(NBC NEWS) A Texas woman who lost her husband and unborn child in a drunk driving crash gave an emotional statement in court Friday, calling the driver a “monster.”

“I’m sure you and I have both wished that it was you that day instead of them,” said Kristian Guerrero.

Before Guerrero’s comments, a Hays County jury sentenced 22-year-old Shana Elliot to 10 years probation for one count of intoxication assault, seven years in prison for one count of intoxication manslaughter, and another seven years in prison for a second count of intoxication manslaughter.

Elliot took the stand Thursday, saying “I’m guilty.” She admitted to being drunk and said she should not have been driving the evening of August 2, 2016 after a day of tubing on the San Marcos River.

The judge will decide whether the two prison sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2ImT634

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(NBC News) Authorities are investigating a series of deadly explosions in Austin, Texas.

A 17-year-old boy was killed and a woman was injured Monday morning when a package in their home exploded.

That explosion was followed shortly by a blast at another home several miles away. A 70-year-old woman was injured in that blast.

Police believe both explosions are connected to another blast that killed a man on his front porch on March 2nd.

“I want the public to be aware and to be cautious because, again, we have two cases that are very similar and that have both resulted in a loss of life and until we find who committed this act and take them into custody, then yes it is appropriate for residents to be concerned if you receive a package you were not expecting,” interim police chief Brian Manley said.

The F.B.I. and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are assisting with the investigation.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2GlVGGa

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(NBC News) Austin, Texas is on edge after two bombs that looked like packages exploded Monday.

One explosion killed a teenage boy. Police now say Monday’s blasts are connected to a third less than two weeks ago.

The first blast happened just before 7:00 Monday morning when a resident took a package from the front porch inside a home. A 17-year-old boy was killed and another person was injured.

Then, just before Noon, another package and another explosion at the home of a 75-year-old woman who was severely injured.

The pair of explosions come after a similar incident on March 2 when a package exploded on the porch of an Austin home and claimed the life of Anthony House.

Investigators say someone quietly placed all three packages on the doorsteps.

“At this point we don’t know yet why this is happening or what they motivation is,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

Authorities are urging residents to be cautious about what they find at their front door.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/2DmB6lW

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(NBC NEWS) A combined reward of $65,000 is now being offered for any information leading to an arrest in the deadly bombings in Austin, Texas.

In a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said investigators are still not ruling out terrorism or the possibility these cases were hate crimes.

“We are just not going to ignore the fact that the three victims that were targeted specifically, that we know of, were people of color. We cannot ignore that. That is something we have to pay attention to. That does not indicate it’s a hate crime, but we are not going to rule that out,” says Manley.

The 17-year-old who died Monday morning was identified as Draylen Mason. His mother remains hospitalized in stable condition.

The 75-year-old Hispanic woman who was injured in Monday’s second bombing remains in critical condition.

“We have lost two lives in this community – and we have an additional two that have been forever changed,” says Manley.

Manley also gave some insight into the Austin Police Department’s working theory when the first bombing on March 2 killed Anthony Stephan House in northeast Austin. Three days prior to the bombing, police had conducted a large raid at a home on the same street.

“We believed this had been a retaliatory act on that house and [the suspects] simply got the wrong house. That was our initial theory,” says Manley. The chief says that was their working theory since House’s home and the home where the raid happened looked similar and also had similar vehicles.

“We didn’t stop at that, however. The very next day we put tips out. We put out an alert about what to look for about packages,” explains Manley.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2pgq4tc

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(NBC News) Two men were seriously injured by a bomb blast Sunday evening in Austin, Texas.

It’s the fourth bombing to strike the city in less than a month.

Residents of the neighborhood where the blast occurred were asked to remain in their homes until 10 a.m. Monday to give police time to scour the area for more devices.

Unlike the previous three package bombs, the Sunday explosion appears to have been triggered by a tripwire.

Investigators say the two victims saw a suspicious device on the side of the road and approached to investigate, setting off the blast.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/2IABEbF

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(NBC News) Police say they’ve found a video confession from the suspect in the serial bombings across Central Texas.

Authorities say a cell phone video containing the 25-minute video recording is part of a growing cache of evidence investigators have gathered since 23-year-old Mark Andrew Conditt blew himself up inside his SUV Wednesday, as a SWAT team tried to close in on him.

Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley says the video shows Conditt talking about the attacks he carried out that killed two people and injured four others.

“The suspect describes the 6 bombs that he constructed. He does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mention anything about hate. Instead, it is the outcry of a very uh challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life,” said Manley.

Conditt’s parents released a statement through a family friend.

“The family is grieved both for their loss and also for the loss of those affected by these heinous actions,” said Eddie Harp.

The investigation is now focused in and our around Conditt’s home in Pflugerville, Texas.

Read more: http://nbcnews.to/2IGjsh1

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(NBC NEWS) Monday’s school board meeting in Katy, Texas seemed routine until a man stepped up to the microphone to speak during the public comment portion. The meeting was recorded.

“My name is Greg Barrett,” he told the school board. “I was bullied, unbelievably bullied.”

Barrett told board members about an incident that took place in the late 1970s, when he was in junior high school, when his face was shoved into a urinal and his lip cut by bullies. He said the school did nothing so he went home, put a gun his mouth and thought about suicide.

“Because at this point, I had nobody,” he said.

As jarring as his statement was, Barrett ended his time at the lectern by accusing Katy ISD Superintendent Lance Hindt of being his tormentor.

“Lance, you were the one that shoved my head in the urinal,” the man said.

He then walked off as Hindt shook his head and seemed to laugh.

The man who introduced himself as Greg Barrett’s last name is actually Gay, which is why, he said, he was bullied. Greg Gay said his parents moved from Katy for a year and changed his last name.

“My parents changed my name in the school — not legally, but in the school, to Greg Barrett,” he said.

He said when he returned to Katy as a high school freshman, the name change stopped the bullying but didn’t erase the pain.

A day after Gay’s statement hit the internet, Hindt fired back in a written statement.

“It was difficult for me to listen to a gentleman Monday night recount a bullying incident he said occurred more than 35 years ago… when an individual impugns my character and reputation as the instigator of those actions, I am disappointed because it simply is not true. I do not recall this person from my childhood,” Hindt wrote.

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(NBC NEWS) The 40-year-old ‘Ashbel Smith Hall’ building in downtown Austin, Texas is no more.

The building was imploded at 8 a.m. Sunday after the demolition was approved by the Austin Historic Landmark Commission.

It used to house the system headquarters for the University of Texas.

A large crowd gathered early Sunday morning to watch as the building toppled to the ground and filled the air with thick dust.

The demolition of the building will make way for a new 36-story office building that will have 3,500 square feet of restaurant space and 4,300 square feet of retail plus an on-site gym.

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(NBC News) A 4-year-old Texas boy is dead after he was attacked by his family’s dog.

Noah Trevino, 4, was pronounced dead after being airlifted to San Antonio’s University Hospital.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said the 4-year-old was in the backyard Sunday with the family dog, when the “large mix breed” dog bit him on the neck. His uncle told police that he went outside and the family started CPR to resuscitate the child.

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(NBC NEWS) Doctors say there are big mistakes parents are making when it comes to their kids’ dental health.

Dr. Shalin Patel is a dentist in Houston, Texas.

He says parents should be supervising their kids when they brush their teeth.

“It’s important for us to be able to look back and see are they actually cleaning all the back teeth properly and then also flossing them as well,” said Patel.

He also stresses the importance of taking care of cavities.

“A baby tooth is actually a placeholder for a permanent tooth. If that baby tooth is removed early because the cavity gets too large, it usually causes the permanent teeth to erupt in the wrong direction,” said Patel.

If a child’s cavity is ignored, an infection could spread throughout their body.

You should also try to take your child to the dentist before their first birthday.

Between six-months-old and a year is when we normally expect that first tooth to arrive. But if it hasn’t erupted by the first year, it’s always good to have a dentist just check it out,” said Patel.

When it comes to food, a lot of parents think if it’s not candy, it’s safe.

Doctors say dried fruit like raisins, crackers and starchy snacks can also cause cavities.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2GOPk4X

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