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Top Stories: Ennis ISD Will Require Clear Backpacks; Investigating Austin Bomber

Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon / KUT News
ATF Special Agent in Charge Fred Milanowski(L), interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs(R) brief the media Monday after an explosion in Southwest Austin.

The top local stories this evening from KERA News: The Ennis school district says starting in the fall, all of its students must bring clear, PVC backpacks to school.

That includes students in pre-kindergarten. Junior high and high school students will wear student IDs. And security gates will be installed on campuses. In a letter to parents, superintendent John Chapman says the security measures in the Ellis County school district won’t be convenient, but they're designed to help keep students safe.  

Other stories this evening:

  • In the aftermath of the bombings that shook Austin over the past several weeks, authorities are still combing through evidence, looking for a motive. Austin Interim Police Chief Brian Manley told "Texas Standard" they're still analyzing the video left behind by the 23-year-old suspect.

  • A program wants to match veterans struggling to find work with jobsthat actually pay the bills. Business Insider ranked Dallas-Fort Worth the 11th most "high-tech city" in the world last year — up from 28th the year before. As KERA's Courtney Collins reports, there's plenty of demand for tech workers, just not enough supply.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

Gus Contreras is a digital producer and reporter at KERA News. Gus produces the local All Things Considered segment and reports on a variety of topics from, sports to immigration. He was an intern and production assistant for All Things Considered in Washington D.C.