An overnight structure fire at the Ashford Costa Brava Apartments went to two alarms by the Austin Fire Department. The fire reportedly began in the parking lot involving multiple vehicles that spread to the building.
As of 6 a.m. this morning, AFD said the fire has been completely extinguished. No residents were injured, but one firefighter suffered heat exhaustion. Nearly three dozen residents have been displaced by the blaze as the apartment complex was reportedly destroyed as were three vehicles in the parking lot.
Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker proposes reducing firefighter staffing from 4 to 3 per engine to achieve $8 million in overtime cost savings for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
One person is dead following a shooting at Robin Bledsoe Park in Leander last night.
Around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday evening, Leander Police responded to a reported shooting in the parking lot of Robin Bledsoe Park, located in the 600 block of Bagdad Road. Initial reports indicate an altercation between two groups led to multiple shots being fired, resulting in the death of one adult male. The victim’s identity is being withheld pending family notification. Authorities believe this was an isolated incident stemming from a disturbance and that there is no ongoing threat to the public. The investigation is active.
Austin Police have launched a homicide investigation after two individuals were discovered deceased in an East Austin residence on Tuesday.
Authorities responded to the scene near the 1900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, close to Chicon and East 12th streets, after a delivery driver contacted 911 around 4 p.m.
The driver reported an open door at a home and the discovery of two deceased individuals inside.
Upon arrival, police and EMS confirmed the presence of two deceased adults, both exhibiting “obvious trauma to the body.” Investigators currently believe this to be an isolated incident, with no ongoing threat to the public.
Three people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been arrested in connection with a deadly auto-pedestrian crash in North Austin over the weekend.
Details on a fatal crash early Monday morning.
A rash of car break-ins the West Campus neighborhood has prompted the student advocacy group Safe Horns to collaborate with city council member Zo Quandry to update the university neighborhood overlay and implement safety improvements.
A social media post claims that a group of men assaulted a transgender woman and her friends, as well as severely injured a man who attempted to intervene, at the Barton Springs Free Area over the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, July 26th, a group of friends, including a trans woman, were the victims of a violent, transphobic hate crime at the Barton Springs spillway (dog beach area), and a Good Samaritan who intervened was brutally assaulted.
TL;DR: Three men violently assaulted a trans woman and her friends at the Barton Springs spillway on Saturday, 7/26, and badly injured a man who stepped in to defend them. We are asking for help identifying the assailants in the attached photos so we can bring them to justice.
My friend and her friend were sitting at Barton Springs at dog beach enjoying the water, and were being incessantly hit on by three men. A third friend who is a trans woman came and joined my friends.
The three men then started becoming aggressive towards the trans woman just for being trans, and generally escalating verbal attacks, accusing the other two girls of being trans, poking at them near their breasts, etc.
They then started shoving my friends violently. A Good Samaritan stepped in and got his jaw broken, hit with a rock in the head. My friend, seen fighting back in the photos, followed them up the stairs towards zilker parking to write down a license plate and the man in the orange shorts picked her up and slammed her on the ground.
These men then scattered and got away.
We are trying to identify the three men seen in these photos:
Suspect 3: Hispanic man in a cowboy hat.
Suspect 1: Man in orange shorts.
Suspect 2: Man with long dark hair in green shorts.
More than two-thirds of Austin residents say they’re willing to support a tax increase to fund the city’s next bond package, with housing, transportation, and parks emerging as the most widely shared priorities among the 2,002 people who responded to a recent public survey. (Austin Monitor)
Travis County Commissioners Court met Tuesday with a busy agenda:
Public Hearings & Mass Gathering Permits
- Public hearing for Sara Landry event mass gathering permit (August 8-10, 2025)
- Approval of the same Sara Landry event mass gathering permit
Resolutions & Administrative
- Resolution supporting water utility interconnection between West Travis County PUA and Austin Water
- Approval of payment claims by County Treasurer
- Authorization for County Treasurer to invest County funds
Emergency Services
- Outdoor burning regulations in unincorporated areas
- County disaster response measures, including July 2025 severe weather and flooding disaster recovery
Health & Human Services
- $11.5M loan agreement for affordable housing development (Urban Empowerment Zone I) (FOX 7 Austin)
- Loan agreement modification with The Other Ones Foundation
- Third amended agreement for The Works III at Tillery affordable housing project
Community Legal Services
- Transfer of criminal defense attorneys’ fees between departments
- Action on new Title IV-E revenues
Budget & Planning
- Budget amendments totaling approximately $68,000 for facilities management and health services
- FY 2026 budget hearings
- Tax rate calculation designation due to declared disaster
Purchasing & Contracts
- Water cooler stations contract ($227,160)
- Aviation insurance services modification ($416,850)
- Auto parts and maintenance contract award
- Customer flow management system modification ($885)
Personnel & Operations
- Personnel action approvals
- FY 2025 market salary survey and FY 2026 compensation approach
- Adaptive workplace action plan based on Deloitte consulting recommendations
Transportation & Infrastructure
- Public utility easement vacation (Apache Shores)
- $302,127 transfer for nuisance abatement pilot project
- Bond and CIP program quarterly update
- Spicewood Springs bridge quitclaim agreement with the City
- Bond program budget realignment
- Traffic mitigation agreement for Live Oak Springs development
Executive Session Items
- Security and IT security briefings
- Pay equity study legal briefing
- Supportive housing initiative legal briefing
- Fire code enforcement legal briefing
Additional Meetings
TCC Hill Country Development Corporation session (Cypress Creek financing matters)
Travis County Housing Finance Corporation session (Cypress Creek financing amendment)
Bee Cave Road District session (meeting minutes approval)
Residents along Big Sandy Creek are now under a boil notice.
A Travis County bridge that was washed out by the deadly Fourth of July flooding can be saved.
Travis County flood recovery could have an impact on the 2026 budget. (CBS Austin)
Austin city leaders are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reinstate $50 million in funding for flood protection upgrades to critical city utility infrastructure — money that was pulled earlier this year. (Austin American-Statesman)
In Kerr County, the search continues for 8-year-old Celie Stewart of Austin, the last missing camper from Camp Mystic.
Emails and text messages sent by the mayor of Kerrville the day before deadly July 4 flooding show few, if any, documented concerns among city leaders about potential severe weather. (KXAN-TV)
Tomorrow, state lawmakers will hold their first hearing in Kerrville since the deadly July 4th floods. More than two dozen city and county officials, meteorologists, civil engineers, and mental health experts are scheduled to speak before public testimony begins. Flood survivors and others affected by the devastation will likely have to wait until late in the day to address lawmakers, according to the agenda obtained by Hearst Newspapers. (Austin American-Statesman)
Hays County is the latest in a growing list of Central Texas communities possibly reconsidering their automatic license plate reader programs. (CBS Austin)
In Austin, a local group (Austin United PAC) is seeking to halt the city’s $1.6 billion convention center project, saying it’s a waste of money that could be better spent on parks and city culture.
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
A gag order issued yesterday prohibits anyone directly involved in the Karmelo Anthony stabbing case from discussing the trial, including families, attorneys, experts, witnesses, and court officials.
A major apartment fire is being reported this morning in The Woodlands, north of Houston.
No other details were available.
A 2-year-old child wearing only a diaper was found wandering alone in a west Bexar County neighborhood, leading to the arrest and subsequent release on bond of a parent charged with child endangerment.
A mayor in a small Rio Grande Valley town has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for his alleged involvement in a $1 million drug trafficking ring, which authorities say he operated out the middle school where he worked. (San Antonio Current)
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has announced the closure of Houston’s Prevention Park and Southwest facilities, which are two of six in the Houston area, on September 30. (Texas Scorecard)
“Every time an abortion facility closes, it’s a powerful reminder that the Pro-Life movement is making progress,” — Kimberlyn Schwartz, Texas Right To Life
Texas Democrats are considering fleeing the state to block the quorum and slow down the Republican-led redistricting plan, highlighting the high stakes and intense partisan divide in the process.
Meanwhile, the expected debate over Senate Bill 5, a legislative crackdown on the Texas hemp industry, was put on hold. (FOX 7 Austin)
Texas Tribune politics editor Jasper Scherer and fellow radio-head Mark Davis, host of The Mark Davis Show on 660 AM The Answer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, talk about the GOP’s outlook for 2026. They break down why 2024 was such a good year for Republicans, why 2026 might defy conventional midterm wisdom and whether there’s a scandal out there that could imperil Attorney General Ken Paxton’s support in Texas.
State Senator Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio just announced a re-election bid for the seat he’s held since he displaced Republican Senator Pete Flores in 2020. Senator Gutierrez has been vocal in his opposition to the Trump-demanded carving up of Texas in a desperate bid to keep the U.S. House under GOP control, and his condemnation of cruel and un-American ICE activity in his district and elsewhere in Texas.
SPORTS
MLB: The Houston Astros are trying to turn things around after a poor stretch since the All-Star break.
Yainer Diaz and Mauricio Dubón each had three hits, and the Houston Astros beat the Washington Nationals 7-4 on Tuesday night to stop a five-game slide. (Yahoo! Sports)
With the trade deadline approaching, the Astros are reportedly pursuing starting pitcher Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres. (Newsweek via MSN)
Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers dropped another one to the Angels.
Pinch-hitter Yoán Moncada keyed a four-run sixth inning with a two-run single, Gustavo Campero also drove in two runs and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 8-5 on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
ON THE SCHEDULE
AL WEST STANDINGS
Did you know Corsicana in Navarro County is the birthplace of several Texan traditions – all of which have gone on to become internationally famous? Of course (icana) you did! Home of DeLuxe fruitcakes, Wolf Brand Chili, and world-class cheerleading, Corsicana has a history–and a future– of brilliant, hardworking Texan innovation.
