Austin news

• UT COVID-19 modeling group continues research, prepares for next pandemic

  14-02-2025 23:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — During the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, researchers at the University of Texas followed every positive case, took that data and gave a picture of the spread to help hospitals prepare for an increase in patients.The UT COVID-19 Modeling Consortium is now going nationwide with a new name -- epiENGAGE. UT is partnering with multiple university and health organizations across the nation to start preparing for the next pandemic, UT professor Lauren Ancel Meyers said during an
  
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• First Warning: Central Texas' coldest night of winter comes next week

  14-02-2025 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We're two weeks away from the end of meteorological winter, but our coldest temperatures of the season may still be ahead of us. KXAN First Warning WeatherBefore the arctic cold arrives, a brief wintry mix may cause some slippery spots next week.First, a storm on Tuesday into early WednesdayA storm system on Tuesday should bring scattered showers and storms to the area after more te
  
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• First Warning: Central Texas' coldest night of winter arrives this week

  14-02-2025 23:26 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We're two weeks away from the end of meteorological winter, but the coldest temperatures of the season will likely be arriving in a few days. UPDATED FORECAST: KXAN First Warning WeatherOur Next Storm System
  There have been discussions of a possible wintry mix Tuesday night, but our next storm system, which will bring light showers to eastern counties Tuesday afternoon, will likely
  
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• More parking coming to downtown Austin with extended convention center garage hours pilot

  14-02-2025 22:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Starting Feb. 21, the convention center parking garage will extend its parking hours until 1 a.m.During the pandemic, those hours were scaled back. Currently, you can only come in and out of the lot until 10 p.m., according to the convention center's website.The parking garage is just west of the convention center.
  "Providing consolidated safe well-lit parking that's available late into the evening," said Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA) VP Hannah Rangel.DAA, Red River Cultural Di
  
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• Paxton launches investigation into Chinese AI company

  14-02-2025 21:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, regarding its privacy practices.The lawsuit claims DeepSeek violated the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act.“The United States and Texas will continue to be at the forefront of global AI innovation,” Paxton said, “and any CCP-aligned company that tries to undermine that dominance by violating the rights of Texans and illegally undercutting American techn
  
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• Dallas Representative files bill to end prior authorization requirements for HIV prevention drug

  14-02-2025 21:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas, filed a bill this legislative session to prohibit insurance companies from requiring prior authorization before covering medications intended to prevent the transmission of HIV. Austin Public Health talks accessibility for HIV treatmentThe bill, HB 1680, would apply to any insurance plan that covers a Texas resident, except for any issued before March 24, 2010 that hasn't had "significant changes.""A health benefit plan issuer that provide
  
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• Live newscast captures couple exchanging vows in Valentine's elopement at Austin's Chapel of Love

  14-02-2025 21:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Love is in the air this Valentine's Day, and some Austin couples celebrated by tying the knot in Vegas-style ceremonies, right here in the heart of Texas.
  Chapel of Love ATX is Texas's "first and only little white wedding chapel," according to its website. The chapel offers drive-up weddings and elopements, and it held its first-ever Valentine's Day wedding celebration on Friday.
  One couple was even captured on live TV exchanging vows on KXAN News at 11 on Friday.
  Mark and Lori
  
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• How UT nonprofit helps local high schoolers 'live their princess dreams' at prom

  14-02-2025 20:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A student-run nonprofit at The University of Texas at Austin is working to give local girls the proms of their dreams — one makeover at a time.For more than 20 years, Project Princess has offered cost-free dresses and accessories to area high school girls who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend prom.On March 1-2, Project Princess will host its annual Boutique Day to take girls on a full prom shopping spree, testing out their hair and makeup and offering th
  
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• Bill to protect victims of deepfake ‘revenge’ porn passes US Senate

  14-02-2025 20:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, which criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII).S.4569 was introduced by Senators Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, in June 2024 and is co-sponsored by 20 other senators.“The TAKE IT DOWN Act gives victims of revenge and deepfake pornography—many of whom are young girls—the ability to fight back,” Cruz said.The bill would require those
  
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• Texas electric utilities now required to maintain online power outage trackers

  14-02-2025 20:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Electricity providers in Texas that service retail customers are now required to maintain online power outage trackers that provide information in English and Spanish.The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) approved the requirement on Thursday through an update to 16 Texas Administrative Code §25.52. According to the PUCT, the rule requires utilities that provide distribution services to retail electricity customers to maintain accurate and publicly availabl
  
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• Parked in a bike lane? That'll soon earn you a ticket in Austin

  14-02-2025 19:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Parking in the bike lane could soon earn you more than disgruntled looks from Austin cyclists.Austin City Council approved Thursday the first parking code amendments in 15 years, outlining three new defined violations of the code. Included in the mix is city code now making it illegal to park in a designated bike lane. PAST COVERAGE: Austin kickstarts code changes to crack down on illegal parking in bike lanesThe city began seriously considering the now-approved change last Apri
  
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• Texas Supreme Court dismisses state bar’s lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election

  14-02-2025 19:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the State Bar of Texas' lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, extending a cascade of legal and political wins for the once-embattled Republican leader.The decision came three weeks after lawyers with the bar’s Commission for Lawyer Discipline asked for the dismissal, citing the high court’s December decisi
  
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• Central Health, EMS partner on 'bridge' care model for people experiencing homelessness

  14-02-2025 19:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Getting people experiencing homelessness the right medical care can be the difference between those people finding and staying in stable housing or not, according to Central Health, Austin-Travis County's hospital district serving those most in need.
  Starting in September, Central Health partnered with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) to give first responders a place to bring patients who may otherwise end up in the emergency room or jail. Most are experi
  
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• Austin Community College, Concordia University announce student transfer program

  14-02-2025 18:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Community College and Concordia University are launching a new transfer program, allowing ACC students to easily transfer to a bachelor's degree at Concordia.The 'Rise at ACC, Shine at CTX' program offers students a "clear transfer pathway," along with financial assistance and personalized academic support."This partnership represents exactly what we want for our students—clear, accessible pathways to their future," ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart said.
  
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• East Texas sheriff apologizes after holding immigration forum to ease concerns

  14-02-2025 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — An East Texas sheriff has apologized after holding an immigration panel where he attempted to ease concerns within the Hispanic community.Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, alongside five other East Texas sheriffs, held an immigration Q&A panel on Feb. 7 to ease concerns about new immigration policies. During the panel, Smith told the public he would not go into communities to look for people who are living in the country illegally. Austin police chief hopes
  
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• 6 developments get city council support to apply for low-income housing tax credits

  14-02-2025 17:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Six affordable housing developments recently received resolutions of support from the Austin City Council to apply for low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) from the State of Texas, according to the City of Austin Housing Department.
  Developers must secure those resolutions before they can formally submit an application to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), which is the state agency that administers the program.
  According to the city, the development
  
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• Mexico threatens to sue Google over Gulf of Mexico name change

  14-02-2025 17:21 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) -- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday threatened to sue Google over its decision to update its maps platform to reflect President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Sheinbaum argued at her daily press conference that Google is incorrect in renaming the entire body of water as the Gulf of America because Trump’s executive order only applies to the U.S. continental shelf. How could a federal workforce
  
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• US consumers could see price hikes for cars, should a trade war start

  14-02-2025 17:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the White House increases the threat of a potential trade war among U.S. allies, some consumers wonder if they will end up paying the cost.“If tariffs go through, it would essentially undo a decades-long system of manufacturing that we have in North America, between Canada, the US, and Mexico,” explained Brian Moody, the executive editor of Auto Trader. Trump signs a plan for reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners, ushering in economic uncertainty“A lot o
  
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• Local restaurants feel the love on Valentine's Day weekend

  14-02-2025 15:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Restaurant Association says local eateries will stay busy this weekend as diners celebrate the loveliest holiday of the year.Tony Abruscato, chief marketing officer for TRA, says Valentine's Day spending habits for diners differ from other points of the year, with guests spending 25% more on their overall dinner bills.He said that brings a welcome boost for the industry, which usually sees a slowdown during the month of January. Abruscato noted that owners and wai
  
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• Inside the Investigation: Child support evaders

  14-02-2025 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Across Texas, parents are owed billions of dollars in child support. This week on Inside the Investigation, KXAN Investigator Arezow Doost explains why some parents feel they are fighting on their own, despite a state agency being tasked with enforcing child support.Join Kelly Wiley every Friday morning for a live recap of the latest headlines and in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team. Related Reading
  Central Texas mom awaits nearly $40K in child support. Paren
  
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• East Austin residents fight to preserve a changing neighborhood

  14-02-2025 14:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Delores Duffie and Myrtle Holmes Wilson are among a dwindling group of native east Austinites who have held on to their homes and businesses amid a wave of sales and redevelopment across East 11th and East 12th Street.From community members attempting to save a historic century-old building purchased by a developer to the story of a family holding on to their father's dream, the documentary "What Remains" explores decades of gentrification and a community pushing to evolve
  
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• Private border wall in South Texas still standing despite fraud by group fundraisers

  14-02-2025 13:09 via kxan.com
  
  MISSION, Texas (Border Report) -- The galvanized steel of the 18-foot-tall privately built border wall reflects light off the Rio Grande in this peaceful and quiet part of the border in South Texas.It's been five years since Tommy Fisher, CEO of Fisher Sand & Gravel Company, built the 3.5-mile border barrier along a section of sugar cane fields donated by a local farmer.Border Report Live: US, Mexico put pressure on drug cartels
  Steve Bannon pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud related t
  
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• The Black church's role in Civil Rights and social justice continues to grow

  14-02-2025 10:44 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — The first Black congregations in America pre-date the nation's founding in 1776.Since then, African American churches continue to support faith, and the fight for Civil Rights across the country and in Chicago. The origins of the Black church in America could conceivably be traced to the first experiences of Africans in this country, on plantations.When ministering to Blacks, white preachers often used so called “slave bibles,” different from the ones they used
  
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• TikTok returns to Apple, Google app stores amid Trump ban delay

  14-02-2025 05:51 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — TikTok returned to the Apple and Google app stores Thursday evening after President Trump delayed the ban on the video sharing app last month. The Chinese-owned app was removed from the stores after it briefly shut down in the U.S. to abide by a law that required TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to divest from the platform or face a Jan. 19 ban. TikTok restored service hours later, but it did not return to the app stores for users to download. The law in quest
  
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• Runner who competed in 2020 Austin Marathon talks about experiencing a heat stroke from lack of hydration

  14-02-2025 05:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the Austin Marathon kicks off Sunday, a runner who competed five years ago is telling his story on the importance of staying hydrated and how an Ascension Seton doctor at the marathon came to his rescue after he suffered a heat stroke.This comes as the Ascension Seton medical team prepares to step in to help anyone who may need it. A doctor who was apart of that team in 2020 was able to help the runner, according to Ascension Seton. Which roads will be closed for the 2025 Aus
  
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• No. 3 Texas uses 'magic formula' to win big on the road 67-49 over No. 8 Kentucky

  14-02-2025 04:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 3 Texas pulled away from No. 8 Kentucky in the second half to claim a 67-49 win Thursday in Southeastern Conference women's basketball action at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.Texas outscored the Wildcats 24-10 in the third quarter to turn an 8-point halftime lead into 22 points, and then held off a fourth-quarter Kentucky rally to put the game away. Kyla Oldacre knocked down six of her nine free throws in the third quarter and finished with 19 points on 5 of 9 shooting
  
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• Would-be Indiana school shooter had collage of mass murderers, court docs reveal

  14-02-2025 03:18 via kxan.com
  
  MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WXIN) — An 18-year-old Indiana high school student who had a collage of mass shooters in the student’s bedroom was arrested on Wednesday for reportedly planning a school shooting on Valentine’s Day. According to court documents recently filed in Morgan County by the Mooresville Metropolitan  Police Department, Trinity Shockley was arrested on the following charges:
  One count of conspiracy to commit murder, a Level 1 felonyOne count of intimidation:
  
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• Some people didn't know they had a bird flu infection, study of veterinarians suggests

  14-02-2025 03:12 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — A new study shows that bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians.The study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes two smaller ones that detected evidence of infection in previously undiagnosed farmworkers. In those studies, several of the infected workers remembered having symptoms of H5N1 bird flu, while none of the veterinarians in the new paper recalled any such symptoms.The new study is more evidence that
  
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• Texas school district sued over cheerleaders' burn injuries from hot track punishment

  14-02-2025 03:03 via kxan.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas -- A federal lawsuit was filed against the Lubbock Independent School District on Thursday morning regarding the Evans Middle School cheerleaders who suffered second and third-degree burns after performing "bear crawls" on a hot outdoor track as a punishment. RELATED: Evans Middle School cheerleaders suffer second degree burns after ‘punishment’ from coachEverythingLubbock.com previously reported that in October 2024, the girls were told to do the bear crawls and crab
  
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• Texas judge fines New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas

  14-02-2025 02:42 via kxan.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A Texas judge on Thursday ordered a New York doctor to pay more than $100,000 in penalties for prescribing abortion pills to a woman near Dallas, a ruling that could test “shield laws” in Democratic-controlled states where abortion is legal.
  The ruling was handed down on the same day New York Gov. Kathy Hochul rejected a request from Louisiana to extradite the same doctor, Dr. Maggie Carpenter, who was charged in that state with prescribing abortion pills to
  
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• 1993 Austin cold case: Man sentenced after DNA match

  14-02-2025 02:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child related to a 1993 cold case, according to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.Records show 66-year-old Douglas Birden was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison in connection with the two charges.“This verdict marks the resolution of a case that had remained open for over three decades,” the DA’s office said. “This case highlights the vital role of forensic adv
  
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• Former Bee Cave City Manager added to lawsuit against industrial warehouse

  14-02-2025 01:31 via kxan.com
  
  BEE CAVE, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Bee Cave added a new defendant to its lawsuit against developers of the industrial warehouse off Highway 71.The nearly 270,000-square-foot business park sits next to a residential area in Bee Cave’s extra-territorial jurisdiction. The facility under construction is near the intersection of State Highway 71 and Serene Hills Drive. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Bee Cave City Council votes to file lawsuit to stop development near residential areaOnline plans showed
  
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• Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come

  14-02-2025 01:17 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation's largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection — potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers.In addition, workers at some agencies were warned that large workplace cuts would be coming.
  The decision on probationary workers, who generally have les
  
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• LIST: Texas Longhorns invited to the NFL scouting combine

  14-02-2025 00:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns broke their record for invitations to the NFL's scouting combine for the second consecutive season.After 11 Longhorns were invited last year, 14 received calls this year. The combine is set for Feb. 24-March 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Reports: Tashard Choice leaving Texas Longhorns to be running backs coach with Detroit LionsOhio State had 15 players invited as the most, followed by Texas and Georgia.The Longhorns invited to the combine are:
  
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