Smokable hemp products can be sold again in Texas for now. A Travis County judge today granted a temporary restraining order against some of the new hemp regulations that took effect March 31. The order leaves in place sharply higher annual fees for businesses. www.kut.org/business/202...

Texas hemp businesses hope a Travis County judge issues a temporary restraining order allowing smokable cannabis to be sold as soon as this weekend. The hearing is on Friday. More about the lawsuit: www.kut.org/business/202...

Wish we had something like this at ABIA www.youtube.com/live/_-Qg5jD...

The Texas ban on smokable hemp takes effect today. Can consumers still buy online from out-of-state? State regulators say no. Cannabis attorneys say yes, but acknowledge it's a legal gray area. www.kut.org/business/202...

The Texas Newsroom has obtained videos of an immigration operation last summer in East Austin. It involved the arrests of five workers near a construction site. We wondered what the tapes said about how state police and ICE work together in Texas. 1/ www.kut.org/crime-justic...

The long TSA lines at Austin's airport are being seized upon by both Republicans and Democrats as proof of why the other side should compromise in the government shutdown. Both sides also say ABIA's lines are not being caused by the government shutdown. www.kut.org/transportati...

Buda approves new H-E-B location north of Main Street (on former landfill site) that will include drive thru BBQ and garden center. Story by KUT’s Leigh Walden: www.kut.org/community/20...

Patrick Rose says he will resign as chair of Austin's Airport Advisory Commission at 6 p.m. today. Rose said he has other civic duties that will take up his time. This is an unpaid, volunteer position. Members are appointed by City Council. Rose was appointed by Mayor Watson.

Starting May 21, Canadian carrier Porter Airlines will fly nonstop from Austin to Toronto. Right now, only Air Canada covers that route. This is Porter's first time in Texas. Porter claims to operate "one of the world’s most environmentally-sustainable aircraft fleet."

Texas is banning the sale and manufacture of smokable cannabis effective March 31. The rules have now been adopted by DSHS. The annual fee for hemp stores will go from $150 to $5,000. The annual fee for hemp manufacturers will go from $250 to $10,000. www.kut.org/business/202...

Emails obtained by KUT News show TxDOT and a nonprofit managing the Butler Trail spent months trying to steer $25 million for a new Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk around city government and the city council. There was one problem: state rules didn't allow it. www.kut.org/transportati...

TxDOT is warning Austin's City Council: approve the deal for a $25 million boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake or the money disappears. Almost three years after the boardwalk was announced, construction hasn't even started. Internal emails obtained by KUT News help explain why. www.kut.org/transportati...

MAJOR I-35 CLOSURE THIS WEEKEND: The northbound mainlanes of I-35 will be closed from Slaughter Lane to Ben White Boulevard — four miles — on Friday night and Saturday night, lasting from about 11 p.m. till 9 or 10 a.m. This is for construction work on the new elevated lanes.

As of 8:25 a.m., no wait to vote and a smooth process at this polling location at 8601 South 1st Street in Austin.

Tickets for speeding and distracted driving have more than doubled in Austin since 2024, according to city data. KUT’s Luz Moreno Lozano reports APD is putting more emphasis on traffic enforcement. www.kut.org/austin/2026-...

Austin removed three federally approved experimental crosswalks this week after the FHWA terminated a safety study. The FHWA said the colorful crosswalks posed "safety concerns." We obtained the city's report to Washington showing results were mixed. www.kut.org/transportati...

NEW: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport says it had 21,666,852 departing and arriving passengers last year, the third-highest total on record.

Smokable cannabis remains legal in Texas for now. Today, a spokesperson with the Department of State Health Services said they received hundreds of public comments on the proposed rule, and they’re still reviewing them. Background: www.kut.org/politics/202...

MAJOR I-35 RAMP CLOSURE: Starting Sunday, the northbound I-35 exit at Riverside Drive and the northbound Holly Street entrance ramp and exit will permanently close. Detour: Woodland exit. In early February, the northbound I-35 entrance ramp at Cesar Chavez will reopen.

A new flyover ramp opens Saturday connecting the northbound MoPac toll lane with the new toll lanes on northbound U.S 183. CTRMA says the southbound toll lanes on 183 North should open in late-February or early-March, weather permitting.

CapMetro confirms ALL its buses now have Tap-to-Pay. Feb. 1 is the date they’ll “officially launch” the new service and start promoting/marketing it. But you can pay with your phone or credit card now and get daily fare capping. www.kut.org/transportati...

Reminder you can get a live look at Austin road conditions using the city's traffic cam map. data.mobility.austin.gov/traffic-came...

Austin police say they received reports of 67 car crashes from noon yesterday to 9 a.m. this morning.

NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says. - First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29 - Access trips start at noon - All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista - No Bikeshare

At ABIA, one of two runways is closed (West runway 18R/36L) so they can focus snow removal on a single runway. They use trucks retrofitted with plows. ABIA deputy chief Sam Haynes confirms 115 departing flight cancelations and 87 arriving flight cancellations.

More than 200 cancelations today at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, according to FlightAware. www.flightaware.com/live/cancell...

Mayor Kirk Watson confirms the man found dead at a Shell station at I-35 and 38 1/2 Street died from exposure to the cold. www.kut.org/energy-envir...

NEW: CapMetro will have delayed start Monday with limited service beginning at noon, Mayor Watson says. - First trains will leave Lakeline at 12:22 pm and downtown Austin at 12:29 - Access trips start at noon - All Pickup zones will run except Lago Vista - No Bikeshare

BREAKING: AISD is canceling school Monday, along with many other area school districts and colleges including UT-Austin.

Austin-area roads are being pre-treated with a chemical that melts ice ahead of the cold front expected to roll in tonight. You can watch a winter weather preparedness news conference happening now in this post by KUT's Andrew Weber: www.kut.org/energy-envir...

The Woodland Avenue vehicle crossing at I-35 in Austin is closed forever. One sidewalk remains open underneath I-35 at Woodland. But eventually pedestrians will also have to detour more than a mile to get to the other side of the highway. www.kut.org/transportati...

BREAKING: Austin’s light-rail plan gets environmental clearance from the Trump administration’s FTA. www.kut.org/transportati...

Texas is set to ban smokable cannabis as soon as Jan. 25. www.kut.org/politics/202...

BREAKING: Mayor Watson reveals ABIA will add "32 new gates" under new long-term lease agreements with major carriers. I asked an airport staffer, "Will these all be in the new Concourse B?" They said more details will come in a press release after this news conference.

For revamping Austin's Sixth Street, city staff are recommending.....Door Number Three. Door Number Three (aka Alternative 3) proposes the biggest sidewalks and nixes any bike/scooter lanes. speakupaustin.org/sixthstreet#...

CapMetro says tap-to-pay is coming in early 2026, according to a memo to the board. That's about a year late. CapMetro had originally said tap-to-pay would launch in March of this year. Getting secure payment processing set up took longer than expected.

Which parks decks over I-35 should the city commit to paying for? The price for all 14+ acres exceeds $300 million. TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote. www.kut.org/transportati...

Southwest is opening a new crew base in Austin in March. City will pay $2,750 per hire up to $5.5 million over five years. That's what this unanimous council vote was about. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Do you live in the Travis Heights/St. Edwards/Oltorf area and have low water pressure? The city says it's been a problem for homes, hotels and even Travis High School. Now they're hiring someone to fix it. Companies have until Jan. 15 to bid on the $4.7 million project.

How will Austin configure those parks over I-35 near the Hancock Center? City staff are considering four options. They have to tell TxDOT which one by the end of the year. Here’s a look at those four options. youtu.be/zbrXJFdCdnM?...

The city of Austin has four ideas for the northern deck parks over I-35 near the Hancock Center. These could go in after TxDOT removes upper decks and lowers the mainlanes. You can give feedback at an open house tomorrow from 11-1 at the Austin Public Library's Carver Branch.

ABIA isn’t on the FAA list of 40 airports ordered to reduce flights by 10%, but the effects will be felt in Austin. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin is starting construction this month on long-promised improvements to the Shoal Creek Trail. The city is widening a section of sidewalk along North Lamar Boulevard that runs parallel to a serene nature path deep in a canyon below. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has so far dodged the worst of flight delays caused by the federal government shutdown. But veterans of air traffic warn the relative calm may not last, especially with a short-staffed control tower. www.kut.org/transportati...

The Trail Conservancy is installing new mile markers and half-mile markers around the Butler Trail. If all goes well, the last few should be in by tomorrow morning. Later they will install more signs for restrooms, the 10 mph speed limit, leash rules, trailhead welcome, etc.

Here are pictures of the 16 painted crosswalks and street murals Austin may have to remove under Gov. Abbott’s order. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin police say a “shelter in place” order around Austin Central Library is lifted after shooting inside the library. One person injured and in hospital. Suspect not in custody but police don’t think he’s in the area. Library still closed because an investigation is underway.

What will a $25 million boardwalk between South First Street and South Congress Avenue look like? An internal city document obtained by KUT News reveals new details. www.kut.org/transportati...

Austin's biggest public transit shakeup in years is coming. But it won't happen overnight, and not everyone is on board. www.kut.org/transportati...

What happens to the 13 schools Austin ISD wants to close? AISD says they'll be sold, leased or repurposed. Tax records show the campuses are worth nearly $296 million and have over a million square feet of air conditioned space. Map in the story. www.kut.org/education/20...