Austin news

• Fight to contain Crabapple fire not over as winds stengthen, humidity drops

  18-03-2025 23:55 via kxan.com
  
  GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Fire crews continue efforts Tuesday to contain the Crabapple fire, which has affected an estimated 9,858 acres, according to the city of Fredericksburg. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported the fire was 90% contained. “We're sustaining winds between 15 and 20 miles an hour, gusting up to 30 miles an hour,” said City Public Information Officer Sean Doerre. “Humidity levels are expected [Tuesday] 
  
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• Texas Senate approves bill to put prayers in public schools

  18-03-2025 23:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Tuesday the Texas Senate discussed a pair of bills to introduce religion -- primarily Christianity -- into Texas public schools. Senate Bill 11 (SB 11) -- allowing prayer in school, passed -- while Senate Bill 10 (SB 10) -- requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in the classroom -- was left on the doorstep of passage.Prayer in schoolsThe Texas Senate passed SB 11 on Tuesday with a 23-7 vote margin. While the bill wouldn't require prayer in all public schools,
  
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• Austin police officer pleads guilty for use of excessive force during 2021 arrest

  18-03-2025 23:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police Department Officer Alejandro Gaitan pled guilty on Tuesday to Assault Causing Bodily Injury, a misdemeanor, according to the Travis County District Attorney's Office. Gaitan was accused of hitting a person with a baton and using an "electroshock weapon", according to previous information obtained by KXAN.As part of the plea deal, Gaitan will complete two years of deferred adjudication and is required to permanently submit his Texas Commission On Law Enforcement (TC
  
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• APD addresses widely-spread video of interaction on 6th street

  18-03-2025 23:05 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a video was posted online, which posters claimed was of a transgender woman being taken to the ground by law enforcement, the Austin Police Department (APD) issued a response and posted body camera footage. You can watch the footage here.APD said on March 2, around 2:30 a.m., APD officers "observed a physical disturbance in a crowd of people. Officers identified an intoxicated individual in a black dress that was attempting to engage in physical confrontations with other p
  
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• 'I'll never see him again': Activists argue against Texas bail reform

  18-03-2025 22:37 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — As the Texas House debates bills to make it easier to deny bail for defendants accused of violent crimes, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and others said the focus should be on eliminating the cash bail system altogether.Held in jail without a trial for 18 years"I was in the Harris County jail from 2006 to 2024," Edric Wilson said. "I was held without bond for a charge that was later thrown out. For 12 years, there was no option for me to gain or exper
  
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• The Honorable Wilhelmina Delco continues to pave the way for Austin leaders

  18-03-2025 22:34 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Honorable Wilhelmina Delco. You've probably seen her name driving around Austin. The Delco Activity Center, the Wilhelmina Delco Elementary School and Wilhelmina Delco Drive are all a testament to her years-long dedication to education and public service in Central Texas. But to understand her rich legacy, let's go back to Chicago, Illinois, in 1929."Her mother was one of the first probation officers in the country. Her father was a court deputy and a political organizer," e
  
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• Could I-35 in Austin be named after President Trump?

  18-03-2025 21:21 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — You've heard of Trump Tower, but what about the President Donald J. Trump Highway?That's the proposed designated name for Interstate 35 in Travis County, according to a new bill filed Friday by Texas Rep. Joanne Shofner (R-Nacogdoches). The bill outlines the design and construction of markets "indicating the designation as the President Donald J. Trump Highway" alongside any other existing designations.The proposed legislation also calls for the addition of markers at each
  
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• Have thoughts on e-scooter safety, parking in Austin? Here's how to weigh in

  18-03-2025 20:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The city of Austin is in the process of revisiting its rules surrounding electric scooters and e-bikes — and wants community input into how its micromobility program looks moving forward.City leaders launched a shared e-scooter and e-bike survey to gather public intel into the usage and availability, safety and parking in Austin. An open house will be held on March 24 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Austin Public Library's Carver branch, located at 1161 Angelina St
  
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• WCSO investigating alleged fentanyl overdose death of 30-year-old woman

  18-03-2025 20:24 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Williamson County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alleged fentanyl overdose death that happened in Thrall over the weekend, per a news release from the agency.On March 15, the WCSO Organized Crime United (OCU) responded to death at a home on County Road 433, the release said.When deputies and first responders arrived at the home, they found a 30-year-old woman dead inside, according to WCSO. No further details were released pending the final autopsy, as well as toxicolo
  
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• Austin's new women's sports pub celebrating grand opening Wednesday

  18-03-2025 20:14 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After more than a year of planning, fundraising, hosting pop-up events and looking for the right home, Austin's first women's sports bar is finally opening for business.1972: ATX Women's Sports Pub secured a prime location on Guadalupe Street in late January and quickly transformed the space — which was formally Moody's Kitchen and Bar — into what will be the first bar in Texas dedicated solely to women's sports. Women’s sports bar finds location, sets sights o
  
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• Council eyes $2.9M contract for Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard safety upgrades

  18-03-2025 18:46 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Later this month, Austin City Council will weigh in on a nearly $2.9 million contract for intersection and multimodal improvements along a stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.Council will consider March 27 a construction services contract for upgrades to the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Heflin Lane and Springdale Road, with the contract capped at just shy of $2.9 million. Should council greenlight the item, the contract would be awarded to DeNuc
  
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• Some victims of deadly I-35 crash identified

  18-03-2025 18:45 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's Note: The above video is KXAN's latest coverage of the March 13 deadly I-35 crash in north Austin.
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three victims in Thursday night's deadly crash on Interstate 35 were identified by Travis County officials on Tuesday. Truck driver in fatal I-35 crash allegedly under influence of drugs, affidavit saysSergieo Daniel Lopez, 32, and Natalia Helana Perez, 25, along with Ma Concepcion Joaquin De Joaquin, 78, were identified as three of the five people killed in the north
  
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• Austin Justice Coalition partners with Tolbert Law Firm, giving minorities legal service access at reduced rates

  18-03-2025 18:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a strategic new partnership, the nonprofit, Austin Justice Coalition (AJC) will use its connection to the community to work with a black law firm to give more people in minority communities better access to legal services.Austin Justice Coalition partners with Tolbert Law Firm to help minority communities have better access to legal services. (KXAN photos/Jala Washington).
  The Tolbert Law Firm — based in Dallas but serving clients in Austin and Atlanta as well &mda
  
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• Austin Justice Coalition partners with Tolbert Law Firm, giving legal service access at reduced rates

  18-03-2025 18:36 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — The family of a man who was shot and killed in the front yard of his home, is still pushing for accountability. But now, for the first time in months, there's renewed hope because of a new partnership with an advocacy nonprofit and law firm.
  Steven Allan Smith's girlfriend's 13-year-old son is accused of shooting him, according to the Bastrop County Sheriff's office. It's still unclear where the case stands.Austin NAACP calls for ‘thorough’ investigation into ki
  
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• Texas jackpot winner will not get $83.5 million winnings... for now

  18-03-2025 18:16 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- A Texas woman who won an $83.5 million jackpot in February through a courier service said the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) advised her the winnings may never be paid out as the Texas Rangers investigate the lottery drawing.
  "I'm being treated as the bad guy," the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Nexstar.The woman used Jackpocket, an app that allows you to buy lottery tickets and scratch-offs over the phone, to purchase $20 worth of Texas Lotto tickets for the Feb
  
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• 4,000-capacity venue eyes 2027 opening in east Austin

  18-03-2025 17:31 via kxan.com
  
  Editor's note: The above video is KXAN coverage from Sept. 19, 2024, related to the River Park mixed-use project in development in east Austin.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Live Music Capital of the World will soon be home to a new music venue.AEG Presents is expected to open its new 4,000-capacity indoor entertainment venue in early 2027 as part of the River Park mixed-use development in east Austin, according to a Monday news release. The 109-acre project in the Riverside neighborhood will incorpo
  
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• New space infrastructure coming to Williamson, Burnet counties

  18-03-2025 17:18 via kxan.com
  
  WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS (KXAN) — The Williamson County Commissioners Court has approved the creation of the Central Texas Spaceport Development Corporation (SDC), which would bring more space infrastructure and research to Williamson County and Burnet County.An SDC is a nonprofit entity to develop and manage spaceports. This includes infrastructure for specialized launches and landing facility for space crafts, rockets and satellites.According to the Texas Local Government code, the SDC w
  
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• Senate panel hears testimony on hospital bollard bill sparked by KXAN

  18-03-2025 17:00 via kxan.com
  
  Project Summary:This story is part of KXAN’s “Preventing Disaster” investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital’s emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop cr
  
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• Sustainable ways to help care for your cats and dogs

  18-03-2025 16:41 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Part of going green includes environmentally-friendly ways to take care of your cats and dogs, and even sustainable ways to play with them. After all, there are times when your pet wants to play.Rich Segal spoke with Shannon Casey from Take Care of Texas — part of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — about this subject. She began by talking about the different types of toys that are on the market that help with sustainability, including those that are plas
  
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• LIVE: Early outlook for next winter: El Niño unlikely

  18-03-2025 14:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We're getting our first look into next winter with the latest Climate Prediction Center ENSO (El Niño - Southern Oscillation) Outlook released on Thursday.While currently in a La Niña pattern, we're expected to return to ENSO Neutral (neither La Niña nor El Niño) within the next month as sea surface temperatures in the Niño Zones return to near average, away from their cooler-than-normal phase that brought us into La Niña.ENSO determined
  
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• Early outlook for next winter: El Niño unlikely

  18-03-2025 14:27 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) -- We're getting our first look into next winter with the latest Climate Prediction Center ENSO (El Niño - Southern Oscillation) Outlook released on Thursday.While currently in a La Niña pattern, we're expected to return to ENSO Neutral (neither La Niña nor El Niño) within the next month as sea surface temperatures in the Niño Zones return to near average, away from their cooler-than-normal phase that brought us into La Niña.ENSO determined
  
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• Fracking makes the Texas oil and gas industry possible; it may also be harming the state

  18-03-2025 14:15 via kxan.com
  
  Project Summary: This story is supported by the Pulitzer Center and is part of the “Texas Energy Crossroads” project, a partnership between The Hill and Nexstar Texas stations examining the oil and gas industry and the politics surrounding it following President Trump’s second inauguration.`; $("header.article-header").prepend(cat4markup); const socialIcons = document.querySelectorAll("span.social-share__icon > svg > path");socialIcons.
  
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• Stranded astronauts return home, but face recovery from extended space stay

  18-03-2025 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  SPACE (KXAN) -- After an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Suni Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore are returning to Earth on March 18.This image provided by NASA shows Nick Hague, right, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore. (NASA via AP)
  The two originally planned to spend a few days in space after piloting the inaugural flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule in June 2024. Issues with the spacecraft led to their return to Earth being delayed nine months.They join
  
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• LIVE: Stranded astronauts return home, but face recovery from extended space stay

  18-03-2025 13:25 via kxan.com
  
  SPACE (KXAN) -- After an extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts Suni Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore are returning to Earth on March 18.This image provided by NASA shows Nick Hague, right, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore. (NASA via AP)
  The two originally planned to spend a few days in space after piloting the inaugural flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule in June 2024. Issues with the spacecraft led to their return to Earth being delayed nine months.They join
  
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• Southbound I-35 in Hays County reopens after crash Tuesday morning

  18-03-2025 11:49 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The main lanes of southbound I-35 were reopened around 7:30 a.m. after being closed for several hours early Tuesday due to a crash investigation between Kyle and San Marcos.
  According to the Texas Department of Transportation Austin office, the crash was on Southbound I-35 near Yarrington Road.
  TxDOT posted an alert about the crash and closure around 2:30 a.m., but released no additional information about the crash.
  The agency posted an update at 7:24 a.m. that all l
  
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• Southbound I-35 closed in Hays County Tuesday morning

  18-03-2025 11:49 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The main lanes of southbound I-35 were closed early Tuesday due to a crash investigation between Kyle and San Marcos.The Texas Department of Transportation Austin office posted an alert about the crash and closure around 2:30 a.m., but released no additional information about the crash.According to TxDOT, the crash was on Southbound I-35 near Yarrington Road.All traffic is being diverted onto the service road, but to avoid additional delays, we recommend taking the S
  
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• 21-year-old arrested after I-35 crash in Kyle; 50-year-old woman dead

  18-03-2025 11:49 via kxan.com
  
  HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- A woman was arrested early Tuesday morning after a fatal crash on southbound I-35 in Kyle, according to the Kyle Police Department.
  The crash was on Southbound I-35 near Yarrington Road. The southbound lanes of the interstate were closed for several hours and were reopened around 7:30 a.m.The Texas Department of Transportation Austin office posted an alert about the crash and closure around 2:30 a.m., but released no additional information at the time.A woman died in
  
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• How Texans can manage their stress, anxiety over contagious diseases

  18-03-2025 04:06 via kxan.com
  
  Editor’s Note: The transcript of this live Q&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As the state prepares to give an update on Tuesday on whether the measles outbreak has infected more Texans. More people have started to become on edge as the numbers continue to climb.
  KXAN Midday anchors Avery Travis and Will DuPree spoke to Thrivework's Licensed Professional Counselor Catherine Atkinson-Greenhaw on how to manage the stress and anxieties that come from contagious d
  
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• Fire in southwest Gillespie County prompts evacuations

  18-03-2025 00:38 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (KXAN) — A fire has begun to burn in southwest Gillespie County, off Interstate Highway 10, and is traveling north in the area of the 498-mile marker and Duderstadt Road, according to the Gillespie County Communications Center. MAP: Where have wildfires burned in Central Texas in 2025?Authorities said evacuations are taking place for Duderstadt Road. Residents north of I-10 or north of Duderstadt Road are asked to prepare to evacuate if needed."Those in the area of Thrill Hill may n
  
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• Texas Senate discusses bill requiring counties to work closer with ICE

  18-03-2025 00:19 via kxan.com
  
  AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Among Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's top priorities this legislative session is "requiring local law enforcement to assist the Federal Government's deportation efforts." The bill filed to achieve his goal was left pending in the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday.Forced cooperation between counties and ICESenate Bill 8 (SB 8) -- filed by State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown -- would require all Texas counties with 100,000 or more people to join Immigration and
  
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• Ranchers, livestock owners impacted by 9,700+ acre wildfire near Fredericksburg

  18-03-2025 00:18 via kxan.com
  
  GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) --- Fire crews from across the state continue to fight the Crabapple wildfire in Gillespie County. It's burned more than 9,700 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS).By 7:30 a.m. Monday, all roads that were closed were reopened. The City of Fredericksburg said ranchers and livestock owners were impacted by this fire.Firefighter injured in 9,700+ acre wildfire near Fredericksburg; fire is 65% contained"This northern part of Gillespie Co
  
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