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- ATX PULSE 1/7-8/26 (free) (sponsored by Kelsey Easton, COMPASS): ATX PULSE 1/7-87/26 ($): ABIA Airport to Add 32 New Dates // 3 AISD Elementary School Targeted, Patrols Boosted // Ex-APD Officer Taylor’s License Reinstated // $100M Austin Real Estate Fraud? // Pedestrian Killed in Hit and Run on Koenig Lane // Prayers for Jordan Shipley
ATX PULSE 1/7-8/26 (free) (sponsored by Kelsey Easton, COMPASS): ATX PULSE 1/7-87/26 ($): ABIA Airport to Add 32 New Dates // 3 AISD Elementary School Targeted, Patrols Boosted // Ex-APD Officer Taylor’s License Reinstated // $100M Austin Real Estate Fraud? // Pedestrian Killed in Hit and Run on Koenig Lane // Prayers for Jordan Shipley
Everything you NEED TO KNOW about Austin.
Matt Mackowiak
January 08, 2026
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026 & THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026
Compiled by Matt Mackowiak
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WEATHER
Thursday: H: 72° / L: 59°.
Friday: H: 69° / L: 44°.
Saturday: H: 58° / L: 37°.
Sunday: H: 64° / L: 37°.
TOP NEWS
"3 Austin ISD elementary schools targeted in social media threat flagged by FBI" FOX 7 Austin's None – Three Austin ISD elementary schools will have an increased police presence due to a social media threat targeting multiple schools across Texas.
Austin ISD says in a letter to parents that the FBI notified Austin ISD police about the threat which targeted 14 schools across the state including: Andrews Elementary, Baranoff Elementary, and Barrington Elementary.
There was no specific date or time mentioned in the threat, but the post includes a photo of a masked person with firearms.
The campuses will have an increased police presence during the investigation, says AISD.
The district says AISD police is in "direct communication" with the local FBI office to get more information and help as needed.
AISD is asking parents to remind their students never to share online threats, but instead report them to a trusted adult.
AISD is also reminding students, staff and families to report all suspicious activity to AISD police's non-emergency line at 512-414-1703.
"Police boost patrols as 3 Austin schools resume after online threat" via KVUE – There was an increased police presence at three Austin ISD campuses on Wednesday as school resumed after an online threat on Tuesday.
The three AISD elementary schools mentioned in the threat are Barrington in North Austin, Andrews in Northeast Austin and Baranoff in South Austin.
In a letter to the district, AISD said the FBI notified them of the threat. The post did not mention a specific date or time, only a photo of a person wearing a mask and holding guns.
“Every threat is a real threat. Every threat that we hear about, even if it's not happening on your campus, it's a reminder that it can happen on your campus,” Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina said. “That fight or flight anxiety is what our educators are living with every single day.”
The scope goes beyond Austin. According to the FBI, the three Austin ISD schools are among 14 schools across Texas mentioned in the threat.
The FBI said local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are working o...
(KVUE)
"Longhorn Jordan Shipley in critical condition after accident at ranch near Burnet" via KVUE – Longhorn legend Jordan Shipley is in a critical but stable condition after an accident on his ranch near Burnet.
His family said the machine he was operating caught fire, and though he was able to get out of the machine, he sustained severe burns on his body.
Shipley was able to get to a worker on the ranch who drove him to a local hospital. He was then flown to Austin and is in critical but stable condition, his family said.
His family asks everyone to keep him in their prayers.
(KVUE)
"Austin police chief targets Club Rodeo after deputy's fatal shooting, cites past incidents" via KEYE – The Austin Police Department is intensifying its focus on Club Rodeo following the fatal shooting of an off-duty Caldwell County Precinct 3 Deputy Constable.
Aaron Armstrong was shot and killed while working off-duty at the nightclub in Austin on Sunday morning.
Sgt. Steve Ou of the Caldwell County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office expressed the department's grief, stating, "We're all absolutely heartbroken over the loss of our Deputy Aaron Armstrong."
Armstrong was shot by 38-year-old Thomas Vences, who has been charged with capital murder of a peace officer, after an altercation inside the club.
Lisa Davis, Austin Police Chief, highlighted the need for increased attention on Club Rodeo, citing past incidents of violence at the location. "If I have a homicide of a police officer there, I have other shootings that occurred later in the year of 2025, that is a location that needs some attention," Davis said.
(KEYE)
"Ex-APD Officer Christopher Taylor's law enforcement license reinstated" Austin American-Statesman's Tony Plohetski, Austin Sanders – Christopher Taylor, a former Austin police officer, has had his law enforcement license reinstated by the state agency that oversees Texas police officers. This decision comes one week after an appeals court exonerated him in the shooting death of a mentally ill man, potentially allowing for his return to the Austin Police Department.
Gretchen Grigsby, a spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, confirmed the development, stating, "The revocation is removed and he is eligible to be appointed."
Taylor lost his peace officer license after he was found guilty of deadly conduct in late 2024 in the on-duty shooting death of Mauris DeSilva and was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. The Police Department terminated him in December 2024.
Whether he will return to the Police Department remains to be seen.
"Austin real estate owner under federal investigation as lawsuits allege $100M fraud" Austin American-Statesman's Paul Flahive – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the owner of an Austin-based real estate company for fraud.
The probe comes amid multiple lawsuits alleging Alan Stalcup, through his GVA Property Management and other companies, uses his portfolio of apartment buildings as a personal piggy bank to finance a high-flying lifestyle. The half dozen suits filed in Texas and New York allege fraud to the tune of $100 million, affecting possibly hundreds of victims.
Jackson Walker LLP, a law firm representing a family suing over alleged fraud, was served a subpoena by the federal agency in October demanding documents and its transcript of a deposition with Stalcup. “Based on the SEC subpoena, it appears the SEC is investigating Mr. Stalcup for securities fraud,” the firm said in a motion requesting that the court approve the release.
