Austin, TX

Citations handed out across Central Texas for leaving animals outside during winter weather

Published

5 days ago

January 23, 2025

Citations handed out across Central Texas for leaving animals outside during winter weather

Protecting animals in cold weather

During this week’s cold snap and winter storm, animal protection agencies in our area have been working non-stop to keep pets safe. Sadly, they’ve gotten many calls about people leaving their animals out in the elements.

AUSTIN, Texas – During this week’s cold snap and winter storm, animal protection agencies in our area have been working non-stop to keep pets safe. Sadly, they’ve gotten many calls about people leaving their animals out in the elements.

Citations in San Antonio

What they’re saying:

“It’s sad to say nothing surprises me anymore,” said Lisa Norwood with San Antonio Animal Care Services.

According to the City of San Antonio, they handed out 47 criminal citations on Monday and Tuesday for pets left outside in freezing temperatures. On Wednesday, that number was still going up.

“We’ve actually written so many citations in the last couple of days that they’re still putting those together. I can tell you that it is over 50, probably approaching the 60-70 mark,” said Lisa Norwood.

Citations in Austin

What they’re saying:

In Austin, APD and Animal Protection officers have been busy.

“We’ve seen a lot of calls,” said Austin Animal Protection Officer Amber Harvey.

“I have seen an uptick in the last couple of days,” said Det. Christian Esquivel with the Austin Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit.

Thirty animal neglect citations were issued in Austin during the cold snap, with situations running the gamut.

“Dogs being left out without shelter or possibly in a wire crate,” said Harvey. “Or being on chains outside.”

“Animals being left outside on patios at apartment complexes, animals being left outside in the backyard while it’s sleeting, in vehicles,” said Esquivel.

Is it illegal to leave dogs outside?

The backstory:

In 2022, the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act made it illegal in Texas to leave a dog restrained outside, unless it has adequate shelter that protects it from rain, hail, sleet, snow and subfreezing temperatures.

In Austin, like in San Antonio, the city ordinance is even stricter than state law, when it comes to leaving pets out in the cold.

Austin bans animals from being kept in cold vehicles, requires all owners to provide shelter from the cold, and you cannot tether a dog in any weather.

If you break the rules, you could be fined up to $500 per day, or up to $2,000 if there’s criminal negligence involved.

“We had one where we had to convince the dog owner to surrender his dog because it was an ongoing thing. And it was in that bad of a situation,” said Harvey.

What they’re saying:

Generally speaking, animal officers say they try to help owners before giving them a ticket.

“Ultimately, we want to get compliance from the owners,” said Esquivel. “So we’ll try to educate them as best we can.”

“We have crates here we can send people home with. We have blankets, and we have dog houses,” said Harvey.

Bottom line: be prepared and have a plan before the next cold snap.

“The best thing to do is to bring them inside during freezing temperatures,” said Harvey.

If you’re feeling cold outside, your pet probably is, too.

If you are concerned about the safety of an animal, you can make a report by calling 9-1-1, or 3-1-1 in Austin.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s John Krinjak

Winter WeatherAustinSan AntonioPets and Animals

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Austin, TX

ICE conducts 'targeted enforcement' in Austin over weekend

Published

11 hours ago

January 27, 2025

Press Room

ICE conducts 'targeted enforcement' in Austin over weekend

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted “targeted enforcement actions” in Austin and other cities on Sunday, the DEA Houston division confirmed.

“The DEA Houston division assisted DHS with their targeted enforcement actions. We’ve assisted in several cities to include Austin,” said DEA spokesperson Sally Sparks in a text message to KUT News.

The DEA Houston division operates in a large swath of Texas, all the way from the southern border to as far north as Waco.

The division posted photos associated with the operations on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday.

According to ICE, enforcement operations involve “the identification, arrest, detention and removal of aliens who are subject to removal or are unlawfully present in the United States.” KUT News has reached out to Homeland Securities Investigations for further details about Sunday’s operations.

The news of ICE’s activities in Austin comes just over a week after Trump administration “border czar” Tom Homan said ICE would begin conducting illegal immigration enforcement raids. Homan said those raids would begin Tuesday, Jan. 21, and identified Chicago as an early target in an interview with Fox News.

“We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens. That’s what’s gonna happen,” Homan said.

ICE confirmed to the Texas Newsroom that operations are also underway in North Texas, where dozens of individuals were arrested over the weekend.

KXAN was first to report the news of ICE’s operations in Austin.

This is a developing story.

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Austin, TX

Yellow Jackets Fall to No. 1 Texas in Championship Match

Published

22 hours ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

Yellow Jackets Fall to No. 1 Texas in Championship Match

AUSTIN, Texas – The Yellow Jackets faced the number one team in college tennis on Sunday but fell 0-4 to Texas in the championship match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Austin Regional.

In doubles action, Texas jumped to a quick 1-0 lead on the day, claiming doubles courts one and three. The duo of Sebastian Eriksson and Jonah Braswell got a 6-3 over the Tech pairing of Gabriele Brancatelli and Robert Bauer, before the No. 7 ranked doubles team of Lucas Brown and Timo Legout got a 6-4 win over No. 19 Krish Arora and Christophe Clement.

In singles action, the Yellow Jackets were unable to stop the Longhorns’ momentum, eventually dropping three singles matches, and falling 0-4 in the championship match.

No. 90 ranked Nate Bonetto faced Legout, who is ranked No. 3, but fell 1-6, 1-6, putting Texas up 2-0.

Branctelli took on No. 2 Sebastian Gorzny, but dropped his match 3-6, 2-6.

Sebastian Eriksson of Texas closed out the win for the Longhorns, defeating Georgia Tech’s Gianluca Carlini 6-1, 6-3.

Tech will be back in action Thursday, Jan. 30, as they welcome Georgia State to the Ken Byers Tennis Complex for a match at 4 p.m.

#1 Texas 4, Georgia Tech 0
Singles

#3 Timo Legout (TEX) def. #90 Nate Bonetto (GT) 6-1, 6-1
#2 Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) def. Gabriele Brancatelli (GT) 6-3, 6-2
Pierre-Yves Bailly (TEX) vs. Christophe Clement (GT) 6-4, 4-0, unfinished
#20 Jonah Braswell (TEX) vs. Krish Arora (GT) 7-5, 1-0, unfinished
Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. Gianluca Carlini (GT) 6-1, 6-3
#116 Lucas Brown (TEX) vs. Richard Biagiotti (GT) 6-3, 2-3, unfinished

Doubles

#7 Lucas Brown/Timo Legout (TEX) def. #19 Krish Arora/Christophe Clement (GT) 6-4
Sebastian Gorzny/Pierre-Yves Bailly (TEX) vs. #44 Nate Bonetto/Gianluca Carlini (GT) 6-5, unfinished
Sebastian Eriksson/Jonah Braswell (TEX) def. Gabriele Brancatelli/Robert Bauer (GT) 6-3

Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X (@GT_MTEN), Instagram (GT_MTEN), Facebook (Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com

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Austin, TX

3 Takeaways From Texas A&M Aggies Crushing Loss to Texas Longhorns

Published

1 day ago

January 26, 2025

Press Room

3 Takeaways From Texas A&M Aggies Crushing Loss to Texas Longhorns

When the Texas A&M Aggies were referred to as a “second half team,” this is not what it meant.

What started in Austin as another runaway win for the Aggie basketball team ended in heartbreak for the 12th Man, as Longhorns guard Tramon Mark hit in a layup off the glass with just three seconds left, capping off a 22-point comeback for Texas in Austin on Saturday.

The loss brings the No. 13 Aggies to 15-5 on the year and will likely result in a drop of their ranking in the AP Top 25.

Wade Taylor’s 15 points and Manny Obaseki’s 13 were the only points in double figures for the Aggies as the overall defensive collapse truly did the Maroon and White in at the Moody Center.

Jan 25, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies guard Wade Taylor IV (4) drives to the basket against Texas Longhorns guard Julian Larry (1) during the second half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

With that, here are some takeaways from the game.

Free Throw Woes Continue

The Aggies only attempted eight free throws in the contest, but they only made three of them, with the 37.5 percent displayed another upsetting performance from the line by the Ags. With the margin of this defeat, one can only imagine how the outcome would’ve been had the team been efficient at free throws today.

Improvement Beyond the Arc

What the Aggies lacked in free throws, they made up for in three-pointers, shooting 52.2 percent from downtown, making 12 of 23 shots.

Taylor IV led the way, sinking five of his eight three-point attempts.

Lack of Discipline?

The Longhorns, on the other hand, went 14-17 from the charity stripe off of 15 fouls by the Aggies. There is a good chance that this played the biggest role in the Texas comeback, and so the word from Buzz Williams to his men should be make free throws and prevent the other team from shooting free throws of their own.

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