ATX Pulse 7/1-2/26 (free): CapMetro Workers Vote to Strike // DA Garza Drops Charges Against Chody, Nassour in Ambler Case // Server Stabs Priest at Downtown Restaurant // Austinite Still Hasn't Claimed $1M Powerball Prize

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2026 - THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2026

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

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WEATHER

Friday: H: 97° / L: 77°. Mostly sunny. 10% chance of rain.

Saturday: H: 98° / L: 76°. Mostly sunny. 10% chance of rain.

Sunday: H: 98° / L: 76°. Partly cloudy. 10% chance of rain.

TOP NEWS

"Austin faces dueling audit plans as charter amendment reaches ballot" via KVUE’s Jessica Cha – Austin leaders are one step closer to hiring a company to conduct an independent audit of all city departments, as a separate citizen-led effort pushes to make those audits a permanent requirement. 

In February, the Austin City Council passed an ordinance establishing recurring audits to evaluate city spending. On Thursday, Mayor Kirk Watson announced the city is proposing to partner with Public Works LLC to carry out that work.

At the same time, a petition effort led by Save Austin Now is advancing toward the November ballot, where voters could decide whether independent audits should be mandated long term.

Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak said the group began collecting signatures in November and submitted more than 21,000 signatures, with the city certifying the petition in late June.

Mackowiak said the proposal is designed to increase transparency, improve efficiency and rebuild trust between taxpayers and City Hall, particularly after last year’s failed Proposition Q.

He said voters rejected that measure, which would have permanently increased property taxes, in part because of concerns about how efficiently the city is managing its budget.

Mackowiak argues the city should demonstrate fiscal responsibility before asking taxpayers for more money and said an outside audit is the only way to provide that accountability.

“We're just not a city that's run efficiently. Our budget is bloated," Mackowiak said. “We've got to get back to efficiently delivering city services, and we think an external audit is the only way to rebuild trust between taxpayers and city hall.”

Under the proposed charter amendment, the city would be required to conduct a comprehensive audit within the first year of passage. After that, audits would take place at least once every five years and at least one year before any future tax rate election.

While the city has already taken steps to launch its own audit process, Mackowiak said the current ordinance does not go far enough. He said the charter amendment is intended to create a long-term structural requirement that outlasts any single mayor or council.

“An ordinance can be changed at any time with just six votes on the city council dais,” he said. “Even if this mayor and council have a newfound commitment to this, the next mayor and council may not. In fact, they probably won't. So, you're just simply not going to rebuild trust, through an ordinance that the city has the ability to change or get rid of at any time.”

In a statement to KVUE, Watson said the city is already taking steps aligned with what Save Austin Now is proposing, emphasizing a focus on financial stewardship and best audit practices.

Watson also said the proposed charter amendment could create operational challenges for city government, calling it a political move and a repetitive, haphazard proposal.

Mackowiak said the measure is not intended to be partisan, but focused on transparency and accountability.

He said the charter amendment is expected to appear on the November ballot, but hopes city leaders will adopt the proposal without having to go to voters. (KVUE)

"Someone in Austin still hasn't claimed a $1 million Powerball prize" via AAS – An Austin-area Powerball ticket worth $1 million remains unclaimed, and whoever bought it has about a month left to collect the prize before it expires.

The winning ticket for the Feb. 2 Powerball drawing was sold at the Circle K at 6107 W. Parmer Lane in Northwest Austin, according to the Texas Lottery.

The ticket matched all five white balls — 3, 8, 31, 60 and 65 — but missed the Powerball, which was 4, making it worth $1 million.

The deadline to claim the prize depends on how the winner submits the claim. Mailed claims must be postmarked by Aug. 1. Because Texas Lottery claim centers are closed on weekends, anyone claiming the prize in person must arrive by 5 p.m. Friday, July 31. (AAS)

THE BLOTTER

"Driver charged with DWI with children in car after fatal 18-wheeler overpass crash" via AAS – Officials work at the scene of a fatal two-vehicle crash involving an 18-wheeler that went over the side of an overpass and landed on State Highway 130 near University Boulevard in Williamson County on Monday, June 29, 2026.

A driver involved in a fatal Williamson County crash that sent an 18-wheeler over a Texas 130 overpass Monday has been arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated with children in the vehicle, Texas Department of Public Safety officials said.

Rayford Washington, 38, was booked into the Williamson County Jail on one count of driving while intoxicated with a child younger than 15, a state jail felony, according to DPS.

Investigators say Washington was driving west on Chandler Road when he tried to turn left onto the southbound Texas 130 frontage road and collided with the truck, which was traveling east. The truck struck the bridge barrier and fell off the overpass onto the southbound main lanes of Texas 130. The driver, 59-year-old Eric Fields, died at the scene.(AAS)

"Police investigate fatal East Austin crash involving scooter rider" via AAS – Austin Police responded to a call Tuesday night about a fatal collision between a motorist and a scooterist.

A person riding a scooter was killed Tuesday night in a crash at an East Austin intersection, according to the Austin Police Department.

Officers responded around 9:30 p.m. to the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Oak Springs Drive, where the scooter rider and a vehicle collided, police said.

The scooter rider died at the scene. Police said both people involved in the crash were adults but did not identify the person who was killed. (AAS)

"Prosecutors dismiss remaining criminal case tied to Javier Ambler" via AAS – Travis County District Attorney José Garza on Wednesday dismissed evidence tampering charges against former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and former assistant county attorney related to the destruction of video from a TV reality show the night a man died.

The decision ends a seven-year-old high-profile case against Chody and Jason Nassour and marks the final chapter in criminal cases stemming from the death of Javier Ambler II.

Ambler died in March 2019 after a 20-minute pursuit with Williamson County deputies that started because he failed to dim his headlights for oncoming traffic and crashed his car in North Austin, where deputies used Tasers on him multiple times. Ambler died a short time later.

The case, which was not publicly revealed until June 2020 through reporting by the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, sparked questions nationally during the social justice movement after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis about the role of reality TV and law enforcement. Texas lawmakers later banned such partnerships through the bipartisan Javier Ambler Act. (AAS)

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