President Joe Biden announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment.
Seven of them are on death row in Texas.
Nine people were injured in a crash in East Austin last night.
Five adults and three children were taken to local hospitals while one adult did not require medical treatment.
The number of traffic fatalities in Austin this year has now surpassed the total for all of 2023. (KXAN-TV)
Austin City Council recently approved a nearly $1.8 million contract to improve safety and lighting conditions at more than a dozen locations across town.
- Pearce Lane
- Cullen Lane
- Slaughter Lane at South First Street
- East Riverside Drive at Tinnin Ford Road
- West Slaughter Lane at Brodie Lane
- South First Street at Barton Springs Road
- North Lamar Boulevard at West St. Johns Avenue
- South Pleasant Valley Road at East Riverside Drive
- East Oltorf Street at Parker Lane
- East Riverside Drive at Willow Creek Drive
- East Riverside Drive at Wickersham Lane
- West Oltorf Street at South Congress Avenue
- West Braker Lane at Stonelake Boulevard
- East 45th Street at Red River Street
Work is tentatively set to begin in January on Pearce Lane first before tackling the remaining roads and intersections. Construction on the entire project is estimated to run for eight months. (KXAN-TV)
The Lakeway Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying two suspects accused of shoplifting.
A last-minute deal to avert a government shutdown has brought relief to travelers and federal workers at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
A Lampasas County man with a prior arrest record in Williamson County has been identified as the person man responsible for crashing into the Killeen Mall during a police chase Saturday and running over multiple people.
Austin’s blood center is asking for the public’s help to make sure it has enough donations for the holidays.
We Are Blood, the sole provider of blood donations to Central Texas hospitals, says it needs at least 200 donations per day to meet patient need. (KVUE-TV)
Meals on Wheels of Central Texas will be open Christmas Eve to serve those in need. Volunteers will deliver meals to nearly 3,000 people. (KVUE-TV)
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson will discuss his priorities for the city’s future in a conversation happening in Austin and online January 29th.
An Austin radio station is moving its studios to Taylor and will focus on eastern Williamson County. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin is no longer the fourth largest city in Texas having been surpasses by Fort Worth. (KXAN-TV)
Housing data for November has been released. The median sales price in the Austin metro is now $435,000, up 2.4% year-over-year. (KXAN-TV)
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Christmas travel trouble: Northeast ice and West Coast storms threaten road, air travel across the U.S. (AccuWeather)
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the retiring Fort Worth Republican who has been frequently absent from Congress for months, said in a statement Sunday she has been facing “health challenges.”
“As many of my family, friends, and colleagues have known, I have been navigating some unforeseen health challenges over the past year. However, since early September, my health challenges have progressed making frequent travel to Washington both difficult and unpredictable. During this time, my incredible staff has remained steadfast, continuing to deliver exceptional constituent services, as they have for the past 27 years.” — Rep. Kay Grainger (R-Texas)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Sunday in a bid to prevent transgender women from competing in women’s college athletics. (KVUE-TV)
The deadline for Texas to indicate whether it will participate in a federal food assistance program to combat child hunger is fast approaching, and advocates are concerned the state is going to miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars for the second year in a row. (Texas Public Radio)
PODCAST: A round-up of the news in Texas politics from the past week in this episode of “State of Texas” produced by KXAN-TV.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would nominate Houston billionaire hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta to serve as U.S. ambassador to Italy. (Chron)
Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht is the longest tenured Supreme Court justice in Texas history and is about to retire. During his tenure, he modernized the court, increased access to justice for the poor and saw his conservative views come to dominate the bench. (Texas Tribune)
“The Grinch” was arrested over the weekend allegedly attempting to “steal Christmas” from an H-E-B store in the Houston area. (MySanAntonio)
SPORTS
The No. 6 Texas women’s basketball team (12-1) scored 39 points more than the South Dakota State Jackrabbits were allowing to opponents this season in a 103-57 win at Moody Center on Sunday. (Texas Longhorns)
NFL: In Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys get a W.
NBA: Dillon Brooks scored 27 points, Jalen Green had 22 and the Houston Rockets won in Toronto for the first time in more than five years by beating the struggling Raptors 114-110 on Sunday night. (Yahoo! News)
The Rockets are back in action tonight in Charlotte.
The San Antonio Spurs are in Philadelphia tonight while the Dallas Mavericks host Portland. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: The Dallas Stars (19-13) will be in Utah (16-11-6) tonight. (Yahoo! Sports)
We continue our look at some of the biggest holiday light displays/shows in the Lone Star State.
Today we’re visiting Grapevine for their 4th Annual Merry & Bright Drone Show.
