Austin news

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott named to the 2024 TIME100 list of most influential people in the world

  17-04-2024 19:37 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Wednesday, April 17, 2024.HOUSTON (KIAH) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was just named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in their 2024 TIME100 list.
  The news magazine cited Abbott's zeal to give his politically conservative base cheers and progressives jeers through his actions on hot-button issues, such as diversity, gun control and the border."During his nine years as the governor of Tex
  
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• APD issues arrest warrants for 2 people related to fentanyl overdose deaths

  17-04-2024 20:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two people were charged and arrest warrants were issued in connection with fentanyl overdose deaths that occurred in September and December of 2023, according to Travis County court documents.An arrest warrant issued Tuesday was for a woman in connection with a fentanyl overdose death that occurred Dec. 25.Records showed 30-year-old Briyana Lenore Wilson had been charged with the manufacturing or delivery of a controlled substance causing death or serious bodily injury in c
  
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• February 2024: Which local restaurants received a perfect health inspection score?

  17-04-2024 19:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Health reported that it conducted 647 health inspections at locations (restaurants, grocery stores, school cafeterias, etc.) across Austin and Travis County in February, according to the agency’s public data portal. How Austin Public Health completes thousands of health inspections each yearNote, the numbers for March are preliminary. (Courtesy Amy McCurdy)For February, only two local restaurants earned perfect scores:
  The Steeping Room, located at 5621
  
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• Largest APD cadet class to graduate with 10 women

  17-04-2024 19:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department will welcome 39 cadets into the program Friday after completing the traditional Chief's Run on Wednesday. According to APD, 10 of the cadets were women.
  "This is the largest number of females that we've actually graduated in the class with," Interim Chief Robin Henderson said. "It's helping support our objective of having 30 percent of our workforce of the sworn officers to be represented by women.”The cadets ran in the mist Wednesday morning a
  
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• ACC South Campus being evacuated amid bomb threat investigation

  17-04-2024 19:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Community College's south location was evacuated shortly after noon Wednesday due to a reported bomb threat.
  ACC District said in a social media post at 12:07 p.m. police were investigating a bomb threat on the campus and that it was being evacuated.
  ACC South is located at 1820 W Stassney Ln. All other campuses are operating on normal schedules.The school said it would provide updates on social media, on the district's homepage, and shared directly to students and employ
  
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• NBA bans Jontay Porter after gambling probe shows he shared information, bet on games

  17-04-2024 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  The NBA banned Toronto two-way player Jontay Porter on Wednesday, after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games.Porter, the league said, gave a bettor information about his own health status prior to Toronto's game on March 20. The league said another individual, known to be an NBA bettor, placed an $80,000 bet that Porter would not hit the numbers set for him in parlays through an online sports book. That bet would have won $1.1 million.Port
  
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• $100K in cattle stolen from Texas ranch, law enforcement says

  17-04-2024 18:43 via kxan.com
  
  CLAY COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — Dozens of cattle have been stolen from a Texas cattle ranch, prompting Crime Stoppers and deputies with the Clay County Sheriff's Office to ask for the public's help.On April 5, 2024, at approximately 4:45 p.m., JW Cattle Company reported to CCSO that about 40 cows and the ranch's bull were missing from their ranch. Clay County is east of Wichita Falls. Report: California leads as state where Texans are moving from — and also relocating toThis incident repor
  
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• Parents of boy who died in Bastrop bus crash sue truck driver, his employer

  17-04-2024 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The parents of a deceased child filed a lawsuit against a concrete company and one of its truck drivers, who collided with a Hays CISD bus their child was on, according to a complaint filed in the Bastrop County District Court.At the time of reporting, KXAN is aware of at least five other lawsuits against truck driver Jerry Hernandez and his employer, FJM Concrete LLC. KXAN has reached out to the defendants' attorneys for comment on the lawsuits. $1 million l
  
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• Austin teenagers help raise money, awareness for clean water projects in East Africa

  17-04-2024 17:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin teenagers participated in a campaign to help raise money and awareness for clean water projects in East Africa on Tuesday.
  Austin-based nonprofit Well Aware partnered with Matthew McConaughey's Just Keep Livin Foundation to host a "Water Walk" fundraiser at Juan Navarro High School Tuesday evening. Students from three local schools participated in the walk.Austin teenagers help raise money, awareness for clean water projects in East Africa (KXAN Photo/Jordan Belt)Austin t
  
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• LIVE: Inside the Investigations: Austin ISD HVAC projects

  17-04-2024 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Each week the in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team will get a spotlight on KXAN Live.A conversation will happen Wednesday morning with investigative reporter Kelly Wiley and KXAN Live anchor Will DuPree to break down one of this week’s top stories. People can watch the live stream in this story or on the KXAN News Facebook page starting at about 9 a.m.Inside the Investigations: Concrete pump truck driver deemed ‘imminent hazard’The
  
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• Inside the Investigations: Austin ISD HVAC projects

  17-04-2024 15:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Each week the in-depth reporting from the KXAN Investigates team will get a spotlight on KXAN Live.A conversation will happen Wednesday morning with investigative reporter Kelly Wiley and KXAN Live anchor Will DuPree to break down one of this week’s top stories. People can watch the live stream in this story or on the KXAN News Facebook page starting at about 9 a.m.Inside the Investigations: Concrete pump truck driver deemed ‘imminent hazard’The
  
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• Travis Audubon: April bird forecast

  17-04-2024 15:14 via kxan.com
  
  What to watch for in April:  Charismatic FlycatchersAUSTIN (KXAN) -- April is an especially exciting time to watch birds. Late March saw early migrating songbirds and shorebirds, and that trickle will turn to a stream of warblers, vireos, buntings, hawks, gulls, shorebirds, and others as the month progresses.Some newly arriving flycatchers are often heard before they are seen, from the 6 inch uncommon twittering Vermilion Flycatchers to larger noisy flycatchers like the 10 inch Scissor-tail
  
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• South Lamar closed near Barton Springs due to emergency repair

  17-04-2024 15:13 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- South Lamar Boulevard is closed just south of Barton Springs Road Wednesday morning for emergency repairs in the area.
  Austin Transportation and Public Works said in a post on X at 7:46 a.m. there was an emergency street closure south of Lamar and Barton Springs and all lanes on Lamar were closed. Real Time Traffic MapAustin Energy's outage map around 8 a.m. showed an outage in the area with the cause listed as "An obstruction to the electrical grid has occurred (e.g., a traffic
  
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• Why is it called Bee Cave, and how 8 more Central Texas cities got their names

  17-04-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The above video shares historical tidbits about Austin's iconic Barton Springs.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Are there bees in Bee Cave? Can you see waterfalls in Marble Falls? Several cities in Central Texas were named for prominent figures or early settlers. But some local cities have a more storied name history.  RELATED: How did these Austin neighborhoods get their names?Here’s how a few Central Texas communities got their names: Bee CaveThe city west of Austin go
  
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• TDCJ adding air conditioning to more units following heat concerns

  17-04-2024 13:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Construction is underway on air conditioning projects in five additional facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, intended to cool more inmates and guards after both groups have raised concerns about the conditions during Texas' hot summer months.The projects will cool an additional 2,149 beds, with another 11,565 eyed for 13 additional AC projects currently in the "design" phase.‘It’s inhumane:’ Dangerous TDCJ heat conditions on
  
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• Heavy rain, flooding risk this weekend

  17-04-2024 13:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Daily rain chances continue today through Friday with the main event likely to come this weekend.Mainly cloudy skies, warm temperatures (upper 80s) and humid conditions are expected areawide today. A few spots of drizzle/light rain/sprinkles are possible this morning, followed by an isolated storm or two later this evening in the Hill Country.Thursday holds a slightly high rain chance due to a cold front north of us and a dryline west of us throwing a few storms our way. A low r
  
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• Dozens of Texas water systems exceed new federal limits on “forever chemicals”

  17-04-2024 05:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) -- In Texas, 49 public water utility systems have reported surpassing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s first-ever limits for five “forever chemicals” in drinking water, according to data submitted to the federal agency.Experts say there are likely more since not all water systems have submitted their data.PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widespread and long lasting in the environment. They are called “forever
  
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• Colin Allred outraises Ted Cruz, outpaces Beto O’Rourke’s early 2018 fundraising

  17-04-2024 04:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Dallas Congressman Colin Allred raised more than $9.5 million in this year's first quarter, outraising U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for his seat.
  This year, Cruz has raised $6.9 million in the first quarter, according to new filings with the Federal Elections Commission.
  Allred is also surpassing the numbers Beto O'Rourke was bringing in at this stage of his campaign in 2018, when the El Paso Democrat ran the most competitive statewide campaign for his party in de
  
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• 'Fiscal discipline': City of Austin's financial forecast points to tighter budget process

  17-04-2024 04:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin City Council members were briefed on the city's financial forecast Tuesday. It points to the need for a more conservative budget over the next few years, city staff said.
  "It's a very different forecast from what we had last year," Interim City Manager Jesús Garza said at the beginning of the presentation. "This change in the fiscal environment requires us to have fiscal discipline so that we can maintain solid finances in this organization."
  Of the overall challen
  
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• Judge rules against City of Austin over South Central Waterfront funding

  17-04-2024 04:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Friday, a Travis County district judge ruled against the City of Austin in an April 2023 lawsuit filed by a group of Austin property taxpayers, saying the city violated state law when it approved the use of some property tax dollars to help redevelop the area south of the river from downtown.
  The lawsuit argued city officials shouldn't be allowed to put tax dollars toward the development, which the city calls the South Central Waterfront District. That district includes the p
  
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• San Marcos city council to consider Lindsey Street development for student housing

  17-04-2024 01:47 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – The San Marcos City Council will consider Tuesday approving a new student housing development near the Texas State University campus and the San Marcos downtown.This will be the second and final reading for the development, planned to go in a plot of land southwest of the intersection between Lindsey Street and North Street. San Marcos City Council approved the first of two readings in a 6 - 1 vote in early April. If Council votes in favor of the developer,
  
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• Longhorn football growth clear ahead of spring game, draft

  17-04-2024 01:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's a pretty safe bet that on any football team, the quarterback room will be the most talked about. Texas football is far from an exception.Two top recruits headline the room with third-year starter Quinn Ewers leading the group ahead of redshirt freshman Arch Manning. Longhorns head coach praised Ewers' development and rapport with a new receiving corps over the spring. Horns Report: Texas men’s hoops busy in the transfer portal, Orange-White spring game coming up
  
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• Second person dies after downtown Austin hit-and-run crash during SXSW

  17-04-2024 01:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said a second person has died following a vehicle-pedestrian crash in downtown Austin during the week of South by Southwest.The hit-and-run crash happened in the early morning hours on March 12 at Seventh and Red River Street following a police chase with a vehicle, according to police documents. ‘He was going places’: Austin chef killed in downtown hit-and-run crashAPD previously said Cody Shelton, 26, was killed in the crash and a
  
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• Why police investigate deaths on Lady Bird Lake even if they're not suspicious

  16-04-2024 23:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- "Pretty much any time there's a death in Austin outside, the homicide unit will respond to that," Sgt. Nathan Sexton with the Austin Police Department's (APD) homicide unit said.This year, crews pulled two bodies from Lady Bird Lake - one near City Hall, and another near the Longhorn Dam. Authorities said the person found near City Hall was a woman. Police, at this point, are not ruling either of them a homicide. Another body was found near the lake.MAP: 'No connection,' trackin
  
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• 'Seriously injured survivors' suing truck driver, company involved in Hays CISD bus crash

  16-04-2024 23:51 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A group of victims from the deadly crash involving a Hays CISD school bus and a concrete pump truck filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the truck driver and truck company.
  The new lawsuit from "the most severely injured survivors" alleges the parties responsible for the crash "reflect a larger problem within our community," according to attorney Jason Feltoon, who is representing seven students and one parent from the crash.RELATED: $1M lawsuit filed against conc
  
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• Will Tesla lose its tax incentives, rebates because of Austin layoffs?

  16-04-2024 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --- For years, Tesla has received millions of dollars in tax rebates and incentives from both Travis County and Del Valle ISD for its Gigafactory. ‘It’s heartbreaking’: Tesla employees in Austin blindsided by layoffsBut will any of that go away because of the Austin-based company's recent round of layoffs?
  The layoffsOn Monday, news broke that Tesla is firing more than 10% of its workforce globally.Tesla plans to lay off 10% of workforce after dismal quarterly sal
  
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• APD offering specialty counselor trainings to aid trauma victims

  16-04-2024 23:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department is looking for nonprofit and private sector mental health counselors to assist in counseling services for trauma victims, the department said in a release Monday.APD has $50,000 dedicated to the project. It calls for trainings with selected counselors in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, per the release. Selected counselors can undergo the trainings in exchange for "50 pro bono counseling sessions for survivors of tra
  
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• Texas sales tax holiday starts April 27 for emergency supplies

  16-04-2024 23:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — With severe weather season approaching, Texans can prepare for emergencies and save some dollars during the sales tax holiday beginning April 27.
  The Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday runs from April 27-29 with no purchase limit on the number of qualifying items, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office. RELATED: Peak severe weather season is almost here in Central TexasEligible purchases include:
  Household batteries, first aid kits, coolers for food stora
  
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• Man sentenced to 18 years for 2021 murder in Austin

  16-04-2024 22:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the 2021 murder of a man in southeast Austin, according to court documents.
  Jacovi Sattiewhite, 21, was sentenced to 18 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including 779 days of jail credit, on March 28. He pleaded guilty to murder in February, documents states.
  In February 2021, Austin police responded to Willow Creek Drive in southeast Austin and found a man who appeared to have been shot in a car. The victim wa
  
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• US Cabinet member visits Austin Community College

  16-04-2024 22:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Central Texas continues to have a growing presence in the semiconductor industry, a U.S. Cabinet member paid a visit to one of Austin's local colleges on Monday.U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo stopped by Austin Community College District Highland campus to learn about the college's manufacturing and semiconductor training programs.Raimondo toured ACC's impact lab and met with students. ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell-Lowery Hart said the college is part of a broader ecosy
  
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