Tuesday
October 13, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 95° / 78°Summer heat in October, with a gusty south wind. Relief arrives Friday.
- Air quality 33 · GoodClear air. A great day to be outside.
- Lake Travis 94.7% fullThe lake is close to full — good for boats and for the summer water supply. Down a touch from last week.
- Allergies ModerateRagweed and elm and grasses are up. Allergy folks, take the pill before it takes you.
- Power grid NormalA busy afternoon: demand near 81,500 megawatts, with 103,600 on hand.
- Sunrise 7:31 a.m.The sun is up for 11 hours and 31 minutes today, and down by 7:02 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. October is still pretending it's July: a high near 95 today, a heat index around 103, and a south wind gusting to 25. Wednesday brings a decent chance of showers. Then the payoff. A cold front slides through late Thursday, and Friday tops out near 80 with a north wind strong enough to make you hold onto your hat. Saturday, about 77. Open the windows.
The Briefing
Two city bonds on the ballot: what they build, and what they cost
Austin voters will decide two city bond measures on the November 3 ballot, and early voting opens Monday. Proposition A asks for $260 million for parks: more than two dozen trail, pool, recreation center and playground projects, plus land purchases citywide. Proposition B asks for $35 million for two library branches, Community Impact reports.
The City has not said how much each named project would get.
The Council voted 8-3 on August 4 to prepare the election, then ordered it without objection two days later. Council Member Paige Ellis said the money would be reinvested in "the parts of town that don't always get that level of investment." Mayor Kirk Watson, who voted no with José Velásquez and Marc Duchen, said, "I don't believe it is the time to negatively impact affordability."
Correction: an earlier version said the Council sent the package to voters 8-3. The 8-3 vote, on August 4, directed staff to prepare the election; the Council ordered it on August 6 without objection.
If both pass, the City expects to issue about $49 million in debt a year from 2027 to 2032. Its own estimate, reported by KUT, is a $40 yearly increase on an average-valued home of $495,000.
Repaying the $295 million would also mean nearly $220 million in projected interest.
What's next: Early voting runs from October 19; Election Day is November 3. Our Vote 2026 page lists the ballot and every Travis County early voting site.
Sources: Community Impact (bond amounts, Council vote, quotes, debt and interest), KUT (City's estimate of the homeowner cost), Y'all, City Hall (August 4 vote), Y'all, City Hall (August 6 vote)
City Desk
Money & bills
Debt payments already take more than $500 of a typical city tax bill
Debt service taxes for the typical Austin homeowner topped $500 this year, just over 23% of the city property tax bill, and are expected to keep rising into the 2030s whether or not the November bonds pass, Community Impact reports. The City has nearly $2.4 billion in outstanding debt, and more than $760 million from bonds approved in 2016 through 2022 remains unspent. Community Impact
Also
Council Member Mike Siegel, who supports the bonds, said a family of four's free day at a city pool is "worth far more than $7," calling the package an investment in affordable activities. Community Impact
Travis County commissioners approved up to $5.65 million to repair a closed county landfill beneath the Austin Country Flea Market on East US 290 and cover legal costs in three lawsuits. Community Impact
The American Automobile Association (AAA) put the Texas average for regular gasoline at $3.82 a gallon Monday, 8 cents lower than a week earlier but $1.15 above a year ago; diesel averaged $5.67. FOX 7
Public safety & courts
Norwood killing suspect had felonies dismissed a month earlier
Jesse Carl Monroe II, 33, charged with murder in the October 6 killing of Jeffery Grable at the Capital Metro Norwood Transit Center, has had 38 criminal charges filed against him in Travis County since 2011, court records reviewed by KXAN show. On September 4, five 2022 felony charges against him were dismissed when he was offered pretrial diversion in a plea agreement. Records show years of competency concerns. KXAN
Also
Austin Police Department (APD) detectives are investigating after a non-viable fetus was found Monday evening in a parking lot at Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park; APD said it is not a homicide case. KXAN
KVUE reported that Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services medics are noticing some overdoses are requiring two doses of Narcan to save a life. KVUE
No one was hurt Friday when a man fired toward a shopping center near the Chick-fil-A at 161 W. Slaughter Lane, damaging cars, APD said; he faces a deadly conduct charge. CBS Austin
The City will ask bars what worked in Sip Safely, the voluntary pilot that gave about 70 bars free drink-spiking test strips and covers; the new budget sets aside $20,000 to continue it. KXAN
Growth & infrastructure
Under its contract with the City, Austin City Limits (ACL) producer C3 Presents pays to repair Zilker Park's Great Lawn; the parks department has not set a reopening date. CBS Austin
Downtown digital kiosks now run at Congress Avenue and Barton Springs Road and at Second and San Antonio; two more, at Second and Guadalupe and Congress and 10th, arrive this month. FOX 7
The ad-funded kiosks, run by Ike Smart City, cost the City nothing and carry no cameras, the City says; 10 are due by the end of the year. FOX 7
Overheard on X
Join us Wednesday 10/14 at 6:00 p.m. for the next virtual #CapMetro Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee meeting.
More info on CSAC: https://t.co/Ndt09skNL4
Meeting info released day of. pic.twitter.com/Ad88G82GBS
Widening Spicewood Springs Road in Northwest Austin to four lanes, a $31 million 2016 Mobility Bond project, slipped from late 2026 to summer 2027 after weather delays. Community Impact
The rebuilt Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge over I-35 in East Austin is fully open, two lanes each way; crews are finishing shared-use paths and wider sidewalks this month. Community Impact
Overheard on Reddit
IT IS LITERALLY MIDNIGHT WHY IS THERE A 30 MINUTE SLOWDOWN ON I35
I just wanted to head to the gym and come home. My 15 minute drive turned into a 40 minute one and i can’t even exit. losing my sanity
Travis County is taking online comments through November 4 on plans for a new 1,500-acre county park on former Kozmetsky family land and a nearly 475-acre extension of Reimers Ranch Park. Community Impact
City Hall & county
Alter faces three challengers in District 5
Council Member Ryan Alter is seeking a second term representing District 5, in South and Southwest Austin, against David Weinberg, Liz Brink and Farrah Abraham, KUT reports. Alter said housing costs are lower than in any other major city in the country. Weinberg said the Council is "pretty distant" from residents' priorities. Abraham said families are squeezed while parks and roads are neglected. Brink did not respond to KUT. KUT
Also
On Proposition I, the charter amendment requiring independent external audits, Alter is opposed, saying the Council already passed an audit; Weinberg and Abraham support it. KUT
Alter and Weinberg told KUT they support the parks and library bonds; Abraham said she supports strategic investments, "but taxpayers deserve complete transparency before approving new debt." KUT
Early voting begins Monday, October 19, for the November 3 election; our Vote 2026 page lists every Travis County early voting site and its hours. Community Impact
Noise and alarm complaints no longer appear in the City's 311 open data; a 311 spokesperson said APD asked that the data be released only through public records requests. KXAN
Schools
Burnet and Webb petition deadline is Thursday
Parents at the Austin Independent School District's (AISD) Burnet and Webb middle schools have until Thursday, October 15, to sign petitions asking the state to close the two campuses. Each petition needs parents of more than 50% of enrolled students. As of October 9, parents of 11% of Burnet students and 2% of Webb students had signed, Austin Current reported. The Austin Council of Parent Teacher Associations joined the push. Austin Current
Also
A successful petition would not rule out a broader takeover of AISD: Education Commissioner Mike Morath could still appoint a board or a conservator. Austin Current
The University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School is partnering on two federal projects meant to shorten the 12 to 18 months it takes to start a clinical trial. The Daily Texan
Business & street life
Wheatsville Food Co-op will close its Guadalupe Street store on October 25 after 45 years, citing rising occupancy costs, declining sales and expected construction along Guadalupe; the South Lamar store stays open. KXAN
Overheard on Reddit
Guadalupe Wheatsville Closing October 25
I was aware that the UT campus-area Wheatsville would close before the end of the year, but I was hoping the day would never come. The Mangiasaurus atop the store will be removed at 10am, according to Wheatsville's newsletter. Although the south store is newer and nicer, it isn't convenient for someone who walks to the Guadalupe store.
The Hi, How Are You Project, named for Daniel Johnston's mural near the University of Texas campus, launched a free app with journaling, breathing exercises and in-person wellness meetups. KXAN
Overheard on Bluesky
#ATX
Mangiasaurus is moving south on October 25, 2026.
This big dinosaur sculpture first adorned Mangia Pizza’s main location. Mangia’s moved, so Wheatsville Co-op adopted him. Wheatsville is moving, and so is Mangiasaurus.
youtu.be/7Cr4ZTRcrrA?...
Weather
The National Weather Service forecasts a partly sunny Tuesday with a high near 95, a heat index as high as 103 and south wind gusts to 25 mph. Wednesday carries a 40% chance of showers and storms. National Weather Service forecast
Behind a late-Thursday front, Friday's forecast high is near 80, with north wind gusts as high as 40 mph and a low near 58 Friday night. Saturday's high is near 77. National Weather Service forecast
No watches, warnings or advisories were active for Travis County this morning. National Weather Service alerts
KXAN's forecasters expect the front to clear out the stubborn summer humidity along with the heat. KXAN
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.
One Good Thing: Mangia, the dinosaur on Wheatsville's Guadalupe roof, is not going to the scrapyard. On closing day, October 25, at 10 a.m., he gets craned down and moved to the South Lamar store, where he'll keep watch over the produce. "Mangia stands for keeping Austin weird," the co-op said. KXAN