Austin news

• Rain, strong to severe storms possible again Monday

  12-05-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Other than some light fog/mist or a brief scattered shower or storm, significant precipitation is unlikely tonight through the early morning Sunday.A Flood Watch is also in effect until Monday afternoon for Milam County. Earlier excessive rainfall may lead to flooding of creeks, rivers, and steams and other low-lying areas prone to flooding.Pockets of heavy rain led to some totals exceeding 3" in parts of Lampasas and Saba Counties. A measurement of 2.50" was reported at th
  
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• Chiefs cancel practice after player goes into cardiac arrest

  06-06-2024 22:06 via kxan.com
  
  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) -- The Kansas City Chiefs canceled practice on Thursday following a medical emergency involving defensive end B.J. Thompson.Thompson, a second-year defensive end for the Chiefs, was taken to the hospital after suffering a seizure and going into cardiac arrest.The Chiefs planned to wrap up their voluntary offseason workouts on Thursday, but a team spokesman said the practice would be pushed to Friday. Chiefs coach Andy Reid and other players plan to speak to reporters then
  
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• 15th annual Corporate Battle of the Bands to raise money for musicians' health care

  06-06-2024 20:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, also known as HAAM, hosted its 15th annual Corporate Battle of the Bands Wednesday night, along with a silent auction, all in the name of helping raise money to support area musicians.
  HAAM is a nonprofit organization that provides affordable health care for greater Austin’s low-income, working musicians.
  Each year, it hosts a "Corporate Battle of the Bands" event where local companies' employees compete in front of a panel of loca
  
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• Over 1.2M rechargeable lights sold nationwide recalled after death, fires

  06-06-2024 20:19 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Illinois-based Good Earth Lighting Inc. is recalling more than 1.2 million units of its Good Earth Rechargeable Integrated Lights after the reported death of one user and reports of injury and/or fires from others.Customers should immediately stop using the lights, which contain lithium iron batteries that can potentially overheat and cause the lights' plastic housing to catch flame, according to the recall.These jobs may not exist in 50 yearsThe recalled units can be identifie
  
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• Anthrax in Texas rancher linked to infected lamb

  06-06-2024 19:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A rancher in southwest Texas was linked to an "unusual winter case of anthrax" following the butchering of an infected lamb in December 2023.According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on Jan. 4, the rancher went to the hospital for fever, leukocytosis, a black eschar on his wrist, and extensive edema and blistered lesions on his arm.Investigators determined anthrax to be the cause of his illness 11 days after he butchered a lamb that died u
  
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• Texas Girl Scout awarded for LGBTQ+ library project

  06-06-2024 19:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One Central Texas Girl Scout is being recognized for her work to improve access to LGBTQ+ literature.Girl Scouts of Central Texas recognized Norah S. with a Silver Award for her project creating the Little Rainbow Library. The library includes a "carefully curated selection of books that represent and celebrate the LGBTQ+ experience," per a news release. Record number of book titles challenged in 2023 — here’s how Texas faredNorah's middle school doesn't feature
  
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• Downtown crime down since APD increased patrols, police say

  06-06-2024 18:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- About 8 months ago, the Austin Police Department (APD) launched an initiative to beef up downtown patrols. Now, Lt. Christopher Juusola, the operations lieutenant for the Downtown Area Command (DTAC), says the program has had an "immediate positive impact."The initiative was born from downtown stakeholder complaints primarily related to property crime and other "quality of life" issues."The vast majority of crimes in DTAC dropped compared to the year(s) prior," Juusola said. "Cr
  
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• Hutto man found guilty of sexual assault of a child, sentenced to 99 years in prison

  06-06-2024 18:42 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Following a three-day trial, a Williamson County jury found a Hutto man guilty of sexual assault of a child on Tuesday.According to the county’s district attorney, 39-year-old Josue Antonio Gurrola was given a sentence of 99 years in prison related to the conviction.“The jury's verdict of 99 years is a testament to the severity of the crime committed and the enduring impact on the victim’s life. We hope this sentence brings solace to the
  
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• CapMetro considering Leander Pickup Zone expansion

  06-06-2024 17:58 via kxan.com
  
  LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — CapMetro is considering a possible expansion to its Leander Pickup Zone to add new residential communities, shopping and medical centers to its coverage scope.The transit authority is proposing a 0.64-square-mile expansion to the existing zone. If approved, that expansion would offer transit services connecting riders to DaVita Leander Dialysis, Cedar Park Regional Emergency Center, Crystal Falls Crossing Apartments, the Lakeline Apartments and Randall's.CapMetro is
  
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• Travis Co. Clerk’s Office offering free wedding ceremonies to celebrate Pride, Marriage Equality

  06-06-2024 17:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Travis County Clerk's Office is celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride month and marking the ninth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision ruling same-sex couples have a right to marriage by offering free wedding ceremonies in late June.
  The office did the same thing last year for one day, but has expanded the offering to several days because of the success of last year's event, the office said in a release.Events happening in Austin to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride this month
  
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• Man arrested in hit-and-run during South by Southwest indicted on several counts

  06-06-2024 16:15 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video is from previous, related coverage we reported on April 1, 2024.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The man who was arrested in connection with a deadly hit-and-run in downtown Austin during South by Southwest was handed three indictments by a grand jury earlier this week, according to the Travis County District Attorney's Office.Man arrested in hit-and-run during South by Southwest now facing murder chargeDistrict Attorney José Garza's office said Tyrone Thompson, 23, faces
  
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• Is Austin's housing market overvalued? At least by one measure, the answer is yes

  06-06-2024 14:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- Home prices in Austin are eclipsing the median buying power of local residents.That's according to data from First American Financial Corp., which found the housing markets in at least half of the nation's major metro areas are overvalued compared to local buying power.Home prices have soared nationally over the past decade — especially during the pandemic — and that's driving a significant affordability crisis in many regions. High interest r
  
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• Watch Live: President Biden participates in D-Day remembrance at Normandy

  06-06-2024 14:08 via kxan.com
  
  PARIS (AP) — United States President Joe Biden will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France this week as he tries to demonstrate steadfast support for European security at a time when some allies fear Donald Trump threatens to upend American commitments if he wins another term in the White House.The trip comes as the deadliest fighting on the continent since World War II continues in Ukraine and allied countries struggle to find ways to turn the tide against Rus
  
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• Austin gun activist behind bump stock case awaits Supreme Court decision

  06-06-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (KXAN) — Throughout June, the Supreme Court will release opinions on several cases that the Justices heard during the term that started in October 2023. One pending case has a direct tie to Austin.The Court heard arguments earlier this year on the legality of a federal ban on bump stock rifle attachments, a case that was brought forward by an Austin gun store owner. Michael Cargill surrendered his bump stock devices in compliance with the 2018 ban issued by the Trump Admini
  
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• Williamson County now has more floodplains, study explains why

  06-06-2024 13:48 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Williamson County has some preliminary findings from its ongoing Atlas 14 Floodplain Mapping Study, researchers finding that the number of homes near floodplains has doubled since the last time the data was updated.The county partnered with the Texas Water Development Board for this study with the goal of updating floodplain information with rainfall data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2018.Cindy Engelhardt with H
  
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• Texas offense comes up short, Oklahoma takes 1-0 lead in WCWS Championship Series

  06-06-2024 04:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 1 Texas lost the opening game of the Women's College World Series Championship Series to No. 2 Oklahoma 8-3.
  The Longhorns must win Thursday night's Game 2 in order to keep their national championship hopes alive.
  Oklahoma is now one win away from winning their fourth straight national championship.
  The Sooners jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Tiare Jennings hit a two-run home run off Texas starter, freshman Teagan Kavan.
  Those were the first runs Kavan gave up
  
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• Police, transportation, housing: One-on-one with Austin Mayoral Candidate Kathie Tovo

  06-06-2024 04:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Former Austin City Council Member Kathie Tovo is already hitting the campaign trail in her race for mayor. She hosted her first official campaign event in south Austin Wednesday.
  She sat down with KXAN's Grace Reader ahead of that event to talk about priorities and how she would handle major issues like police staffing shortages and challenges to the city's land development code. This transcript was lightly edited for clarity and conciseness:
  Introduce yourself:
  I'm Kathie Tovo,
  
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• Texas A&M bonfire will not return to campus

  06-06-2024 03:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- After a monthslong review, Texas A&M University decided not to bring back the student bonfire tradition it discontinued 25 years ago after a deadly accident, President Mark Welsh III said Tuesday.For decades, students built a 60-foot bonfire every year ahead of football matches between A&M and the University of Texas at Austin. The tradition was suspended after tragedy struck in 1999, when a stack of logs collapsed in the middle of the night, killing 12 peop
  
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• Austin Water asking customers to conserve water Friday

  06-06-2024 03:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Water is asking customers to in southwest Austin to conserve water on Friday.The interactive map provided by Austin Water shows a large area that will be impacted."There is a small leak at the joints," said Randi Jenkins, assistant director of customer experience with Austin Water. "If it is not addressed, it becomes a worse leak and so taking care of this now on a large water main is a priority for us."Austin Water crews will be out on Friday morning to repair the 4
  
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• 'This incident could have been catastrophic': National Transportation Safety Board holds meeting on 2023 AUS near miss

  06-06-2024 02:25 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (KXAN) -- The National Transportation Safety Board determined two airlines came between 150 to 170 feet from one another at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2023. The board held a meeting to discuss its investigation into the near collision between a Southwest Airlines and a FedEx plane in Feb 2023. There were no injuries reported on either aircraft, according to the NTSB. Timeline shared of near-miss between 2 planes at Austin’s airport“This inciden
  
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• Safety recommendations to be released after near miss between planes at Austin's airport

  06-06-2024 02:25 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (KXAN) — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a meeting Thursday on its investigation into the near collision of two airliners at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2023.According to a release from the NTSB, the meeting will include "presentations from investigators, deliberate over the draft report and vote on the proposed findings, probable cause and safety recommendations" after the February 2023 incident at AUS. Timeline shared of near-miss between
  
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• 'Could have been catastrophic': NTSB holds meeting on near miss at Austin's airport

  06-06-2024 02:25 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON D.C. (KXAN) -- The National Transportation Safety Board determined two airlines came between 150 to 170 feet from one another at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 2023. The board held a meeting to discuss its investigation into the near collision between a Southwest Airlines and a FedEx plane in Feb 2023. There were no injuries reported on either aircraft, according to the NTSB. Timeline shared of near-miss between 2 planes at Austin’s airport“This inciden
  
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• One seriously injured in rollover involving concrete truck near Lakeway

  06-06-2024 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person was seriously injured after a concrete truck rolled over Wednesday afternoon near Lakeway, according to officials.Austin-Travis County EMS and Lake Travis Fire Rescue responded to the area of 528-745 Highlands Boulevard, which is near Lakeway, shortly before 4 p.m. for the crash. Travis County STAR Flight also responded to the crash, LTFR said on social media.One person was reported pinned in the vehicle, but LTFR said crews were able to remove that person from t
  
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• One seriously injured in rollover involving cement truck near Lakeway

  06-06-2024 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One person was seriously injured after a cement mixer truck rolled over Wednesday afternoon near Lakeway, according to officials.Austin-Travis County EMS and Lake Travis Fire Rescue responded to the area of 528-745 Highlands Boulevard, which is near Lakeway, shortly before 4 p.m. for the crash. Travis County STAR Flight also responded to the crash, LTFR said on social media.One person was reported pinned in the vehicle, but LTFR said crews were able to remove that person from th
  
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• 'It's alive down here': Construction on Lockhart’s downtown revitalization project could start in 2024

  06-06-2024 00:27 via kxan.com
  
  LOCKHART, Texas (KXAN) – Malachi Gonzales has been giving fades at Malachi's Barbershop for the past seven years. He’s lived in Lockhart his whole life and has witnessed many changes to the city, particularly the downtown square where the historic Caldwell County Courthouse is located. “[When] I was a kid I mean, these [buildings] had cobwebs in all the windows,” he said, between haircut appointments. “Now, It's it's alive down here. I mean, every day, the
  
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• HIV Long-term Survivors Awareness Day marks new future for patients

  05-06-2024 23:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — June 5 is HIV Long-term Survivors Awareness Day, marking the anniversary of a 1981 CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that first described cases of what would later be called HIV.A picture of the June 5, 1981 report by the CDC about deaths from "Pneumocystis Pneumonia," which would be renamed to AIDS years later. (Courtesy CDC)
  In 1983, HIV reached Austin; five years later, a group of people with AIDS opened The Austin Immune Health Clinic as "radical hospice care" f
  
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• VIDEO: Body camera shows response before police shot suspect making Molotov cocktails at gas station

  05-06-2024 23:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Body camera video released Wednesday shows the events that led Austin police to shoot an armed man who had holed himself up in a southeast Austin gas station and made Molotov cocktails. APD identifies man shot by police officer at southeast Austin gas stationAPD released two 911 audio files, one police radio traffic audio file and two body cam videos, surveillance footage from inside the the gas station and one drone video. The body cameras were worn by Officers James Fabian and
  
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• Abbott launches top 10 wanted illegal immigrants list

  05-06-2024 23:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the launch of an illegal immigrants list, which will comprise of the top 10 wanted illegal criminal fugitives, Abbott's office said in a news release Wednesday.The Top 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List is a joint partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The list will help find repeat offenders who have entered the country illegally are wanted for dangerous crimes committed in the state, the release said.
  
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• H-E-B chairman donates $20M to Texas food banks

  05-06-2024 22:41 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Wednesday, June 5, 2024.TEXAS (KXAN) — H-E-B chairman Charles Butt is donating $20 million to 20 Texas food banks statewide to help mitigate food insecurity, the grocer announced Wednesday.The donation comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture ranks Texas one of the most vulnerable states for food insecurity in the country. National data found the Lone Star State comes in second as the most food insecure U.S. stat
  
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• 'Grateful to be alive': Clubhouse programs take pressure off overwhelmed Texas mental health hospitals

  05-06-2024 20:43 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- When Jonathan Denhart was discharged from the psych ward at Austin Oaks Hospital last year, he was prepared to be back very soon.For more than 40 years, Denhart has cycled through rehabs, sober housing, mental health hospitals, and 12-step programs to treat his bipolar and substance use disorders, but nothing worked.The 60-year-old Austin resident couldn’t find or keep a job, and he knew once he left the hospital, the temptations of the outside world would be
  
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