AUSTIN (KXAN) — Here are five news stories from the Austin area and Texas you may have missed over the holiday weekend.
Video shows break-in at Austin Buddhist temple
Surveillance video appears to show a group breaking into the Linh Son Buddhist Temple on Duval Road in Austin, prying open donation boxes and stealing cash from the prayer hall on Thanksgiving.
Members said the group forced open the door of its monk’s bedroom, just outside the prayer hall, and stole money from inside. The monk said he left minutes before the incident to attend a Thanksgiving dinner.
School district where students made monkey noises at Black players had to address racism before
Marble Falls ISD said last Monday it’s investigating allegations that say its students made insensitive comments and noises at Black East Central Lady Hornets players during the Hill County Classic Basketball Tournament.
KXAN Investigates found records showing the previous school year, Marble Falls ISD had to address parent concerns of racial discrimination on campus brought up at a January school board meeting, including the alleged use of the n-word toward students of color.
Woman dies after being shot by DPS trooper
On Friday, Angela Nuckols, 58, was shot and killed by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper after a police chase along Interstate 35 and its service road, according to the agency.
Law enforcement tried to pull over a suspected stolen Nissan, driven by Nuckols, when she evaded Round Rock police officers and a DPS trooper, DPS said. Nuckols ultimately lost control of the car and crashed into another vehicle on Old Settlers Boulevard, just west of the I-35 access road, DPS said.
She exited the car with a gun, according to DPS, and the trooper discharged his weapon. Nuckols was pronounced dead at the scene.
Travis County fentanyl deaths
While we don’t usually get overdose death data until the medical examiner’s report comes out at the end of the year, Travis County Judge Andy Brown asked for numbers early this year.
They show in the first six months of 2022, there were 118 fentanyl-related overdose deaths, meaning someone died of an overdose and had fentanyl in their system. It’s the exact same number Travis County saw in all 12 months of 2021.
Houston under boil water notice
On Sunday, the City of Houston was placed under a boil water notice after the water pressure dropped due to a power outage at the East Water Purification Plant on Sunday morning.
In an update on Monday, the City of Houston said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is allowing water sampling to be done this morning. Those samples will be sent to the lab for processing.
The Houston Independent School District closed on Monday due to the boil water notice and said it will “closely monitor the situation and provide additional updates regarding operations Monday.”
