Austin news

• Homicide in Travis Co. highlights need for stronger mental health services, leaders say

  28-06-2024 01:21 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Tuesday's killing of a 21-year-old woman has emphasized the need for better mental health resources in Travis County, various groups told KXAN.According to court records, a 19-year-old is accused of killing her 21-year-old relative inside their northeast Austin home. Deputies arrested the suspect, Keziah Titus, on murder charges.
  Titus' arrest affidavit outlines a graphic, violent episode and state she admitted to killing one family member, trying to kill another a
  
  Read more

• 32-year-old inmate dies at Travis County Jail

  30-06-2024 22:25 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Travis County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a 32-year-old inmate at the Travis County Jail died, TCSO officials said in a Sunday release.TCSO said Ayanna Lashawn Smith, 32, of Austin was discovered unresponsive in her jail cell around 9:20 a.m. Friday. TCSO staff began administering CPR before Austin-Travis County EMS arrived on scene. Officials said medics were unable to resuscitate Smith.She had been arrested on Tuesday and charged with crimina
  
  Read more

• How to protect your vehicle from the Texas heat this summer

  30-06-2024 14:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's summertime in Texas, and with it comes more extreme heat and the possibility of severe weather. Paired with more intense weather patterns is summer vacation, a time when many Texans will likely hit the roads seeking a little rest and reprieve.Before a storm front rolls in or you venture off for a road trip, here are some key areas you should check on your vehicle to ensure you're traveling safely.Your summertime car care checklist"Starting off, severe weather or not, [
  
  Read more

• Beryl now a Category 3 hurricane

  30-06-2024 14:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- At 7 this morning Hurricane Beryl's winds are up to 115 mph making it Category 3 major hurricane. Further strengthening will continue today with winds potentially reaching 130 miles (Category 4) late tonight. The hurricane was 420 miles east-southeast of Barbados moving west at 21 mph.
  The next forecast track will be issued by 10 a.m.Hurricane warnings are posted for Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Jamaica is going to take a direct hit Wednesday
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Rip currents are a big danger to beachgoers: Here's how to escape one

  30-06-2024 13:26 via kxan.com
  
  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Stinging jellyfish, rays with their whip-like tails and sharks on the hunt are some ocean hazards that might typically worry beachgoers. But rip currents are the greatest danger and account for the most beach rescues every year.Six people drowned in rip currents over a recent two-day period in Florida, including a couple vacationing on Hutchinson Island from Pennsylvania with their six children and three young men on a Panhandle holiday from Alaba
  
  Read more

• 'Ultra rare' $500 banknote from 1930s to be auctioned off

  30-06-2024 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — An "ultra rare" $500 banknote from the 1930s is set to be auctioned off Wednesday.According to Hansons Auctioneers, the banknote was printed 90 years ago and is part of a major collection of rare USA notes uncovered in Wales.William Hayward, a coin/banknote valuer at Hansons, said the banknote is rare for a number of reasons. For starters, Hayward said just having a $500 note in your pocket in 1934 would have been extremely unusual.
  (Hansons Auctioneers)
  “It&rsqu
  
  Read more

• '12 good years': Hulk Hogan hints at political aspirations

  30-06-2024 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan suggested he could offer 12 years of leadership if elected to political office, hinting at possible presidential ambitions in a Wednesday interview on NewsNation's "Dan Abrams Live.""If I was the VP, and then all of a sudden I roll right into that top spot, four years later ... you get 12 good years out of me," Hogan said. "And then all of a sudden, we would really be on track."The 70-year-old WWE Hall of Famer and entrepreneur joined the show to
  
  Read more

• Texas bakery behind viral MAGA cookie now offers Biden-themed option

  30-06-2024 13:21 via kxan.com
  
  WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A Texas bakery that recently went viral for its controversial "MAGA" cookies is now offering a creation catered to the other side of the political spectrum.Margie's Bakery & Deli made national headlines in recent weeks for selling cookies frosted with the word "MAGA," an acronym for the phrase "Make America Great Again" that was adopted by supporters of Former President Donald J. Trump. PREVIOUS STORY: MAGA cookie from Wichita Falls bakery goes viralThe bake
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• These 20 cities have the worst commutes, study finds. Are you stuck in one of them?

  30-06-2024 13:18 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – If you're stuck in traffic every morning and every evening, is it comforting to know you're not alone? The average American adult spends 219 hours a year – or more than nine full days – commuting every year, a new analysis by MoneyGeek found.The personal finance site used data from the Census, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TomTom, plus gas prices to determine where residents have the best and worst commutes.
  Six of the 10 worst places for commuters
  
  Read more

• Chinese lunar probe returns to Earth with the world's first samples from the far side of the moon

  30-06-2024 13:14 via kxan.com
  
  BEIJING (AP) — China's Chang'e 6 probe returned on Earth on Tuesday with rock and soil samples from the little-explored far side of the moon in a global first.The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday afternoon in the Inner Mongolian region.“I now declare that the Chang’e 6 Lunar Exploration Mission achieved complete success," Zhang Kejian, Director of the China National Space Administration said shortly in a televised news conference after the landing.This China
  
  Read more

• Addicted to coffee? It may be genetic, researchers explain

  30-06-2024 13:14 via kxan.com
  
  SAN DIEGO (KSWB/KUSI) — New research suggests that coffee habits, whether in excess or scarcity, could be partially linked to genetics.Researchers at UC San Diego recently examined and compared data from U.S.-based 23andMe, the personal genomics and biotechnology company that provides genetic testing services to help people gain a better understanding of their ancestry and genetic predispositions.The study's senior corresponding author, Dr. Sandra Sanchez-Roige, a professor in th
  
  Read more

• People are buying records again. But will the vinyl revival last?

  30-06-2024 13:13 via kxan.com
  
  (KTLA) -- The kids thought they had it all figured out.You could access all your saved music and millions of other songs on a phone or digital device for eternity (or at least until the platform shuts down).It was so cool … until it wasn’t.Welcome to the vinyl revival, as it’s being called, where even the youngest kids have decided their grandparents had it right all along.  Good old-fashioned analog LPs are back big time. The Recording Industry of America
  
  Read more

• 'I will win this battle': Dick Vitale reveals new cancer diagnosis

  30-06-2024 13:12 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- ESPN Analyst Dick Vitale revealed on Friday that he has a cancerous lymph node on his neck.
  "My report on the Biopsy of the Lymph Node in my neck has arrived & it is cancerous," Vitale said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "With all the [prayer emojis] I have received & the loving support of my family, friends, and ESPN colleagues I will win this battle."Vitale, who lives in the Sarasota area, said he has surgery scheduled for Tuesday, and thanked everyone
  
  Read more

• Beryl now a Category 4 hurricane

  30-06-2024 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The day dawned partly to mostly cloudy. Once again, most area low temperatures dropped to the mid to upper 70s.Camp Mabry's low was 79°, five degrees above normal. The low at Austin-Bergstrom was 77°. More on the local weather later in this discussion.Shortly after our 10 a.m. newscast ended the National Hurricane Center updated the status of Hurricane Beryl. Maximum sustained winds increased to 130 mph making it a Category 4 hurricane. Category 5 winds begin at 157 mph.
  
  Read more

• Beryl breaking records

  30-06-2024 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hurricane Beryl is now breaking some hurricane records. The storm is the earliest Category 4 on record in the Atlantic Basin as well as the strongest June hurricane on record. The rapid strengthening and the intensity of the storm are due to low wind shear and record warm sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic. Beryl went from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just 42 hours! To have a storm like this in June is truly remarkable, especially considering that the
  
  Read more

• APD seeking the public's help to find 40-year-old missing man

  30-06-2024 04:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department has asked for the public's help in its search for a missing 40-year-old who was last seen Saturday afternoon in downtown Austin, according to a press release from the agency.Police identified the missing man as Daniel Choi, and said he was last seen in the 600 block of Davis Street around 1:04 p.m. His friends found his cellphone on the ground at Caesar Chavez and South First Street around 5:45 p.m., APD said in a news release.APD said it has concern
  
  Read more

• Overcrowding at popular park preventing people from getting home

  30-06-2024 04:17 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park sees massive crowds as the weather becomes warmer this summer, and neighbors near the park worry that a large turnout during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday could create a safety hazard.
  "It's really disconcerting to not be able to leave your own neighborhood," said Amy Bulls, who has lived near Commons Ford park her entire life.
  The line of cars waiting to get out during Memorial Day at Commons Ford park (Abigail Jones/KXAN Photo).There
  
  Read more

• 38 dogs, close to drowning, saved by fishermen from Mississippi lake

  30-06-2024 03:40 via kxan.com
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — By the time fishermen spotted the first head bobbing above the water, the 38 dogs were exhausted and struggling to stay alive.The hound dogs had plunged into a large Mississippi lake while chasing a deer, a diversion during a fox hunt. Bob Gist, who was fishing on the lake, knew they had no chance.“A deer can swim the Mississippi River, and those dogs are not going to catch a deer in the water,” he recalled Friday.They weren't going to survive, either, Gist and t
  
  Read more

• Stadium-sized asteroid buzzes by Earth on Saturday: 5 things to know

  30-06-2024 02:16 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — An asteroid the size of a football stadium threaded the needle between Earth and the moon Saturday morning — the second of two astronomical near misses in three days.Near miss, in this case, is a relative term: Saturday’s asteroid, 2024 MK, came within 180,000 miles of Earth. On Thursday, meanwhile, asteroid 2011 UL21 flew within 4 million miles.But the Saturday passage of 2024 MK — which scientists discovered only two weeks ago — coincides with a 
  
  Read more

• Officials responding to house fire near US 183

  30-06-2024 00:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Fire Department responded to a house fire near U.S. Highway 183 in south Austin on Saturday, according to a social media post from the agency.Around 5:15 p.m., the AFD said it responded to the a house garage fire in the 4300 block of south U.S. 183. Crews were on the scene "battling the fire" with an extension to a house.The Austin Fire Department responded to a house fire near south U.S. Highway 183 on Saturday. (Courtesy Austin Fire Department)The Austin Police Departme
  
  Read more

• No injuries reported in house fire near US 183

  30-06-2024 00:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- No injuries were reported after the Austin Fire Department responded to a house fire near U.S. Highway 183 in south Austin on Saturday, according to a social media post from the agency.Around 5:15 p.m., the AFD said it responded to the a house garage fire in the 4300 block of south U.S. 183. Crews were on the scene "battling the fire" with an extension to a house.The Austin Fire Department responded to a house fire near south U.S. Highway 183 on Saturday. (Courtesy Austin Fire D
  
  Read more

• State of Texas: Former officers arrested 2 years after mass shooting at Robb Elementary

  30-06-2024 00:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Two former Uvalde school district police officers, including the former chief, have been indicted on felony charges of child endangerment and abandonment for their roles in response to the second-worst mass shooting in American history.
  It marks the first criminal charges in the highly-scrutinized police response to the May 2022 shooting, in which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.
  Former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales was booked
  
  Read more

• ATCEMS: 1 dead after rollover near Del Valle

  29-06-2024 23:53 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- One person is dead after a vehicle rollover near Del Valle on Saturday, Austin-Travis County EMS said on social media.Around 4:15 p.m., ATCEMS medics said they responded to the rollover near the intersection of Wolf Lane and Meurer Lane. The agency did not say if other vehicles or people were involved in the crash.Drivers should avoid the area and expect traffic delays. No further information was released Saturday.
  
  Read more

• Too many passwords to remember? Here's what you can do

  29-06-2024 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  LONDON (AP) — Everyone has too many passwords. The credentials we need to remember to navigate online life keep multiplying, not just for frequently used email, banking, social media, Netflix and Spotify logins, but also, say, the little-known e-commerce site you're not sure you'll buy from again.According to some unscientific studies, the average person has hundreds of passwords. That's a lot to keep track of. You might be tempted to recycle them, but it's one of the bad password habits t
  
  Read more

• Northern lights: Will you get to see them again this summer?

  29-06-2024 23:13 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Skywatchers nationwide have had the chance to see stunning celestial shows already this year, from the total solar eclipse, the return of the "devil comet," and multiple nights colored by the northern lights. There’s also a chance we’ll see a “once-in-a-lifetime” explosive event bring a “new” star to the night sky for the first time in roughly 80 years. There’s still a good chance we’ll see one of those galactic gems —
  
  Read more

• Bartlett Unit reopening in Williamson County

  29-06-2024 22:50 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Bartlett Unit, formerly known as the Bartlett State Jail, is reopening, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and the City of Bartlett announced. The unit is projected to open in early October.According to the TDCJ, the decision to reopen the unit "stems from a rise in prison population and the need for additional beds." The unit was previously shut down "due to a declining inmate population."“The Barlett Unit opening will bring a significan
  
  Read more

• AriZona Iced Tea remains committed to 99-cent price

  29-06-2024 22:47 via kxan.com
  
  (KTLA) — AriZona Iced Tea will keep its 99-cent price tag for the “foreseeable future,” Don Vultaggio, brand chairman and founder, said in a recent interview with “Today.”“We’re successful, we’re debt free, we own everything,” he said. “Why have people who are having a hard time paying their rent pay more for their drink?” Vultaggio said during the interview.Vultaggio described keeping the prices of the popular drink low as his wa
  
  Read more

• TxDOT workers in Austin reunite ducklings with mother duck

  29-06-2024 19:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) workers in Austin recently helped reunite a mother duck and her ducklings.“I wish I had audio of the reunion,” TxDOT Master plumber Jesse Cordell said, “Because they got real noisy once they spotted mom, and she put on an amazing show rounding them back up.”The workers noticed five ducklings had fallen down a storm drain and were separated from their mother by the grate.“They were able to rescue two of
  
  Read more

• Dusty skies ahead: First Saharan dust plume for Central Texas arrives

  29-06-2024 18:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It helps to create some picturesque sunrises and sunsets in our Central Texas sky. But it also can make breathing difficult for some people.We are referring, of course, to the Sahara dust which will make its first appearance late this weekend or very early Monday. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is forecasting the first plume of this dust to arrive early Monday morning. It will come and go a few times between now and August.The first Saharan dust plume arrives late
  
  Read more

• Person dies after bike crash on Walnut Creek Trail in east Austin

  29-06-2024 17:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — One person died Saturday morning after a bike crash on the Walnut Creek Trail, authorities said.
  Austin-Travis County EMS said the crash happened near Loyola Lane in east Austin. Medics responded to the wilderness rescue call around 9 a.m. and performed CPR on the adult.
  ATCEMS said the person died after "extensive resuscitative efforts."
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!