Austin news

• 'Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience' open in Austin through December

  09-11-2024 19:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Calling all Harry Potter fans!At 5 p.m. Saturday, the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience opens in McKinney Roughs Nature Park, located at 1760 State Highway 71 in Cedar Creek, Texas.The themed experience set in an illuminated forest allows guests to come face-to-face with some of the most memorable and magical creatures from the Harry Potter universe.Guests will follow a woodland trail through the spellbinding forest, just be sure to have your wands and cameras rea
  
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• 'Burning wet feathers' and 'death' smell prompts complaints in Bastrop

  13-11-2024 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) -- After a rainstorm and north wind, Terrie Lynn Bach braces for the smell that might hit her when she steps out the front door of her house on the northern edge of Bastrop.“It smells a lot like, I would think, burning wet feathers … and it smells like death,” Bach told KXAN in early November.It’s a pungent aroma. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it isn’t, she said. Bach and others have submitted numerous odor complaints over the years to
  
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• Austin Energy to install underground duct bank on Rainey Street

  13-11-2024 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Starting next month, Austin Energy and Capital Delivery Services will work on installing a new, underground electrical duct bank on Rainey Street. Austin Energy said the bank will house electrical lines from the Rainey Street Substation.Capital Delivery Services hosted an online community meeting on Tuesday night to discuss how the construction will impact the area, and go over project details.Austin Energy and Capital Delivery Services said the project will include:
  Installatio
  
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• More fall-like temperatures behind today's cold front

  13-11-2024 12:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today brings our first of two cold fronts within the next 7-days. This front will be a dry one, but some scattered mid-level and high clouds may filter out the sun at times during the mid-morning through early afternoon.The afternoon arrival of the front for most areas should mean that temperatures manage to reach the low to mid 80s near and east of I-35, even if the numbers are noticeably cooler in the Hill Country. FRIENDSGIVING CHALLENGE: DONATE TO THE CENTRAL TEXAS FOOD BANK
  
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• Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy named by President-elect Trump to 'dismantle government bureaucracy'

  13-11-2024 02:57 via kxan.com
  
  President-elect Trump has tapped tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an advisory group focused on cutting federal spending and reducing the size of the government.Trump announced Tuesday that Musk and Ramaswamy would lead his “Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), an initiative meant to “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures” and restructure federal agencies.Trump said that DOGE would "provide advice and guidance from outside of governm
  
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• Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy land Trump administration roles

  13-11-2024 02:57 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) -- President-elect Trump has tapped tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an advisory group focused on cutting federal spending and reducing the size of the government.Trump announced Tuesday that Musk and Ramaswamy would lead his “Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), an initiative meant to “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures” and restructure federal agencies.Trump said that DOGE would "provide advice and guidance from outs
  
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• Texas counties seek state EMS funding as costs rise

  13-11-2024 02:02 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Counties across Texas are using part of their budget to pay for their own fleet of ambulance services or they're contracting them out.These services require large portions of county budgets and, as costs for emergency services continue to rise, leaders are turning to the state for help.Terri Langford, the health and human services reporter at The Texas Tribune, joined KXAN's Will DuPree to discuss the reasons behind these rising costs and why there’s a growing need fo
  
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• Understanding the causes and recognizing the signs for holiday anxiety

  13-11-2024 01:26 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (FOX 44) -- "There's the constant visual reminders of the seasons changing. We are nearing the end of the year," says Counselor Specialist at Region 12, Jenipher Janek. "Stressors can come in the forms of financial worries about getting through the holidays. It might be past trauma of that individual or maybe a family strain".Coordinating family visits and travel plans can also cause an increase of stress during the holiday season."The biggest concern is the travel, making sure all o
  
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• Judge blocks Louisiana Ten Commandments law

  13-11-2024 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — A federal judge has temporarily halted a Louisiana law that mandates the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday which stops the state from enforcing the law until the issue is sorted in the courts.
  The judge wrote in the ruling that the law had an “overtly religious” purpose.A coalition of civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit against the state after Gov. Jeff Landry sig
  
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• APD: Woman arrested in connection with crash involving pedestrian, food truck

  13-11-2024 01:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A woman wanted in connection with a southeast Austin crash into a food truck that injured multiple pedestrians was arrested last week, the Austin Police Department told KXAN Tuesday.Regina Rodela, 38, was arrested on Nov. 7 and was charged with three counts of aggravated assault -- a second-degree felony. She was booked into the Travis County Correctional Complex on a $225,000 bond, where she remained as of Tuesday, according to APD. APD looking for woman accused of crashin
  
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• Homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Mahomes, Kelce were burglarized in October: police reports

  13-11-2024 01:15 via kxan.com
  
  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — The homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in October, Nexstar's WDAF has confirmed.According to two police reports obtained by WDAF, authorities responded to the incidents the day before and the day after the team's Oct. 7 game against the New Orleans Saints.Airlines pausing flights to Haiti after planes hit by gunfire
  WDAF has confirmed with the Cass County Sheriff's Office that a burglary report was taken on Sunday,
  
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• Texas lawmakers file record number of bills ahead of 2025 session

  13-11-2024 01:10 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Texas lawmakers submitted over 1,500 bills as the filing period opened on Tuesday, setting a new record for the most number of bills filed on the first day.Some staffers even camped out in the hallway behind the Senate chamber to secure their spot in line -- more of a symbolic move than a strategic one, as there is no real advantage to filing a bill early. Last year, fewer than 15% of bills filed became law — only 1,169 of the more than 8,000 filed.“A lot of pent-
  
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• Your paycheck may be larger in 2025, even if you don't get a raise

  13-11-2024 01:01 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — While there's plenty of time left in November, you may already have something exciting to look forward to in 2025: a slightly larger paycheck, even without a raise.
  Why? Thank the IRS.
  As it does every year, the agency recently announced roughly five dozen changes to various tax provisions that will impact 2025 (and when we file taxes in 2026). Among the notable changes were standard deductions rising by 2.7% and individual tax brackets shifting. Will you have a three-payday No
  
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• Report: Downtown Austin Community Court saw 261% increase in cases in FY24

  13-11-2024 00:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A missing person from Illinois previously living with debilitating mental illness on the streets of Austin, reconnected with family and was admitted to a residential treatment center back home. That's one of the success stories listed in a new Downtown Austin Alliance Community Court (DACC) annual report.Here's another: "The effort and dedication of DACC allowed me to get off the street, find a treatment center in my hometown and I have since celebrated over a year of unint
  
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• Texas' most senior senator looks ahead at upcoming legislative session

  13-11-2024 00:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas lawmakers broke a record Tuesday after they submitted more than 1,500 bills at the Capitol building on the first day of prefiling before the start of the 89th legislative session in January.As of 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Texas Legislature's online database showed 1,506 bills have been filed by lawmakers. The first senator to file her bills was Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a tradition she has continued for years. Her staff said interns in her office waited in line for 20 ho
  
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• City of Austin to host first-ever AI Summit after fake call into council meeting

  12-11-2024 23:22 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)—After an AI-generated call into an Austin City Council Meeting on Nov. 7, staff will have the opportunity to receive new Artificial Intelligence (AI) training.City of Austin A.I. Summit (Courtesy city of Austin)
  District 2 Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes made the announcement on Tuesday. Fuentes said it'll be the first-ever AI Summit hosted by the city of Austin for its employees. Austin City Council to look at city’s use of artificial intelligenceFuentes has led discussio
  
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• Family of 33-year-old man killed by Austin police files lawsuit against city

  12-11-2024 22:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The family of Rajan Moonesinghe, 33, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Austin and the three Austin police officers who responded to Moonesinghe's home in November of 2022.The officer who fired the deadly shots, Daniel Sanchez, also faces a deadly conduct charge in this case.Moonesinghe's family addressed the details in the lawsuit from the driveway of his south Austin home Tuesday."His bloody clothes were on the porch," his brother Mark said about coming to
  
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• AFD: 'Multiple apartments' catch fire in Southeast Austin apartment complex

  12-11-2024 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Fire Department is currently on the scene of a Southeast Austin apartment complex where multiple apartments caught on fire, the agency said on social media Tuesday.AFD said around 3 p.m. crews responded to the apartment complex in the 2100 block of Burton Drive with "heavy smoke and fire," the agency said.
  AFD said adjacent apartments were evacuated, along with pets inside those apartments. Crews continued looking for "additional life and fire."The agency said to cont
  
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• AFD: Expired fire extinguishers contribute to worsened damage at southeast Austin apartment complex

  12-11-2024 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A total of 17 people were displaced in a southeast Austin apartment fire that spread to 10 apartments, the Austin Fire Department said on social media Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported.AFD said around 2:30 p.m. crews responded to the Array Apartments in the 2100 block of Burton and were on scene within seven minutes.A resident of the complex who did not want to be named said he and three others tried to help put the fire out using the apartment's fire extinguish
  
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• AFD: 17 displaced in southeast Austin apartment complex fire, no injuries reported

  12-11-2024 22:32 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A total of 17 people were displaced in a southeast Austin apartment fire that spread to 10 apartments, the Austin Fire Department said on social media Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported.AFD said around 3 p.m. crews responded to the apartment complex in the 2100 block of Burton Drive with "heavy smoke and fire," the agency said.
  AFD said adjacent apartments were evacuated, along with pets inside those apartments. Crews continued looking for "additional life and fi
  
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• Texas DSHS reports significant increase in whooping cough cases

  12-11-2024 22:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported a sharp rise in pertussis (whooping cough) cases in 2024, with the number of cases so far this year nearly tripling compared to the same period in 2023. This increase is part of a larger national trend, where preliminary data shows a more than fivefold surge in cases across the United States.According to the DSHS, pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. It
  
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• Travis County updates federal partnership to crack down on wage thefts

  12-11-2024 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Travis County leaders are working with the federal government to minimize wage theft across the county, officials announced Tuesday.The Travis County District Attorney's Office announced its collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division to "enhance efforts against wage theft in Travis County," per the release. The latest agreement marks an update to the existing partnership between the two entities, permitting them to share information, lead joint inve
  
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• Speaker Mike Johnson: Republicans 'ready to deliver' on Trump's agenda

  12-11-2024 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that Republicans are “ready to deliver” President-elect Donald Trump's agenda after his election victory, insisting the GOP won't make the mistakes of last time and will be much better prepared for a second-term Trump White House.Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with the House GOP leadership team, the speaker said there would be no time wasted before work begins on Trump's “America Firs
  
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• Photos: H-E-B holds grand opening of new Pflugerville store

  12-11-2024 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas' top grocery store is opening its newest location in Central Texas.
  H-E-B is celebrating the grand opening of its new Pflugerville Parkway location on Wednesday. The store also hosted a ribbon-cutting for the new location on Tuesday.Excited customers were lined up early in the morning on Wednesday to be there ahead of the official grand opening at 6 a.m., and there were gift bags available for the first 200 customers at the grand opening.H-E-B holds grand opening of its ne
  
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• H-E-B hosts ribbon-cutting for new Pflugerville store

  12-11-2024 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Ahead of the grand opening for the Pflugerville Parkway H-E-B on Wednesday, H-E-B hosted a ribbon-cutting for the new location Tuesday.The Pflugerville Parkway H-E-B, located at 2641 E. Pflugerville Parkway, will open Wednesday at 6 a.m. H-E-B will host an official grand opening then, and the first 200 customers at the grand opening will get a gift bag.H-E-B holds a ribbon-cutting event on Nov. 12, 2024, for its new store in Pflugerville. (KXAN Photo/Ed Zavala)H-E-B holds a ribb
  
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• H-E-B holds grand opening of new Pflugerville store

  12-11-2024 21:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texas' top grocery store is opening its newest location in Central Texas.
  H-E-B is celebrating the grand opening of its new Pflugerville Parkway location on Wednesday. The store also hosted a ribbon-cutting for the new location on Tuesday.Excited customers were lined up early in the morning on Wednesday to be there ahead of the official grand opening at 6 a.m., and there were gift bags available for the first 200 customers at the grand opening.H-E-B customers line up for the gra
  
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• Court records: Woman charged with murder after killing man she claimed kidnapped her

  12-11-2024 21:53 via kxan.com
  
  GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A Texas woman was indicted on a murder charge related to a March incident in which she told a 911 operator she shot and killed a man she claimed kidnapped her, according to court documents.The incident happened in Fredericksburg and the charge was filed in Gillespie County. PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Sheriff: Woman shot alleged kidnapper; man found dead in FredericksburgAmy Lejeune was indicted on Oct. 8, according to Gillespie County court records.KXAN reached out to
  
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• LIVE: First Warning: Coldest air of fall arrives next week

  12-11-2024 21:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The First Warning Weather Team is seeing significant signals that the coldest air of the season (so far) looks on track to arrive toward the end of next week .WHAT: The coldest air of fall with highs in the 50's and 60's and lows in the 30's and 40's.WHEN: Nov. 20 through the 22.IMPACTS: Some frost may be possible in the Hill Country if the colder 30's are realized.First Warning: Coldest air of fall arrives next weekThe way the timing looks at this point, a cold front will be ar
  
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• First Warning: Coldest air of fall arrives next week

  12-11-2024 21:31 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The First Warning Weather Team is seeing significant signals that the coldest air of the season (so far) looks on track to arrive toward the end of next week .WHAT: The coldest air of fall with highs in the 50's and 60's and lows in the 30's and 40's.WHEN: Nov. 20 through the 22.IMPACTS: Some frost may be possible in the Hill Country if the colder 30's are realized.First Warning: Coldest air of fall arrives next weekThe way the timing looks at this point, a cold front will be ar
  
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• A teen drowned near a San Marcos River dam advocates have pushed for years to have removed

  12-11-2024 21:02 via kxan.com
  
  SAN MARCOS, Texas – A 17-year-old boy drowned while swimming near Cape's Dam on the San Marcos River, the city of San Marcos said. A city spokesperson said he was caught underwater near Thompson Island, a feature along the river. CPR was conducted on scene, and he was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the city said. “We are just heartbroken over the news that we have lost a life in the San Marcos River,” said Dianne Wassenich, who retired from be
  
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