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The Austin Chronicle •

Austin Officials Scrutinize Waymo Incidents, Push for New Oversight • The Austin Chronicle

When Austin first responders rushed to West Sixth Street just around 2am on March 1, they were responding to a mass shooting near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden that killed four people, including the gunman, and injured 15 others.


At 1:58am, the first 911 call came in. Within minutes, police, fire, and EMS were moving through Downtown to reach victims.


“Approximately eight minutes later … the Waymo stopped in the middle of [Nueces] street and blocked the responding ambulance,” Austin-Travis...
The Austin Chronicle •

Despite New Confession, James Broadnax’s Execution Date Grows Closer • The Austin Chronicle

James Broadnax has spent nearly half his life on Texas death row for the 2008 killings of Stephen Swan, 26, and Matthew Butler, 28, outside their Garland music studio. A Dallas County jury sentenced him to death in 2009 after prosecutors tried him as the shooter in the robbery. Now, he is scheduled to be executed April 30, even as a new confession arises and his case keeps moving through the courts and the state clemency process.


On March 19, Broadnax’s lawyers filed a new petition in Texas c...
The Austin Chronicle •

D.A.’s Office Responds to Misconduct Claims in 2020 Protest Case • The Austin Chronicle

With trial in the prosecution of APD Officer Chance Bretches just a couple of months away, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office is pushing back on claims it withheld key information, arguing in new court filings that the defense has not identified any undisclosed evidence or met the legal threshold required to halt the case.


In responses filed March 27, obtained by the Chronicle via Public Information Request, the state rejected the defense’s central allegation that meetings between p...
Community Impact •

786K-square-foot industrial project advances in Cedar Park

Prologis’ Northwest Depot project, located near US 183 with access to I-35 and MoPac, spans about 75 acres and is expected to bring roughly 786,000 square feet of industrial space across multiple buildings. (Rendering courtesy Powers Brown Architecture)

Prologis’ Northwest Depot project, located near US 183 with access to I-35 and MoPac, spans about 75 acres and is expected to bring roughly 786,000 square feet of industrial space across multiple buildings. (Rendering courtesy Powers Brown Archi...
The Austin Chronicle •

D.A.’s Office Accused of Withholding Key Evidence in 2020 Protest Case • The Austin Chronicle

A defense attorney attempting to get a criminal case against an Austin police officer dismissed is now asking a judge to take a step further: examine whether the prosecutors who brought the case violated the law.


APD Officer Chance Bretches was indicted in 2022 on charges of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury by a public servant and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public servant due to his use of less-lethal “bean bag” ammunition against protesters during the May 31, 2...
The Austin Chronicle •

Newly Released Evidence Details Sixth Street Mass Shooting • The Austin Chronicle

Newly released body-camera footage, surveillance video, and 911 calls are helping piece together the chaos that unfolded on West Sixth Street as officers rushed toward the gunman who opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden a little over a week ago.


Law enforcement held a press conference on Thursday, March 5, where APD Chief Lisa Davis said the count of people shot in the attack has risen from 17 to 19. Two victims remained hospitalized, including one in critical condition, expandin...
The Austin Chronicle •

West Sixth Shooting Leaves Four Dead, Shakes Austin Nightlife District • The Austin Chronicle

Austin’s deadliest mass shooting in six decades tore through West Sixth Street early Sunday, killing four people, including the gunman, and injuring 13 others near Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. 


According to APD Chief Lisa Davis, just before 2am on March 1 the suspect drove a large SUV around the block several times before stopping near Buford’s, turning on his flashers, rolling down the window and firing a pistol into the patio and crowd gathered outside. He then drove west on Sixth Street,...
The Austin Chronicle •

Central Texas Cities Balance Data Center Proposals • The Austin Chronicle

Cheers and sobs filled San Marcos City Hall early Wednesday as City Council voted 5-2 to deny a proposal for a nearly 200-acre data center campus on Francis Harris Lane.


The project was pitched as a roughly $1.5 billion complex with five buildings, each designed for about 76 megawatts near the Hays Energy Power Station and local farms – partially inside city limits at 904 Francis Harris Ln.


Council was not voting on a construction permit. The question was whether to approve the land use ch...
The Austin Chronicle •

Redrawn TX-35 Sets Stage for High-Stakes Democratic Primary • The Austin Chronicle

For more than a decade, Texas’ 35th Congressional District was easy to describe. It ran like a political spine between Austin and San Antonio, linking two liberal urban centers through a corridor of heavily Latino and working-class neighborhoods. It reliably sent a Democrat to Washington.


In 2026, the district barely resembles that version of itself.


After Republican lawmakers unveiled new congressional maps in 2025, TX-35 was carved away from Austin almost entirely and reshaped into a dis...
The Austin Chronicle •

Texas Creates a New Path for Rape Kit Testing • The Austin Chronicle

Nationally, about one in three survivors of sexual assault ever report their experiences to law enforcement, according to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. Texas is betting that gap is partly about what comes after a report, and a new state program now allows rape kits to be tested for DNA without filing a police report.


Texas lawmakers say that gap is what House Bill 1422 was designed to address. The new law took effect in December through a “limited consent for DNA testing program...
The Austin Chronicle •

San Marcos Lets License Plate Reader Contract Expire After Deadlocked Vote • The Austin Chronicle

For months, San Marcos has been circling the question that’s reshaped policing debates across Central Texas: What do we really get from a citywide network of license plate scanners? On Tuesday, Dec. 2, the discussion finally came to a head – though not in the clean yes-or-no way people expected.


The majority of San Marcos City Council members didn’t technically vote to end its contract with Flock Safety. Instead, members deadlocked 3-3 on whether to extend the agreement for another year. One...
Austin American-Statesman •

Cambridge Dictionary names 'parasocial' 2025 word of the year, citing Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan

If you’ve ever sworn it feels like you know Taylor Swift on a personal level, Cambridge Dictionary has a word for that feeling: "parasocial."

If you’ve ever sworn it feels like you know Taylor Swift on a personal level, Cambridge Dictionary has a word for that feeling: "parasocial."

That’s the publisher’s 2025 word of the year, announced Tuesday, and it’s less about grammar nerds and more about how we latch onto famous people, influencers and even AI. Cambridge says interest in one-sided paras...
Austin American-Statesman •

6 places to get free groceries, meals around Austin this Thanksgiving

This year may be a tough Thanksgiving for a lot of Austin families. If you’re stretching groceries, sharing the holiday with neighbors instead of relatives or just need a plate you don’t have to cook, several Austin-area groups are offering free food in the days before and on Thanksgiving. Most events are first-come, first-served and require no ID.

This year may be a tough Thanksgiving for a lot of Austin families. If you’re stretching groceries, sharing the holiday with neighbors instead of re...
Austin American-Statesman •

Man wanted for 2020 Georgetown homicide arrested in Temple, officials say

A man wanted in a 2020 Georgetown homicide was arrested Monday morning in Temple after years on the run, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

A man wanted in a 2020 Georgetown homicide was arrested Monday morning in Temple after years on the run, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Hernan Perez Juarez, 41 — also known as Patricio Perez — was wanted in the killing of a woman found in a bathtub with a deep abdominal laceration on May 8, 2020, at a home on Tower Drive. Georgetown police in...
Austin American-Statesman •

Northern Taurids could light up Austin’s sky this week

Central Texas skies could put on a small show again this week as the Northern Taurids return for another round of slow, bright meteors over Austin.

Central Texas skies could put on a small show again this week as the Northern Taurids return for another round of slow, bright meteors over Austin.

The Northern Taurids are a long-running meteor shower that produces just a few meteors per hour — but they’re famous for the occasional fireball. The stream stays active from late October through early...
Austin American-Statesman •

Where can you see 'Wicked: For Good' in Austin? Here are some options

Oz is officially back. "Wicked: For Good," the second half of the blockbuster two-part musical, picks up with Elphaba in exile, Glinda glowing in palace gold and the rest of Oz on the brink of mob-level chaos. The finale promises flying, fighting and a full-circle ending for the most famous roommates in Emerald City history.

Oz is officially back. "Wicked: For Good," the second half of the blockbuster two-part musical, picks up with Elphaba in exile, Glinda glowing in palace gold and the rest o...
Austin American-Statesman •

Where to volunteer or donate for Thanksgiving in Austin

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 27 this year. Maybe you’re spending the day solo. Maybe because 43-day federal shutdown and the freeze on SNAP benefits pushed more families to food banks, you're feeling the need to give back to your community. Whatever your reason, there are plenty of ways to show up, meet people and plug into real community this holiday week.

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, Nov. 27 this year. Maybe you’re spending the day solo. Maybe because 43-day federal shutdown and th...
Austin American-Statesman •

Fall foliage to peak in Austin soon. Where to see autumn colors

A regional fall foliage map projects that Central Texas will slide into its first real hint of color around Nov. 17, with Austin’s best reds, oranges and golds arriving closer to the end of the month.

A regional fall foliage map projects that Central Texas will slide into its first real hint of color around Nov. 17, with Austin’s best reds, oranges and golds arriving closer to the end of the month.

Austin’s trees usually hit fashionably late on the fall calendar, and this year is no different....
Austin American-Statesman •

San Marcos animal shelter overwhelmed with dogs and running out of space

They shouldn’t be there. The room isn’t designed to house animals, but the kennels are full, the overflow spaces are packed, and last week, there are roughly three dozen more dogs than the facility was built for.

They shouldn’t be there. The room isn’t designed to house animals, but the kennels are full, the overflow spaces are packed, and last week, there are roughly three dozen more dogs than the facility was built for.

When people walk into the shelter, the overcrowding hits them before any...
Austin American-Statesman •

21-year-old man sentenced in Austin for elder fraud, laundering scheme

A 21-year-old citizen of India who came to the United States on a student visa has been sentenced in Austin to more than eight years in federal prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar elder fraud and money laundering scheme, federal prosecutors said.

A 21-year-old citizen of India who came to the United States on a student visa has been sentenced in Austin to more than eight years in federal prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar elder fraud and money laundering scheme, federal prose...
Austin American-Statesman •

Starbucks Red Cup Day strike hits Texas. See what cities.

More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas at 65 unionized stores across the country went on strike Thursday, turning the company’s high-traffic Red Cup Day on Thursday, Nov. 13, into what organizers are calling a “Red Cup Rebellion.”

More than 1,000 Starbucks baristas at 65 unionized stores across the country went on strike Thursday, turning the company’s high-traffic Red Cup Day on Thursday, Nov. 13, into what organizers are calling a “Red Cup Rebellion.”

No Austin locations were on Thursday’s strik...
Austin American-Statesman •

San Marcos police ID suspect in Halloween weekend shooting that left one dead

San Marcos police have identified a suspect in a deadly shooting on the downtown square over Halloween weekend and announced an arrest in a separate shooting at an apartment complex on Post Road.

San Marcos police have identified a suspect in a deadly shooting on the downtown square over Halloween weekend and announced an arrest in a separate shooting at an apartment complex on Post Road.

City officials said three separate shootings happened in San Marcos on the night of Nov. 1 and 2, leaving...
Austin American-Statesman •

Haven’t spayed or neutered your pet? Austin is offering free surgeries this week

For the next five days, Austin pet owners can get their dogs and cats spayed or neutered for free at a pop-up clinic in northwest Austin.

For the next five days, Austin pet owners can get their dogs and cats spayed or neutered for free at a pop-up clinic in northwest Austin.

Registration and drop-off are first come, first served. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. and continues until 10 a.m. or until capacity is full each day.

Registration and drop-off are first come, first served. Check-in begins...
Austin American-Statesman •

Matthew McConaughey turns to AI to bring his voice to Spanish listeners

The Austin actor teamed up with AI audio company ElevenLabs to launch a Spanish-language audio version of “Lyrics of Livin’,” using a cloned version of his voice to narrate each edition. The technology translates his words and recreates his trademark tone, drawl and pacing in Spanish. A sign-up link for the Spanish edition is already live on the newsletter’s website.

The Austin actor teamed up with AI audio company ElevenLabs to launch a Spanish-language audio version of “Lyrics of Livin’,” usi...
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