ATX Pulse 8/30/26-9/2/26 (free): Nonprofits Stepping Up Amid Massive AISD Budget Hole // How One PIR Led to Flock Cancellation in Pflugerville // UT Athletics Legend Plonsky to Step Down at Year End // RIP Roger Beasley

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MONDAY, AUGUST 30, 2026 - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2026

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

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WEATHER

Today: H: 103° / L: 72°. 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms.

Friday: H: 100° / L: 78°. Partly cloudy. 20% chance of rain.

Saturday: H: 101° / L: 77°. Mostly sunny.

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TOP NEWS

"Nonprofits step in as Austin ISD budget cuts squeeze schools" via CIN – Two Austin nonprofits are racing to cover what Austin ISD's budget can't this school year. Communities In Schools of Central Texas, or CIS, closed its Refuse to Lose campaign Aug. 31 having raised more than $354,200, over 100% of its goal. Austin Ed Fund, meanwhile, will deliver $350,000 to 48 teacher-led projects across the district Sept. 2 through its Inspire the Future grant program.

The push comes as AISD officials work through what grew to a $205 million reduction package for the 2026-27 school year, part of a budget crisis that's left the district's real deficit running ahead of its own projections. CIS serves 110 campuses across its nine partner districts this year, including 44 in Austin ISD, and already funds the majority of service costs on every campus it serves through its longstanding district partnership model, CEO Sharon Vigil told Community Impact.

This year, 19 of those 110 campuses faced funding challenges that threatened the sustainability of that support. Without the money, these students risk losing the counselors and support staff who connect them to mental health care, basic needs assistance and attendance help, Sharon Vigil said. Citing 2024-25 school year data, the nonprofit says 99% of students it worked with stayed in school and 99% graduated or were promoted to the next grade. (CIN)

"Is Austin violent crime really surging? Here's what the data shows" via AAS – The U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas made a startling announcement earlier this week: Austin has experienced a “surge in federal violent crime prosecutions.” Justin R. Simmons said his prosecutors had filed “approximately 40 federal cases against defendants for gun-related crimes in recent months” in Austin and that, since 2015, homicides are up 187% and “rape and aggravated assault are up 65% and 38%, respectively” in the city.

Prosecutors in District Attorney Jose Garza's Public Integrity and Complex Cases Unit have secured an indictment against former Travis County tax office employees and a third person for allegedly engaging in organized criminal activity.

Simmons' broader claims about rising violent crime are supported by some measures, but not all. The figures depend on which data set is used and whether crimes are counted as raw totals or adjusted for Austin’s population growth. The available data show that Austin’s homicide rate rose substantially between 2015 and 2025, while aggravated-assault and rape rates increased by smaller amounts. But one of Simmons' specific claims — that rape increased 65% — is not supported by the data reviewed by the American-Statesman.

When asked about the data, Garza said more recent data provide a better picture of how crime trends have shifted in Austin. “When it comes to crime trends, it’s been documented and substantiated that crime began to rise in 2020, spiked in 2021 and has been declining since then,” Garza said. (AAS)

"As Austin sees funding for post-foster care housing, other regions face hurdles" via Spectrum News — The City of Austin approved a $500,000 matching grant for Foster-to-Youth Independence (FYI) voucher supportive services on Aug. 12.

The vouchers themselves are funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are given to people transitioning out of the foster care system, a population that faces a 47% risk of homelessness.

“It would be incredibly challenging for young people, who typically have no experience living independently, to be able to transition from what often are deep histories of trauma, sometimes long histories of being unhoused, to living completely independently,” said Liz Schoenfeld, the CEO of Lifeworks in Austin. (Spectrum News)

"His records request led Pflugerville to shut down license plate cameras" via AAS – Sam Aly said he was curious about the data from the Flock cameras used to read license plates in town. He made a public information request to the city a few weeks ago for network audit logs that showed every outside agency that searched the data from the cameras.

What he found ultimately prompted the Pflugerville City Council to cancel the city's contract with Flock Safety on Tuesday. City employees have covered up the cameras. "I have a fundamental problem with Flock cameras as a concept," said Sam Aly, a finance director for a plastics company.

When he received the data he requested Monday, Aly said he discovered that 459 agencies had accessed the Pflugerville database 1.6 million times in the previous six months. After Aly posted his findings on social media Monday, City Council Member Jonathan Coffman said he texted Aly that the city had only authorized access to the database for about 80 law enforcement agencies.

"I was immediately shocked," said Coffman, who defeated Sam Aly in a City Council race last year. Aly ran as a write-in candidate for the Place 1 seat in November. "I had been told by Flock directors and city leadership that we did not participate in nationwide search and sharing," Coffman said. He said he immediately called the city attorney, the city manager and the police chief to discuss what Aly discovered. (AAS)

"Some businesses upset with Lake Austin draw down" via FOX7 – Next month, Lake Austin will be lowered about a dozen feet for maintenance, but business owners on the lake say they're going to take a big economic hit with the timing of it.

Between Oct. 12 and Nov. 30, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will draw down Lake Austin at the request of the City of Austin. A city memo says this is so property owners can clean boat docks, and for crews to do maintenance and to temporarily manage hydrilla.

David Callejas owns Float On Boat Rentals. He says October is one of his highest-earning months. With UT football, ACL, and F1 happening in the city, visitors and locals alike go out to the lake during slightly cooler weather. He estimates losing hundreds of thousands of dollars with the lake drawdown, and about 20 employees will be out of work. (FOX7)

"What it takes to provide water for a growing Central Texas" via ABJ – As new businesses, industries and communities come to Central Texas, providing water involves much more than connecting to a pipe. Behind each request are regulatory requirements, engineering decisions, funding considerations and infrastructure that can take years to develop.

Growth is changing Central Texas. New neighborhoods, businesses and industries are creating opportunities across the region and new demands on the infrastructure that supports them. For water providers, preparing for that growth requires balancing future needs with an equally important responsibility: continuing to serve the people who already depend on the system.

At Aqua Water Supply Corporation, we see that challenge firsthand. A request for water service can appear straightforward: Can Aqua WSC provide water to this property or development? The process behind the answer is much more complex. Service begins with a defined process. Aqua WSC operates within a defined service territory known as a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, or CCN.

Infrastructure and funding go hand in hand. Sometimes existing infrastructure can accommodate new demand. Other projects may require significant improvements before service can begin. Those improvements can include water lines, storage, wells, pumping facilities or other infrastructure. When improvements are necessary specifically to serve new development, the costs associated with providing that service must be addressed as part of the process, and those costs are covered by the developer. (ABJ)

"Inside an Austin cooling center helping people escape the heat" via AAS – A cooling center in the basement of St. David’s Episcopal Church has logged 3,724 visits since June, offering people experiencing homelessness a place to escape Austin’s summer heat.

Trinity Center Austin operates the cooling center from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, extending its regular year-round services, which run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The city of Austin began funding the cooling center program three years ago. When that funding ran out, Trinity Center staff continued the service. At the cooling center, people can rest in air-conditioned rooms, take showers, eat and access other services. Trinity Center calls the people who use its services “neighbors.” (AAS)

"Chris Plonsky to step down from current Texas Athletics leadership role" via The Daily Texan – Texas Athletics announced a major leadership change Tuesday as Chris Plonsky, chief of staff/executive senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator, will retire at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.

The 2026-27 academic year marks Plonsky's 39th year at the University of Texas, where she currently supervises staff leaders in a variety of student-athlete services.

While Plonsky is set to step down from her current role, which she’s held since 2018, she will not leave Texas Athletics. Plonsky will have a different role at Texas, which will be announced at a different time, as also stated by Texas Athletics.

“(Plonsky) is an absolute rock star,” Texas Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said. “She’s a legend who has poured her heart and soul into the University of Texas and our athletics department for four decades. She’s a trailblazer who advocated for the advancement of women’s sports while also having a huge impact on our men’s sports programs and helping our athletics department grow into one of the most powerful brands in the world.” (The Daily Texan)

"Roger Beasley, longtime Austin auto dealer and philanthropist, dies at 87" via AAS – Roger Beasley, a longtime Austin automobile dealer who built a three-person operation into a network of dealerships across Central Texas, died Friday at his Austin home. He was 87.

Beasley founded what became the Roger Beasley Auto Group in 1972, beginning with a single dealership on Burnet Road and three employees. Over the next four decades, the business grew to include 13 franchises and 11 dealerships with more than 600 employees, according to his obituary and a professional biography published before his death.

The Roger Beasley name became particularly associated with Mazda. Beasley was among the automaker’s early U.S. dealers, and the group’s Austin Mazda dealerships became some of the brand’s top-performing locations nationally. Roger Beasley Mazda dealerships continue to operate in Austin and Georgetown. (AAS)

THE BLOTTER

"Northeast Austin shooting leaves 1 person dead; person in custody" via FOX7 – One person is dead and a person is in custody after a shooting in northeast Austin.

The incident happened in the evening on August 29.

APD says officers responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a person was shot in the 11000 block of Timber Heights Drive.

A reverse 9-1-1 call was put out to people in the neighborhood letting people know there was an active investigation and that police were looking for someone.

APD says the person they were looking for was located in a nearby area.

No word on if the person who was taken into custody is the suspect in the shooting.

The victim has only been identified as an adult male.

The Source: Information from Austin Police Department Officer Aaron Townsend who spoke at a news conference held on August 29." (FOX7)

"One dead in south Austin house collapse after high winds on Thursday; OSHA investigating" via KEYE – A man is dead after a house under construction collapsed in south Austin due to high winds Thursday afternoon.

Officials with Travis County ESD 5 said that responders received a 911 call around 4:20 p.m. Thursday asking for medical assistance. Crews arrived at the scene at 12002 Salvador St. about five minutes later and found a house had collapsed.

Four men working construction were inside the structure when it collapsed; two managed to get out, with the other two trapped inside. Travis County ESD 5 says that the entire house collapsed, including the second floor. One of the trapped workers was conscious, breathing, and pinned beneath the framework of the house. The other was pronounced dead at the scene. (KEYE)

"Couple accused of keeping kids in tractor-trailer for six years" via FOX7 – Two people are facing multiple felony charges after Florida investigators say they held four children captive inside the cab of a commercial truck for years, where they were allegedly abused and deprived of necessities.

A Georgia couple has been arrested and charged in Florida on numerous charges of child abuse and neglect for allegedly keeping four children confined in the cab of a tractor-trailer for years, as they traveled throughout the state.

Keisha Epps, 51, and Tamra Stewart, 37, are accused of abusing the children—two boys and two girls—they kept in a tractor-trailer Epps drove on routes between Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta for six years, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said.

Uthmeier said the girls were sexually abused by Stewart, and the boys, who witnessed the abuse, were physically beaten when they confronted Stewart or reported the abuse to Epps. "The evidence shows that the truck would at times hit a truck station where the adults would go to the restroom, they might take a shower, but they would leave these kids locked in this rolling dungeon," Uthmeier said. (FOX7)

"Georgetown police identify man fatally shot by officer in town square" via KEYE – Georgetown police on Monday identified the man fatally shot by officers over the weekend near the town square as 37-year-old Timothy Visa Xayyaraj.

The Georgetown Police Department said Xayyaraj's last known address was in San Marcos.

According to the update, the department has no record of prior interactions with Xayyaraj before Saturday's shooting. The department said it is committed to handling the investigation "with care, transparency, and respect for everyone impacted" and will release additional information as it becomes available.

Police Chief Cory Tchida has said officers were responding to reports of a man jumping onto passing cars and acting erratically. During the encounter, Tchida said, the man told officers he had a gun and reached for his waistband, though officers later determined he was unarmed. (KEYE)

"Police respond to report of gunshots near Hutto school" via KXAN – The Hutto Police Department responded to a report of possible gun shots fired near the Howard Norman Elementary School at 101 Llano River Trail on Monday evening, according to a Facebook post from HPD and a message sent by Hutto ISD to the school's families. There were no students on campus at the time, and the aftercare program had dismissed all of its children for the day.

Evening staff were safely evacuated, according to Hutto ISD. HPD's post said a full sweep was done of both the inside and outside of the school, and drones were used to assist in the search of the surrounding area. No evidence of gun fire was found, and there was no indication of an incident, according to HPD.

At 6:36 p.m., HPD said the scene was no longer active and was under investigation, with more information to be shared after the conclusion of the investigation. There is no threat related to the campus or surrounding area related to this reported concern, and HPD has cleared the scene, HPD posted at 7:40 p.m.

A spokesperson for Hutto ISD said the school was searched room-by-room as a precaution and as part of a standard protocol, but that the possible shots were not reported to have occurred inside the building. Families and community members were asked to stay clear of the area while officers investigated the scene, HISD said. Updates to this story will be made as information becomes available. (KXAN)

"Austin police seize thousands of stolen mail pieces, arrest woman" via KXAN – Austin police have arrested a woman after an investigation into suspected mail theft, identity theft and fraud led to the seizure of thousands of pieces of stolen mail, hundreds of suspected stolen bank cards and dozens of stolen mailbox keys.

According to the Austin Police Department, members of the North Metro Tactical Unit arrested 42-year-old Elizabeth Rozo on Aug. 25 after learning an arrest warrant had been issued in connection with a credit card or bank card abuse investigation.

Officers found Rozo's vehicle at an apartment complex near Tech Ridge Boulevard and conducted a traffic stop after she left the property, police said.

During a search of the vehicle, police recovered approximately 400 suspected stolen bank cards, nearly 300 gift cards believed to be tied to stolen cards, two counterfeit "Arrow Keys" and other evidence. (KXAN)

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