AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is launching a new authorization system for companies looking to operate automated motor vehicles.

A new goes into effect next month that requires companies using automated vehicles to be authorized by TxDMV with the following requirements:

• Complies with all applicable Texas traffic and motor vehicle laws
• Is equipped with a recording device
• Uses an automated driving system that complies with federal law
• Can achieve minimal risk condition in the event of a system failure
• Has a proper title and registration
• Maintains motor vehicle insurance

The process allows companies to submit their applications online through the Texas Motor Carrier Credentialing System.

The new laws outlined in Senate Bill 2807 go into effect on May 28.

Automated vehicles in Texas

The backstory:

Autonomous driving services are already operating in major Texas cities. Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio are all serviced by the driverless ride-share company Waymo.

In Austin, the service has received dozens of complaints about vehicles stalling, speeding and crashing.

There have also been complaints of vehicles illegally passing school buses.

In March, Swedish company Einride announced plans to bring autonomous freight trucks to Central Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas – A man was charged with intoxication manslaughter after a crash in East Austin.

The backstory:

According to an arrest affidavit, on April 17, around 1:31 a.m., officers responded to a crash in the 2800 block of East Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

An investigation revealed the driver, Jalen Carter, 32, was driving a 2026 white Nissan at an estimated speed of 100 mph in a 45 mph zone. The car “bottomed out” at a train crossing and lost control. The car then hit a utility pole, hit a bus station, and five parked cars before finally coming to a stop. 

A passenger in the car, Carter’s mother, suffered a serious hand injury. 

One witness told an officer that Carter had been smoking marijuana about 30 minutes before driving and was acting “abnormal and paranoid.” An officer described Carter’s eyes as bloodshot and glassy. 

An officer said he also “exhibited cyclic behavior” and was alternating between grabbing his mother and falling unconscious.

When officers tried talking to Carter, they said he was uncooperative and combative. They also said he ignored verbal commands and had to be removed from his mother. 

Carter and his mother were taken to a local hospital. His mother lost her thumb and required emergency surgery. 

At the hospital, Cater was so aggressive that it took about 10 people, including four security guards, to hold him down. He was eventually sedated and intubated. 

Carter was later charged with intoxication assault.

AUSTIN, Texas – It was initially believed that both of Athena the owl’s owlets at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center had died, but officials reported some hopeful news.

What we know:

On April 19, the wildflower center had posted that both of Athena’s owlets had not survived after they had been born on April 9 and April 11.

The first owlet died on April 17 and the second owlet was reported to have died overnight on April 18. 

Athena was not seen at the nest and was not spotted in nearby trees.

The wildflower center continued to monitor the nest and on April 20, the second owlet was found to be alive and showing signs of movement. 

In coordination with Austin Wildlife Rescue, the owlet was retrieved and is being rehabilitated.

What we don’t know:

Officials say early signs are encouraging and that the owlet is showing strength and appetite.

The exact cause of the death of the first owlet is now known, but the wildflower center says a variety of natural factors can affect survival, including food availability.

The backstory:

Since 2012, a pair of great horned owls have made a specific corner of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center their home. Like clockwork, the pair return each year to nest above the archway of the courtyard entrance, greeting visitors who pass beneath them.

The female owl, affectionately named Athena, has become a staple of the center.

Athena’s reach extends far beyond the local Austin community. Through a partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the center hosts a 24/7 livestream of the nest, allowing bird-watchers from around the globe to monitor her progress in real-time. 

The City of Austin also recently designated Athena the official Owl Ambassador of Austin.