A violent, fast-moving Sunday across Central and North Texas.
Austin’s 37th homicide of 2026 occurred last night…a Georgetown police officer fatally shot a man during a struggle on the downtown square Saturday…and just up the road, a deadly two-vehicle crash yesterday shut down US 290 in Manor
Farther north, crews are still battling the Ross Fire, now one of the largest wildfires in North Texas history at more than 85,000 acres across Palo Pinto and Jack counties.
And on the campaign trail, the state’s marquee Senate race sharpened its edges this weekend, with Democrat James Talarico launching his first negative ad against Republican Ken Paxton as fresh polling shows the race tightening heading into fall.
A man is dead after a Georgetown police officer opened fire during a struggle on Georgetown Square Saturday afternoon.
Officers were responding to reports of a man behaving erratically and jumping on cars near West 7th Street when police say a violent struggle broke out and the man tried to take an officer’s holstered handgun before another officer fired, striking him.
He died at a local hospital.
The Texas Rangers are leading the investigation, and police have stressed there was no active-shooter threat despite social media rumors to the contrary.
Austin police have launched a homicide investigation after a man was shot and killed Saturday in northeast Austin.
Officers responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a shooting at 11725 Timber Heights Drive, near Horse Wagon Drive. Upon arrival, police found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A suspect is currently in custody, according to APD Officer Aaron Townsend.
The victim’s identity is being withheld pending family notification.
Manor police are investigating a deadly two-vehicle wreck that shut down eastbound US 290 at Old Kimbro/Kimbro Road Saturday afternoon.
Police said in a Facebook post just after 4 p.m. that they were on scene investigating a fatality, with the eastbound lanes closed and drivers urged to seek alternate routes. Full details on the victim(s) and cause haven’t been released as the investigation continues.
Leander Police responded to a reported collision involving a CapMetro commuter train and a Jeep at the intersection of Hero Way and U.S. Highway 183 just after midnight Saturday.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the Jeep failed to obey a traffic control signal and entered the train’s path, resulting in a collision. The driver of the Jeep, a 45-year-old white male, was transported to a local hospital by Williamson County EMS as a precaution. No other injuries were reported. The investigation remains ongoing.” — Leander Police Department
Also out of Leander…
Early Saturday morning, Leander Police responded to a report of shots fired at The Haven at San Gabriel, an assisted living and memory care facility located at 1253 West San Gabriel Parkway in Leander.
“The preliminary investigation indicates an unknown suspect drove up to the facility and fired several shots toward the front of the building. No one was injured, but the building sustained property damage. Based on the information available at this time, investigators believe this was an isolated incident. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional details will be released as they become available. — Leander Police Department
According to a preliminary NTSB report released Friday, 76-year-old pilot Joseph Gregory died August 6 after his glider crashed shortly after takeoff in Burnet County. Gregory used a ground vehicle to tow his unpowered aircraft to 1,000 feet. Upon releasing the tow line, the glider pitched right, lost control, and spiraled downward seven or eight times before impacting the ground west of the gliderport.
NTSB: On August 6, 2026, about 1538 central daylight time, a PZL-Bielsko B1-PW-5 glider, N105WS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Briggs, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The glider was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The glider was departing on an auto-tow launch at the time of the accident. According to witness statements, the glider achieved level flight at about 1,000 ft before release from the towline. Following the release, the glider yawed to the right and entered a descending spiral, completing about 7 to 8 rotations before impacting terrain west of the glider port. Witnesses reported that the glider impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude.
The cockpit and forward fuselage were crushed aft during the impact. Both wings remained attached to the fuselage. The tail section and vertical stabilizer were partially separated, with the aft 4 ft of the tail boom folded over the aft fuselage.
The glider was retained for further examination.
The Ross Fire, now ranked among the largest wildfires in North Texas history, continues to burn across Palo Pinto and Jack counties west of Fort Worth.
The blaze, sparked Monday near Ross, has scorched more than 85,000 acres and destroyed multiple structures as crews battle it with dozers and aircraft. Containment stood at roughly 31% as of this morning, with officials watching wind shifts that could push flames toward Possum Kingdom Lake.
ACTIVE WILDFIRES IN TEXAS
Texas A&M Forest Service officials are monitoring ten active wildfires in the state.
The largest, as mentioned, is the Ross Fire. The others:
Another blaze, this one in Dallas County flared up Saturday evening.
San Antonio is digging out this weekend after Friday night’s severe thunderstorms tore through Bexar County, with wind gusts approaching 80 mph knocking out power to nearly 112,000 CPS Energy customers at the peak of the storm.
As of early this morning, more than 26,000 customers remained without power, and city officials warned some outages could last several days.
City officials confirmed there were no fatalities as a result of the storms, even as crews continue clearing scattered debris and downed tree limbs across the city.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has directed residents to resiliency hubs and cooling centers for relief from the heat while crews work around the clock to restore service.
WEATHER
SATURDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERSGTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
SATURDAY WAS AUSTIN’S 15TH CONSECUTIVE DAY OF REACHING 100 DEGREES
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico are barnstorming the state this weekend in the U.S. Senate race, with Paxton campaigning in San Antonio and Talarico making a stop in Fort Worth as his campaign dropped its first television ad directly attacking his Republican rival.
The 30-second spot, titled “Most Corrupt,” features Talarico calling Paxton “the most corrupt politician in Texas” and debuted Saturday during Texas Christian University’s season-opening football game against North Carolina, part of an eight-figure statewide ad buy.
It marks a shift for Talarico, whose roughly $29 million in ad spending so far has been almost entirely positive, and comes as the race has moved from Lean Republican to Toss-Up in the Cook Political Report’s ratings, with recent polling showing the two candidates locked in a dead heat.
Michael Quinn Sullivan sat down with Comptroller Don Huffines to review his first month on the job. Huffines says that under his watch, no level of government will be left unexamined, from major state agencies to the smallest school districts.
Big Bend is an iconic National Park – Texas’ largest state park, an International Dark Sky Reserve, rich in biodiversity, including a wild and scenic river, plus a cultural borderland thousands of years old. Each of these unique realities is at stake, for a fight Texas doesn’t want – and for a wall that this region doesn’t need. Billy Bartko joined us with an update on this BIG story. Bartko is the owner of Far Flung Outdoor Center in Terlingua, and a vocal member of the No Big Bend Wall coalition, recording fresh out of a hearing to grant a temporary restraining order on construction in Big Bend.
(Episode from August 29, 2026)
Data centers face political headwinds – New polling from the Texas Politics Project shows broad skepticism toward data center development, with opposition spanning both political parties and extending beyond rural communities into the suburbs. We break down what voters are concerned about, how those concerns could influence the November elections, and why even supporters of data center growth are adjusting their message.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is putting the brakes on new data centers — telling state regulators no more projects can join the power grid until they’re audited for how much electricity and water they’re using.
A traffic stop Saturday morning in College Station led to the seizure of a large amount of drugs, including 4 pounds of marijuana, more than 2 pounds of Adderall, 500+ Xanax pills, 900+ LSD tabs, more than a pound of mushrooms, cocaine, methamphetamine, THC wax and 150+ THC cartridges. (KBTX-TV)
Federal officials say Texas, Georgia and Tennessee have now been added to the list of states with cases.
SPORTS
MLS: Oleksandr Svatok’s goal in second half stoppage time earned a dramatic 2-1 win for Austin FC over Portland Timbers on Saturday night at Providence Park. It was the team’s second consecutive away victory. (Austin FC)
ON THE SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
MLB: Both Texas MLB clubs dropped their games Saturday. The Astros were shut down 6-2 by the Mets in New York, while the Rangers lost 5-3 to the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Today’s schedule (Sunday, Aug. 30):
- Astros at Mets — 2:10 PM CDT (series finale)
- Rangers at Brewers — 1:10 PM CDT (series finale)
AL WEST STANDINGS
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Astros | 68 | 68 |
| 2 | Texas Rangers | 66 | 70 |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | 64 | 72 |
| 4 | Athletics | 53 | 83 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Angels | 52 | 84 |
Despite last night’s losses, Houston still sits atop a tightly bunched AL West, with Texas just two games back.
Texas Football: News & Notes From Mock Game
We all just continue to remember Dolly.
When Dolly Parton made her long-awaited Austin City Limits debut on December 5, 2000 for a Season 26 taping that aired January 18, 2001, ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona called the occasion “a dream come true.”
More than 25 years later, that dream remains one of the most treasured performances in the series’ history.
