Austin news

• Family of armadillos takes mud bath to beat the heat at Inks Lake State Park

  17-06-2024 18:05 via kxan.com
  
  INKS LAKE, Texas (KXAN) — A family of armadillos was caught on camera taking a mud bath while trying to beat the heat.Inks Lake State Park posted the video to their Facebook page on Friday, saying, "Mud isn't just for exfoliation!"The park said the sighting of four siblings all at once is somewhat rare. Nine-banded armadillos are native to Texas. They're the only mammal to always give birth to identical quadruplets. QUIZ: State bird to state nickname — Do you know Texas’ offici
  
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• A default TV setting makes movies look cheap. Here's how to turn it off

  27-09-2024 20:30 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – Do you trust the manufacturer to set your TV up well? You shouldn't, film buffs say.
  Newer HD TVs have a default setting that can make watching sports or other live TV look nice and smooth. It's called "motion smoothing" or "motion interpolation," and it smooths out fast-moving images, eliminating blur.
  But cinephiles say it makes movies shot on film look worse. Because movies are often shot at lower frame rates than your new TV is designed to deliver, the TV adds in extra fram
  
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• Resident worried after increase in pedestrian crashes

  27-09-2024 20:02 via kxan.com
  
  HUTTO, Texas (KXAN) — Williamson County population growth is showing no signs of slowing down, and KXAN noticed increased complaints from viewers about traffic and crashes involving pedestrians.KXAN Traffic Anchor Erica Brennes dug into the data and found a steep rise in crashes in one rapidly growing Central Texas area.It was hard to imagine when State Highway 130 opened more than a decade ago that one day there would be morning and evening rush hour on the expansive toll road. But that's
  
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• Coast Guard rescues boater and dog during Hurricane Helene, video shows

  27-09-2024 19:53 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) – The U.S. Coast Guard saved a boater and his dog from dangerous waters near Florida's Sanibel Island as Hurricane Helene approached Thursday.The storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 but weakened to a tropical storm by Friday morning, had threatened the Gulf Coast with storm surges that forecasters warned were potentially “unsurvivable.” PHOTOS: Aftermath of Helene in FloridaVideo of the rescue, which occurred about 25 miles off Sanibel Island on Florida's Gu
  
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• Austin now requires pet microchips. Which other Texas cities have similar mandates?

  27-09-2024 19:26 via kxan.com
  
  (KXAN) — Austin is the latest in a series of Texas cities to mandate microchipping for all pets within the city, following approval from Austin City Council on the code amendment Thursday.Austin's now-approved code amendment requires microchipping for animals "at least four months of age" that aren't wildlife or livestock, according to city documents. There aren't any fees or criminal charges related to the mandate; instead, city efforts are designed to focus on educational outreach and se
  
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• Kristen Currie covers Hurricane Helene on the ground in Florida

  27-09-2024 18:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Meteorologist Kristen Currie is in Florida, giving us a firsthand look at Hurricane Helene and its impacts.
  Helene made landfall along Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night as a Category Four hurricane. It weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia by Friday, but not without knocking out power for 3 million in the southeast U.S. and taking a few lives, according to The Associated Press.
  Currie is joined by photojournalist Jordan Belt and field producer Rick Taylor. Catch
  
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• Hurricane Helene: What to expect from rescue efforts

  27-09-2024 18:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After Hurricane Helene slammed Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, crews from around the country have stationed or are on standby to help with rescue efforts. That includes some from Texas, on the Texas A&M Task Force 1.
  Jeff Conrad, the director of Field Operations for Texas Search and Rescue (TxSAR), a volunteer nonprofit that helps with search and rescue missions, missing persons and things like swift water rescue and disaster response trainings, talked to KXAN about what
  
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• How The Morning Jo's run club avoids the Texas heat

  27-09-2024 18:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Morning Jo's run club in Austin promotes building a faster and stronger community. The inclusive running club has a pace for everyone and meets every Tuesday mornings at Jo's Coffee on South Congress.Cameron Nguyen is one of the group leaders who explained how The Morning Jo's have been running through the streets of Austin for seven years. Anyone who wants to join them can follow their Facebook or Instagram @themorningjos.Nguyen mentioned running in the morning is an e
  
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• Texas AG sues Austin over funds for out-of-state abortion care

  27-09-2024 17:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin over the city's budgetary allocation to support out-of-state abortion services, Paxton's office announced in a Friday release.Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said earlier this month the city of Austin was moving forward with the Reproductive Health Grant, a $400,000 allocation included in the city's fiscal year 2024-25 budget to support Austinites seeking abortion care outside of Texas.
  
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• Austin transit organizations promote 'Week Without Driving' initiative

  27-09-2024 17:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A coalition of Austin-area transportation organizations is encouraging Central Texans to take part in the Week Without Driving initiative from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.The goal of the event is to highlight "the everyday realities of those who, by circumstance or choice, do not drive," according to an event notice from the Central Texas chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU-CTX).
  Participating organizations include CNU-CTX, CapMetro, Movability, Transit Forward, ADAPT
  
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• One dead following 'family violence' incident in Pflugerville

  27-09-2024 17:16 via kxan.com
  
  PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — The Pflugerville Police Department said one person died Thursday following reports of a disturbance.PPD said officers responded to the 17900 block of Altesino Cove and found one person injured. Life-saving measures were performed, but the person died.According to police, a suspect was taken into custody at the scene, and a weapon was also recovered by law enforcement.Pflugerville Police said the incident was an isolated case of "family violence," and the invest
  
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• Police continue to testify in officer's deadly conduct trial, bodycam vid shown

  27-09-2024 16:02 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: This video is from Thursday's news coverage of court proceedings.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The fourth officer who was with Officer Christopher Taylor during the 2019 911 call for Mauris DeSilva will continue his testimony at Taylor’s trial Friday morning.911 callers said DeSilva was walking on the street and in his condo complex with a knife to his throat. One caller repeatedly requested a mental health officer.The call ended with Taylor and another officer, Karl Krycia, shooti
  
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• Free spays, neuters for pets in Travis County for limited time

  27-09-2024 16:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Beginning Friday morning, Travis County and Austin Animal Center said they would offer free spays or neuters for dogs and cats.The opportunity will be available at the Travis County Expo Center at 7311 Decker Lane from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday.“Appointments are first come, first serve. Pet owners are encouraged to arrive early,” organizers said.In order to qualify, pet owners must be Travis County residents and show proof of residency, which can be ve
  
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• Map: When will the leaves change color in Texas?

  27-09-2024 14:15 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — It's that time of year again. Football is back, it's almost time for sweater weather, and pumpkin-flavored drinks and treats are being sold everywhere you look.But the one thing missing is those beautiful colors in the trees when the leaves start changing and, well you know, falling.While states up north are slowly starting to see those pretty red, orange, and yellow leaves, Texans are forced to wait. So when exactly will Texas see the leaves begin to change?A foliage map from
  
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• 'Saving a Generation' special program aims to put faces on the fentanyl crisis

  27-09-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) - Fentanyl poisonings are killing thousands of people across the country.While recent data shows a decrease in drug deaths, the numbers remain at crisis levels.The deaths highlight the importance of awareness and education to help save lives.A special program airing Oct. 4 on KXAN and Nexstar stations across the country aims to put faces on this national crisis. "Saving A Generation: The Fentanyl Crisis" tells the stories of families who have lost loved ones and turned that pain
  
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• Border Report Live: Where illegal immigration is trending up

  27-09-2024 12:56 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) -- The number of arrests for illegal border crossings has fallen from an all-time high to some of the Biden administration's lowest this fiscal year alone. Yet some areas of the border are seeing encounters going up.In this week's episode of "Border Report Live" (Fridays at 11 a.m. ET), host Chip Brewster and Border Report correspondents Sandra Sanchez and Julian Resendiz examine the factors that are either slowing or increasing illegal migration across the U.S.-Me
  
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• Texas high school football scores for Thursday, Sept. 26

  27-09-2024 05:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dripping Springs easily put Akins away 63-0 and Liberty Hill thumped Navarro 64-0 in high school football action around Central Texas on ThursdayPflugerville Connally beat Crockett 63-7 and Travis won 55-8 over Eastside. Westwood used a strong second half to top Manor 28-16 in the KBVO Game of the Week.
  REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score in this scoreboard, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it o
  
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• Dak Prescott throws 2 TD passes and Cowboys win 7th straight over Giants, 20-15

  27-09-2024 05:39 via kxan.com
  
  EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Dak Prescott threw one of his two touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys taunted the Giants yet again, winning 20-15 on Thursday night for their seventh straight victory over New York and 14th in 15 games.
  Prescott, who has won his last 13 starts against the Giants, hit running back Rico Dowdle on a 15-yard screen pass for a touchdown to put Dallas ahead in the first quarter. He then found Lamb for a 55-yard catch-and-run TD on a play that ended
  
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• APD identifies 33-year-old in deadly crash between CapMetro bus and motorcycle

  27-09-2024 05:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Thursday, the Austin Police Department identified a 33-year-old man who died after a crash between a CapMetro bus and motorcycle in north Austin Tuesday, the agency said in a news release Thursday.Around 7:40 a.m., officers responded to the 100 block of East Koenig Lane for the crash. The motorcyclist was identified as Joshua Lee-Michael Babb. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to police. There was also a passenger on the CapMetro bus who was transported to the ho
  
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• Texas Supreme Court leaves State Fair’s gun ban in place

  27-09-2024 04:30 via kxan.com
  
  (AUSTIN) -- The Supreme Court of Texas on Thursday night denied Attorney General Ken Paxton's emergency filing seeking to overturn the State Fair of Texas’ policy banning all firearms from its fairgrounds. The fair is set to start Friday."It should go without saying—though perhaps it cannot be said often enough—that a judge’s role in this case is not to decide whether the State Fair made a wise decision. Our job, instead, is to decide whether Texas law allowed the State F
  
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• Helene strengthens to a Category 4 hurricane as it nears Florida's Gulf Coast

  27-09-2024 01:44 via kxan.com
  
  CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Helene strengthened into a Category 4 storm hours ahead of its expected landfall on Florida’s northwest coast Thursday night as forecasters warned that the enormous system could create a “nightmare” storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S.Helene, which had strengthened into a Category 3 storm earlier Thursday, prompted hurricane and flash flood warnings extending far beyond the coast up into n
  
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• 1,200 volunteers needed for Austin homelessness count

  27-09-2024 01:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) is looking for around 1,200 volunteers to help conduct surveys for the biannual Point In Time (PIT) Count for January 2025, the nonprofit said in a news release Thursday.The PIT Count is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2025, the release said. How many people are homeless in Austin? City commits to more transparencyThe PIT Count is a one-night survey to count the amount of people who are experiencing homelessness in the Austin area. ECHO
  
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• Watch: Moose swims alongside paddleboarders at Colorado reservoir

  27-09-2024 01:08 via kxan.com
  
  DENVER (KDVR) — Paddleboarders at Chatfield State Park in Littleton, Colorado, were joined by an unexpected guest looking to cool off in the water.A moose was spotted swimming in Chatfield Reservoir just mere feet from people on paddleboards. Barb Delong captured the amazing video and posted it to Nextdoor.According to Delong, the massive animal spent around 30 minutes swimming and walking around the reservoir.‘Disappeared into thin air’: Colorado family offers $200 for return
  
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• Ewers' status still in flux for SEC opener, Sarkisian said decision to come Friday

  27-09-2024 01:08 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said Thursday the decision on whether quarterback Quinn Ewers plays in the Longhorns' Southeastern Conference opener will come Friday.Ewers is recovering from an abdominal strain that kept him out of the 51-3 home win over Louisiana-Monroe, allowing redshirt freshman Arch Manning to make his first career start. Ewers is officially listed as questionable on the SEC injury report released Wednesday. How Texas’ defense became one of the b
  
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• Disney+ cracking down on password sharing, raising subscription fees: What to know

  27-09-2024 01:05 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Disney CEO Bob Iger wasn't goofing around last month when he warned the company would be going after password sharing on its streaming services "in earnest" in September. In addition to its crackdown, Disney+ is raising subscription fees for some plans.On Wednesday, Disney+ representatives said the service has "expanded its paid sharing program to give its users ways to enjoy their Disney+ subscription along with a family member or friend, through the management of de
  
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• USPS wants to raise stamp prices 5 times over the next 3 years

  27-09-2024 01:02 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) -- A standard first-class stamp costs 73 cents today, but that price could go up five times within the next three years.
  The United States Postal Service proposed raising the price of postage stamps in a document submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission on Monday.
  The price hikes would begin in July 2025, followed by additional increases every January and July through the end of 2027. The agency said these adjustments are necessary for it to meet its "legal obligation to be financ
  
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• Helene now a 'very dangerous' Category 4 hurricane

  27-09-2024 01:01 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hurricane Helene is now a "very dangerous and large" Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).Helene is expected to bring "catastrophic" storm surge and wind when it makes landfall on Florida's northwestern coast Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.At 6:20 p.m. EDT, Helene was located 120 miles west of Tampa and 165 miles south of Tallahassee, moving at 23 mph with maximum sustained winds at 130 mph.Helene is expec
  
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• Helene now a 'very dangerous' Cat 4 hurricane

  27-09-2024 01:01 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Hurricane Helene is now a "very dangerous and large" Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).Helene is expected to bring "catastrophic" storm surge and wind when it makes landfall on Florida's northwestern coast Thursday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.At 6:20 p.m. EDT, Helene was located 120 miles west of Tampa and 165 miles south of Tallahassee, moving at 23 mph with maximum sustained winds at 130 mph.Helene is expec
  
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• Helene makes landfall as 'very dangerous' Category 4 hurricane

  27-09-2024 01:01 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Thursday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters warn that the enormous system could create a “nightmare” storm surge and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S.At 11 p.m., the NHC reported that Helene had maximum sustained winds of 140 and was located 65 miles west of Cedar Key while moving north-northeast at 24 mph. It made lan
  
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• Watershed Protection investigates impact of Spicewood Springs water main break

  27-09-2024 00:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Monday's water main break on Spicewood Springs Road has had an impact on the nearby watershed, according to Austin Water. Previous: Water line repairs expected to complete ThursdayAn Austin Water spokesperson said Thursday that the department has been collaborating with the city's Watershed Protection Department (WPD) since the main broke. On Wednesday, that team-up found around 100 dead fish in the vicinity.
  That area is also home to the Jollyville Plateau Salamander, a fe
  
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