A June church camp in Giddings results in a mass COVID outbreak. Governor Abbott wants more coal, nuclear and natural gas power for Texas - and wants to punish providers of renewable energy. An Austin man set to stand trial for his part in the January 6 insurrection dies in a motorcycle crash. The City still doesn't have a site for people experiencing homelessness to camp, as the deadline for citations draws near on Sunday. 87 families are booted from their affordable homes as a result of the February freeze. Recovery efforts continue at Lake Travis for the body of a man believed to have drowned on Saturday. A new Curbed.com article details the insane world of Austin real estate. The new Kingsbury Commons upgrade at Pease Park is open to the public. Austin FC seeks its second consecutive home win tonight vs LA FC at Q2. The folks at Hopfields have opened a new restaurant on South 1st. And rain chances and cool but humid conditions continue for a few more days. 

We're back! While vaccination numbers are looking great in the Austin area, many parts of Texas and the U.S. continue to lag behind. The Fourth of July weekend in Austin saw the successful return of downtown fireworks, but also damage from illegal personal fireworks, yet another shooting on Sixth Street and multiple injuries on area lakes, including one drowning. APD response times to 911 calls continue to slow, due to understaffing. The former Days Inn at IH-35 and Dean Keeton will become a City-run homeless shelter. A stretch of IH-35 in north Austin is one of the four most dangerous roadways in Texas. P. Terry's opens in San Antonio for the first time. Taylor looks set to become the home of a major (and mysterious) new business venture. The LBJ Library will soon open for the first time in over a year for an exhibit on Lady Bird Johnson. Culturemap's Tastemaker Awards announces nominees for Austin's best craft brewery. And strangely cool and wet July weather will persist for the rest of this week.

Good COVID news as Travis County approaches the "herd immunity" benchmark of 70% vaccinated - bad COVID news as the Delta Variant begins to take hold across Texas, a threat to parts of the state where vaccinations are less widespread. Austin U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett is filing legislation that would allow Texas cities and counties to bypass the State and take advantage of expanded Medicaid benefits under the Affordable Care Act. An Austin Police Department violent crime initiative results in dozens of arrests and seized illegally-held guns. Algae is blooming near Red Bud Isle as the summer heat arrives. A Rent.com study finds Austin's cost of living very close to the national average, in spite of spiking housing costs. Texas Longhorn and WNBA player Ariel Atkins makes the U.S. Women's Olympic team in basketball. And Willie Nelson announces three shows to stand in for this year's cancelled 4th Of July Picnic.

The first Texas power grid scare of the summer ends, just as summer officially begins with a threat of storms and heat indexes around 110. Governor Greg Abbott follows through with his threat to defund the Lege. Beto O'Rourke and Texas Democrats address a crowd of For The People Act supporters at the Capitol. Juneteenth sees controversy over an insensitive city-owned marquee message in Llano, while a South Austin couple are under fire from their condo HOA for flying a rainbow Pride flag. In sports - Austin FC's home debut is a resounding success, Texas Longhorns baseball falls flat in their College World Series opener, and Taylor native Fred Kerley qualifies for the Tokyo Olympics in the 100 meters.

Having signed "Constitutional Carry" into law earlier this week, yesterday Governor Greg Abbott signed a slate of additional gun-related laws including the legalization of silencers and the forbidding of Texas authorities from observing any new Federal gun restrictions. A San Antonio area prison has been cleared to make room for immigrants expected to be detained as part of a new border enforcement initiative. ERCOT says the Texas power grid is "stable" but continue their call for conservation, while Austin circuit board manufacturers express concern over impacts to their businesses by energy uncertainty. Austin Police Department updates the casualty count from last weekend's Sixth Street shooting from 14 to 15. A 31-year old man has drowned in Quarry Lake while paddleboarding. A Williamson County veterinarian is charged with cruelty to animals, while the Bastrop County Animal Shelter pleas for foster help while battling a distemper outbreak. Juneteenth celebrations span the city this weekend. The Austin Business Journal details the pandemic woes and comeback of Alamo Drafthouse. Austin FC is set to make history with the new club's first home match on Saturday, and Texas Longhorns Baseball prepares to square off with Mississippi State on Sunday to begin College World Series play.

A rush of activity from the Governor's office yesterday sees the signing into law of the controversial "Constitutional Carry" bill, the announcement of a huge "down payment" on border wall construction from the Texas state budget, and praise from Governor Abbott for the state's beleaguered power grid. Austin officials and APD discuss police staffing and distribution in the wake of last weekend's shooting on Sixth Street, which appears to have stemmed from a fight between two Killeen teens. Beto O'Rourke will lead a rally for the seemingly-doomed For The People Act on Sunday at the Capitol. Houston Tex-Mex joint Fajita Pete's plans to open five Austin locations. Only nine of Austin's 33 public pools are open, but the City says they're making progress. And notes on traffic and transit from yesterday's first run at Q2 Stadium - the verdict is: plan ahead and get there early.

Democrats in the Texas Legislature implore Governor Greg Abbott and majority Republicans to consider dialing back gun access in light of the mass shooting last weekend on Sixth Street, while Mayor Steve Adler joins the mayors of 26 other major U.S. cities to press the Biden Administration for Federal gun reform. Mayor Adler also criticizes Governor Greg Abbott's silence on ERCOT's recent power woes, while the Governor signs into law a bill that will limit the discussion of current events and racism in Texas classrooms, and a statewide public camping ban - this, while Austin police begin issuing citations for public camping as new local restrictions are phased in. The El Milagro tortilla factory in San Marcos is facing six figures in OSHA fines over dangerous work conditions. Texas Longhorns will open the College World Series against Mississippi State in a rematch of the season opening series in which the Bulldogs swept the Horns. Austin FC fan groups announce the route of their parade prior to the inaugural home opener on Saturday. Downtown and South Austin neighborhoods will begin seeing pizza delivery by robots. And today is not only going to be very hot, but it's also an Ozone Action Day.

Loathsome flashbacks to the winter freeze as ERCOT marks the first 100-degree day of the summer with a request for conservation from the public, as the Texas power grid begins to struggle against demand, much earlier than expected. A second suspect in Friday's mass-casualty shooting on Sixth Street is arrested at Harker Heights High School. A KVUE study finds crime in Austin rising much faster than our population growth. Police several arrests while clearing part of the now-illegal public encampments surrounding City Hall. Good news - Austin's vaccination rate has crossed the 50% mark. The still-under-construction Hyatt Centric downtown faces financial hurdles. Downtown French bistro Chez Nous announces the end of its 39-year run. Eric Clapton is coming to town this fall. And today....is Tax Day.

The horrific mass shooting on East Sixth Street on Friday night has claimed one fatality, while one of the two suspected gunmen has been arrested - the other remains at large. We Are Blood needs a wave of donors to offset demands upon its supplies related to the shooting event. Sunday marks a go-ahead for Austin police to ticket people found camping illegally. New fears of the Delta Variant - a new virulent strain of the COVID-19 virus - lead to more urgency for the vaccine-hesitant to reconsider. Texas Longhorns Baseball makes the College World Series for the 37th time - the most in the NCAA. Austin FC holds Sporting KC to a tie, and heads home for the very first time this Saturday. There's a storm in the Gulf that could strengthen and head our direction. And the one-month extension of Tax Day for Texans expires tomorrow.

Prior to a six week break, the Austin City Council approves both a doubling of Austin's homestead exemption for City property taxes, and commits $100 million of Austin's share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act to homelessness relief. The production company behind "Live PD" sues the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, while a woman whose partner was killed in a car accident with an off duty officer sues the San Marcos Police Department, for which he still serves. A "Killer Bee" attack in South Austin injures a woman and almost kills her dog. The February winter freeze disaster in Texas ranks the fourth most expensive disaster in world history. Many vaccination options over this weekend, including at Q2 Stadium's watch party for the away match at Sporting KC on Saturday. Texas Longhorns baseball face South Florida in the Super Regional round - they're two wins away from the College World Series. And dangerous heat and humidity will persist this weekend as we flirt with triple digits for the first time this year.