More on the extended forecast can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
A man has been arrested in connection to the murder of a woman that happened in East Austin earlier this month.
Austin police announced the arrest of a man in connection with a deadly hit-and-run last November.
The Downtown Austin Alliance hosted a forum Thursday to share safety updates and discuss other topics including crime data. (CBS Austin)
East 6th Street is now officially open to vehicular traffic on weekends but new barricades that will allow for pedestrian safety.
A student was taken into custody after falsely reporting a fire during a scheduled drill at Manor High School on Thursday. (CBS Austin)
Tens of thousands of renters in the Austin area may have had their rents set by landlords accused of using software illegally to fix prices, according to a Department of Justice lawsuit. (KUT 90.5)
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
ERCOT expects normal power grid conditions during next week’s expected winter weather conditions.
A handful of bills that could impact transportation operations in Texas will be under consideration now that the 89th Texas Legislature has begun. (KXAN-TV)
SpaceX’s colossal Starship launch system lifted off on its seventh uncrewed test flight Thursday.
SpaceX was able to duplicate its prior feat of catching a booster that returned to Earth. But 8.5 minutes into flight, the Starship spacecraft itself was lost.
An El Paso man who supervised an immigrant smuggling organization will spend four years and nine months in federal prison. (Lonestar Live)
Seven state employees have been fired for improperly accessing — and in some cases, stealing money from — accounts of thousands of Texans who receive Medicaid, food stamps and other public assistance, the Texas Tribune has confirmed. (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission said this week the Texas agency that manages the state’s prisons and jails should close correctional facilities with staffing challenges and do a better job at supervising inmate rehabilitation programs. (Texas Public Radio)
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Madison Booker and Rori Harmon combined for 42 points and Shay Holle became the all-time winningest player in the NCAA Era in program history as the No. 7 Texas women’s basketball team beat Auburn, 74-57 on Thursday. (Texas Longhorns)
NBA: The Houston Rockets lost at Sacramento last night 132-127. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Rockets are off tonight while Dallas and San Antonio both have games at home.
NHL: A loss at home for the Dallas Stars last night. Montreal gets the win 3-1. (Yahoo! Sports)
NFL PLAYOFFS: The Houston Texans will have their hands full in Kansas City tomorrow.
Before the bitter cold and wintry mix moves in, let’s take a day trip to New Braunfels.
