Austin is facing significant challenges due to recent cuts in federal funding, impacting essential services and crucial community projects.
Austin Public Health (APH) is bracing for a loss of nearly $15 million in federal grants, a reduction that could jeopardize over 50 positions and hinder vital programs such as refugee health services, disease surveillance, and HIV prevention.
Furthermore, the Central Texas Food Bank is grappling with the cancellation of thousands of food deliveries, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of meals, due to slashed USDA funding, exacerbating food insecurity in the region.
These cuts extend beyond health and human services, with approximately $9.7 million in funding for local projects, including park upgrades, affordable housing initiatives and water quality improvements also being canceled or delayed.
Budget issues are forcing Hays CISD to discontinue STEM rotation programs at five elementary schools. The district assures that no staff layoffs are planned, though some employees might experience role adjustments. (CBS Austin)
Leander ISD is considering closing campuses to ease a $34 million budget deficit. The district said it will continue to build a new school while it considers closing others amid the budget shortfall. (KVUE-TV)
Parents of students at Dobie Middle School are pushing back on plans to close the school due to underperformance and to transfer its students to Lamar Middle School.
An affordable housing development seems to be progressing on Austin ISD-owned land. Plans indicate a roughly $142 million multifamily project is slated for the 18-acre site of the Anita Ferrales Coy Facility in East Austin. (Austin Business Journal)
Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) is looking for partners to help address homelessness by keeping people out of it in the first place. The city has dedicated $2.2 million for the effort.
Austin City Council is set to consider a significant expansion of its AI oversight this week.
The proposal, on Thursday’s agenda, includes detailed guidelines for workforce protection, public transparency, and the environmental effects of AI infrastructure. Building on a February 2024 policy, this resolution would mandate audits, define appropriate AI applications, and require human oversight for AI decisions impacting city staff and operations. (Austin Monitor)
A North Austin roadway was closed early this morning after a multi-vehicle collision.
According to the Austin Police Department and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Austin, the crash happened at around 4:30 a.m. along the southbound lanes of U.S. 183 at Payton Gin Road. No injuries have been reported. (KVUE-TV)
CapMetro announced big changes to its fare structure for the city’s bike share program. (KXAN-TV)
The City of Austin has been slammed with dozens of complaints about Waymo vehicles stalling, speeding, and crashing.
VOCAL-TX and its supporters rallied outside Austin City Hall Tuesday to demand housing accessibility.
People in San Marcos could soon get cited or arrested for marijuana possession again.
Earlier this week, an appeals court sided with Attorney General Ken Paxton on whether the city’s marijuana decriminalization ordinance is legal. (KUT 90.5)
Hays County officials provided details on a drug bust there Monday.
The Austin Police Department arrested a man facing several charges after he allegedly impersonated a police officer and pointed a stun gun at individuals in downtown Austin on April 13.
APD responded to multiple 911 calls around 2 a.m. reporting the incident near West Sixth and Nueces Streets. (KXAN-TV)
Austin police are looking to the public for help in identifying a suspect in the robbery of a Subway sandwich shop in Austin two weeks ago.
Police also need help identifying and locating multiple suspects in the robbery of a local restaurant.
A New Braunfels man was arrested after barricading himself in his home Tuesday. (Fox7 Austin)
Austin firefighters responded to a mobile home fire late last night.
3-D printed homes are coming to The Canyon Club community, a 60-acre project being built north of Spicewood. (Austin Business Journal)
Royal Blue Grocery will be closing its location on Congress Avenue near Sixth Street in downtown Austin this summer due to public safety concerns and the lingering COVID-19 impact to business. (Community Impact)
WEATHER
Severe storms in the ATX last night not only produced heavy downpours and gusty winds but also some pretty decent sized hail.
The showers and storms continued overnight into early this morning.
Rain totals from the Lower Colorado River Authority showed anywhere from 0.2 inches of rain in South Austin to 1.28 inches of rain near Shoal Creek at West 45th Street with those totals being added to this morning.
5-DAY FORECAST
Locally powerful thunderstorms, some packing large hail, high winds and perhaps even a tornado, will extend from eastern New Mexico and western Texas to central Nebraska today.
Elon Musk says he’ll be spending less time in Washington slashing government costs and more time running Tesla after his electric vehicle company reported a big drop in profits. (ABC News)
Earnings reports indicate a 9% year-over-year decrease in total revenue to $19.3 billion. Car sales revenue saw a more significant drop, plummeting 20% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
On Tuesday, a banner was seen flying near downtown and the Capitol building with the message “Save Tesla Fire Musk.”
Death row inmate Moises Mendoza, 41, convicted of murdering a former high school classmate in 2004, is scheduled to be the third man executed by Texas this year.
The city of Uvalde has reached a settlement with the families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting where 21 students and teachers were murdered in 2022.
The latest numbers regarding the outbreak of measles in Texas were released yesterday. Confirmed cases are now over 600 and infections are spreading.
Governor Greg Abbott’s controversial school choice voucher bill that will let parents use public school money on private and home schools is closer to signing.
The race for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2026 is going to be epic.
John Cornyn vs. Ken Paxton
Worsening storms in Texas, fueled by climate change, coupled with inflation, are driving some of the highest home insurance costs in the country. (Washington Post)
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Shortstop Jalin Flores smacked a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth, as No. 1 Texas rallied to win a 14-11 slugfest over Texas State on Tuesday evening at Bobcat Ballpark. (Texas Longhorns)
The Longhorns return home this weekend versus Texas Tech.
MLB: Jeremy Peña and Christian Walker each had three hits and an RBI, and the Houston Astros cruised to a 5-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs, leading the Texas Rangers over the Athletics 8-5 on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Both the Astros and Rangers resume play tongiht.
NBA: The Houston Rockets host Golden State tonight for Game 2. The Rockets are down 1-0 in the best-of-seven playoff series. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: Game 3 between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche is tonight with the series tied 1-1. (Yahoo! Sports)
Let’s go to the movies!
The Texas Rangers is a classic Western film from 1936 directed by King Vidor. This action-packed tale follows two outlaws who join the Texas Rangers to reform their lives, only to face a moral dilemma when their past catches up with them. Featuring thrilling shootouts, rugged landscapes, and a story of redemption, this timeless Western captures the spirit of justice and frontier life.
NOTE: The film was inspired by incidents from Walter Prescott Webb’s 1935 history book The Texas Rangers, A Century Of Frontier Defense[ but filmed in New Mexico.
