Photos: Austin Fire Department
A 55-acre brush fire in the 9500 block of FM 969 in East Austin has been extinguished, officials said on Thursday evening.
Two firefighters were injured battling the blaze.
One student has been apprehended and another was hospitalized following a stabbing at Covington Middle School in Southwest Austin.
Austin police have given the all-clear after a suspicious item was found at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Thursday night. (Fox7 Austin)
Three people were displaced after a fire at a Pflugerville apartment early Thursday morning.
Austin Police have announced it’s expanding its ‘No Refusal’ Initiative to now be year-round.
A 62-year-old man pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a fatal shooting that occurred in August 2023, according to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. (CBS Austin)
Austin police are looking for a suspect in connection to the theft of a Rolex watch worth around $15,000 at Downtown Austin’s Lifetime Fitness last month. (CBS Austin)
One suspected fentanyl-related death in Round Rock is being investigated while a breakthrough was made in the case of another fentanyl-related death in Hutto. (CBS Austin)
The Austin Police Department (APD) revealed crime statistics from the first weekend of the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival.
The city of Georgetown used truck-mounted sprayers to combat mosquitoes near Edwards Park last night and will do so again this evening.
So far this year, 63 mosquito trap samples in Williamson County have tested positive for West Nile virus, and one reported human case of the virus. (KXAN-TV)
Five new parks are joining Austin’s parks system, adding much needed green spaces to areas considered to be “park deficient.” (KUT 90.5)
On the same day the Biden administration set a 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to remove all lead pipes, Austin announced that the city is officially 100 percent free of lead contamination in its public water system. (Austin Monitor)
Austin City Council held a meeting Thursday to go over multiple items focused on various aspects of city improvements.
The council adopted the Austin-Travis County Food Plan, which marks a major step forward in the City’s commitment to supporting an equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system.
Austin City Council has denied a request from Torchy’s Tacos on South Congress to waive a distance requirement that doesn’t allow them to serve alcohol if they’re within 300 feet of a school. (Fox7 Austin)
The Austin Planning Department now has a “consultant bench” — at a price tag of up to $5.5 million — to help it with key projects. Six companies have been chosen to help Austin planners work faster and better. (Austin Business Journal)
International homebuyers spent $618 million in Central Texas last year. (KXAN-TV)
A UT Austin student has started a petition calling for the University to improve restroom accessibility for disabled students. (Daily Texan)
Texas lawmakers on Thursday considered new ways to combat retail theft, a growing and often organized, destructive threat facing stores across Texas. (KXAN-TV)
Austin school librarians will be delivering summer reading books to students in a new style next year. (Austin American-Statesman)
The Bee Cave City Council received an update regarding the addition of medians to Texas 71 at its meeting Tuesday night. The council also moved to approve a maximum budget of $18 million for the Bee Cave Public Safety Building, which is set to break ground in March or April next year. (Austin American Statesman)
An Air Quality Alert remains in effect for the area today.
It looks like another sunny, dry and warm weekend for ACL Fest concertgoers.
The next five days could be summer’s last blast of heat before more seasonable temperatures arrive by midweek next week.
Hurricane Milton has left at least 15 people dead, millions are without power and caused dozens of tornadoes and widespread flooding. (AccuWeather)
Ragweed season is active due to rain we received earlier this summer. (KXAN-TV)
The Northern Lights could be seen in parts of Texas last night.
The town of Bartlett has lost its hometown newspaper. The Tribune Progress, which had been published nearly every week since its inception in 1886, has shut down. (KVUE-TV)
Two people died and dozens of others were injured Thursday in a chemical release at the PEMEX facility in Harris County.
In a report published Thursday, AAA said gas prices across Texas were up slightly week-to-week. (KXAN-TV)
Toyota Texas is expanding its footprint in San Antonio with construction of a new plant facility that will bring hundreds of new jobs with it. (Lonestar Live)
The fate of tens of thousands of immigrants legally living and working in Texas could hinge on arguments presented to a panel of federal judges Thursday in New Orleans. (Texas Public Radio)
Can ire over an abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court? (Texas Tribune)
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz gave a lengthy interview to KHOU-TV in Houston about his campaign for reelection.
Will the Electoral College decide the presidency again? (Texas Public Radio)
25 days to go…
“Do you think he cares about you?” — Former president Barack Obama on Donald Trump
A majority of voters in Ohio do not believe the false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are “eating people’s pets,” a new poll shows. (WCMH-TV)
In a rambling speech, Donald Trump offered gripes and yet another tax cut. (New York Times)
The polls are clear: Kamala Harris’s honeymoon period is over. (The Independent UK)
SPORTS
Scores from Thursday night regional high school football. (KVUE-TV)
Tomorrow in Dallas: the 120th Red River Rivalry.
Five things to know about Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers including his wild journey to Austin. (Dallas Morning News)
The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for Sunday’s match with the Detroit Lions.
Texas was once covered in ancient grasslands. As these grasslands are increasingly impacted by urbanization, fragmentation and agriculture, it’s critical to understand how they’ve shaped our state’s economy and iconic culture.
