Austin news

• Jocelyne Wildenstein, Swiss socialite known for extreme plastic surgeries, dies at 84: reports

  01-01-2025 23:17 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Jocelyne Wildenstein, the Swiss socialite who rose to prominence after her 1997 divorce from billionaire Alec Wildenstein and later, because of her various cosmetic procedures, has died at the age of 84, according to multiple international outlets.Wildenstein's partner, designer Lloyd Klein, told French international news outlet AFP that Wildenstein died of a pulmonary embolism in Paris, as reported by Paris Match and Daily Mail. Klein added that she died inside a Parisian pala
  
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• Austin couple returns 1 year after wedding at polar plunge

  01-01-2025 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A decade after onetime sweethearts reconnected at the Barton Springs Polar Bear Plunge, an Austin couple rung in New Year's Day celebrating the same tradition — along with one year of marriage.Steve Smith and Janeen Bailey dated back in the mid-1980s in College Station before going their separate ways. Both moved to Austin and reconnected back in 2015 at the annual New Year's Day plunge.
  On Jan. 1, 2019, Smith and Bailey donned matching blue-and-white striped bathing
  
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• 1 dead after fatal hit-and-run crash in north Austin

  01-01-2025 22:26 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A pedestrian died at the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash in north Austin Sunday, Dec. 29, Austin Police Department said.The city of Austin reported it was the 94th fatal crash of 2024, according to the Austin Police Department. Police said a vehicle hit the pedestrian in the 8900 block of South Interstate 35 Northbound just after 4 a.m. on Dec. 29.Police said the suspect fled the scene following the crash. The city recorded 101 fatalities due to these crashes in 2024, ac
  
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• City of Austin has previously looked at changes to popular downtown streets

  01-01-2025 22:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Over the last year, city leaders in Austin have floated proposals to change some of the most popular streets with heavy pedestrian traffic. That includes re-opening a chunk of Sixth Street while closing parts of Congress Avenue."Keeping it closed is probably for the best," Jeremy Lee said speaking on a proposed pilot plan that would keep Sixth Street open to traffic all the time. RELATED: What’s the latest on a developer’s 6th Street rejuvenation projectSixth Street
  
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• How to crush your 2025 health goals: Expert's tips for staying on track all year

  01-01-2025 22:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – You’ve set your health and fitness goals for 2025, but now what? Experts emphasize that consistency is key, even when your goal feels far out of reach.“Unfortunately, many people give up on their resolutions around six to eight weeks into the new year,” said Dr. Anne-Kathrin Eiselt, applied behavioral science director at Teladoc Health.Teladoc Health is a platform that connects individuals with doctors, dietitians, therapists and other clinical experts. Ei
  
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• Safety barriers on Bourbon Street weren't up during deadly New Orleans attack

  01-01-2025 21:13 via kxan.com
  
  New Orleans, Louisiana (KXAN) — The safety barriers protecting New Orleans’ Bourbon Street were under construction, and not up, when a driver plowed into a crowd on the street in the early hours of New Year's Day, killing at least 10 people.  The project to replace the city’s old bollards along Bourbon Street with newer stainless-steel bollards began in early November and was set to continue until January, according to the city’s plans posted online. Online plans sho
  
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• Sugar Bowl CFP quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame postponed after deadly truck attack

  01-01-2025 20:26 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd about a mile away early Wednesday, killing at least 10 people.The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the 70,000-seat Superdome, has been pushed back 24 hours to Thursday night. The Latest: FBI identifies driver in deadly New Orleans attack“For now, that's the plan,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff
  
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• Driver rams New Year's revelers in New Orleans, killing 10; FBI doesn't believe he acted alone

  01-01-2025 20:25 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A driver wrought carnage on New Orleans' famed French Quarter early on New Year's Day, killing 10 people as he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd before being shot to death by police, authorities said.More than 30 people were injured as Wednesday's attack turned festive Bourbon Street into macabre mayhem. The FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone. An Islamic State group flag was found on the vehicle's trailer h
  
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• Texas officially does away with mandatory vehicle inspections

  01-01-2025 20:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the clock chimed midnight Wednesday morning, Texans rung in 2025 — and the state's mandatory vehicle inspections officially became a thing of the past.During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers voted to eliminate the annual vehicle inspection requirements mandated for most vehicles. Gov. Greg Abbott officially signed that legislation into law on June 13, 2023. ICYMI: Texas passes bill eliminating mandatory vehicle inspectionsBeginning Wednesday, vehicle owners
  
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• PHOTOS: Austinites splash into 2025 with Barton Springs Polar Bear Plunge

  01-01-2025 18:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — While some Austinites dipped their toes into 2025, others dove head first as part of the annual Barton Springs Polar Bear Plunge.The polar plunge has been a New Year's staple in Austin for more than 45 years, nonprofit organization Save Our Springs Alliance said. The free event kicked off at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and runs until 2 p.m., according to the Austin Watershed Protection Department.Austinites participate in the annual Barton Springs Polar Bear Plunge in Austin on New
  
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• Multiple people dead, dozens injured in New Orleans 'vehicle attack'

  01-01-2025 17:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Ten people are dead and more than 30 were injured after a truck plowed through barricades on Bourbon and Iberville Streets in New Orleans on New Year's Day, officials said.KXAN's sister station WGNO reported the multiple deaths and dozens of injuries, as well as details on two officers who were shot New Year's morning. RELATED: 10 dead, dozens injured after car plows into crowd in New Orleans: ‘Horrific act of violence’Sources confirmed to WGNO that the suspect
  
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• New Year's baby born at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin

  01-01-2025 17:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Happy New Year! An Austin family had extra to celebrate this Jan. 1 as they welcomed a baby girl — the first baby to be born at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin in 2025.Parents David Mejia and Eli Juana Pacajojlopez welcomed their daughter, Kiara Mejiapacajoj, at 12:07 a.m. Wednesday. Dr. Madeline Pence delivered Kiara, who came into the world weighing eight pounds and 10 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.
  Parents David Mejia and Eli Juana Pacajojlopez welcomed
  
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• 7 changes following KXAN's investigations in 2024

  01-01-2025 15:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The mysterious death of a 14-year-old girl. A deadly crash into an Austin hospital. The arrest of a Central Texas tutor. A small-town medical emergency.These were the stories at the center of our team’s most impactful investigations in 2024. These investigations resulted in new city ordinances, revised autopsies, and lawmakers filing bills sparked by KXAN’s reporting set to be considered when the 89th legislative session begins in January.Here’s a list of
  
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• VOTE: Help us choose the best KXAN viewer photo of December 2024

  01-01-2025 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story.
  We've created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available.Editor’s Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month
  
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• RESULTS: This is the best KXAN viewer photo of December 2024, as voted by you

  01-01-2025 14:45 via kxan.com
  
  This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story.
  We've created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available.Editor’s Note: The video above shows the latest forecast from the KXAN First Warning Weather team.AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here at KXAN, we get hundreds of photos sent to us each month
  
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• Zillow economist calls Austin's housing market 'healthy' going into 2025

  01-01-2025 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A senior economist for real estate company Zillow told KXAN that the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan housing market is set to enter 2025 in a "healthier" spot than its previous "unsustainably hot" situation.Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy said in a Dec. 11 interview that 2024 saw a "cooling in the housing market." The company rated the Austin-Round Rock Metro as a buyer's market in an October 2024 report."We're in a period of transition, and we're going to continue to see
  
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• 15 dead, dozens injured after car plows into crowd in New Orleans: 'Horrific act of violence'

  01-01-2025 14:24 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (WGNO/AP) — Fifteen people are dead and dozens are injured after a pickup truck plowed into a group of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on New Year's Day, the New Orleans Police Department said.New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell called the incident a "terrorist attack" during a press conference on Wednesday. On Wednesday, New Orleans Police stated that the incident was intentional and preliminary investigations revealed that the driver drove around barricades to con
  
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• 10 dead, dozens injured after car plows into crowd in New Orleans: 'Horrific act of violence'

  01-01-2025 14:24 via kxan.com
  
  NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Multiple people are dead after a car plowed into a group of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on New Year's Day, the New Orleans Police Department said.New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell, at a press conference on Wednesday, called the incident a "terrorist attack."The mass casualty incident happened around 3:15 a.m. at the corner of Bourbon and Iberville streets. As of Wednesday morning at 6 a.m., the New Orleans Police Department reported 10 fatalities with
  
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• Public crime statistic dashboard coming to Hutto

  01-01-2025 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) -- As the City of Hutto continues to grow, the police department is bringing on a crime analyst to help the department stay proactive in the fight against crime."As our city grows one of the biggest issues we're seeing are crimes of opportunity," Chief Jeffrey Yarbrough said. "For example, when you have residential areas, subdivisions, new businesses going in, people may go into those communities and see building materials... or see new residences being built and they may go
  
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• 10 dead, 30 injured after car plows into a crowd in New Orleans

  01-01-2025 13:05 via kxan.com
  NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' famed Canal and Bourbon Street in the first hours of New Year's Day, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency.New Orleans police earlier said they were responding to a mass casualty incident, including fatalities. NOLA Ready advised people to stay away from the area.
  It said the injured had been taken to five local hospitals.
  The incident came toward the
  
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• Will you need a REAL ID to fly in 2025?

  01-01-2025 12:31 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — If you're planning to take a flight in 2025, you may want to double-check your wallet: the long-awaited REAL ID rule will be taking effect.Come early May, you will need a REAL ID-compliant ID (which you may already have) to board a domestic flight. It will also be necessary if you are visiting certain federal facilities or entering a nuclear power plant. Why your paycheck may grow in 2025, even without a raiseOnce the REAL ID requirement kicks in, federal agencies like TSA will
  
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• Warming trend cut short by upcoming cold front

  01-01-2025 12:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Our warming trend kicks in today and continues through the upcoming weekend... but don't get too comfortable.Clouds will try to give way to sunshine this afternoon, starting in the Hill Country and attempting to reach the Austin Metro later in the day. Temperatures will reach the low to mid-60s for most, but will be warmer in the Hill Country where sunshine develops earliest.Clouds will fill back in Thursday night into Friday morning with lows in the upper 40s. Friday should see
  
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• Slow warm-up into the weekend

  01-01-2025 12:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We'll start Thursday with a mostly cloudy sky along with spotty sprinkles or drizzle. Clouds will try to give way to sunshine Thursday afternoon, starting in the Hill Country and attempting to reach the Austin Metro late in the afternoon. Highs should reach the low 60s on Thursday, but will be warmer in the Hill Country where sunshine develops earliest.Thursday highsClouds will fill back in Thursday night into Friday morning with lows in the upper 40s. Friday should see the sun
  
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• The world welcomes 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges

  01-01-2025 11:19 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — From Sydney to Mumbai to Paris to Rio de Janeiro, communities around the world welcomed 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges.
  The New Year’s Eve ball dropped in soggy Times Square, where thousands of revelers stuck it out in heavy rain to celebrate the start of 2025 in New York City.
  Countries in the South Pacific Ocean were the first to ring in the New Year, with midnight in New Zealand striking 18 hours before the ball dropped in Times Square.
  
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• Multiple people injured in balloon-drop incident at Massachusetts arcade

  01-01-2025 05:31 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – Nearly a dozen people suffered minor injuries during a balloon drop at an arcade in Massachusetts.The New Year's Eve event took place at an arcade called In the Game, located roughly 20 miles northeast of Boston in the city of Peabody. WATCH: Terrifying video shows train smashing into Florida fire truckCellphone footage recorded by Terri Whitaker shows a packed gathering of people cheering as they wait for the balloons to fall, confetti falling from the ceiling.Cheers of excite
  
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• 20K+ people likely at Austin's New Year's Eve party at Auditorium Shores

  01-01-2025 03:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- At least 20,000 folks likely opted to celebrate the welcoming of 2025 at the city's annual New Year's Eve party at Auditorium Shores, according to Visit Austin."Looking at estimations for our occupancy rate and our average daily revenue for our downtown hotels, they were slightly above average than the same day last year," said Wesley Lucas with Visit Austin. "So there are definitely some people in town taking advantage of those great deals the hotels are offering."Festivities o
  
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• Stagnant housing market? Redfin report highlights Austin

  01-01-2025 01:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --- A new report from real estate company, Redfin, mentioned Austin for having more than half of home listings not sell for two months or more in November.
  The report said 62.4% of Austin homes sat on the market for 60 days or longer without going under contract in November.
  Realtor with Fathom Realty, Miriam Moorman, said several different factors could contribute to that situation.Austin’s housing market: How quickly are homes selling, and for how much?"It is traditionally
  
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• Gal Gadot says she had 'massive blood clot' in her brain during pregnancy

  01-01-2025 01:04 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — "Wonder Woman" actor Gal Gadot revealed Sunday that she underwent emergency surgery earlier this year after a "massive blood clot" was found in her brain while she was eight months pregnant.
  In a long post to Instagram, Gadot called 2024 a year "of profound challenges and deep reflections." She went on to explain that in February, while awaiting the arrival of her fourth daughter, she had been "enduring excruciating headaches that confined me to bed."An MRI showed Gadot had "a
  
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• Texas Supreme Court dismisses State Bar lawsuit against assistant attorney general

  01-01-2025 00:49 via kxan.com
  
  (The Texas Tribune) -- The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit against Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster that sought to take away his law license for engaging in “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation” in a legal filing he and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton submitted regarding 2020 election results.The ruling upholds an earlier one by a Williamson County district judge who decided that taking Webster’s license would violate the Texas Constituti
  
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• While Skattebo gets the headlines, Arizona State has dual-threat weapon in QB Sam Leavitt

  01-01-2025 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When people think of the Arizona State Sun Devils this season, it's typically about the angry-running bruiser Cam Skattebo. That's for a good reason, but the improbable Big 12 Conference champs also have another weapon, redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt.Leavitt transferred from Michigan State and won the starting job over Jeff Sims. He didn't get much of a shot with the Spartans as a true freshman, completing 15 of 23 pass attempts for 139 yards in four games, but h
  
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