Austin news

• Texas high schooler breaks Michael Phelps' swimming record

  20-12-2022 23:30 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Keller ISD high school student broke the 400-meter individual medley record previously set by Olympian Michael Phelps.Maximus Williamson, a sophomore at Keller High School near Fort Worth, competed at the 2022 Winter Junior Nationals competition on Dec. 9 in Austin. Williamson competed in the 15 to 16-year-old national age group for the 400-meter individual medley, per a release.Williamson completed the race in 3:39.83, smashing the 2002 record set by Phelps of 3:42:08."B
  
  Read more

• Williamson Co. DA: Murder suspect receives reduced bond because of 'missed deadline'

  20-12-2022 23:24 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Joshua Gilbreath, who's accused of killing a 70-year-old woman near Florence in August, bonded out of jail on Dec. 13.
  Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said his bond was reduced from $1 million to $250,000 because "an experienced prosecutor missed a crucial deadline regarding the timely presentation in front of a Grand Jury." Family of grandmother killed in Williamson County homicide victim speaksDistrict Attorney Dick said that prosecutor is no l
  
  Read more

• City of Austin ready to activate cold weather shelters ahead of Arctic blast this week

  20-12-2022 22:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin said Tuesday in a news release it was monitoring the Arctic weather blast that was expected to impact Central Texas beginning Thursday and will activate cold weather shelters.The cold snap is expected to drop temperatures sharply, with wind chill temperatures falling to the single digits.Activation for shelters is also contracted via the Austin Area Urban League (AAUL) and is prepared to activate cold weather shelters for people in the homeless community, the
  
  Read more

• City of Austin ready to activate "Cold Weather Shelter" ahead of Arctic blast later this week

  20-12-2022 22:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin said Tuesday in a news release it was monitoring the Arctic weather blast that was expected to impact Central Texas beginning Thursday and will activate cold weatherThe cold snap is expected to drop temperatures sharply, with wind chill temperatures falling to the single digits.Activation for shelters is also contracted via the Austin Area Urban League (AAUL) and is prepared to activate cold weather shelters for people in the homeless community, the release sa
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• City of Austin readies cold weather shelters, warming centers ahead of Arctic blast this week

  20-12-2022 22:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin will open four warming centers later this week during an anticipated cold front. There will also be three cold weather shelters for people to stay overnight.
  The warming centers will be open Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.The cold snap is expected to drop temperatures sharply, with wind chill temperatures falling to the single digits.Warming center locations
  Little Walnut Creek Branch Library, 835 W. Rundberg Ln, Austin, TX 78758  Terrazas
  
  Read more

• City of Austin activates warming centers ahead of Arctic blast this week

  20-12-2022 22:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin will open four warming centers later this week during an anticipated cold front.
  The warming centers will be open Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.The cold snap is expected to drop temperatures sharply, with wind chill temperatures falling to the single digits.Activation for shelters is also contracted via the Austin Area Urban League (AAUL) and is prepared to activate cold weather shelters for people in the homeless community, the release said. Austin
  
  Read more

• TRAVEL FORECAST: Major travel disruptions expected across the nation ahead of holidays

  20-12-2022 22:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A major storm and Arctic outbreak will likely bring significant travel disruptions nationwide during the busiest travel week of the season. Although Austin may not see the snow or negative temperatures, people hoping to get out of the city for the holiday may need to prepare.AAA estimates over 110 million people will travel this holiday, a jump of over 3 million people likely traveling versus last year. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freeze later this weekThe st
  
  Read more

• Major travel disruptions expected across the nation ahead of Holidays

  20-12-2022 22:04 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) – A major storm and Arctic outbreak will likely bring significant travel disruptions nationwide during the busiest travel week of the season. Although Austin may not see the snow or negative temperatures, people hoping to get out of the city for the holiday may need to prepare.AAA estimates over 110 million people will travel this holiday, a jump of over 3 million people likely traveling versus last year.The storm will bring some of the coldest air that many states have
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Austin EMS Association expresses concerns about city shelter process ahead of Arctic plunge

  20-12-2022 22:01 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin says it's prepared to activate its cold weather shelters during this week's forecasted Arctic plunge, but the president of the Austin EMS Association wants the city to announce it will activate those shelters now.
  The cold snap is expected to drop temperatures sharply, with wind chill temperatures falling to the single digits.
  Selena Xie, the president of the association, said medics were running the issue up the chain of command, asking the city to announce i
  
  Read more

• Trail of Lights canceled Tuesday after Monday's heavy rainfall

  20-12-2022 21:23 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Trail of Lights event was canceled Tuesday after the rainfall from Monday left Zilker Park saturated, according to a statement from organizers for the annual event."Due to yesterday’s heavy rains and the lack of drying conditions since, Zilker Park is saturated and unable to support the Trail of Lights without posing safety risks and park damages," organizers said. "The City of Austin has closed the park and canceled tonight’s Trail of Lights."Ticketholders for T
  
  Read more

• Drugs, including ecstasy and THC edibles, and cash recovered from Fayette County motel

  20-12-2022 21:15 via kxan.com
  
  Corey Powell, 47, faces charges related to a Fayette County drug bust (Mugshot: Fayette County Sheriff's Office)FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The Fayette County Sheriff's Office recovered drugs and cash from the Carter Motel after executing a search warrant on one of the rooms.
  The search warrant found 82 grams of ecstasy — which according to FCSO is approximately 400 pills — 1,616 grams of products containing THC, 4.75 pounds of marijuana, 4.3 grams of cocaine, a half-full bottle
  
  Read more

• Where does Texas' medical cannabis program stand?

  20-12-2022 20:44 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers expanded the state's medical cannabis program to include patients with PTSD and all types of cancer as eligible candidates. But since then, advocates say the demand has outgrown the current program's capabilities.
  The state's medical marijuana program, the Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), operates under the Texas Department of Public Safety. The law currently allows for a minimum of three licensed dispensaries to operate in the
  
  Read more

• Meet Reba, the 'survivor' dog who was found in a garbage truck

  20-12-2022 19:58 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Much like the human, Reba the dog is quite the survivor.
  She recently had an interesting adventure, after she found her way into an Austin Recycles garbage truck.
  The truck's driver, Kenneth Perkins, said he was emptying a trash cart into the back of his truck when he saw a tail go past the camera, according to a Facebook post from the Austin Fire Department. He got out of the cab and saw a dog looking at him from the hopper of the truck.
  Perkins called his dispatch and safety t
  
  Read more

• Medical response delayed Uvalde shooting victim care, records show

  20-12-2022 19:44 via kxan.com
  
  Warning note: This story includes graphic descriptions of injuries sustained in an elementary school shooting and graphic language. Graphic videos reviewed by reporters are not included.UVALDE — Bullets had pierced Eva Mireles’ chest as she tried to shield students from a gunman’s semiautomatic rifle. But the fourth grade teacher at Robb Elementary was still conscious when police carried her out of classroom 112 and through a hallway crowded with dead and dying victims.“Y
  
  Read more

• 'Field of Light' art exhibit staying in Austin through May 2023

  20-12-2022 18:59 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The "Field of Light" exhibition at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will stay in Austin in 2023. 28K field lights are coming to the LBJ Wildflower Center — here’s whyOn Tuesday, C3 Presents announced the outdoor art exhibit, featuring 28,000 solar-powered bulbs of light in a field at the wildflower center, has been extended through May 2023. The stems will fill the fields with multi-colored light, all in an effort to raise awareness for environmental cons
  
  Read more

• Texas school's staff members dress up as Christmas trees to greet students

  20-12-2022 18:35 via kxan.com
  
  HARPER, Texas (KXAN) —Staff members at Harper ISD Elementary went the extra mile on Tuesday to spread some Christmas cheer.As students pulled up to the school for their last day before winter break, they were greeted by a grove of staff members dressed up as Christmas trees.Two local cities among best ‘Christmas Towns’ in TexasA video sent in by a viewer shows the staff members dancing along to Christmas tunes in front of the school.
  Harper, Texas is located 23 miles west of Fr
  
  Read more

• How does this week's freeze compare to Austin's past freezes?

  20-12-2022 16:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- In anticipation of this week's Arctic cold front, we dug through the archives to see how this week's freeze matches up to historic freezes of Austin's past.February 2021A record storm by multiple accounts, the February 2021 winter storm is likely to stay unmatched for some time. A dip in the jet stream allowed a chunk of the polar vortex to sink south, keeping northerly winds in place for over a week and temperatures below freezing for 6 straight days. Five storm systems impacte
  
  Read more

• Astronomers shine new light on 'glitching' star phenomenon

  20-12-2022 15:47 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Astronomers are noticing something rather strange, stars appear to be "glitching". The phenomenon was first observed in 2016 by astronomers in Australia. A "glitch" occurs when the structure of a star unexpectedly changes.New research published this month in Nature Communications has found that not only can stars speed up when they "glitch", but they can also affect the way sound waves pass through them.The new observations were recorded after studying red clump stars. These Red
  
  Read more

• LIVE: ERCOT Board of Directors meets ahead of frigid cold front

  20-12-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Texans prepare for a "dangerous" cold snap, the state power grid is also getting ready.
  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors will meet Tuesday morning ahead of the winter weather's arrival.ERCOT prepares for upcoming cold frontsThere are several items on the agenda, but a few of them refer directly to cold and hot weather and contingency service during those conditions. The agenda also includes a 2022-2023 Winter Weather Update.
  The meeting sta
  
  Read more

• ERCOT leader expects power grid to handle frigid cold front

  20-12-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — As Texans prepare for the arrival of a "dangerous" cold snap, the leader of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) expressed confidence that the power grid could handle the increased demand.
  Pablo Vegas, ERCOT's new president and CEO, addressed the board of directors Tuesday morning about the impending cold blast. He said ERCOT is currently forecasting demand for power to reach its peak of 70,000 megawatts Friday morning when temperatures are their coldest across
  
  Read more

• ERCOT Board of Directors to meet ahead of frigid cold front

  20-12-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Texans prepare for a "dangerous" cold snap, the state power grid is also getting ready.
  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors will meet Tuesday morning ahead of the winter weather's arrival.ERCOT prepares for upcoming cold frontsThere are several items on the agenda, but a few of them refer directly to cold and hot weather and contingency service during those conditions. The agenda also includes a 2022-2023 Winter Weather Update.
  The meeting sta
  
  Read more

• ERCOT Board of Directors meets ahead of frigid cold front

  20-12-2022 15:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As Texans prepare for a "dangerous" cold snap, the state power grid is also getting ready.
  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors will meet Tuesday morning ahead of the winter weather's arrival.ERCOT prepares for upcoming cold frontsThere are several items on the agenda, but a few of them refer directly to cold and hot weather and contingency service during those conditions. The agenda also includes a 2022-2023 Winter Weather Update.
  The meeting sta
  
  Read more

• How to help shelter pets, outdoor animals before cold weather

  20-12-2022 15:06 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- With a drastic cold front headed to Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! is asking for emergency help from the community before temperatures drop.
  APA! said some animal enclosures are exposed to the elements, and low temperatures severely strain the facility at its Town Lake Animal Center shelter.The shelter is hoping to get pets from that location into warm beds by Thursday. Here's how you can help:
  Foster cold shelter animals. APA! said it needs its animals, especially dogs, out
  
  Read more

• COVID-19 letter typo sends customers to people looking to get personal, credit card info

  20-12-2022 14:00 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A company involved with administering millions of vaccinations around the country and in the Austin area calls it a "clerical error": A mistake on a letter sent to some customers. But a Georgetown woman who got the letter says that typo could have put her and others at risk.The letter itself wasn't that concerning to Heather Moeller.“At the time your COVID-19 vaccination was performed,” she read from the letter, “you either provided invalid information or
  
  Read more

• La Niña is happening more often than it should, climate scientists say

  20-12-2022 13:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) - Three years in a row, La Niña has brought warmer, drier weather to Central Texas. The climate pattern typically occurs every few years, but has recently occurred more often.For climatologists, this is surprising. They're saying in a warming world, we should see more El Niños, where wetter, colder weather hits Texas in the winter, than La Niñas.So what is happening? Meteorologist Nick Bannin spoke with Robert Jnglin Wills, a climatologist with the Univers
  
  Read more

• Local golf courses lend hand to Avery Ranch after cart barn fire

  20-12-2022 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A popular golf course in Austin is returning to normal after a fire burned down its cart barn two weeks ago.On December 5th, around 50 firefighters worked together to put out a fire at the Avery Ranch Golf Course in northwest Austin.The cart barn caught fire and collapsed, and 92 golf carts were destroyed. According to the Austin Fire Department, this caused an estimated $2 million in damages.Despite the damage, the Avery Ranch Golf Course remained opened for walkers only.H
  
  Read more

• Avery Ranch Golf Course bouncing back following cart barn fire

  20-12-2022 13:29 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A popular golf course in Austin is returning to normal after a fire burned down its cart barn two weeks ago.On December 5th, around 50 firefighters worked together to put out a fire at the Avery Ranch Golf Course in northwest Austin.The cart barn caught fire and collapsed, and 92 golf carts were destroyed. According to the Austin Fire Department, this caused an estimated $2 million in damages.Despite the damage, the Avery Ranch Golf Course remained opened for walkers only.H
  
  Read more

• Developers seek Hays County approval after city denies 290-acre housing proposal

  20-12-2022 12:51 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - The City of Hays has a population of less than 300 people. But that number could dramatically increase with a proposed 290-acre housing development called "Hays Commons" by Milestone Builders. RELATED COVERAGE: City of Buda to vote on 775-acre housing developmentCarol Pennington lives near where this would be built. Her main concerns are water supply and wastewater treatment."The more straws that are that are into it, the less water for everybody else," Pennington sai
  
  Read more

• Two more "mild" days before the Arctic air arrives

  20-12-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This morning was cloudy with many locations reporting fog along with a little drizzle/mist. The precipitation and most of the fog had ended by the late morning. Most lows were in the middle to upper 40s. Both Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom had lows of 47°. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freeze later this weekThe clouds will stick around for the rest of the day. Highs will be in the low to mid 50s. The normal high today is 63°. It will be a few degrees warmer tomo
  
  Read more

• Frigid wind chills with incoming Arctic plunge

  20-12-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A foggy and wet start to our Tuesday as mist and pockets of drizzle make for a slick morning commute.Today will feature more clouds than sun with a few isolated pockets of drizzle through the day. Afternoon highs will warm to the mid-50s -- still running below normal for this time of year.Mainly cloudy and dry skies stick around Wednesday before the bottom falls out on our thermometer on Thursday. January weather forecast: How La Nina impacts the start of 2023Arctic blast late t
  
  Read more

• Frigid wind chills likely as Arctic blast arrives late week

  20-12-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A foggy and wet start to our Tuesday as mist and pockets of drizzle make for a slick morning commute.After a couple more mainly cloudy, cool days midweek, we are tracking what the National Weather Service is calling a once-in-10-year cold snap coming to central Texas on Thursday.Note: "Once-in-10-year event" refers to the long-term statistical probability of air this cold coming to central Texas. It does not necessarily mean that it happens exactly every 10 years. January weathe
  
  Read more

• Arctic air arrives in less than 48 hours

  20-12-2022 12:45 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This morning was cloudy with many locations reporting fog along with a little drizzle/mist. The precipitation and most of the fog had ended by the late morning. Most lows were in the middle to upper 40s. Both Camp Mabry and Austin-Bergstrom had lows of 47°. Tips on how to prepare for the Arctic freeze later this weekThe clouds will stick around for the rest of the day. Highs will be in the low to mid 50s. The normal high today is 63°. It will be a few degrees warmer tomo
  
  Read more

• H-E-B cat food under voluntary recall

  20-12-2022 05:49 via kxan.com
  
  HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- A dry cat food formulation sold at H-E-B stores is being recalled because it might have been contaminated.TFP Nutrition announced a voluntary recall Dec. 16 of its HEB Texas Pets Indoor Complete Dry Cat Food, which was made Nov. 13 at its Nacogdoches facility.The product might have been contaminated with Salmonella, according to the recall. 50+ Secret Santa gifts for under $50Affected product will contain “MFG 13 NOV 22” on the second line of the l
  
  Read more

• Yule, Saturnalia, and how the solstice shaped modern Christmas traditions

  20-12-2022 05:47 via kxan.com
  
  (KTAL/KMSS) - Christmas trees, holly, mistletoe, and cider are staples of the holidays but these traditional parts of our holiday celebrations predate Christmas by several hundred years.
  In 2022 the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and the official start of the winter season, falls on the 21st. Many solstice celebrations became incorporated into Christmas celebrations over centuries as Christianity spread across Europe and cultures mixed together.Shreveport homes dressed in their C
  
  Read more

• 90 days of new management: How the ARCH has changed since Cali-based company's takeover

  20-12-2022 05:40 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- It's been 90 days since Urban Alchemy took over the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH), and there has been a lot of change.
  You may notice one before you even walk inside: Fewer people loitering around the building."We worked and built relationships with the residents who were encamped around the space, as well as those who were just kind of hanging around," said Kirkpatrick Tyler, Urban Alchemy's chief of government and community affairs.
  He said they asked those fol
  
  Read more

• Groups mobilize for Christmas-week cold snap

  20-12-2022 04:54 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN)-- It's shaping up to be a cold Christmas week. Groups across Austin are bracing for three consecutive hard freezes.Tracking a once-in-10-year cold snap coming to Texas"Most of our brothers and sisters that live unhoused or homeless, the tents won't be able to withstand those winds," said Quincy Dunlap, president and CEO of the Austin Area Urban League (AAUL).
  The City of Austin has contracted with AAUL to take over cold weather shelters starting in the 2023-2024 winter season. This
  
  Read more

• CapMetro getting its own police department headquarters in north Austin

  20-12-2022 03:55 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — CapMetro has taken a big step forward in setting up its new police department after the transit agency signed off on a lease for north Austin.The organization plans to rent a 9,200-square-foot space on Cameron Road, just north of U.S. 183. PREVIOUS: CapMetro police department begins to take shape, to include more than just officersDottie Watkins, CapMetro's interim president and CEO, says the building will need to meet state requirements before officers can move in.The poli
  
  Read more

• 1 taken to the hospital after crash involving pedestrian in southeast Austin

  20-12-2022 01:49 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — An adult was taken to the hospital Monday night with critical life-threatening injuries after a crash involving a pedestrian in southeast Austin, according to a tweet from Austin-Travis County EMS.ATCEMS said the crash happened in the 6900 block of East Riverside Drive near Frontier Valley Drive around 6 p.m. Monday.The adult is being taken to St. David's South, ATCEMS stated.
  
  Read more

• Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape in Los Angeles trial

  20-12-2022 00:26 via kxan.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harvey Weinstein was found guilty Monday of rape at a Los Angeles trial in another #MeToo moment of reckoning, five years after he became a magnet for the movement.After deliberating for nine days spanning more than two weeks, the jury of eight men and four women reached the verdict at the second criminal trial of the 70-year-old onetime powerful movie mogul, who is two years into a 23-year sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York.Weinstein
  
  Read more

• Driver left after deadly crash in southeast Austin, victim unidentified

  20-12-2022 00:15 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department provided an update Monday on a deadly vehicle-pedestrian crash that happened Dec. 16. 1 dead after being hit by vehicle on Montopolis DriveAt approximately 2:40 a.m.,APD officers responded to the crash at the intersection of Bastrop Highway service road and Montopolis Drive, the release said.According to police, the driver did not stop to render aid and left the area. The unidentified pedestrian died on the scene.The case remained under investigation
  
  Read more

Follow @Austin_News_US on Twitter!