The City of Austin opened cold weather shelters last night as temperatures dropped into the 30s.
Those seeking shelter were asked to show up at the One Texas Center located on Barton Springs Road to register and were then shuttled to overnight shelters.
There are now late registration options should people not make that registration window. The Austin Area Urban League will have vans at One Texas Center until 2 a.m. to see to it that everyone gets to a shelter.
It’s the first time the city has activated its overnight cold weather shelters this winter.
The city said the cold weather shelters are “primarily accessed by people experiencing homelessness.” However, anyone who needs a warm place to stay for the night is also welcome.
For more information on the shelters, call the cold weather shelter hotline at (512) 972-5055. (KXAN-TV)
Homelessness is on the rise in Lockhart. A church is stepping up to help as the freezing temperatures move in.
Five people had to leave their home Tuesday night after a duplex caught fire in southeast Austin.
The Austin Fire Department (AFD) said it responded around 10:30 p.m. to the home at 5200 Copperbend Blvd., located near East Stassney Lane and South Pleasant Valley Road.
Once on scene, crews said the fire appeared to be coming from the roof.
Photos: Austin Fire Department
Stony Point High School in Round Rock was on lockdown Tuesday afternoon as police investigated reports of a suspicious student possibly carrying a weapon.
Police officers found the student and determined there was no threat to the campus. (Austin American-Statesman)
Law enforcement officials in Washington state arrested a minor in connection to a false shooting call made in September against San Marcos High School.
The minor is facing felony charges of making a terroristic threat, false alarm and report for a September 24 hoax call about San Marcos High, police said. The minor faces other charges for similar calls elsewhere.
An investigation showed no connection between the accused minor and San Marcos nor was San Marcos High targeted for any specific reason. (Austin American-Statesman)
Crews are continuing to clean up overflow from a “sanitary sewer manhole” after thousands of gallons of waste water overflowed in a southeast Austin neighborhood.
More than 100,000 gallons of wastewater overflowed into a “dry tributary segment of Williamson Creek,” in the 5000 block of Creek Bend Drive.
The tributary is dry thus the wastewater never reached into Williamson Creek. (KXAN-TV)
In Lockhart, Main Street and Church Street in the downtown area were briefly shut down last evening due reports of a gas leak.
An Austin woman has been sentenced to ten years in prison for her involvement in a deadly 2021 home invasion. (Fox7 Austin)
A Travis County grand jury on Tuesday indicted a 78-year-old man for the 1980 kidnapping, murder and rape of a University of Texas student.
Attorneys for a Georgetown man charged with killing his six-year-old neighbor last year appeared in court yesterday. Daniel Logan’s trial will begin in April. (KVUE-TV)
One person died early Tuesday morning in a fiery crash in Elgin in eastern Travis County.
Austin-Travis County EMS responded to the collision at 17904 Littig Road shortly after midnight. The adult victim, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. (CBS Austin)
A plane crashed while departing the Smithville Crawford Municipal Airport in Smithville Tuesday morning. Only a pilot was on board and they were taken to a hospital for treatment. (KXAN-TV)
UT Austin has released video of a ceiling that collapsed on campus ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday week.
On November 24, the ceiling of an outdoor patio at the Norman Hackerman Building suddenly collapsed. The building, which opened about 15 years ago, houses classrooms and labs for biology and chemistry.
No one was injured. (KUT 90.5)
Workers at the Sonesta Select Austin North along I-35 say their employer is exploiting them, claiming they’ve had their wages stolen and are working in unsafe and unsustainable conditions. (KVUE-TV)
Autonomous drones will soon patrol SH 130 to provide around-the-clock security, inspections, traffic monitoring, and assistance for emergency responders.
The SH 130 corridor is home to several companies, including Tesla, Amazon, Circuit of the Americas, H-E-B and dozens of commercial developers. (Fox7 News)
Initial work on Austin’s new convention center could increase to more than 16 hours a day under a proposal being considered at City Hall.
Demolition of the building is set to begin May 1 with construction completion anticipated in December 2028. (Austin Business Journal)
Cousins Properties announced it is acquiring the building that’s shaped like a sail in Downtown Austin for more than $521.8 million.
The 35-story, 804,000-square-foot property at 601 W. Second St. is fully leased to Google and was developed in 2022. (KVUE-TV)
It looks like a new Target store may be coming to the Liberty Hill area. The estimated $22 million project would be ground-up construction of a new store, according to a state filing. (Austin Business Journal)
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Travis County has lifted a burn ban that has been instated since 2018 thanks to recent rainfall.
Williamson County lifted its burn ban on Friday. (CBS Austin)
High-speed rail efforts in Texas have gained some momentum.
San Antonio International Airport celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest $1.2 billion terminal on Tuesday.
San Antonio police are investigating a shooting that resulted in an officer’s death near an elementary school in the southwest part of the city Tuesday morning. It is believed the shooting occurred when the officer, who has not been identified, was gathering his gear to enter the school when his pistol went off. (Lonestar Live)
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is asking lawmakers for $300 million to fix “significant neglect” in Texas’ Medicaid enrollment system. (Texas Tribune)
Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) says he supports Pete Hegseth as the Defense Secretary nominee.
According to a new study, abortion laws in Texas are stressing the state’s already overworked women’s health care workforce and depleting numbers of doctors entering and staying in the state. (KXAN-TV)
What are the favorite Christmas movies among Texas residents?
SPORTS
In women’s college basketball tonight, the No. 6 Longhorns (8-1) are hosting Southern (1-8) at Moody Center at 7:00 p.m. (Texas Longhorns)
Seven Texas football players were named Tuesday to the All-SEC teams. (KXAN-TV)
In the NBA’s Emirates Cup last night, the Dallas Mavericks lost in Oklahoma City to the Thunder, 118-104. (Yahoo! Sports)
Tonight, the Houston Rockets host Golden State. (Yahoo! Sports)
A $31 billion seawall is planned that will hopefully save the Texas coast from disastrous storm surges in the future.
