Thursday
October 15, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 92° / 72°The last hot one for a while. A windy front arrives overnight.
- Air quality 35 · GoodClear air. A great day to be outside.
- Lake Travis 94.6% fullThe lake is close to full — good for boats and for the summer water supply. Down a touch from last week.
- Allergies HighRagweed and elm and grasses are heavy today. Windows closed, meds early.
- Power grid NormalA busy afternoon: demand near 74,500 megawatts, with 97,200 on hand.
- Sunrise 7:33 a.m.The sun is up for 11 hours and 26 minutes today, and down by 6:59 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. Enjoy the last hot one: a high near 92 and plenty of sun. Tonight it changes. A front pushes through after midnight with gusts to 35, maybe a passing shower, and Friday tops out near 70 with a north wind gusting to 40. Friday night drops to about 51. Find the jacket you buried in April.
The Briefing
Austin is close to owning Muny
The City of Austin said Wednesday it is close to a deal with the University of Texas at Austin (UT) that would give the City ownership of Lions Municipal Golf Course. Muny sits on 141 acres at 2901 Enfield Road. UT has owned the land since the early 1900s, and the City has run the course on it since 1937.
Donors made it possible. Mayor Kirk Watson said several longtime Austinites will make a very large gift to UT; their names and the amount are not public. In return, Muny stays an 18-hole course, and the university's land around it opens to future development under rules the City has yet to write.
"This is a great day for Austin," Watson said. UT said it is working with the City on a path for the Brackenridge tract "that honors our fiduciary responsibilities and stewardship obligations," and that the deal goes to its Board of Regents. Scotty Sayers of the Muny Conservancy said the land's value had long been the threat to the course.
Since 2019, the City has leased Muny from UT month to month.
What's next: The Environmental Commission hears the amended agreement October 21 and the Planning Commission October 27, and the City Council takes it up November 19.
Sources: City of Austin (agreement, Watson quote, Council date), Community Impact (acreage, donors, commission dates), KXAN (UT statement, month-to-month lease), FOX 7 (Sayers)
City Desk
Money & bills
Austin pays UT just under $500,000 a year to lease Muny, and the 155 acres holding Muny and the West Austin Youth Association campus are appraised at more than $680 million. Community Impact
Central Austin's median home price was $760,000 in September, up from $750,000 a year earlier, while closed sales fell to 170 from 186, according to Unlock MLS data. Community Impact
The median home sales price fell from September 2025 to September 2026 in all three East Austin ZIP codes Community Impact tracks: 78702, 78722 and 78723. Community Impact
Public safety & courts
Two killed in East Austin rollover
Two people died and a third was critically hurt when an SUV hit a curb, rolled over and caught fire around 9:59 p.m. Wednesday on the southbound Ed Bluestein Boulevard service road near Bolm Road, the Austin Fire Department said. Firefighters forced open two doors to reach them. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) took the third occupant to Dell Seton Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. KXAN
Also
A man found dead early Wednesday in a parking lot in the 8700 block of North Lamar Boulevard is the city's 68th traffic death of 2026, the Austin Police Department (APD) said. KXAN
A pedestrian was struck and killed around 5:55 a.m. Wednesday in the 1600 block of East State Highway 71, ATCEMS said. KXAN
APD is looking for the driver and vehicle in a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian near 3820 South Congress Avenue and Krebs Lane early Monday. KXAN
Firefighters put out an apartment fire at 2901 Barton Skyway on Wednesday before it spread to other units; the cause is under investigation. CBS Austin
A vehicle went over an embankment and into the dining room of Keso's Tacos on Spicewood Springs Road on Wednesday morning; the driver was taken to a hospital. KXAN
Overheard on Reddit
STOP RUNNING RED LIGHTS
Honestly, that’s all. I don’t want to die trying to get to work because someone is too impatient to wait at a stop light. Was almost t-bones on William Cannon this morning as someone went through a light that had been red for a solid 10 seconds.
Growth & infrastructure
What the Muny deal opens for development
The Muny deal would amend the agreement governing 190 acres of UT land along Lake Austin Boulevard. A regulating plan could cap new buildings at 65 feet and require setbacks of at least 200 feet from Lady Bird Lake. The City would also consider a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) for infrastructure, and UT's Mueller lease at 1400 Barbara Jordan Boulevard would allow student and faculty housing. Community Impact
Also
East Austin has less tree canopy than the west side, and surface temperatures east of Interstate 35 (I-35) can run 5 to 10 degrees above the citywide average. Austin Chronicle
Overheard on Bluesky
East Austin has far less tree cover than neighborhoods west of I-35, leaving residents more exposed to heat. City grants and community planting projects are expanding, but a wastewater pipeline project forced one East Side food forest to remove newly planted trees.
Tesla says it has more than 300 driverless taxis in Austin, and Waymo also runs more than 300, bringing the city to about 700 autonomous vehicles. CBS Austin
Overheard on Reddit
Cybercabs are only auto taxi that keeps driving in the rain.
I just had Waymo cancel a ride because it started raining hard. In my human uber home I noticed that other self driving vehicles types were parked with hazard lights on, seemingly waiting out the rain. I also noticed more than 10 cyber cabs in a 10 minute ride were still driving, both with and without customers.
City Hall & county
Travis County readies for Monday's early voting
Early voting starts Monday, and Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado said the county has about 940,000 registered voters and about 27,000 mail-ballot applications. There will be 201 Election Day polling places and more than 1,000 election workers. Voters with problems at a polling place, including intimidation, can call 512-238-VOTE. She urged voters to check their sample ballot before going. FOX 7
Overheard on Bluesky
Early voting starts Oct. 19, and the Travis County Clerk is preparing for what could be a historic turnout of voters this election cycle.
Also
Texas counties appear to have cleared the backlog of more than 500,000 voter registration records stuck by a state driver's license portal error, the Secretary of State's office and county election officials said. Texas Tribune
Texans 65 and older must reapply for a mail ballot every year, and applications must reach the county by Friday, October 23, Limon-Mercado told KUT. KUT
In District 5, Council Member Ryan Alter faces David Weinberg, Liz Brink and Farrah Abraham; Alter and Weinberg back the November bonds, and Abraham said taxpayers deserve "complete transparency" first. Austin Current
Schools
Burnet and Webb petitions are due today
Petitions asking the state to close Burnet and Webb middle schools are due to Austin Independent School District (AISD) today. By Tuesday afternoon, the Austin Council of Parent Teacher Associations had 48% of the signatures needed at Burnet and 36% at Webb. Parent Liz Frankel said "we need to do everything possible to avoid a state takeover." Webb parent Vanessa Gámez said parents feel pressured and have questions. KUT KXAN
Also
Sarah Dille, running for the AISD board's District 6 seat, and 12 other candidates are seeking five seats whose holders could lose their votes if the state installs managers. Austin Chronicle
Eight of 15 State Board of Education seats are on the ballot, including District 5, which covers Travis County; the board adopts what Texas public schools teach. KUT
Business & street life
The former Empire Control Room and Garage building at 604–606 East Seventh Street is listed for $7 million, and owner Andy Sernovitz said he wants another music venue there. KXAN
The Austin Humane Society took in 41 dogs and a cat removed from an unsanitary Bastrop County home and expects most dogs to be adoptable within days. KXAN
Overheard on X
Know someone who's ready for a new opportunity? Send this post their way!
Tomorrow, we're bringing people together for our CapMetro Career Fair, where job seekers can meet our team and explore open roles across the agency, including Rail, frontline and administrative positions.… pic.twitter.com/xvuchtz0vG
Nine homes, including Rutherford Place, a 1935 Travis Heights duplex turned single-family house, are open October 24–25 on the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Austin Homes Tour. CBS Austin
Weather
The National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny Thursday with a high near 92. A chance of showers arrives after 1 a.m., with east-northeast gusts as high as 35 mph overnight. National Weather Service forecast
Friday's high is near 70, with a north wind gusting as high as 40 mph and a low around 51 Friday night. Saturday is sunny with a high near 70. National Weather Service forecast
No watches, warnings or advisories were active for Travis County this morning. National Weather Service alerts
Sources: National Weather Service forecast, Travis County active-alert snapshot
The Back Page
Early voting begins October 19; Election Day is November 3. Check official registration and election links.
One Good Thing: Families staying at the Ronald McDonald House beside Dell Children's Medical Center in Mueller have a new second-floor Family Kitchen with four cooking stations, and four new bedrooms bring the house to 34 rooms. Community Impact