The race for Mayor of Austin is still officially too close to call.
Incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson currently has 50.01% of the vote. A candidate must receive more than 50% to avoid a runoff. There are still ballots left to be counted, which means Watson could win outright or be forced into a runoff with second-place Carmen Llanes Pulido.
Krista Laine unseated Mackenzie Kelly in Austin City Council District 6. Kelly was the lone conservative on the council.
Austin City Council holds its regularly scheduled meeting today. Here’s what’s on the agenda. (Austin Monitor)
In Kyle, there will be a runoff election for City Council District 5 as no candidate received 50% of the vote as required. (KXAN-TV)
All seven Democratic lawmakers from Austin win reelection to Texas House and Senate. (Austin American-Statesman)
Voters in Pflugerville rejected Proposition A, which would have allowed the city to reduce 1% sales and use tax to just a half-percent. (KXAN-TV)
Travis County is poised to become the first county in Texas to help low-income families pay for child care after voters showed overwhelming approval of Travis County Proposition A on Tuesday. (Austin American-Statesman)
Round Rock voters approved $932 million for school upgrades, but rejected upgrades to athletics. (KVUE-TV)
Williamson County has elected a new sheriff. District 3 Constable Matthew Lindemann defeated current sheriff Mike Gleason. (Fox7 Austin)
Voters in both Lockhart and Bastrop have supported a measure to de-prioritize arrests and prosecution of misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses.
Manor Independent School District voters approved Proposition A on Tuesday, securing additional pay raises for staff and funding for enhanced school safety measures. (CBS Austin)
Manor Senior High School implemented enhanced security measures Tuesday as students returned to classes following last week’s fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Darrin Loving on campus.
Manor Police Department said a 16-year-old male was shot and injured in the leg around 10:30 p.m. last night. The incident happened in the city’s Presidential Glen subdivision near Andrew Johnson Drive and James Manor Street. (CBS Austin)
A man accused of shooting a cheerleader in an H-E-B parking lot in Elgin last year had his first court hearing Wednesday morning. He is facing two felony charges. (Fox7 News)
The San Marcos Police Department is investigating multiple incidents at an apartment complex, and it believes the same person is responsible.
One person was seriously injured after a crash in northeast Austin Wednesday evening, one of three accidents, all within a couple hours of each other.
More than 400 people have been killed or seriously injured in Austin crashes so far this year. (KXAN-TV)
The City of Austin is making progress on the new Wishbone Bridge at the Longhorn Dam. (Fox7 Austin)
After two accidental deaths of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport employees, safety concerns have been raised. (KXAN-TV)
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Some unstable weather today and tomorrow before a beautiful weekend sets in.
Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 storm Wednesday in the Cuban province of Artemisa, just east of Playa Majana, with maximum sustained winds estimated to be 115 mph.
The Texas Water Development Board approved nearly $15 million Wednesday for a major water supply project in Thorndale and $665,000 for improvements to an apartment complex’s water system in Gillespie County, part of a broader $32.4 million funding package for water and wastewater projects across the state. (CBS Austin)
The U.S. Department of Education awarded two grants totaling over $50 million to UT’s School of Education Institute for Public School Initiatives to support college and career readiness for more than 9,000 low-income students yearly. (Daily Texas)
A Houston firefighter died in the line of duty overnight.
Texas State University students reacted strongly to a provocative campus demonstration involving two non-students holding gigantic “Homo sex is sin” and “Women are property” signs. (Lonestar Live)
A Texas woman is in custody, facing charges of attempting to sell her newborn baby on Facebook. (Lonestar Live)
One of the suspects convicted in the murder of an Irving, Texas police officer nearly 24 years ago will be granted a new trial after a ruling from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
A San Antonio couple will serve time in federal prison after pleading guilty in a fraudulent tax scheme. (Lonestar Live)
Donald Trump helped Texas Republicans win big. Here’s how they’re going to return the favor. (KUT 90.5)
After Tuesday’s election results, Gov. Greg Abbott vows to make school vouchers universal.
Trump’s near sweep of Texas border counties shows a shift to the right for Latino voters. (Texas Tribune)
Re-elected Texas Democrats express mixed emotions post-election. (Lonestar Live)
SPORTS
In volleyball, the No. 15 Texas Longhorns bounced back with a four-set win over Mississippi State, 25-8, 25-15, 21-25, 25-17, on Wednesday at the Newell-Grissom Building. (Texas Longhorns)
Texas Longhorns vs Florida Preview: Gators offensive players to watch. (Sports Illustrated)
In the NBA last night, the Houston Rockets hosted the San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets cruised to a 127-100 win. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Mavericks won at home against the Chicago Bulls, 119-99. (Yahoo! Sports)
Take a ride on the state’s only Alpine Coaster.
