Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell signed orders declaring a local state of disaster for their respective counties, which prohibited outdoor burning.
“Protecting life and property is our priority at Travis County. While we hope for the best-case scenario, the Disaster Declaration will help prepare our wildfire response for the worst-case scenario. Even a small spark can spread rapidly and pose a serious threat to our homes and businesses. I ask all Travis County residents to avoid outdoor burning, keep cars off dry grass, and properly store trailer chains, so we can all do our part to minimize the risk of wildfires. Additionally, signing this declaration will allow Travis County to make all necessary preparations to quickly evacuate neighborhoods if needed and access state resources.” — Travis County Judge Andy Brown
More on today high winds and fire risk as well as the extended forecast can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
An assistant principal at IDEA Public Schools in Round Rock was arrested for touching a student inappropriately on school property last month.
Clint Small Middle School in Southwest Austin will have more security on campus again today after a threat was reported over the weekend. (KVUE-TV)
“We actually have as long as the statute of limitations to indict a case.” — Travis Co. D.A. José Garza
Investigations by local media found that Travis County District Attorney José Garza’s approach has not only resulted in the questionable releases of murder suspects, it also has led to defendants languishing in jail for days, weeks and months past 90 days. (Austin American-Statesman)
Investigators believe a repeat offender stole nine laptops from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office last week, according to an arrest warrant filed.
A crash involving a semi-truck on I-35 in North Austin temporarily shut down the southbound lanes of the interstate Monday afternoon. (CBS Austin)
Starting at 9 p.m. this evening, the southbound I-35 upper deck exit 235A (Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/15th Street), which serves the Moody Center, will be closed for expansion work. (KVUE-TV)
Starting today, Austin riders can be matched with a Waymo autonomous vehicle on the Uber app. (KXAN-TV)
The Hutto Police Department identified three people involved in what the agency called an “apparent murder-suicide” that happened last week. (KXAN-TV)
City officials are noting that Austin’s homicide rate so far in 2025 is much lower than at the start of previous years. (CBS Austin)
Williamson County officials are searching for 40-year-old Jeffery McBride, who was last seen on Sunday in Round Rock. (KXAN-TV)
Austin firefighters put out an apartment fire Monday afternoon.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said there are no confirmed cases of Rubella in Texas, after a Central Texas school district notified local families last week about a confirmed case of Rubella, also known as “German measles.”
The department clarified that the child in Mexia ISD only had a positive result on an antibody test, which indicates a past vaccination or infection. (Austin American-Statesman)
As Austin prepares for an influx of visitors beginning this weekend for the 2025 South By Southwest Festival, city officials say they are ready and the recent measles outbreak shouldn’t cause problems. (Fox7 Austin)
Officials in Hays County are offering vaccinations:
CVS announced Monday it will offer measles vaccines across its pharmacies in Texas. (CBS Austin)
The total number of cases in the measles outbreak in Texas jumped from 146 to 158 over the weekend. The new cases are within the same nine counties in Texas’ South Plains and Panhandle that had detected cases in previous case totals.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has apparently changed course on the measles vaccine amid Texas’s large-scale outbreak of the virus, which he now says he is “deeply concerned about.”
Last week, the longtime anti-vaccine conspiracist and secretary of Health and Human Services called the state’s outbreak “not unusual.” (Lonestar Live)
Nurses from all across Texas are in Austin for a rally today at the State Capitol.
Austin could see significant disruptions to its affordable housing and homelessness programs as a result of proposed federal budget cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a memo released last week. (Austin Monitor)
The City of Cedar Park is moving to Stage 3 water conservation measures, limiting outdoor watering to just one day per week.
Federal workforce reductions under the Trump administration led to hundreds of layoffs at NOAA, potentially jeopardizing weather forecasting accuracy in Texas, according to the agency’s former research head. (KUT 90.5)
A line of storms pushed through the ATX early this morning.
The storms were stronger to our north where some damage was reported.
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
According to the data firm Corelist, Austin ranked 5th as an at-risk area for wildfires in the U.S. in 2024.
Texas’ biggest wildfire started a year ago. How does the Panhandle look now? (Texas Public Radio)
UT Austin’s Daily Texan asks: Why hasn’t the 89th Texas Legislature passed anything yet? (Daily Texan)
PODCAST: Today’s Texas Minute looks at officials at taxpayer-funded TASB receiving massive salaries…
Senators considering stronger safeguards against sexually explicit books in schools…House committee considers property tax relief…Harris County approves nearly $900,000 in legal reimbursements for county judge and staff…
A measure seeking to ban all consumable THC products in Texas was brought forward for testimony by members of the Senate Committee on State Affairs on Monday.
The measles virus is spreading among Gaines County’s Mennonite community, where government mandates are not trusted. (Texas Tribune)
The Texas outbreak shows the effects of vaccination exemptions.
WalletHub’s annual study ranks Texas among the worst states for women, citing evaluations of economic, social, safety, and healthcare factors. (Lonestar Live)
SpaceX delayed its eighth Starship launch test in South Texas yesterday after failing final launch checks. (My San Antonio)
Government data obtained by CBS News shows Border Patrol apprehensions hit a 25-year low in February as the number of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border declined.
A 31-year-old man from South Texas has been sentenced to federal prison for smuggling dozens of people into the United States on two occasions. (My Texas Daily)
Texas gunmaker Watchtower Firearms filed for bankruptcy last week amid lower consumer demand for guns. (Houston Chronicle)
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The Texas Longhorns travel to Starkville this evening to face Mississippi State. It’s UT’s first trip to Starkville since Dec. 11, 1976.
Game 30: Texas (16-13, 5-11 SEC) at #25/nr Mississippi State (20-9, 8-8 SEC)
L.J. Cryer scored 22 points and No. 3 Houston won its ninth straight game with a 65-59 victory over Kansas on Monday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
22nd-ranked Texas A&M faces a Goliath tonight in the form of top-ranked Auburn in College Station. (Yahoo! Sports)
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Fresh off their sweep at the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic, the Texas Longhorns are back in action this evening hosting Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. (Texas Longhorns)
NBA: Zach LaVine scored 22 points and DeMar DeRozan added 20, each sitting out the fourth quarter, as the Sacramento Kings beat Dallas 122-98 Monday night with the Mavericks losing Kyrie Irving late in the first quarter to a left knee sprain. (Yahoo! Sports)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 51 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Houston Rockets 137-128 on Monday night for their 50th win of the season. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Rockets face the Pacers in Indiana tonight while the San Antonio Spurs host Brooklyn. The Mavericks are idle. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: The Dallas Stars host New Jersey tonight. (Yahoo! Sports)
A brief history of Austin’s Zilker Park.
