Following a fatal collision on Interstate 35 in North Austin late Thursday, the driver of the tractor-trailer involved has been arrested and is now held in the Travis County Jail. 37-yer-old Solomun Weldekeal Araya faces five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault, according to Austin Police and jail records.
Araya reportedly failed a field sobriety test and is suspected to have been under the influence of drugs.
Records show Araya was due in court next week in Wilmer, in the Dallas area, for going 63 mph where the speed limit was 30 mph.
The chaotic scene along I-35 Thursday night brought others out of their vehicles to try and help.
The semi-truck driver’s arrest occurred just a day after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick prioritized legislation at the Capitol aimed at “protecting Texas trucking” and “curbing nuclear verdicts.” (KXAN-TV)
According to data, since 2022, ten fatal crashes have been reported on I-35 main lanes or service roads between Wells Branch Parkway and Tech Ridge Boulevard. (KXAN-TV)
The Red Flag Warning that was to have expired last night has been extended through this evening.
Austin firefighters extinguished a small brush fire near St. David’s North Austin Medical Center Friday afternoon. (CBS Austin)
The Red Rock Creek Fire, burning north of Llano, grew to approximately 48 acres as of Friday evening. The Texas A&M Forest Service, responding to a request from local firefighters, reported the fire was around 50% contained.
The ‘Saddle Fire’ is burning in Bandera County.
Austin firefighters responded to a brush fire Friday in the northern part of the city.
More on the elevated fire risk today and the extended forecast can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
The measles outbreak here in Texas is spreading and now includes new counties showing infections. Updated numbers were released Friday by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
A 30-year-old Round Rock man was arrested for attempted to abduct a teenage girl earlier this week.
Williamson County Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Judge Bill Gravell Friday morning. (KXAN-TV)
Austin ISD is proposing selling the former Rosedale School.
Today is the final day of the 2025 South By Southwest Conference & Festival.
A beloved local attraction is going to stick around a while after getting a new lease on life.
Austin has autonomous vehicles. Are air taxis next?
WEATHER
The ATX saw some storms roll through during the overnight, some producing hail.
The Austin area broke a high temperature record yesterday.
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Powerful winds tore through New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas on Friday, with gusts approaching 100 mph in some places.
Tens of thousands of Texans in the Panhandle were without power Friday. (Austin American-Statesman)
Did you know that Texas is so windy, it claims five of the top 10 windiest cities in America? (Austin American-Statesman)
In a shift from staunchly defending Texas’s abortion ban, a state lawmaker who helped create the law introduced a bill Friday to clarify medical exceptions, amidst ongoing lawsuits and medical scrutiny. (KVUE-TV)
The Texas Legislature this past week debated the costly school choice program.
A bill in the Texas House would prohibit public schools from purchasing or possessing any books listed in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s register of books prohibited to prisoners. (Texas Scorecard)
Texas Rep. Keith Self has been making headlines recently, following a heated exchange during a House subcommittee hearing in Washington D.C. and at townhall meetings.
The U.S. Department of Education announced on Friday that it is opening investigations into two Texas universities for allegedly engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs. (My San Antonio)
Houston Police Department officers have been instructed to notify federal immigration officials upon encountering individuals whose records in the national crime database indicate active deportation orders. (Texas Tribune)
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Junior guard Jordan Pope and graduate forward Kadin Shedrick both recorded 14 points, but Texas (19-15) dropped an 83-72 decision to No. 8/6 Tennessee (26-6) in a SEC Tournament quarterfinals contest in Bridgestone Arena on Friday afternoon. The Longhorns concluded their first SEC Tournament appearance in program history with a 2-1 mark. (Texas Longhorns)
The fate of the Texas Longhorns’ 2024-25 season is now in the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee. (Sports Illustrated via MSN)
In the Big 12 Tournament, the top-seeded Houston Cougars easily handled BYU 74-54 on Friday. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Cougars play for the conference title today.
Meanwhile, Caleb Love scored 27 points and Arizona took advantage of injuries that left Texas Tech short-handed for an 86-80 victory over the No. 9 Red Raiders in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals Friday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
COLLEGE BASEBALL: The No. 11 Texas baseball team emerged victorious in its first Southeastern Conference game in program history with an 8-7 win at Mississippi State on Friday evening. The Longhorns (15-1, 1-0 SEC) used a five-run seventh, capped off by a go-ahead three-run blast from Casey Borba to win their 15th straight contest. (Texas Longhorns)
The two teams play again today at 2:00 p.m.
MLS: Austin FC will play the road this afternoon as the team is out West to take on LAFC at 2:45 p.m. CDT. (Austin FC)
NBA: Tari Eason scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Houston Rockets to an easy 133-96 win over the Dallas Mavericks Friday night for their fifth in a row. (Yahoo! Sports)
LaMelo Ball had 27 points and 14 assists, and the Charlotte Hornets made a franchise-record 26 3-pointers to roll past the San Antonio Spurs 145-134 on Friday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Mavericks are off tonight while the Spurs host New Orleans and the Rockets host Chicago. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: Kyle Connor scored twice and added an assist to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Visit with the man whose passion for poppies is just as bright as the flowers themselves and to take in the great scene that is this sea of red flowers.
