A Travis County judge approved a significantly lower bond on Tuesday for Solomun Weldekeal-Araya, the 37-year-old big rig driver facing charges in the March I-35 crash in North Austin that resulted in five fatalities and injuries to a dozen others.
Weldekeal-Araya’s bond was initially set at a total of $1.2 million, reflecting five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault. However, court documents filed Tuesday indicate that Travis County prosecutors agreed to reduce the total bond amount to $7,000, with $1,000 assigned to each of the seven charges.
In addition to the lowered bond, new pretrial conditions were imposed:
- GPS tracking, with no curfew or restricted zones
- Installation of an ignition interlock device
- Random urine analysis tests
- Pretrial services supervision
- Prohibition from operating any commercial vehicle
An overnight accident temporarily closed NB I-35 near Breaker Lane.
An early morning crash on I-35 South briefly blocked two lanes.
A second arrest has been made by Austin police in the mortuary abuse case. Dr. Aaron Ali, CEO of Austin’s MedtoMarket, is now charged with aggravated perjury (a third-degree felony carrying a potential 10-year prison sentence) and abuse of a corpse without legal authority (a state jail felony with a maximum two-year sentence).
Round Rock police are investigating a deadly crash involving a cyclist on Tuesday.
A three-vehicle wreck north of the city in Riata injured three people.
The city of Austin is still waiting to see if it will have $105 million to build a key “cap” over the Texas Department of Transportation’s I-35 expansion project, but an announcement Tuesday from Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Missouri, makes that likelihood seem smaller.
To sustain current programs and improve services for people experiencing homelessness, Austin’s Homeless Strategy Office has proposed a Fiscal Year 2026 budget exceeding $100 million. These funding recommendations were recently reviewed in a joint session of the City Council’s Audit and Finance and Public Health Committees. (KUT 90.5)
Austin Public Health is losing $15 million to federal grant cuts. This week, the City of Austin is working to reassign 21 temporary and permanent health workers in the APH Immunizations Unit. (CBS Austin)
The city of Cedar Park said it is prepared to defend itself against a potential lawsuit.
Austin firefighters responded to several calls Tuesday.
Among them:
A former elementary music teacher at Eanes Independent School District who was arrested in February on charges of Possession of Child Pornography is now being charged with Sexual Performance by Child under 14, according to court records.
Elgin authorities have released more information about a shooting Sunday evening.
South by Southwest (SXSW) now has a new director in charge who will lead the festival.
Dozens of drag performers and University of Texas students gathered at Gregory Gymnasium Plaza on Monday for “Day of Drag,” an event protesting the UT System’s newly enacted drag performance ban. (Austin American-Statesman)
Local officials are urging residents to take precautions against wildfires.
WEATHER
Early this morning, much of the activity stayed to the north.
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Severe weather in the Lone Star State yesterday was reported by social media users.
The Texas Senate gave initial approval to a bill they say would clarify exactly when doctors are permitted to provide abortions to women whose lives would be threatened without one, including the cases of ectopic pregnancies. (CBS Austin)
Republicans in the Texas Legislature have pushed proposals that advocates worry will only worsen the state’s homelessness crisis. (Texas Tribune)
A controversial bill that would require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every Texas public school classroom is moving through the final stages of the legislative process. (CBS Austin)
The Texas House on Tuesday gave initial approval to a measure that would require schools to use a common but controversial definition of antisemitism in student disciplinary proceedings. (Texas Tribune)
Texans share their thoughts on President Trump’s first 100 days in office.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a visit to Texas on Tuesday that measles deserves less attention than other chronic diseases, while downplaying the number of deaths that have occurred in the state’s historic outbreak of the virus.
Texas Department of Health Services officials provided updated numbers on the Texas measles outbreak.
Inside the lottery scandals roiling Texas.
The Texas Lottery Commission unanimously voted Tuesday to ban lottery courier companies from selling tickets online amid lawmakers’ ongoing criticism of the practice. The vote was an about-face for the agency, whose officials previously claimed the commission could not regulate the services. (Houston Chroncile)
The founder of a Texas megachurch who resigned as senior pastor last year after he admitted “inappropriate sexual behavior” in the 1980s has been indicted on five criminal counts involving a child.
Robert Morris, 63, who founded Gateway Church in Southlake, is charged with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
Morris is known for his involvement in GOP politics and his close relationship with President Donald Trump.
The 63-year-old served on Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board in 2016, hosted the President’s 2020 “Roundtable on Transition to Greatness” a fundraising dinner which cost $580,600 per couple, and worked to organize Evangelicals in 2021 ahead of Trump’s 2024 Presidential bid. (Newsweek)
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASEBALL: No. 1 Texas extended its winning streak to 10 games, registering an 11-2 victory over Prairie View A&M on Tuesday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. (Texas Longhorns)
It’s back to SEC action beginning tomorrow night as the Longhorns travel to Arkansas for a three-game series.
MLB: Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom struck out seven over six scoreless innings for his first win in more than two years and the Texas Rangers had their best offensive game this season to beat the Athletics 15-2 on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
Yainer Diaz run-scoring singles in consecutive innings, rookie Ryan Gusto matched a season high with six strikeouts and the Houston Astros beat the Detroit Tigers 6-4 on Tuesday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Astros and Tigers play again this afternoon while the Rangers and A’s play tonight.
NBA PLAYOFFS: The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors face off in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series tonight.
The fascinating history of the Texas Capitol reveals rarely seen locations and provides stunning imagery of the Capitol Complex.
