Downtown Austin continues to boom with more than a dozen projects under construction.
Construction sites can be seen throughout downtown and the Rainey St. Historic District
One of the biggest is the Texas Capitol Complex project that’s been in the works for years.
Refined plans show the estimated price tag of Austin’s transformational plan to cover parts of Interstate 35 with parks and public spaces, intended to bridge the divide between east and west neighborhoods, ballooning from $868 million to $1.4 billion — an increase of 61%. (KUT 90.5)
The City of Austin has shelled out a hefty chunk of change — $107.6 million — to buy two office buildings along South MoPac Expressway in Southwest Austin.
It bought the two properties, called One Barton Skyway and Two Barton Skyway, from Philadelphia-based commercial real estate firm Brandywine Realty Trust.
This isn’t the city’s only big real estate purchase of the year. It also bought Tokyo Electron’s former Southeast Austin campus in the spring for $87 million. (Austin Business Journal)
Travis County commissioners have established a $500,000 security fund to help local elected officials protect their homes – a move prompted by growing concerns about personal safety. (KVUE-TV)
Two candidates in a runoff for Austin City Council District 7 spoke in front of voters on Wednesday night.
Authorities responded last night to a two-vehicle collision on S. MoPac Expressway.
Officers arrested an 84-year-old man accused of murdering an 83-year-old woman and her dog in east Austin earlier this week.
Two men are in jail facing multiple charges after more than a dozen dead dogs were found in a south Austin creek earlier this year. An investigation by Austin Police revealed dozens of more dead dogs in a freezer. (CBS Austin)
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday a man who has been incarcerated for decades should be granted a new trial and should be released from prison as he waits to hear a decision from the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals. (KXAN-TV)
Months after the death of a 13-year-old in a northeast Austin home, his 18-year-old cousin is now facing a manslaughter charge. (KXAN-TV)
A 27-year-old Austin man faces felony charges after allegedly threatening to blow up a Church of Scientology building in a series of social media posts. (CBS Austin)
A boil water notice was issued for some residents in the city of Buda after a “major water line break”. (KXAN-TV)
A Travis County judge could soon decide whether to resume, or shut down for several months, construction of a controversial warehouse facility in Bee Cave. (Fox7 Austin)
Construction crews demolished parts of the old historic Williamson County Jail. The county hopes the land will be purchased and the building repurposed. (Fox7 Austin)
Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that has been offering analyses of hospitals’ safety records.
In the Austin area, nine hospitals received an A grade, five received a B and two received a C. No Austin-area hospitals received a D or F.
Ascension Seton had four hospitals receiving an A grade. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin-based company Dell agreed to pay $2.3 million to the Army to resolve allegations that the tech giant violated the False Claims Act by submitting and causing the submission of non-competitive bids to the Army. (KXAN-TV)
Former Round Rock ISD police chief Dennis Weiner is suing the school district, claiming they violated the Texas Whistleblower Act. (CBS Austin)
A semi-truck hit a phone line and pulled down several utility poles in Lockhart on Wednesday morning, causing power outages in the surrounding area. (CBS Austin)
This morning’s temperature in Austin at 6:45 a.m.:
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Central Texas is in a drought and Austin Water is not sure when we will get enough rain to make a difference. (CBS Austin)
Where the heck are Austin’s fall colors this season? (KUT 90.5)
The UT System Board of Regents’ Academic Affairs Committee has given preliminary approval to provide free tuition and waived fees to undergraduates from families with an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less.
The federal government is giving Texas the green light to request funding and begin the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program to help close the “digital divide”.
Texas will receive more than $3 billion to deploy or upgrade internet networks to make sure everyone has access to it. (KVUE-TV)
As plans for a Dallas to Houston bullet train move forward, one state legislator is hoping to kick-start another high-speed rail line from North Texas to San Antonio. (Texas Public Radio)
Texas law would force transgender residents to be misidentified on government documents. (Lonestar Live)
Texas hospitals are now required to ask for patients’ citizenship. Here’s what you should know. (Texas Tribune)
SPORTS
The University of Texas women’s basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season with an 83-41 victory over Tarleton State on Wednesday at Moody Center. (Texas Longhorns)
Tonight, The Texas Longhorns (3-1) will face Syracuse (3-0) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Game time is 6:00 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2. (Texas Longhorns)
Austin-area high school football teams will play their second-round playoff games tonight. (KXAN-TV)
Will Texas’ offense get back on track? How will they fare vs. Kentucky?
In the NBA, Alperen Sengun had a season-high 31 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 130-113 win over the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Tonight, the San Antonio Spurs host Utah at 7:00 p.m. (Yahoo! Sports)
San Antonio is about to announce plans for a new downtown Spurs arena and wider sports and entertainment district the city has been secretively working on for more than a year and a half.
On the ice in Dallas last night, Jason Robertson scored for the first time in 10 games and had two assists for his first multipoint game since Oct. 19 as the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks 5-2. (Yahoo! Sports)
President John F. Kennedy spent time in San Antonio on the day before he was assassinated in Dallas.
