Austin, TX
Knowing your rights in Texas regarding vehicle towing
Knowing your rights in Texas regarding vehicle towing
In this week’s 7 On Your Side, according to data FOX 7 obtained from the Austin Police Department, between January and May of this year, APD received 19 complaints about towing companies. Carissa Lehmkuhl reports.
AUSTIN, Texas – An Austin affordable housing complex has ended its partnership with a towing company after 7 On Your Side first did a report involving frustrated residents.
“I’m not a lawyer, I don’t know the legality of it, but frankly, it’s caused a lot of people a lot of grief here,” said Sage Berkley, during an interview in June.
Berkley was one of the Aldrich 51 residents that had his car towed multiple times.
FOX 7 later sat down with an Austin lawyer that was representing a resident from those apartments in a towing case at the time.
Lack of security, ‘aggressive’ towing complaints at Austin affordable housing complex
“It’s kind of the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but you don’t want to be the squeaky wheel if you’re a renter,” said Curtis Fuller.
According to Fuller, landlords have a lot of power over tenants in Texas, and they are allowed to change a towing policy in the middle of a lease.
“They have to do so in compliance with the Texas Property Code,” said Fuller. “They have to give at least 14 days’ notice, either physically by hand or it has to be faxed, or it has to be taped to the inside of the door, or it can be mailed, and those are the only acceptable ways of providing notice to the tenants.”
Residents of Mueller apartments complain of lack of security, ‘aggressive’ towing
In this 7 on Your Side, residents of Aldrich 51, an affordable housing complex in the Mueller neighborhood, are frustrated with living conditions and voicing their concerns.
Fuller’s client, and residents FOX 7 heard from that had been towed, had either been accidentally double-parked, or weren’t registered properly due to having issues with the new online system.
“You could change policies and enroll everybody automatically at the beginning. And that way you only have to register new residents as they move in. If someone is a habitual double parker, you can give them warnings and then tow them,” said Fuller. “Why let your residents be towed over and over?”
It appears the situation has since been resolved. A spokesperson for DMA Companies, which manages the property, told FOX 7 in an email last week the towing partnership ended the day the original story was aired.
A spokesperson for DMA Companies sent a statement to FOX 7 Austin via email:
“The safety, comfort, and enjoyment of our communities by our residents are of the utmost importance to Aldrich 51 and DMA Companies. We have heard Aldrich 51 resident concerns related to towing and vehicle registration and are implementing efforts to better combat some of the challenges that have been experienced in this community. Due to the uptick in car break-ins, vandalism, and non-resident vehicles and un-housed persons accessing the Aldrich 51 parking garage, a towing service was utilized to remove unauthorized vehicles. After further review, we believe that we can better serve our residents by increasing onsite security patrol in lieu of towing and immediately suspended towing efforts as the towing company’s tactics were more aggressive than we believed warranted. We are finetuning the onsite vehicle registration system to ensure residents can easily access and register their vehicles to follow property guidelines. With many people experiencing homelessness in the area, we believe the more robust security protocol we have implemented will help project a general presence of rule enforcement on property. We will regularly meet with residents to share feedback and solutions for onsite matters while continuing to work closely with our neighbors and community stakeholders to ensure our residents as well as the larger neighborhood can safely enjoy all the Mueller community has to offer.”
MORE 7 ON YOUR SIDE STORIES:
According to data FOX 7 obtained from the Austin Police Department, between January and May of this year, APD received 19 complaints about towing companies.
According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, between 2020 and 2023, so far, 17 administrative orders have been issued to tow companies in Austin, usually resulting in a fine or license revoked.
Reasons listed include performing “an illegal tow” and performing a “non-consent, private property tow without legal authority.”
According to TDLR, if a car owner finds their vehicle still in the process of being hooked up to a tow truck, they can keep their car without paying a charge.
If they return to the car, and it is already fully hooked up and ready for towing but has not left the parking lot, the owner may keep the car but must pay a drop fee. If the car has already been towed or booted, there should be a sign with a phone number the owner can call to find the car.
If the car has a boot attached, car owners should be able to call a telephone number listed on a warning sticker attached to the window.
The towing company must be able to provide a tow ticket with itemized charges. TDLR lists the maximum charges a vehicle owner can face depending on the type of vehicle.
Vehicle owners that feel their car has been towed or booted in error, or believe they were overcharged, can request a tow hearing within fourteen days of the tow.
Vehicle owners can also file a complaint on the TDLR website.
Have a story idea or problem you need help with? Email 7OYS@fox.com
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
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. (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.
Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Austin, TX
Texas’ Quinn Ewers competes against Simone Biles, others in DICK’S Sporting Goods competition
Simone Biles, Dak Prescott, Chris Paul and Quinn Ewers are decorating DICK’S store in their hometowns of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.
Amazon’s holiday shopping features includes a Virtual Holiday Shop
In November, Amazon opened its Virtual Holiday Shop for shoppers with the top 100 gifts, plus decorations and stocking stuffers.
Amazon
DICK’S Sporting Goods is joining in on the holiday cheer — along with a dose of competition among Texas cities, featuring some of the Lone Star State’s best athletes.
Simone Biles, Dak Prescott, Chris Paul and Quinn Ewers will be competing, just not on any athletic field. They are each responsible for decorating a DICK’S Sporting Goods store in their hometown, competing for the title of DICK’S Holiday Decorating Officer and a trophy.
The athletes have begun decorating at stores in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Videos by DICK’S Sporting Goods offer a sneak peek of each as the athletes add their own flair to spread holiday cheer.
The competition comes as part of DICK’S Sporting Goods and DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation’s program Sports Matter, which funds and maintains youth sports programs across the nation. The four athletes will each get a $100,000 Sports Matter grant, to be awarded to a local youth sports organization(s) of their choosing.
“We’ve had a blast getting ready for the holidays with Texas’ most inspiring and entertaining sports icons,” said Kari DeGori, VP Local Marketing and Marketing Capabilities at DICK’S Sporting Goods. “These in-store displays are interactive, fun, a great place for photos, and each has its own tie of sport into the holiday – whether it’s a gingerbread locker room, a chimney basketball game, or a vintage farm basketball hoop. We hope that these displays add some extra joy for our customers while they shop for everyone on their list. And we’re thrilled to be able to partner with our Foundation’s Sports Matter program to extend the holiday cheer to deserving local sports organizations.”
“I love competing, so taking part in this Texas holiday contest with some of the best athletes across sports was a lot of fun,” said Chris Paul. “We are all trying to win and become DICK’S Holiday Decorating Officer, but no matter what, we all win as we have the opportunity to give back to youth sports. Thank you to DICK’S for awarding a $100,000 Sports Matter grant to the Chris Paul Family Foundation.”
This campaign will run across DICKS.com, YouTube, streaming, and social media, as well as broadcast on local TV, radio, and other audio platforms in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.
Quinn Ewers decorates Austin DICK’S store
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is responsible for decorating the Austin DICK’S store on 183A Toll Road. A promotion video captures Ewers placing a giant cowboy hat on a snowman and standing amid a Longhorn-themed tailgate scene while on a video call with actor Matthew McConaughey.
Chris ‘CP3’ Paul decorates San Antonio DICK’S store
Over in San Antonio, Spurs point guard Chris “CP3” Paul is busy decorating the DICK’S store on Northwest Loop 410. CP3 can be seen carefully placing basketballs into a Christmas tree and building a holiday barn-themed basketball court, casually making backward swishes throughout a promotional video.
Simone Biles decorates Houston DICK’S store
World-famous gymnast and gold Olympic medalist Simone Biles has been tasked with decorating the Houston DICK’S store on the Gulf Freeway. In a promotional video, Biles stands in front of goat decorations wearing Olympic medals and a “GO FOR GOLD” sign display. Other notable decorations include a balance beam decked with stockings, a medal podium, and a photo op featuring “five golden rings.”
Dak Prescott decorates Dallas DICK’S store
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is in charge of decorating the Dallas DICK’S store on University Drive. A promotional video depicts Prescott designing a gingerbread-themed locker room and a tunnel featuring holiday lights, speaking in front of snowmen decked in football gear.
MAP: Where are the DICK’S stores involved in the holiday decoration competition?
Locations of the DICK’S stores being decorated include the following:
- Dallas: 2845 W University Dr., Denton, TX 76201
- Houston: 18650 Gulf Freeway, Friendswood, TX 77546
- San Antonio: 321 Northwest Loop 410, Suite 112, San Antonio, TX 78216
- Austin: 5001 183A Toll Road, Suite N100, Cedar Park, TX 78613
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