On what was the hottest day of 2024 so far, more than 7,000 Austin Energy customers in the eastern part of the city lost power for about four hours. (Austin American-Statesman)
The outage began shortly before 5 p.m., when temperatures in the neighborhood reached 107 degrees. The areas primarily affected were east of Interstate 35 and as far west as Airport Boulevard, stretching as far south as South Lakeshore Boulevard and as far north as East 11th Street. — Austin American-Statesman
Wednesday’s extreme heat taxed ERCOT‘s capacity for meeting the demand.
(Graphs: ERCOT)
According to the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas, demand for power broke a record Tuesday, one that was set last August. (Austin American-Statesman)
As dangerous heat grips Texas, solar power and batteries keep the electric grid humming along. (KUT 90.5)
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help to identify a possible suspect in an alleged “attempted child abduction” that happened earlier Wednesday.
The city of Lockhart saw its first homicide of 2024 last week. A juvenile and four adults have been arrested in that case. (KVUE-TV)
An Uber driver has been arrested following a road rage incident in downtown Austin last week that escalated into an alleged knife threat and property damage after a collision on I-35. (KEYE-TV)
Police in Manor are investigating a severe case of animal cruelty after officers found nine dogs left in cages outside in extreme heat. One person has been arrested. One dog has died.
Due to a fire at Kealing Middle School Monday night, classes have been cancelled for the remainder of the week and will begin next Monday. (CBS Austin)
The Texas Department of Public Safety will no longer accept court orders or amended birth certificates that change a person’s sex if it differs from the documentation the department already has on file.
Former Austin City Council member Don Zimmerman is once again taking the city of Austin to court over its use of public funds to aid Austinites seeking abortions, which are banned in Texas except in cases of life-threatening emergencies. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin City Council has green lit a new program called Downtown Area Command (DTAC) that will add more EMS medics and vehicles along Rainey Street.
Do you know what Austin City Council district you live in? Is its seat on the November ballot? How to find out. (KVUE-TV)
New technology and following certain protocols are helping Austin firefighters cope with the extreme heat. (Fox7 Austin)
The Texas sun bore down on Austin yesterday as the area saw its ninth-hottest day on record. Camp Mabry recorded an official high of 109 degrees.
In other parts of the state, Abilene recorded its all-time record highest temperature yesterday of 113 degrees, breaking a record set last year.
We can expect more of the same today but perhaps a few degrees “cooler” before high temperatures begin to lower into the weekend.
Central Texas is on pace for way fewer 105-degree days this summer than in 2023. (KVUE-TV)
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion: What’s the difference?
A nine-month-old girl was found dead yesterday in a hot car in Beeville, Texas. This came one day after a 22-month-old was found dead in a car in Corpus Christi on Tuesday. (KVUE-TV)
Could Texans face charges for breaking a car window to save a child?
A statewide poll released Thursday shows Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has narrowed the gap in Texas in the presidential race against former President Donald Trump. (Austin American-Statesman)
Texas influencer Carlos Espina delivered a full speech on day three of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
What happens when Tim Walz’s “weird” runs into “Keep Austin Weird”? (Texas Monthly)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that he issued warrants in Bexar, Atascosa and Frio counties, looking for voter fraud. (Texas Public Radio)
Here’s everything you need to know about casting a ballot in Texas. (Texas Tribune)
A new report from an advocacy group in support of mass transit projects across the country has praised Austin’s Project Connect initiative. (Austin Chronicle)
A new program aiming to reduce traffic accidents on Barton Springs Road in Austin seems to be working. (Austin Monitor)
The Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area leads Texas in housing construction and ranks third nationally in apartment construction. (KXAN-TV)
The cities of Lakeway and Bee Cave are filing a lawsuit to stop the construction of a distribution center. (KXAN-TV)
A ribbon-cutting event will be held on Saturday to commemorate the completion of the 5.5-mile Austin-to-Manor Trail. (KXAN-TV)
In a string of resignations and terminations, two more pastors have resigned from a Texas church. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram via MSN)
At a different church in Texas, a pastor was fired this week for a “moral issue”, this following the church’s founder and an elder resigning from their positions earlier this summer. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram via MSN)
A Texas pastor says supporters of the ‘demonic’ Democratic Party aren’t real Christians. (Lonestar Live)
The governing board of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is disputing the accuracy of a report by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging widespread mental, physical and sexual abuse in the state’s youth facilities. (Texas Public Radio)
The South Texas border is struggling with a worsening water shortage situation and lawmakers want Mexico’s help. (Newsweek)
More arrests have been made in the 2022 case of the smuggling of 53 migrants who died after being left in a sweltering tractor-trailer.
The Boerne Little League team from Texas is headed to the championship game of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, after defeating a team from Nevada yesterday, 5-2. They will play on Saturday against a yet-to-be-determined team.
In the majors, the Houston Astros dropped their second in a row to the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night, 4-1. (Yahoo! Sports)
In Arlington, Wyatt Langford knocked in a game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning to break a scoreless tie as the Texas Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 1-0. It was their first series win in nearly a month. (Yahoo! Sports)
Former SMU running back Velton Gardner said he plans on joining the Texas Longhorns. (Austin American-Statesman)
Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is featured in a commercial for Dr. Pepper.
Tickets to Longhorns football games in 2024 have sold out. (Sports Illustrated via MSN)
Game-by-game predictions for the 2024 Texas A&M football season. (Dallas Morning News)
Let’s explore a brief history of Texas music.
