Free Republic

A grandmother was savagely mauled by three pit bulls while walking down a neighborhood in Austin, Texas. The brutal attack left Maria Perez, 55, with wounds requiring more than 100 stitches and now the family says they want justice. On Monday, Perez was taking an evening stroll with her nephew near her home in Round Rock. A neighbor opened their front door and three aggressive pit bulls leaped out. The dogs started running towards Perez and her nephew. The pair were chased down a dead-end street but the nephew was able to leap out of the way, which left the...

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had sharp words Friday for pro-Palestine protesters who blame Israel for prompting the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. “This is no time for neutrality or for false equivalence, or for excuses for the inexcusable,” Austin told reporters in Tel Aviv. “There is never any justification for terrorism, and that’s especially true after this rampage by Hamas.”

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Police are asking for the community’s help to find the person who shot and killed a woman in north Austin after what they describe as a “road rage homicide” this past weekend. Homicide Det. Israel Piña told reporters Tuesday afternoon that the victim’s name is Teressa Gandy Ferguson, 46. He said police believe she died from a gunshot wound after getting into a minor crash with someone. This happened at about 6 p.m. Saturday near exit 240 on North Interstate 35, which is the area between Rundberg Lane and Anderson Lane. Police said Ferguson called a friend...

The House Wednesday passed an amendment proposed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene that would slash the salary of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to $1. Republican lawmakers voted to cut Mr. Austin‘s salary from more than $221,000 annually because of their discontent with his job performance.

With artificial intelligence seemingly infiltrating every facet of our lives, one church decided to experiment with the technology for one of its services last week. The Violet Crown City Church, located in Austin, held an AI-generated service on Sunday, describing the experiment as "uncharted territory." "This Sunday we’re entering somewhat uncharted territory by letting ChatGPT create the order of worship, prayers, sermon, liturgy, and even an original song for our 10 a.m. service," the church wrote on its official Facebook page. "The purpose is to invite us to consider the nature of truth and challenge our assumptions about what God...

Shocking footage has exposed the scene in an Austin park filled with liquor bottles, needles, Narcan and junk 'as far as the eye can see,' as a homeless encampment continues to grow. The videos were of the West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt were posted on Monday by activist Jamie Hammonds, who reports from the Texas capital on the X page @DocumentingATX. 'Another Greenbelt destroyed here in Austin... nothing but trash and junk as far as you can see... this is absolutely horrible,' Hammonds said, adding that the encampment was at least the size of a football field, and you could smell...

Austin police in Texas are asking residents to call 311 if they get robbed near an ATM as the department struggles amid an increase in urban crime and staffing shortages. The Austin Police Department posted a graphic in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, to urge residents to call 311 or make an online report if they’re robbed — 311 is a number usually used for non-emergency requests, as opposed to 911. […] The new protocol comes as the Texas capital grapples with an increase in crime. Compared to 2020, Austin has had a 77% increase in auto...

Austin police in Texas are asking residents to call 311 if they get robbed near an ATM as the department struggles amid an increase in urban crime and staffing shortages. The Austin Police Department posted a graphic in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, to urge residents to call 311 or make an online report if they’re robbed – 311 is a number usually used for non-emergency requests, as opposed to 911. “Even if you are cautious & follow all the safety advice, you may still become the unfortunate victim of a robbery,” the Austin Police Department wrote...

Both Austin and Houston are part of ‘C40 Cities,’ an alliance of mayors seeking to impact climate change and “cut their emissions in half by 2030.” Two Texas cities are participating in an emissions-cutting program that seeks to end meat and dairy consumption. According to the organization, “C40 is a global network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis.” Although largely funded by Democrat billionaire Michael Bloomberg, C40 has other donors including FedEx, Google, and the Clinton Foundation. Both Austin and Houston are listed as participating cities, with...

My name is Pengyu Cheng and I'm 40 years old. I'm a principal program manager working remotely for a tech company. I moved to California in 2014 after getting a job with Apple as a global supply manager. I first settled in San Jose and then moved to San Francisco in 2019. Living in California has always been expensive. I knew that when my wife and I eventually expanded our family, we wouldn't be able to afford San Francisco or the Bay Area in general — even though we both earn good salaries. The state's homelessness crisis — especially in...

A police chief in Texas has abruptly announced his decision to leave the force after it was hit with major staffing shortages and a lack of funds since the 'defund the police' movement. Austin Police Department's Chief Joseph Chacon said he would be retiring with a 'heavy heart' on Monday, saying it was 'the right moment' to step down. He added that it was an 'absolute honor' to become the chief of police and urged officers to 'hold your heads up' and 'keep fighting the good fight'. In a statement, he said: 'Honor the profession by keeping the citizens of...

Austin, Texas residents are feeling the aftershocks of the "Defund the Police" movement as staff shortages reportedly are leaving 911 callers on hold and crime continues to spiral out of control. Thomas Villarreal, president of the Austin Police Association, blamed the city council for neglecting local law enforcement, Monday, telling "Fox & Friends" the alleged missteps have concocted a larger problem. "We just continue to have a city council that doesn't show its police officers that cares about them," he claimed.

An Austin Police union has exposed the 'miserable' conditions faced by officers after the defund movement stripped departments and gutted the workforce. George Floyd's killing by a Minneapolis cop and the resulting Black Lives Matter riots led to widespread demonization of police forces across the US. Austin PD's budget was hammered with a $150million cut approved by the Democrat-run Texas city's council after its own scandal following the shooting of an unarmed black man in April 2020 - just weeks before Floyd's death. The Austin Police Association (APA) told DailyMail.com the lasting impacts of the defund movement have ripped the...

Fourteen major American cities are part of a globalist climate organization known as the “C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group,” which has an “ambitious target” by the year 2030 of “0 kg [of] meat consumption,” “0 kg [of] dairy consumption,” “3 new clothing items per person per year,” “0 private vehicles” owned, and “1 short-haul return flight (less than 1500 km) every 3 years per person.” C40’s dystopian goals can be found in its “The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5°C World” report, which was published in 2019 and reportedly reemphasized in 2023. The organization is headed and largely funded...

The City of Austin hosted its own LGBT parade featuring drag queens—and multiple taxpayer-funded participants. Taxpayer-funded institutions in attendance at the parade included the Austin Police Department, Austin EMS, and the Austin Fire Department. Notable sponsors of the event were University of Texas’ Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Kroger, and Austin Community College District. APD officers were among the first group to walk the parade, where many officers were seen wearing rainbow bracelets. Following them was an APD cop car decked out in rainbow designs with their car reading, “LGBTQ+ Officers and Allies Supporting and Protecting You.” Following APD...

Three years ago Zoom settled with the FTC over a claim of deceptive marketing around security claims, having been accused of overstating the strength of the encryption it offered. Now the videoconferencing platform could be headed for a similar tangle in Europe in relation to its privacy small print.The recent terms & conditions controversy sequence goes like this: A clause added to Zoom’s legalese back in March 2023 grabbed attention on Monday after a post on Hacker News claimed it allowed the company to use customer data to train AI models “with no opt out”. (This Stack Diary report was...

AUSTIN [TX] — Austin Independent School District announced it will use buses to transport children and their families as well as staff to the “Austin Pride Parade” on August 12. “We are proud to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and families,” AISD said on their website, “and highlight our commitment to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for all!” The parade, which will start at the Texas Capitol, runs 1.2 miles and ends at Congress Bridge. According to the AISD website, the district encourages students to wear “Pride costumes and rainbow colors” and will also provide a limited number...

Local and state investigators have stepped up their efforts to crack down on illegal street racing events in recent months.AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety is helping the Austin Police Department investigate at least four illegal street takeover events that happened in Austin late Saturday night. Multiple takeover events were reported across town Saturday night into Sunday morning. KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman reported car meetup and takeover events at 8601 Research Blvd., 9900 S. IH-35, the 400 block of Center Ridge Drive and at the intersection of Barton Springs Road and South Lamar Boulevard.

As leftist programs in public universities continue to draw more attention, taxpayer-funded University of Texas is promoting LGBT behavior through its Gender and Sexuality Center. The center’s goal, according to the website, is to “provide opportunities for all members of the UT Austin community to explore, organize, and promote learning around issues of gender and sexuality.” One event the center hosts is its “Lavender Graduation,” a graduation ceremony exclusively for “LGBTQIA+” people and their “allies.” Students cross a lavender stage and receive a “Lavender Graduation certificate,” as well as a rainbow tassel and stole. Other events like “Trans Thursdays” and...

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Police Department (APD) is investigating five separate incidents over the weekend that left six people dead. This past weekend, APD responded to four homicides, three of which were on Sunday, July 16. "It is a very busy night here in Austin," said Corporal Jose Mendez. The first homicide of the weekend happened on Saturday, July 15 at the Westlake Apartments on North Capital Texas Highway. Police got a call at 6:40 a.m. reporting a shooting within the complex. There, police found 45-year-old Jarod Mason with gunshot wounds. He died on scene. "At this time, I...