Austin

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Before Jack the Ripper Came America's First Serial Killer

The 'Midnight Assassin' terrorized Austin in the 1880s

(Newser) - For years, author Skip Hollandsworth has been trying to solve the case of the Midnight Assassin—a serial killer who brutally slayed six women and a 12-year-old girl in Austin, Texas, between December 1884 and December 1885. But, he tells the Star-Telegram , "I still have no clue," adding...

Killer Sought After Freshman's Body Found in Creek on College Campus

Haruka Weiser suffered 'unthinkable brutality'

(Newser) - Austin police are searching for a killer after the body of an 18-year-old University of Texas freshman was found in a creek behind the campus's alumni building, ABC News reports. Haruka Weiser, a theater and dance major from Portland, Ore., was last seen leaving the drama building Sunday night....

Cop Fired for Shooting Naked, Unarmed Teen

David Joseph killed by Texas officer who says 17-year-old charged him on Feb. 8

(Newser) - Officer Geoffrey Freeman had a stun gun, pepper spray, a baton, and a beanbag gun at his fingertips when he confronted a 17-year-old running naked through the streets on Feb. 8, the New York Daily News reports. Instead, the Texas cop with 10 years on the Austin police force drew...

The 10 Best US Cities to Call Home

There are some surprises

(Newser) - Looking for a fresh start somewhere? US News & World Report just released its first list of the best places to live in America. The publication used data from the US Census Bureau, FBI, and more; its own rankings of high schools and hospitals; and a survey of thousands of...

Cat Guy Says He's Figured Out Feline Longevity

It involves home-cooked breakfast and a movie

(Newser) - Jake Perry's cats live the good life. And they live it for a long time. One of Perry's felines—Granpa Rexs Allen, who lived to be 34—broke the Guinness World Record for oldest cat in 1998. Seven years later, his kitty Crème Puff topped that record,...

'Mass Farting' Meets Fake Gun Massacre

Protesters take to the streets in Austin, Texas

(Newser) - The gun-rights debate has apparently boiled down to a fake mass shooting and machines that spit out fart noises. It all happened Saturday in Austin, Texas, where pro-gun activists staged a mock gun-massacre at a church and anti-gun protesters countered with what they called a "mass farting," the...

Texas Judge Shot Outside Her Home

It appears she was targeted in connection with her work

(Newser) - A Texas judge was shot outside of her Austin home Friday night, and an initial investigation appears to show she was targeted, KXAN reports. According to the Austin American-Statesman , Judge Julie Kocurek—the presiding felony judge for Travis County—had just arrived home with a number of other people when...

Fight Over Smoke Threatens Sacred Texas BBQ

Austin decides not to regulate, but neighbors of one restaurant have sued

(Newser) - Austin is a barbecue town, and anyone who lives there "may very well live downwind of a barbecue joint," notes a post at Munchies . That may sound great, but for those who live too close, the smoke can be a real problem. After neighbors complained, a city council...

Affirmative-Action Case Will Go Before SCOTUS Again

Abigail Fisher's lawsuit against University of Texas will get 2nd look by court

(Newser) - The Supreme Court says it will dive back into the fight over the use of race in admissions at the University of Texas, a decision that presages tighter limits on affirmative action in higher education. The justices said today they'll hear for a second time the case of a...

'Extraordinary Shot' Stopped Austin Gunman

Police Sgt. Adam Johnson hit him dead-on from 312 feet away

(Newser) - Police Sgt. Adam Johnson was gripping the reins of two horses when he fired and hit a gunman dead-center in the chest—from 312 feet away, Fox News reports. General reaction from those in the know: Wow. "At a minimum, it was [an] extraordinary shot," says a retired...

Gunman Fires 100+ Rounds in Austin at 2am

Police officer shoots, kills suspect

(Newser) - A police sergeant who was outside Austin police headquarters shot a gunman in the wee hours of the morning today; that gunman is dead, though it's unclear if he died by the sergeant's bullet or his own. KVUE reports by way of a news conference that 911 calls...

Parents Locked Autistic Twins, 22, in Basement: Cops

John and Janice Land abuse and imprisonment charges

(Newser) - To stop his 22-year-old autistic twin sons from misbehaving, John Land told police he installed an external deadbolt and padlock on a basement bedroom with the “sole intention” of keeping the men locked away during the overnight hours, NBC4 reports. The conditions police found last week at the Rockville,...

21-Year-Old Driver ID'd in SXSW Car Fatalities

Rashad Owens faces death penalty

(Newser) - The driver accused of plowing into a crowd at the South by Southwest Festival, killing two and injuring 23 others, has been identified as 21-year-old Rashad Owens of Killeen, Texas, reports the Austin American-Statesman . Police say the tragedy began about 12:30am when an officer tried to pull over Owens...

Car Plows Into SXSW Crowd, Killing 2

23 injured; driver to be charged with capital murder

(Newser) - At least two people were killed and 23 injured—five of them critically—when a car sped into a crowd in downtown Austin just after midnight, plowing through barricades set up for the South by Southwest music festival. The incident left victims scattered along a city block where several clubs...

Austin Police Chief Rejects Criticism in Jogger Arrest

Jaywalker got off easy given her reaction, says chief

(Newser) - It's not every week that an arrest of a jaywalking jogger makes headlines, but throw in a viral video, an outraged arrestee, and a defiant police chief in Austin, and there you have it. The arrest took place Thursday, when 24-year-old jogger Amanda Jo Stephen got taken into custody...

US Gets First Bitcoin ATM
 US Gets First Bitcoin ATM 
Feb 20, 2014 3:45 PM CST

US Gets First Bitcoin ATM

Machine in Austin will exchange the currency for cash

(Newser) - In Austin today, organizers were set to launch the country's first Bitcoin ATM. Similar machines in Boston and Albuquerque allow cash to be exchanged for Bitcoins—but this one also allows the digital currency to be exchanged for cash (although withdrawing cash can take as long as 10 minutes,...

Texas Students Cancel 'Catch an Immigrant' Game

Conservative group's plan caused ruckus at University of Austin

(Newser) - Student conservatives at the University of Austin at Texas today canceled their planned "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game," where students were to run around campus wearing "Illegal Immigrant" signs, the Austin American-Statesman reports. In the game, which was to be held tomorrow, members of the Young Conservatives...

Prof Plans to Live in Dumpster for a Year

Jeff Wilson wants highlight benefits of green living

(Newser) - Talk about slumming it: A professor in Austin, Texas plans to live in a dumpster for a year to highlight the benefits of a green lifestyle, TreeHugger reports. Environmental science professor Jeff Wilson started by selling off his belongings—appliances, clothes, furnishings—for $1 each and secretly planning the project...

Caller ID Nabs Suspects in Gang-Rape of Texas Girl, 13

Police looking for as many as eight others in the June 29 attack

(Newser) - As many as 10 men were allegedly part of the brutal gang-rape of a 13-year-old girl in Austin, Texas, which was filmed using cellphones—and a cellphone may have led to two men's arrests. Their arrest affidavit explains that the girl had run away from a home for abused...

Texas GOPer Lynches Chair on Front Lawn

Any guesses what message he's subtly trying to convey?

(Newser) - An Austin Republican's lawn currently features an empty chair dangling from a rope on a tree, along with a US flag. Following Clint Eastwood's RNC speech , it's not a stretch to assume the empty chair symbolizes President Obama, suggesting not-so-subtly a lynching, Burnt Orange Report notes. A...

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