Mitt Romney and Donald Trump are teaming up for a Las Vegas fundraiser tonight. We've seen this movie before: The straight-laced square goes to Vegas with his outrageous friend and wakes up with a Mike Tyson tattoo, next to a woman who draws a heart over the "i" in her stage name. Romney's general-election strategy has been to allow no distraction from his focus on the economy. Trump's strategy is pure distraction. In neon. Recently he tried to raise --yet another time-- questions about the president's birthplace. Today, Trump put the birthplace question at the center of the election: "@BarackObama is practically begging @MittRomney to disavow the place of birth movement, he is afraid of it and for good reason. He keeps using @SenJohnMcCain as an example, however, @SenJohnMcCain lost the election. Don't let it happen again."
Today is the final day of school for Austin Independent School District. Many schools will release students at different times. Please be aware of children near public streets at all times today. Parents are bracing for an uptick of action at home.
Long-time Texas state Senator Jeff Wentworth has one more hurdle to cross on the way to the November election - a July 31 runoff against one of his primary challenger, Dr. Donna Campbell.
In one of the tightest races from Tuesday night, Wentworth led Campbell and former Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones with just under 36% of the vote, compared to Campbell's 33% and Jones' 30%, in the battle for the District 25 seat.
In order to avoid a runoff, candidates must collect a majority-plus-one portion of the vote.
Long-time Austin-area congressman Lloyd Doggett handidly won the Democratic Primary for House District 35 Tuesday night.
After the redistricting process changed his previous District 25 to heavily favor a Republican base, Doggett settled on District 35 - a dumbell shaped district connecting East Austin and Northeast San Antonio via a sliver of Interstate 35.
Doggett was expected to face heavy competition from Bexar County tax assessor Sylvia Romo; however, Doggett lead handily in early voting totals and never looked back. Doggett gathered more than 73% of the vote with Romo collecting less than 25%. Maria Alvarado, a San Antonio native and military veteran, came in a distant third.
Doggett will face former San Marcos mayor Susan Narvaiz in the November election. Narvaiz also avoided a runoff on the GOP side, collecting slightly more than 51% of the vote against two other challengers.
One of the most contentious races in Tuesday's GOP primary will very likely get a two month encore.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and former state solicitor general Ted Cruz will face off against each other in a runoff election to be held on July 31. In unofficial results Tuesday night, Dewhurst led all challengers with 44.59% of the vote, but needed a majority-plus-one share to avoid the runoff. Cruz came in second with 34.23% of the vote.
The two candidates, along with former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert and ESPN college football analyst Craig James, were vying for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who chose to not seek re-election.
The battle between Dewhurst and Cruz has gathered national attention in recent weeks, with the GOP establishment and Dewhurst facing off against Tea Party interests supporting Cruz.
The final numbers are in - and Austin police arrested 88 individuals for driving under the influence over the Memorial Day weekend.
APD's "No Refusal" initiative ran from 9pm Friday night until 5am Tuesday morning. Officers patrolled the roads and lakes over the holiday weekend, watching for those who were driving or boating while intoxicated. Those who were pulled over and refused to take a breath test were then forced to have their blood drawn instead by warrant.
Police say the person who was arrested with the highest Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) during a breath test was .34. The legal limit is .08. Most breath test recipients had BAC levels between .08 and .15.
After two delays, numerous court challenges, and a redistricting showdown, Texas voters head to the polls today to cast their ballots in the statewide primaries.
Polls are open from 7:00am until 7:00pm. We'll bring you complete results online at Talk1370.com as they come in this evening.
Here are links to polling places and other important information, separated by county:
Austin police announced that they arrested 68 people through the first three days of their "No Refusal" initiative for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
In 2011, police arrested 59 people through the entire four-day weekend. This year's effort began Friday night and continues through 5am Tuesday morning.
Officers made 26 arrests on Friday night, 23 on Saturday night, and another 19 on Sunday night, according to APD figures. Police are concerned about the pace of arrests, but hope that Austinites simply don't drink and drive.
In addition to stepped up enforcement on the streets, officers are enforcing Boating-while-Intoxicated laws on Austin-area lakes.
As Tuesday's statewide primary election looms, candidates across all races are battling for votes - and battling to get out the vote on election day.
According to figures released from Travis County, just 6 percent of registered voters cast ballots during the early voting period that ended Friday. In Williamson County, turnout was slightly higher, at 6.8 percent. That figure is important, because turnout on Tuesday is expected to be low - with the twice delayed primary falling the day after the Memorial Day holiday and with the GOP presidential nomination all but a formality.
The most contentious race, by far, has been the battle for the Senate seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, former solicitor general Ted Cruz, former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, and former ESPN commentator Craig James are locked in a four way battle, with ads across television and radio heating up.
The GOP primary doesn't have an exclusive hold on the fireworks. Eyes across the state will be keeping an eye on House District 35 - where long-time Austin congressman Lloyd Doggett faces Bexar County tax assessor Sylvia Romo. HD 35 stretches from portions of East Austin, south along I-35 to include portions of San Antonio.
If a candidate fails to win more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will move on to a July 31 runoff.
Polls are open Tuesday from 7am until 7pm. We'll have complete election results as they come in Tuesday night, online at Talk1370.com.
Mitt Romney won the Republican primaries in Kentucky and Arkansas on Tuesday, victories that puts him within striking distance of clinching the Republican presidential nomination.
With nearly all precincts reporting in Kentucky, Romney had 67 percent of the vote. With nearly all precincts reporting in Arkansas, Romney had 68 percent of the vote.
The race was actually closer on the Democratic side. In Kentucky, President Obama's only rival on the ballot was "uncommitted." The president defeated "uncommitted" 58 percent to 42 percent, a result that reflects the president's deep unpopularity in southern states. (Though with almost all precincts in, Mr. Obama had won slightly more votes than Romney overall.)
In Arkansas, Mr. Obama faced a primary challenge from John Wolfe, who had 41 percent of the vote with nearly all precincts reporting. Earlier this month, convicted felon Keith Judd took 41 percent of the primary vote against the president in West Virginia.
CBS News estimates that with his two wins on Tuesday, Romney now has 1,073 delegates. The former Massachusetts governor needs 71 more to reach the threshold of 1,144 electoral votes he needs to clinch his party's nomination.
Romney should cross that threshold next Tuesday when Texas holds its primary with 152 delegates at stake.
Romney's rivals have suspended their campaigns or stopped active campaigning, and he has spent recent weeks focused on the general election. The presumptive GOP nominee was scheduled to spend Tuesday evening at a fundraiser in New York, part of a three-day fundraising swing that his finance chairman told donors would raise $10 million.
(CBS News) Former first lady Nancy Reagan broke some of her ribs in a fall earlier this year and is recovering at her Southern California home, the head of the foundation named for President Ronald Reagan said.
John Heubusch, executive director of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, told an audience gathered Tuesday night at Reagan's presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., that the former first lady wouldn't attend a speech by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., "on doctor's orders."
"She's fine but still nursing some broken ribs from a fall that several of you heard about weeks ago," Heubusch said.
Heubusch said that Reagan, 90, fell about six weeks ago, according to The Associated Press. Her presence has been a fixture at many events hosted by the presidential library. Last September, she attended an event featuring remarks by Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
In 2009, Reagan broke her pelvis in a fall at her home and had to be hospitalized.
Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve permanently using "voting centers" for county elections beginning with the general election in November.
The centers allow any registered voter in Travis County to cast a ballot at any of the centers, as opposed to the traditional method of requiring voters to cast a vote in their assigned precinct.
The county previously tried out the method in the November 2011 elections, with about one third of voters casting a ballot outside their precinct.
While the voting centers will NOT be in effect for the May 29 primary, Travis County elections officials say they should be in place for the November general election.
The owner of a Southeast Austin apartment complex where a second floor balcony collapsed last week received 30 citations from Austin Code Compliance officers on Monday.
No one was injured in the collapse, but more than 150 residents were evacuated from their homes by city officials as safety issues were found in the 15 buildings of the Wood Ridge apartments.
Each citation carries a fine of up to $2,000 per day until repairs are made, according to city officials.
The 2012 Austin City Limits festival lineup was announced Tuesday morning. The festival will take place October 12-14 - the latest time the festival has taken place. Here is a list of the coming attractions!
Less than a week before the start of the summer boating season, Lake Travis has likely claimed its first drowning victim of 2012.
The 25-year-old man apparently drowned near Bob Wentz Park on Sunday afternoon, according to officials. His identity is not being released pending family notification, after being pronounced dead at 3:39pm Sunday afternoon.
According to witnesses, the man was swimming across the cove near the park when he started going into distress and eventually went under water. According to Travis County Sherriff's Office spokesman Roger Wade, emergency crews got the 911 call at 3:05pm.
Time to make sure you - and all your passengers - are buckled up, because local law enforcement will be watching.
For the next two weeks, local law enforcement agencies will put special emphasis on enforcing seat belt laws. "Click It or Ticket" reminds drivers that all passengers in a vehicle must wear a seat belt - and children under 8 years old or 4 foot 9 inches must be in a safety seat.
The fine for seat belt violations averages $250.
Car crashes last year killed 3,000 people in Texas - half of those were not wearing seat belts.
New evidence released by a Florida court includes images of injuries to George Zimmerman, and an autopsy report that found traces of THC in Trayvon Martin's blood.
Born in Boston on New Year's Eve 1948, Summers came to define the sound of late '70s and early '80s radio with hits including "Last Dance", "Bad Girls" and "She Works Hard for The Money".
Notable: FM 973 - Flaggers will control traffic between US 290 and New Sweden Rd in Manor from 8 AM until 4 PM today. Same situation on FM 1460 (Williamson Co) - between University Blvd and High Tech Dr from 9 AM until 4 PM today
USA TODAY reports: For the first time, whites make up the minority of babies in the U.S., part of a sweeping race change and a growing age divide between mostly white, older Americans and predominantly minority youths that could reshape government policies.
How do you think this affects America? Chime in below or on our growing Facebook community page!
Austin, are you sympathetic to deer? More and more Central Texas residents are having episodes with Bambi at their homes (and on the road). Chime in below, or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!
Mitt Romney on Tuesday won GOP presidential primaries in Oregon and Nebraska, putting the former Massachusetts governor ever closer toward officially clinching the Republican presidential nomination.
In Nebraska, with nearly all of the votes counted, Romney led by an overwhelming 71 percent support. Rick Santorum, who ended his presidential bid last month, earned 14 percent support.
In Oregon, with 62 percent of the votes in, Romney earned 73 percent. Ron Paul came in second place with 12 percent.
Even if he wins all of the delegates up for grabs Tuesday night, Romney will not be able to earn the number of delegates needed to make his nomination official. Oregon has 25 delegates at stake in its primary, while Nebraska, which will be sending 32 delegates to the national convention, is holding a non-binding primary.
Heading into the evening's two contests, Romney had 963 total delegates, 181 delegates short of the necessary 1,144, according to CBS News estimates.
Still, with no remaining competitors actively campaigning against him, the former Massachusetts governor is widely viewed as the presumptive nominee.
On Monday, Texas congressman Ron Paul announced that he will no longer actively campaign in the GOP presidential primaries, although he says he won't formally suspend his campaign. The libertarian candidate's organization will continue to accumulate delegates to send to the Republican National Convention. Paul has 98 delegates, according to CBS News estimates.
The City’s animal shelter seeks adopters immediately because over capacity will necessitate euthanizing animals today, May 15, if the community doesn’t respond.
Approximately 23 dogs are on the list to be euthanized today if the shelter doesn’t find homes for at least 40 pets. The City’s shelter is an open-intake facility meaning no animal is refused admittance.
The Austin Animal Center will extend hours until 9 p.m. today to help save pet lives in anticipation of community adopters. Also, the City is waiving all adoption fees for all ready-to-go dogs and cats one year and older through Sunday, May 19.
“What we need right now are adopters to help us catch up with the inventory of animals that we are seeing come to the shelter,” said Abigail Smith Chief Animal Services Officer. “This is a tough and challenging season for animals and we urgently need community support for our City shelter pets.”
All pets will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and will go home with a collar, tag and microchip. These services, valued at more than $200, will help the pets stay healthy and safe.
Since last Friday, the City’s animal shelter inventory of animals has increased by 36 animals. As of shelter opening today, May 15, the facility was housing 1,046 with no more space to place these homeless pets.
There were 581 animals at the Austin Animal Center which is over capacity by 130. Town Lake Animal Center, used for overflow, is at capacity. Also, 412 dogs, cats, and kittens are in foster homes.
Since February 2011 the City has been able to maintain its No Kill goal of saving 90 percent or better of the animals. This year because of the high level of animal intakes versus those animals that are being adopted and rescued the City’s No Kill goal will be difficult to maintain for May and possibly into the summer months.
“Last year was a quiet season and we saw significantly less kittens and cats, most likely due to the drought,” Smith said. “So far, this year is the busiest season in a few years, which I believe will fast track our community discussion on longer term solutions to deal with our homeless pet population.”
The Austin Animal Center, 7201 Levander Loop, is normally open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. For more information go to www.austinanimalcenter.org, call 3-1-1, or visit www.facebook.com/austinanimalservices for daily animal updates. The Town Lake Animal Center, 1156 W. Cesar Chavez St., is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For the second time in less than a week, Austin ISD officials announced Monday that a teacher at Barrington Elementary was the subject of a child pornography investigation.
41-year old Jason Whitson, who has been at the school since 1997 and a teacher since 1999, is being investigated by federal officials. Whitson has not been charged, and was placed on administrative leave last week when district officials learned of the investigation. He resigned his post with the district Monday night.
According to the district, Whitson has not worked at any other AISD schools.
The news comes a week after Bradford Grant Case, a 57-year-old teacher at Barrington, was charged with possession of child pornography, a state felony. Case was released on bail last week. He resigned his employment with AISD before charges were filed, according to school officials. Case was arrested last week after he gave a pharmacy employee a CD with inappropriate digital images of young boys, police said. Officials say the CD did not contain images of Barrington students, but did contain images of youths at Case's home.
Officials say the two cases do not appear to be related.
Parents will get their chance to ask questions at a special meeting. Representatives from the district, AISD police, and Barrington Elementary will be present for a meeting at the school Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Here is the text of the letter sent to Barrington parents:
Dear Barrington Elementary School community,
I regret to inform you that a Barrington Elementary School teacher has been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation.
Yesterday, the Austin Police Department notified AISD’s Police Department that the teacher in question was the subject of an investigation. The district has placed the teacher on administrative leave. At this time, it does not appear the investigation involves Barrington students.
To preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation, I am limited in providing any additional information at this time. I will continue to share information with you as allowable in the future.
This situation is upsetting to all of us. And, I assure you that the safety and well-being of our students remains our first priority. Our community of teachers and staff members continues to work together to ensure classes have continued as scheduled for the teacher’s students and that the learning environment for all students remains uninterrupted.
Thank you for your continued support of the Barrington Elementary School community. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 414-2008.
Sincerely,
Susan Stamy
Principal
Barrington Elementary School
Overnight storms likely spakred a house fire in west Travis County late Monday night.
Lake Travis Fire Department officials say they received a call from the Falconhead West subdivision west of Bee Cave around 11pm Monday night. The homeowner reported hearing a "loud boom" and started smelling smoke soon afterwards.
According to reports, the home is a total loss. No injuries were reported.
A man is dead after being struck and killed on Guadalupe Street early Tuesday morning.
Police say they received a 911 call around 2:30am Tuesday morning from a taxi driver who witnessed the accident, near the corner of Guadalupe and West 38th Street. The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident initially did not stop to render aid; police stopped the driver a few blocks away.
Few details have been released on the victim, except that he was a white male. Police did say that the victim was not in a crosswalk.
Parking at Austin's airport just got a little more expensive.
The airport increased its daily maximum rates on Sunday; the new maximums are $26 for Valet parking, $22 for Garage parking, and $11 for Surface Lot A. Other lots will remain at $7 per day.
Austin City Council approved the increases earlier this year. The rates support parking improvements and aim to keep the parking operation self-sufficient.
According to airport officials, Austin-Bergstrom is entirely self-sustaining, generating its own revenue to cover its operating costs. When travelers park at ABIA, their money stays at their airport to fund operations and improvements.
Two days after the May 12 municipal elections, the election machine will start grinding again - this time for the court adjusted May 29 statewide primary.
Originally scheduled for Super Tuesday on March 6, a panel of three federal judges in San Antonio twice delayed the election while parties battled the state over district lines drawn by the 82nd Legislature.
Early voting ends Friday, May 25th. Election day is Tuesday, May 29th.
Here's a roundup of municipal election results from Williamson County Saturday night.
Cedar Park: Former City Council member Matt Powell collected nearly 75 percent of the vote to become the new mayor of Cedar Park, after current mayor Bob Lemon announced that he would not seek re-election. Powell ran on a campaign of redrafting the city's comprehensive plan as his top priority, to guide the fast-growing city's growth.
Leander: Mayor John Cowman was upset Saturday night, beaten by former City Council member Chris Fielder. Fielder collected 53 percent of the vote, while Cowman pulled in 30 percent. Two incumbent City Council members, Michell Cantwell and David Siebold, won re-election.
Austin's mayor and City Council incumbents cruised to re-election in the municipal election held Saturday.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and City Council members Mike Martinez, Bill Spelman, and Sheryl Cole all won re-election outright for new three year terms.
In the Mayoral race, Leffingwell collected 52.06% of the vote, while challenger and former City Council member Brigid Shea gathered 37.08% of the vote. Challenger Clay DaFoe came in third with 10.86 percent.
In Place 2, Mike Martinez won re-election with 55.53 percent of the vote against local activist Dr. Laura Pressley, who gathered 44.47 percent of the vote.
Place 5 drew the most challengers to incumbent Bill Spelman, with 7 candidates vying for Austin's vote. Spelman collected 57.73 percent, with his closest challenger being Dominic "Dom" Chavez with 19.14 percent of the vote.
In Place 6, Sheryl Cole collected a landslide 70.86 percent of the vote against Shaun Ireland, with 29.14 percent.
The results will be canvassed next Tuesday, May 22, in Council Chambers at 10am. Inauguration of the council members for their new terms is scheduled for 6pm on Tuesday, July 3, at City Hall.
On 5/10/12 at 1840 hours, officers responded to the 2400 block of S US 183 to a three vehicle collision. The three vehicles involved were a 1997 black Chevrolet pickup, a white 2010 Toyota SUV and a white 2010 Hyundai SUV. The Chevrolet pickup was traveling northbound on Highway 183 when it crossed over into southbound traffic striking the Hyundai SUV head-on, forcing it off of the roadway. The Toyota SUV struck the Chevrolet pickup on the passenger side which came to rest across the roadway. The driver of the Chevrolet was pronounced dead at the scene. The adult occupants of the Hyundai were taken to Round Rock St David’s and the children were taken to Dell Children’s Hospital. The driver of the third vehicle was not injured. The names are being withheld pending notification of the families.
Contact Information: Lt. Jackson Mitchell 528-2800
Bradford Grant Case, 57, taught fourth grade at Barrington Elementary School. According to an arrest affidavit, Case had images of young boys in his possession, and some of the photos were of his own students.
Construction and testing has been completed for red light cameras at the three approaches listed below, and they will go live Wednesday, May 9.
·IH 35 at RM 620/Round Rock Avenue – northbound approach
·IH 35 at RM 620/Round Rock Avenue – southbound approach
·RM 620/Round Rock Avenue at Deep Wood Drive – westbound approach
A camera at the northbound approach to Red Bud Lane and Forest Creek Drive will go live Friday, May 11.
The City’s first red light camera went live Dec. 14 at the southbound approach to Red Bud Lane and Forest Creek Drive. On April 2, five additional approaches on U.S. 79/Palm Valley Boulevard were activated.
Below is citation data for the City’s red light camera program:
Intersection
December
January
February
March
April
Red Bud Lane and Forest Creek Drive
61
118
117
144
84
U.S. 79 and A.W. Grimes Boulevard*
389
U.S. 79 and Mays Street*
314
U.S. 79 and Sunrise Road
62
*Denotes an intersection with cameras at two approaches.
Fines are $75 per infraction, and motorists can review a video of the violations and pay the fine online at photonotice.com. A late fee of $25 will be assessed for fines not paid within 30 days.
Revenue generated from fines pays for installation, operation and maintenance costs of the system.
Mitt Romney swept the three Republican primaries in Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia Tuesday, collecting delegates and moving closer -- but not all the way -- to securing his party's nomination, which he is widely expected win.
The former Massachusetts governor now has 934 of the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination, according to CBS News estimates.
With no serious competition, Romney was able to collect the bulk of the 100 or so delegates at stake in Tuesday's primaries on his way to the party's official nominating convention in Tampa, Florida at the end of August.
Former rival Newt Gingrich dropped his bid for the presidency last week, after announcing the prior week that he would be giving up his White House hopes. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum gave up his run for the White House last month. Santorum endorsed Romney late Monday night in an email to supporters.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who has thus far garnered an estimated 92 delegates, remains in the race.
Romney has been campaigning vigorously against President Obama, presenting himself as a successful businessman who can lead the country back to economic prosperity.
"We're gonna have to fight very, very hard to break through the clutter of the charges and the attacks and the efforts to dissuade people from looking at his record," Romney told Fox News host Sean Hannity. He criticized everything from the president's position on women's issues to his foreign policy stance.
The two men are in a tight race and likely to engage in a fierce fight for the White House, according to the latest polls.
In a Gallup/USA Today poll of 12 swing states released this week, Mr. Obama edged out Romney 47 percent to 45 percent. The result is within the poll's four-point margin of error and closer than Gallup's last swing state poll from March, when Mr. Obama held a nine-point lead.
On the critical issue of the economy, Romney has the advantage: In a direct comparison, 47 percent said Romney would do a better job managing the economy, while 44 percent said Mr. Obama would. As many as 60 percent said Romney would do a good job or very good job as president handling the economy over the next four years, while 52 percent said the same about Mr. Obama.
An 81-year old man is dead following injuries sustained during an auto-pedestrian accident on the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail Monday evening.
Around 5:30pm, a 1995 Hyundai Accent driven by 21-year-old Joseph Rosales was heading east on Cesar Chavez near the North Lamar Boulevard bridge when it left the roadway. His vehicle jumped the curb, went into the hike-and-bike trail area, struck a sign and then hit the two victims, an 81-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman who were on the trail.
The man suffered head injuries and the 42-year-old woman had broken bones. The man later died at an area hospital.
Rosales has been booked into the Travis County Jail and charged with felony manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid.
Police are investigating a body found in a hot tub at a South Austin apartment complex early Tuesday morning.
A 911 call came from the Retreat at Barton Creek apartments, located at 3816 South Lamar Blvd. According to APD, first respondersfound a man floating in the hot tub, clutching his chest.
Detectives are investigating the death, but do not believe it to be suspicious at this time.
Tuesday is the last day to vote early in Saturday's municipal election.
Four seats on Austin's City Council are up for grabs, including Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Council Members Mike Martinez, Sheryl Cole and Bill Spelman. Each seat carries a three-year term.
Early voting locations can be found here. If you have other questions, you can call the Travis County elections office at 283-VOTE.
A slow moving cold front and several upper level disturbances will bring a chance for heavy rain today. A flash flood watch is in effect until 4pm for the area along and west I-35 from Georgetown to San Antonio and along and north of Highway 90 from San Antonio to Del Rio.
Overnight rain totals ranged from more than 2 inches in Leander to a few hundreths of an inch in southern areas of the city. Total rainfall for Tuesday will generally be from one half to one inch with isolated amounts of two to four inches possible.
A flash flood watch means that flash flooding is possible in and near the watch area, plan now for what you will do if flash flooding develops.
Sunday morning's early thunderstorms proved to be especially costly for Austin Energy - to the tune of $33,000.
Around 3,000 homes were left without power at the peak of the storms. To get those homes back online, crews had to replace 11 transformers - a number that Austin Energy spokesman Ed Clark considered "unprecedented".
Crews had restored power to all but 200 customers by noon; all customers were back online by 8pm Sunday night.
With more storms possibly on the way Monday night, remember to call Austin Energy at 322-9100 if you experience an outage. As more customers call in outage details, Austin Energy systems can determine the scope and pinpoint the cause of outages.
A slow moving cold front will bring a chance for heavy rain Monday night into Tuesday.
A flash flood watch is in effect for the area along and west of Interstate 35 from Georgetown to San Antonio and along and north of Highway 90 from San Antonio to Del Rio from Monday evening until Tuesday afternoon.
Total rainfall will generally be from one to two inches with isolated amounts of three to five inches possible.
A flash flood watch means that flash flooding is possible in and near the watch area, plan now for what you will do if flash flooding develops.
You can get instant weather alerts from the National Weather Service by following us on Twitter @Talk1370 or liking our Facebook page at Facebook.com/Talk1370. We'll also bring you alerts on-air on 96.3 FM and 1370 AM as conditions warrant.
New rules for getting a Texas driver's license go into effect beginning Monday.
A last-minute addition by lawmakers to the budget bill passed last year, the rules require DPS officials to ask all new applicants for a driver’s license or ID card to present two documents showing the person's name and address to establish proof of residency in the state.
Those documents have to show a person has lived in Texas at least 30 days. Residents with less than 30 days can have that requirement waived by surrendering a valid out-of-state driver's license.
Prior to the new rules, DPS officers were allowed to ask for proof of citizenship or legal status in the country - with something like a passport or birth certificate.
Some lawmakers called the driver's license measure a way to hurt the immigrant community with possible racial profiling of Hispanics. Supporters said it's another way to combat illegal immigration.
About 500 customers are currently without power in 30 locations throughout the Austin area due to overnight storm activity. Twelve repair crews are in service. We will continue to post updates until power is restored to all customers. Please report outages to Austin Energy at 322-9100.
Location: Bank of America, 3520 North Lamar Boulevard
On Friday, May 4, 2012, Austin Police officers responded to a bank robbery at the Bank of America, 3520 North Lamar Boulevard.
A preliminary investigation shows that a male entered the bank and demanded cash. The suspect left the scene with an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported.
The suspect is described as:
White male
Age: Late 40s
6 feet tall
Clean shaven
He was last seen wearing a green cap, dark rimmed glasses, a blue ‘Old Navy’ t-shirt with an American Flag printed on the front and pants.
This case remains under investigation by APD Robbery detectives. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092, Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-TIPS or text “Tip 103” + your message to CRIMES. You may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if your tip leads to an arrest or charges being filed. This is the sixth bank robbery of 2012. At this time in 2011, there were nine bank robberies.
San Marcos will enter Stage 2 drought restrictions effective Monday, May 7, 2012 at noon in response to quickly falling levels of the Edwards Aquifer. The aquifer has dropped 19 feet in the last 30 days.
Stage 2 for the San Antonio Pool of the Edwards Aquifer is implemented when the 10-day average at the J-17 index well level falls below 650 feet above mean sea level (msl).
On Thursday, May 3, the daily reading was 647.2 feet above msl, with a 10-day average of 649.7 feet. The historical average for May is 666.2 feet.
San Marcos Stage 2 rules restrict use of sprinklers, sprinkler systems, foundation watering, soaker hoses and at-home car washing to limited hours on one designated weekday. Stage 2 also limits watering of golf courses and athletic fields, prohibits filling new swimming pools and outdoor decorative water features, and washing paved surfaces.
“Aquifer levels have very quickly dropped over the past few weeks,” said Tom Taggart, Executive Director of Public Services. “A drop of nearly 20 feet has occurred in that short time. We are seeing daily declines of over 1 foot in level. This requires we rigorously conserve our water to slow the decline and the resulting spring flow decreases.”
San Marcos activated Stage 1 watering restrictions on April 23, 2012 when the level of the underground pool that serves as a water source for 2 million Texans dropped below 660 feet. The index well level was at 666 feet on April 1, at 657 feet on April 18, and at 647 feet on May 3.
In 2011, San Marcos and the Edwards region were under drought restrictions for most of the year. The City implemented Stage 1 of its Drought Response Plan on April 19, 2011 and Stage 2 on June 3, 2011. Under EAA rules, aquifer users such as municipalities are required to reduce their usage by 30% during Stage 2.
Region IV Support and Patrol has identified an increase in burglaries of businesses in the area surrounding I 35 and E. William Cannon and along the William Cannon corridor. A suspect identified as a white male or a light complected Hispanic male has been breaking into businesses and stealing flat screen TV’s. Please be aware of your surroundings and we encourage you to call 911 immediately if you see suspicious vehicles outside of businesses after they have closed for the day.
President Obama on Tuesday reminded Americans that he has wound down two unpopular wars and vowed to bring home soon the remaining troops in Afghanistan.
"My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon," Mr. Obama said in a high-profile television address from the war-torn nation.
An accident involving a propane tanker closed the mainlanes of Interstate 35 in South Austin for a time Tuesday afternoon.
The accident happened near Slaughter Lane around 2:00pm. Officials originally closed both the southbound and northbound lanes of the highway, but re-opened the southbound lanes around 2:30pm. The northbound lanes remain closed between FM 1626 and Slaughter Lane until about 3:30pm as Austin Fire crews worked to clear the wreckage and roadway.
Officials tell us that a pickup truck hit the propane tanker. Approximately 800 gallons of fuel are onboard the tanker, officials said, but they do not know if it is leaking.
The southbound mainlanes of Interstate 35 were shut down for about 30 minutes during the Tuesday morning commute after an 18-wheeler and a motorcycle wrecked.
The accident happened around 8:30am, backing traffic up beyond Parmer Lane. Traffic was diverted to the frontage road.
The motorcycle driver survived and was transported to an area hospital with unspecified injuries.
Austin Homicide investigators are trying to figure out what led up to a man's death in East Austin early Tuesday morning.
A 911 caller reported someone bleeding on the ground just after 4:30am Tuesday near Cameron and 52nd Street. WhenEMS workers arrived, they tried to save the man, but pronounced him dead at the scene a few minutes later.
Police remain on the scene, interviewing possible witnesses.
Austin Police Sgt. Jamie Jobes said that police have a few witnesses they are talking to, but added that it's early in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact APD's homicide tip line at (512) 477-3588 or call CrimeStoppers at (512) 472-TIPS (8477).
This is a breaking story - we'll have more information throughout the day as it becomes available.
The Travis County Commissioners Court has approved a revised version of a tax abatement deal that is viewed as the final step in getting Apple Inc to bring more than 3600 jobs to a planned North Austin campus.
Commissioners were scheduled to vote on the deal last week, but sent the deal back to staff after roughly an hour of discussion. Since then, a few substantive tweaks and other more superficial changes have been made to the county's 15-year, $5.4 million to $6.4 million tax rebate offer.
The vote passed 4-1, with commissioner Sarah Eckhardt being the lone "no" vote.
One of the largest changes made to the package is establishing a salary floor of $35,000 for the lowest paid employees, and $11 per hour for contractors, who will make up around 25 percent of the new workers.
The deal still gives county staff the authority to extend a number of construction deadlines without consulting commissioners, but Apple must hire all 3,665 new workers by the end of 2025 and the first group of 300 by the end of 2016.
After the county approved its incentives offer to Apple in principle on April 17, the total state and local government incentives package to the company was estimated at $35 million to $36 million over 15 years.
Of that amount, $21 million would come from the state's Texas Enterprise Fund and $8.6 million from the City of Austin, both over the course of 10 years.
