Austin Texas News

Austin City Council members say they need a better look at where Austin could be falling short in terms of its wildfire preparedness. A report out today from the City Auditor said the city is doing enough to prepare for wildfires, but it said Austin could do a better job of reducing the threat of wildfires in areas largely outside the urban core. Still, council members on the Audit and Finance Committee said they wanted…

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – President Donald Trump defended his rhetoric Wednesday as he headed out to offer a message of healing and unity in El Paso and Dayton, where he was to be met by unusual hostility from people who fault his own incendiary words as contributing to last weekend’s mass shootings. The mayors of both cities were calling for Trump to change the way he talks about immigrants. Multiple protests were planned. And Democratic…

WIMBERLY, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – On Thursday, Wimberley City Council voted to support the Parks Department in their effort to raise money to purchase property that includes Mount Edith, the sister mountain of Old Baldy. “It’s 288 acres of completely natural Texas Hill Country, which is getting pretty rare,” said Richard Shaver, programs and operations manager for the City of Wimberley Parks Department.  With a $6.3 million price tag, the city is hopeful that…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – Dozens of people rolled up their sleeves to give blood Monday following two deadly shootings. The turnout was so big that some people had to wait three hours to donate.  “After I found out what happened in El Paso I just had to give blood, I just had too,” said Andrew Pyle.  Pyle was one of the many who chose to give blood following two deadly mass shootings over the…

AUSTIN, Texas — Central Texas is facing the summer wildfire season. The Austin Fire Department said a rainy spring and early summer created a lot of vegetation. Battalion Chief Josh Portie said the brush overgrowth from the rain has increased fire risk. “We’re already starting to see an increase and the occurrence of grass fires and brush fires,” said Portie. We are at a moderate fire risk now. “With that, we’ve already started staffing rehab…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The unprecedented resignation of Puerto Rico’s governor after days of massive island-wide protests has thrown the U.S. territory into a full-blown political crisis. Less than four days before Gov. Ricardo Rosselló steps down, no one knows who will take his place. Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez, his constitutional successor, said Sunday that she didn’t want the job. The next in line would be Education…

REIMERS RANCH, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – The sound made by the fire cutting through part of Reimers Ranch wasn’t just coming from the grass but also from inside tree trunks as screeching heralded the last bit of moisture inside them evaporating. “It is controlled danger, but the danger is under control, and that’s the key to a prescribed burn,” said Will Boettner with the Travis County Fire Marshal’s office. About 60 acres were set…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Waving flags, chanting and banging pots and pans, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans jammed a highway Monday to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in a crisis triggered by a leak of offensive, obscenity-laden chat messages between him and his advisers. The demonstration appeared to be the biggest protest on the island in nearly two decades. “Finally, the government’s mask has…

Monday Manners: Roommate etiquette By Dave Froehlich, FOX 7 Austin, Amanda Salinas, FOX 7 Austin, Zack Shields, FOX 7 Austin, Jane Lonsdale, FOX 7 Austin, Leslie Rangel, FOX 7 Austin Posted Jul 22 2019 12:24PM CDT Diane Gottsman from the Protocol School of Texas talks about a few things you should know when living with someone. Read the full article

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – The Austin Humane Society helped clear shelter space in Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Barry, but now their own shelter is full.  On Wednesday, four staff members loaded 41 kittens and 33 dogs into a trailer and drove them from the Jefferson Parish Animal Shelter in New Orleans to Austin.  Ashley Steffey, community cat program supervisor at AHS, drove the trailer.  “It’s nerve wracking for sure.” she laughed. “You know…

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) – More than 100 million people around the world have downloaded the popular phone app FaceApp, and it is now the top-ranked app in the iOS App Store in 121 countries. The app, created in 2017 by Russian startup Wireless Labs, allows users to digitally make themselves look older through uploaded photos. It’s picked up more popularity thanks to the new FaceApp Challenge on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook…

Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Harry Guillot is pictured with “Crash,” a 4-week-old kitten who was found July 11 in a crashed car in Louisiana. (Photo credit: Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office) Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Harry Guillot is pictured with “Crash,” a 4-week-old kitten who was found July 11 in a crashed car in Louisiana. (Photo credit: Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office) CUT OFF, La. – A deputy in Louisiana rescued a tiny kitten in the midst…

AUSTIN, Texas — Barry was upgraded to a category one hurricane as it moves toward Louisiana near Avery Island on Saturday morning. The latest update from the National Hurricane Center has the storm with 75 mph sustained winds. The storms main threats come from storm surge along coastal areas and heavy rain that will lead to serious flooding situations. Hurricane Barry KVUE Flooding from both the storm surge and torrential inland rains continue to be…

AUSTIN, Texas — Storms along the gulf coast stir up memories for people here in Austin, who left the region after Hurricane Katrina. It’s been 13 years since Lynzay Moran moved to Austin, her family is still in Louisiana and are prepared for what happens, but she knows this is a part of living in her home state. She now owns Baton Creole, a food truck in East Austin that she opened in 2013. “Yea…

AUSTIN, Texas — Tropical Storm Barry is continuing to gain strength as it churns over the northern Gulf of Mexico. At the 4:00 PM update, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has Barry situated 70 miles to the south southeast of Morgan City, Louisiana and moving to the west northwest at 6 MPH. The NHC anticipates that Barry will continue to intensify into a weak category 1 hurricane just before it makes landfall on the central…