Wednesday
September 30, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 97° / 77°Flood watch. Low-water crossings fill fast — turn around, don't drown.
- Air quality 24 · GoodCleanest air of the week, and the last dry afternoon for a while.
- Lake Travis 89.4% fullDown a touch from last week. The rain coming may put some of it back.
- Allergies HighElm and ragweed and grasses are heavy today. Windows closed, meds early.
- Power grid NormalA busy afternoon: demand near 80,600 megawatts, with 99,100 on hand.
- Sunrise 7:23 a.m.The sun is up for 11 hours and 54 minutes today, and down by 7:17 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. Ninety-seven again, with a heat index up to 109, and summer holding the door open one more afternoon. Watch the sky tonight: the flood watch goes up at seven, and by Thursday the high is 91 and the rain is more or less constant through Friday. Sun up at 7:23, down at 7:17. The lake is holding near 90 percent, the air is the cleanest it has been all week, and elm and ragweed are heavy enough that you will want the meds before the porch coffee. Find the umbrella you have been ignoring since spring. And before you drive anywhere low tonight, check atxfloods.com.
The Briefing
A bigger flood fund, hours before the watch
Travis County commissioners adopted a $2.3 billion budget on Tuesday. The line that matters most this week is the reserve the county keeps for disasters: $35 million, up from $18 million. That account was empty. The county spent it down responding to the July 2025 floods, which killed nine people and destroyed nearly 200 homes. On Tuesday evening the National Weather Service posted a Flood Watch over Travis County and much of South Central Texas, running from 7 p.m. tonight to 7 p.m. Friday, with 2 to 4 inches of rain forecast and isolated amounts up to 8.
Some homeowners will owe the county a little less. A home valued at $372,633 pays Travis County $1,439 this year, about $30 less than last, because values dipped slightly even as the budget rose 4%. The county is roughly a fifth of an Austin property tax bill. County Judge Andy Brown said the reserve grew because the county has to plan for something larger than one creek: "We could have flooding that affects a broader geographic area." Residents of Sandy Creek stood in that same courtroom on Tuesday asking for sirens.
Austin is working its drains. Watershed Protection crews are clearing culverts at low-water crossings, and the city's own list of the streets that flood first starts with Lamar Boulevard between Ninth and 15th.
What's next: The Flood Watch lifts at 7 p.m. Friday, hours after the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival opens its gates at Zilker Park, and Travis County owes the Texas Water Development Board its siren plan by Dec. 31. The rest of the budget is in Money & bills, this week's closures in Growth & infrastructure, and the full forecast in Weather.
Sources: KUT (the budget, the reserve and the tax figures), National Weather Service (the Flood Watch and rainfall totals), CBS Austin (the city's crews and its flood-prone streets)
City Desk
Money & bills
The county budget trims a tax bill and refills a disaster fund
Travis County Commissioners Court adopted a $2.3 billion budget on Tuesday for the coming fiscal year. Spending rose 4%, but property values dipped, so a home valued at $372,633 owes the county $1,439 — about $30 less than last year. The county collects roughly a fifth of an Austin property tax bill and pays for the jail, the courts, roads, parks and elections. KUT
Texas diesel hit a record, and an Austin party bus company is paying it
The American Automobile Association (AAA) put Texas diesel at a record $5.98 a gallon earlier this month, nearly $3 above the average a year ago. Peter Nicholas, who runs Austin Party Bus Rental, said a fill that once cost $80 to $100 ran him $225 on Monday, and projects about $50,000 less revenue this year. "You either raise prices or you go out of business," he said. KXAN
Also
The budget nearly doubles the county's reserve fund for disasters, to $35 million from $18 million. Travis County zeroed that account out responding to the July 2025 floods. KUT
About $15 million goes to the mental health diversion program, which sends people accused of low-level crimes to in-patient care instead of jail. Brown called it the county's biggest yet. KUT
Another $3 million hires lawyers for indigent clients, $2 million builds housing for people at risk of homelessness, and $200,000 pays for what Brown hopes is the county's last Austin-to-San Antonio rail study. KUT
Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, attributed the diesel price to the U.S. conflict with Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war, and said refineries are running at capacity. KXAN
Public safety & courts
Federal prosecutors charged the man shot at a North Austin traffic stop
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez faces a charge of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer over the Sept. 20 traffic stop in North Austin where a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot him, and up to 20 years in prison if convicted. A Department of Homeland Security complaint says his driver's-side mirror struck an officer as he drove off. He appeared in court Tuesday. KXAN
Two women say the same man attacked them near Zilker Park, two years apart
Both women asked not to be named. One said a man punched her in the temple on Rabb Road in May 2024 and chased her until a neighbor intervened; the other said the same man beat on her car near Kinney Avenue about 5:30 a.m. Saturday. Police jailed Christopher Lewis, 30, on a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge with a $1,000 bond. FOX 7 Austin
Also
The complaint says only one of the two ICE officers wore a body camera, and that he switched it off during the high-speed pursuit that followed. KXAN
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, the immigration attorney for Garces Perez, said she logged on for a virtual meeting Tuesday morning and he never appeared. She asked the department to release the footage. KXAN
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said Tuesday it arrested five people on riot charges over the Sept. 20 protest, on warrants for removing barricades, blocking a roadway and throwing rocks. FOX 7 Austin
DPS said in a statement that it believes in the right to free speech and assembly, and that interfering with police duties or disobeying lawful orders is never acceptable. FOX 7 Austin
Austin police identified the man shot during a burglary in the 200 block of Virtus Bend as Dmario Jones, 24. He did not know the homeowners, and no charges have been filed. KVUE
Travis County extended its ban on outdoor burning in unincorporated areas through Nov. 27, citing dry conditions; the county judge or fire marshal can lift it sooner. CBS Austin
Growth & infrastructure
The airport broke ground on a six-gate concourse to keep gates open during construction
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport started work Tuesday on Concourse M, about 37,000 square feet on the airport's west side with four contact gates and two walk-out gates for narrow-body planes. It runs separately from Barbara Jordan Terminal, reached by shuttle bus from Gate 13, and is meant to hold capacity while the larger expansion proceeds. The airport is targeting 2028. KXAN
Council cleared 1,000 apartments that Circle C turned out to fight
City Council voted Sept. 24 to let Stratus Properties build housing instead of offices on part of Tract 110, at 11010 1/2 S. MoPac (Loop 1), and struck a 2002 requirement to extend South Bay Lane. The phased project would reach 1,000 units, 100 of them affordable, with 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 16 acres of impervious cover. Community Impact
Also
Circle C resident Alicia Keswani told council the traffic between Kiker Elementary School and Valor South Austin is already dangerous: "to say, 'We'll just figure it out later' is unacceptable." Community Impact
Council Member Paige Ellis, who represents the area, said that given the site's constraints and the need for housing in Southwest Austin, "this is a workable plan." Community Impact
Airbnb put $6.4 million into 201 affordable units at 800 E. St. John Ave., a city lot vacant nearly 20 years, and $75,000 into the group Austinites for Urban Rail Action. The Daily Texan
Overheard on Reddit
Protected bike lanes by Home Slice (N Loop) are finally here
After months of neglect and lack of enforcement, the Duval bike lane—often blocked by inconsiderate diners at Home Slice—has finally received delineator posts. Home Slice parking will likely become more chaotic (if that's possible), but at least the lane will now be open to bike commuters.
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority is weighing 15 miles of tolled lanes on U.S. 290 between Manor and Elgin, a stretch that logged about 2,700 crashes from 2020 to 2025. CBS Austin
Lanes close on West 39th Street between the 1100 and 1218 blocks, and on Bailey Lane, from today through Nov. 30 while Austin Energy crews work on overhead wire. Roadway Work Zones (qyfh-gwei)
Valdez Street closes lanes between the 700 and 1100 blocks over the same window for milling and paving, as does Villita Avenida between 6800 and 7113. Roadway Work Zones (qyfh-gwei)
Overheard on Reddit
Who can hear the giant rumble monster?
EDIT: its gotten much quiter over the last hour... maybe its so far into the earths crust that there is high density rock muting it now... or the machine moved closer to YOU instead. 😀 Are you anywhere near the I35 bridge over the lake/river? Can you hear the otherworldy most heavy duty machinery in the known universe?
City Hall & county
Paige Ellis needed 3,044 signatures for a third term and fell 62 short
Austin council members seeking a consecutive third term must petition 5% of their district's qualified voters onto the ballot. Ellis turned in more than 3,000 names in mid-August and the city clerk struck enough to leave her short. She has accepted the ruling but still questions whether valid signatures were removed. Austin Current
Also
Former Council Member Kathie Tovo, the only Austin member to clear the bar in the past decade, turned in 4,700 signatures against a 3,500 requirement in 2018 and won. Austin Current
Fred Lewis, who helped write the 10-1 district rules, said the petition threshold was meant to be hard: "You had to show that you had real support for a third term." Austin Current
Council voted unanimously Sept. 24 to require automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in restaurants, stores, gyms and recreation centers, not just in buildings over 75 feet tall as the code has it now. Community Impact
Calah Williams, 17, started the Calah Cares Project after her pastor collapsed at a church with no defibrillator: a room "full of people who loved him and didn't know how to save him." Community Impact
The deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election is Monday, Oct. 5; the Bulletin's Vote 2026 page carries the official state and Travis County links. Texas Secretary of State
Schools
The $77 million restoration of the University of Texas at Austin tower has cleaned 54,000 square feet of masonry and redone 439 of its nearly 1,000 windows, the university said Tuesday. KXAN
Scaffolding comes off the tower's south-facing walls in summer 2027 and off the rest of the main building by spring 2028, in time for its 100th anniversary. KXAN
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker speaks at the university today at an event hosted by the University Democrats, who say they drew more than 3,000 RSVPs for a room that holds about 460. KUT
Group president Adit Raha said the university turned down requests for a larger hall and its police billed the students $20,000 for security. Neither responded to KUT. KUT
Gov. Greg Abbott said the group was platforming Piker's "disgusting rhetoric," and Rabbi Stephanie Max of Texas Hillel called his criticism of Israel's war in Gaza "hateful, antisemitic rhetoric." KUT
Piker told the Austin American-Statesman his views on Israel are "very close to many in the student body" and that the pushback was "disappointing but not unexpected." KUT
Business & street life
Lammes Candies is coming back, 141 years on and under new owners
The Austin candy maker closed its Airport Boulevard shop in July after 141 years. Delightful Development Co., a Fort Worth hospitality company, says it bought the brand in partnership with the Lammes family and will relaunch formally in spring 2027 with a new look. Holiday preorders are open now and ship Nov. 1. The original storefront stays closed. KXAN
Also
Frost Bank opened its 29th Austin-area branch on Sept. 28 at 3001 S. Lamar Blvd., in half the building Half Price Books left in March. CorePower Yoga takes the rest. Community Impact
CapMetro Routes 3, 30 and 803 serve Zilker Park both festival weekends at $1.25 a ride, the Red Line runs downtown for $3.50, and shuttle pickup moved to Sand Beach Park. CBS Austin
Pedicab driver Alejandro Cruz said city rules stop his crews from working the moment lightning starts: "The second lightning comes down, we can't be operating." CBS Austin
Overheard on Reddit
F1/COTA weekend: I'm a fan, but residents keep getting turned away from their own streets
Full disclosure: I'm an F1 fan and I look forward to race weekend every year. I just also want to be able to get to my home while it's happening. Every year, residents near COTA get turned away at closure points, even with DLs showing an address inside the closure area. It seems to get worse each year, and enforcement varies depending on which officers are working which checkpoint.
Overheard on Reddit
Recurring, casual, low-cost events to make friends
Hello! 30sF looking to make genuine friendships and build community in Austin. Have tried a variety of hobbies/classes/social dancing. I really want something that is recurring (weekly or every other week at least) for the consistency piece and overall casual and not super expensive (or free). It feels there are so many one-time events around town.
Weather
Today: partly sunny, a high near 97, heat index values as high as 109, and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Tonight: mostly cloudy, low around 77, 50%, with gusts to 30 mph. National Weather Service
A Flood Watch is in effect for Travis County and much of South Central Texas from 7 p.m. tonight to 7 p.m. Friday. Forecasters put rainfall at 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts up to 8, and warn of life-threatening flooding somewhere in the watch area. National Weather Service
Thursday is showers and thunderstorms at a 90% chance, a high near 91 falling to 87 in the afternoon; Friday is 84 and 90%, and Saturday drops to 83. National Weather Service
KXAN's forecasters call tonight day one, with torrential downpours and strong storms likely around midnight in the Hill Country, and a moderate flash flood risk, 3 out of 4, mainly west of Interstate 35. KXAN
They call Thursday the biggest day of concern: slow-moving storms tracking over the same ground, a moderate flash flood risk for most of the area and a marginal severe risk, 1 out of 5. KXAN
CBS Austin's meteorologists put the heaviest threat Thursday into Friday morning, with 2 to 5 inches widespread and isolated totals of 8 to 10 inches. CBS Austin
Austin Watershed Protection points drivers to atxfloods.com, which lists barricaded low-water crossings in real time. Driving around a barricade is a Class B misdemeanor in Texas. CBS Austin
Austin Pets Alive! is asking for week-long foster "sleepovers," with extended hours from noon to 7 p.m. today and Thursday at 1156 W. Cesar Chavez St.; flash flooding could reach some kennels. CBS Austin
Overheard on Reddit
Adopting Our First Cat - Austin Pets Alive vs Austin Animal Center vs Austin Humane Society?
My girlfriend and I are planning to adopt our first cat tomorrow, and we're trying to decide which shelter to visit. We're currently considering Austin Pets Alive, Austin Animal Center, and Austin Humane Society. We've already bought pretty much everything we'll need, and we're hoping to adopt a young adult cat (probably 1–4 years old) that would be happy as our only cat.
The Back Page
2 days until the Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival's first weekend · Gates open Friday at Zilker Park; the festival runs Oct. 2-4 and Oct. 9-11.
On Sunday afternoon at the Long Center, a video played of Jonah Dillon rolling his wheelchair across a canvas with paint on the tires. That is how he makes his work. Dillon, who has muscular dystrophy, was one of six artists honored at Art Spark Texas' Artists of the Year celebration, now in its ninth year and landing on the organization's 30th anniversary. He got the Director's Commendation for inventiveness and adaptability, and said the award proves people respect what his art is saying. "I hope to show people that no matter what, if you want to do something, you can find a way to do it," he said. Another honoree, Donna Provencher, was recognized for directing a sensory-friendly production of "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" where the audience could get up and move around whenever they wanted. Provencher, who is autistic, said she wanted to build the show she could have been part of as a child. The celebration was free and open to anyone who wanted to come. KUT