ATX Pulse 4/29/26-5/1/26 (free): AISD Facing $181M Budget Deficit // Pflugerville Moves to Stage 1 Water Restrictions // Austin Plans New Homeless Encampment Sweeps // #4 UT Hosts #10 Miss State in Critical Weekend Series

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2026 - FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2026

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

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WEATHER

Today: H: 92° / L: 75°. 10% chance of rain, decreasing clouds.

Wednesday: H: 81° / L: 74°. 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms.

Thursday: H: 78° / L: 64°. 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms.

Friday: H: 70° / L: 62°. 80% chance of scattered thunderstorms.

WEATHER

Today: H: 59° / L: 51°. 99% chance of rain.

Saturday: H: 77° / L: 53°. 7% chance of rain.

Sunday: H: 80° / L: 59°. 6% chance of rain.

Monday: H: 85° / L: 68°. 5% chance of rain.

TOP NEWS

"What's behind Austin ISD's $181 million projected budget shortfall?" via AAS – Fearing job loss and negative impacts to students, Austin Independent School District families and teachers pushed back on looming cuts to the school district’s budget during a Tuesday night meeting. Austin ISD officials have proposed slashing jobs, reducing teacher stipends, laying off librarians and cutting teacher planning time to tackle next year’s projected $181 million deficit.

These budget cuts come on top of already announced plans to close 10 campuses next school year. The closure process will save a projected $21.5 million.

Austin ISD is one of many districts in Texas exploring painful austerity measures to reduce spending in the face of lower enrollment and higher costs. Last month, Hays CISD officials announced plans to cut 125 staff positions to reduce $12 million from its budget. Other districts, including Leander and Pflugerville ISDs, have turned to school closures to offset deficits.

At a Tuesday meeting, staff and parents gathered in Austin High School’s library to vehemently oppose the potential cuts and question district administrators on when they would know more about next steps.

(AAS)

"Pflugerville moves to Stage 1 water restrictions with lake 'holding steady' at 633 feet" via KEYE – The City of Pflugerville is moving to Stage 1 water conservation measures on Friday, providing relief to residents after two months of restrictions.

The City says that Lake Pflugerville is "holding steady" at 633 feet in elevation, and that Pflugerville will implement modified Stage 1 water conservation measures. The City says that the daily maximum water-use goal under the new restrictions is 8 million gallons per day.

Stage 3 water restrictions were put in effect on March 4 after a pipeline failure dropped lake levels to historic lows.

(KEYE)

"University of Texas kicks KUT Festival off campus" via Axios – University of Texas officials are standing by their decision to order KUT's inaugural festival to move off campus, citing security concerns.

Why it matters: The last-minute decision threw a major wrench into this weekend's long-planned event and highlights the complicated position of public media outlets housed within state universities.

Driving the news: Nearly all programming, intended to take place over two days at various locations on the campus, will now happen Saturday at the brewery and restaurant Central Machine Works and neighboring East End Ballroom, more than 3 miles from UT.

Catch up quick: The festival will feature live music, author conversations, book signings and panel discussions.

(Axios)

THE BLOTTER

"Man accused of stabbing another man at southeast Austin complex charged with murder" via KXAN – AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Police arrested a man they believe fatally stabbed another man at a southeast Austin apartment on April 23, according to an arrest affidavit. Crox Quintanilla Jr, 35, was charged with first-degree murder. No attorney is listed for Quintanilla Jr as of Tuesday.

According to the arrest affidavit, Austin Police officers responded to 1515 Royal Crest Dr at 7:21 a.m. A 911 caller had reported seeing a man “facing down in the parking lot and was not awake and not breathing,” the Austin Police Department's affidavit says. After officers arrived at the scene, they found the man with trauma on his body and head, with blood pooling under his head. The victim was pronounced dead at 7:36 a.m.

While at the scene, officers noticed blood droplets trailing to an apartment with a damaged door and a “small amount of smeared blood on the outside of the door.” Because of the active crime scene, officers went to the apartment and spoke with two witnesses -- one of them being Quintanilla.

“When processing the apartment, there were multiple areas in the apartment that had red blood on the bed, clothing, on the floor, on the wall and a pile of miscellaneous items…” the affidavit reads. On April 24, the victim’s autopsy report showed a total of 6 “sharp force injuries consistent with stab wounds,” the affidavit states.

(KXAN)

"Former Round Rock ISD teacher charged with sexual assault of a child" via KVUE — A former Round Rock ISD teacher is facing charges in connection to an investigation into an alleged sexual assault of a child.

Caleb Carter, 27, was arrested at the Dallas College Brookhaven Campus in Farmers Branch on Wednesday morning. The Round Rock Police Department said the Dallas College Police Department assisted in his arrest, and he was subsequently booked into the Dallas County Jail.

Carter was formerly employed as an orchestra teacher at Round Rock High School between 2022 and May 2025. The victim in the case was a student, and the alleged incident occurred off-campus.

Police say the investigation remains active. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Det. Zamora at [email protected] or 512-595-2605.

(KVUE)

"Three arrested in multi-million dollar gift card tampering scheme" via KEYE – AUSTIN, Texas — Three people have been arrested, and more than 11,500 gift cards have been recovered after a multi-agency investigation dismantled an organized gift card tampering ring operating across Texas, authorities said.

The Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center, working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Hays County District Attorney's Office, and the Hays County Proactive Unit, estimates the operation prevented approximately $5.7 million in losses to consumers.

Investigators say suspects Houjie Lin, Yi-Hsun Wu, and Hsai Lin, who all entered the U.S. on Taiwanese passports, removed gift cards from displays at stores including Walgreens, CVS, and Dollar Tree, recorded their activation codes, repackaged them to appear untouched, and returned them to shelves. Once an unsuspecting customer activated a card, the suspects allegedly drained the funds electronically.

“What their goal is, is to get that card number, right? That’s gonna allow them to activate it, check card balances, and know when a consumer purchases that card,” said Jeff Roberts, captain of intelligence operations with the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center.

(KEYE)

LOCAL GOVERNEMNT

"Austin plans new wave of homeless encampment sweeps, sparking pushback from advocates" via KVUE – The city of Austin is preparing to ramp up homeless encampment sweeps in the coming weeks, according to a preliminary plan obtained by KVUE. The proposal outlines targeted cleanups across the city, but it’s already drawing criticism from advocates who say the approach risks doing more harm than good.

City leaders say they’re trying to balance public safety concerns with the ongoing challenge of homelessness – an issue that has remained at the forefront since voters passed a camping ban on public property in 2021.

The plan, developed by the Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations department, calls for a multidepartment response in May. It would involve 42 staff members, including personnel from the Austin Police Department, Resource Recovery and outreach teams.

City officials say the goal is to connect people experiencing homelessness with services before clearing encampments. Under the proposal, individuals would receive outreach and a 72-hour notice to vacate before crews move in.

(KVUE)

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