Austin news

• Sheryl Crow sells Tesla to donate funds to embattled NPR

  15-02-2025 23:42 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — Country music star Sheryl Crow said she will donate funds from selling her Tesla to NPR amid President Trump's intensified calls to slash federal funding for public broadcasters — calling out tech billionaire Elon Musk's role in the administration.“My parents always said… you are who you hang out with,” Crow wrote Friday in a post on Instagram, sharing a video of the vehicle being towed. “There comes a time when you have to decide who you are wil
  
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• The 2025 Oscars won't use this 'lovely' format for the acting awards — and it might be for the best

  15-02-2025 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is ditching its “Fab Five” format for the acting categories at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards.The format, most recently embraced at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, takes place during the reading of the nominees, and features five previous Oscar winners (or nominees) heaping praise on the year’s potential recipients. Last year, for instance, the award for Best Actress was presented by previous winners S
  
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• Dell secures deal worth more than $5B in Elon Musk's xAI startup company

  15-02-2025 23:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Elon Musk's xAI is one step closer to becoming a reality after Dell Technologies Inc. secured a deal worth more than $5 billion, according to Bloomberg. Dell is expected to provide Musk's AI startup company with servers to optimize "artificial intelligence work."Those servers will contain Nvidia Corp. GB200 semiconductors, according to Bloomberg, and said some of those details "are being finalized and still may change."According to Bloomberg, Dell and Nvidia declined to comment.
  
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• 'Unsolicited' mysterious seed packages sparks concerns

  15-02-2025 21:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has sounded alarms regarding "unsolicited seed packages" showing up delivered at Texans doorsteps.The actual sender of the packages is currently unknown, but many of these packages have been delivered from China, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). The specifics regarding the contents of such packages are also being investigated, as well as the reasoning behind why these packages are being delivered."It concerns
  
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• Cedar Park-based aerospace company awarded $21M contract

  15-02-2025 21:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Firefly Aerospace, a Cedar Park-based aerospace company, announced it was awarded a $21.81 million mission contract.Firefly said the contract would help it launch the VICTUS SOL Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission, which allows the U.S. to quickly respond to on-orbit needs.“The VICTUS SOL launch will provide the operational capability to have a launch vehicle and space vehicle on standby while we continue to launch other commercial and government missions unti
  
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• Protesters gather outside Austin-area Tesla store

  15-02-2025 19:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — More than a dozen people showed up to a protest at an Austin-area Tesla store Saturday morning.“Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines,” organizers said. “Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk. Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy.”Protesters arrived at a Tesla location in The Domain at 11 a.m. with signs. The store is located at 11601 Century Oaks Terrace.Protestors rally outside an Austin-area Tesla store (KXANphoto/Chris
  
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• Austin man could score his 2nd world record at this weekend's marathon

  15-02-2025 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One Austinite could have a slam dunk race at the Ascension Seton Austin Marathon this weekend — and possibly break a world record in the process.It wouldn't be the first alley-oop for runner Ben Duong, who set the Guinness World Record at last year's race for the fastest half marathon completed while dribbling a basketball. He crossed the finish line in one hour, 21 minutes and 39 seconds, flying in with an average six minutes and 14-second mile pace.This year, he'll
  
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• Black Hawk pilots may have missed air traffic directive, flown on 'bad' altitude data before crash

  15-02-2025 05:40 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — The Black Hawk pilots who collided with an American Airlines plane last month may not have heard vital information given by air traffic control to fly behind the passenger jet seconds before the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed Friday.Seventeen seconds before impact, a radio transmission from the control tower directed the Black Hawk to pass behind the jet. But data from the Army helicopter indicated that “the portion of the transmission th
  
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• Why you shouldn't leave your windshield wipers up during every snowstorm

  15-02-2025 05:31 via kxan.com
  
  DENVER (KDVR) — Propping windshield wipers up before a snowstorm is a common routine for many car owners, but according to AAA, it's not always the best practice.There are several ways people can prepare their cars for a storm, like filling up their gas tank or putting an emergency bag in the car. One of these tips includes putting up windshield wipers before a snowstorm so it's easier to clear off in the morning and the wipers don't stick to the windshield. Did you know? These winter driv
  
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• Lawsuit against Jay-Z, Diddy dismissed by accuser's attorney

  15-02-2025 05:28 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — The lawsuit accusing Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 has been dismissed by the accuser’s attorney, according to new court filings.The voluntary dismissal filing, obtained by Variety, said the accuser “hereby gives notice that the above-captioned Action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice.” Prejudice prevents the accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” or her lawyers from
  
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• Insight: Texas Advocacy Project addresses deadly domestic violence incidents happening in Austin area

  15-02-2025 05:03 via kxan.com
  
  Content Warning: This article discusses domestic violence. If you are in distress and need someone to talk to, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “Start” to 88788.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Central Texas has seen three deadly domestic violence incidents over the course of 10 days. They happened in Cedar Park, Elgin and Austin, according to officials.
  The first happened Feb. 2 in Cedar Park. Police have not released the names of those inv
  
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• Lottery Commission, former director accused of defrauding Texans

  15-02-2025 01:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Days after the Senate Finance Committee grilled the Texas Lottery Commission about how they handled a $95 million Lotto Texas jackpot from April 2023, new allegations surfaced about former Texas Lottery Commissioner Gary Grief's role.In April 2024, a Houston Chronicle investigation revealed a group of investors had essentially gamed a $95 million jackpot, spending nearly $26 million to buy almost every possible number combination. In January, a report from the state's Sunset
  
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• UT Women’s Hoops continues SEC gauntlet with LSU battle

  15-02-2025 01:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Texas Longhorns women's basketball team has one of their biggest challenges of the season coming up this Sunday when they face No. 5 LSU at the Moody Center.This game will wrap up a four-game stretch for Texas that included three top ten matches (South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU) and another ranked matchup in Vanderbilt. But despite the tough schedule, the Longhorns have amassed a 3-0 record so far and will hope to get a clean sweep against the 25-1 Tigers.But taking down LSU
  
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• Warnings arise as Texas lawmakers propose legalizing sports betting, casinos

  15-02-2025 00:51 via kxan.com
  
  If you or a loved one have a gambling addiction, call the National Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-426-2537, or text 800GAM. Additional resources can be found on the Texas Lottery Commission’s website.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Members of the Texas Senate and House filed joint resolutions this month proposing amendments to the state's constitution that would allow the legislature to legalize and tax "casino gaming and sports wagering." However, some groups warn that the state should cons
  
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• Austin-based 3D home printing startup Icon raises $56M just a month after big layoffs

  15-02-2025 00:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN/ABJ) — One month after saying it would lay off more than 100 employees, ICON Technology Inc., a 3D printing company valued at around $2 billion, disclosed in a federal filing it has raised $56 million. RELATED | Austin construction company to lay off 114 employeesRegarding the layoffs, Icon said it needed to realign to focus on its newest robotic system, which is capable of printing multistory homes and buildings using a new, low-carbon material.The $56 million was from invest
  
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• Texas is poised to become a film haven — but not without a fight

  15-02-2025 00:30 via kxan.com
  
  (The Texas Tribune) -- A promise to make Texas the film capital of the world has left local creatives raring to cash in — and preparing for a legislative battle.The Texas Senate has proposed injecting $498 million to revamp the state’s film incentive program, a historic sum that rivals most other states and more than doubles the $200 million lawmakers plugged into the program during the last budget cycle.Film industry insiders, who have for years been fighting for a larger and more c
  
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• Leander teen advocates for more awareness about young caregivers

  15-02-2025 00:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- 16-year-old Madeline Grace Asbell is on a mission to make sure young caregivers in Texas have the resources and support they need.
  When her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the teen said she saw the importance of caregiving firsthand and began to learn how many people her age take on these responsibilities.
  "These young caregivers are having to balance school, extracurriculars, as well as their own well-being," she said.
  According to the American Association of Caregi
  
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• 1 shot by Pflugerville PD after stolen vehicle pursuit

  15-02-2025 00:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An investigation is underway in Pflugerville after an officer shot a suspect following a stolen vehicle pursuit Friday.According to the Pflugerville Police Department, at approximately 3:40 p.m. PPD officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle in the 1100 block of Lincoln Sparrow Cove when the vehicle collided with an officer's patrol car and stopped.PPD said the suspect then ran and led officers on a brief pursuit.“During the pursuit, officers observed the subject pro
  
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• City of Austin creates new office dedicated to culture and entertainment scene

  15-02-2025 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --- The city of Austin announced it's launching a new Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME). According to a news release, it is meant to focus on "sustaining and growing Austin’s creative sector."The release said for many years, cultural affairs programming and resources were spread cross five different city departments. Each department separately focused on music, special events, cultural centers, heritage centers, cultural arts and art in public places.Thi
  
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