ATX PULSE 12/11-12/25 (free) (sponsored by The AI Report): Austin, SWA Announce $5.5M Deal to Bring 2,000 Jobs to Austin // Travis County DA Moves to Exonerate Wrongfully Accused Yogurt Shop Murder Suspects // Waymo Recalls Software After AISD Bus Scare // 1 Killed After Being Hit by Vehicle in E. ATX // #3 Texas Volleyball Hosts #15 IU at 11am // Texas Men’s Bball at #5 UConn Tonight

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025 - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2025

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

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WEATHER

Friday: H: 72° / L: 59°.

» Weekend weather: 70s fall to 50s behind cold front, per KXAN.

Saturday: H: 72° / L: 49°.

Sunday: H: 51° / L: 36°.

Monday: H: 56° / L: 45°.

TOP NEWS

"Travis County district attorney moves to exonerate wrongfully accused yogurt shop murder suspects" via KUT – Travis County will formally undo charges leveled against four young men for Austin's infamous yogurt shop murders after police found the man they believe responsible for the 1991 case earlier this year.

José Garza, Travis County District Attorney, said he has filed the paperwork to exonerate the four men initially accused of the murders of Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, and Jennifer and Sarah Harbison at an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt shop in December 1991.

Michael Scott, Robert Springsteen, Maurice Pierce, and Forrest Welborn were all tied to the murders in 1991 and charged in 1999.

Austin Police said in September they believe Robert Eugene Brashers was responsible for the murders, ending a decades-long search for answers in the case that shocked Austin, drew national headlines and was the subject of an HBO docuseries.

Garza said his office filed paperwork Thursday for the surviving men to formally clear their records.

"Thirty-four years is too long for anyone to have to wait for the criminal legal process to be over," Garza said. "And it is our hope that [this filing] ... will be the first step ...

(KUT)

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"Waymo recalls software after self-driving cars pass Austin ISD school buses" Community Impact | News's Chloe Young – Self-driving car company Waymo has issued a voluntary software recall for its autonomous vehicles.

The move by Waymo comes amid an ongoing investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into reports of Waymo vehicles failing to stop for Austin ISD school buses. This school year, the district has recorded 20 incidents in which a Waymo vehicle illegally passed a stopped school bus, according to an AISD spokesperson.

“The main concern is that these autonomous vehicles have difficulty navigating around school buses when students are loading or unloading,” the spokesperson said. (Community Impact | News)

"One of state's largest charters to close campuses in Austin, San Antonio" Austin American-Statesman's Keri Heath – KIPP Texas Public Schools, one of the largest charter operators in the state, announced Thursday it will close five Austin and two San Antonio schools next fall in response to enrollment decline.

Though charter enrollment is still increasing statewide, the closures of charter campuses come at a time that many traditional Texas school districts – including in Austin and San Antonio – are closing campuses to ward off the strains of low enrollment and fiscal woes. In a recording of a meeting with parents, KIPP officials said the plan was meant to get ahead of predicted declining enrollment at these campuses.

“The risk associated with not considering closure of these campuses could result in us making staffing reductions that would severely impact student experience in the classroom and through extracurricular programming,” KIPP’s Chief of Staff Jenna Moon said in the recording.

(Austin American-Statesman)

THE BLOTTER

"1 killed after being hit by vehicle in northeast Austin" via KVUE – One person is dead after being hit by a vehicle in northeast Austin Thursday night.

According to Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS), the incident occurred near the intersection of Dessau Road and East Parmer Lane just before 7 p.m. The person who was struck was declared dead at the scene.

APD Watch Command said the person driving the vehicle stopped at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

This is a developing story.

(KVUE)

"Austin road rage suspect identified, charged with criminal mischief: affidavit" via Fox 7 Austin – The suspect in a violent road rage incident on the Capital of Texas Highway has been identified and charged, according to court paperwork.

The altercation was caught on camera.

Ian Kevin Brinkmeyer, 34 years old, has been charged with criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor, in connection with the Dec. 5 incident.

At around 2 p.m. that day, officers responded to a call for service on Capital of Texas Highway, where they spoke with Brinkmeyer and another man.

The affidavit says Brinkmeyer "engaged in a road rage" with the other man while traveling north on Capital of Texas Highway. Brinkmeyer drove around the other man, changed lanes in front of him and cut him off before stopping his car.

Brinkmeyer then allegedly got out of his vehicle holding a "steel knife sharpening rod", walked over to the other man's car and struck the driver's side door window with the rod, shattering the entire window.

The affidavit says Brinkmeyer then quickly walked back to his car and drove off.

The entire incident was caught on video by other drivers and posted on social media.

(FOX 7 Austin)

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