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- ATX Pulse 6/1-5/26 (free): AISD Plans to Cut Hundreds of Jobs // APD Vacancies Remain High // Waller Creek Gets $91M Transformation // Woman's Body Found in Guadalupe River // Dead Man Found in S. ATX Trash Can // Commissioner Gomez to Retire After 53 Years // Texas Softball Wins 2nd Consecutive National Title
ATX Pulse 6/1-5/26 (free): AISD Plans to Cut Hundreds of Jobs // APD Vacancies Remain High // Waller Creek Gets $91M Transformation // Woman's Body Found in Guadalupe River // Dead Man Found in S. ATX Trash Can // Commissioner Gomez to Retire After 53 Years // Texas Softball Wins 2nd Consecutive National Title
Everything you NEED TO KNOW about Austin.
Matt Mackowiak
June 07, 2026
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MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2026 - FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2026
Compiled by Matt Mackowiak
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WEATHER
Monday: H: 94° / L: 71°. AM Clouds / PM Sun.
Tuesday: H: 92° / L: 72°. Partly cloudy.
Wednesday: H: 93° / L: 73°. Partly cloudy.
Thursday: H: 91° / L: 74°. 30% chance of spotty thunderstorms.
Friday: H: 91° / L: 74°. 30% chance of spotty thunderstorms.
TOP NEWS
"Austin ISD plans to cut hundreds of jobs in next budget, including teachers, police and librarians" via KUT -– Austin ISD has released its recommended budget for the 2026-2027 school year that includes cuts to reduce the district's $181 million deficit. The draft directly affects 558 positions across the district, including teachers, librarians, counselors and central office staff, among others.
In a written announcement to the community, Superintendent Matias Segura said employees with teaching certifications are guaranteed a job. That's not the case for non-certified staff. Segura said the district is working to find "qualifying roles" for non-certified staff. AISD officials told KUT News that 27 non-certified teachers are likely to lose their jobs.
"While we have found alternative placements for the majority of affected positions, some of our colleagues will be leaving the district, and we are committed to supporting them through this transition," Segura said. "Others will see changes in their compensation and those who remain will inevitably carry a heavier lift to maintain the Austin ISD standard of excellence."
AISD officials also said that 112 certified staff would be moved to different schools, with 58 positions being cut as teachers either retired or resigned, or principals found them another job on their current campus. They said more teachers and teaching assistants will be notified during the next two days about how their positions will be affected. The cuts will also impact 55 counselors, assistant principals and librarians. Those with certifications will be placed in another role. The district said it will also eliminate 228 department vacancies. (KUT)
"Austin police vacancies remain high despite lower turnover" via AAS – The Austin Police Department has made significant progress in retaining officers, but ongoing recruitment challenges continue to leave the department hundreds of officers short, Assistant Police Chief Angie Jones told the Austin City Council’s Public Safety Committee Monday.
Jones said the department’s turnover rate has fallen dramatically in recent years, dropping to 4% in fiscal year 2026 from more than 11% in fiscal year 2023. The decline is a positive sign for stabilizing police staffing, Jones said.
“We see the significant reduction in sworn employee turnover as indication of the effectiveness of our retention strategies,” Jones said.
While turnover has improved, the Police Department continues to struggle with vacancies. The department currently has 1,474 sworn officers and 345 vacant positions, representing an 18.97% vacancy rate. Of those vacancies, 174 are patrol officer positions. (AAS)
"Recent shooting spree in Austin is pushing people to opt in to receive alerts" via Spectrum News – On May 17, the Austin Police Department (APD) began investigating at least a dozen “random” shootings, which left four injured.
The incident triggered the City of Austin to send out a shelter-in-place message using its emergency alert system. The message included the area to avoid, which were four roadways: South Slaughter Lane, East McKinney Falls Parkway, North Ben White Boulevard and West Escarpment Boulevard.
“Someone was trying to tell me a day or two ago, and I don’t even know what that means,” said Isaac Robles, an Austin resident.
Spectrum News asked the director of Austin Emergency Management, Jim Redick, about the brief message. He said there's a limited number of characters they can use, and the alert pushed people to social media for continuous updates. (Spectrum News)
"Downtown Austin's most neglected creek gets a $91 million transformation" via KEYE — Austin's Waller Creek is getting a much-needed transformation.
“Previously, this was the most eroded and damaged creek in downtown,” said John Rigdon, Chief Planning and Design Officer with the Waller Creek Conservancy.
What was a neglected, eroded and flood-prone downtown creek is now a lush, thriving ecosystem.
“We often talk about projects like this as environmental restoration. But this is really environmental reconstruction down here,” said Rigdon. (KEYE)
"University of Texas to Remove Cesar Chavez Statue from Austin Campus" via The New York Times –- The statue of Cesar Chavez at the University of Texas at Austin is being removed, university officials told The New York Times.
The decision was made in the wake of revelations The Times published that Mr. Chavez, the United Farm Workers co-founder, sexually abused multiple women and girls over the years.
Dozens of other markers honoring the civil rights icon have been removed in the last few months, including statues in Tucson, Ariz., and at California State University in Fresno. Several cities and states have also canceled or rebranded celebrations named for Mr. Chavez, who died in 1993.
One of the leading civil rights icons in the country, Mr. Chavez and other leaders of the United Farm Workers union kicked off strikes that resulted in more rights for laborers and greater awareness of their working conditions. In March, The Times reported that Mr. Chavez, as he was building his labor movement, abused the female activists around him, including Dolores Huerta, the union’s co-founder. (The New York Times)
"Moving to Austin? Locals share the advice nobody tells you until you live here" via AAS – When newcomers to Austin hear “Keep Austin weird,” it might sound like a funny slogan, but the question arises: what makes the city weird?
Is it the people? The food? The traffic? The culture?
This week, a young woman posted a question on Reddit seeking advice. In the Reddit post, the woman said she is moving to Austin for work.
She also wanted to know about safety concerns, areas to steer clear of, and local etiquette tips to keep in mind. (AAS)
THE BLOTTER
"Woman's body found in Guadalupe River" via FOX7 – Authorities say a woman’s body has been found in the Guadalupe River. The body was found on June 2 at around 6 p.m. along the banks of the Guadalupe River near the 700 block of Rusk Lane.
New Braunfels Police and Fire Departments in coordination with Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) and the New Braunfels Community Emergency Response Team (NBCERT) were conducting a search in the area as part of efforts to locate 59-year-old Elizabeth Watson.
The area where the body was found has been the focus of several searches within the past week.
The body has not been identified and has been sent to a medical examiner for an autopsy and identification. (FOX7)
"Police say man found in South Austin trash can showed signs of blunt force trauma" via AAS – A man’s body was found in a trash can in South Austin on Saturday, according to Austin police. Officers are now investigating the death as a homicide, believing the body had been there overnight.
Police identified the man as Duc Vo, 59 years old. Officers were called to the 4400 block of Pack Saddle Pass at 12:26 p.m. Saturday after city employees found a body while emptying a trash can, according to the Austin Police Department. Officers were initially sent to the area for what police described Saturday as an urgent welfare check, a high-priority call requiring an immediate response.
Vo was found with visible injuries and was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m., police said. Homicide detectives and crime scene specialists responded to the area, and investigators later determined Vo's body showed signs of blunt force trauma.
At the scene Saturday, police initially said the case was being handled as a suspicious death, not a homicide, and cautioned that information was preliminary. By Monday, police said detectives believed Vo had been assaulted and put in the trash can sometime between 4 and 5:30 a.m. Friday. The investigation remains ongoing. (AAS)
