The Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County is now 85% contained and has burned 9,737 acres. Nine homes have been lost.
The current affected area stretches from Lower Crabapple Road to FM 1631, according to the city of Fredericksburg.
Ranchers and livestock owners are affected by the wildfire.
A second and much smaller wildfire broke out Monday in Gillespie County.
The risk of wildfires continues today for areas to our west but a more widespread risk for Central Texas returns tomorrow.
More on the wildfires and the extended forecast can be found further down this page in WETAHER.
Austin firefighters battled a grass fire Monday.
A crash on I-35 southbound near Kyle overight shut down that portion of the highway.
“Our mission is to understand not just what happened, but how it happened, and to recommend changes to prevent it from happening again.” — NTSB investigator Kenny Bragg
Court documents have revealed new information regarding last week’s deadly 17-vehicle pileup on I-35 that killed five people and injured more than a dozen others.
A witness who confronted the truck driver suspected of being at fault spoke about what happened.
First responders who worked last week’s accident talked about their experience.
Travis County officials have set a goal of reducing traffic fatalities by 50 percent by 2035 and completely eliminating them by 2050. After incorporating safety recommendations from the community, the court will adopt its final safety action plan in May. (Austin Monitor)
Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying three masked men who robbed and assaulted a couple at gunpoint at a north Austin park while their toddler was present.
Austin police have released information on a man charged with a murder at an apartment complex last month.
Authorities are looking for a suspect involved in a homicide in December.
This week’s Crime Watch from Fox7 Austin…
Austin’s Chief Animal Services Officer — and the effective director of the Austin Animal Center — is on administrative leave.
While no reason was given, Don Bland had previously been criticized by Austin City Council members, animal advocates and Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission for overcrowding at the AAC. (KXAN-TV)
Another Austin-based company is being purchased by PepsiCo.
Pepsi announced Monday it is acquiring the popular prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion, giving PepsiCo a fast-growing brand in the functional beverage category.
The beverage giant recently purchased Austin-based and Mexican-American food maker Siete Foods for $1.2 billion. Siete Foods, founded in 2014, produces tortillas, salsas, seasonings, sauces, cookies and snacks. (KVUE-TV)
Nearly two dozen Forever 21 stores in the Austin area are closing as the company files for bankruptcy. (KVUE-TV)
Austin’s visitor center has relocated and is offering new and improved amenities. (KXAN-TV)
Following its recent headquarters relocation to Austin, a solar cell manufacturer has announced plans for an $850 million, nearly 2,000-job solar cell manufacturing plant in Milam County. The G2 Austin facility is projected to be a leading solar manufacturing hub in the U.S. (Austin Business Journal)
A planned 4,000-seat music venue in southeast Austin has a new development partner.
Initial plans for a music venue in Southeast Austin’s River Park mixed-use development were unveiled late last year. (Austin Business Journal)
Chairman Kevin Eltife announced that the University of Texas System will implement a system-wide prohibition on drag show sponsorship or hosting, impacting all institutions, such as UT Austin. (Austin American-Statesman)
A food truck festival in New Braunfels over the weekend left many ticketholders (and vendors) frustrated and angry. (My San Antonio)
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has requested federal assistance after last week’s deadly storms in the Lone Star State.
The first arrest under Texas’s near-total abortion ban has occurred, with a Houston-area midwife charged by Attorney General Ken Paxton for allegedly performing two illegal abortions. (Austin American-Statesman)
Texas is closing a migrant procession facility in Jim Hogg County.
Five years after Texas’ first COVID death, the state spends less on public health, vaccination rates have dropped and a distrust of authority has taken hold. (Texas Tribune)
An update from state health officials is expected today on the measles outbreak. The latest report out Friday showed over 250 cases in Texas, most centered in Gaines County.
Meanwhile, the Texas father of the unvaccinated child who died from measles (the only reported death so far) says “it was God’s will”. (Lonestar Live)
Texas lawmakers are pushing to add warnings to social media.
Educators gathered Monday to rally in support of the “Educator’s Bill of Rights” at the outdoor rotunda in the Texas Capitol. (Austin American-Statesman)
A Texas lawmaker filed a bill in the Texas House that could potentially save THC products from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s proposed ban. (Houston Chronicle)
Texas-based Gateway Church founder Robert Morris was released on a $50,000 bond from the Osage County, Oklahoma jail moments after being booked on charges of committing lewd acts on a young parishioner decades ago.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASEBALL: After their weekend sweep of Mississippi State and their 17th straight victory, the Texas Longhorns cracked College Baseball’s Top Ten as the 8th-ranked team in the nation.
They’re back home tonight for one game with UT-San Antonio at UFCU Disch–Falk Field at 6:30 p.m. before resuming SEC play against LSU this weekend.
MLB: The Texas Rangers will log 37,281 miles in 2025, ranking 10th-worst in the league for total travel. (KDAF-TV)
Framber Valdez has been named as the Houston Astros’ Opening Day starter. (ESPN)
NBA: Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. had 30 points apiece and the Houston Rockets rallied for a 144-137 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, extending their season-best winning streak to seven games. (Yahoo! Sports)
Austin Reaves scored 30 points and Luka Doncic had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Houston, San Antonio and Dallas are all idle tonight.
NHL: The Dallas Stars are home tonight hosting Anaheim.
The latest episode of Texas Country Reporter visits the West Pole, home to a one-of-a-kind Texas tradition—Armadillo Day, where a Lone Star varmint predicts the weather and political climate with uncanny accuracy. Then, we meet a Houston restaurateur who’s revolutionizing Smashburgers with a taste of his Pakistani roots. Finally, we step inside Scottish Rite for Children, where a former sculptor now crafts life-changing prosthetics for kids, proving that art and heart go hand in hand.
