Students and staff in the Austin Independent School District begin their first day of the 2024-2025 academic year on what may be one of the hottest days of the year.
How does the school district plan to keep students and staff safe in the excessive heat? (Austin American-Statesman)
“All of our health room workers and staff really help our teachers learn what those signs are to look for, if someone may be overheating. For our athletes, we’re moving practices to the morning and evenings when we can, just to keep our students safe.” — Cristina Nguyen, executive director of communications and community engagement with Austin ISD
“It’s just going to be really important for everyone to make sure that those kiddos are staying hydrated, that they’re taking breaks and not overdoing it too much.“ — Capt. Christa Stedman of Austin-Travis County EMS
Everything you need to know as the new school year begins. (Austin American-Statesman)
The Superintendent of Austin ISD talks budget and staffing for the new school year.
There is one school in the AISD that will not open today as planned after firefighters responded to a two-alarm blaze last night at Kealing Middle School. (KEYE-TV)
Photos: Austin Fire Department
The fire appears to have been caused by an overloaded outlet in a classroom and authorities do not suspect arson.
Austin ISD’s Board of Trustees approved putting a voter approval tax ratification election, or VATRE, on the November ballot. The motion was approved 8-1 on Monday evening. (KVUE-TV)
Last night’s board meeting in its entirety…
Voters in Round Rock ISD will get the final say in November on a nearly billion dollar bond proposal. (KJCE-AM 1370
This week could be Austin’s hottest of the summer. (KUT 90.5)
First responders are warning residents about the dangerous heat conditions. (Fox7 Austin)
The extreme heat is raising concerns about the higher risk of wildfires.
More than 200 acres have burned in wildfires across Central Texas so far in 2024, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. A total of six fires have burned 228 acres in the 15-county area. (KXAN-TV)
High temperatures are putting pressure on the Ercot energy grid.
For the first time in state history, officials have advanced an expansive plan to identify and mitigate the effects of future flooding across Texas, which could carry a price tag of up to $54.5 billion to protect millions of Texans living in flood hazard areas. (Austin American-Statesman)
Did you catch last night’s “supermoon”? (Austin American-Statesman)
First responders pulled a body from Lake Travis yesterday. A man reportedly jumped from a cliff into the water Saturday and never resurfaced.
Austin firefighters were on the scene of a two-alarm structure fire early this morning in East Austin at 5325 Lavender Loop. (KVUE-TV)
A 38-year-old North Austin man was arrested after a victim accused him of sexual assault while he was driving for Uber in May. (KXAN-TV)
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing man whose truck was last seen in Cedar Park. (KVUE-TV)
Hays County officials are also asking for help identifying a woman who used fraudulent checks at a Home Depot. (Fox7 Austin)
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a vehicle theft in Liberty Hill that led to a shooting over the weekend. (KEYE-TV)
Just days after Austin City Council members voted to place a number of city charter amendments on the November ballot, a new lawsuit is now threatening to remove them. (KJCE-AM 1370)
Members of the Community Development Commission have requested more information from city staff about the decision-making process for spending Project Connect funds intended to preserve or create affordable housing near the mass transit system. (Austin Monitor)
According to the mayor’s office, there are “no future plans” to move forward with a proposal to rename Austin-Bergstrom International Airport after President Lyndon B. Johnson. (KXAN-TV)
The Watershed Protection Department appears to ready to move ahead with the start of the Old Lampasas Dam #3 Modernization Project. (Austin Monitor)
City officials agreed to bring on more than a dozen new parks maintenance employees to keep pace with upkeep in Austin’s green spaces that’s lagged through years of growth. (Community Impact)
Decriminalizing marijuana is officially on the November ballot in Bastrop. (Fox7 Austin)
Who is running for mayor of Austin in 2024? (KVUE-TV)
How to vote in the 2024 election without a photo ID in Texas. (Austin American-Statesman)
City of Austin Mayor Kirk Watson made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Monday.
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett took to the national convention stage last night to ridicule former President Donald Trump and extol Vice President Kamala Harris. (Texas Tribune)
A woman who sued Texas over its restrictive abortion laws took the main stage at the DNC on Monday.
Bruce Mills, the top executive at Austin City Hall overseeing Austin’s public safety departments on an interim basis, is on his way out. His last day at the city is set for Aug. 23. (Austin Chronicle)
A newly published survey found that 90% of Texans consider housing affordability a problem in their part of the state. (KXAN-TV)
These are the 5 biggest companies that have chosen to move from California to Texas. (Austin American-Statesman)
A jury ruled Monday that the parents of a former student accused of killing 10 people at a high school near Houston in 2018 do not bear financial responsibility for the shooting.
A free speech advocacy group has sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block a new Texas law that would require platforms like Instagram and Facebook to register the age of all users and get consent from a parent or guardian before minors create an account. (KEYE-TV)
The Texas oil and natural gas industry continues to break production records and add jobs but it’s also calling on Congress to pass permitting reform legislation. (The Center Square)
The governors of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila pledged to help each other continue growing economically. Mexico is Texas’s largest trading partner.
Houston-area gas stations accused of price gouging after Hurricane Beryl are being sued by Harris County. (KHOU-TV)
The Boerne Little Leaguers advance in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania after beating the Florida team from the Southeast 4-1. (Texas Public Radio)
In the majors last night the Houston Astros extended their lead in the AL West with a 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. Yanier Diaz was the hero with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. (Yahoo! Sports)
In Arlington, the Texas Rangers got by the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3. Corey Seager homered twice. (Yahoo! Sports)
Former Texas Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy is joining NBC Sports as college football analyst. (Austin American-Statesman)
Which UT football team is better? Tennessee or Texas? (Knoxville News-Sentinel)
Texas Volleyball will begin the 2024 season as the No. 1 ranked team in a preseason coaches poll. (Texas Longhorns)
Let’s visit the alligator capital of Texas…
