ATX Pulse 7/22-24/26 (free): Austin City Council Approves Dog's Head TIRZ 7-3 // Amazon Robotics Manufacturing Plant Could be Located at Dog's Head // AISD to Close Paredes M.S. // Mayor Watson Calls Nonprofit Audit 'Troubling' // CM Fuentes Announces Cancer Diagnosis // Wilco Economic Development Director to Retire

In partnership with

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2026 - FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2026

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

Thank YOU for being a FREE subscriber.

Please become a PAID subscriber below.

STATEWIDE NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE

Are you one of the 220,000+ subscribers to Must Read Texas, a newsletter that delivers everything you need to know from across Texas each weekday.

Subscriptions are $7/mo or $70/yr here: http://mustreadtx.substack.com.

> Become a FREE subscriber here.
> Become a PAID subscriber for $7/mo or $70/yr here.

SPONSOR #1: Morning Brew

Sound familiar?

Over 4 million people have had the same lightbulb moment.

Morning Brew is a free daily newsletter that breaks down what's happening in business, finance, and tech — clearly, quickly, and with enough personality to make it the best email in your inbox.

No yelling. No filler. Just the news, finally making sense.

Try it for free

SPONSOR #2: Superhuman AI

Go from AI overwhelmed to AI savvy professional

AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.

Yours doesn't have to be one of them.

Here's how to future-proof your career:

• Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals

• Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day

• Become the AI expert on your team

Start learning AI now

SPONSOR #3: Angelino’s Coffee

Get 15% Off Coffee Pods Roasted Days Ago

Angelino's roasts, grinds, and seals 50+ specialty coffees in-house at their LA roastery, then ships within days. Mix and match to unlock up to 34% off — and new customers get 15% off on top, applied automatically. No code, no subscription required.

Get 15% Off Today

WEATHER

Monday: H: 99° / L: 76°. Mostly sunny.

Tuesday: H: 100° / L: 76°. Mostly sunny.

Wednesday: H: 100° / L: 77°. Mostly sunny.

Thursday: H: 101° / L: 78°. Mostly sunny.

Friday: H: 103° / L: 78°. Mostly sunny.

TOP NEWS

"Council backs Dog's Head tax financing plan in East Austin, setting up major mixed-use development" via CIN – Austin City Council backed a long-term tax financing plan for infrastructure in the Dog's Head, with added environmental standards and other requirements tied to development in the area.

The creation of a tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ, sets up decades of mixed-use development across the more than 2,600-acre Dog's Head. Council's vote for the TIRZ plan July 23 came two months after they annexed the area into city limits and backed the 45-year agreement with landowner Endeavor Real Estate Group.

Millions of square feet of new development and thousands of residences are expected to be built across the Dog's Head by the early 2060s, boosting the area's value by tens of billions of dollars. New roads, utility lines, flood control projects and other infrastructure would be added as that construction takes place. (CIN)

"Austin ISD ends turnaround partnership for three troubled schools as state takeover threat looms" via KUT – Austin ISD and Texas Council for International Studies (TCIS) mutually agreed to end their partnership that would allow the nonprofit to manage Burnet, Dobie, and Webb middle schools, the district said in a statement, effectively ending the district’s monthslong bid to secure protections from state intervention through the state’s SB 1882 program.

The Texas Education Agency in May rejected the proposal for SB 1882 partnership benefits, saying TCIS did not have a qualifying turnaround track record at other campuses and leaving the district without the accountability reprieve it sought. The decision comes at a pivotal moment for the district. Preliminary state testing data released earlier this summer suggests Burnet, Dobie, and Webb remain at risk of failing accountability standards.

Official ratings are expected in August. If any of those campuses again receive failing ratings, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath would be required under state law to either close the schools or take over the district entirely, appointing a board of managers to replace the elected school board. District leaders previously said their partnership with TCIS would continue even if the state did not approve SB 1882 benefits. (KUT)

"Austin ISD to unexpectedly close another school amid growing takeover threats" via AAS – Austin Independent School District will close Paredes Middle School immediately because of continued academic struggles, the district said in a statement. The decision will mark an unexpected 11th school closure in the past year.

In a meeting with campus staff on Wednesday morning, Austin ISD officials told employees that the school will close because of projections the campus will receive a fourth consecutive F rating from the state this year, according to Education Austin, the district's largest employee union.

Matias Segura proposed the closure “after reviewing academic growth data over the summer and readiness for the school year,” he said in a statement released to families Wednesday. The school board will meet next week to vote on the proposed closure.

If Paredes Middle School scores a fifth F rating after the 2026-27 school year, the state could take over the entire district. But a possible takeover already looms over the district. Ken Zarifis, Education Austin President, said “It is either the district takes some action now or during the year, and they’re taking the action now,” Elena Torres-Ponce whose son would have started eighth grade at Paredes in August, said “I feel totally let down by this administration,” (AAS)

"'It's killing us:' Austin's watercraft ban spells trouble for local businesses" via KEYE – The City of Austin extended its ban on watercraft, and lakefront businesses say it's affecting their margins.

The ban was set in place on Friday, July 17, due to floodgate activity at several dams on the river following last week's floods.

Connor Champagne, Chief of Texas Operations at Lone Star Kayak Tours, says the hit to revenue is already apparent. "A weekend, generally, for a business like us is going to be a good 50% of our revenue for that particular week," he said. "It's usually like a $10,000 hit for us. And I imagine for larger businesses like Rowing Dock or Live Love Paddle who have bigger operations, they're probably seeing an even bigger hit to their margins."

Casey Vick, the owner of Live Love Paddle, put it plainly: "It's killing us... it's killed our business. July is the busiest time of year," he said. "Safety is always first, of course," he said. (KEYE)

"Austin homes damaged due to clogged drainage ditch" via FOX7 – Several South Austin residents recently had flooding in their homes because of a clog in a drainage ditch behind their yards.

They say they haven’t been able to get a clear answer on who is responsible for maintaining it. David Mervine has lived on Fort View Road since 2013. He says on June 15, a big storm caused a clog, and it flooded his house.

“This time it was four hours while it was raining, and then it stayed for another 13 afterwards because the water wasn’t going anywhere. It was just evaporating for hours and days,” Mervine said. He says he spent $40,000 on cleanup and repairs.

His neighbor, Paul Gittinger, also had his house flooded. He estimates he’ll have to spend $100,000 for cleanup and repairs. “I would like for the city to tell us where the clog actually is and who did the work, because it seems like it was improper. We don’t know if it was the city or if it a private person. It would be nice to be able to go after somebody for some accountability, because I would rather not spend $100,000,” Gittinger said. (FOX7)

"Austin is using thousands of fish to fight Lake Austin weeds" via AAS – A man is seen waterskiing on Lake Austin in Austin on Sept. 3, 2025. City officials are weighing whether to lower the lake by up to 12 feet this fall.

The city of Austin could lower Lake Austin for the first time in nearly a decade this fall — but city officials remain unconvinced that drawing down the lake would help control an infestation of invasive hydrilla that plagues the waterway. Austin Water is expected to decide within the next month whether it will lower lake levels by 10 to 12 feet in October at the request of shoreline stakeholders, the utility said in a statement Monday.

Lowering the lake would “give access to private property owners for dock and bulkhead maintenance, debris and sediment removal, and may also temporarily help manage nuisance aquatic vegetation,” the statement reads. The drawdown would take place over six weeks in October and November. Operators have historically lowered Lake Austin every two years or so, barring drought. But this fall’s drawdown would be the first since 2017 if city leaders and the Lower Colorado River Authority — which operates the hydroelectric dams on both ends of the lake — approve it. (AAS)

"Austin-Travis County EMS sees spike in heat-related emergencies as triple-digit temperatures grip Central Texas" via KVUE –- Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) responding to significantly more heat-related emergencies this July than during the same time last year. As temperatures climbed above 100 degrees, emergency officials are urging residents to take the heat seriously, saying the number of heat illness calls has already surpassed last July's total — even though the month is not yet over.

According to Austin-Travis County EMS spokesperson Capt. Christa Stedman, the spike in calls is concerning. "Last July was fairly mild. We only had 88 heat-related illness calls for the whole month, and we're at 132 now, and we're halfway through July, a little more than halfway through," Stedman said.

The increase comes as Central Texas experienced several consecutive days of triple-digit heat, with pavement and roadways radiating intense temperatures throughout the day. Austin resident Ally Williams said the relentless heat has been hard to ignore. "It is so hot," Williams said. "It has been like so freaking hot lately." (KVUE)

"Austin’s apartment boom tips market in renters’ favor, for now" via KXAN – Austin's apartment boom has tipped the market in renters' favor, for now. Kashish Khatri said she knew by last January that she wanted to move out of her first Austin apartment. Just six months into her lease near the Arboretum, the 24-year-old software development engineer said she wanted more space, better amenities and a place that felt more suited to her lifestyle.

Then, she found an offer in north Austin that made the decision easy. "It was 10 weeks free plus a $1,000 gift card," Khatri said. The newly-built apartment community offered more square footage than her current unit, a gym she planned to use and dedicated workspace for the days she may want to work remotely. Khatri's experience reflects a broader shift happening across the Austin metro.

A recent analysis by Rove Lab, a modular furniture company, found the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan area had the highest renter turnover rate among the nation's 55 largest metros, with 49.1% of renters reporting they had moved in the previous year, according to 2024 census data. Daniel Oney, research director at the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University, said the findings align with what researchers have observed, as thousands of newly built apartments have entered the Austin market. (KXAN)

THE BLOTTER

"Amber Alert ends after 1-year-old last seen in Austin found" via FOX7 – An Amber Alert has ended after it was issued for a 1-year-old boy who was last seen in Austin.

Authorities say Taelin Calloway-Sorrells was found, but no further details were released.

There was no information released about the person he was alleged to be with, Taylor Calloway-King.

The Amber Alert was issued after Taelin Calloway-Sorrells was last seen in the 1000 block of Park Plaza Drive in Austin on July 21 at 8:55 p.m. with Taylor Calloway-King. (FOX7)

"1 injured after shooting early Tuesday in northeast Austin" via KVUE – Police are investigating after a man was shot and injured early Tuesday morning in northeast Austin.

The Austin Police Department (APD) told KVUE that the shooting happened sometime around 7 a.m. Tuesday at 900 E. St. Johns Ave., near Interstate 35, not far from St. John Park.

It's unclear what led up to this incident, and law enforcement said no one is in custody at this time. Police said the man was taken to a hospital after suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.

St. Johns Avenue heading eastbound is currently closed while police investigate. (KVUE)

"Austin fentanyl dealer sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison" via KXAN – An Austin man was sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fentanyl trafficking and possessing a firearm, federal prosecutors announced. Daltha Ray Terrell, 31, also known as ‘Goo Ray’; was sentenced to 220 months in federal prison in Austin, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

Court records show the investigation began on March 24, 2023, when Terrell arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm and claimed he had been shot by someone else. Officers later searched his vehicle and found about 636 blue pills marked "M-30" and two firearms. Investigators determined Terrell had accidentally shot himself while attempting to remove a firearm from his jacket. The pills later tested positive for fentanyl.

Federal prosecutors said the investigation expanded after Austin police responded to a fatal overdose aboard a CapMetro bus on Dec. 1, 2023. Investigators found fentanyl at the scene and used surveillance video, cellphone evidence and Cash App records to identify Terrell as the victim's drug dealer. An autopsy determined fentanyl toxicity was the sole cause of death. A subsequent search of Terrell's residence uncovered approximately 2,000 suspected fentanyl pills, two handguns, including one equipped with a machine-gun conversion device, as well as a shotgun that had been stolen during a home invasion robbery, prosecutors said.

Authorities determined that Terrell distributed more than 400 grams of fentanyl between June 2023 and his arrest on May 22, 2024. He pleaded guilty Jan. 21, 2026, to distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in a drug trafficking crime. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Austin Police Department investigated the case. Doug Gardner prosecuted it. (KXAN)

"Texas School for the Deaf student who appeared in 'Godzilla vs. Kong' killed in Maryland crash" via KVUE – An 18-year-old actress from Kyle, Texas, was killed in a car wreck Tuesday morning in Maryland, officials said. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland said deputies responded to a deadly single-vehicle crash overnight in the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville, about 7 miles from Frederick and about an hour north of Washington, D.C.

Kaylee Hottle, who appeared in the 2021 film “Godzilla vs. Kong” and 2024’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” was one of three people involved in the crash. She was taken to a hospital near Frederick, Maryland, where she later died.

Texas School for the Deaf in Austin confirmed Tuesday that Kaylee Hottle was a senior at the school. Counseling and support services are available for students and staff. (KVUE)

"Inmate who escaped from Hays County Jail back in custody" via KXAN – An inmate who escaped from custody at the Hays County Jail on July 19 is now back in custody, according to a Wednesday update from the Hays County Sheriff's Office. HCSO was previously searching for the inmate who escaped from custody by posing as another inmate who was scheduled for release. HCSO said 21-year-old Xavier Isiah Gutierrez was originally in custody related to a felony theft case from the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office and on an Evading Arrest warrant issued by the Pearland Police Department.

After the escape, authorities said he wanted on a charge of Escape, which is a third-degree felony. “An investigation is currently underway to determine the circumstances surrounding this escape, including how Mr. Gutierrez was able to be released while impersonating another inmate,” HCSO said. "The Hays County Sheriff's Office is conducting a thorough review of the incident and remains committed to identifying any necessary improvements to its procedures and safeguards to help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future."

KXAN spoke with some residents who live directly across from the jail, they tell us the news is scary. “It was definitely, definitely scary and it still is scary. Honestly, I would have never thought that would happen. That's not been something that crossed my mind. Especially since I just, like, resigned my lease and I'm living here again for a year. So, yeah, that's not been something I've ever thought to worry about, but I don't know. It definitely is alarming," said Mattelyn Hall who lives near the jail. (KXAN)

"Fire at parking garage fills sky with smoke near downtown Austin" via KXAN — Seven buildings have been impacted after an electrical fire broke out in a parking garage at Barton Springs Road and Riverside Drive, an Austin Energy spokesperson told KXAN via email. Buildings impacted include One Texas Center, Town Lake Center, Long Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel, said Austin Energy.

The Austin Fire Department responded to a fire at 201 Barton Springs Road around 4 p.m. Wednesday. That address appears to be the parking garage for the Embassy Suites Austin Downtown South Congress. Officials said the fire was located on the ground floor of the parking garage and contained to an electrical vault — which typically store transformers.

Multiple fire trucks and emergency crews were positioned along S. Congress Avenue just south of Lady Bird Lake. Austin Fire said Austin Energy is on scene isolating the electrical feed to the vault, to let crews put out what’s left of the fire. An Austin Energy spokesperson told KXAN via email that crews were “de-energizing equipment in an electrical vault so firefighters can safely extinguish the fire.” (KXAN)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

"Austin mayor calls nonprofit audit 'troubling' as providers push back" via AAS – Mayor Kirk Watson and several Austin City Council members raised concerns Monday about a recent city audit that found nonprofit contractors missed nearly half of their performance targets but were still paid in full by the city.

The audit, released July 15, examined 25 contracts worth about $30 million and found that 76% failed to meet at least one performance measure. Overall, contractors missed 44% of the measurable targets reviewed, including benchmarks for the number of residents served and whether services improved clients’ health or circumstances.

“Let's be candid — the findings are troubling,” Watson said during a meeting of the council’s Audit and Finance Committee. Watson said the findings could indicate that vulnerable residents did not receive services the city paid nonprofit organizations to provide. (AAS)

Subscribe to Austin Insider (Premium) to read the rest.