Austin news

• APD to begin phasing out process for Ford police vehicles

  29-07-2017 16:59 via kxan.com
  AUSTIN (KXAN) —  On Saturday, the city of Austin will begin the phasing out process of the Ford Utility Interceptor Model units.
  The city announced on Friday that the Police Department would stop using all of the units after dozens of reports of carbon monoxide leaking into passenger cabins and 20 officers tested positive for carbon monoxide.
  To handle the shortage of vehicles, APD will use other types of patrol cars like Ford Crown Victoria models, and will begin using two-offic
  
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• A powerful homecoming for Austin Energy lineman is 'full circle moment' for career

  20-05-2024 14:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Energy crews returned to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, along with other utility crews across the country, to bring electricity to families who have lived generations without power and running water.
  Edward Jodie, a lineman with Austin Energy, was part of the caravan that traveled to Window Rock, Arizona. For him, it was a homecoming. He was born in Fort Defiance, Arizona and grew up there until he turned five, moving to Phoenix with his family. He still visited his grandp
  
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• These City of Austin departments spend the most on employee salaries

  20-05-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin pays its employees more than $1.3 billion each year in base salaries, according to data obtained by KXAN.The data, as of March 26, 2024, shows the City has 15,164 paid full-time employees and 2,771 paid part-time employees. A further 10 people appeared on the city's payroll, most of whom are unpaid interns.Five of the city's departments pay out more than $100 million each year in base salaries: Police, Austin Energy, Fire, Parks and Recreation and Austin
  
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• Iran's president, foreign minister among dead at helicopter crash site

  20-05-2024 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported.The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi, who was 63, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack o
  
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• Texas Longhorns enter final Big 12 baseball tourney as No. 3 seed, take on Texas Tech in 1st round

  20-05-2024 04:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With a sweep of Kansas to conclude their final Big 12 Conference regular season, the No. 25 Texas Longhorns are all set for the Big 12 tournament starting Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.The sweep wasn't enough to get the Longhorns past Oklahoma State for the No. 2 seed and first-round bye, so they'll begin play as the No. 3 seed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against 10th-seeded Texas Tech. Texas finished Big 12 play with a 20-10 record, winning every series they played in
  
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• Two arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration, according to groups

  20-05-2024 04:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Two people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration Sunday afternoon, according to groups who organized the event. Hundreds from all over Texas flooded Austin’s downtown to protest the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the dozens of arrests that happened at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at UT Austin.Event organizers said the event was held Sunday to also commemorate the al-Nakba, or "the Catastrophe," when hundreds of thousands of Pal
  
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• VIDEO: The Frank Erwin Center officially comes down

  20-05-2024 03:56 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Drum is no more.Crews ripped down remaining supports Sunday for the Frank Erwin Center, bringing the frame of the hallowed Texas Longhorns basketball arena and university events center to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris. PHOTOS: Erwin Center enters final stages of demolitionThe university will hold a briefing on the final steps for the area and details of the demolition at 2 p.m. Monday. Dan Cook, the executive director for planning, design and construction at
  
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• Ed Dwight, America's first Black astronaut candidate, finally goes to space 60 years later

  19-05-2024 22:36 via kxan.com
  
  VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate, finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on Sunday.Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F. Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class.
  Dwight, now 90, went through a few minutes of weightlessness with five other passengers aboard the Blue Origin capsule as it skimmed s
  
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• No. 1 Texas romps through regional, thumps Northwestern again to advance in NCAA tourney

  19-05-2024 22:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 1 Texas breezed through the NCAA Austin Regional softball tournament, dropping Northwestern 7-0 Sunday at McCombs Field to advance to the best-of-three super regional series next week.Freshman pitcher Teagan Kavan led the Longhorns with a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 12 with two walks. Kavan faced 25 batters and threw 68 strikes in 103 total pitches. Kavan's bid for a no-hitter was broken up in the sixth with a double by Angela Zedak.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay
  
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• Fallen APD officer Jorge Pastore honored during ceremony in D.C.

  19-05-2024 20:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The name of fallen Austin police officer Jorge Pastore, who died while responding to a SWAT call in 2023, was etched in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.Pastore's name and the names of 36 other Texas law enforcement officers were read during a candlelight vigil held on the National Mall.In total, 282 names were read at the vigil, representing law enforcement across the country. PAST COVERAGE | ‘Rest easy brother, we’ll take it fro
  
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• Dillon Mitchell transfers to Cincinnati Bearcats after 2 years with Texas Longhorns

  19-05-2024 19:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Former Texas forward Dillon Mitchell is staying in the Big 12 Conference.Mitchell announced on social media Saturday that he'll transfer to Cincinnati after spending the first two years of college with the Longhorns. Mitchell said in mid-April that he would leave Texas and explore his prospects in the NBA Draft yet still keep his college eligibility. Both he and Tyrese Hunter announced their intent to transfer at the same time and Hunter ended up in Memphis.MORE THAN THE SC
  
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• Video: Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry

  19-05-2024 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said in a video statement posted Sunday to Instagram and
  
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• Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry

  19-05-2024 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said in a video statement posted Sunday to Instagram and
  
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• Helicopter carrying Iran's president suffers a 'hard landing,' state TV says

  19-05-2024 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iranian state media reported, without elaborating. Some began urging the public to pray for Raisi and the others on board as rescue crews sped through a misty, rural forest where his helicopter was believed to be.Raisi was traveling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. State TV said the incident happened near Jolfa, a city on the border wi
  
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• Helicopter carrying Iran's president apparently crashes in mountainous region

  19-05-2024 18:34 via kxan.com
  
  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray.The likely crash came as Iran under Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel last month and has enrich
  
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• America's first Black astronaut candidate finally goes to space 60 years later on Bezos rocket

  19-05-2024 17:15 via kxan.com
  
  VAN HORN, Texas (AP) — America’s first Black astronaut candidate finally rocketed into space 60 years later, flying with Jeff Bezos’ rocket company on Sunday.
  Ed Dwight was an Air Force pilot when President John F. Kennedy championed him as a candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps. But he wasn’t picked for the 1963 class.Dwight, now 90, went through a few minutes of weightlessness with five other passengers aboard the Blue Origin capsule as it skimmed space on a
  
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• Abnormally hot summer expected for Texas in latest NOAA forecast

  19-05-2024 16:00 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – New predictions for the summer season, released by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center this week, show weather is likely to heat up in almost every corner of the United States.
  The forecast, which covers June, July and August, indicates nearly every U.S. state with leaning toward a hotter-than-normal summer season. The highest chances are found out West, where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Colorado have a 60% to 70% chance of above-average temperatures over the next three
  
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• Do you live in one of America's 15 fastest-growing cities?

  19-05-2024 15:10 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – With just a couple of exceptions, the fastest-growing cities in America are located in the South, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.Between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023, the most recent data available, Texas cities dominated the list of the fastest-growing 15.“The population growth across the South in 2023 was driven by significant numeric and percentage gains among its cities,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s
  
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• Wages are keeping up with rent in only these 6 large US cities

  19-05-2024 15:08 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) —  American workers have seen their paychecks grow since the pandemic but in most cities, those gains haven't kept up with rent prices.
  Rents surged 30.4% nationwide between 2019 and 2023, while wages rose 20.2% over the same period, according to a recent analysis by Zillow and StreetEasy.
  The ten-point gap underscores the frustration many Americans are feeling after watching their wage gains get eaten away by inflation.“Every month you just gotta budget and then yo
  
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• Atlanta zoo set to return last giant pandas in US to China

  19-05-2024 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — Zoo Atlanta is preparing to send its giant pandas back to China, following suit with other states, the zoo confirmed Friday in a press release.“With the 2024 expiration of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda agreement with China, preliminary plans are underway for Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun to travel to China later this year,” the release reads.“Zoo Atlanta has applied for the pandas’ international travel permit, and the bears are expected to tr
  
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• US security alert warns Americans overseas of potential attacks on LGBTQ events

  19-05-2024 14:59 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department renewed a global security warning Friday for Americans overseas, adding to it that LGBTQ people and events in particular face an “increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence."The alert is a standard renewal of travel advice telling Americans to exercise increased caution against possible attacks by violent extremist groups while they are overseas. However, the last alert — issued in October — di
  
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• Bird flu is spreading, but should you be worried?

  19-05-2024 14:58 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a wastewater tracking dashboard Tuesday in an effort to monitor and stop the rapid spread of bird flu, which has been detected in cattle in nine states.Over 40 cattle herds across the country have confirmed cases of the H5N1 virus, also called bird flu. The CDC dashboard will track all influenza A viruses from 600 wastewater treatment sites around the country in order to help public health officials pinpoint where
  
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• These cities will pay you thousands to move there

  19-05-2024 14:55 via kxan.com
  
  ILLINOIS (KTVI) — At least three cities in Illinois are offering to pay people thousands of dollars to move there. Under certain conditions, of course.
  These opportunities come as the state of Illinois has lost around 240,000 people since the turn to the 2020s, according to new Census figures released this week. It's not necessarily a cause-and-effect trend, but rather a coincidence of some new local incentives.
  For three cities openly offering incentives, their populations are rather smal
  
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• An internal investigation into Round Rock ISD police describes a 'toxic' environment

  19-05-2024 14:43 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — An internal investigation into the Round Rock Independent School District Police Department describes the agency as “toxic” and “very divided.” The report, which was completed in October 2023, also expresses concerns with the district’s radio and dispatch office, saying “… There is a fear that the new dispatch system would not be able to handle severe security issues quickly.” In response, district officials t
  
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• Simone Biles shines in return while Gabby Douglas scratches after a shaky start at the U.S. Classic

  19-05-2024 14:33 via kxan.com
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Simone Biles certainly looks ready for Paris with more than two months to go before the Olympic games begin.
  The gymnastics superstar began her bid for a third Olympic team looking as dominant as ever at the U.S. Classic on Saturday, posting an all-around score of 59.500, nearly two points clear of runner-up Shilese Jones.
  The 27-year-old Biles, the 2016 Olympic champion, recorded the highest score on vault and floor exercise and came in second on uneven bars and bal
  
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• Uncomfortably hot with a few midweek storms

  19-05-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — We'll continue to run hot through the week with only a handful of storms in the mix beginning midweek.Today will feature hot, dry and mainly sunny conditions. Afternoon highs will soar into the 90s, and with the addition of humidity, will feel 5°-8° hotter than what the thermometer shows.Uncomfortable heat and humidity Monday afternoonOutside of a few more clouds, Tuesday will look and feel very similar.A storm system to our west will push the seasonal West Texas dr
  
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• Heat wave may continue through Memorial Day

  19-05-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It was another unseasonably hot May afternoon Sunday with high temperatures climbing to late June normals--in the 90s.A clear evening sky will be followed by increasing clouds with areas of fog developing overnight. Most lows will drop to the low 70s.After some morning low clouds, fog or mist, Monday and Tuesday will be dry, as well. You will notice an increase in fair-weather clouds both days. Highs will be in the low to mid 90s Monday, then mostly low 90s on Tuesday.A cha
  
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• Heat Index in triple digits today for many

  19-05-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Reporting stations at La Grange and Pflugerville recorded heat index readings of 101° Saturday afternoon. Higher humidity today will lead to a few more cities with heat index readings in triple digits. The heat index is what the temperature feels like to the both the air temperature and the dew point or the relative humidity are combined.Is summer starting early?The morning is starting with an overcast sky along with areas of fog. Both should be gone by 11 a.m. leaving
  
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• Does Austin get fewer tour stops than other big cities? A study says sort of

  19-05-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Some big names have brought their tours to Austin's Moody Center since it opened in 2022.
  With a brand-new venue, is Austin getting as many tour stops as other large cities? RELATED: Austin ranks among most expensive cities to see a concert: studyA study from Austin-based travel company Upgraded Points calculated which big cities got the most concerts for popular tours in 2023 and 2024 compared to their populations. At the top of the list are cities like New York,
  
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• Williamson County years away from getting medical examiner, county looking at other options

  19-05-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — Booths filled the Williamson County Exposition Center as job seekers looked for opportunities. On a Saturday in April, businesses came together at the job expo and business fair. Among the crowd three of the four Williamson County Justice of the Peace judges could be heard talking about health, court and deaths.Job expo and business fair in Taylor in April. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)
  Their black robes hanging in the backdrop.
  "I do more than just marry peopl
  
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