Friday, October 23, 2026 – “The Biggest Weekend Ever”

Austin’s Mega Weekend: F1, a Top-10 SEC Showdown and Spurs-Rockets All Land at Once

Hotels are projected to run 92–95% full, the airport is bracing for one of its busiest weekends ever, and a $1 billion economic engine is revving in Southeast Travis County.

Austin has never been shy about stacking events.

This weekend, it’s stacking three big ones on top of each other, in the middle of the city’s busiest month.

Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix takes over Circuit of the Americas from Friday through Sunday.

Saturday evening, No. 7 Texas hosts No. 9 Ole Miss at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in a prime-time SEC game on ABC.

And tonight, the San Antonio Spurs bring the Houston Rockets to Moody Center for the opening game of this season’s I-35 Series in Austin.

Here’s what the numbers say about the crowd heading our way.

The lineup at a glance

The Spurs-Rockets game tips off tonight at 8:30 p.m. CT at Moody Center, the first of three Spurs games in Austin this season.

F1 runs Friday through Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, with the race at 3 p.m. Sunday, no Sprint format this year, and Post Malone, Maroon 5 and Alesso headlining the concerts.

Ole Miss at Texas kicks off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT) on ABC.

F1: aiming for a record crowd

COTA chairman Bobby Epstein said this summer that ticket sales for the race were tracking toward what could be the track’s biggest crowd ever, brushing aside worries that the sport’s new 2026 technical rules might cool fan demand. He declined to put a number on it, but the context is strong: F1’s overall race attendance this season was running about 6% ahead of last year with 11 sellouts, according to The Race.

For reference, attendance was a record 440,000 over three days in 2022, 432,000 in 2023, and an estimated 430,000 in 2024. The 2025 race sold out, though no official figure was announced.

Epstein also said state highway officials have promised road improvements within two years that could let COTA add 15,000 to 30,000 fans per day. Anyone who has sat in Highway 71 or Elroy Road traffic on a race Sunday will understand why that matters.

There’s a championship angle, too.

Before the weekend, Crash.net reported that points leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli could clinch the 2026 world title in Austin.

The money: $1 billion and counting

Visit Austin CEO Tom Noonan puts F1’s economic footprint at more than $1 billion, including roughly $500 million in direct spending. A big reason the number runs so high: teams arrive seven to nine days early, and each one can bring 500 to 700 people, which Noonan likened to a citywide convention setting up before the race even starts.

Other estimates run in the same neighborhood.

Community Impact has reported that the race draws more than 430,000 fans a year, nearly 70% of them from out of state, and has generated over $10 billion across its first 13 years in Central Texas. City documents have cited differing totals of roughly $987 million to $1.134 billion, a reminder that methodology moves the bottom line.

October as a whole is a heavyweight for local tourism. Austin sees more than 30 million visitors a year, spending that adds up to roughly $11.4 billion in economic impact and 151,700 jobs, according to the Austin Business Journal.

Hotels: nearly full, and booked early

Visit Austin projects citywide hotel occupancy of 92% to 95% this weekend.

At the downtown W Hotel, general manager Joanna McCreary said about 80% of inventory was spoken for roughly 120 days out, with the rest filling in during the final 60 to 90 days.

How does that compare with past race weekends? CoStar‘s figures for high-end Austin hotels are the best published benchmark.

• 2021: about 92% average occupancy
• 2022: about 91% average, with Saturday peaking at 94% and rates up 33% year over year to a record average of $676 a night for the high-end set.
• CoStar noted at the time that Austin had added more than 650 high-end rooms in the prior 12 months, which helps explain why occupancy dipped slightly even as rates soared. Keep in mind the 2026 figure is a projection for the citywide market, while CoStar’s is a high-end sample, so the two are not perfectly apples to apples.

There is also a notable absence this year: the Austin Convention Center has been closed for its $1.6 billion rebuild since April 2025 and isn’t expected to reopen until the 2029 spring festival season. Visit Austin has used incentives to backfill with events, but this weekend’s demand is coming from sports and entertainment rather than conventions.

Short-term rentals: pricey, though the data are messy

Peer-to-peer lodging is a second gauge.

• AirDNA data point to short-term rental revenue for F1 weekend pacing 20.1% ahead of 2025.
• A Vegas Insider estimate, widely repeated last year, put the average Airbnb at $780 a night during the 2025 race weekend, up 84% from $423 the weekend before. One caveat from AirROI: that “before” weekend was the second weekend of ACL, not an ordinary week, so the jump understates how far prices rise above a typical night.
• For context, StaySTRA data show Austin’s average short-term rental rate is about $225 a night year-round and $253 in October, the highest month of the year. Nightly rates near COTA commonly reach three to six times baseline during F1 weekend, per MagicBnB‘s market report.
• The average downtown hotel ran $260.50 a night in Q2 2026, according to the Downtown Austin Alliance‘s Vitality Index as cited by TripProf.
• Supply is thinner than it was: AirDNA counts about 14,400 active Austin short-term rentals as of August, down roughly 26% from a year earlier.

Key Data‘s analysis from last year’s race found hotel and vacation-rental demand moved in near lockstep (a 0.91 correlation) and that guests were booking in mid-range windows rather than very early or at the last minute.

The airport: bracing for a record-scale Monday

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) says its busiest travel days run from Thursday, Oct. 22 through Tuesday, Oct. 27, with Monday, Oct. 26 expected to be the single busiest day, as race fans head home.

AUS anticipates more than 35,000 departing passengers and advises arriving 2.5 hours early for domestic flights and 3 hours early for international ones.

That 35,000 figure is an advisory threshold, not a forecast. The airport used the same “more than 35,000” language for the Mondays after both ACL weekends this month. The real benchmark is last year: 45,048 passengers departed on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, the highest single day in AUS history, a record set after F1 weekend.

The pattern holds year after year.

In 2022, AUS recorded 43,177 departures the Monday after the race, the first time it topped 40,000 in a day. Airport spokespeople have said repeatedly that the Monday after F1 is typically the busiest day of the year.

Other airport gauges:

• October 2025 was the busiest month ever at AUS, with nearly 2.1 million passengers.
• August 2026 totaled 1,804,578 arriving and departing passengers.
• A 12,000-square-foot “Atrium Infill” queuing area opened ahead of ACL to add TSA and bag-check space.
• Private and charter jets also crowd the skies. In past years the FAA has used ground delays and assigned departure slots after the race to manage traffic.

Saturday: a top-10 SEC game in the middle of it all

Ole Miss at Texas is the marquee SEC matchup of Week 8.

When the SEC set kickoff times, Texas was ranked No. 7 and the Rebels No. 9 in the AP poll, with the game slotted in ABC’s prime-time window. Texas leads the all-time series 6-2.

It’s the kind of game that fills hotels on its own, and it lands on F1 weekend just as it did in 2024, when Georgia visited Austin on race weekend.

A fun wrinkle: the Spurs’ pregame tailgate and fan activation tied to Friday’s game was being planned around the SEC’s kickoff time announcement, a sign of how tightly the calendar is packed.

Tonight: Spurs-Rockets at Moody Center

The Spurs opened their season at home against Oklahoma City on Oct. 20, then bring the Rockets to Moody Center tonight at 8:30 p.m. It’s one of three Austin dates this season, joined by Memphis and Denver in the new year, the biggest I-35 Series run since it launched.

The Spurs are coming off a Western Conference Finals run last spring, and the matchup puts Victor Wembanyama against a Houston team led by Kevin Durant.

What it means on the ground

• Traffic: Expect heavy congestion around COTA and the airport corridors all weekend. If you’re flying out Monday, budget extra time.
• Lodging: Last-minute availability is slim, and prices reflect it.
• Dining and nightlife: With a stadium crowd of around 100,000, tens of thousands of arena guests and F1’s international crowd all circulating downtown, Saturday night will test every restaurant and rideshare driver in the city.
• The timing: All of this arrives after two ACL weekends, which Visit Austin has said generated about $300 million on their own in the past.

Sources:

Notes: Attendance, occupancy and airport figures marked “projection,” “estimate” or “threshold” are forecasts or advisories rather than final counts. Quotes were paraphrased. Some sources below are aggregators or trade blogs; where a figure was relayed second-hand, the original outlet is named in the text.

1. Tribeza, “San Antonio Spurs Expand Austin I-35 Series to Three Games at Moody Center.” https://tribeza.com/culture/san-antonio-spurs-austin-series-moody-center/
2. NBA.com/Spurs, “Road to I-35” schedule (Friday, Oct. 23, Moody Center, 8:30 p.m. CT). https://www.nba.com/spurs/roadtoi35
3. GPDestinations, “Trackside: U.S. Grand Prix” (schedule, no Sprint in 2026, concert lineup). https://gpdestinations.com/trackside-us-grand-prix/
4. Legit.ng, “US Grand Prix 2026: Maroon 5, Post Malone, and Alesso headline.” https://www.legit.ng/sports/1730210-us-grand-prix-2026-maroon-5-post-malone-alesso-headline-night-weekend-cota/
5. DIRECTV/AmericanTV, “How to Watch Ole Miss vs. Texas.” https://www.americantv.com/how-to-watch-ole-miss-vs-texas-on-directv.php
6. Saturday Down South, “SEC announces kickoff times for Week 8, including Ole Miss-Texas.” https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-football/sec-announces-kickoff-times-for-week-8-including-ole-miss-texas/
7. RACER, “US GP on target for record crowd” (Aug. 4, 2026). https://racer.com/2026/08/04/us-gp-on-target-for-record-crowd
8. The Race, “US GP chief’s theory for F1 ticket sales boom.” https://www.the-race.com/business/us-gp-chief-theory-for-f1-ticket-sales-boom/
9. Motorsport.com, “Austin F1 US GP spectator numbers dip.” https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/austin-f1-us-gp-spectator-numbers-dip/10538134/
10. GPDestinations, “COTA Extends U.S. GP Contract to 2034.” https://gpdestinations.com/cota-extends-us-gp-contract-to-2034/
11. Crash.net, “When is the next F1 race? United States Grand Prix dates and schedule.” https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1107273/1/when-next-f1-race-united-states-grand-prix-dates-and-schedule
12. KXAN, “Austin hotels could reach 95% occupancy as Formula One returns” (Oct. 19, 2026). https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/austin-hotels-could-reach-95-occupancy-as-formula-one-returns/
13. Hoodline, “Austin Hotels Brace for 95% Occupancy as Formula One Weekend Floods the City” (summarizing KXAN, Austin Business Journal, Community Impact and CoStar). https://hoodline.com/2026/10/austin-hotels-brace-for-95-occupancy-as-formula-one-weekend-floods-the-city/ ; also KLBJ, “F1 Returns With Billion-Dollar Impact, Busy Travel Weekend Expected.” https://www.newsradioklbj.com/austinlocalnews/f1-returns-with-billion-dollar-impact-busy-travel-weekend-expected/
14. CoStar, “Formula One Weekend Sets New Records for Austin’s High-End Hotels” (2022 race). https://www.costar.com/article/1364659048/formula-one-weekend-sets-new-records-for-austins-high-end-hotels
15. Nomad Lawyer, “Austin F1 Grand Prix Set To Lift Short-Term Rental Revenue” (citing AirDNA). https://www.nomadlawyer.org/austin-f1-grand-prix-set-to-lift-short-term-rental-revenue-as-hosts-see-stronger-2026-demand
16. OwnerRez blog, “Formula 1 Drives Rates” (citing Vegas Insider). https://www.ownerrez.com/blog/hilton-head-str-updates-formula-one-drives-rates-and-booking-2026-travel-trends
17. AirROI, “Most Austin Airbnbs Still Show No License Number as F1 Weekend Fills Up” (Oct. 1, 2026). https://www.airroi.com/blog/austin-f1-airbnb
18. StayInTX, “Formula 1 Grand Prix Austin Vacation Rental Guide 2026” (citing StaySTRA). https://www.stayintx.com/post/formula-1-grand-prix-austin-vacation-rental
19. Ark7, “October Is Austin’s Highest-Rate Month for Short-Term Rentals” (citing StaySTRA). https://ark7.com/blog/?p=30700
20. StayInTX (as above), citing MagicBnB 2026 Austin STR Market Report.
21. TripProf, “US Grand Prix Austin 2026 Budget Guide” (citing Downtown Austin Alliance Vitality Index, Q2 2026). https://tripprof.com/en/blog/f1-austin-2026-budget-guide/
22. AirDNA, “Austin, Texas short-term rental listings & supply.” https://www.airdna.co/vacation-rental-data/app/us/texas/austin/supply
23. 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers / Key Data, “Austin F1 analysis reveals hotels and vacation rentals moving in sync.” https://en.10minhotel.com/?p=162008
24. KXAN via Yahoo News, “Austin airport expects high traffic for F1, upcoming major sporting events” (Oct. 20–21, 2026). https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/austin-airport-expects-high-traffic-003822353.html
25. Community Impact, “Austin airport likely to see busy travel days surrounding Formula 1 Race.” https://communityimpact.com/east-austin/transportation/austin-airport-likely-to-see-busy-travel-days-surrounding-formula-1-race/
26. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, “Encourages Travelers to Prepare for Increased Passenger Volumes During ACL Fest” (Oct. 1, 2026). https://www.flyaustin.com/news/austin-bergstrom-international-airport-encourages-travelers-prepare-increased-passenger-0
27. Yahoo News, “Austin airport sets new record after F1 Grand Prix weekend” (45,048 departures, Oct. 20, 2025). https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/austin-airport-sets-record-f1-180839156.html
28. KXAN, record 43,177 departing passengers (2022). https://digital-release.kxan.com/?p=1536607 ; KVUE, “Austin airport breaks passenger record following F1, Austin FC weekend.” https://kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-airport-set-to-break-record-for-departing-passengers/269-624f30f1-8ed4-4594-8f5f-720123621124
29. KXAN, earlier F1-weekend airport coverage (~31,000 in 2019; ~35,000–36,000 in 2021). https://digital-release.kxan.com/?p=1148427 ; KVUE, “Austin airport expects record travel for Formula 1 weekend 2021.” https://kvue.com/article/travel/austin-airport-2021-f1-weekend-travel/269-ceabc977-7933-466f-8e93-7caaf6d14b24
30. flyaustin.com homepage (August 2026 passenger totals). https://www.flyaustin.com/
31. KXAN, “Formula One traffic is here” (FAA slots and ground delays). https://digital-release.kxan.com/?p=1532800
32. Fox Sports, “Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs” game page. https://www.foxsports.com/nba/houston-rockets-vs-san-antonio-spurs-oct-23-2026-game-boxscore-107731

Austin Council Adds $224M to Airport Utility Work, Approves $21M in Housing Loans

The Austin City Council signed off on a heavy slate of infrastructure spending Thursday, led by a $224 million increase to the airport’s utility construction contract. It also approved more than $21 million in loans for affordable housing and a new set of safety rules for kennels.

Most of the 53 council items and six housing corporation items passed on the consent agenda. A rezoning on West 6th Street was postponed indefinitely, and a proposed elevated walkway over Grove Boulevard was withdrawn.

Airport, Water, and Power Projects Lead the Spending

The largest single vote raised the construction contract for the Airport Expansion and Development Program’s campus-wide utility infrastructure project by $224 million. That brings the Sundt/Archer Western contract to as much as $344 million, all funded from Austin Aviation’s capital budget.

Austin Water also saw major approvals:

• A construction contract of up to about $89.7 million with MGC Contractors for the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant disinfection conversion, which the agenda describes as an inherently safer approach
• Up to $10 million in engineering services from Freese and Nichols for the 2026 Reservoir Improvement Program
• A $5 million water and wastewater revenue bond issuance for the waterline services replacement program

Austin Energy secured five contracts for underground distribution transformers, totaling up to $50 million over a possible five years. Only $10 million is currently available, with later funding contingent on future budgets.

More Than $21 Million for Housing

Acting as the Austin Housing Finance Corporation board, the council approved five loan agreements totaling about $21.1 million:

• Jordan II, near 2701 1/2 Philomena Street: up to $7.92 million
• The Maven, near 618 East Highland Mall Boulevard: up to $5.2 million
• Rowen Vale, near 206 East Annie Street: up to $4.32 million
• The Lenora, near 4507 Menchaca Road: up to $2.64 million
• Austin Art Village, near 1902 East 22nd Street: up to $1.01 million

Four of the loans draw on 2022 general obligation bonds, while Austin Art Village is funded with federal HOME funds for community housing development organizations.

Separately, the council increased the I Belong in Austin contract with El Buen Samaritano Episcopal Mission by $2.25 million, bringing it to as much as $24.05 million. The program aims to reduce displacement and prevent homelessness.

Council also approved an agreement with Waverly North, LLC to provide no-cost office space for nonprofit housing stability services, worth up to $864,210 over 10 years, subject to future appropriations.

Support for Legacy Businesses

Three local businesses received five-year economic development agreements aimed at keeping them in operation:

• Esther’s Follies, the live performance venue: up to $182,664
• Escuelita del Alma, a childcare provider: up to $84,390
• Royal Blue Grocery, a downtown neighborhood grocery: up to $82,077

Only a first-year portion of each agreement is currently funded, with later payments depending on future appropriations to the Economic Incentive Reserve Fund.

New Rules, New Board, New Plans

Council approved an ordinance requiring kennel operators to make their outdoor spaces escape-proof, and created an offense and penalty for violations. The agenda notes it applies to private boarding facilities, not city facilities.

Other policy actions included:

• Creating the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex Advisory Board
• Adopting the Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update
• Directing the City Manager to develop and incentivize a qualified local workforce in certain Convention Center contracts
• Directing city staff to work with regional and state partners to prioritize safety, walking, biking, and transit in proposed Parmer Lane improvements, and to advocate for a full environmental review
• Directing the City Manager to set up reporting, quarterly updates, and a community advisory group for the No Wrong Door initiative

• Directing the City Manager to report on outcomes and geographic distribution of services under the city’s social services contracts

Parkland and Property

After a public hearing, council approved a change in use of about 121,156 square feet of the Country Club Creek West Greenbelt for roadway improvements. Austin Transportation and Public Works will pay a $1,368,050 mitigation payment to Parks and Recreation and provide $107,735 in park improvements.

Council also approved buying about 6.89 acres near Ranch Road 2222 for the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve for up to $3.676 million, and authorized eminent domain proceedings for a small easement on Oak Boulevard needed for the Barton Creek-Oak Acres Creek Flood Risk Reduction Project. The easement is appraised at $7,992, subject to change.

Zoning

Of the two zoning cases on the afternoon docket, one was approved and one was shelved.

Council approved the zoning of 1019 Dalton Lane, a request to move the property from interim-rural residence to limited industrial service. The staff and Zoning and Platting Commission recommendation was a limited industrial service-conditional overlay designation, and the agenda does not specify which version council approved.

The Phoenix Motor Works rezoning at 1125 and 1127 West 6th Street was postponed indefinitely at the applicant’s request.

Utility District Bonds and Other Contracts

Council authorized six bond issuances by municipal utility districts, totaling up to about $22.9 million. They cover water, wastewater, drainage, and road work for Moore’s Crossing MUD and Pilot Knob MUD Nos. 2, 3, and 5. The agenda lists no fiscal impact to the city for these items.

Other contracts and agreements included $3.83 million to retire legacy copper telecommunications lines, $2.34 million for public outreach advertising campaigns, $5 million for Microsoft support services, and $7.59 million for workers’ compensation medical management. Council also approved two personal injury lawsuit settlements, in Tahay v. City of Austin and Torres v. City of Austin, with funding from the liability reserve fund. The agenda does not list the settlement amounts.

Council also voted for Na’Cole Thompson as Texas Municipal League Region 10 director and approved fee waivers for the Austin-Taichung Sister Cities anniversary celebration and the Sunday Sessions ATX event at Waterloo Park.

The council’s action list is tentative and subject to change, and individual vote counts are not included. Details will appear in minutes approved at a later meeting. Many multi-year contracts are funded only in part for the current year, with later years contingent on future budgets.

Travis County Early Voting Starts Far Ahead of 2022, but In-Person Turnout Is Cooling

Nearly 171,000 ballots have been cast through Thursday, about 18% of the county’s registered voters. Daily in-person turnout has slipped each day since a record-setting Monday.

Travis County voters have cast 170,603 ballots in the first four days of early voting for the Nov. 3 midterm election, according to the unofficial daily report from the Travis County Clerk’s Elections Division. That is 17.99% of the county’s 948,575 registered voters.

The pace is well ahead of the last midterm, but it is no longer climbing. In-person turnout has dipped every day since Monday’s opening surge, and Thursday was the slowest day so far.

Day 4 at a glance

On Thursday, 38,914 ballots were recorded, or 4.10% of registered voters:

Through four days, 158,400 people have voted in person, 11,871 mail ballots have been received, and 332 limited ballots have been cast.

The four-day trend: a big opening, then a gradual slide

Monday’s total of 49,987 ballots was inflated by 9,170 mail ballots that arrived on the first day. Since then, mail volume has held steady at roughly 500 to 1,100 a day, and the day-to-day changes come mostly from in-person voting.

In-person turnout fell about 1% on Tuesday, 2% on Wednesday and 4% on Thursday, leaving Thursday 7.4% below Monday. That is a modest decline from an unusually high start. Early voting typically builds again toward the final days, and the schedule runs through Friday, October 30.

xychart-beta
    title "In-person early voters per day"
    x-axis ["Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu"]
    y-axis "In-person voters" 35000 --> 42000
    line [40777, 40359, 39490, 37774]

Where people are voting

Travis County lets voters cast a ballot at any early voting location, so the clerk’s report tracks sites rather than precincts. The numbers below show where people chose to vote. They do not show turnout rates for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Busiest locations (in-person, four days)

Quietest locations (in-person, four days)

Some sites are fading while others are gaining.

The Community Center at Del Valle dropped from 669 voters on Monday to 439 on Thursday, and Lago Vista Public Library fell from 784 to 556. Wheatsville Food Co-op on South Lamar and Randalls Steiner Ranch both finished the week higher than they started.

Raw totals also reflect each site’s location and capacity. A site near workplaces or commuter routes can outdraw a site in a neighborhood with strong turnout, so the rankings should not be read as a measure of civic engagement.

How 2026 compares with earlier midterms

Early signs point to higher participation than in 2022, and likely 2018.

Opening day. Monday’s 40,777 in-person voters were about 61% more than the 25,343 on the first day in 2022 and about 27% more than the 32,036 on the first day in 2018, according to figures reported by the county clerk.

After two days. In 2022, Travis County had recorded 60,336 votes, or 6.8% of registered voters. In 2026, the first two days total 90,955 ballots, about 9.6%, roughly 51% more.

One site, four years apart. Bee Cave City Hall recorded 4,719 voters during the first four days of 2018 early voting. This year it has 6,643.

The full picture. Early voting in 2022 closed with 327,195 ballots, nearly 37% of registered voters, down from 368,048, just over 47%, in 2018. In 2026, the county is four days into a 12-day period at about 18%. Final turnout in 2022 reached 52.15%, or 462,538 ballots out of 887,007 registered voters.

What to keep in mind

• The numbers are unofficial. The clerk’s report is a running tally and may be revised.
• There are more places to vote. Travis County has 45 early voting locations this year, up from 38 in 2022. County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado has said her office aimed to make this the most accessible election in the community’s history by adding sites and expanding hours.
• More people are registered. The county has 948,575 registered voters in this report, up from 887,007 in 2022, so raw totals grow even at a steady turnout rate.
• Percentages vary by source. Some outlets use slightly different registered-voter totals (up to 952,713), so first-day percentages can differ by a tenth of a point or so.

What’s next

Early voting continues through Friday, October 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Voters can check hours and locations on the Travis County Clerk’s website.

Sources:

Travis County Clerk Elections Division, unofficial early voting totals through Oct. 22, 2026; Texas Secretary of State; reporting from Texas Public Radio, KUT, KVUE, KENS 5, the Austin Chronicle and Community Impact. Comparison figures for 2018 and 2022 are as reported by those outlets.

A Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested for an off-duty incident. 

“On October 21st, 2026, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Phillip Anelli, 47, in connection with an alleged family violence assault, a Class A misdemeanor. Anelli has been employed as a patrol deputy with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office for six years. The alleged offense occurred while he was off duty. Following his arrest, Anelli was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.” — Williamson County Sheriff’s Office

A Travis County jury declined to convict Daniel Perry of a misdemeanor deadly conduct charge stemming from the fatal 2020 shooting of Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster.

Perry, a former U.S. Army sergeant, drove into a downtown Austin demonstration while working for Uber in July 2020, leading to a fatal altercation with Foster. Although Perry was previously convicted of murder for Foster’s death, he was later pardoned by Governor Greg Abbott. (KUT 90.5)

A former student teacher at Pflugerville’s Hendrickson High School has been arrested and charged with Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student.

A routine traffic stop on Toll Road 130 led to a major drug seizure Wednesday after a Texas Department of Public Safety K9 unit uncovered nearly seven pounds of marijuana.

Kyle police released data from September:

They handled 48 assault charges, 42 DWI cases, 18 thefts, 67 major crashes, and 41 new criminal investigations.

Cedar Park authorities contained an incident near Dark Woods Drive and Antelope Ridge on Thursday. While a law enforcement presence remained in the area, nearby Cox Elementary School was temporarily placed on lockdown.

Meanwhile, Cedar Park leaders are weighing the future use of Flock Safety cameras.

The City of Austin will reduce operating hours for Austin 311 and the Utility Contact Center beginning Nov. 1 as part of a year-long pilot program aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency. (Austin American-Statesman)

The music is over, the crowds of tens of thousands have left, and the traffic has disappeared, but some evidence of Austin City Limits’ 25th festival remains in Zilker Park.

Meanwhile, Austin Energy crews began installing the 60th annual Zilker Holiday Tree Thursday.

THIS WEEKEND IN THE ATX

Beyond Formula One, NBA basketball and SEC football in the ATX this weekend, that’s not all that’s going on:

WEATHER

THURSDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES

AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

CAMP MABRY

5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS

Two pilots safely ejected from their aircraft Thursday “during a controlled bailout” near Seguin, according to a news release from Joint Base San Antonio. (San Antonio Express-News)

The Texas Rangers are reviewing allegations that Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher may have violated state law in connection with his dealings with representatives of the proposed Palomino Alpha Data Center. (San Marcos Daily Record)

A suspected poaching call took an unexpected turn in Crockett County earlier week, leading to a narcotics arrest.

Investigators with the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division conducted a narcotics operation Tuesday seeking to disrupt the drug trade in Kerr County and arrested a San Antonio man on multiple charges.

A 17-year-old Texas teenager has been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate U.S. Representative Keith Self and carry out a separate terrorist attack in North Texas on behalf of ISIS, according to published reports.

UT Austin’s new University College oversees changes to required undergraduate courses, but some faculty are questioning who gets a say in those decisions.

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to let it resume building a border wall project through the Big Bend region of Texas.

With Donald Trump planning to return to Texas again next week, James Henson & Joshua Blank ponder his polling numbers in Texas and whether he hurts or helps Republicans (after a quick look at the latest wave of Texas polling). 

(Episode from October 22, 2026)

James Talarico couldn’t have asked for a better week as the battle for the U.S. Senate hits the homestretch.

On this episode of Texas Take, reporters Casey Murray and John Moritz join host Jeremy Wallace to dig into why Republicans are even closer to losing a statewide seat in Texas for the first time in more than 30 years than they were a week ago. They break down the historic turnout at the start of early voting and dig into why Talarico sounds like he’s running against both Ken Paxton and Elon Musk these days.

Plus, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett stops by for an exclusive interview to answer whether she’s really in Talarico’s camp or not.

And finally, why was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis partying with Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin?

(Episode from October 22, 2026)

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An infested zone was established in Val Verde County in association with a New World screwworm detection in a bovine.

Bravo has officially announced a premiere date for its controversial, highly anticipated reality series set in Boerne, and a new trailer reveals a shocking first look at what fans can expect.

Small Town Trouble: Texas, previously launched under the working title Secrets, Lies, Texas Wives, will air an extended two-hour premiere on Wednesday, November 18, at 8 p.m CT on Bravo, with streaming on Peacock the next day.

SPORTS

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Here are central Texas high school football final scores from last night.

Hutto 49, Rouse 35

Austin High 64, Akins 0

Bowie 49, Del Valle 6

Weiss 42, Killeen 21

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Key high school football matchups slated across the Austin area tonight:

Marquee & Rivalry Matchups

• Westlake Chaparrals @ Lake Travis Cavaliers
  • Time: 7:00 PM CDT
  • Location: Lake Travis High School Stadium (Austin, TX)
  • Details: The annual “Battle of the Lakes” rivalry game between 6A powerhouses.

District & Area Games

• LASA Raptors @ Pflugerville Panthers
  • Time: 7:30 PM CDT
  • Location: The Pfield (Pflugerville, TX)
• Lockhart Lions @ McCallum Knights
  • Time: 7:00 PM CDT
  • Location: House Park Stadium (Austin, TX)
• Giddings Buffaloes @ Austin Achieve Polar Bears
  • Time: 7:30 PM CDT
  • Location: Austin Achieve Campus (Austin, TX)
• Waco Christian Warriors @ Valor North Austin Vipers
  • Time: 7:30 PM CDT
  • Location: Valor North Austin (Austin, TX)

NHL: Roope Hintz scored on a breakaway 3:47 into overtime after his game-tying goal with 2 minutes left in regulation and the Dallas Stars beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night. (Associated Press)

The Stars are off tonight and Saturday and back in action Sunday.

NBA: The San Antonio Spurs are bringing the silver and black back to the Live Music Capital of the World tonight as they tip off against the Houston Rockets at Moody Center.

Markings the first of three scheduled “home away from home” matchups in Austin this season, tonight’s showdown caps off an expanded regional series designed to deepen the franchise’s footprint along the I-35 corridor.

As Victor Wembanyama and the young Spurs roster look to set the tone early in the year, tonight’s intrastate battle gives Central Texas basketball fans a front-row seat to one of the NBA’s most fiery Texas rivalries.

The Dallas Mavericks face the Pacers in Indiana tonight.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: A top-tier SEC showdown is taking over Austin tomorrow as the Texas Longhorns prepare to host the Ole Miss Rebels at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

With major postseason implications on the line, the Longhorns are putting the final touches on their game plan to defend their home turf against a high-powered Rebels squad.

How was Circuit of the Americas built?

COTA went from undeveloped Texas land to a Formula 1 circuit in just 22 months!

However, it wouldn’t take long for some problems to arise.