Austin news

• REPORT: How have Texas' traffic congestion levels changed since the pandemic?

  12-09-2024 22:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' major metro areas are reporting a higher volume of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) now versus in 2019, on par with national trends reflecting increasing congestion levels in the past five years.Transportation data hub StreetLight shared those findings in a new report released Thursday. Between spring 2019 and spring 2024, Texas metros saw the following increases in VMT:
  McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: 68% increaseEl Paso: 42% increaseSan Antonio-New Braunfels: 26% increaseDal
  
  Read more

• Lawsuit accuses Miley Cyrus of copyright infringement over hit song 'Flowers'

  18-09-2024 00:59 via kxan.com
  
  (KTLA) – A music investment company is coming after Miley Cyrus like a wrecking ball with a lawsuit over her Grammy award-winning song "Flowers."The Disney Channel alum released the hit song after her public divorce from actor Liam Hemsworth. When it debuted in January 2023, many listeners drew parallels between "Flowers" and Bruno Mars' 2012 song "When I Was Your Man."The chorus of "Flowers," some said, appears to be a response to the chorus of "When I Was Your Man," with Cyrus singing th
  
  Read more

• Florida sheriff fed up with school shooting hoaxes posts boy's mugshot to social media

  18-09-2024 00:58 via kxan.com
  
  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try get through to students and their parents: he's posting the mugshot of any offender on social media.Law enforcement officials in Florida and across the country have seen a wave of school shooting hoaxes recently, including in the wake of the deadly attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that killed two students and two teachers.Volusia Co
  
  Read more

• WCSO says 3 arrested after shooting, discovery of plot to kill county judge

  18-09-2024 00:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Three people were arrested after they were accused of breaking into a Liberty Hill home in March and shooting two people, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Tuesday.The three people arrested in the shooting are also believed to be connected with a plot to kill a Williamson County judge, the release said.The shooting happened March 8 in Liberty Hill, investigators said.Around 2:30 a.m., 911 dispatch in Williamson County received a call from a teenager w
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 2 students arrested after threats made to several campuses, PfISD letter says

  17-09-2024 23:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Two students in the Pflugerville Independent School District were arrested in connection with threats made to several campuses in the district, PfISD Superintendent Quintin Shepherd said in a letter sent to parents.One student was arrested and accused of making a threat against Weiss High School last week. The other was accused of making threats "against multiple campuses" Tuesday, the letter said.The arrests come after several Central Texas school districts reported social medi
  
  Read more

• How much will each phase of Austin's $4.5B I-35 expansion cost?

  17-09-2024 23:07 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Work will soon begin on the Texas Department of Transportation's Interstate 35 Capital Express Central Project, and project documents are giving a closer look into just how much money each phase of the project will cost.TxDOT has estimated a $4.5 billion sticker price for the eight-mile-long overhaul, with the project corridor running along I-35 from U.S. Highway 290 East to State Highway 71 and Ben White Boulevard. TxDOT officials have said the project will be divvied up i
  
  Read more

• American cheese on burgers: Good or bad?

  17-09-2024 23:07 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — Wednesday, Sept. 18 is National Cheeseburger Day and there's no better time to debate the details of a burger. When it comes to cheese on a burger, many restaurants give a variety of options — but some only offer one.American cheese is as beloved as it is controversial. While some experts tout American as the perfect cheese for a hamburger (owing to its ideal melting properties), others say it's the worst possible cheese you could put on a hamburger. Or even some of the w
  
  Read more

• UT creates 'unit' for free speech rights on campus

  17-09-2024 22:57 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The University of Texas Austin has created a new unit dedicated to free speech on campus. It stems from last spring's protests on campus that ended in arrests and confusion.'It was a lot of chaos'"It was a lot of chaos. A lot of confusion," attorney Logan Campbell explained.
  It was those "chaotic" scenes in the spring that prompted UT to create a new "unit" inside the Dean's office to tackle student's rights and responsibilities when it comes to their free speech on campus. Leak
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 'Total war': Lawmakers look to shake up Texas politics next legislative session

  17-09-2024 22:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — One year ago from Monday, the Texas Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of all charges accusing him of corruption, bribery, and abuse of office in Texas' second-ever impeachment. The historic trial attracted national intrigue to an already-salacious Texas Capitol, but its dramatic conclusion was just one chapter in an ongoing political saga, rather than the end. In many ways, the political rifts triggered an earthquake still yet to settle. PREVIOUS: Paxton impea
  
  Read more

• Barton Springs Pool reopening Thursday

  17-09-2024 21:28 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Barton Springs Pool will officially reopen Thursday after it was closed for weeks due to repairs that caused a "safety hazard" in the pool, the city of Austin Park and Recreation Department (PARD) said in a news release Tuesday.The repairs started over Labor Day weekend after two holes were found in a 1940s pipe, the city said. Water was pulled into an abandoned pipe below the pool’s dam and created a safety hazard for swimmers. Barton Springs Pool likely closed for severa
  
  Read more

• Texas has a history of earthquakes — but human activity is increasing their frequency

  17-09-2024 20:42 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In the wake of a magnitude 5.1 earthquake rattling near Midland Monday evening, Texas geology experts are giving further insight into some of the causes behind these quakes.Monday's magnitude 5.1 earthquake had its epicenter located in the area surrounding Ackerly, Texas, which is about 20 miles north of Midland. While out in West Texas, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) received reports from those in the Austin metro feeling the tremors.Dr. Shelly Wernette is an a
  
  Read more

• It's National Voter Registration Day. What Texans need to know ahead of the election

  17-09-2024 18:33 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, a national initiative started more than a decade ago to help register eligible American voters ahead of the November elections.Since the civic holiday's inception in 2012, the organization National Voter Registration Day and its teams have helped more than five million Americans register to vote. The annual holiday comes ahead of Texas' Oct. 7 registration deadline for the November election.Key 2024 General Election dates to know
  
  Read more

• Watching the Caribbean for possible tropical development | Tracking the Tropics

  17-09-2024 18:07 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- The tropics remain eerily quiet, but there could be signs of life in the Gulf and Caribbean waters in the coming week or so.WNCN Chief Meteorologist Wes Hohenstein joined the Tracking the Tropics team to talk impacts from Potential Tropical Cyclone 8, which battered the Carolinas with several inches of rain, and to break down what could be brewing in late September.
  The GFS and Euro models indicate a low pressure system could form in the western Caribbean in approximately s
  
  Read more

• LIVE: Can we still have an active season without another landfalling hurricane? | Tracking the Tropics

  17-09-2024 18:07 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- We've reached the statistical peak of the 2024 hurricane season, which has left some to wonder if forecasters' predictions of a "very active" season will come to fruition.
  Today on Tracking the Tropics, WNCN Chief Meteorologist Wes Hohenstein joins our team to answer the following question: Can we still have an active season, even without another hurricane making landfall?
  Watch Tracking the Tropics live at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT in the video player above. To join the
  
  Read more

• Can we still have an active season without another landfalling hurricane? | Tracking the Tropics

  17-09-2024 18:07 via kxan.com
  
  TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- We've reached the statistical peak of the 2024 hurricane season, which has left some to wonder if forecasters' predictions of a "very active" season will come to fruition.
  Today on Tracking the Tropics, WNCN Chief Meteorologist Wes Hohenstein joins our team to answer the following question: Can we still have an active season, even without another hurricane making landfall?
  Watch Tracking the Tropics live at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT in the video player above. To join the
  
  Read more

• Travis County leaders to provide update on Paxton lawsuit over voter registration initiatives

  17-09-2024 18:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – Travis County officials are expected to provide an update Tuesday on a lawsuit Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed against Travis County Judge Andy Brown and others over their decision to use public funds for voter registration initiatives. Earlier this month, Paxton filed the lawsuit over the Travis County Commissioners Court’s Aug. 27 decision to contract with Civic Government Solutions (CGS) – a company that uses a subscription model to provide acces
  
  Read more

• Travis County leaders file federal complaint against Paxton over voter registration lawsuit

  17-09-2024 18:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Travis County leaders filed on Tuesday a federal complaint against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, arguing his lawsuit attempted to violate the National Voter Registration Act and suppress voter registration efforts.Earlier this month, Paxton filed the lawsuit over the Travis County Commissioners Court’s Aug. 27 decision to contract with Civic Government Solutions (CGS) – a company that uses a subscription model to provide access to a “proprietary database&r
  
  Read more

• Sean 'Diddy' Combs indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges

  17-09-2024 17:44 via kxan.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs presided over a sordid empire of sexual crimes, coercing and abusing women for years, threatening them to keep them in line and enlisting a cast of aides to cover it up, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.The music mogul “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals," including physical violence, in order "to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal hi
  
  Read more

• Some driver license offices will be open on Saturdays for the rest of September only

  17-09-2024 17:39 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Texans looking to get their driver license renewed or replaced have more appointment time options for the rest of this month.
  The Texas Department of Public Safety is adding Saturday appointments at select driver license offices statewide through the end of this month. Need a driver’s license appointment in Texas? What to know about renewals, availabilitiesParticipating offices, which will be located in each region of Texas, will be open for half days on Sept. 21 and 28 to
  
  Read more

• Concordia University Texas names 1st female president

  17-09-2024 16:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Concordia University Texas named a new president and CEO this week, who will become the first woman to serve as president for the university.
  Concordia University Texas announced Monday its Board of Regents named Dr. Kristi Kirk as president and CEO, the 10th executive leader in the university’s nearly 100-year history. Kirk will become the first woman to serve as president of Concordia, according to the university.Air Force’s 1st female fighter pilot is a UT alum, a
  
  Read more

• House fire reported in eastern Travis County, AFD says

  17-09-2024 11:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A house in eastern Travis County was engulfed in flames on Tuesday morning at the 9700 block of Colfax Drive, according to the Austin Fire Department.That area is located between Decker Lake Road and Webberville Road.AFD said that another home was also affected by the fire.AFD said at 4:22 a.m. a.m. that crews were working to dig through the remaining rubble to search for life and concealed areas where the fire may have spread.In another update shortly after 5 a.m., the fire dep
  
  Read more

• House fire reported in east Travis County, AFD says

  17-09-2024 11:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) --A house in eastern Travis County was engulfed in flames on Tuesday morning at the 9700 block of Colfax Drive, that is located between Decker Lake Road and Webberville Road, according to the Austin Fire Department.
  AFD said that an additional home has been affected by the fire. As of around 4:30 a.m., AFD said the fire has been knocked down.
  Fire crews are now working to dig through the remaining rubble to search for life and concealed areas where the fire may have spread.
  There h
  
  Read more

• Did you feel it? Strong 5.1 quake felt near Austin

  17-09-2024 04:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- One of the strongest earthquakes in Texas history rattled parts of West Texas on Monday evening.The rare magnitude 5.1 earthquake had an epicenter near Ackerly, Texas, roughly 20 miles north of Midland.Ackerly, Texas earthquake Monday eveningThe USGS "Did you feel it?" map showed multiple reports within the Austin Metro of tremor reports.Did you feel it map. (Courtesy: USGS)In Depth: Earthquakes 5.0 or higherAccording to data collected by KXAN Digital Data Reporter Christopher A
  
  Read more

• Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested in New York after grand jury indictment: reports

  17-09-2024 04:42 via kxan.com
  
  (NewsNation) — Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested Monday in Manhattan following a grand jury indictment, multiple outlets are reporting.Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, issued the following statement: "We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office."He called Diddy an "imperfect person," adding: "To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocate
  
  Read more

• Overdose investigation leads to drug bust, 1,000+ fentanyl pills

  17-09-2024 04:28 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- An investigation into a Round Rock overdose led to a drug bust in Austin where Williamson County Sheriff's Office investigators found 1,060 suspected fentanyl pills, other narcotics and a stolen gun, the agency said in a press release Monday.“The distribution of fentanyl and other dangerous substances will not be tolerated in
  Williamson County. We will use every resource at our disposal to identify, arrest, and
  bring to justice those responsible for endan
  
  Read more

• APD to conduct 'targeted traffic enforcement' at northwest Austin intersection

  17-09-2024 04:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After receiving several complaints from the community, the Austin Police Department said it will focus on targeting speeding and aggressive driving in northwest Austin, the agency said in a news release Monday.This enforcement will be "in effect until further notice" and will "focus in the area of Ranch Road 2222 between MoPac and Expressway and 360," police said in the release.After receiving several complaints from the community, the Austin Police Department said it will targe
  
  Read more

• UT Austin to drop automatic admissions for top Texas students to 5% in 2026

  17-09-2024 01:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin will soon cut down on the number of top Texas high school students automatically admitted to the university, dropping the threshold from 6% to 5%.According to a statement from the university, the change will affect admissions for Fall 2026. Arch Manning is ‘just a normal guy who plays quarterback for the University of Texas’President Jay Hartzell made the announcement Monday in a faculty council meeting, as was first reported by
  
  Read more

• University of Texas at Austin to drop automatic admissions for top Texas students to 5% in 2026

  17-09-2024 01:51 via kxan.com
  
  AUSITN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin will soon cut down on the number of top Texas high school students automatically admitted to the university, dropping the threshold from 6% to 5%.According to a statement from the university, the change will affect admissions for Fall 2026. Arch Manning is ‘just a normal guy who plays quarterback for the University of Texas’President Jay Hartzell made the announcement Monday in a faculty council meeting, as was first reported by
  
  Read more

• SEE IT: Tiny bugs making giant webs in trees and shrubs

  17-09-2024 00:54 via kxan.com
  
  (WJW) – Have you ever seen these massive webs?Ohio wildlife experts often field questions -- and maybe some concerns -- this time of year about what's spinning giant webs in trees.Credit: ODNR
  No, these don’t belong to any giant spiders. (Thankfully!) Instead, the large webs are the work of tiny caterpillars known as fall webworms (Hyphantria cunea). Maybe even the work of a couple of generations of fall webworms. Scratch-off ticket worth $2 million sold in Lake CountyAccording to a
  
  Read more

• National Cheeseburger Day: Where to get discounts, BOGO deals on Sept. 18

  17-09-2024 00:49 via kxan.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – A number of national burger chains are offering heavily discounted cheeseburgers in honor of National Cheeseburger Day on Wednesday, albeit with a common, fairly obvious caveat.Yep, you guessed it. With few exceptions, you'll probably have to sign up for some sort of loyalty program and order through an app.Knowing this, there’s really only one question you need to ask yourself: Is a discounted cheeseburger really worth the time and potential hassle of signing up for yet
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!