KEYE-TV (Austin, TX)

AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget. The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.

AUSTIN, Texas — Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson have issued local disaster declarations on Tuesday as heavy rain and possible flash flooding threaten Central Texas. The declarations, announced Tuesday, allow Travis County and the City of Austin to prepare for potential flooding by coordinating emergency response efforts and resources with local, state and federal partners.

AUSTIN, Texas — A kitchen fire displaced residents from five apartment units Tuesday night at a North Austin apartment complex, according to the Austin Fire Department. Fire crews responded at 8:45 p.m. to an apartment fire at 8028 Gessner Drive. Officials said occupants were safely evacuated as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

UVALDE, Texas — Emergency crews have rescued 24 people from floodwaters in Uvalde as heavy rain continues to impact the area, prompting officials to warn residents that conditions are expected to worsen Tuesday evening. According to the Uvalde Police Department, those rescued from high-water areas have been relocated to a temporary shelter at the William R. Mitchell Uvalde County Fairplex, which remains open for residents displaced by flooding or seeking a safe place to stay.

AUSTIN, Texas — The price tag for the MoPac South project has gone up by more than $400 million, and the cost increase is already raising questions from people who use toll roads. The project would add express lanes along MoPac from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane. When it was estimated in 2020, the cost was about $825 million. Now, according to documents from a Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board of Directors meeting presentation, the latest estimate is about $1.3 billion.

WASHINGTON (TNND) — With the November midterms just months away, the Democratic Socialists of America just released a new platform calling for structural changes to the U.S. government and expanded socialist economic policies. The platform, called “Workers Deserve More,” focuses on shifting structural political and economic power away from corporations and into the hands of the working class.

(TNND) — China is now operating an underwater data center, powered by the wind and submerged about six miles off the coast of Shanghai. The $226 million data center, reportedly built by HiCloud Technology in partnership with the Chinese government, follows in the footsteps of Microsoft’s Project Natick. From 2018 to 2020, Microsoft tested the reliability of a shipping-container-size data center 117 feet deep off the coast of Scotland.

(TNND) — Confidence in higher education slipped again this year, reversing some improvement in sentiment following a low point a couple of years ago. Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that just 38% of American adults have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. About a decade ago, 57% of Americans were confident in higher education. Confidence slid to a low point of 36% in 2023 and 2024 before ticking back up to 42% last year.

ROUND ROCK, Texas — A world-renowned artist's newest work is now hanging in downtown Round Rock. On Wednesday, the City of Round Rock will unveil the Ruby Sunstone Pineapple Chandelier. It is the first Chihuly installation available for public view anywhere in the Austin metropolitan area. The permanent sculpture by acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly will hang inside the Round Rock City Arts Center.

AUSTIN, Texas — With potentially 6 to 12 inches of rain in the forecast for parts of Central Texas and the Hill Country, local officials are urging residents to prepare now as the threat of flash flooding grows over the next two days. Martin Ritchey, homeland security director for the Capital Area Council of Governments, said people should treat the threat seriously. “I think that we should always be at a higher state of readiness,” Ritchey said.