Austin news

• New charge filed against son of Buc-ee's co-founder

  28-02-2025 23:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The son of a Buc-ee’s co-founder, previously indicted on invasive visual recording charges, is now facing an accusation of child pornography possession, according to a Travis County arrest warrant obtained by KXAN.Mitchell Wasek, 29, is being charged with a third-degree felony offense of possession or promotion of child pornography, with a $50,000 bond. RELATED: Son of Buc-ee’s co-founder arrested on 28 invasive visual recording chargesKXAN reached out to a
  
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• CPPD: Suspicious item 'deemed safe' after reported robbery; suspect in custody

  28-02-2025 23:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A suspect is in custody after a bank robbery in Cedar Park on Friday afternoon, according to the Cedar Park Police Department.Police received a call around 4 p.m. Friday for a robbery in progress at the Chase Bank on Cypress Creek Road.
  Officers learned the suspect left a box with unknown contents at the bank. The bank and nearby Walgreens were evacuated, and Cedar Park Middle School and Cedar Park High School were placed on lockdown shortly after the robbery was reported.
  Aroun
  
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• CPPD: Suspicious item 'deemed safe' after reported robbery at Chase Bank

  28-02-2025 23:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Cedar Park Police Department says a suspicious item was "deemed safe" after a report of a bank robbery in Cedar Park Friday afternoon.CPPD said on social media around 4:30 p.m. that officers responded to the Chase Bank on Cypress Creek Road.Around 6:30 p.m., CPPD said the bank area was "secured," and nearby businesses that were previously evacuated were cleared.Additionally, police said Cedar Park Middle School and Cedar Park High School were placed on lockdown shortly after
  
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• Cedar Park Police responding to robbery at Chase Bank

  28-02-2025 23:48 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Cedar Park Police Department is responding to a bank robbery, which has prompted an evacuation of the bank and nearby businesses "due to a suspicious item," according to CPPD.CPPD said on social media around 4:30 p.m. that officers responded to the Chase Bank on Cypress Creek Road.Additionally, CPPD said Cedar Park Middle School and Cedar Park High School were on lockdown "out of an abundance of caution." However, police said those schools were no longer on lockdown shortly
  
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• Greater Austin YMCA to lease space in AISD central office

  28-02-2025 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Beginning in April, the Greater Austin YMCA will lease a more than 16,000-square-feet space in the Austin Independent School District Central Office, the YMCA said in a news release.This comes after the AISD board of trustees approved the agreement during its regular voting meeting Thursday, the release said. According to the YMCA, this is a joint partnership with AISD to lease the office space at the central office, which is located at 4000 S. Interstate 35 Frontage Road in sou
  
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• Christy Carlson Romano says life has 'changed profoundly' after getting shot in face

  28-02-2025 23:04 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – Actress and podcast host Christy Carlson Romano told her social media followers on Thursday that her life has “changed profoundly” after she was shot in the face at a shooting range earlier this month.“It’s been 3 weeks since I got shot in the face and my life has changed profoundly. I am feeling more grateful than I’ve ever felt in my life and I’m healing really well,” Romano wrote on Instagram. “Every day, to me, is a gift. I us
  
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• Texas 'not for freedom': House bill could ban gender-affirming care for transgender adults

  28-02-2025 22:52 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A bill filed Wednesday in Texas' House of Representatives would ban medical providers from prescribing certain medications and from performing some medical procedures if they "know" their patient is transgender.House Bill (HB) 3399 appears to build off 2023's Senate Bill 14, a ban on transition-related medical care and medications for minors. The new bill would simply replace "child" in the specific state law with "person," expanding the existing ban to adults. Related: Texas Su
  
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• Amtrak seeking partner to build 240-mile Texas high-speed rail project

  28-02-2025 22:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Amtrak is soliciting a partner to help bring high-speed rail to the Lone Star State.Amtrak procurement documents published this week revealed the national passenger railroad company is releasing a request for qualifications (RFQ) to prospective firms for the Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail Project.That project marks a 240-mile endeavor poised to linking the two metropolitan areas within 90 minutes. The trains are expected to travel up to 205 miles per hour, and an interme
  
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• These Austin historic sites received nearly $33M for upgrades, rehabilitation work

  28-02-2025 21:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The city of Austin has allocated nearly $33 million toward heritage preservation efforts toward some of the city's historic sites this fiscal year.Austin City Council approved Thursday the nearly $33 million allocation for historic preservation and restoration projects for fiscal year 2024-25. That funding amounted to:
  Nearly $14 million for capital improvement projects at historic sitesJust over $3 million for staffing resources to aid operations$3.2 million for heritage preser
  
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• Llano County is fighting to save rural healthcare

  28-02-2025 20:52 via kxan.com
  
  LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — For decades people living in and around the city of Llano have relied on their local hospital.It's the place to go in case of an emergency, but also for lab tests, physical therapy and much more."The hospital is important in a lot of ways," said Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham. "The first way is just the critical care it can provide and it can not only provide it to us, but to the surrounding counties."Llano is about 30 minutes from the nearest large hospital
  
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• Isaiah Bond 'for sure' will break Xavier Worthy's 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine

  28-02-2025 20:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Could the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine be broken by Longhorns two years in a row? Isaiah Bond thinks it will happen.At a press conference Friday for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Bond told reporters that he "for sure" will break the marquee event at the combine. Washington's John Ross long held the record at 4.22 seconds until Texas wideout Xavier Worthy sped to 4.21 last year. Bond, a high school sprint champion from Georgia, puffed out his chest and spoke w
  
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• Austin, Fredericksburg museums among top 10 best history museums in US

  28-02-2025 20:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — USA Today recently released its list of the top 10 history museums in the nation, and two of the spots were given to Texas museums.Taking the No. 10 spot was the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. The Bullock museum, which opened in 2001, is the official history museum of the Lone Star State.“It spotlights the state's cultural heritage through immersive exhibits, films, and programs,” USA Today said.Taking the No. 6 spot was the National Museum of the
  
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• WATCH: Trump shouts at Zelenskyy as he and Vance berate Ukrainian leader as 'disrespectful'

  28-02-2025 20:02 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump shouted at Ukraine's leader on Friday during an extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office, berating President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for “gambling with millions of lives” and suggesting his actions could trigger World War III.Zelenskyy then abruptly left the White House without signing a critical minerals deal with the U.S. that Trump had demanded and suggested was a condition for future support for Ukraine.Untouched salad plates and other l
  
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• Historic lunar landing by Austin-area based Firefly Aerospace is this weekend

  28-02-2025 19:10 via kxan.com
  
  This image captured by Blue Ghost One shows the lunar surface in greater detail. (Credit: Firefly Aerospace)
  Cedar Park, TX (KXAN) -- In the early morning hours of Sunday, March 2, a lunar lander built just north of Austin, Texas will touchdown on the lunar surface. It will be the first lunar lander built in the area to land on the moon and one of only a few private companies to do so.Firefly Aerospace built Blue Ghost One as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. T
  
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• Investigation underway after 911 caller says they killed their roommate, WCSO says

  28-02-2025 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Williamson County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide Friday just outside of the Georgetown city limits.Deputies responded early Friday morning after a person reported to 911 that they "killed their roommate," WCSO said in the release. The incident happened in a cul-de-sac in the 100 block of Jennifer Circle.One person is in custody, WCSO said. The identities of the people involved in the incident will be released after next of kin is notified
  
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• Traffic tweaks planned along east side of Lady Bird Lake next month

  28-02-2025 17:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new traffic pattern is planned along South Pleasant Valley Road early next month as construction continues on a new bridge crossing Lady Bird Lake.Northbound travel lanes on South Pleasant Valley Road will narrow between Willow Street and the pedestrian sidewalk at Krieg Fields beginning Monday, Austin Capital Delivery Services announced. Those alterations are expected to run roughly two weeks.Northbound travel lanes on South Pleasant Valley Road will narrow between Willow Str
  
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• Delta Air Lines to launch its first international route from Austin in 14 years

  28-02-2025 16:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Delta Air Lines will launch its first international route from Austin in 14 years this December.Nonstop flights from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Cancun will begin Dec. 20. The seasonal route will continue through mid-April 2026, and flights will operate daily using Airbus A320 aircraft.Delta previously operated the AUS-CUN route in 2011. The airline has had no international service from Austin since then.Rivals American Airlines and Southwest Airlines also bot
  
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• First case of measles confirmed in Austin

  28-02-2025 15:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A case of measles was confirmed in Austin on Friday, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said during a press conference.Austin Public Health said the first case reported was in an unvaccinated infant. There were no exposures expected, and officials said all family members of the infant were vaccinated. RELATED | Multiple Central Texas health departments report measles exposuresOfficials said it's believed the infant caught the disease while the family was traveling overseas.Measles is
  
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• Austin leaders provide updates on measles in Texas, urge vaccinations amid outbreak

  28-02-2025 15:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Health, the health department for the city of Austin and Travis County, is expected to provide an update Friday on the current situation of measles in Texas, as well as the level of threat locally.Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease spread by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing. It can stay in the air and on surfaces for two hours, even after the infected person has left. RELATED | Multiple Central Texas health departments
  
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• Inside the Investigation: Texas pushes to tighten rules for Botox, similar treatments

  28-02-2025 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a KXAN investigation, the Texas Medical Board is revising its guidance for practitioners in facilities offering services like Botox injections in a major step toward patient safety and consumer transparency.On this week's Inside the Investigation, Investigative Reporter Arezow Doost explains the new rules for medical spas in Texas.Join Kelly Wiley every Friday at 10:30 a.m. on YouTube, Facebook, or KXAN.com for a live recap of the latest headlines and in-depth reporting fr
  
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• 'Tough and together': UT Beach Volleyball ready to create legacy

  28-02-2025 14:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The University of Texas Beach Volleyball team will make its home debut this weekend - starting Friday - at the Longhorn Invitational.UT will host Coastal Carolina, Tulane, Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M - Corpus Christi at the Wright Whitaker Sports Complex.
  The matches will be broadcast on KBVO and the Longhorn Network.
  'We consider this our first year'When a new program begins, it goes through a two-year probationary period, Head Coach Stein Metzger explained.UT Beach's f
  
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• Free events during 2025 SXSW conference

  28-02-2025 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While South by Southwest (SXSW) passes can be out of reach for most Austinites, the conference will have a few free events between March 8-15.Whether it's focused on a film experience, technology, art or about space, SXSW has Austinites covered.Radio Day StageRadio Day Stage happens from noon-5 p.m., March 10-15 at Rivian Park, 409 E. Fifth St.This event features lineups from "some of the most influential and interesting radio outlets on the planet," according to SXSW.The l
  
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• Austin dog therapy group hopes to expand

  28-02-2025 14:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department Pet Team steps in after tough calls."It’s a pet therapy team for the Austin Police Department. We provide comfort and support for law enforcement and the staff," said Courtney Leigh, the program manager for the team. "Such benefits just seeing the officers, anyone we encounter, you not only see them light up, you see their shoulders release, they’re calmer, happier."This is Pinto with the APD Pet Team.Each Pet Team dog has its own st
  
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• Capitol Context: How much money does the Texas Lottery send to schools?

  28-02-2025 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  With the elections behind us, we’re shifting from providing you with context from the campaign trail to context from the Texas State Capitol as the Texas legislature gets to work. Keep up with Capitol Context this legislative session as we examine bills being debated, the messages we’re hearing from elected leaders and how their votes impact us all.AUSTIN (KXAN) — With a pair of Texas Lottery jackpots under investigation by the Texas Rangers and with the Lottery Commission's fu
  
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• Central Texas sign spinners to compete in Las Vegas world championship

  28-02-2025 13:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — There are multiple ways to spin this story."No two spinners spin the same," said Laramie Rosenfeld, general manager of The AArrow Sign Spinners in Austin."You're gonna see some people who are more into dancing around, some people who are really technical... and then some people who like to point, smile, wave, and spread some happiness."The AArrow Sign Spinners in Austin gather to showcase skills ahead of Las Vegas world championshipThe AArrow Sign Spinners in Austin gather
  
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• 'There has to be a systemic way': Effects of federal grant pause felt by local nonprofit

  28-02-2025 05:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the legal fight continues over the Trump Administration efforts to pause federal funding, local nonprofit Global Impact Initiative (GII) said it feels the impact. PAST COVERAGE: Federal grant pause announcement sparks concern for local nonprofitGII is an organization that helps assist refugees who arrived legally acclimate to the United States. Such efforts include assisting refugees with language acquisition and helping them find jobs.Organizers at GII said the pause in
  
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• Texas' Tre Johnson breaks Kevin Durant's freshman scoring mark in 86-81 OT loss to Arkansas

  28-02-2025 04:14 via kxan.com
  
  FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Zvonimir Ivisic and Johnell Davis combined for 14 of Arkansas' 17 overtime points and the Razorbacks survived Tre Johnson's record-setting 39-point performance for an 86-81 win on Wednesday night.Johnson made 14 of 28 shots, including 7 of 11 from the arc in breaking Kevin Durant's freshman single-game program record of 37 points. Johnson scored 17 points in the second half to bring the Longhorns back from a 14-point deficit and all 12 of their overtime points. Lo
  
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• AISD: Federal funding paused for program that helps refugees

  28-02-2025 04:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Federal funding for staff who helped international refugee students and families settle into Austin Independent School District schools is on pause."On Tuesday, February 11th, Finance/State and Federal Compliance was notified that funds from the Refugee School Impact were frozen, effective at 5 P.M. that same day," said Austin ISD Chief of Talent Strategy, Brandi Hosack.AISD has 427 refugee students in the district. This grant, which is now on pause, supports the Internatio
  
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• Harmon's half-court heave helps No. 1 Texas hold off Mississippi State 68-64

  28-02-2025 04:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns needed a spark to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter against Mississippi State, and point guard Rori Harmon provided it.She buried a half-court shot just before the third-quarter buzzer to give the No. 1 Longhorns a 49-48 lead on their way to a 68-64 win in Starkville, Mississippi, on Thursday to run their winning streak to 12 games.Texas guard Rori Harmon (3) calls out to her teammates during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game
  
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• Pope Francis continues to improve but his prognosis remains guarded: Vatican

  28-02-2025 03:44 via kxan.com
  
  ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has shown further slight improvement as he battles double pneumonia, but doctors said Wednesday his prognosis is still guarded.A chest CT scan taken Tuesday evening showed the “normal evolution” of an infection as it is being treated, the Vatican said in its late update. The 88-year-old pope, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, is still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen but hasn't had any more respiratory crises since Saturday.Blo
  
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• Students escape school bus fire in Ohio

  28-02-2025 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) — An emergency broke out Thursday morning on a school bus carrying children in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. An unexpected blaze — requiring a quick evacuation.Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District Superintendent Liz Kirby said in a statement issued Thursday that the fire began behind one of Bus 21's rear wheels. How to save your video: Facebook to automatically delete live videos after 30 daysThe cause of the fire is under investigation.
  
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• 'Attacker with knife' detained after stabbing at University of Virginia, police say

  28-02-2025 03:31 via kxan.com
  
  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WRIC) – One person is in custody and another is in critical condition after a stabbing near the University of Virginia's Alumni Hall Thursday, according to Nexstar's WRIC.Just before 4:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, the UVA Police Division posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, warning students and faculty of an "active attacker with [a] knife," and encouraging them to "RUN HIDE FIGHT."
  News of the stabbing prompted the university to announce a shelter-in-place order,
  
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• Sarah Michelle Gellar, Blake Lively, others remember Michelle Trachtenberg: 'You knew when she entered a room'

  28-02-2025 03:27 via kxan.com
  
  (KTLA) – Friends and costars of Michelle Trachtenberg are remembering the actress with touching tributes after her passing on Wednesday at the age of 39.Trachtenberg was found unconscious and unresponsive in a Manhattan apartment at 8 a.m. Wednesday, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her death is not currently being investigated as suspicious, a police spokesperson said.Trachtenberg had been acting since she was 3 years old, starting with small commercial and TV parts. She
  
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• NFL Combine: How Barryn Sorrell, other Texas Longhorns defensive linemen performed Thursday

  28-02-2025 03:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — He's pushing 260 pounds, but Texas edge rusher Barryn Sorrell can move for a big man.At the NFL scouting combine Thursday, Sorrell finished in the upper echelon of the edge rushers in the event's glamour drill, running the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds. He tied with Arkansas' Landon Jackson for eighth overall in the position group.Quinn Ewers working with ex-Dallas Cowboys coach at NFL CombineTexas defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell participates in a drill at the NFL football
  
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• The importance of prescribed burns ahead of wildfire season

  28-02-2025 02:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County officials conducted a prescribed burn Thursday at Pace Bend Park in Spicewood to demonstrate the importance of wildfire preparedness.Travis County officials discussed the role prescribed burns play in reducing wildfire risk, as well as the importance of maintaining healthy landscapes and protecting communities ahead of wildfire season.Prescribed burn at Pace Bend Park (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)Prescribed burn at Pace Bend Park (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)Presc
  
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• Texas Senate votes to criminalize mobile lottery applications

  28-02-2025 01:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Just four days after the Texas Lottery Commission changed its precedent by banning lottery couriers, the Texas Senate unanimously voted to criminalize them. If passed by the Texas House and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, acting as a courier for pay would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $4,000."Thank you for your dedication to this issue, so we clean up fraud in the lottery," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told the bill's author State Sen. Bob H
  
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• Kangaroo wearing a red jacket found hopping in Central Texas

  28-02-2025 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas —  On Thursday, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office made a post on social media reaching out to see if anyone was missing a kangaroo.FCSO said a deputy responded to a loose kangaroo wearing a red jacket in the area of Farek-Loth Road and FM 609.Kangaroo found in Fayette County (FCSO photo)Kangaroo found in Fayette County (FCSO photo)Kangaroo found in Fayette County (FCSO photo)Around 5 p.m. Thursday, officials said the kangaroo's owner had been found and the anim
  
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• Report: Number of Americans identifying as Christian considered stable after years of decline

  28-02-2025 01:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After years of steady decline, the number of Americans who identify as Christian is "leveling off" at around six out of 10 people, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.The religious landscape study released this week is the largest single survey that the center conducts, and the numbers are considered authoritative figures on the size of U.S. religious groups, because the U.S. Census does not collect this kind of information.
  The mass survey included 37,000 Ameri
  
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• Kyle launches 3-1-1 services to report non-emergency issues

  28-02-2025 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The city of Kyle will now have an easier way for residents, businesses and visitors to report non-emergency issues.The city announced the launch of Kyle 3-1-1, which is described as a "new centralized service hub," according to a news release from the city. That launch will happen on March 11.The service hub is "designed to be a clear and efficient communication channel between the city and its residents," which eliminates navigating through many departments to get an answer to
  
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