ATX Pulse 4/13-14/26 (free): 11 Arrested in Shoplifting Blitz // More Encampment Cleanups Planned for Early May // $1M Embezzlement at Odyssey School Rocks Community // Cap10K Sees 24k Runners, Record-Breaking Finish // UT WBB PG Harmon Drafted in 3rd Round of WNBA Draft

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MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2026 - TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2026

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

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WEATHER

Today: H: 85° / L: 69°. 10% chance of rain.

Wednesday: H: 83° / L: 69°. 20% chance of isolated storms.

Thursday: H: 88° / L: 69°.

Friday: H: 87° / L: 70°.

TOP NEWS

"‘Violation of trust’: Austin school leaders say $1M theft rocked their community" via KXAN – An accountant for a private school in Austin has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison after stealing more than $1 million from the school where she worked — a betrayal school leaders say rocked their community. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 56‑year‑old Alysa Gisser embezzled the money while working at Odyssey School, a nonprofit school in Central Austin that serves children with special needs and learning disabilities.

“Gisser embezzled more than $1 million from the school,” the DOJ said. “She also underreported her income by $863,963.32 between 2018 and 2021.” Investigators said Gisser misdirected parents into sending tuition payments to a PayPal account tied to her consulting business, rather than to the school itself. Court records show she later renamed the account to make it appear as though the payments were going directly to Odyssey School.

"To find out that one of your colleagues was stealing money from that institution for their own benefit was a huge shock," said Eric Hepburn, President of the Board of Directors of Odyssey School. Hepburn said the damage went beyond finances. "Some of my colleagues had been coworkers with Ms. Gisser for decades, and the violation of trust that they felt was really intense and profound," Hepburn said.

Kate Jewell, head of school at Odyssey, said the financial loss strained the school at every level. "That's more than a year's budget for us," Jewell said. "The really hard part has been repairing our culture—we were living in a scarcity culture—teachers were not asking for resources that they need because they didn't want to have a negative impact on our students." (KXAN)

"Cap10K brings 24K runners, costumes and a record-breaking finish" via AAS – What do a giant piñata, a butterfly in a tutu, a founding father, an avocado and a yellow Power Ranger have in common? They all ran the 49th annual Statesman Capitol 10,000 on Sunday. The 6.2-mile race, hosted by the Austin American-Statesman, saw more than 24,400 runners and walkers — some in quirky costumes — take off from the South Congress Avenue bridge on an overcast morning. The Cap10K is the largest 10K in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. Allie Ostrander won the women’s race, breaking the course record in 32 minutes, 46 seconds. On the men’s side, Hanson-Brooks Distance Project teammates Shuaib Aljabaly (29:42) and Afrewerki Zeru (29:47) finished first and second.

The runners and walkers looped north to 15th Street, west to Winsted Lane and back south to Cesar Chavez Street before finishing at Auditorium Shores, with runners contending with humidity and light rain.

The event remains an Austin staple. Stacey Thompson, Ricky Thompson, Leanna Thompson and Ann Dillon — a group that calls itself the “Sole Sisters” — have run the race for 20 years. “You can’t live in Austin and not do this at least once,” Stacey Thompson said. Ricky Thompson noted that while everyone is focused, everyone is also very friendly, taking pictures of each other and chatting before the race starts. “It’s very Austin,” he said. The race drew participants and spectators from across Texas and beyond. Marsha Moore flew in from Florida to watch her son, Clarence Nickles, and grandson, Trevor Cross, run.

Moore and Holly Nickles, Cross’s mom, were by the finish line, cheering Cross on as he barreled to the end. As Cross approached the finish line, his mother shouted encouragement. “Let’s go, Trevor! Hit a PR,” Holly Nickles yelled. Cross responded, shaving five minutes off his previous best of 55 minutes. Moore and Holly Nickles were among hundreds of spectators cheering along the course. Participants were young and old. Children sprinted past adults. Mothers and fathers ran with strollers in tow. (AAS)

THE BLOTTER

"11 people arrested in Mueller in one day during APD "shoplifting blitz"" via FOX7 – Eleven people were arrested in a "shoplifting blitz" operation earlier this month by Austin police. The blitz happened in the Mueller area on April 8. APD says the operation was "designed to assist in combating ongoing retail crime by providing rapid response to thefts in progress and taking appropriate enforcement action."

The following seven people were arrested at the H-E-B at 1801 E. 51st Street. 55-year-old Michael Durham has been charged with state-jail felony theft of property with previous convictions. Durham has a criminal record in Travis County going back to 2005 with multiple dismissed felonies and no formal charges pursued for other charges including possession and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has also been convicted before for assaulting a family member, manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance, and possession of cocaine.

In addition to the theft charge, he is currently facing a possession charge from the University of Texas Police Department and has a court date scheduled for April 21. 34-year-old Chase McCowen has been charged with evading arrest or detention, a Class A misdemeanor. 55-year-old Kendrick Robertson has been charged with theft by shoplifting, a Class C citation.

39-year-old Angel Salgado has been charged with state-jail felony theft of property with previous convictions. Salgado has an extensive criminal record in Travis County, going back to 2008, with many misdemeanors and bond forfeitures. He was previously convicted for terroristic threat in 2021 and got deferred adjudication, which was revoked in 2022, criminal mischief in 2024, and attempting to obstruct a highway/passageway for emergency vehicles in 2025. Salgado has a court date for the state-jail felony set for April 23. (FOX7)

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