Monday
October 19, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 81° / 53°About as nice as Austin gets. Get outside.
- Air quality 26 · GoodClear air. A great day to be outside.
- Lake Travis 94.2% fullThe lake is close to full, just a touch lower than last week.
- Allergies HighRagweed and elm and grasses are heavy today. Windows closed, meds early.
- Power grid NormalDemand peaks near 56,500 megawatts; ERCOT has 83,700 ready and room to spare.
- Sunrise 7:35 a.m.The sun is up for 11 hours and 20 minutes today, and down by 6:55 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. Sunday morning was the coolest since March 18, and the warm-up starts today: a high near 81 this afternoon and 85 on Tuesday, with no rain anywhere in the week's forecast. Pollen is still high, so keep the tissues handy. Early voting opens this morning.
The Briefing
Early voting opens after a weekend of yes-or-no questions
Early voting starts this morning across Travis County. The last weekend of campaigning closed with voters pressing City Council candidates for straight answers.
On Sunday afternoon, more than 300 people filled University United Methodist Church, by the University of Texas at Austin (UT), for a forum run by Central Texas Interfaith, KVUE reported. Candidates from Districts 1, 3, 5 and 9 were asked to answer yes or no on affordable housing, job training, parks, caregiving and data center development. The crowd held its applause while candidates answered.
The two county parties read the moment differently. Luke Warford, chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, told KXAN the county has seen record voter registration and record primary turnout. Andy Hogue, communications director for the Travis County Republican Party, said, "I haven't seen much of a shift in the beliefs of the average Texan."
Now voters get their turn. District 9, which takes in downtown and UT, has five candidates on the ballot, including incumbent Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, KUT reported.
What's next: Early voting runs through October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. The Vote 2026 guide lists every early voting site.
Sources: KVUE (forum), KXAN (party leaders), KUT (District 9)
City Desk
Public safety & courts
Williamson County sheriff's deputies arrested Antonio Gutierrez Cervantes Jr., 47, at his home in the 4300 block of Northridge Road in North Austin after two people were stabbed Friday; both had non-life-threatening injuries. KVUE
Growth & infrastructure
Lanes close on Burnet Road this week
A crew is cutting a trench across Burnet Road at 7320 Burnet Road to tie a new project into the water line, with some northbound lanes closed from Monday until October 23, according to the City's Roadway Work Zones dataset (qyfh-gwei). The permit describes a cut about 10 feet wide and 120 feet long, with a traffic control plan in place. City of Austin open data
Also
All eastbound lanes of Blue Meadow Drive's 1900–2110 block close Monday until December 31 for wastewater line repair in a 450-foot trench, the City's Roadway Work Zones dataset (qyfh-gwei) shows. City of Austin open data
A crew will build a 32-foot pedestrian crossing on Manor Road at Wellington, with some lanes closed from Monday into March, the same City dataset shows. City of Austin open data
Overheard on X
TRAFFIC ALERT: NB/SB I-35 between Airport Blvd and 12th Street, varying nightly lane closures, 10/18-10/21,9pm-5am. Multiple entrance and exit ramps will be closed for paving work. Also, MLK bridge and NB/SB frontage roads will have varying nightly lane closures. #My35#ATXtraffic pic.twitter.com/kZnN5e2Qxc
City Hall & county
Early voting opens across Travis County
Early voting starts today and runs through October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Officials spent Sunday setting up booths and signs at polling places such as Austin Oaks Church, KXAN reported. "If you don't vote, there could be a lot of regret," said Valerie DeBill of the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area. The Vote 2026 guide lists every site. KXAN
Overheard on X
Early voting for the November election begins Monday, Oct. 19, and election officials across Travis County are preparing polling locations as candidates and voter advocacy groups make their final push before Election Day. https://t.co/zccYNgE3Wr pic.twitter.com/LTlgN3tjzu
Also
Central Texas Interfaith wanted "very specific asks so that there's not a lot of wiggle room," Mary Cree of the group told CBS Austin at Sunday's Council forum. CBS Austin
Rich Heyman, Katie Kam, incumbent Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, Kai Huang and Dave Thadani are running in District 9, which includes downtown, UT, Cherrywood and Hyde Park; Thadani did not answer KUT's interview requests. KUT
On affordability in District 9, Heyman would end tax breaks for large companies, Kam said "we shouldn't be raising taxes," and Qadri wants more housing and parking reforms, KUT reported. KUT
On Project Connect, Qadri called himself a "huge supporter," Heyman wants a critical look at whether the plan still makes sense, Kam prefers an elevated monorail and Huang opposes it, KUT reported. KUT
Qadri called Austin police encampment "sweeps" "extremely inhumane," while Kam supports continuing "compassionate cleanups" of encampments, KUT reported in its District 9 guide. KUT
What Proposition I would change
Proposition I would require an independent audit of the City every five years by a firm that must find savings larger than its contract; the City already hires Public Works for audits by ordinance. Council Member Vanessa Fuentes called that "an inherent conflict of interest." Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now, which led the petition, questioned Public Works' record; the City said the firm reinstated its Texas license before starting. KUT
Proposition C would let Austin's Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission review Council district lines when city boundaries change, and widen who can apply to serve on it, KUT reported. KUT
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton received the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's endorsement Sunday, saying he was "always pushing for lower taxes and more incentives for businesses," KXAN reported. KXAN
Paxton and Democrat James Talarico both want to end the 18.4-cent federal gas tax, Paxton permanently and Talarico temporarily, and both back repealing data centers' Texas sales tax exemptions. Texas Tribune
Gov. Greg Abbott has raised about $9 million from data center-related donors since July 2025, the Tribune found; his campaign said data centers "must pay their own way," and challenger Gina Hinojosa objected. Texas Tribune
Schools
UT Outpost's free campus pantries let students take up to 20 pounds of food a month, outreach coordinator Caroline Wheir said at a student budgeting workshop on Wednesday. The Daily Texan
Texas Revue, UT's biggest talent show, ran Friday, with student singers and dancers competing for a $1,500 grand prize. The Daily Texan
Business & street life
Still Austin Whiskey Co. opened Still Austin Quarter, a 15,000-square-foot bar and music venue for up to 500 guests at 4211 Willow Springs Road, with live music Thursday through Saturday. Community Impact
Pinky's Smash & Sip opened at 9901 Brodie Lane, Suite 170, serving Angus and Wagyu smashburgers and dirty sodas named for Barton Springs and Austin After Dark. Community Impact
Overheard on X
Casper Fermentables in Austin TX has the best bagels I’ve ever had and I’ve lived in Brooklyn, Beverly Hills, Denver and Dallas/ had bagels in all. They are 4 ingredient sourdough milled in Barton Springs Tx. They don’t make me feel sick and ALL bread makes me feel sick.… pic.twitter.com/kMaVmoz1qM
Aaron Franklin's Hot Luck festival opened Friday at Franklin Barbecue with ten chefs cooking; the Southern Smoke Foundation, which aids food and service workers, partners with the festival. The Daily Texan
Overheard on X
On this day 29 years ago, blink-182 was playing at the MTV Sports & Music Festival! ☠️🔥
Mark, Tom y Scott in their prime 🤯
🎥 Dammit 📆 Oct /18/ 1997
📍Zilker Park, Austin, TX 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/SdDp0msPIv
Weather
No weather alerts are active for Travis County. Monday is mostly sunny with a high near 81 and a light east-northeast wind. Tonight is partly cloudy with a low around 59, and Tuesday is sunny with a high near 85. National Weather Service forecast
KXAN's forecasters expect cool mornings in the mid- to upper 50s and afternoons in the low to mid-80s midweek, with no rain in the seven-day forecast. KXAN
FOX 7's forecasters expect highs near 90 by next weekend, well above the seasonal average high of 82. FOX 7
Overheard on X
Plenty of sunshine in this week's forecast ☀️ More on the warming trend -->
- Meteorologist Kristen Currie #Austin #ATX #TXWX pic.twitter.com/5QlFZgf8G9
Austin has had its last 7 p.m. sunset until April 2027; on November 1 the sun sets at 5:43 p.m., and by November 30 at 5:30 p.m. KXAN
Sources: National Weather Service forecast, Travis County active-alert snapshot, KXAN, FOX 7
The Back Page
Early voting is open October 19 through 30; Election Day is November 3. Check official registration and election links.
One Good Thing: Dozens of Shiba Inus took over the lawn at Pease Park on Saturday for the fifth annual "Pawrade," with tricks, a "Shiba's Got Talent" contest and commands learned in Japanese. The Japan-America Society of Greater Austin hosted. CBS Austin