The Austin Mobility Committee was briefed on some of the recommendations going forward on a plan to turn several blocks in front of the Capitol into a plaza that will be closed to vehicular traffic.
The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative would turn Congress Avenue from 7th to 11th Streets into a public plaza. East to west traffic would still flow.
Officials in Travis County say one person was shot and another detained following a disturbance in southeast Austin Thursday afternoon. (CBS Austin)
A fire on the roof of a Starbucks Coffee shop kept Austin firefighters busy for a while Thursday afternoon.
A four-year-old girl died Wednesday after a fire broke out in an RV in Spicewood, according to the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office. (KXAN-TV)
Austin police are seeking the public’s help in two cases.
The first involves a hit-and-run incident last week that seriously injured a cyclist.
The second case involves a shooting last Sunday that has the APD looking for two suspects.
Officials in Mustang Ridge are looking to identify and locate two individuals in a theft case.
An item on the first Austin City Council agenda of 2025 aims to collect, and later analyze, data on mental health calls.
A former Bastrop County teacher was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after she was accused of having an improper relationship with a student in 2022. (KXAN-TV)
The Austin Independent School District on Thursday issued guidance to staff on how to respond if federal immigration enforcement comes to its campuses. The guidance comes just days after the Trump administration threw out a long-standing federal policy protecting sensitive areas, like churches and schools, from ICE raids. (KXAN-TV)
According to HouseWorks Austin, the average apartment in Austin now costs around $1,600 per month, which is down about a $100 from the previous year’s average.
The newest condo tower in downtown Austin is expected to begin rising near the Capitol late this year. (Austin Business Journal)
The University of Texas at Austin announced plans Thursday to build a 9,600-square-foot water recycling facility that will allow the school to reduce its water usage by 40%.
5- DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
According to the NWS’s Storm Prediction Center, the United States recorded at least 1,855 tornadoes in 2024, surpassing the previous record of 1,814 set in 2004.
Texas saw 169 tornadoes in 2024, more than doubling its 2023 total of 78, according to the data, and leading all U.S. states. (Austin American-Statesman)
The best planetary alignment of the year is underway, with Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars stretching across the night sky. (AccuWeather)
Lafayette, Louisiana has had more snowfall this winter than Chicago.
Even Florida has gotten into the act.
A snowstorm for the record books covered Houston, New Orleans and many other towns and cities across the southern U.S. on Tuesday, breaking snowfall records that have stood for over 100 years. (AccuWeather)
The Mexican American Legislative Caucus asked the Texas Education Agency in a letter Thursday to issue guidance for school districts on how to respond to a U.S. Homeland Security Department announcement that schools, churches and other “sensitive” spaces would no longer be protected from immigration raids, upending a long-standing policy. (Austin American-Statesman)
Gov. Greg Abbott is formally asking Congress to foot the bill for his border initiative Operation Lone Star, sending a letter Thursday to the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate asking that Texas be reimbursed more than $11 billion for what it has spent on border security since 2021.
The Republican-led Texas House has blocked Democrats from leading committees.
A new bill would change the requirements for registering as a sex offender in Texas.
House Bill 2000 was filed Wednesday by Republican Rep. Trent Ashby of Rusk County and named after 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham who was brutally murdered in 2024. (KVUE-TV)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has prevailed in an ethics lawsuit over his role in challenging the 2020 presidential election results.
On Wednesday, a disciplinary commission of the State Bar of Texas dropped its lawsuit against him. (KUT 90.5)
The man who shot 7 San Antonio police officers threatened Comal County deputies the day before.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its annual report, offering a look into how the state is doing when it comes to school funding, teacher retention, special education evaluations, school safety and more. (KXAN-TV)
Texas A&M University, the largest college in the nation by enrollment, plans to limit undergraduate admissions over the next several years.
A luxury charter bus company is launching its first intercity route connecting Dallas, San Antonio and several other Texas cities. (Lonestar Live)
Data centers are booming in Texas. What does that mean for the grid? (Texas Tribune)
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Madison Booker and Taylor Jones combined for 47 points and 20 rebounds as the No. 17/17 Texas women’s basketball team picked up their fifth ranked win of the season with an 80-76 victory over No. 17/17 Tennessee on Thursday at Moody Center. (Texas Longhorns)
NBA: Victor Wembanyama scored 30 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Indiana Pacers 140-110 on Thursday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 points, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-115 on Thursday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Houston Rockets were off last night and are again tonight. The Mavericks and Spurs are also idle tonight.
NHL: The Dallas Stars (29-17-1) host Las Vegas (30-14-4) tonight at 6:30 p.m. (Yahoo! Sports)
NFL: The Tennessee Titans are hiring former Dallas Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel. (Lonestar Live)
The Cowboys are one of four NFL teams still without a head coach. (Lonestar Live)
A tour inside the Texas Memorial Museum on the University of Texas campus.
