As of Sunday evening, the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County was at 9,500 acres and was about 55% contained.
A containment line has been established around the majority of the fire. Crews worked Sunday evening to finish wrapping the perimeter.
Nearly 10,000 acres have been burned.
Residents in the area have been displaced.
FEMA has approved the state’s request for federal funding to fight two large wildfires burning thousands of acres in the Hill Country and the Panhandle. (FOX7 Austin)
A relief fund has been set up to help those in need.
Dry conditions and gusty winds will continue through the next several days keeping the risk of fires at a critical level.
More on the risk of wildfires and the extended forecast can be found further down this post in WEATHER.
The National Transportation Safety Board has begun its investigation into every aspect of Thursday night’s crash on I-35 that killed five people and injured several others. So far, they have documented the scene using a drone.
The NTSB held a second update yesterday on their investigation…
The Austin Police Department is investigating Austin’s 9th homicide of the year after an incident at the 11600 block of North IH 35 Proper Northbound early Sunday morning.
A look the Austin’s Active Fire Incident Page early this morning…
An Austin ISD elementary school teacher used AI to create explicit material using photos of students in his classroom. (FOX7 Austin)
Cedar Park authorities are looking for a suspect…with no pants.
6th Street west of Congress Avenue in downtown Austin has reopened after a temporary closure caused by falling glass panels from a construction site on Saturday afternoon.
The 2025 South By Southwest finished its run over the weekend and it has already been announced that next year’s festival will be shorter…just seven days long.
From now until March 31, tickets on presale will be available at deep discounts, starting at $475. (ATX Today)
Now that Austin’s convention center is being rebuilt and will not be available for SXSW for a few years…what will happen to the SXSW Expo? (Austin Business Journal)
With new tariffs imposed on Canada, the cost of printing newspapers in Austin is about to spike. (Austin Chronicle)
It seems the debate over the best BBQ in Texas is endless, but one Austin landmark receives another title.
Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park reopened over the weekend after being closed two weeks for annual cleaning and maintenance.
The Austin area won’t be seeing a lot of bluebonnets this year. (KUT 90.5)
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Over three days, a severe storm system has caused at least 40 deaths across seven states, with the toll rising in Oklahoma. The storms, featuring destructive winds, hail, tornadoes, and floods, impacted over 20 states and 150 million people.
Following a shooting at a restaurant on San Antonio’s River Walk early Sunday morning, San Antonio Police have made an arrest. A man was found with a gunshot wound after the incident, which occurred after St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Emboldened by court rulings and election victories, the Christian right is outspoken as it pushes its moral views through the Texas Legislature. (Texas Tribune)
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee submitted his bid on Saturday for the now vacant congressional seat of the late U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner. (Houston Chronicle)
A Texas House Representative has filed a bill to abolish the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and transfer its functions and duties to other state agencies. (KPRC-TV)
Alcohol distributors in Texas are concerned about possible tarrifs.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: The Texas Longhorns have managed to find their way in to the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament as the No. 11 in the Midwest region and will face Xavier in Dayton, Ohio just after 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
On the women’s side, there was no doubt about their making it in to the postseason tournament…just what seed they would be and who they play next.
The University of Texas women’s basketball team earned a No. 1 seed and will host the first and second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moody Center next week.
Houston men’s basketball team earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year Sunday and will open against first-time qualifier SIU Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.
Texas A&M was named the No. 4 seed in the South Region. The Aggies (22-10) will play Yale (22-7), the Ivy League regular season and tournament champion, on Thursday in Denver. (Houston Chronicle via MSN)
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are headed to Wichita, Kansas, as the 3-seed in the West Region and will take on 14-seed UNC Wilmington in the first round of the tournament on Thursday. (Lubbock Online)
COLLEGE BASEBALL: In its first-ever Southeastern Conference weekend, the 11th-ranked University of Texas baseball team completed a sweep by beating Mississippi State, 4-1, in the series finale Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field. It was their 17th straight victory. (Texas Longhorns)
NBA: Quentin Grimes scored 28 points in his first game against his former team and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-125 in a matchup of injury-depleted clubs Sunday. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Mavericks have the day off today while the Houston Rockets host Philadelphia tonight and the San Antonio Spurs travel to Los Angeles to face the Lakers. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: Cale Makar scored 34 seconds into overtime and Colorado recovered after squandering a late two-goal lead to win 4-3 over the Dallas Stars on Sunday in the return of former Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen. (Yahoo! Sports)
A trip to Liberty, Texas…one of the oldest towns in southeast Texas.
