It’s Monday, April 15th. I'm Elise Randall, and here's your local news from the Austin American-Statesman. Our top story is: In the first 3 months of 2019, Austin-area companies raised about $704 million in venture capital, a $99 million -- or 16.3 percent -- increase from the same period last year, according to research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. The funding in Austin carried a statewide amount that totaled $1.