No Kings, new approach: Austin event shifts focus to voter education
With early voting beginning Monday, a No Kings event in Austin took a different approach today...
Westlake News
Government
'No Kings' demonstrations to be held across Texas Saturday
Communities and organizations will gather in cities across the Lone Star State on Saturday for a "day of action" focused on nonpartisan voter participation and election protection....
State of Texas: Tight races test voters, parties and a new political map
The race for U.S. Senate is the biggest story in Texas politics, and it's getting nationwide attention. Campaign spending between Ken Paxton and James Talarico is on pace to set records, and the race appears to be tight....
Austinites to vote on $295M bonds, city charter amendments
Voters will decide on park and library funding as well as possibly a mandated, independent audit of Austin's budget.
2026 election: Campaigns prepare to switch to frantic final push ahead of early voting
The midterm campaign is almost over. Early voting starts Monday, with several candidates this weekend launching one last big push for voters.
20% of voter-approved Austin bond funding from last decade yet to be spent, new dashboard shows
The city of Austin has spent about 70% of total bond funding approved by voters in the last decade, according to a new dashboard released to increase transparency with the public....
West Campus church to serve as new polling location on Election Day
For the first time in five years, West Campus will have a polling location in the heart of the neighborhood just in time for the November midterm elections....
Mayor says Austin ISD petition to close schools seems to have enough signatures
Will the Austin Independent School District avoid a state takeover? That's the question that remains after a petition to close two failing schools is now getting some pushback....
Petition to trigger AISD school closures appears to have enough signatures: Austin Mayor Kirk Watson
Mayor Kirk Watson says it appears that enough signatures have been collected to trigger the closure of Webb and Burnet Middle Schools to prevent a state takeover of the district....
One side of the street can sell liquor. The other can't. Bastrop County voters may change that
In Bastrop County, neighboring businesses can face different alcohol rules because of election boundaries drawn decades ago. County officials and business owners said the patchwork system has led to permit denials, confusion and missed business opportunities. Voters will decide N...
2026 election: Williamson County early voting hours, locations
Early voting for the 2026 midterm election kicks off on Monday, Oct. 19.
2026 election: Central Texas early voting hours, locations
Early voting for the 2026 midterm election kicks off on Monday, Oct. 19.
2026 election: Hays County early voting hours, locations
Early voting for the 2026 midterm election kicks off on Monday, Oct. 19.
2026 election: Travis County early voting hours, locations
Early voting for the 2026 midterm election kicks off on Monday, Oct. 19.
Blame is on Cornyn, Karl Rove 'if Ken Paxton loses,' Trump says
President Donald Trump on Thursday said Sen. John Cornyn and Republican political strategist Karl Rove were “doing everything possible to make it hard” for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to win the upcoming U.S. Senate election....
What's next after Kyle council member resigns citing harassment
The Kyle City Council voted to accept the resignation of one of its members earlier this month after she alleged ongoing “harassment and dehumanization” led her to step down....
Texas eyes oversight as data centers boom across the state
Texas leaders are pushing for oversight on data centers to protect the state’s power grid and water resources. It’s become a high-stakes issue during the current election cycle, with Gov. Greg Abbott calling for a pause in data center development until an audit is conducted....
How do news outlets call elections? KXAN breaks down its process
On this episode of Inside Austin's Agenda, KXAN Investigator Grace Reader sits down with the man that collects the data and calls races for the station, Christopher Adams....
Mayors from across U.S. unite to address rising cost of living
Mayors from around the nation spent this week looking at what Austin is doing when it comes to housing affordability.
Timeline: Lions Municipal 'Muny' Golf Course 100+ year history
Timeline of Muny's history, based on information from The Muny Conservancy.
Multiple states report suspicious packages with white powder at election offices
Election officials in three states have reported suspicious packages were sent to their offices in the past week, only a few weeks out from the midterm elections....
Texas State University launches first-ever satellite into space
A Texas State University student-built satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of a NASA resupply mission. This marked the university’s first-ever satellite launch....
City of Austin, UT Austin close to agreement on preserving Muny
The City of Austin and the University of Texas at Austin are close to an agreement to preserve the Lions Municipal Golf Course, also known as Muny.
Voting rights groups sue Texas over delayed online voter registrations
Voting rights groups in Texas have filed a lawsuit alleging the state violated a 2021 settlement agreement after technical problems with the Department of Public Safety's web portal caused a delay in voter registrations for months....
'Save Muny': Austin nears deal to take ownership of Lions Municipal Golf Course
The city of Austin announced Wednesday that it's "close to an agreement" with the University of Texas that would shift ownership of the Lions Municipal Golf Course to the city of Austin. The deal would once again amend the 1989 Brackenridge Development Agreement....
Audit finds inefficiencies in Texas' art grant management system
An October 2026 audit of the Texas Commission on the Arts identified an inefficiency.
Georgetown may delay projects, push back potential bond election after property values fall
Several major projects in Georgetown could face delays, and a potential bond election once discussed for 2027 may now be pushed back as city leaders grapple with lower-than-expected property values....
Midland becomes latest Texas city to end Flock camera contract amid privacy concerns
Midland has become the latest city in Texas to get rid of Flock cameras after city council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to end their contract with the company....
Mamdani, Council Speaker Menin closer to striking deal to ban horse carriage industry from NYC
NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are now closer to striking a deal to ban the horse carriage industry.
Vance visits Tyler as Texas election races tighten
TYLER, Texas (KETK) -- Vice President JD Vance is expected in Tyler on Tuesday morning as part of a Republican National Committee midterm rally, with high-stakes races for Texas governor and U.S. Senate drawing national attention. Vice President JD Vance's visit is expected to be...
Hays County restores $10K grant to Price Center
Hays County commissioners voted to restore $10,000 in grant funding to the Price Center after the nonprofit was initially denied, prompting concerns from community members....
Bastrop County commissioners seek TCEQ public meeting for proposed power plant
The proposed facility would generate roughly 1,300 megawatts of electricity to support a planned data center campus.
Trump's new press secretary holds first media briefing
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia faced reporters Tuesday morning for the first time since taking over as the Trump administration’s top spokesperson, just three weeks before the midterm elections....
Musk throws $276M behind Republicans in midterms
Tech billionaire Elon Musk gave $276 million to several Republican super PACs and organizations over the past three months, as the GOP faces headwinds ahead of the midterm elections....
The Senate races most likely to flip less than a month from Election Day
The race for control of the Senate is heating up, with forecasters increasingly moving races in the Democrats' direction less than a month out from the election....
Texas midterms: Talarico rumor debunked as questions grow over candidate debates
With just three weeks until Election Day, Texas' biggest political races are drawing renewed attention as candidates make their final push for votes.
Texas health agency proposes eliminating children’s autism program
In its budget request to the Legislature for the 2028-2029 biennium, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) proposed eliminating funding for the Children’s Autism Program (CAP) entirely, stunning advocates, providers and parents....
Baby bath seats sold on Amazon under recall for risk of serious injury, drowning
A brand of baby bath seats sold in April on Amazon.com is under a recall because they are unstable and can tip over while in use, posing a risk of serious injury or even drowning, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says....
Federal judge: DOJ cannot request states' voter lists for eligibility database
The 78-page ruling struck down the DOJ’s entire voter list maintenance policy, invalidating it nationwide.
The race for Texas Railroad Commission: Bo French v. Jon Rosenthal
A spot on the little-known, three-member commission that oversees the most powerful industry in Texas is up for grabs in the midterm elections.
Texas candidates ramp up election outreach as early voting looms
Fresh off the reappearance of JamesTalarico, Ken Paxton and local candidates advance their pace in the race toward election day.
Central Texas schools turn to voters for tax rate approval
There are five districts in Central Texas who are calling for a Voter-Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE for the upcoming election.
Some AISD parents petition to close Burnet, Webb Middle Schools to avoid state takeover
Parents at Burnet and Webb Middle Schools have less than a week to sign a petition asking the State Education Commissioner to close their campuses. This is a last-ditch effort by parents to avoid a state takeover, after the schools received five “F" ratings in a row....
DOJ sues Denver over ordinance banning masks for federal law enforcement officers
The DOJ sued Denver officials, arguing the city’s masking and identification rules unlawfully interfere with federal officers and endanger their safety....
Travis County completes updates to 32,000 DPS voter registration records
Travis County says it has processed 32,000 voter registration records from DPS ahead of the Nov. 3 election and is now working through 20,000 paper applications....
City of Austin canceled more than 60 voter-approved bond projects, new dashboard shows
A new Austin Bond Dashboard shows 66 out of 1,430 voter-approved projects have been canceled, but doesn't detail yet where the allocated funds will go....
Southwest Airlines says 'brief' system outage affected boarding, checked bags
Southwest confirmed the news shortly after travelers began to report delays on Friday morning.
2 Austin restaurants earn first MICHELIN Stars in 2026 Texas guide
Two Austin restaurants have earned their first MICHELIN Stars in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Texas selection.Fabrik, a plant-based restaurant in Tarrytown, and Kapp...
Residents board up windows and National Guard troops deploy as Hurricane Isaias nears US Gulf Coast
MIAMI (AP) — Residents boarded up windows and stacked sandbags Thursday while thousands of National Guard soldiers were deploying in anticipation of Hurricane Isaias, which packed swift winds and threatened to bring a storm surge with devastating floods to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Is...
Taylor city council approves data center campus despite community concern
If approved, the campus could sprawl across 664 acres but feature about $28 million in local investments.
Iowa city council opens meeting with a ‘Hail Satan’ satanic prayer
A city council meeting in Iowa came under an intense discussion amongst its council after a satanic prayer was read to open their council meeting this week....
Hinojosa, Abbott split Texas voters in latest governor’s poll
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa are statistically tied in the race to become the state's next governor, according to a new YouGov poll....
Talarico leads Paxton among younger Texas voters, new poll shows
Younger voters are propelling Democrat James Talarico into the lead in his U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Ken Paxton.
New Austin dashboard lets residents track bond spending and projects
Austin residents now have a new way to track how the city is spending voter-approved bond money including which projects are complete, under construction or no...
Massive Taylor data center plan to come back for city council vote
The city of Taylor is set to consider a 664-acre data center project that could generate $4.8 billion in economic output for Williamson County during an Oct. 8 council meeting....
Van Zandt County becomes first Texas county to officially denounce Sharia law
VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas (KETK) -- This East Texas county about an hour away from Dallas voted on Wednesday to denounce Sharia law, becoming the first county in Texas to do so. During a Van Zandt County commissioners court meeting, officials discussed and considered a resolution c...
Midterm elections won't keep Trump from college football on Saturday. A hurricane might
President Donald Trump is really, really hoping the weather doesn’t stop him from going to another big college football game.
What is the debate over Austin's Prop I?
Austinites will vote on Proposition I on Nov. 3, which has sparked debate over its proposed amendment to the Austin City Charter.If approved by voters, Prop I w...
Student, 6, dies after large video display falls at Florida school, district says
A six-year-old student died Wednesday after a large video display board fell on the child at an elementary school in Florida, according to the school district....
Kyle City Council moves forward with $39.8M Bunton Creek Road Project
Relief may soon be on the horizon for drivers and families navigating Bunton Creek Road, as progress continues on a major infrastructure project funded by Kyle’s historic 2022 Road Bond....