President Biden is set to visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin on Monday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. This will be one of the President’s first public appearances since he announced he was not running for re-election.
The visit will come just days after Vice President and presumptive nominee Kamala Harris spent time in Texas, in Houston where she received Hurricane Beryl recovery updates from officials and delivered a keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th National Convention.
Biden’s trip to Austin is filled with political subplots. (Dallas Morning News)
Rolling road closures expected in Austin during Biden’s visit Monday. (KEYE-TV)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday announced he is suing the Biden administration over a federal contraception program that provides teens birth control without requiring parental consent. (KUT 90.5)
CenterPoint Energy executives appeared before the Public Utility Commission to explain their response to Hurricane Beryl, which left two-thirds of their Houston customers without power, prompting an investigation demanded by Governor Greg Abbott.
“THIS WEEK IN TEXAS POLITICS” (Fox7 Austin)
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) and the Round Rock Police Department are investigating after an Austin man died while in custody at the Williamson County Jail. (KVUE-TV)
Also in Williamson County, authorities say total of 335 suspected fentanyl pills and other narcotics were seized during an investigation in Williamson and Bell counties.
Meanwhile, dramatic new police video showed a driver leading officers on a chase. It started in Hutto and ended near Round Rock.
An Austin man was arrested and charged with mail theft after authorities discovered more than 300 pieces of mail from more than a hundred different addresses and USPS Arrow Keys and after leading police on a chase during a routine traffic stop. (KVUE-TV)
Authorities have released the identity of a man who was shot and killed at the Array Apartments in southeast Austin earlier this week, the second homicide in less than a week in that same complex. (Fox7 Austin)
A petition has been formed asking Austin police to acknowledge that the 20 bodies that have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake since 2008 “may not be accidents”. (MySanAntonio)
Austin police are once again using license plate readers to catch offenders. (Fox7 Austin)
The Austin Police Department requested help finding a person of interest in connection with a hit-and-run crash that occurred in September 2023. (KXAN-TV)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said a 19-year-old in Austin is at the center of an alleged sextortion scheme. (KXAN-TV)
Austin drive-in movie theater chain Blue Starlite confirmed its newest location had thousands of dollars in materials stolen this week. (KXAN-TV)
Police arrested three University of Texas Delta Sigma Phi fraternity members for an attack on a man that may be classified as a hate crime. (KXAN-TV)
Few hate crimes are prosecuted in Texas.
Three adults and a child were taken to the hospital early Friday morning after a two-vehicle crash in north Austin. (KEYE-TV)
Austin’s city manager gave an update yesterday on the search for a new chief of police, saying a hiring decision will take “additional time.” (KXAN-TV)
An area in south Austin could cut ties with the city after a petition was filed for the release from extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) on Menchaca Road south of Slaughter Lane. (KXAN-TV)
The Austin Parks and Recreation Board is calling on city leaders to allocate an additional $2.62 million into the Parks and Recreation Department’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. (KXAN-TV)
A formal process will take place before Austin voters ever see a climate-related bond on a future ballot, thanks to a resolution passed by City Council July 18. (Community Impact)
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there was a magnitude 5.1 earthquake Friday morning in West Texas. The tremors were felt all the way in Dallas-Fort Worth.
That’s more than 60 quakes in Texas in the past seven days.
Worries over runoff from recent rainfall have some concerned near Toll Road I83A. (KXAN-TV)
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games have begun in Paris. The city of Austin and Central Texas are both being well represented. (KUT 90.5)
The University of Texas has 30 athletes representing 13 countries competing in 30 events at the Paris games. (Horns Illustrated)
Austin FC began Leagues Cup action last night at Q2 Stadium with a 3-2 victory over Pumas UNAM.
In Major League Baseball, Ernie Clement knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning for the Blue Jays in Toronto last night, giving them a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Texas Rangers. (Yahoo! Sports)
In Houston last night, Framber Valdez struck out ten over 6 2/3 innings as the Astros blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-0. (Yahoo! Sports)
Texas Longhorns football coach Steve Sarkisian announced on Friday that he and his wife Loreal have filed for divorce. (Austin American-Statesman)
Eight SEC football predictions that probably won’t happen…but totally could. (Austin American-Statesman)
Montopolis: The Story of a Historic Austin Neighborhood
