Barton Springs Pool Maintenance Extended: The city began the Barton Springs Skimmer Bypass Project in February, temporarily closing the pool on Feb. 23 to remove and mitigate a decommissioned skimmer bypass that was installed in the 1940s. That closure was slated to end March 13, but has now been extended to Saturday, March 21. A city of Austin press release said the delay was caused when “crews encountered conditions that require additional time and specialized equipment to safely complete underwater diver work.”
AISD Investigated Under Bathroom Bill: On March 6, Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened to fine Austin ISD $5,000 a day going forward after receiving a private citizen’s complaint concerning alleged violations of Senate Bill 8, the anti-trans “Bathroom Bill,” which requires that individuals use the bathroom aligned with the sex listed on their birth certificate in Texas public schools and other government-controlled spaces. The citizen had used Paxton’s tipline to report that “both Austin ISD and Austin High have been made aware that a biological male has been using girls’ restrooms and locker rooms,” Paxton said in a press release. Texas will begin to fine AISD if the violation continues after a 15-day cure period, the A.G.’s Office announced. After an AISD parent raised concerns, district spokesperson Maritza Villela said that the district is working with the campus to uncover the facts.
APD Lessens Cooperation With ICE: The Austin Police Department has released new guidelines for how officers cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to KUT. After APD held a February community forum to discuss the department’s role in assisting ICE agents in deportations and multiple protests have taken place throughout the city, APD’s new rules have been put in place to reduce ICE’s involvement in local law enforcement operations. Under the new policy, officers cannot make the decision to detain or arrest a person “based solely on an ICE Administrative Warrant.” If an officer does make contact with an individual who has an administrative warrant, but has not committed any other crimes, the officer is required to contact their APD supervisor if they plan to make a report to ICE.
AUS Prepares for SXSW: As South by Southwest gets underway, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is set for one of its busiest weeks of travel all year. To make matters even tougher for AUS staff, spring break travelers will also add to the traffic, along with a partial federal government shutdown that has strained TSA operations. According to KVUE, daily departures can reach around 36,000 passengers during the festival. Samantha Rojas, a public information specialist for AUS, said that anything above 35,000 passengers is considered busy by the airport. During the SXSW festival, AUS is increasing staff, opening a new TSA checkpoint, and encouraging travelers to plan ahead. “Get here with plenty of time,” Rojas said. “We always recommend passengers arrive two and a half hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.”
$138 Million in Travis County Infrastructure Projects: After the Travis County Commissioners Court approved $12 million for a new Precinct 2 building at its March 3 meeting, the county is now set to borrow around $138 million through certificates of obligation in Fiscal Year 2025-26. Along with the Precinct 2 building, over $135 million will be spent on infrastructure projects that include road construction and drainage projects, vehicle upgrades, concrete and paving, substandard roads, roadway recycling, intersection construction, sidewalk repairs, managing facilities, traffic signals, and park hike-and-bike trail upgrades. According to Community Impact, around $65 million in debt is set to be issued over the next five years, with over $73 million issued over the next 20.
Boardwalk or Bust: According to KUT, the city is facing pressure from the Texas Department of Transportation to accept proposed funding for a $25 million boardwalk over Lady Bird Lake or lose the project. After TxDOT sent a letter to Mayor Kirk Watson on Feb. 5 stating that it will remove the boardwalk from its I-35 expansion project if City Council does not approve its advance funding agreement, the city is now wanting the existing Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail to be widened, with the boardwalk being an additional stretch to the trail. TxDOT’s boardwalk proposal is to help counter the impacts that the I-35 expansion will have on the area, permanently taking nearly 1 acre of parkland and temporarily occupying 2.5 acres during construction. After the project was proposed in 2023, the Trail Conservancy, a nonprofit that manages the Butler Trail, began exploring possible development plans with TxDOT, with minimal input from Austin Parks and Recreation and City Council. Now, Austin Parks and Recreation plans to enter into an agreement with the nonprofit on the development’s design, which will require City Council approval.
Three Children Die in East Riverside Fire: According to reporting from the Statesman, an East Riverside apartment fire on Wednesday, March 11, left three children dead and three others injured. The Austin Fire Department was on the scene around 1:45am Wednesday morning, extinguishing the fire by 4:19am. While officials have not yet released the cause of the fire, they have confirmed that the fire was contained to one apartment unit, displacing 30 other units in the complex.
Student Third Spaces at City Hall: Austinites are invited to examine student-designed apps that will be on display at City Hall through Friday, March 13, as part of the Third Spaces Design Galleries, developed through the Third Spaces Create to Code Challenge. The apps are intended to help youth find safe and accessible social spaces throughout the city. A virtual gallery will also be open through early April, where visitors can review student designs and vote for their favorite concepts. The city is seeking community feedback to help craft an app that will offer Austin youth connectivity to inclusive gathering spaces.
SXSW Safety Concerns: Following the March 1 Sixth Street shooting that left four people, including the suspect, dead and 15 others injured, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said that she feels confident in the resources that the department and city already have in place for South by Southwest and will not make any major security changes. David Catran, a security guard who has served at SXSW events for the past decade, said his Texas-based security company, Ranger Guard, is prioritizing violence prevention measures over some of its more common duties, according to the Statesman. He, along with other Austinites, have said that they hope the city and APD increase security measures at the event.
East Williamson Creek Greenbelt Face Lift: Last Friday, March 6, city leaders gathered at the East Williamson Creek Greenbelt to celebrate the completion of new amenities and recreation spaces, along with drainage improvements. The land was once home to Austinites until a major flood in the Nineties set the community back. Austin’s Neighborhood Partnering Program and Austin Parks and Recreation completed trail improvements, landscaping, and installed a youth play area, benches, and picnic tables in partnership with the neighborhood Adopt-a-Creek group, GAVA, and UT-Austin’s Community and Regional Planning Program. The city also installed approximately 1,600 linear feet of storm drainage, relocating 1,200 linear feet of water and wastewater lines, with an overall construction cost of around $2.3 million that was funded from 2018 voter-approved bonds, the drainage charge, and the Regional Stormwater Management Program.
Austin Energy Power Partner Program: Austinites now have more incentives to join Austin Energy’s Power Partner program. Part of the city’s Demand Response Program, those who participate in Power Partner allow Austin Energy to briefly adjust thermostats during periods of peak energy demand, which reduces grid strain and lowers customer costs. Now, Austinites can earn a $75 enrollment incentive per thermostat, $30 recurring bill credit, and a $50 thermostat rebate.
ICE Backs Off as Carmen Mejia Is Exonerated: After spending 23 years in jail for a crime that she did not commit, Carmen Mejia was exonerated on Monday, March 9. She was sentenced to life in prison in 2005 for the 2003 scalding death of an infant in her care, after prosecutors alleged her of submerging 10-month-old Abelardo Casiano in scalding bathwater while babysitting the child and her four children. In 2024, one of her daughters testified that she had accidentally placed Casiano in the bath while her mother was in another room. In an attempt to protect her daughter, Mejia said that the infant had accidentally poured boiling water on himself, though a Travis County medical examiner’s investigation found that the injuries were inconsistent with her story, resulting in her 20-plus-year stay in jail. When word got out that Mejia, a Honduran immigrant, would be exonerated, there was fear that ICE would then deport her due to losing legal status while in custody. Though she remained in the Travis County jail on an immigration hold following the exoneration hearing, she was later released on Tuesday night, after a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that she will be “legally allowed to remain in the U.S. until her temporary protected status expires. Read more in Brant Bingamon’s report.
Pflugerville Water Emergency: Last Wednesday, March 4, Pflugerville declared a water emergency due to “historically low levels” at Lake Pflugerville after a pipeline that fills the city’s main water source failed. During a Council meeting on Tuesday, March 10, city leaders said that the issue stems from several breaks to a 30-inch pipeline that began last year, with the first break occurring in September 2025. According to KVUE, the city has been mitigating the pipe’s damage for months since. While the city has placed restrictions on residential water usage, officials have said that the city is still behind on restoring the water supply, now working to recover hundreds of millions of gallons.
Iran War’s Impacts on Texas: After the U.S. and Israel began bombing Iran just under two weeks ago, the effects of the war are starting to be felt at a local level in Texas. According to reporting from The Texas Tribune, the average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline in the state reached $3.21 on Tuesday, March 10, which is up from $2.55 just a month ago. Experts say that the longer the war lasts, the higher prices will begin to hike, with the national average at $3.54 as of Tuesday. According to Thomas Weinandy, a principal research economist, the Texas oil industry will benefit from being able to sell the product at higher prices, while consumers face the brunt of the cost.
Trump Fires Kristi Noem: On Thursday, March 5, Donald Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, nominating Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to step into her position. The release of Noem comes after a year full of immigration terrorization, where two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis were shot and killed by ICE agents, multiple detainees died within custody of immigration enforcement, and protests have taken place across the country. The former South Dakota governor will now assume a new role called “special envoy for the Shield of the Americas.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Ms. Mejia’s release is an example of the power that regular people have when they fight against injustice.”
Travis County District Attorney José Garza in a statement regarding ICE choosing not to deport recently exonerated Carmen Mejia
This article appears in March 13 • 2026.