Sunday
October 11, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 93° / 69°Summer is hanging on. Do the errands early and the porch after dark.
- Air quality 45 · GoodClear air. A great day to be outside.
- Lake Travis 94.8% fullTravis is near full heading into fall, a comfortable spot after a dry summer.
- Allergies HighElm and ragweed and grasses are heavy today. Windows closed, meds early.
- Power grid NormalDemand peaks near 73,100 megawatts; ERCOT has 112,500 ready and room to spare.
- Sunrise 7:30 a.m.The sun is up for 11 hours and 34 minutes today, and down by 7:04 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. It is the last day of Austin City Limits at Zilker, the high is 93 again, and the south wind will gust up to 25 mph across a very tired Great Lawn. If you spent the week wondering about the little white flowers in every ditch, the answer is at the bottom of the page. Hang on through Wednesday's mugginess. Forecasters are growing confident about a strong cold front around Friday and a cooler weekend behind it.
The Briefing
Austin starts writing rules for its biggest water users
Austin Water has sketched what it would ask of the city's heaviest commercial customers, and residents got their first look at an open house on October 5, the Austin Chronicle reported.
The draft would cover any commercial or industrial site that uses, or is projected to use, more than 85 million gallons a year. Those customers would file conservation plans, annual reports and water budgets. Go over the budget and the rate goes up. The utility is also weighing plan updates every five years, with five- and 10-year goals.
The numbers frame the stakes. In 2025, high-impact commercial customers used 10.2% of Austin's water and residential customers 60.1%, according to Austin Water figures presented that night.
Data centers were a focus of residents' concerns. Director Shay Ralls Roalson said the proposals are "about high-impact water users, regardless of what kind of development it is." Northwest Austin resident Carol Phillips asked how the City can plan "without knowing every drop you're using," including water used at the power plants that supply a data center.
Roalson said the utility's practices ensure costs "are borne equitably by each customer class." A 2023 ordinance requires developers to pay for the utility infrastructure they need.
What's next: City Manager T.C. Broadnax must bring recommendations to the Council's Climate, Water, Environment and Parks Committee by December 9.
Sources: Austin Chronicle (the open house, the draft rules and Austin Water's figures)
City Desk
Money & bills
Under Austin Water's draft rules, a commercial customer using more than 85 million gallons a year that exceeds its water budget would pay higher rates. Austin Chronicle
Public safety & courts
Man shot dead in Menchaca Road dispute over rent
Miguel Guevara was shot and killed Tuesday night in the 11300 block of Menchaca Road, the Austin Police Department (APD) said. Police said his roommate, Christopher Foy, 24, shot him during an argument over rent money, shortly after pointing a gun at his girlfriend in a separate dispute. Officers found Foy hours later on Nuckols Crossing and arrested him for murder. It is Austin's 46th homicide of 2026. Austin Police Department
Murder charge in a fentanyl death at a construction site
APD arrested Jose Antonio Martinez, 54, on October 5 on a first-degree murder warrant in the June death of Luis Gerardo Cancel-Vargas. He was found unresponsive in a portable toilet at a construction site at 101 Brushy Street. An autopsy found fentanyl and other drugs; police said Martinez provided them. It is Austin's 44th homicide this year. Austin Police Department
Also
Police counted 64 people killed in 63 fatal crashes in Austin as of October 4, against 79 deaths in 75 crashes by the same date in 2025. Austin Police Department
Detectives are looking for the white pickup truck that struck a person at West Cesar Chavez and Colorado streets on September 1; the victim survived. Austin Police Department
Police seek witnesses to an August 26 fight at Gillis Neighborhood Park's basketball courts in which a person was beaten with a stick; a reward of up to $1,000 is offered. Austin Police Department
A Williamson County jury convicted Joe Oscar Rodriguez, 63, of Austin of possessing cocaine and psilocin with intent to deliver; he was sentenced to 15 years. KXAN
Death penalty opponents, including exonerated former death row prisoners, rallied and marched at the Texas Capitol on Saturday, calling for an end to executions. FOX 7
Growth & infrastructure
Parts of Zilker's Great Lawn to stay closed after ACL
Once the Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival's second weekend ends and crews finish load-out, portions of Zilker Park's Great Lawn will stay closed so the soil, turf and trees can recover, the City says. Sections reopen as work allows. The City says organizers have committed to restore the lawn to its previous condition or better, "at no cost to taxpayers." City of Austin
Also
Council Member Ryan Alter told CBS Austin that organizer C3 repairs the lawn each year under its contract, but he wants to be sure the festival is not causing deeper damage. CBS Austin
Overheard on X
It’s another action-packed Saturday for CapMetro riders! 🚍🚊
With @aclfestival Weekend 2 and an @AustinFC match both happening today, expect busy buses and trains throughout the city.
Plan ahead, allow extra time and look for CapMetro team members at stations and stops if you… pic.twitter.com/jLdz7yZpuS
Council makes Doris Miller Auditorium a historic landmark
The City Council voted October 8 to designate the Doris Miller Auditorium at Rosewood Neighborhood Park, 2300 Rosewood Ave., a City historic landmark. The building opened in 1944 as a recreation hall for Black service members and was named for the Navy cook honored for heroism at Pearl Harbor. Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Count Basie played there. City of Austin
Austin Water says residential customers used 60.1% of the city's water in 2025 and high-impact commercial customers 10.2%. Austin Chronicle
Overheard on X
all of the robotaxis are stuck in traffic on barton springs rd. after ACL lol
City Hall & county
David Gray of the City's Homeless Strategy Office told the Council he met with the Cicero Institute; Mayor Kirk Watson's office said it had no contact with Cicero on No Wrong Door. Austin Chronicle
Both Travis County parties plan block walks every weekend until November 3; in Texas House District 47, Pooja Sethi handed out flyers Saturday and opponent Jennifer Mushtaler said her campaign has sped up. KXAN
Overheard on Bluesky
With early voting starting Oct. 19, statewide and local candidates appear to advance their pace in the race toward election day.
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/texas-candidates-ramp-up-election-outreach-as-early-voting-looms/
Schools
Austin Independent School District (AISD) enrollment is below what the district expected, KXAN reports, down from about 69,000 students last school year. KXAN
University of Texas at Austin researchers say a meteor struck what is now Ames, Oklahoma, about 370 million years ago, nearly 100 million years later than thought. FOX 7
Business & street life
A Japanese handroll spot that closed its South Congress trailer October 1 opens its first restaurant, Nishi, in South Austin on October 15. Community Impact
Il Brutto chef Erind Halilaj and partner Charity Sadoy are behind Casa Fina, a Spanish tapas bar in the former House Wine space near Zilker Park. Community Impact
Baolicious, serving handmade dumplings, noodles and bao buns, has opened in The Linc retail center along I-35. Community Impact
The Salty marks five years on South Congress with a $5 glazed doughnut and coffee on October 13, until 5 p.m. Community Impact
Artist Jonathan "Chaka" Mahone opened Fresh is Forever, a shop for his art and clothing; half the profit from its Austin hats and shirts goes to his nonprofit. KXAN
Overheard on Bluesky
Art 84 Opening Reception-Sun, Oct 11, 2026, 5-7 pm-New Exhibit: Save me a Dance featuring 12 Texas artists. Cannon Coffee, South Austin, Jazz pianist, Free, Refreshments. Donations greatly appreciated! art84.org Cannon Coffee TX: 1901 W William Cannon Dr. at Menchaca #165A, #Austin #atxart #atxtech
Longtime friends Jeff Mills and Lee Eddy star in "The Making of a Great Moment," a two-actor comedy at Hyde Park Theatre through October 24. KUT
Overheard on Bluesky
Amadeus
by Peter Shaffer
City Theatre Company
October 02 - October 18, 2026
City Theatre
Genesis Creative Collective
1507 Wilshire Blvd
Austin, TX, 78722
#TonightsBill #ATXtheatre #CTXlivetheatre
Weather
The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny Sunday with a high near 93 and south-southeast gusts up to 25 mph, then a mostly clear night near 70. Monday brings a slight chance of afternoon storms, a high near 93 and a heat index up to 100. National Weather Service forecast
No watches, warnings or advisories were active for Travis County this morning. National Weather Service alerts
KXAN's forecasters expect highs in the mid-90s Tuesday and Wednesday with oppressive humidity, then growing confidence in a strong cold front around Friday. KXAN
Overheard on X
Above-average warmth (85°F to 95°F) with gusty winds today. Warmth lasts through midweek before a cold front results in a cooler weekend. Rain chances focus along and east of I-35 early to midweek, with additional rain chances arriving with the front later in the work week. #txwx pic.twitter.com/5EGWyZ4Is3
Sources: National Weather Service forecast, Travis County active-alert snapshot, KXAN
The Back Page
Early voting begins October 19; Election Day is November 3. Check official registration and election links.
Sunday Paper: Three longer reads from the week. KUT went door to door in the District 3 City Council race, where five candidates are running. KXAN mapped every fatal crash in Austin this year, with each year back to 2022 for comparison. And KXAN's data team charted the airport's busiest months and the new flights coming in 2027.
One Good Thing: Those small white flowers in yards and roadsides are rain lilies, up after the early-October rain. Kyle Cheesborough of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says they open in the evening, last one to three days, and smell a little like cucumbers. KXAN