Tuesday
October 20, 2026
Today at a glance
- Weather 85° / 59°About as nice as Austin gets. Get outside.
- Air quality 52 · ModerateFine for most of us. If your lungs are touchy, take it a little easy.
- Lake Travis 94.2% 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 NormalDemand peaks near 59,500 megawatts; ERCOT has 87,100 ready and room to spare.
- Sunrise 7:36 a.m.The sun is up for 11 hours and 18 minutes today, and down by 6:54 p.m.
Good morning, Austin. Another sunny one: a high near 85 this afternoon, a low around 57 tonight, and the same again Wednesday. Pollen is still high, with ragweed leading, so keep the windows shut. Race week is here too, so plan for busier hotels, restaurants and roads by the weekend.
The Briefing
Webb's parents ask the state to check a petition in their name
A petition meant to give Webb Middle School parents a say is now under review itself.
Webb's Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has asked the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to investigate whether outside individuals pressured parents to sign a petition asking the state to close the school, and whether families' private information was shared without authorization, Austin Current reported. TEA confirmed Monday that it had received the complaint. It declined further comment.
"The letters requesting the closure of Webb Middle School do not represent the true voice of our community," the PTA wrote. Petition organizers say a majority of parents at Webb and at Burnet Middle School asked the state to close their campuses. Austin Independent School District (AISD) said it received both petitions "in alignment with the Texas Education Agency parent petition process." Both schools carry a fifth straight failing rating, which is preliminary and under appeal.
Voters are picking school board members in the middle of it. Thirteen candidates are running for five AISD board seats, KXAN reported, as the district faces possible state intervention.
What's next: Superintendent Matias Segura has until December 1 to verify the signatures against enrollment records and send the petitions to Education Commissioner Mike Morath. Early voting runs through October 30.
Sources: Austin Current (Webb complaint), KXAN (board candidates), Austin Current (District 9 race)
City Desk
Money & bills
Thousands of Travis County homeowners may be skipping a tax break
About 60,000 Travis County homeowners may qualify for the homestead exemption but have not applied for it, the appraisal district told The Texas Tribune, about 1 in 5 households by the Tribune's count. Tax bills go out this month. The exemption takes $140,000 off a home's value for school taxes. Gaps are larger in Del Valle and Manor than in Hyde Park, the district said. Texas Tribune
Also
Homeowners who missed the April 30 deadline can still apply for the exemption up to two years after that year's taxes are paid and get a refund of the difference, the Tribune reported. Texas Tribune
Public safety & courts
Murder charge follows a Central Library attack
Daniel Vasquez, 31, was charged with murder on October 15 in the death of Alonzo Mabry, 62, who was attacked at the Central Library on West César Chávez Street on March 11, according to an affidavit KXAN obtained. Police allege Vasquez repeatedly stomped on Mabry's head. Mabry died June 12 in hospice care, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide. KXAN
Also
Luis Manuel Reveles-Ibarra, 51, was charged with intoxication manslaughter in the October 10 crash at East Anderson Lane and Cameron Road that killed Yasel Rodriguez-Girado, 31, an affidavit says. FOX 7
Austin police released video of a woman they say stole a pickup on October 6, then fled a Research Boulevard crash the next morning on a bicycle. KXAN
Growth & infrastructure
Imagine Austin open houses start tonight
The City holds open houses tonight from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Turner Roberts Recreation Center and Wednesday at the Dove Springs Recreation Center on the update to Imagine Austin, its 2012 growth plan. Each covers a draft vision statement and a first look at a new future land use map. Three more sessions run through October 29, one on Zoom. Community Impact
Also
Austin Public Health recommends barring new tobacco and e-cigarette shops within 1,000 feet of schools and child care centers; more than 600 existing shops inside that distance would stay open. KXAN
Business owners told the City the buffer would cut competition and expansion options, and some asked for a smaller one; the City is also studying adding hemp shops to it. FOX 7
Overheard on X
TRAFFIC ALERT: Southbound I-35 mainlanes between Holly Street and Woodland Avenue will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., for striping. Use Riverside Drive exit (233) and continue on the Riverside Drive bypass to reenter mainlanes. #My35 #ATXtraffic pic.twitter.com/x2WydyfKqu
Path and curb-ramp work on Walter Seaholm Drive at West Third Street closes some lanes from Wednesday until April 16, 2027, the City's Roadway Work Zones dataset (qyfh-gwei) shows. City of Austin open data
Council approved on October 8 a rezoning for 475 apartments beside Loop 360, over Lost Creek neighbors' traffic concerns; Council Member Marc Duchen voted no. Community Impact
The MoKan Trail's bridge over Boggy Creek, the last piece of a 1.5-mile trail from the Pedernales Street bike path to the Southern Walnut Creek Trail, should be done by late 2026. Community Impact
Overheard on X
One Lady Bird Lake is now 10 stories tall pic.twitter.com/XjsOFZOH3i
City Hall & county
Early voting opens with lines at new sites
Lines formed Monday at the new Menchaca Library polling site, which Travis County Clerk Dyana Limón-Mercado said is "something we typically see in a presidential election." The county's registered voters are nearing 1 million. Midterm turnout usually runs 40% to 50% and reached about 63% in 2018, she said. Early voting runs through October 30 at 45 sites. FOX 7
Overheard on X
Today voters in Travis County set a record for turnout on the first day of early voting in a midterm election.
The @TravisCoClerk reported more than 40K people cast a ballot so far.
Still 11 days of early voting to go. @KXAN_News pic.twitter.com/xrNzet8F4t
Also
Bedichek Middle School in South Austin is also a new early voting site; the clerk said the County added sites where it saw gaps and rising turnout. CBS Austin
At the polls, voter Shannon Wong said they supported Proposition I for more oversight of tax dollars, while Alex Estrada said the City already has an auditing department. CBS Austin
The current review contract runs up to $5.23 million; Prop I author Bill Aleshire said the City must "prove before they ask for more taxes that they're not wasting what they've already got." CBS Austin
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said Prop I "dictates that consultants must identify enough cuts to pay their own fees," calling that "an inherent conflict of interest." Austin Current
In District 5, incumbent Ryan Alter reported nearly $160,000 on hand in late September; challenger David Weinberg reported more than $172,000 in contributions and $275,000 in outstanding loans. KXAN
Two Council candidates, Farrah Abraham in District 5 and Kai Huang in District 9, did not file the campaign finance report due 30 days before the election, according to the city clerk's website. KXAN
Overheard on Bluesky
For the #atx #austin area folks:
Wow.
It's the first day of early voting and I was amazed to see that the line in Mueller at 6pm was like a block long (thankfully indoors). I have never seen this kind of turnout on day one, and I have lived here forever.
Everyone, please vote!
In Texas House District 49, Democrat Montserrat Garibay has raised about $525,000 and Green Party candidate Arshia Papari, a UT Austin student, $4,300; no Republican is running. KUT
Mayor Kirk Watson's privately funded initiative to make Austin the best place in America to be a kid hired Fran Baylor as its first executive director. KXAN
Schools
Webb PTA asks the state to investigate a closure petition
Webb Middle School's PTA asked TEA to investigate whether outside individuals pressured parents to sign a petition to close the school and shared families' private information without authorization. TEA confirmed it received the complaint. Organizers say most parents at Webb and Burnet asked for closure; Superintendent Matias Segura must verify signatures by December 1. AISD did not immediately respond to Austin Current. Austin Current
Also
Thirteen candidates are running for five AISD board seats: Districts 1, 4, 6 and 7, and at-large Position 9. KXAN
In District 1, former trustee Cheryl Bradley is challenging trustee Candace Hunter for the northeast Austin seat. KXAN
Kirk Becker, Pamela Mathai and Cynthia Soliz are running for the at-large Position 9 seat that Trustee Arati Singh is leaving. KXAN
Business & street life
Bar Peached will return in Nightcap's space
Bar Peached, burned out of 1315 W. Sixth St. on May 31, will reopen in 2027 at 1401 W. Sixth St., in the space Nightcap now holds, CBS Austin reported. Nightcap stays open through Thursday, and renovations start in November. The new Bar Peached will serve Asian tapas and craft cocktails, with a vinyl lounge. CBS Austin
Also
Visit Austin expects hotels to be 92% to 95% full during this weekend's Formula One race, and the W Hotel's general manager called it the hotel's best October on record. KXAN
United Heritage Hall, a 4,000-capacity venue at the River Park development in Riverside, announced its first shows, starting with Hum on March 7. CBS Austin
Hotel Trinity on Fifth Street will offer five Antone's-themed suites, and Antone's will book twice-weekly rooftop sets there starting in February under a one-year deal. KUT
The Padel Collective opened five glass-walled padel courts and a café at 1610 Dungan Lane in North Austin, with four outdoor courts planned by year's end. Community Impact
La Luce Cristallina, a startup that grew out of University of Texas research, grows thin crystal layers on silicon wafers so chips can move data with light. CBS Austin
Weather
No weather alerts are active for Travis County. Tuesday is sunny with a high near 85 and a light northeast wind. Tonight is mostly clear with a low around 57, and Wednesday is sunny with a high near 85. National Weather Service forecast
KXAN's forecasters expect highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s through the work week, with rain chances only around 10% by Monday. KXAN
Overheard on X
Lady Bird Lake time-lapse pic.twitter.com/fNcFhXs6AZ
Wildfires have burned 5,181 acres across KXAN's 15-county area so far in 2026, in 63 fires, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. KXAN
Sources: National Weather Service forecast, Travis County active-alert snapshot, KXAN, KXAN (wildfires)
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: Nearly 70 outfits made from pill bottles, egg cartons, corn husks and old bottle caps walked the runway Saturday at Austin Creative Reuse's Reuse on the Runway show, at the Branch Park Pavilion in Mueller. About 500 people came to watch. KUT