Austin news

• After transferring from Alabama to Texas, Amari Niblack back in portal

  17-01-2025 23:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Longhorns tight end Amari Niblack has entered the transfer portal after one year with the program.Niblack played on special teams for the Longhorns and was the third tight end behind Gunnar Helm and Juan Davis. He caught five passes for 33 yards in nine games. LIST: Texas Longhorns in the transfer portal or declaring for the NFL draftHe was on the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, given to college football's most outstanding tight end, after coming over
  
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• Well-known Austin TikToker reacts to potential ban

  17-01-2025 23:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the federal law banning the the social media app TikTok beginning Sunday. That is, unless if it's sold by its China-based parent company.The Supreme Court said the risk to national security posed by its ties to China overcome concerns about limiting free speech in the app.The app has also made many famous, including right here in Central Texas. Will TikTok survive a ban?"I'm pretty shocked," Jane Ko said. "I haven't really accepted the reality.
  
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• Former Bartlett ISD employee accused of sex assault in improper relationship with student

  17-01-2025 23:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A former Bartlett Independent School District employee was arrested Thursday by police on charges of an improper relationship between an educator/student that happened in August 2024, as well as sexual assault of a child, BISD Superintendent Teddy Clevenger said in a letter to the district community.The district said it was aware of the allegations of the improper relationship on Aug. 23, 2024. The staff member was "immediately placed" on administrative leave. The staff member w
  
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• Austin FC sends all-time leading scorer to Argentine club for record transfer fee

  17-01-2025 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC's all-time leading goal scorer is returning home.Sebastian Driussi, the first Major League Soccer all-star in club history and scorer of 51 goals over 115 appearances, has been transferred to River Plate in Argentina. Driussi began his professional career River Plate's U20 and reserve team in 2013, then broke through to the senior team in 2014.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newslett
  
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• Amber Alert issued for 2 children last seen in Ingram, near San Antonio

  17-01-2025 21:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Amber Alert was issued for two children who were last seen in Ingram on Thursday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.Both children, 10-year-old Mackenzy June and 13-year-old Tess Mavligit, were last seen in the 3500 block of Junction Highway. Ingram is near San Antonio, according to DPS.June is described as a white female, with blonde hair, brown eyes, is 4 feet and weighs 73 pounds. She was last seen on foot wearing a white coat, grey pants and slide, accordi
  
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• 2 children reported missing in Ingram now found

  17-01-2025 21:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- An Amber Alert was issued for two children who were last seen in Ingram on Thursday, but they were found Friday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.Both children were previously last seen in Ingram, which is near San Antonio.No other details were released by officials Friday.
  
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• Four things happening in the Austin-area to prepare for arctic blast

  17-01-2025 20:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Ahead of the forecast calling for a possible light wintry mix in Central Texas next week, several organizations are taking steps to prepare roads and facilities.Texas Department of Transportation crews have started pretreating major corridors. Crews are applying a saltwater solution in an effort to prevent ice from forming on the road. TxDOT crews also ask if you see a truck playing down that material, to keep around 200 feet back.The Austin Parks and Recreation Department is wor
  
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• Canadian sentenced for illegal handgun purchases in Austin, smuggling

  17-01-2025 20:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Canadian national got a nearly 7-year prison sentence related to the illegal purchase of handguns in Austin with the intent to smuggle them into Canada, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).The DOJ said 31-year-old Harsimran Dhaliwal, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced to 82 months in prison, as well as given a $30,000 fine.Dhaliwal was accused of operating a gun smuggling operation to bring handguns into Canada, which are illegal in the country.“In 2022
  
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• State employees suspected of stealing from low-income Texans' public assistance accounts

  17-01-2025 20:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — Seven state employees have been fired for improperly accessing — and in some cases, stealing money from — accounts of thousands of Texans who receive Medicaid, food stamps and other public assistance, The Texas Tribune has confirmed.Four of those employees were fired in December in what is believed to be the largest data breach in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s history after officials say they had accessed the personal account in
  
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• What's TikTok's business presence like in Austin?

  17-01-2025 20:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously ruled in favor of upholding the federal law banning TikTok unless it's sold by its Chinese-based parent company on or before Jan. 19. Amid uncertainty surrounding the app's future, company officials allegedly confirmed U.S. employees' jobs are secure, according to an internal memo accessed and reported by The Verge Tuesday.Those U.S. employees include workers at TikTok's Austin office. TikTok funded a nearly $12 million construction p
  
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• ERCOT's weather watch alert to end early

  17-01-2025 19:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After the Electric Reliability Council of Texas issued a weather watch alert for Monday through Thursday due to the forecast for cold weather across the state, ERCOT announced the alert would instead end at 12 p.m. Wednesday."The current ERCOT Weather Watch will end at noon today. The grid continues to have sufficient resources to meet demand and grid conditions are expected to be normal," ERCOT shared in a social media post Wednesday morning.ERCOT said its weather watch served
  
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• ERCOT issues weather watch alert for Jan. 20-23

  17-01-2025 19:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Friday issued a weather watch alert for Jan. 20-23 due to the forecast for cold weather across the state.ERCOT said its weather watch “is an advance notification of forecasted significant weather with higher electrical demand and the potential for lower reserves.”KXAN's First Warning Weather Team anticipates temperatures will see a sharp drop on Saturday night into Sunday morning. This will mark Austin's coldest temperatur
  
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• Elgin ISD selects site, architect for district’s second middle school

  17-01-2025 19:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Elgin ISD announced Thursday it selected an architect and location for the district's second middle school, which is expected to open in Fall 2027.Middle School No. 2 will be built on a 140-acre site off Farm-to-Market 1704 in Bastrop County, according to the district.The project was one the district outlined in the 2024 school district bond package, where voters approved a $375 million bond to address enrollment growth, student safety, career and technical education and ma
  
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• Feds refer Texas’ Harvey funding discrimination case to Justice Department

  17-01-2025 18:51 via kxan.com
  
  (Texas Tribune) — Texas officials discriminated against residents based on race and national origin in distributing $1 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid in 2021, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development affirmed on Wednesday.Since the state General Land Office has shown a “sustained unwillingness” to voluntarily correct the unequal treatment, which HUD contends violates the Fair Housing Act, the agency has referred the case to the Department of Justice.Additional f
  
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• 'Doesn’t look real': SpaceX Starship explosion sends debris streaking across sky, video shows

  17-01-2025 18:38 via kxan.com
  
  BOCA CHICA, Texas (KVEO/NEXSTAR) — SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight Thursday, catching the booster back at the pad but losing contact with the ascending spacecraft as engines went out.Elon Musk’s company said Starship ultimately broke apart, calling it a “rapid unscheduled disassembly." The spacecraft's six engines appeared to shut down one by one during ascent, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight. Jeff Bezo
  
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• Austin's MLK Jr. community march canceled due to cold weather

  17-01-2025 17:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Martin Luther King Jr. community march has been canceled and the festival that usually followed the march has been rescheduled with cold weather expected in Central Texas next week, the city of Austin said Friday. FORECAST: KXAN First Warning WeatherThe march was originally planned for Monday. This is the second year in a row that the march was canceled due to freezing temperatures.The festival will now be held at Huston-Tillotson University at 11 a.m. on Feb. 1.Learn m
  
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• How trees can be affected by winter weather

  17-01-2025 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It should come as no surprise that it's not just humans and our pets who could suffer from bone-chilling cold winter-type precipitation. One local arborist said that, just like humans, our trees can suffer from the cold by getting frostbitten.Frostbite on a tree occurs during extreme temperature fluctuations. It is exhibited through cracks on the bark of the tree.
  Local arborist Will Johnston, from Davey Tree, spoke with Rich Segal about how trees need to be tended to as a way t
  
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• APD: 28-year-old man arrested in connection with November hit-and-run

  17-01-2025 16:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A 28-year-old man was arrested in connection with a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened in November, according to the Austin Police Department.That man was identified as Aldair J Albiter-Casas, according to a news release from APD. Attorney information was not listed for Albiter-Casas. We will update this if that changes. APD identifies woman killed in Sunday hit-and-run crash, requests help finding suspectAlbiter-Casas was arrested and booked into the Travis County Jail on a
  
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• Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

  17-01-2025 16:05 via kxan.com
  
  The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company to divest from the app, teeing up a ban set to take effect on Sunday. The justices sided with the Biden administration, finding that the divest-or-ban law does not violate the First Amendment just three days before President-elect Trump is set to take office. Trump had urged the justices to delay the deadline so he could negotiate a deal, but the court instead acted with breakneck speed. Howeve
  
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• Home destroyed following possible explosion in Bastrop, officials investigating

  17-01-2025 15:57 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — Officials in Bastrop are investigating after a home was destroyed overnight.The initial 911 call came in shortly before 2 a.m. to report an explosion in the 100 block of Wilbarger Cove, and Bastrop/Travis County ESD 1 responded.Officials are investigating if it was an explosion that started the fire or a fire that caused the explosion.While it is early into the investigation, officials do believe the house was vacant.Officials investigating after home destroyed in B
  
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• Study finds morning coffee drinkers have lower heart risk

  17-01-2025 15:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new health study finds morning coffee drinkers may have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.Researchers looked at food diaries of 40,000 participants for almost two decades and found those who drank coffee in the morning were 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease and a 16% reduced risk in all-cause mortality risk.Dr. Anirudh Bhargava, a cardiologist at Heart Hospital of Austin at St. David's Round Rock, said the study only reaffirms the lin
  
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• Inside the Investigation: Groundswell of support for safety barriers following NOLA attack, KXAN investigation

  17-01-2025 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of New Orleans confirmed safety barriers protecting Bourbon Street were under construction, and not up, during the terror attack in the city's French Quarter that killed 14 and injured dozens of others. The safety issue parallels KXAN's Preventing Disaster investigation finding safety bollards could have prevented a deadly crash at an Austin hospital. This week on Inside the Investigations, KXAN Investigator Matt Grant explains the groundswell of support for safety
  
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• Cold Weather Shelter organizers brace for second round of freezing conditions

  17-01-2025 14:49 via kxan.com
  
  Austin (KXAN) — With dangerously cold conditions anticipated next week, city cold weather shelter facilitators say staying flexible in their response will be the key to keeping hundreds safe.Greg McCormack, program manager of the City of Austin's Homeless Strategy Office, said the way his team and third-party contractor Austin Area Urban League initially respond should shelters be activated would be unchanged.Once temperatures are forecasted to dip below 35 degrees, he said the city will a
  
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• Winter Storm Watch in effect for Central Texas

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Sunday starting off very cold while the day itself is expected to remain in the upper 30s and low 40s but all eyes will be on Monday evening as the chance of snow, sleet, and freezing rain returns.Euro ModelA Winter Storm Watch has now be issued for Central Texas from Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon. Roads will become dangerous as bridges could ice. Staying indoors will be recommended.Winter Storm Watch in effectA Cold Weather Advisory is in effect from now until noon T
  
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• The front has arrived and cold air will filter in

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The cold front has arrived and colder weather will approach in phases with a small initial drop before a bigger drop Saturday night.Saturday itself is looking at a high of around 60° with a sunny day. Winds will be coming in from the North at 5-10 miles per hour.Hourly forecast for SaturdayA reinforcing shot of colder air comes Saturday night to bring temperatures tumbling below freezing by daybreak on Sunday.Sunday morning air temperaturesThe Austin Half Marathon Sunday mor
  
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• Saturday front brings wind chills in the teens Sunday

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Clouds and spotty showers kept temperatures mostly in the low 60s today with some 70s in the Hill Country.Skies will clear this evening ahead of our strong cold front that arrives from north to south just after midnight.This front will bring an initial temperature drop from the upper 50s at midnight down into the low 40s by daybreak Saturday, but abundant sunshine should allow temperatures to bounce back to near 60º in the afternoon despite a stiff north breeze.Saturday tem
  
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• Hard freeze tonight, wintry weather early next week

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- High temperatures on Saturday were near average, with Camp Mabry reaching 61° and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport topping out at 62°. A cold front moved through early Saturday morning, shifting winds to the north with gusts up to 30 mph.Overnight, temperatures will drop below freezing across the area, with portions of the Hill Country dipping into the teens. Winds will remain out of the north at 5 to 15 mph, bringing wind chills down to the low teens by early Sund
  
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• Cold Weather Advisory issued for Central Texas tonight

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The cold front has arrived and colder weather will approach in phases with a small initial drop before a bigger drop Saturday night.UPDATE: A Cold Weather Advisory has been issued for most of Central Texas as temperatures drop and wind chill is expected to drop into the teens. It is recommended to stay inside and limit your time outside to avoid hypothermia.Saturday itself is looking at a high of around 60° with a sunny day. Winds will be coming in from the North at 5-10 mil
  
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• Brief warm up Friday ahead of weekend temperature tumble

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We're in for a bit of a bumpy weather ride next few days... let's dive in.Today will be the warmest day of the next week with afternoon highs in the mid- to upper 60s under a mainly cloudy sky. A few spots of sprinkles &/or drizzle are possible within today's clouds... but the majority of us look to stay dry and those who do see rain are not likely to get anything measurable.A cold front will plow in from the north early tomorrow. Temperatures will cool to the low 60s Saturd
  
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• Big temperature drop expected this weekend

  17-01-2025 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Highs today will be 5-10° above normal, with the Hill Country reaching the 70s. Winds will blow from the south at 5-10 mph, gusting to 20 mph.Slightly warmer than normal high temperatures today- thanks to a southerly breezeTonight, temperatures will dip to the low 40s, with clouds clearing and winds shifting north/northwest as a cold front arrives. Winds may gust up to 25 mph at times with mostly sunny skies expected. The cold air won’t reach Texas until late Saturday
  
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• Texas holds off rival Oklahoma for first SEC win 77-73

  17-01-2025 04:55 via kxan.com
  
  NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jordan Pope scored 27 points and freshman Tre Johnson scored 16 points and Texas blunted Oklahoma's comeback bid beating Oklahoma 77-73 on Wednesday night.Tramon Mark scored 15 points and Kadin Shedrick 10 for Texas (12-5, 1-3) who won its first-ever game as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Texas never trailed.Jalon Moore scored a career-high 29 points and Jeremiah Fears scored 20 for Oklahoma (13-4, 0-4) who is still in search of its first SEC win.The Longhorn
  
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• PHOTOS: 'Home Alone' house in Illinois sells for $250K over asking price

  17-01-2025 04:45 via kxan.com
  
  WINNETKA, Ill. (WGN) — A famous house featured in the iconic holiday film "Home Alone" sold this week for nearly $300,000 over its asking price.The home, which is located in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue, in Winnetka, hit the market back in May with an asking price of $5,250,000 and Coldwell Banker Realty announced Thursday that the Dawn McKenna Group had closed on it for $5,500,000.Built in 1921, and fully renovated and expanded in 2018, the 9,126-square-foot Georgian-style ho
  
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• Mud, debris slide splits hillside home that survived Palisades Fire in half

  17-01-2025 04:30 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (KTLA) - A hillside home overlooking the Pacific Ocean that survived the devastating Palisades Fire has split in half from a landslide directly behind the property.  The home is now one of 10,000 structures destroyed in the costliest wildfire in the history of Los Angeles.  A Palisades home in the 17000 block of Castellammare Drive that survived the fire seen after a mudslide split it in half. (KTLA)Aerial footage from the 17000 block of Castellammare Drive shows the crumbl
  
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• No. 7 Texas rebounds from 1st SEC loss, thumps Auburn 74-57 on the road

  17-01-2025 03:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Madison Booker and Rori Harmon combined for 42 points to lead No. 7 Texas past Auburn 74-57 Thursday in Southeastern Conference women's basketball action at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama.Booker scored a game-high 22 points on 6 of 12 shooting with six rebounds while Harmon had her best offensive game of the season, pouring in 20 points on 9 of 15 from the field with six assists. Taylor Jones scored 15 points with seven rebounds to help the Longhorns outrebound the Tigers
  
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• Biden won't enforce TikTok ban, official says, leaving fate of app to Trump

  17-01-2025 03:44 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden won't enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.Congress last year, in a law signed by Biden, required that TikTok's China-based parent company ByteDance divest the company by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. The official said the outgoing administration was leaving the i
  
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• Portable barriers at play for Austin pedestrian safety

  17-01-2025 03:29 via kxan.com
  
  Project Summary:
  This story is part of KXAN’s “Preventing Disaster” investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital’s emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop c
  
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• Judge allows construction to continue at controversial industrial park in Bee Cave

  17-01-2025 03:13 via kxan.com
  
  BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) --- Construction can continue at an industrial park in Bee Cave, according to a ruling issued by a Travis County judge this week.
  This decision came months after the city of Bee Cave filed a lawsuit against the developer of the project, Velocis, to stop the project.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Two Central Texas cities file lawsuit to stop development near residential neighborhoodThe nearly 270,000-square-foot business park sits next to a residential area in Bee Cave's extra-territor
  
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• Reports: Former Longhorns receiver Johntay Cook II no longer with Washington Huskies

  17-01-2025 02:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook II is looking for a new place to play college football.Cook left the Longhorns program in the middle of the 2024 season, a move that head coach Steve Sarkisian said was "mutual." Cook then joined the Washington Huskies in the December transfer portal window, but now isn't part of the team according to multiple reports.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score s
  
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• APD: Man arrested in connection with 2nd homicide of the year

  17-01-2025 01:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man has been arrested in connection with Austin's second homicide of the year, according to the Austin Police Department.A search warrant from APD identified that man as Frank Bonner. Attorney information was not available for Bonner. This story will be updated if that changes. APD investigating 2nd homicide of the year after body found in east AustinA search warrant provided more details into the deadly shooting that happened on Jan. 2 in east Austin.Officers responded to the
  
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• Nurses in Austin march for better staffing, patient safety

  17-01-2025 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, thousands of nurses in Austin marched to demand better staffing levels and more safeguards for patients from the hospital industry.The nurses who gathered outside of Ascension Seton Medical Center on Thursday morning were members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses UnitedThe registered nurses said they were missing more than half of their meal and rest breaks due to staffing issues and asked for mandated nurse-to-patient ratios and g
  
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• Austin Pets Alive! lays off 20 staff members due to 'economic challenges'

  17-01-2025 01:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Pets Alive! said it reduced its staff by letting go of around 20 staff members, due to "economic challenges" the nonprofit is facing, APA! said in an email to KXAN.The nonprofit said the staffing changes would not impact the number of pets it has on-site.The decision happened Wednesday as a way to reduce its staffing by 10%, according to APA!Austin Animal Center audit finds poor conditions, challenges with ‘no kill’ policy"This is heartbreaking because we have
  
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• Austin FC adds 'promising' 20-year-old midfielder Nicolas Dubersarsky

  17-01-2025 00:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC continued a busy offseason with another acquisition Thursday, completing a transfer for Argentine central midfielder Nicolas Dubersarsky to a 5-year contract with a club option for a sixth year.Dubersarsky, 20, joins Verde and Black as a U22 Initiative player from Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba in Argentina's Primera Division. Major League Soccer's U22 Initiative aims to help bring high-level young international and domestic players to the league for minimal s
  
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• Texas House Republicans face possible censure following Speaker vote

  17-01-2025 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — It is no secret most in the Texas Republican Party and state Republican leaders did not want Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, to win the election for Speaker of the House on Tuesday. In the month run-up to the Speaker vote, relationships were tested within the Republican party.Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Texas Republican Party Chair Abraham George were vocal on social media that House Republicans should vote for the House GOP C
  
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• Meet the front lines of violence prevention efforts in Austin

  17-01-2025 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Most of Austin's violent crime suspects and victims have had previous involvement with the criminal justice system, the city's Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) said during the Public Safety Commission meeting this month."It is a very small fraction of people who are driving violent crime in our community," said Michelle Myles, the head of the OVP.That's one of the reasons why so much time and effort has been invested in boots-on-the-ground efforts to curb violence, including
  
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