Austin City Council tackled nearly 80 items on its agenda Thursday.
Here’s a summary:
The city is looking for a total of up to $120 million to go toward replacing failing lines that connect water lines to customer meters.
Yesterday’s meeting can be viewed in its entirety here.
The city of Austin has reached a settlement with a woman injured when her boyfriend was shot and killed by an APD officer in 2021. City Council approved the $550,000 settlement Thursday for Jessica Arellano.
Despite later blood test results indicating sobriety, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis on Thursday backed investigators’ decision to charge a truck driver with intoxication in connection with a fatal March crash on Interstate 35 that claimed five lives, including two children.
A Pflugerville Independent School District employee was arrested, according to the district, after she was accused of committing online solicitation of a minor and child grooming, according to arrest warrant affidavits from the Pflugerville Police Department.
On Thursday, the Austin Independent School District laid out an incentive to improve Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools. (KVUE-TV)
First responders were on the scene in South Austin late Thursday afternoon for a multi-vehicle accident on Ben White Boulevard that injured nine people.
A multi-vehicle crash involving an 18-wheeler blocked I-35 lanes near Woodland Avenue this morning.
A fire in a travel trailer in a wooded area off Bastrop Highway early Thursday was extinguished.
Police and fire officials were busy this morning.
Cedar Park’s fire chief has been appointed to serve on the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. (Fox7 News)
Facing the impact of significant federal funding reductions, Austin Public Health workers urged the City Council to allocate local funds to sustain essential programs for Austin’s underserved population. Approximately 30 nurses, outreach workers, and other staff involved in mobile vaccination clinics and similar initiatives attended the rally Thursday.
Austin Public Health is concerned about its push for vaccine education in the midst of a measles outbreak being affected by federal budget cuts.
Attorneys and organizations supporting an Austin family deported to Mexico this week plan to hold a meeting with an update on the family today.
Denisse Parra Vargas, her husband and three children–two of whom are U.S. citizens–were pulled over on a traffic stop and the situation escalated.
The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership is receiving a significant $100 million investment from the UT System. This substantial funding aims to transform the school into a premier center for cultivating future leaders dedicated to civic engagement and driving meaningful change. (Austin American-Statesman)
The Georgetown City Council rolled out a new public transportation system this week.
rideGTX partners with Uber and zTrip to provide accessible transportation 24/7, year-round. (Fox7 Austin)
The city of Round Rock will conduct a chlorine flush of its waterlines from May 27 to June 27 to maintain the effectiveness of the city’s water distribution system. Residents may notice a chlorine smell or taste during the process, but can still safely drink, bathe and water plants. (Community Impact)
Denver-based Tract announced on Wednesday its acquisition of land near Uhland, about 30 miles south of Austin.
Executives stated that their 1,515-acre data center campus planned for the Caldwell County megasite has the potential to generate 800 jobs and an astounding 4 gigawatts of data center capacity upon completion – approximately 20 times the current combined capacity of Austin and San Antonio. (Austin Business Journal)
The Greater Austin YMCA plans to redevelop its TownLake facility, bringing a new “community hub for wellbeing” and housing near downtown. (Community Impact)
The Austin Monitor has joined the Texas Tribune in a strategic acquisition designed to expand local news coverage in Austin. (Austin Monitor)
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The Texas House agreed late Thursday to let the governor determine the countries whose residents, governments and other entities could be banned from buying property here. (Texas Tribune)
The Texas House has approved a measure that would impose significant new regulations on campaign treasurers. House Bill 5111, authored by State Rep. Drew Darby (R–San Angelo), would generally prevent campaign treasurers from managing the finances of both candidates and political action committees concurrently. (Texas Scorecard)
Texas doctors and hospitals are struggling with conflicting abortion laws: the Texas Heartbeat Act bans abortions after six weeks, while the Trigger Bill made abortion illegal after Roe v. Wade was overturned. A new bill seeks to clarify these laws, especially regarding medical exceptions, to help healthcare providers navigate the legal complexities.
Texas legislators are again pushing to spend millions more in taxpayer dollars to purchase kits intended to help track down missing kids even though an investigation revealed here was no evidence they had aided law enforcement in finding lost children. (ProPublica)
Is Beto O’Rourke ready to run again? (Texas Public Radio)
The Centers for Disease Control says the Texas measles outbreak is the largest in 25 years.
State health officials are expected to release updated numbers on the Texas outbreak later today. (Texas Department of Health Services)
A Grimes County judge ruled that the Texas Renaissance Festival must proceed with a previously agreed-upon sale and has awarded more than $22 million in damages in the case. (KHOU-TV)
Former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris is to make a court appearance in Oklahoma today.
The nation’s fastest-sinking city is Houston, with more than 40% of its area dropping more than 5 millimeters (about 1/5 inch) per year, and 12% sinking at twice that rate. (Austin American-Statesman)
Expressing his impatience, a Jefferson County judge urged lawyers for both parties in the fatal Port Arthur LNG construction accident case to start exchanging documents and scheduling depositions. This directive came despite persistent friction surrounding potential breaches of a court-ordered restraining order.
REAL ID is now mandatory. Here’s what to expect at Texas airports. (My San Antonio)
SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The Lone Star Showdown is back to being the day after Thanksgiving.
Texas and Texas A&M will face off at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 28, at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in the Southeastern Conference finale. It’s the first time since 2007 that the game will be played on Black Friday, the popular retail shopping day. (KXAN-TV)
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Longhorns basketball coach Sean Miller saw his new contract approved by the University.
MLB: Rafael Devers homered and drove in two runs, and five Boston pitchers combined for a five-hit shutout as the Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 5-0 on Thursday afternoon. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Rangers travel to Detroit for a weekend series against the Tigers while the Houston Astros (idle Thursday) will host the Cincinnati Reds.
COLLEGE BASEBALL: The Texas Longhorns close out their 2025 regular season slate at home, welcoming the Florida Gators to UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Texas and Florida have met just four times, most recently squaring off in the 2018 College World Series. (Texas Longhorns)
NHL PLAYOFFS: Game 2 of the Conference Semifinal between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets is tonight at 8:30 p.m. with the Stars holding a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven. (Yahoo! Sports)
A highlight video of this year’s SXSW Festival dropped yesterday.
