Nearly two dozen people are facing charges after being caught in a pre-Christmas shoplifting blitz in North Austin.
Around $3500 in merchandise and three stolen vehicles were recovered in the four-day operation.
Authorities focused on the following areas during the operations:
Some of the retailers the thieves targeted included H-E-B, Home Depot, Lowes and Old Navy.
Austin police have arrested a man they say set a downtown condo on fire on December 21. (Fox7 Austin)
Police have arrested a man they say shot two people at a house in North Austin earlier this month. (Fox7 Austin)
Austin firefighters responded to vehicle rollover crash on Westlake Drive Friday evening.
Austin had the biggest drop year over year in rent prices, according to a new analysis. As of November, the median asking rent price in Austin is just over $1,400 — that’s down more than 12% from the same period in 2023.
Austin’s Riverside neighborhood is getting a new music venue.
Georgetown continues to grow in population. To meet the demand, the district has a new 2,200-student high school opening in 2028 and new middle and elementary schools opening in 2026. (KXAN-TV)
Williamson County’s $10.7 million expansion of its Expo Center has begun.
This plan involves increasing the arena’s size and to add additional parking, picnic pavilions, restrooms, and showers. (Fox7 Austin)
A 180,000-square-foot office complex off of Loop 360 in Northwest Austin has been purchased by a local real estate investor.
The new owner’s plan is to focus on startup companies and nonprofits by offering shorter and more flexible lease terms than are generally available in traditional office leases. (Austin Business Journal)
Construction on the Bergstrom Spur Trail is beginning in January.
The trail will be about 6.5 miles long, connecting the airport and southwest Austin following the path of the former Union Pacific Railroad. (CultureMapAustin)
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport announced more nonstop flights coming in 2025 for local travelers. (CBS Austin)
- Feb. 27: Delta to New Orleans
- March 6: Frontier to Chicago O’Hare and Orlando; Southwest to Milwaukee and Reno
- March 7: Frontier to Cincinnati and Phoenix
- March 9: Delta to Panama City, FL
- May 7: Delta to Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Memphis
- May 11: WestJet to Vancouver
- June 8: Delta to San Francisco and Tampa
The city of Leander is set to enter Phase 4 water restrictions on Monday, as the city makes upgrades to its water supply infrastructure.
The city of Hutto announced on Friday that it will be moving from Stage 2 to Stage 1 water conservation efforts, which will go into effect immediately.
The transition comes as water supply conditions have improved. (KXAN-TV)
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The Houston area is recovering after Thursday’s violent storms.
Most recent Texas drought monitor:
Someone in Texas is waking up one million dollars richer.
Last night’s MegaMillions drawing resulted in one winning ticket worth more than $1.15 billion. It was sold at a gas station in Cottonwood, California.
Five other tickets, including one purchased in Texas, matched the five white ball numbers for a $1 million prize.
No word yet from the Texas Lottery as to where that particular ticket was sold.
Texas needs to double its current power supply by 2030 in order to keep up with demand.
The Texas Department of Information Resources has awarded Science Applications International Corp. a nearly $171 million contract to strengthen the state’s IT systems against cyberattacks. (San Antonio Express-News)
Six people from Moore County, including four children, are dead and an Amarillo man was injured after an SUV and tractor-trailer collided early Christmas morning in the Texas Panhandle. (Austin American-Statesman)
Search and rescue teams in Sherman, Texas, entered the fourth day of their search for an 8-year-old Oklahoma girl Friday. She has been missing since her family’s car was swept away by floodwaters on Christmas Eve morning.
Travel accommodation company Airbnb is cracking down on New Year’s Eve celebrations at its rentals.
Last year, about 33,000 people in the U.S. were blocked around the holidays from being able to book accommodations through the platform after loud parties and other disruptive behavior, including roughly 4,200 guests in Texas. (MySanAntonio)
Two of Texas’ Ten Most Wanted fugitives were caught in San Antonio.
A Texas drone company has had its license suspended after a recent accident that seriously injured a young child.
A new report from the consulting firm Election Data Services finds Texas is one of four states likely to see an increase in U.S. House seats after the 2030 census. (Election Data Services)
The office of Attorney General Ken Paxton said it “secured a victory” for President-elect Donald Trump during a hearing on Friday before a federal judge aimed at preventing the Biden administration from disposing any border wall materials over the next month.
SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The USC Trojans scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and defeated Texas A&M in Friday’s Las Vegas Bowl 35-51, ending the Aggies season with an 8-5 record. (Yahoo! Sports)
At the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, the Texas Tech Red Raiders lost to Arkansas 39-26. Tech finishes 8-5. (Yahoo! Sports)
NBA: The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points in their 96-87 win over the Brooklyn Nets in New York. (Yahoo! Sports)
Anthony Edwards made a step-back 3-pointer with 23 seconds left to cap a furious rally and lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-112 win over the Houston Rockets.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 points, Daniel Gafford added 16 and the Dallas Mavericks won their first game since star Luka Doncic was injured, beating the Phoenix Suns 98-89 on Friday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Mavericks are in Portland tonight. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: A tough loss in Dallas for the Stars last night. Minnesota’s Brock Faber scored a wraparound goal 35 seconds into overtime to give the Wild a 3-2 win. (Yahoo! Sports)
From low-rise, downtown buildings with parks and playgrounds, to subways running to UT and the Capitol complex: How accurate were the experts in 1980 at predicting Austin’s future?
