Austin, TX

Austin leaders, lawmakers taking action to stop mail thieves

Published

1 year ago

June 12, 2023

Austin leaders, lawmakers taking action to stop mail thieves

AUSTIN, Texas – Mail theft is on the rise in Austin. City leaders and lawmakers are taking action while the postal service is expanding security measures in an effort to stop thieves.

“I’ve seen that there were postal workers who had their arrow keys robbed at gunpoint and an arrow key is a master key and so when those are out circulation throughout the community, that’s something that would give thieves greater access to mailboxes,” Austin City Council member Mackenzie Kelly (District 6) said.

Last year, more than 400 USPS letter carriers were robbed on the job and almost 39,000 mail theft incidents were reported. In response, the U.S. Postal Service is increasing security by replacing thousands of arrow locks with electric locks and hardening blue collection boxes to make it harder to access what’s inside.

Austin resident Bill Ogilbie said his old box has been replaced.

“One of the postal employees said it had been vandalized, and so they took it away while they were investigation,” Ogilbie said, “The new box only allows you to put letters.”

In April, cameras at the Mesa Village Condominium in Northwest Austin captured two men in security outfits able to get past a locked gate and start opening boxes and stealing mail, appearing to have a master key.

RELATED: VIDEO: Two men seen breaking into mailboxes at Northwest Austin condos

Two men seen breaking into mailboxes at Northwest Austin condos

Earlier this month, new cameras captured two men in security outfits that were able to get past the locked gate and start opening up boxes and stealing mail, appearing to have a master key.

“Everyone who I’ve spoken to at least feels pretty violated by it,” Austin resident Ashley Hornung said.

Council woman Kelly asked the city manager in April to send a letter to the Postmaster General requesting a change of master keys for mailboxes across the city.

“I know that these types of crimes are very personal, and I am seeking a way for the city to overcome them in a way that’s productive and helps try to mitigate the problem,” Kelly said.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R-14) are also acting by introducing legislation to help prevent mail theft called the Upholding a Secure Postal Service Systems, or USPS Act.

The act would require the Comptroller General of the U.S. to submit a report to Congress on nationwide mail theft trends and postal property to a House and Senate committee. It would also include measures the postal services is taking to combat theft.

“These crimes of opportunity are there, and people are able to take advantage of more easily and so it’s just up to me and other people to say that if we want our stuff to get someplace safe and reliable, we should look at other options,” Ogilbie said.

“Every day, the U.S. Postal Service safely delivers mail to more than 150 million addresses; mails that include checks, money orders, credit cards, and merchandise. While the U.S. mail remains one of the most secure means to transmit such items, unfortunately, these items are also attractive to thieves.” They are asking postal customers to check their mailboxes daily, as the longer the mail sits in the mailbox, the more susceptible it is to theft,” The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said.

“Some people just get up in the morning and that’s their job to go out and skim as opportunities to skim whatever they can off society. It obviously doesn’t mean everybody is doing it, you just need a very, very small number of people to do that to have an impact on society,” Ogilbie said.

Mail theft is a state and federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison and substantial fines. Unauthorized possession of a USPS key is a federal crime punishable by up to ten years in prison.

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Austin, TX

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

Published

8 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas had a strong showing on OpenTable’s 2024 Top 100 Restaurants with 10 establishments making the list.

What You Need To Know

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users

The Lone Star State had the second-most restaurants on the list, tied with Illinois, behind California, which had a whopping 19 restaurants featured.

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list.

Aba – Austin
J Carver’s
Jeffrey’s Restaurant
Red Ash Italia
Sammie’s Italian
Uchi Austin
Uchiko Austin

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list.

Steak 48 – Houston
Signature – San Antonio
Hudson House – Lovers Lane – Dallas

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users.

According to OpenTable’s website, restaurants with enough reviews are automatically considered and are evaluated by their ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, number of alerts set, percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches.

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Austin, TX

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

Published

16 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

‘Superman!’ Jelani McDonald Proves to Be Crucial Piece to Texas Longhorns Defense

AUSTIN — Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald made his mark in the Longhorn secondary on Saturday.

McDonald recorded his first career interception, and it was one for the books.

With five minutes left in the first half as Texas led 14-7, Kentucky had possession. The crowd went wild as McDonald dove for the ball to get possession back to the Longhorn offense. Commentators described the play as a “Superman” performance.

WENT FULL SUPERMAN FOR THIS PICK 👀🤯@TexasFootball x 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/ZV5AxOSWo7
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 23, 2024
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McDonald’s teammates also had their takes on the play.

“Superman…I mean everybody knows how athletic Jelani is, we’ve been talking about that all season, and even tied back to last season,” Michael Taaffe said. “He’s so athletic. I’m glad he finally got to show that and for you all to see, because we’ve known that forever.”

McDonald has totaled 22 tackles this season, playing in every conference and two non-conference games.

While he’s not a name on everyone’s mouths, like Quinn Ewers, Isaiah Bond, Taaffe or Kelvin Banks Jr., McDonald proved once and for all his impact on the team. McDonald could very much have a breakout season in 2025, and this play, which recorded Texas’ 16th interception of the season taking the national record, opened up the doors for his campaign.

That pick could even be awarded play of the year.

“I’ve been just happy to see him grow and get better as a player,” Anthony Hill Jr., who played with McDonald in the Freshman All-American game, said.

“He was playing corners, so I was like ‘Who’s this guy,’ and then one the game, he’s playing linebackers, and at one game he’s playing safety,” Hill said.

McDonald has one more shot to showcase his talent in the regular season as Texas faces Texas A&M next Saturday. But with two years left of eligibility, the sky is the limit.

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Austin, TX

No. 3 Texas ends UK’s bowl chances

Published

1 day ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

AUSTIN, Tx. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) ended their SEC slate with a 31-14 loss on the road against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns (10-1, 6-1 SEC). For the first time in eight seasons, UK will not be bowl eligible.

Junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff started the game for the Cats, going 3-7 for 51 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The staff opted to once against start true freshman Cutter Boley in the second half. The LCA alum wet 10-18 for 160 yards and an interception in the loss.

The Wildcats went 1-2 in the red zone and just 2-12 on third down conversions.

Senior inside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson had a 25-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and also led the defense in tackles with eight.

Texas junior QB Quinn Ewers went 20-31 for 191 yards and two touchdowns for the Longhorns.

The season concludes next week as Kentucky hosts the Governor’s Cup game against Louisville at Kroger Field. Kick-off is set for noon on the SEC Network.

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