As part of Austin’s Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link Initiative, nearly a hundred people are now in city shelters after several encampments were broken up.
“Closing homeless encampments with compassion means more than just moving people to a different location. It involves a careful plan that treats people with respect, considers their unique needs, and offers them real support. Rather than simply displacing people from one site to another, our approach gives the resources they need to find stability and a real path out of homelessness.”
David Gray – Homeless Strategy Officer
Four locations were closed: Stephenson Nature Preserve, Springdale Neighborhood Park, Lorraine ‘Grandma’ Comacho Activity Center, and the West Rundberg area near the North Austin YMCA and Masterson Pass. (Fox7 Austin via Yahoo! News)
Austin City Council approved the HEAL Initiative in February 2021. The HEAL Initiative is one element of the City’s broader effort to address homelessness and return public spaces to their intended uses. Since HEAL began in June of 2021, nearly a thousand individuals have moved from high-risk encampments and into shelters.
A Williamson County woman is in custody in Bastrop for allegedly selling fentanyl to another woman that led to her death back in February.
The victim reportedly traveled to Austin the night before her death to buy fentanyl. The seller was identified as 29-year-old Alba Karina Canales.
Canales was later arrested on a Bastrop County murder warrant in Williamson County and is being held in the Bastrop County Jail on a $100,000 bond. (KVUE-TV)
A pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle Thursday night in South Austin.
Austin police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a woman who used a stolen credit card to withdraw hundreds of dollars from an ATM in June.
Downtown Austin is seeing a drastic rise in pickpocketing and stolen phones.
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office says they’re seeing a concerning number of tire thefts, specifically targeting Toyota Corollas. (KEYE-TV)
One Texas police department will soon be working with autonomous drones to respond to emergency calls. (KXAN-TV)
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement has released its online license lookup tool allowing the public to search and view the status of current and former licensed Texas peace officers, jailers or telecommunicators. (KXAN-TV)
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is looking to boost protection for judges and the courts as threats to judges are increasing exponentially here in Texas and across the nation. (KVUE-TV)
TxDOT says the I-35 Capital Express Central project will kick off with the reconstruction of the MLK Bridge. Barriers will be placed later this month, with drivers likely to notice more robust construction activity later this year or in early 2025. (KXAN-TV)
Austin’s Zilker Eagle Mini Train reopens for riders today after being closed Wednesday and Thursday for maintenance. (KEYE-TV)
The city of Austin is hosting multiple forums for voters to meet the candidates running for city council positions, the first of which was held last night.
Various events to honor the lives lost during the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon will happen across the Austin area next week. (Community Impact)
A federal court signed off on a settlement Wednesday between Disability Rights Texas and Austin ISD over its backlog of special education evaluations. The settlement requires the district to establish a fund to help cover the cost of services for students who were affected by the delayed evaluations. (KUT 90.5)
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will stop at Austin’s IRS campus today and then appear at the Texas Tribune Festival.
Telecommunications company Verizon has agreed to a $20 billion deal to acquire Frontier Communications, an internet service provider based in Dallas. If completed, the deal would expand Verizon’s fiber network service “Fios” into Texas, where Frontier Communications currently offers services in select areas. (Community Impact)
Facebook parent company Meta is shedding more of its Austin office space. (Austin Business Journal)
One more day of chances for spotty showers, much like what some saw yesterday, then a cold front arrives tomorrow bringing us a cooler, drier weekend that’ll have a feel of fall to it.
Winds will be a bit gusty today (20 to 30 mph possible) as that front pushes into the region.
The National Hurricane Center is tracking five disturbances in the Atlantic. All have a low chance of developing over the next seven days. (Austin American-Statesman)
Central Texas water experts are urging residents to prioritize conservation despite recent rainfall, as the region grapples with long-term water supply challenges. (KEYE-TV)
Llano is recovering from flash flooding caused by heavy rains on Tuesday.
A generation of Austinites remembers seeing alligators near Barton Springs. Were they ever there? (KUT 90.5)
An investigation is underway after a cadet from Texas died at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.
In a new poll, 77% of Texans say it has gotten harder to afford groceries over the last year, primarily because the cost of food is increasing more quickly than their income.
That’s up 4% from the last time this survey was conducted in 2023. (KUT 90.5)
A tiger could be on the loose in Texas right now after escaping a zoo in Mexico. (Chron)
Travis County Judge Andy Brown is trying to get a passenger rail plan for Central Texas back on track.
Former Gov. Rick Perry is back in Texas government as a senior adviser to House Speaker Dade Phelan. (KEYE-TV)
A legal battle between Bexar County and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intensifies.
A jury will decide if a group of Trump supporters violated state and federal law when they allegedly harassed a Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway in 2020, frightening those on board. (Texas Tribune)
How is the race between challenger Colin Allred and incumbent Ted Cruz for the U.S. Senate seat shaping up?
Eight Texas independent voters share how they’re sizing up the candidates heading into November. (Texas Tribune)
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have never met in person. They will next week in Philadelphia. (Austin American-Statesman)
Why the economy is Trump’s ‘biggest advantage’ and Harris’ ‘biggest problem’.
During a speech Thursday, Trump announced he would establish a government efficiency commission headed by billionaire supporter Elon Musk if he wins the Nov. 5 election. (Austin American-Statesman)
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said Thursday that he lamented that school shootings are a “fact of life” and argued the U.S. needs to harden security to prevent more carnage like the shooting this week that left four dead in Georgia. (Associated Press via MSN)
New polls show Kamala Harris now leads Donald Trump in several battleground states.
Anticipation is high for tomorrow’s battle in Ann Arbor between the Texas Longhorns and Michigan Wolverines. Both are top ten teams. (ESPN)
Everything fans need to know…
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian previews the game.
Texas high school football scores from Thursday. (KXAN-TV)
The NFL began its 2024 season last night with a thriller between the Ravens and Chiefs. (Yahoo! Sports)
In baseball, the Houston Astros continue to struggle with Cincinatti. The Reds have won nine straight against Houston after a 1-0 victory last night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Texas Rangers have won three straight after a 3-1win against the Los Angeles Angels in Arlington. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Astros lost more ground in the AL West race.
No. 1 Texas Volleyball swept Indiana, 25-8, 25-21, 25-22, in front of a sold-out crowd for the home opener at Gregory Gymnasium on Thursday. (Longhorns.com)
German history and culture still thrive in Fredericksburg, Texas.
