Richard Overton, nation’s oldest man and WWII vet, dies at 112

News and updates from Austin's news in your inbox Email not displaying correctly? [View Online]( [Statesman]( MORNING HEADLINES Start your day with a fresh roundup of news, features and commentary. Friday's Top Story [Richard Overton, nation s oldest man and WWII vet, dies at 112]( [Richard Overton, nation’s oldest man and WWII vet, dies at 112]( Austin resident Richard Overton, who was America's oldest man and oldest war veteran, died Thursday. Overton, who was honored for his military service and beloved for his propensity to enjoy his supercentenarian status with a cigar in one hand and a glass of whiskey in another, was 112 years old. [Read More »]( Local News [Noisy overnight storms overwhelm vehicles with record rain]( [Noisy overnight storms overwhelm vehicles with record rain]( Thousands of people lost power and at least eight people had to be rescued from floodwaters after a powerful storm carrying record-setting rain and hail shook Central Texas overnight into Thursday morning. [Read More »]( [How Austin can recycle Christmas trash, including trees, wrapping, batteries]( [How Austin can recycle Christmas trash, including trees, wrapping, batteries]( You got through Christmas, Austin, but the holiday isn't through with you: Now you'll need to know the best way to toss the Christmas tree and all that wrapping and packaging from opened presents. [Read More »]( [Public memorial for former Austin Mayor Gus Garcia set for Jan. 5]( [Public memorial for former Austin Mayor Gus Garcia set for Jan. 5]( The city of Austin will hold a public memorial on Jan. 5 for Gus Garcia, its first Hispanic mayor who died earlier this month at his Northeast Austin home at age 84.Garcia's 40 years of civic and political ground breaking included being the first Hispanic member of the Austin school board and its first Hispanic board president. [Read More »]( [Suspect in hike-and-bike trail sexual assault was insane, judge rules]( [Suspect in hike-and-bike trail sexual assault was insane, judge rules]( The man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail last year has avoided prison time after two psychiatrists determined he was suffering from delusions at the time of attack and could not distinguish right from wrong. [Read More »]( [Our No. 4 story of the year: Fight over soccer stadium ends in a deal]( [Our No. 4 story of the year: Fight over soccer stadium ends in a deal]( The owners of the Columbus Crew, a Major League Soccer team, targeted Austin as a potential new home and sought a deal to build a stadium on city-owned land. [Read More »]( Business [At UT s design school, Fortune 500 firms investing to stay in front ]( [At UT’s design school, Fortune 500 firms investing to ‘stay in front’]( Around the start of the year, broadband conglomerate AT&T embarked on a new customer relations initiative. [Read More »]( [Gift for holiday drivers: Texas gas prices continue to slide]( [Gift for holiday drivers: Texas gas prices continue to slide]( Holiday road trippers are getting one more gift this week: The statewide gas price average has fallen below $2 for the first time in two years. [Read More »]( [Indian casinos across US wary of betting on sports books]( [Indian casinos across US wary of betting on sports books]( Tribes enthusiastically welcomed the decision in May but since then, the regulatory challenges and low-margin nature of the business have sunk in. [Read More »]( Sports [Longhorns in the Big Easy : Texas, Georgia reach New Orleans to start their Sugar Bowl prep]( [Longhorns in the ‘Big Easy’: Texas, Georgia reach New Orleans to start their Sugar Bowl prep]( Having spent years going bowling in San Antonio or Houston - or maybe even nowhere at all - you can be sure the Longhorns will have a big time in the Big Easy. [Read More »]( [Big-play Baylor beats Vanderbilt for Texas Bowl victory]( [Big-play Baylor beats Vanderbilt for Texas Bowl victory]( HOUSTON — In a game dominated by big, bombastic offensive plays, a couple of fundamental defensive snaps decided the show. [Read More »]( [Men s preview: Texas vs. Texas-Arlington]( [Men’s preview: Texas vs. Texas-Arlington]( Texas vs. Texas-Arlington 7 p.m. Friday, LHN, 104.9 Records: Texas 7-4, UT-Arlington 4-8 The series: Texas leads 11-1, though their last meeting was the Mavericks' lone win - 72-61 in November 2016. Advertisement Texas' starting lineup Matt Coleman (G, 6-2, So.) - 10.5 ppg, 3.0 apg Kerwin Roach II (G, 6-4, Sr.) - 14.3 ppg, 4.3 … [Read More »]( [TCU beats Cal 10-7 in overtime of wild Cheez-It Bowl]( [TCU beats Cal 10-7 in overtime of wild Cheez-It Bowl]( PHOENIX — TCU swapped kickers after California called a timeout at the end of regulation and missed. [Read More »]( [Bohls: Big Game book hits NFL owners, league arrogance head-on]( [Bohls: ‘Big Game’ book hits NFL owners, league arrogance head-on]( By his own admission, Mark Leibovich is an unabashed fan. He worships unapologetically at the altar of Tom Brady and all things New England Patriots. [Read More »]( Opinion [Letters to the editor: Dec. 20, 2018]( [Letters to the editor: Dec. 20, 2018]( Single-use plastic bagsa luxury we don't needRe: Dec. 13 article, "Austin legislator seeks to revive bag bans."Hooray for Rep. [Read More »]( Nation [Police release officers accounts of Las Vegas shooting]( [Police release officers’ accounts of Las Vegas shooting]( LAS VEGAS (AP) " Documents made public Thursday recounted anew how police officers took cover next to patrol vehicles on the Las Vegas Strip while a gunman rained bullets from a high-rise hotel into an outdoor music festival during the deadliest mass shooting in the nation's modern history almost 15 months ago. [Read More »]( [Storm whips up blizzards, dumps snow in Dakotas, Minnesota]( [Storm whips up blizzards, dumps snow in Dakotas, Minnesota]( MINNEAPOLIS (AP) " Post-holiday travelers were finding driving difficult as a winter storm dumped heavy snow and whipped up gusty winds across parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota on Thursday. [Read More »]( [Police: Man in US illegally kills California cop from Fiji]( [Police: Man in US illegally kills California cop from Fiji]( SAN FRANCISCO (AP) " Ronil Singh came to the U.S. from his native Fiji to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming an officer, joining a small-town police force in California and working to improve his English. [Read More »]( World [Thailand acquits deputy PM in luxury watch scandal]( [Thailand acquits deputy PM in luxury watch scandal]( BANGKOK (AP) " Investigators in Thailand acquitted the deputy prime minister of criminal charges of failing to declare assets a year after he was discovered to have several luxury watches that would have been out of reach of his government salary. [Read More »]( [Elon Musk asks judge to toss diver s lawsuit in Thai dustup]( [Elon Musk asks judge to toss diver’s lawsuit in Thai dustup]( LOS ANGELES (AP) " Elon Musk is asking a California judge to throw out a lawsuit filed against him by a British diver the tech entrepreneur called a pedophile on Twitter, arguing that it was nothing more than a "schoolyard spat on social media" that no reasonable reader took seriously. [Read More »]( [Pluto explorer ushering in new year at more distant world]( [Pluto explorer ushering in new year at more distant world]( CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) " The spacecraft team that brought us close-ups of Pluto will ring in the new year by exploring an even more distant and mysterious world. [Read More »]( Austin360 [Best dishes at new Austin restaurants in 2018]( [Best dishes at new Austin restaurants in 2018]( Did I make it to every single restaurant to open this year in Austin? Nope. Did I eat every dish on the menu at every new place I did visit? Not quite. [Read More »]( [How Austin s best new breweries barreled their way to the top]( [How Austin’s best new breweries barreled their way to the top]( There's little chance you could confuse Austin's newest breweries with one another, despite the sheer number of breweries our city and the surrounding Hill Country have gained over the past few years. But there is one major thing the three best ones that opened this year have in common. [Read More »]( [Arts in Austin 2018: A chapel, a Mass and hope for the future]( [Arts in Austin 2018: A chapel, a ‘Mass’ and hope for the future]( This year produced mostly tremendous news - and some timely progress - for the arts in Austin. [Read More »]( [The best movies of 2018: Wakanda forever and 19 more]( [The best movies of 2018: Wakanda forever and 19 more]( Cinema in our country and in this moment has come to include everything from movies that play for a week before heading to streaming services to blockbusters with the budget of a small country to indies that are shot on an iPhone. [Read More »]( [Austin music in 2018: festivals in flux, rising talents, civic challenges]( [Austin music in 2018: festivals in flux, rising talents, civic challenges]( In a year that saw no major sea-changes, plenty of smaller but significant developments left their mark on the local music community. [Read More »]( [Manage Account]( | [Contact Us](mailto:customercare@statesman.com) | [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Newsletters]( We have an app for whatever you want - news, weather, entertainment and more. Statesman Live: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Statesman Weather: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Austin360: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Statesman does not participate in unsolicited email. This is a recurring email and was sent to you because you subscribed to receive promotional emails and updates from Statesman during a previous program, promotion or contest. © 2018 GateHouse Media, LLC and Austin American-Statesman. All rights reserved. 305 S. Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704 (512) 445-3500