Austin news

• Meet Beacon the therapy dog, calming gymnasts' nerves at the US Olympic Trials

  01-07-2024 05:38 via kxan.com
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Olympic Trials is one of the most stressful competitions for gymnasts.
  In fact, coaches and athletes have openly talked about the intense amount of pressure to perform in front of the selection committee that hand-picks who will represent USA Gymnastics at the Olympics.Simone Biles secures third trip to the Olympics after breezing to victory at U.S. trialsFor the first time at trials, there's a very special good boy helping ease some of the nerves.
  USAG ath
  
  Read more

• Hurricane Beryl heading to Jamaica

  03-07-2024 12:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- High pressure is still the main weather feature dominating Central Texas weather. A few cities will reach a high of 100° or a degree or two higher later this afternoon.Today's normal high is 95°Milam County is in another Heat Advisory until 8 p.m.Warm and dry for the fireworks showA typical 4th of July forecast means hot and dry weather as folks gather for the symphony and the fireworks display. No rain is forecast.The chance of rain goes up as we move closer to the week
  
  Read more

• Round Rock parade will have heavy law enforcement presence following Juneteenth tragedy

  03-07-2024 12:34 via kxan.com
  
  ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Round Rock said there will be a "heavy law enforcement presence" at its annual Fourth of July parade and celebrations after a recent Juneteenth event ended in a tragic shooting that left two people dead and 14 injured.
  The parade will kick off at 8:30 a.m., running up Mays Street through downtown and ending at U.S. 79. At noon, the festivities will continue with Frontiers Day at Old Settlers Park. Activities will happen throughout the day with fireworks st
  
  Read more

• Red River Rising hosts online auction throughout July

  03-07-2024 10:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Red River Rising, Austin Arena Company's community platform initiative, announced it will host an online auction from July 1 to July 29.Red River Rising said this virtual event will offer an array of signed concert memorabilia, exclusive live music and sports experiences.
  The online auction would include items like signed Eagles posters to collectibles such as a Dave Chappelle autographed skateboard. Bidding on VIP tickets to the Austin City Limits Festival and suite packages fo
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

  03-07-2024 05:42 via kxan.com
  
  WACO, Texas (FOX 44) - On July 2, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.
  This act is said to be a victory for justice in the United States. It prohibits legal discrimination based on race, gender, sex, religion and national origin.The federal government desegregated schools, as well as public facilities in order to give equal rights to all.Linda Ann Lewis is a Waco native who was in high school when the act was passed and said sheremembers it like it was yesterday."I grew
  
  Read more

• RFK Jr. denies eating a dog following bombshell Vanity Fair report

  03-07-2024 05:37 via kxan.com
  
  Related video above: RFJ Jr. announces his vice president pick(NewsNation) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is denying a Vanity Fair report saying he barbequed and ate what appears to be a dog.
  "@VanityFair, you know when your veterinary experts call a goat a dog, and your forensic experts say a photo taken in Patagonia was taken in Korea, that you’ve joined the ranks of supermarket tabloids. Keep telling America that up is down if you want," Kennedy said on social media platform X.
  "I’
  
  Read more

• Ann Wilson, lead singer of rock band Heart, announces cancer diagnosis

  03-07-2024 05:34 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ann Wilson, lead singer of rock band Heart, says she has cancer and the band is postponing the remaining shows on its Royal Flush Tour while she undergoes treatment.Wilson said in a statement Tuesday that she underwent a surgery to remove a cancerous growth and is recovering steadily, but that her doctors urged her to undergo preventive chemotherapy and take time off from performing “in order to fully recover.” That meant the rest of the shows
  
  Read more

• He did what? UT's Max Belyeu has huge game for Team USA vs. Chinese Taipei

  03-07-2024 05:11 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas outfielder Max Belyeu ran the bases with reckless abandon Tuesday, swiping four bags while driving in two runs with two hits for the United States Collegiate National Team in a 9-0 win over Chinese Taipei in the International Friendship Series.Belyeu hit cleanup for Team USA and went 2 for 3 with three runs scored and a pair of walks. He drove in Tennessee's Dean Curley with a single in the first inning and then plated another run in the sixth with a single. While on
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Hays County Commissioners Court approves contract with Austin Pets Alive!

  03-07-2024 05:05 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A partnership focused on animal safety and other initiatives will continue in Hays County.The Hays County Commissioners approved a contract with Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) to continue working with the Hays County Pet Resource Center, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said in a news release Tuesday.The contract will ensure APA! "will continue to lead the development of the Pet Resource Center," the release said.APA! originally entered a one-year agreement with the county
  
  Read more

• Layne's Chicken Fingers wants up to 25 locations in Austin area

  03-07-2024 04:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Austin Business Journal) -- As Shahroz Khan assessed which franchise to open between Raising Cane’s, Chick-fil-A and Layne’s Chicken Fingers, he landed on the third option, going into the venture with seven of his cousins who plan to open 15 locations from Austin to Waco.He chose Layne’s Chicken Fingers for a few reasons.When Khan, with a background in engineering and an MBA — and his cousins with engineering, doctorate and CPA degrees — decided they wanted
  
  Read more

• 'I'll be ready': Rori Harmon eyeing big comeback

  03-07-2024 03:09 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — When Rori Harmon would go to the grocery store soon after she tore her ACL, it didn't quite look like normal."I rode around on this electric scooter," said Harmon. "Like a sit-down one. Kind of like the ones at the grocery store. I actually witnessed going to the grocery store during my injury and I had to actually sit down in one of those chairs." What Texas Longhorns coaches said about officially joining the SECHarmon suffered the injury in late December 2023. Texas women
  
  Read more

• 'Craziest week of my life': Earley introduced as Aggies head baseball coach after Texas whirlwind

  03-07-2024 02:35 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — He helped lead Texas A&M to a runner-up finish at the Men's College World Series, left for their rival program in Austin, and ultimately returned all within a week. To say Michael Earley has had a hectic past seven days would be an egregious understatement.Earley was officially introduced as the Aggies' head baseball coach Tuesday, replacing Jim Schlossnagle who left to take over the Texas Longhorns after the A&M's first-ever MCWS championship series appearance. He
  
  Read more

• Strips at Austin bars can test for spiked drinks, are people using them?

  03-07-2024 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The "Sip Safely" program has now been active in Austin for about two months.Participating bars have a stock of alcohol test strips that can detect date rape drugs. The businesses can also display signs letting patrons know the strips are available. ‘Sip Safely’ pilot gives Austin bars drink-spiking test stripsAt the launch of the initiative, the City said 50 bars were on board, and that number has since grown to 67.Spiked drink test strip.
  To the right is a photo of
  
  Read more

• Spiked drinks at Austin bars? We check in on a program aimed at preventing that

  03-07-2024 02:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The "Sip Safely" program has now been active in Austin for about two months.Participating bars have a stock of alcohol test strips that can detect date rape drugs. The businesses can also display signs letting patrons know the strips are available. ‘Sip Safely’ pilot gives Austin bars drink-spiking test stripsAt the launch of the initiative, the City said 50 bars were on board, and that number has since grown to 67.Spiked drink test strip.
  To the right is a photo of
  
  Read more

• Rodney Reed petition for US Supreme Court review denied

  03-07-2024 01:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The U.S. Supreme Court denied on Tuesday a petition by death-row defendant Rodney Reed seeking a review of his case. Reed argued his constitutional rights were violated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ wrongfully high bar for his innocence claim, and, separately, a trial court’s “rubberstamping” of state findings that discounted numerous new and favorable witnesses for Reed who testified at a nine-day hearing in 2021.Reed filed the petition fo
  
  Read more

• Austin mayor pitches delay on climate bond election

  03-07-2024 01:50 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Would you pay more money for the City of Austin to more quickly achieve its climate goals? Think: Land acquisition, making city facilities more climate friendly and helping Austin prepare for severe weather events.
  It's looking increasingly likely that Austin City Council members are going to send a climate bond to voters to decide just that -- but when that vote will happen is up for debate.
  The backgroundIn February, Council Member Ryan Alter brought forward a resolution to mo
  
  Read more

• Deadly vehicle-motorcycle crash shuts down US Highway 290 in southwest Travis County

  03-07-2024 01:10 via kxan.com
  
  TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- One person is dead after a vehicle-motorcycle crash in southwest Travis County on Tuesday, Austin-Travis County EMS said on social media.Around 5:45 p.m., ATCEMS medics responded to the crash at the West U.S. Highway 290 and Signal Hill Drive intersection. which is near the Travis and Hays County line. One person was pronounced dead on the scene.The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) said all eastbound and westbound lanes of U.S. 290 at Nutty Brown Road are
  
  Read more

• Ordinance requires 'adequate' water supply for Austin event attendees

  03-07-2024 01:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – This will be the first Austin Symphony July 4 concert since a new rule went into effect, requiring events to provide an adequate supply of water to attendees. A rule submitted by the Austin Center for Events (ACE) requires organizers of larger events to provide water to attendees at a rate of a pint an hour. Additionally, the ordinance necessitates the water be sanitary and that there be enough restrooms for guests. What road closures are planned for Austin’s 4th
  
  Read more

• FDA bans soda additive over health concerns

  03-07-2024 00:36 via kxan.com
  
  (The Hill) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned a soda additive starting next month over health concerns.The FDA said Tuesday that it revoked its regulation that allowed brominated vegetable oil (BVO) to be used in food because it "is no longer considered safe." The agency pointed to studies conducted with the National Institutes of Health that "found the potential for adverse health effects in humans."The new rule will go into effect on Aug. 2.
  BVO is typically added t
  
  Read more

• Austin gun violence rates higher than Texas, US rates, report says

  02-07-2024 23:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The National Institute for Criminal Reform (NICJR) partnering with the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and the Austin Police Department released a summary analysis describing gun violence in Austin in a memo on Tuesday.Over a 15-year period, Austin’s homicide rate remained mostly below Texas’ and the U.S. rate, averaging four per 100,000. But, in 2021 and 2022, Austin outstripped Texas’ and U.S. rates, averaging 8.3 homicides per 100,000 in 2021 and 7.
  
  Read more

• Austin gun violence rates higher than Texas, U.S. rates

  02-07-2024 23:18 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – The National Institute for Criminal Reform (NICJR) partnering with the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) and the Austin Police Department released a summary analysis describing gun violence in Austin.Over a 15-year period, Austin’s homicide rate remained mostly below Texas’ and the U.S. rate, averaging four per 100,000. But, in 2021 and 2022, Austin outstripped Texas’ and U.S. rates, averaging 8.3 homicides per 100,000 in 2021 and 7.1 in 2022, according
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: Body, dash camera footage released following in-custody death

  02-07-2024 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department released officer body-camera video and video from a dash camera Tuesday after a man died in police custody in June. The videos and 911 calls released by APD showed the man's alleged involvement in a south Austin crash and his subsequent detainment by APD.According to APD, on June 17, officers responded to multiple calls regarding a man who was “acting erratic” and “throwing things” inside a store in south Austin. PAST COV
  
  Read more

• VIDEO: APD body, dash camera footage released following in-custody death

  02-07-2024 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department released officer body-camera video and video from a dash camera Tuesday after a man died in police custody in June. The videos and 911 calls released by APD showed the man's alleged involvement in a south Austin crash and his subsequent detainment by APD.According to APD, on June 17, officers responded to multiple calls regarding a man who was “acting erratic” and “throwing things” inside a store in south Austin.
  Editor's
  
  Read more

• Former Vista Ridge teacher pleads guilty to improper student relationship

  02-07-2024 22:10 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — A former Vista Ridge High School teacher pleaded guilty last month in a Williamson County court after she was accused of inappropriate interactions with her 15-year-old student in 2023, according to court documents.Kirstie Noel Russell was charged with improper relationship between educator/student and received 10 years of deferred adjudication community supervision, court records said. Deferred adjudication is a type of probation, which gives the person s
  
  Read more

• What is an emissions test and which Texans need them?

  02-07-2024 22:03 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In less than six months' time, Texans will no longer need to undergo mandatory vehicle inspections each year.
  Last year, the state legislature ended the requirement for the annual inspection. The new state law will take effect Jan. 1, 2025, with the onus now on personal drivers to ensure their vehicles are safe to use; commercial vehicles will still be required to undergo the inspection requirement as per usual.
  Despite the removal of the previous safety inspection requirem
  
  Read more

• Judge rejects Paxton's efforts to shut down El Paso migrant shelter

  02-07-2024 21:43 via kxan.com
  
  EL PASO (Nexstar) -- A state district judge on Tuesday declined Attorney General Ken Paxton's request to shutter Annunciation House, a Catholic charity providing food and shelter to migrants and refugees near the U.S-Mexico border.Judge Francisco Dominguez sided with the shelter, sharply criticizing Paxton's legal action as "outrageous and intolerable," accusing him of acting outside of his authority for political motivations."The Attorney General’s conduct in harassing and pursuing predet
  
  Read more

• How the ice bucket challenge 10 years ago revolutionized ALS research

  02-07-2024 21:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the summer of 2014, more than 17 million people dumped ice cold water over their heads in an online trend known as the ice bucket challenge. The virtual challenge gained global momentum, raising more than $115 million for the ALS Association to support research and care access for those living with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).In the decade since, that trend paved the way for advanced funding commitments into research, drug therapy development and clinical access
  
  Read more

• Company aimed at tackling housing crisis and global warming brings demo house to Texas

  02-07-2024 21:07 via kxan.com
  
  MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- A company whose mission is to confront the housing crisis while combating global warming brought its mission to Central Texas with a new type of home.
  InstaBuilt constructed its first home in the U.S. in Austin's Whisper Valley community.
  InstaBuilt is a construction company with the goal to "confront the worldwide housing crisis while simultaneously combatting the looming threat of global warming," according to its website. The company aims to "revolutionize construction
  
  Read more

• Expert talks about easy ways to save money this summer

  02-07-2024 20:20 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- If you are looking for ways to cut back on spending in this economy, the AARP has come out with its yearly list of “99 Great Ways to Save.”“We're all looking to save money with inflation,” said David Brindley, the deputy editor of AARP. “One of the best ways to save money is to make your money work harder for you.”One of the biggest take aways according to AARP’s research is getting the most out of used goods.“We found that some of
  
  Read more

• US Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin calls on President Biden to withdraw from 2024 race

  02-07-2024 19:12 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett called on President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race Tuesday, citing the incumbent's poor debate performance last week coupled with lagging poll numbers in key battleground states.
  The Austin Democrat, who is 77 years old and running for reelection this year, said in a lengthy statement that he wanted to thank Biden for the job he's done since taking office in 2021. However, he added it's now time for him to step aside.
  "I repres
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!