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Austin, TX

Man set to spend life in prison for 7 DWI convictions: ‘I didn’t hurt anybody’

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Man set to spend life in prison for 7 DWI convictions: ‘I didn’t hurt anybody’


Several people from Central Texas have been sentenced to life in prison for driving while intoxicated. They didn’t hurt or kill anyone, but they all have more than five DWI convictions.

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An orphan from Mexico, Cornelio Garcia-Mata, said he wanted to have a better life, and he moved to Seguin, Texas, to try to make it happen.

All alone, he said he started drinking.

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“Sometimes it would go to my head not having a father, not having a mother, not having help from them,” Garcia-Mata said.

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His drinking problem landed him in prison.

“My desire was to come to Texas and make money for my grandparents because they’re the only ones who helped me and look where I ended up,” Garcia-Mata said.

Mata racked up seven DWI convictions. His latest was in New Braunfels. 

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Court documents said in February 2012, officers received multiple calls about a vehicle swerving all over the road. Mata was driving home from work at around 6 p.m. He was pulled over and a New Braunfels police officer said he smelled alcohol on Mata’s breath, and found two empty 24 ounce beers, still cold to the touch.

“It’s a habit for a Mexican to pick up a 24 oz and go home and that’s why I had one of those with me,” Garcia-Mata said.

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Cornelio Garcia-Mata is set to spend the rest of his life in prison due to seven DWI convictions.

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Mata said his blood alcohol content results came back as over .4, a potentially deadly amount.

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“You have to look at the paperwork because it says one thing, but I should have been dead or in a coma, when I was driving, I was fine, that’s what I thought,” Garcia-Mata said.

Mata was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.

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“Other inmates have done more damage and are doing less time, and I’m paying life for this,” Garcia-Mata said.

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Mata said he shouldn’t be in prison.

“I didn’t hurt anybody. I didn’t kill anybody,” Garcia-Mata said.

“What about the fact that you could have killed someone?” FOX 7 Austin Crime Watch Reporter Meredith Aldis asked.

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“I could have killed someone, but I also could have just made it home,” Garcia-Mata responded.

He said he never received help for his problem.

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“Maybe if they had given me classes, if they had taught me or showed me that if I could have hit someone or something with a DWI, maybe I could have stopped 11 or 12 years ago,” Garcia-Mata said.

Mata said he has stopped, and he has no temptation to ever drink again. Mata is eligible for parole in 2042, he’ll be 74 years old. He said if he does get out, he wants to go back to Mexico and live and work on a farm.



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Austin, TX

AP Poll Top 25 Rankings: Where Are Texas Longhorns?

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AP Poll Top 25 Rankings: Where Are Texas Longhorns?


AUSTIN — The No. 3 Texas Longhorns secured their second straight 10-win season Saturday with a 31-14 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats on Senior Day at DKR.

Texas stayed steady on a day where the rest of the SEC experienced chaos, as three ranked teams lost to unranked opponents on the road. The Longhorns entered as the No. 3 team in the College Football Playoff rankings and the AP Poll, but their win wasn’t enough to move them ahead in the AP’s Week 13 release.

No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Penn State all remained idle in the AP Poll. The Ducks were on a bye while the other three teams picked up wins. The Longhorns are one of eight SEC teams in the AP Top 25, joining No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 13 Alabama, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 16 South Carolina, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 24 Missouri.

Texas has now been No. 3 in the AP Poll for three straight weeks. The Longhorns have fallen to as low as No. 6 and have been as high as No. 1.

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Now, Texas has arrived to one of the most anticipated weeks in the state’s college football history, as the Longhorns will travel to College Station for Saturday’s meeting with the Texas A&M Aggies. The renewed rivalry will kick off from Kyle Field at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Here Is What The College Football Playoff Bracket Looks Like After Nov. 19 Rankings

MORE: Texas Longhorns Announce Home and Home Matchup vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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MORE: Texas A&M Aggies Coach Slips Up In Press Conference When Asked About Texas Longhorns

MORE: Brent Venables Blasting 5-Star Commit For Visiting Texas Longhorns? ‘Not Committed!’

MORE: Texas Longhorns Remain at No. 3 in Latest College Football Playoff Rankings



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Austin, TX

Austin Empty Bowl Project raises funds to support food-insecure Central Texans

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Austin Empty Bowl Project raises funds to support food-insecure Central Texans


The 28th annual Austin Empty Bowl Project brought in thousands for a good cause.

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“We have over 30 restaurants, over 200 gallons of soup,” said project co-director Deb Dixon.

The event donates all proceeds to Kids Café, a program of the Central Texas Food Bank, and to Meals on Wheels Central Texas.

“The Central Texas Food Bank has school pantries where we have pantries in over five schools. We also have after-school meals and summer meals. And 1 in 4 children go to bed hungry in our service area. So, it’s critical that this event raises as much funds as possible to support those kids,” said CTFB president & CEO Sari Vaske.

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Throughout the year, local Austin area potters make more than a thousand soup bowls and donate them to the project.

“We have our communities of potters, our restaurants and our musicians that have all come together and donated time and materials in support of something pretty terrific,” said Dixon.

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At the event each year, attendees give a donation, pick out a ceramic bowl, choose from several soups from different restaurants, listen to live music and bid in a silent auction.

After lunch, guests take their bowls home as a reminder that others less fortunate have empty bowls.

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“There’s over 530,000 people that don’t know where their next meal is going to come from throughout 21 counties. So, this event supports those families,” said Vaske.

For Pflugerville resident Kim Hanson, supporting the Empty Bowl Project has become a special tradition. Every year for the past 20 years, she’s celebrated her birthday by attending the event.

This year, for her 40th, she took it up a notch—bringing 40 friends and family along to give back and make her special day even more meaningful.

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“I just think it’s really important for the community to help to support each other. And this goes to support people in our community that need food. And it helps with the children who don’t have enough to eat throughout the year. So, I love to come and support this mission,” said Hanson.

Hanson says she hopes to continue the tradition for years to come.

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You can find more information about the Austin Empty Bowl Project here.

The Source: Information in this report came from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin’s Jenna King.



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Austin, TX

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

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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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