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Austin police, Texas DPS give update on partnership to Austin City Council

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Austin police, Texas DPS give update on partnership to Austin City Council


Austin Metropolis Council was briefed on the Austin Police Division and Texas DPS partnership. It is a partnership that was put in place a month in the past to assist with the police staffing scarcity.

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“We’ve got to have that transparency if we need to construct a sustainable, strategic manner ahead that addresses the shared targets that all of us have,” stated Alison Alter, District 10 council member.

This comes days after the Travis County Legal professional’s Workplace launched demographic knowledge revealing almost 90% of misdemeanor arrests made by DPS had been individuals of shade.

“We do not need individuals to really feel like they’re a goal or there’s racial profiling occurring,” stated Mayor Kirk Watson.

Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon says the division assigns the 100 DPS troopers accessible to the place probably the most violent crime is seen every week. DPS Director Steven McCraw says the misdemeanor arrests knowledge aligns with the place APD assigned them.

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“If you happen to take a look at the numbers, you may see that it is in step with the demographics of town, within the county, you realize, up till we started this operation,” stated McCraw.

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Chief Chacon says APD and DPS are keen to strategize how this partnership runs to keep away from any concept that they’re concentrating on sure teams of individuals.

“I very a lot plan to do this in order that we’re not having a disparate affect on our communities of shade,” stated Chief Chacon.

McCraw added DPS is right here to assist APD throughout its staffing scarcity. He says troopers are usually not right here to make anybody scared.

“You must really feel protected, not threatened. You must really feel like lastly we have some safety from us,” he stated.

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Council reiterated they’re for this partnership, however one thing has to alter.

“There are areas the place I feel that this operation may actually make a distinction and be efficient, however it merely can’t be on the expense of our, once more, our eastside communities the place we’re seeing a disproportionate quantity of ticketing occur,” stated Vanessa Fuentes, District 2 council member.

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The subsequent replace on the APD and DPS partnership might be Could 22 on the Public Security assembly.



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Austin, TX

3 hospitalized after crowd surge at Pitbull concert at the University of Texas at Austin – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

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3 hospitalized after crowd surge at Pitbull concert at the University of Texas at Austin – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale


A crowd of fans were crushed during a Pitbul concert at the university sending three people to the hospital with injuries.

Not everyone had the time of their lives seeing Pitbull for free at the University of Texas at Austin on Sunday.

Officials report three people were taken to the hospital following a crowd surge.

Sunday night’s event, celebrating the university’s transition to the Southeastern Conference, attracted thousands to campus.

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“I mean, it was phenomenal. I was dozens of people out there just having the best time of their lives,” said Santiago Barrachina.

What started as a fun night took a terrifying turn when Miami’s Pitbull took the stage. With about 50,000 attendees, the situation became too much.

“We were like, on the right before the steps to where it was gated. So we did get to see the pushing and shoving, and that’s when we decided to move out,” said Angelica Garcia.

The incident was reminiscent of a South by Southwest event in 2014 in which Tyler the Creator was accused of inciting a riot. As well as in 2021, at a Travis Scott concert in Houston where 10 people were crushed to death.

“Oh, yeah. I think that was on everyone’s minds. Right,” said Shane Bean. “You know that it’s barricaded. You’re shoulder to shoulder with everyone, but yeah, no, it was a good time, though.”

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“Going forward, what would you recommend to the university for the next one,” said a local reporter.

“I guess I mean, it would have been nice if they had more of a plan with that many people showing up, right,” said Bean. “It just seemed like they barricaded the place and let people in, I guess. Yeah, maybe a little bit more forethought about having so many people come in.”

Many students like Alejandra Lugo said the area chosen, the university’s clock tower, for the free concert was too small. An issue that should have been spotted right away.

“I would say to have in a more open area where people can walk freely in and out of the crowd, because that’s a problem that you can get when anyone can be invited to an open area free concert, especially. I think they should also be providing more water around like easily accessible to those more in the middle,” she said.

Pitbull nor the university have yet to publically address what happened at the concert.

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U.S. Supreme Court denies Rodney Reed's petition for a new trial

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U.S. Supreme Court denies Rodney Reed's petition for a new trial


TEXAS — The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down death row inmate Rodney Reed’s most recent petition to review his claims of innocence.

On Nov. 22, 2023, Reed filed a petition for a writ of certiorari, which is a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the case for review. This came after a judge denied Reed a new trial in 2021. The presiding judge, State District Judge J.D. Langley, stated in his ruling that Reed had not proven he is innocent. The Supreme Court denied the writ of certiorari Tuesday.

With this latest development, it is now solely up to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to determine whether Reed will be granted a new trial. 

Reed was sentenced to death for the 1996 killing of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. He was accused of raping and strangling Stites in Bastrop and leaving her by the road.

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Reed claimed evidence in the 1998 trial was suppressed by prosecutors that would’ve exonerated him, including that Stites and Reed were having an affair. The death row inmate has long maintained that Stites’ fiance, former police officer Jimmy Fennell, was the actual killer and killed Stites because of the alleged affair.

Lawyers for Reed also said he wanted to DNA test crime-scene evidence he believed would have exonerated him. This includes the belt that was used to strangle the victim. The Supreme Court ruled in April that the DNA testing could still be considered.

Reed remains a death row inmate presently and it is unclear when a date for his execution will be set.



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Texas hiker dies on trail at Grand Canyon National Park; officials warn of extreme heat

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Texas hiker dies on trail at Grand Canyon National Park; officials warn of extreme heat


A hiker collapsed and died on a trail in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona over the weekend, prompting parks officials to warn about the dangers of hiking in extreme heat.

Scott Sims, 69, of Austin, Texas, was attempting to reach Phantom Ranch via the South Kaibab Trail for an overnight stay when he was found semi-conscious around 7 p.m. Saturday, the National Parks Service (NPS) said in a statement on Monday.

Sims became unresponsive a short time later, and bystanders performed CPR until three NPS paramedics arrived, parks officials said. All attempts to resuscitate Sims were unsuccessful.

Sims collapsed on the River Trail, about halfway between the Silver Bridge and Black Bridge near Phantom Ranch, according to the NPS. Temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can reach 120 degrees in the shade, the agency said.

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HIKER LOST FOR 10 DAYS FOUND ALIVE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS

Scott Sims was found semi-conscious on the River Trail at Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday. He became unresponsive a short time later. (National Park Service, File)

“Park rangers strongly advise not hiking in the inner canyon during the heat of the day between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.,” NPS said. 

South Kaibab Trail

Temperatures on the trail can reach 120 degrees in the shade, NPS said. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images, File)

Officials said that its efforts to help hikers during the summer months may be delayed due to limited staff, an increased number of rescue calls, safety requirements for staff and helicopter usage being limited in extreme heat or periods of inclement weather.

COUPLE MISSING IN UTAH MAY HAVE BEEN SWEPT AWAY IN FLASH FLOOD WHILE EXPLORING TRAIL ON UTV

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NPS and the Coconino Medical Examiner are investigating the death. No cause of death was immediately provided. 

South Kaibab Trail

No cause of death was immediately provided. (Patrick Gorski/NurPhoto via Getty Images, File)

The death comes after a Salt Lake City fire captain died in a rafting accident at Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado.

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An NPS review of deaths in national parks between 2014 and 2019 found that hiking was the second-deadliest recreational activity behind driving, while drowning caused the second-highest number of unintentional deaths after motor vehicle crashes.



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