The Austin Police Department (APD) released a statement Tuesday regarding an immigration protest that took place Monday night at the intersection of North Lamar Boulevard and Rundberg Lane.
The APD statement indicated that the majority of protesters were peaceful. However, a separate group described as “agitators” reportedly threw rocks at officers and engaged in reckless driving, causing a disturbance.
Earlier in the day, a separate incident occurred at the same location. Police attempted to detain a driver, resulting in a brief pursuit. One individual was arrested for reckless driving, and the vehicle was impounded.
At approximately 9 p.m., the group of agitators returned to the protest area, where a fight broke out, requiring further police intervention. Officers again faced a barrage of rocks and bottles, prompting the use of PepperBalls. The APD statement described PepperBalls as “less lethal skin irritants similar to that of pepper spray, in an attempt to prevent further violence.” During the dispersal of this second crowd, one individual was arrested for refusing to leave the street.
“As always, APD respects our community’s right to peacefully demonstrate, however, we will not tolerate behavior that puts our community and officers in danger.” — Austin Police Department
A planned protest is scheduled for today at the state capitol building beginning at 11:00 a.m.
The movement has organized under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Many of the protests are planned at state capitols, with some in other cities.
Austin Police are searching for additional victims of an alleged child sex predator.
The Texas Department of Safety is offering a $4000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a high-risk sex offender.
Austin police arrested a 21-year-old woman in connection with a string of car break-ins at Mount Bonnell.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Texas emergency departments are experiencing a surge in flu cases. These levels have been rising recently, with a 55.36% increase in the third week of January compared to the previous week.
Hamilton Pool Preserve remains open for hiking; however, swimming is currently prohibited due to recent rainfall and high bacteria levels, officials announced.
Twenty-eight people experiencing homelessness were moved into shelters as the city closed encampments near East Riverside Drive.
Austin may establish a dedicated, in-house team to conduct regular cleanups at encampments across the city’s park system. Such an endeavor would require additional staffing and ongoing operational funds of about $1.2 million per year. (Austin Monitor)
Austin firefighters responded to an apartment fire early Tuesday in North Austin.
Later in the day, AFD responded to another apartment fire in Southwest Austin that started as a kitchen fire while cooking. One person was injured.
Lockhart City Council rejected the Lockhart Freedom Act on a 4-3 vote Tuesday. The Act aims to help keep people out of jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
A poll by The University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs found that 79% of Texans support legalizing medical marijuana with a prescription, including 86% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans. (CBS Austin)
Austin city leaders gathered feedback from members of the community on Tuesday afternoon about a proposal to change the rules for Airbnb properties and other short-term vacation rentals in the city.
Passenger traffic at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport remained nearly steady in 2024 compared to 2023, slowing the last two years’ record-breaking totals, according to data released by airport officials. (Community Impact)
Siete Family Foods, recently purchased by PepsiCo, looks to be adding operations in Buda. It remains unclear in the wake of the PepsiCo deal if Siete will move its headquarters out of Austin. (Austin Business Journal)
Upgrades to the Buda Sportsplex will soon begin.
Last September, the Buda City Council approved a $6.6 million investment to upgrade its sportsplex, aiming to enhance visitor experience and attract tourism. The project will add four new softball fields, two concession stands, and 26 batting cages. Additionally, the city plans to expand parking by over 800 spaces and add RV parking capacity. (KXAN-TV)
A new mixed-use project is in the works for South Lamar Boulevard in South Austin, with plans for residential, office, restaurant and retail space.
SoLa Mixed Use, as the project is currently known, is being developed by Austin-Based Seamless Capital, according to a site plan application filed with the city. (Austin Business Journal)
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
We’ll experience some record-breaking temperatures over the next several days before big changes come with a cold front moving in late Sunday into Monday.
Texas is set to execute Steven Nelson by lethal injection today for the 2011 murder of a beloved pastor who was just beginning his ministerial career.
Nelson, 37, was convicted for the murder of the Rev. Clint Dobson at NorthPointe Baptist Church in Arlington, just west of Dallas. (Texas Tribune)
Religious leaders held a demonstration yesterday ahead of today’s scheduled execution.
A Uvalde County high school teacher and coach has been arrested and accused of using Snapchat to ask what he believed to be a teen-aged boy to send him sexually explicit photographs. (San Antonio News-Express)
For the first time ever in Texas, a jury in Comal County classified a woman as a sexually violent predator. (Fox7 Austin)
Two Texas doctors sued by Attorney General Ken Paxton for allegedly providing illegal gender-affirming care to transgender minors can no longer practice medicine as the litigation continues, while another doctor is under court order. (Lonestar Live)
A San Antonio real estate agent is under fire for allegedly mimicking Elon Musk’s controversial salute in a video to promote her business.
PODCAST: What does Gov. Abbott want?
This week’s TribCast discusses Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State speech and the seven emergency items he’s directed the Legislature to fast track this session.
Governor Abbott said he remains very confident that school choice will pass in the chamber, even though Democrats promise a fight.
Governor Abbott will meet with President Trump in the Oval Office today.
Three customers trying to shop at the Katy Buc-ee’s last spring are now suing the company, alleging they were accused of shoplifting and that a manager made racially derogatory comments. (Chron)
120 pounds of cocaine worth $1.6 million has been seized at the Texas-Mexico border.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Texas will play host to Arkansas in Austin tonight for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Longhorns and Razorbacks tip off at the Moody Center at 8:00 p.m.
Preview: Texas (15-7, 4-5 SEC) vs. Arkansas (13-8, 2-6 SEC)
L.J. Cryer scored 18 points, Milos Uzan added 17 points and No. 5 Houston rebounded from its first Big 12 loss of the season with a 72-63 win over Oklahoma State on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Chance McMillian made three consecutive 3-pointers midway through the second half and finished with 19 points to lead No. 13 Texas Tech to a 73-59 win over Baylor on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
NBA: Keon Johnson and D’Angelo Russell made 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds and the Brooklyn Nets stunned the Houston Rockets 99-97 on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Joel Embiid had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his first action in a month to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-116 victory Tuesday night over the Dallas Mavericks, who fell to 0-2 since trading star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Both the Rockets and Mavericks are idle tonight while the San Antonio Spurs (idle last night) are in Atlanta tonight. (Yahoo! Sports)
Mavs fans are taking the Luka Doncic trade to heart, boycotting the team and canceling their season tickets.
NHL: The Anaheim Ducks beat Dallas 2-1 on Tuesday night, snapping the Stars’ five-game winning streak. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Stars have tonight off.
MLB: Two-time Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed and outfielder Sam Haggerty will go to major league spring training with the Texas Rangers after agreeing to minor league contracts. (Yahoo! Sports)
San Antonio is gearing up for the annual Stock Show & Rodeo that begins tomorrow.
