Monday
October 5, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 85° / 68°A sunny Monday; the official forecast may change during the day.
- Air quality 25 · GoodThe morning air-quality snapshot is in the Good category.
- Lake Travis 94.5% fullA reservoir snapshot; check the source for changing lake conditions.
- Power grid NormalThe operator reports normal grid conditions in the morning snapshot.
- Sunrise 7:26 a.m.Morning light arrives at 7:26 a.m.; sunset is listed at 7:11 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. The first festival weekend is behind us; Monday has its own timetable. If you are flying out, the airport asks you to arrive early. If you need to register to vote or update your address for November, today is the deadline. There is time to do it, but the form needs to reach the right place by the right method. Elsewhere, band parents are describing what school budget cuts mean for getting instruments to games. The coffee can come along. The paperwork probably should, too.
The Briefing
Today is the last day to register for November
Today, Oct. 5, is the registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election. For a new resident, a student registering for the first time or someone whose name or address changed, the useful first step is checking the official registration instructions and your current record.
The ordinary Secretary of State new-registration web form is a way to prepare an application: fill it out, print it, sign it and mail or deliver it to your county voter registrar. Completing that form online alone does not finish registration. Existing Texas voters can update their records online; separate instructions cover registration through qualifying Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) license or identification-card transactions.
Travis County offers a deadline-day option at the Nelda Wells Spears Building, 2433 Ridgepoint Drive: registration hours there run from 8 a.m. to midnight today only. The extended hours apply to that building, not every county office.
If you mail an application, it must be postmarked Oct. 5 or earlier. The county warns that putting it in a postal collection box can produce a late postmark. It recommends asking for a manual postmark at the postal counter, or delivering the completed application to a tax office instead.
What's next: Use our registration and submission links today; check the county notice for your office's hours.
Sources: Travis County Tax Office (deadline, postmarks and special hours), VoteTexas (registration and online updates)
City Desk
Money & bills
Band parents describe the work left by transportation cuts
Austin Independent School District (AISD) band parents told KXAN they are finding ways to move equipment after trucks were not secured. Bowie parent Deepa Eveleigh said equipment was left behind for a competition and volunteers' work is unsustainable. The district says transportation reductions limit its fine arts budget; most principals chose district-paid transportation for five regular-season football games. KXAN
Also
Thursday's Council agenda proposes $2 million more in operational support for Rally Austin, the city's economic development corporation; the amendment has not been approved. City Council agenda · item 3
Public safety & courts
Municipal Court's new docket schedule starts today
Austin Municipal Court's schedule change takes effect today: attorney appearance dockets and jury trials will be held on Tuesdays. The court says the consolidation follows a review of underused docket times. Its walk-in mitigation schedule stays unchanged, so people seeking to discuss cases with a judge or prosecutor still have separate morning, afternoon and Thursday evening options. City of Austin
Also
Walk-in mitigation at 6800 Burleson Road runs Monday–Thursday, 8:30–11 a.m. and 1:30–3:30 p.m., plus Thursday, 6–8 p.m.; call 512-974-4800 with court questions. City of Austin
The agency and Vela give different accounts of a detention
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told KXAN Sunday it released a woman about 10 minutes after an Oct. 1 vehicle stop upon learning she was children's sole caregiver. Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela described a school-bus-stop arrest that left a child alone. The agency says no children were present and has not confirmed the crying child's relationship to the woman. KXAN
At Sunday's community forum, Wilber Garcés Pérez's attorney said he remains in county jail after surgery; his legal team is contesting federal charges, CBS Austin reported. CBS Austin
Growth & infrastructure
Airport officials ask Monday passengers to arrive early
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport expects a busy departure day as festival visitors head home. Its current advisory recommends arriving at least 2.5 hours before a domestic flight or three hours before an international flight, with extra time for checking bags or returning a rental car. That is planning advice for today, not a measurement of the current security line. Austin-Bergstrom
Overheard on Reddit
Austin Airport Oct 5 4:20 AM
Not as bad as last year
Also
The City's Barton Springs Road closure was scheduled to end at 6 a.m. today; the next starts Thursday at 7 p.m. Posted plans do not confirm observed reopening. City of Austin
Overheard on Reddit
How are Uber Drivers handling muddy customers ?
Thursday's proposed Rutland/Parkfield roundabout construction contract has a $1,434,265 cap, including contingency; Council has not approved it or established a construction start here. City Council agenda · item 6
Council will consider a flood-monitoring and low-water-crossing alert platform contract Thursday, capped at $1,212,200 including extension options; this is a pending proposal. City Council agenda · item 9
Thursday's agenda includes an acquisition-and-rehabilitation hearing for Elm Ridge Apartments near 1190 Airport Boulevard, partly financed through private activity bonds; approval is pending. City Council agenda · item 27
A proposed Thursday resolution asks the City Manager to develop construction-training requirements for certain projects valued above $10 million; it does not enact those requirements. City Council agenda · item 22
Council will consider starting rezoning for the City-owned cultural-center pocket park at 58 and 64 Rainey Street to allow parks and recreation use. City Council agenda · item 23
City Hall & county
A deadline-day office option runs until midnight
Today is the registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election. Travis County's Nelda Wells Spears Building at 2433 Ridgepoint Drive accepts registration from 8 a.m. to midnight today only. Other offices have different hours. Follow the official instructions for new applications or online updates; check your registration record before assuming an earlier submission has been processed. Travis County Tax Office
Also
Mailed registration applications need an Oct. 5-or-earlier postmark; Travis County recommends a manual postmark at the postal counter because collection-box pickup may produce a later one. Travis County Tax Office
“Suspense” on a voter record does not mean removal from the rolls, registrar Celia Israel told CBS Austin; check your address and official update instructions. CBS Austin
Speaker registration for Thursday's City Council and Austin Housing Finance Corporation meetings opens today at 10 a.m.; use the City's meeting center for instructions. City of Austin
Schools
The district's current careers page features food service managers, custodians and bus drivers with application links; Saturday's hiring fair has ended. Austin ISD
Business & street life
The Daily Texan's Sunday report describes Centroamericanto Fest bringing Central American filmmakers and musicians to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The Daily Texan
In KXAN's new history interview, former Rainey Street resident Anita Quintanilla recalls Mexican American working families and the neighborhood her parents left in 1985. KXAN
Overheard on Reddit
Who was at that Ringo Deathstarr show at Cherrywood Center last night?
Saw them on the marquee a couple of weeks ago while walking my dog in my neighborhood. It was cool to have a few beers at my place and go see some awesome music within a minute walking distance of my house. This city is still cool idgaf what people say...
Weather
Monday is sunny with a high near 85. Tonight is mostly clear with a low near 68. Check the current forecast before heading out. National Weather Service
No active watches or warnings were listed for Travis County in this morning's alert feed. National Weather Service
The Back Page
4 days until the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival's second weekend · Oct. 9–11 at Zilker Park.
Chloe Brown has made giving blood a birthday tradition. She turned 19 at the Sept. 29 mobile drive outside the Texas Science & Natural History Museum, The Daily Texan reported Sunday. She told the paper she likes doing something for others on her birthday. The drive was last week; the small habit is the part worth carrying into this one. The Daily Texan