Austin news

• Bartlett firefighters boosted by new slip-on unit to help fight wildfires

  16-11-2019 17:16 via kxan.com
  BARTLETT, Texas (KXAN) — A new piece of apparatus will help the Bartlett Volunteer Fire Department to serve their community even better going forward.The fire crew used money from a grant to replace a slip-on unit, which will help them tackle wildfires.“We appreciate the new slip-on unit that will be used to fight grass, hay and wildland fires in our immediate rural area and during mutual aid calls that extends to parts of three counties,” Bartlett VFD Senior Captain Scott Maso
  
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• City of Austin could revisit its long-term housing goals

  08-05-2024 03:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin could take another swing at its long-term comprehensive housing goals. The Housing Department applied for a $10 million federal grant to do it.
  "An update to the blueprint is going to take a couple years so the housing department is already looking right now at how we can make sure that five years down the road we have an update ready to go," said Austin City Council Member Ryan Alter.
  In 2017, Austin City Council set forward lofty housing goals, called the St
  
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• How a fentanyl dealer can get charged with murder in Texas

  08-05-2024 01:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Increased criminal penalties involving individuals who distribute deadly doses of fentanyl have been in place for almost a year.According to Texas law, if someone knowingly gives fentanyl to someone else, and the recipient dies, the person who provided the recipient with fentanyl can face murder charges. 5 arrested after sting operation in north Austin"Fentanyl is a devastating drug because it has such a lethal impact. Because of that, the legislature has equated fentanyl w
  
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• Travis County holds final in-person foreclosure auction

  08-05-2024 01:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Travis County held its final in-person foreclosure auction Tuesday morning. Starting in June, it will host these sales online, the release said.Travis County has auctioned off foreclosed properties at the county courthouse.Those auctions happen on the first Tuesday of the month, and only those in person could bid, according to a news release from the Travis County Tax Assessor.County leaders said moving the auctions online will be good for bidders and the county's bottom li
  
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• Vandegrift girls golf wins second-straight state title

  08-05-2024 01:24 via kxan.com
  
  GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - Looking to defend their UIL State Championship in Class 6A, the Vandegrift girls golf team found themselves behind San Antonio Reagan by three strokes after day one. An impressive Tuesday powered the Vipers to lift the same hardware they did a season ago, claiming their second-straight state title with a team score of 586."[It] feels great," said Vandegrift head coach Aaron Ford. "It's as good as the first one. The girls worked so hard this year putting in all the hour
  
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• Drought has led to 'dire' water supply in Kyle, purchasing more from San Marcos

  08-05-2024 00:33 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – The City of Kyle wants to purchase more water from San Marcos to support its growing community. Severe drought has affected many communities across Central Texas. While Kyle’s population in recent years has increased annually by 8%, its water supply has not grown with it. “The drought condition has just left our water supplies decreasing,” said Amber Schmeits, the assistant city manager of Kyle. “Everybody in Central Texas is feeling t
  
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• Drought has led to 'dire' water supply in Kyle, could purchase more from San Marcos

  08-05-2024 00:33 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – The City of Kyle wants to purchase more water from San Marcos to support its growing community. Severe drought has affected many communities across Central Texas. While Kyle’s population in recent years has increased annually by 8%, its water supply has not grown with it. “The drought condition has just left our water supplies decreasing,” said Amber Schmeits, the assistant city manager of Kyle. “Everybody in Central Texas is feeling t
  
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• Man shot by unknown suspect in south Austin, police say

  08-05-2024 00:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police said a man died after a shooting in south Austin Sunday night. Police said the suspect is currently unknown and left the area following the shooting.APD is investigating the incident as the city's 20th homicide of the year, police said.Officers were called to the 700 block of West William Cannon Drive, which is near South First Street, around 11 p.m. Sunday for a man who was bleeding. Police found the man on the ground with an apparent gunshot wound, according
  
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• TSA checkpoint changes coming to AUS on May 8

  07-05-2024 23:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Starting Wednesday, there will be some changes to the security lines at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.Those changes are meant to make screening a breeze by consolidating some of the lines, AUS said in a news release.Checkpoints 1 and 2, near the Southwest and Delta entrances, will not serve as General Screening only.
  Checkpoint 2 West, over by American Airlines, will consolidate TSA precheck and clear screening, according to AUS.As for Checkpoint 3, it is closed for
  
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• 'Grease' actress dies at 72: 'She was magic'

  07-05-2024 23:20 via kxan.com
  
  (WJW) — Susan Buckner, well-known for her role in "Grease" and others on the small screen, has died. She was 72.
  In a statement to Nexstar, Melissa Berthier, a publicist for the family, said Buckner died peacefully and surrounded by friends on Thursday, May 2. No cause of death was listed.Samantha Mansfield, Buckner's daughter, described her mother as her "best friend" to People, adding that "the light she brought into every room will be missed forever.""She was magic, and I was very lucky
  
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• Travis County Commissioners discuss ongoing I-35 project concerns

  07-05-2024 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A plan to help some of the congestion you have to deal with on Interstate 35 in Austin is under the microscope by Travis County leaders.It has to do with whether or not funding should be released before an environmental impact study is complete.The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is in charge of the project, but Travis County leaders have some concerns."TxDOT is the 600,000-pound gorilla in the room," Precinct 2 Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea said. "They
  
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• Travis County Commissioners discuss ongoing I-35 connect project concerns

  07-05-2024 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)— A plan to help some of the congestion you have to deal with on Interstate 35 in Austin is under the microscope by Travis County leaders.It has to do with whether or not funding should be released, before an environmental impact study is complete.The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is in charge of the project, but Travis County leaders have some concerns."TxDOT is the 600,000 pound gorilla in the room," Precinct 2 Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea said. "They
  
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• Travis County Commissioners discuss on-going I-35 connect project concerns

  07-05-2024 23:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)— A plan to help some of the congestion you have to deal with on Interstate 35 in Austin is under the microscope by Travis County leaders.It has to do with whether or not funding should be released, before an environmental impact study is complete.The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is in charge of the project, but Travis County leaders have some concerns."TxDOT is the 600,000 pound gorilla in the room," Precinct 2 Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea said. "They
  
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• Baby hawk born under TxDOT camera in North Texas

  07-05-2024 22:43 via kxan.com
  
  IRVING, Texas (KXAN) -- Mother's Day is right around the corner, and a red-tailed hawk got to see her baby hatch right under a Texas Department of Transportation camera in North Texas.Rochelle, the mother of the baby hawk, has had the same nesting spot on a TxDOT traffic camera pole in Irving since 2011, the agency said in a news release.A baby hawk was born under a Texas Department of Transportation camera | Courtesy TxDOTRochelle was named after the intersection of Rochelle Drive and State Hig
  
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• Manor ISD adds mental health days, discussing salary increase for staff

  07-05-2024 22:03 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- Manor Independent School District staff will soon have days dedicated to their mental health starting the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the district.The district said full-time employees will receive two mental health days a year, one each semester, "in addition to the standard state and local leave days already granted to staff members." Pflugerville ISD board approves 3% pay raise for district employeesManor ISD said it's the first district to implement ment
  
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• Which 2024 ACL artists are returning acts or from Texas?

  07-05-2024 21:33 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Tuesday, May 7, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup dropped Tuesday morning, and there are several names and faces from -- or well acquainted with -- the Lone Star State.This year's headliners include Dua Lipa, Tyler, The Creator, Chris Stapleton, Blink-182, Sturgill Simpson, Pretty Lights, Khruangbin and Leon Bridges.The 2024 festivities mark Dua Lipa's first time performing at AC
  
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• New development hopes to help hundreds of older, unhoused adults in Austin

  07-05-2024 21:25 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new housing development specifically for older people experiencing homelessness broke ground on Tuesday.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: New affordable housing is on its way to AustinCairn Point Cameron is a 100,000-square-foot housing development that will provide affordable housing for the unhoused community in Austin.
  "150 units. 100 of which will be permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness," Austin Housing Department Interim Director Mandy DeMayo said.Developers
  
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• Cattle swept away in Lampasas River, found in Belton

  07-05-2024 20:55 via kxan.com
  
  LAMPASAS / BELL COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) - Several cattle washed up in Stillhouse Hollow Lake after being swept away in the Lampasas River. This was due to the severe weather and flooding from last weekend.
  Elsa Holm tells FOX 44 News that her husband Corey was out boating with a friend at Stillhouse Hollow Lake on Monday. Elsa says three cows were found in the water at the lake, in addition to more being found by other people. Most of the cows came from Lampasas.Elsa says cattle were found along
  
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• Lockhart ISD could potentially join the ACC taxing district

  07-05-2024 20:28 via kxan.com
  
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) -- Those living in Lockhart may get the opportunity this November to vote on an annexation item to join the Austin Community College taxing district.
  The Austin Community College District Board of Trustees on Monday night unanimously certified a petition from residents living in territory covered by Lockhart Independent School District who are interested in adding an ACC annexation item to November's ballot, according to a release from the board.
  If approved, Lockhart ISD
  
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• TikTok sues to block potential US ban

  07-05-2024 20:07 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) -- TikTok sued to block the law that would force the application to be divested from its Chinese-based parent company, ByteDance, or be banned from the U.S.In a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the U.S. government, TikTok and ByteDance argued that the law, the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversaries Act, violates the First Amendment.The law gives ByteDance 270 days to sell TikTok to a new company that will be allowed to operate it in the U.S., or the app will be banned from America
  
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• ERCOT issues Weather Watch for Wednesday, expects 'unseasonably high' temperatures

  07-05-2024 19:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a "Weather Watch" for Wednesday, May 8.
  ERCOT said in a post on social media the watch was issued due to "unseasonably high temperatures, high levels of expected maintenance outages during the spring shoulder months, and the potential for lower reserves."The grid operator said grid conditions are expected to be normal during a Weather Watch and can be monitored online.Hottest stretch of 2024 so far with isolated storm
  
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• Biden condemns antisemitism at Holocaust remembrance

  07-05-2024 18:26 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden condemned the “ferocious surge of antisemitism in America and around the world” during a Tuesday ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust at a time when the Hamas attack on Israel and controversy over the war in Gaza have sparked new waves of violence and hateful rhetoric toward Jews.“We’re at risk of people not knowing the truth," Biden said of the horrors of the Holocaust, when 6 million Jews were
  
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• Boy Scouts of America changing its name to be more inclusive

  07-05-2024 18:25 via kxan.com
  
  IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks. With an eye on increasing flagging
  
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• Forbes declares these Texas schools new Ivy Leagues

  07-05-2024 17:22 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Tuesday, May 7, 2024.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- New reporting from Forbes published last week outlines a host of college campuses employers are turning to instead of Ivy League institutions -- including two in Texas.The University of Texas at Austin and Rice University joined the rankings of new public and private school elites which are "attracting the smartest students and plaudits from employers."Forbes' researchers said the eva
  
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• LIVE: Energy drinks show 'damaging' effects on young adults, multiple studies show

  07-05-2024 17:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Energy drinks are increasingly becoming the go-to solution for college students seeking a boost as the end of the semester draws near, according to Brittany Krim, a registered dietitian and University of Texas kinesiology professor. However, these beverages could pose more harm than aid to students' well-being, according to several studies."The research has either been a denying health outcome or a negative one," Krim said. "So if it's neutral or bad, I just tend to shy awa
  
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• Energy drinks show 'damaging' effects on young adults, multiple studies show

  07-05-2024 17:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Energy drinks are increasingly becoming the go-to solution for college students seeking a boost as the end of the semester draws near, according to Brittany Krim, a registered dietitian and University of Texas kinesiology professor. However, these beverages could pose more harm than aid to students' well-being, according to several studies."The research has either been a denying health outcome or a negative one," Krim said. "So if it's neutral or bad, I just tend to shy awa
  
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• Doctor talks about rise of strokes in young people, importance of knowing the signs

  07-05-2024 17:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Researchers are looking into why stroke rates seem to be rising among young people, or those under the age of 55.A study of more than 94,000 people found a 67% increase in stroke incidence among younger adults, while there was a 15% decrease among older adults.“It does seem like the risk of stroke is going up for some younger people, I think it's all due to the same risk factors, actually,” said Dr. Clinton Wright a Vascular Neurologist and Associate Director of Nati
  
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• Dua Lipa, Chris Stapleton, Blink-182 to headline 2024 ACL

  07-05-2024 16:14 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Tuesday, May 7.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin City Limits Music Festival announced its lineup Tuesday morning, featuring headliners Dua Lipa, Tyler, The Creator, Chris Stapleton, Blink-182, Sturgill Simpson, Pretty Lights, Khruangbin and Leon Bridges.
  It's a guarantee each year that fans speculate who the performers will be, but this year the buzz has been high in part because of a payphone that popped up in Zilker Park ove
  
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• Extreme weather will be focus on new undergrad program at University of Texas

  07-05-2024 12:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the school year comes to a close, extreme weather is ramping up. Recent flooding in the Houston area and tornadoes in West Texas are reminders that weather is difficult to predict around the globe. A new degree program at the University of Texas in Austin hopes to address that.Starting in the fall, UT's Jackson School of Geosciences will offer a program in climate sciences."We're seeing a lot of students now. They take one class and they say, 'Hey, this class made me realize
  
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• Kyle is looking into ways to improve cell service in the city

  07-05-2024 05:17 via kxan.com
  
  KYLE, Texas (KXAN) – At its meeting on Tuesday, the Kyle City Council will consider whether more cell towers are needed throughout the city to bridge gaps in coverage and support the rapid population growth. Some Kyle residents told KXAN on Monday that there are spots throughout the city where their mobile phones lose service. “There’s all kinds of little pockets that get messed up,” said James Boisvenue, who has lived in Kyle for two years. ”I definitely
  
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