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🟪 Austin may fully fund one I-35 park cap instead of several unfinished decks (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 Q&A: Meet the Democratic candidates running for Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner in May's runoff election (Community Impact)

🟪 ACC sees record number of graduates during spring 2026 commencement (KVUE)

🟪 Austin's Latino community is divided when it comes to renaming Cesar Chavez Street (KUT)

🟪 Abbott targets Travis County district attorney in new criminal justice plans (KUT)

🟪 Georgetown approves initial agreement for future water supply (Community Impact)

🟪 Pflugerville approves appointment of new city manager, assistant city manager (KXAN)

✅ Austin may fully fund one I-35 park cap instead of several unfinished decks (Austin American-Statesman)

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson on Thursday laid out a plan to significantly scale back the scope of the city’s long-debated plan to cap portions of Interstate 35 with public park space as officials struggle to find funding for the $104 million project.

The mayor announced his new proposal in a Thursday memo to the City Council, suggesting Austin fund one complete park deck for $49.8 million instead of spending more than twice as much to start — but not finish — several decks as part of the Interstate 35 “cap-and-stitch” project. The council is expected to consider the updated proposal on May 28.

Watson suggested fully building a 160-foot-wide cap over the interstate at Palm Park, “creating a complete land bridge from the park to the East side.”

The park, located at I-35 and East Third Street, is currently undergoing revitalization as part of the larger Waterloo Greenway project… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Q&A: Meet the Democratic candidates running for Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner in May's runoff election (Community Impact)

Austin voters will choose between two Democratic candidates during May's runoff election to represent Texas House District 49: Montserrat Garibay and Kathie Tovo. Neither candidate received over 50% of the vote during the March primary election.

The state House district runs through portions of South, Central and North Austin, and residents will elect their next representative to a two-year term.

Community Impact asked candidates seeking the House District 49 seat to complete a questionnaire ahead of the election, with responses of up to 50 words that directly answer questions and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those editorial guidelines, or for style and clarity… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ ACC sees record number of graduates during spring 2026 commencement (KVUE)

Austin Community College (ACC) celebrated a record number of graduates Thursday, with more than 3,700 students walking the stage. 

The college held two ceremonies at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, noting a rising number in nursing graduates. 

"We've seen a 24% increase in nursing graduates over the last two years, which is one of the reasons that we have to have two ceremonies," ACC chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart told KVUE on Thursday… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin's Latino community is divided when it comes to renaming Cesar Chavez Street (KUT)

As Austin leaders continue working toward renaming Cesar Chavez Street after the labor leader was accused of sexual assault, some residents are trying to preserve the legacy of a man they revered for decades.

In a matter of weeks after the allegations were published by the New York Times, Chavez's name and face were erased from public spaces across the country. Parades and celebrations in his name were canceled. Murals were painted over. But not everyone supports those swift actions — and it often comes down to a generational divide.

Austin City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said removing Chavez's name isn't an easy decision but a necessary one.

“I believe that we need to act quickly in acknowledging what happened there," Fuentes said.

For decades, Cesar Chavez mobilized people across the country to advocate on behalf of farmworkers, migrant workers and working-class Latinos. He cofounded the United Farm Workers labor union alongside Dolores Huerta, who is one of the women who made public allegations against Chavez… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Abbott targets Travis County district attorney in new criminal justice plans (KUT)

Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled four criminal justice policies as part of his priorities for next year's state legislative session during a press conference Thursday, including making county district attorneys eligible for impeachment and creating a new statewide prosecutor role.

Abbott, along with incoming state Sen. Brett Ligon and Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock, advocated for legislation they said would ensure offenders remain behind bars with adequate charges and protect public safety.

They also took jabs at Travis County District Attorney José Garza. The three criticized Garza for missing the 90-day indictment deadline in more than 200 criminal cases in 2024, leading to people's release, and accused the DA of not prosecuting felony offenders harshly enough.

Creating a statewide prosecutor to pursue charges not brought by local district attorneys would fix that, Abbott said… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Georgetown approves initial agreement for future water supply (Community Impact)

Georgetown city officials approved an initial agreement with Recharge Water at a May 12 City Council meeting—an effort to meet the city’s future water needs.

Recharge will construct and operate a system that will deliver up to 34,800 acre-feet of groundwater per year from the Simsboro Formation of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. The city expects to begin receiving water by 2031.

The agreement is a 30-year term, and includes the option for two additional 30-year terms.

Infrastructure and capital costs for the Recharge project have not been finalized, and the city has kept specific dollar amounts confidential, according to city documents. However, the agreement with Recharge will cost the city hundreds of millions… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Pflugerville approves appointment of new city manager, assistant city manager (KXAN)

The Pflugerville City Council approved a new city manager and assistant city manager on Tuesday.

This comes after Pflugerville announced in February the retirement of City Manager Sereniah Breland with her last day on July 1.

The council approved James Hartshorn as city manager and Terri Toledo as assistant city manager, according to a press release from the city.

Hartshorn will transition from deputy city manager to his new role on July 1. Toledo is currently the city’s management services director and will move to her new role on May 18, according to the press release… 🟪 (READ MORE)

📝⏱️ Q2 2026 Survey: 5 minutes, 9 questions. Click here to share your input.

✅ Greg Abbott pushes Texas Supreme Court to oust Rep. Gene Wu for leading last year's quorum break (Austin American-Statesman)

Gov. Greg Abbott is prodding the Texas Supreme Court to act on his months-old lawsuit to force state Rep. Gene Wu from office because of the Houston Democrat's role leading last year's quorum break that delayed the Republican-led plan to redraw Texas' congressional district boundaries. “He (Wu) clearly abdicated the remainder of his current term," Abbott's lawyer Trevor W. Ezell wrote to the justices in April, the most recent filing in the case that has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

The lawsuit by Abbott is an unprecedented move by a sitting Texas governor. And it's the last lingering ramification for Texas House Democrats, who've already been financially punished by their Republican counterparts for fleeing to the state to fight a map that gives the GOP an advantage in the midterms.

In an interview, Wu called Abbott's lawsuit a sideshow that should be brought to an end and said that he no longer reads the court documents "because they're all just the same nonsense again and again." "I miss having adults in the room," said Wu, who leads the Texas House Democrats. "I really miss having adults in the room in government. Yes, this is politics, but this is serious." Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said the governor also sees the matter as serious, and that he has no intention of backing down. “Governor Abbott is committed to holding absent Democrats like Wu accountable for their dereliction of duty," Mahaleris said in a statement.

"This matter remains pending before the Texas Supreme Court. State law—and common sense—require the removal of legislators who violate their constitutional oath.” If Abbott persuades the court to oust Wu, it would only be for the remainder of his current two-year term. Wu is up for re-election in November and if he wins, would be sworn into a new term in January ahead of the next legislative session… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Why Downtown Dallas can't fill its "zombie" office towers (D Magazine)

The downtown Dallas office market is at a crossroads. Overall vacancy is near 30 percent, but the city’s 10 largest office towers are half-empty, with a 48.8 percent vacancy rate, according to data from Downtown Dallas Inc. and Dallas CAD. In all, they account for 6.26 million square feet of empty space.

At first glance, the numbers suggest a collapsing office market. Top tenant rep broker Jeff Ellerman of Stream Realty points to Goldman Sachs’ decision to leave downtown for Uptown to show that it might just be. Developer Ray Washburne calls most towers downtown, “basically zombie buildings.”

But many developers, brokers, and downtown investors argue the story is more complicated. In some cases, they say, the issue is not demand—it’s infrastructure. More specifically, parking… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Trump, Xi wrap up summit claiming progress stabilizing US-China relations but differences persist (Associated Press)

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up critical talks on Friday, claiming important progress in stabilizing U.S.-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran, Taiwan and more.

Xi welcomed Trump at his official residence, Zhongnanhai, on Friday for their final engagement of the summit before the U.S. leader’s return to Washington. The leaders took a short walk through the grounds that feature ancient trees and Chinese roses, and strolled through a covered passageway with green columns and archways painted with birds and traditional Chinese mountain scenes.

Over tea and lunch, Trump and Xi — with top aides and translators in tow — huddled for nearly three hours of talks before the U.S. leader completed his three-day visit to China.

“It’s been really a great couple of days,” Trump told reporters.

Xi, for his part, called it a “milestone” visit. “We have established a new bilateral relationship, or rather a constructive, strategic, stable relationship,” he said.

But the optimistic outlook collides with some difficult truths about the thorniest issues between the two superpowers… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Takeaways from Fed Chair Jerome Powell's tenure as he steps down (ABC News)

A global pandemic that put millions of Americans out of work within days. The highest inflation in four decades. An unprecedented federal criminal investigation.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell faced a succession of crises over his 8-year tenure atop the central bank, which ends on Friday. Powell’s decisions along the way held stakes as concrete as the budgets of everyday Americans and as heady as the political independence of a pillar institution.

President Donald Trump’s Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh is set to take the helm, inheriting a resilient economy by some measures, though one suffering from a renewed bout of inflation… 🟪 (READ MORE)