Austin, TX

North Austin swim instructor teaches community about summer safety

Published

1 year ago

June 10, 2023

Press Room

North Austin swim instructor teaches community about summer safety

LEANDER, Texas – Marty Butler is a swim instructor and paramedic.

She is putting her skills to work, teaching the community the different ways they can stay safe this summer.

“I come across many situations that would have been prevented if people had known the Heimlich maneuver, and they would have been choking, or if people would have done bystander CPR with good compressions,” Butler said.

Important water safety reminders ahead of swim season

Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause for children ages 5 to 14. Aaron Levine, aquatics program manager with Austin Parks and Recreation, has some important water safety tips.

With the kids being out for summer break, Butler invited the community for a summer safety event where they could learn different safety skills for a variety of emergency situations.

“Like active drowning, what that looks like, how we can prevent it,” Butler said. “I’m also teaching Heimlich and CPR for choking emergencies. And if someone’s just unconscious with no pulse and is not breathing.”

During the safety event, community members were able to get hands-on experience practicing CPR.

Texans urged to stay hydrated as summer approaches

Butler says it’s important for adults to get familiar with these drills because it can save lives.

“Another thing when it comes to water safety in the pool is when it’s really, really busy, it’s really important to keep your eyes on your kids, even if they swim on some team,” Butler said. “If they get trapped under a floating or anything, it doesn’t matter.”

Firefighters, lifeguards complete drowning-prevention training

Travis County firefighters and Pflugerville lifeguards crossed paths at Scott Mentzer Pool in Pflugerville for a drowning-prevention training session.

Pools are a hot spot this summer. Butler says it’s important to follow the pool rules, so you don’t risk getting hurt.

“Blackout is one of the big emergencies that we have a lot of kids play,” Butler said. “Like, how long can you hold your breath game? And they can actually pass out underwater.”

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death for kids under the age of five.

“Definitely like in the swim lessons, private swim lessons, there are people who come out to your pools and teach swim safety,” Butler said. “That’s definitely something that I do. Just to keep everyone safe all around.”

Butler offers private swim lessons where you can focus on swim safety and swim team development. For more details you can follow her Instagram at @eliteswimsafety.

Another reminder Butler wants to share, when you’re out in the heat:

“Stay hydrated and definitely wear your sunscreen even if you want to get a really nice tan because the sun is brutal, especially in Texas,” she said.

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Austin, TX

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

Published

7 mins ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

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

Austin Empty Bowl Project 2024

Central Texas Food Bank hosted its annual Austin Empty Bowl Project on Sunday where attendees got to enjoy soup from local eateries, all to raise money for a good cause.

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

“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.

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.

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.

MORE AUSTIN NEWS

“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.

“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.

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

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

17 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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