Austin, TX
Austin air quality deemed ‘unhealthy’ for certain groups Thursday. What it means
If you opened your phone’s weather app to an air quality alert this morning in Austin, you’re not alone — apps like the Apple Weather app, AccuWeather and IQAir have deemed the air quality “unhealthy for sensitive groups” Thursday.
Here’s what you need to know about the air quality in Austin on Thursday and what exactly makes it unhealthy.
The short answer: pollution.
According to AirNow, a government website sharing air quality data, air quality is essentially graded on an index from zero to 300+, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index (AQI). The numbers are calculated by the concentration of five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also known as particulate matter), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. The numbers coincide with categories: good, moderate, unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy and hazardous. The most extreme category — hazards — indicates emergency conditions, while the least extreme — good — indicates that air pollution poses little or no risk to the public.
Thursday’s AQI is well over 100, according to multiple weather sources, meaning it’s unhealthy for sensitive groups and experts are encouraging folks to stay indoors as much as possible.
AccuWeather cites PM2.5 as “fine particulate matter,” meaning small pollutant particles with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers. These particles can be inhaled and enter the lungs and bloodstream.
“The most severe impacts are on the lungs and heart,” the AccuWeather website reads. “Exposure can result in coughing or difficulty breathing, aggravated asthma, and the development of chronic respiratory disease.”
According to experts at McGill University in Canada, PM2.5 is the type of air pollution that kills the most people worldwide. Experts have called for worldwide air quality standards to prevent what they say are “preventable” deaths from inhaling PM2.5 particles.
According to the American Lung Association, Austin is high-risk for ozone pollution. A 2025 study gave Travis County a failing grade for the number of high ozone days, as well as for average annual particle pollution. The study gave Travis County a “B” grade for 24-hour particle pollution, meaning the area averaged fewer unhealthy air days due to PM2.5 particles. But the bad days outweighed the good ones, earning Travis County an “F” overall for annual particle pollution. The American Lung Association notes that its methodology differs from the EPA’s AQI.
IQAir cites the following tips for unhealthy air quality days:
Austin, TX
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Austin, TX
Camp Mystic warned of safety plan problems as it seeks to reopen this summer after deadly 2025 flood
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas state regulators found nearly two dozen deficiencies in the emergency operations plan submitted in Camp Mystic’s bid to reopen less than a year after 27 children and counselors were killed in a devastating flood.
Camp Mystic’s owners have applied for a license to reopen the all-girls Christian camp in late May in part of the campus that did not flood. That has angered families of the girls killed, some of whom have filed lawsuits against the camp, and prompted several prominent state officials to call for the license to be denied or delayed pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.
The 11-page letter from the Department of State Health Services notes deficiencies that include problems with flood warning evacuation plans, use of an emergency warning and public address system, monitoring safety alerts and training campers on safety.
It was sent to the camp about a week after a three-day court hearing in the family lawsuits when several camp operators and staff acknowledged they missed official flood warnings, lacked a detailed evacuation plan and waited too long to try to get the children out. One of the camp’s owners, Richard Eastland, also died.
The letter notes that Camp Mystic is allowed to revise the emergency plan. Camp Mystic officials said they would work with the agency to address the problems cited.
“Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our campers, and we hope to continue the nearly century-long mission and ministry of Camp Mystic to provide a Christian camping experience for girls that allows them to grow physically, mentally and spiritually,” the camp said.
The camp’s emergency plan was submitted as part of strict new guidelines imposed by state lawmakers after the deadly flood.
DSHS spokesperson Lara Anton said many camps have received deficiency notices ahead of summer opening.
“This is part of the licensing application review process, and most youth camps have received a notice of deficiency letter for their emergency plan due to the statutory changes and increased emergency plan requirements,” Anton said.
Texas lawmakers have scheduled two days of hearings next week on what happened during the flood that ripped through the Guadalupe River and killed more than 130 people in all. Several lawmakers and the Texas Rangers, the state police elite investigations unit, visited the camp site this week.
Austin, TX
Austin ISD is under state investigation for celebrating Pride Week
The Texas Education Agency launched an investigation into the Austin Independent School District for celebrating its annual Pride Week.
A TEA spokesperson confirmed with KUT News the state has opened an investigation, but declined to comment since “the matter remains ongoing.”
The investigation comes after conservative State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, from the Fort Worth area, raised concerns in March about AISD breaking the law and working to “indoctrinate” students by celebrating Pride Week.
“It’s time to defund AISD and criminally investigate Superintendent Matias Segura,” Hall said in a social media post.
During an interview with the conservative nonprofit Texas Values, Hall said taxpayers in his district were concerned about state funding going into a district where “instead of focusing on education they are focusing on gender identity and celebrating pride and things like that.”
“[If] we don’t stop it in Austin ISD, we are going to see more of this across the state,” Hall said. “We need to make a statement and set an example. We will not put up with you breaking the law.”
Hall stated that AISD was not complying with Senate Bill 12. The law passed in 2025 and prohibits “diversity, equity and inclusion duties,” including activities that reference gender or sexual orientation, at K-12 public schools. The law also bans the creation of clubs based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
AISD held Pride Week from March 23 to 27 with the theme “beYOUtiful.” Students’ participation was voluntary, and activities took place outside instructional time, including before or after school or during lunch.
Activities included displaying photos of students’ families, wearing wacky socks and sitting with different people during lunch. On the last day each grade level wore a different color to school.
In their guidelines, district officials said AISD celebrated Pride Week during March to “show support” for the diverse students, staff and families. Officials also acknowledged that in past years the district had provided a suggested curriculum and had distributed swag to schools, but that this year it would look different due to “an ever changing environment.”
It is unclear what penalties the district could face. SB 12 states that any employee who engages in or assigns to another person diversity, equity and inclusion duties must be terminated.
This is not the first time AISD has come under scrutiny in recent months. In March, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton notified the district about a complaint regarding a violation of Senate Bill 8, also known as the “bathroom bill.”
In February, Paxton launched an investigation into AISD after students participated in a national walkout. The results of that investigation remain unknown.
KUT News has reached out to AISD for comment but has not heard back.
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