2024 23:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Austin grows so too does the economy and that is one reason why more and more businesses are calling the Capital City home.One business that has seen recent success is St. Cecilia Soda Company, a business that started during the pandemic."First day we started making sodas in our kitchen," said Michelle Beebe, co-owner of St. Cecilia Soda Company.That experimenting with flavors in the kitchen has now grown to their products being found in multiple places."We currently hav
  
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• Man gets 3-year sentence related to death of partner of nearly 30 years

  25-12-2024 21:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was sentenced Dec. 6 related to a 2022 homicide investigation in Manor.According to Travis County court documents, 55-year-old Michael McKee was sentenced to serve three years in prison after pleading guilty to a manslaughter charge. PAST COVERAGE | Man dies in domestic violence-related shooting, TCSO saysThe second-degree felony charge was related to the death of 51-year-old Russell Howard, which occurred in Manor on Feb. 10, 2022.According to court documents, there
  
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• Jury sentences man to 30 years related to 2023 murder

  25-12-2024 21:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was convicted by a jury Dec. 12 and sentenced to serve 30 years in prison related to a July 2023 homicide investigation.According to Travis County court documents, a jury found 21-year-old Tajaurae Jones guilty of first-degree murder. Records showed he pleaded not guilty to the charge ahead of the trial.The charge was related to the death of 19-year-old Tijarious White, which occurred at a gas station in east Austin on July 16, 2023. The case was investigated as Austi
  
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• City of Austin's newly-funded rental assistance program 'saved my life', recipient wrote

  25-12-2024 20:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Several months after Austin City Council voted to approve emergency rental assistance as part of the city of Austin's budget -- continuing work that was previously done using federal money -- the city's "I Belong in Austin" program has already helped dozens of Austinites.
  During the first month, November, the city of Austin distributed roughly $260,000 in rental assistance to people on the brink of eviction, Nefertitti Jackmon, a community displacement officer with the city of A
  
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• Taking a look at law enforcement community engagement efforts

  25-12-2024 19:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — During the holiday season in Central Texas, several law enforcement agencies participate in the Blue Santa program, where departments collect and deliver toys — but efforts to engage with the community happen year-round.The Austin Police Department, for example, makes efforts to hold quarterly meetings in each district."We invite them to look at statistics, highlight the good work officers do, meet community members, have community members meet the officers, and addre
  
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• Man gets 4 years in prison after fatal attack of man in wheelchair at Austin nursing home

  25-12-2024 18:38 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The above video is from November 2023 and shows past coverage related to this article.AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was sentenced Dec. 12 in connection with the 2023 death of another man at an east Austin nursing home.According to Travis County court documents, 63-year-old Ronnie Green pleaded guilty to the injury of a disabled person with the intent of bodily injury, a third-degree felony. PAST COVERAGE | Man arrested after attacking another man in wheelchair causing his death, APD
  
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• 'Message isn't getting out': Texas tow truck drivers ask for caution during holiday travel

  25-12-2024 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As AAA and other entities anticipate higher numbers of holiday travels every season, tow truck operators are worried about a different statistic: the number of roadside workers killed.Geoff Nienstedt, a tow operator himself and a board member of Southwest Tow Operators - which is Texas' tow truck drivers association - said 39 roadside workers were struck by drivers this year. That includes all kinds of groups that work roadside, including tow operators, first responders, mo
  
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• 'It weighs on me': Meet the Georgetown master hatter with a yearlong waitlist

  25-12-2024 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, TEXAS (KXAN) -- Peek in the window and you'll realize Nate Funmaker's hat store is Georgetown square's most elusive business.If you don't check the hours or call beforehand, window shopping is as close as you'll come to it.For years, the business was open to the public just five hours a week on Saturdays before expanding last month to include a few hours on weekdays, too.Even if the door is unlocked when you arrive, what you really want to buy isn't readily for sale in the store.If y
  
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• Ice, heat and hail: A look back at Central Texas' biggest weather stories of 2024

  25-12-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — From snow and ice to triple-digit heat, and from flash flooding to extreme drought, 2024 had it all. Temperatures, rain, severe storms: Explore Austin's 2024 weather dataHere's a look back at some of the biggest weather stories of the year.Jan. 14-18: Winter StormMeteorologist Kristen Currie said it was "the powerhouse." Meteorologist Sean Kelly called it "a doozy." An arctic cold front slammed into Central Texas in the middle of January, bringing frigid temperatures that l
  
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• Austin nonprofit aims at increasing space workforce

  25-12-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Space Workforce Incubator for Texas officially launched out of Austin as a nonprofit focused on building a pipeline of skilled workers for the state's booming space economy.SWIFT said its mission is to fill 50% of new space industry jobs with a Texas-driven workforce."It's a network of people who care about building the space industry. Making Texas the number one space for space business in the world."Dr. Leon Vanstone, SWIFT Vice PresidentAccording to Texas 2036, a non
  
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• Texas man charged with smuggling 100 migrants in locked trailer

  25-12-2024 12:49 via kxan.com
  
  McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a Texas man with smuggling a large group of over 100 migrants in a locked trailer, including children, the U.S. attorney's office says.Juan Manuel Aguirre, 49, has been charged with three counts of conspiracy to transport undocumented aliens and transporting undocumented aliens within the United States for financial gain, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said Monday. Migrants keep dying in pursuit of American dreamAguirre, of Lared
  
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• Why are red and green considered Christmas colors?

  25-12-2024 03:02 via kxan.com
  
  (WHTM) — The Christmas holiday isn't just about giving gifts to those we love — it's also about getting into the spirit, which many people do by decorating. But have you ever wondered: Why are red and green considered the primary colors of Christmas?According to Southern Living, Celtic people centuries ago admired red-and-green-colored holly plants for surviving the winter season.These ancient Celtic people believed that holly plants kept the Earth beautiful during the winter, so the
  
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• Mexico to open 25 shelters for deported migrants

  25-12-2024 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda announced the Mexican government will open 25 new shelters to house deported migrants.During a meeting with reporters on Monday in Tijuana, Ávila Olmeda said they are taking President-elect Donald Trump's threats of mass deportations seriously, adding that five of the shelters are supposed to be set up in the city of Tijuana with two others in Mexicali, Baja's capital city.Mexican president will ask Tru
  
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• Decorated trees along Loop 360 serve as memorials for loved ones

  25-12-2024 00:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Have you noticed decorated trees along Loop 360? These pretty trees have been decorated by locals in memory of loved ones who have passed away.The trees are adorned with holiday decor and photos of loved ones and can be spotted along the roadway.
  Darlene Sorrels and her family have made decorating a tree along this road a tradition. The Sorrels family started back in 2017 when Sorrels' father passed. This holiday season, Sorrels and her family got together to decorate a sec
  
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