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Fellow Austinites have dropped off flowers at the front of Children's Medical Group in Austin, where pediatrician Dr. Lindley Dodson was killed in a murder-suicide Tuesday night. (Christa McWhirter)
Flowers adorn the front of Children's Medical Group in mourning of pediatrician Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson, who was killed as a hostage in a murder-suicide after an hours-long standoff with SWAT Police on Tuesday night.
The suspect, physician Dr. Bharat Narumanchi, reportedly held five employees hostage for several hours before shooting Dodson and later himself. All other employees managed to escape or were released.
(Christa McWhirter)
Family, friends and community members have taken to social media to memorialize Dr. Dodson, who has been described as an "absolute light" who "brought blessings and joy to every life she touched."
Karen Vladeck, whose two sons were attended by Dr. Dodson, took to Twitter to share memories of Dodson. According to Vladeck, Dodson "made you feel that your child's illness was the only one that mattered in that moment" and made parents and children alike feel "important and heard."
Our entire community is beyond words gutted by the senseless loss of our wonderful pediatrician and friend, Dr. Lin… https://t.co/EAskhVmsEa— KSV (@KSV) 1611763418.0
Among the hundreds of comments, many described Dodson as "kind, caring and funny". Memories shared included her habit of saying, "Hey friend!" as she entered a room, calling the parents of patients after hours to ease concerns, and knowing every patient on a personal level.
@KSVesq I keep thinking about how she said “hey friend!” when she came into the room. All her patients were her fri… https://t.co/K1rh0Z6hZL— katie smith (@katie smith) 1611768714.0
A GoFundMe has been set up in support of Children's Medical Group staff and families. Austin physicians are also reportedly planning a candlelight vigil in her memory, and some have already held a prayer circle in front of the practice.
A long-time local physician, Dodson joined Children's Medical Group in 2017. She was named one of the top pediatricians in Texas by Texas Super Doctors in both 2019 and 2020.
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(Pexels)
Austin's one-bedroom rent has more than doubled—a 112% increase—from April 2021 to 2022, the report said. Only Oklahoma City saw a higher year-over-year increase with a 133% jump.
Austin also had the fourth-highest increase in two-bedroom rent, with a 50% increase in the past year. The city joined a nationwide trend where rents were up 8.3% year-over-year across the U.S, a trend exacerbated by a 6.2% increase in inflation in the same time period.
But "not everyone is experiencing inflation the same way," Redfin Deputy Chief Economist Taylor Marr said in the report, and a brunt of the load has gone to cities with more move-ins. While over 90% of state rental markets increased in the last year, that jump was seen most in Sun Belt states, including Texas, Arizona and Florida.
Even with breakneck increases in rent, however, Austin's rent prices still haven't cracked the top 10: the city's one-bedroom apartments are the 12th most expensive in the nation with an average price of $2,918. Meanwhile, its two-bedrooms fall behind Texas cities Frisco, Dallas and Plano and come out 34th on the list with a $2,302 average monthly rent.
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