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Austin OKs $2.35 billion of revenue bonds, eyes GO bond election

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Austin OKs .35 billion of revenue bonds, eyes GO bond election


Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wants the city council to hold off on a bond measure this year to set up a better proposal in 2028.

Michael Dorman

Austin, Texas, is revving up to sell $2.35 billion of debt for a convention center and a wastewater treatment plant, while a legal battle continues over bonds to help finance a light rail system. 

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The bond boom comes as the city council voted on Thursday to pursue the development of a $390 million baseline general obligation bond package for the November ballot despite a call by Mayor Kirk Watson to wait until 2028.

“I believe we can and we should bring forward significant investments in the future,” he said. “In fact, if we restore compliance with our financial policies and we maintain the discipline we actually will have greater future capacity to do more for this community in 2028.”

A bond election would follow the rejection of a maintenance and operations property tax hike by 63% of city voters in November. In the wake of the defeat, Austin officials took steps to better manage its finances, including pursuing a citywide performance and efficiency audit of city operations.

The city, which last held a successful GO bond election in 2022 for $350 million of debt for affordable housing, had $1.03 billion of unissued voter-approved GO bond authorization as of the Sept. 30 end of fiscal 2025. Last year, Austin sold $796 million of GO bonds and certificates of obligation in a deal rated triple-A with stable outlooks by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.

On Thursday, the city council signed off on a $34.5 million wrongful prosecution and conviction settlement with four individuals to be financed through the sale of non-voter-approved GO bonds. 

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The council approved up to $1.35 billion of special tax revenue bonds on May 21 for a $1.6 billion project to replace the city’s now-demolished convention center with a facility that will increase rentable event space to 620,000 square feet from 365,000 square feet.

Construction site for Austin convention center project
Construction site for Austin’s convention center project, shown in March. The city council approved up to $1.35 billion of special tax revenue bonds for a bigger convention center.

Rich Saskal

The bonds are backed with revenue from certain city hotel occupancy taxes and incremental state tax revenue generated within a project finance zone the city established in 2024. Amounts and timings for issuing the debt are being determined, according to the city, which filed a petition with a Travis County District Court for an expedited validation of the bonds. 

An ordinance approved in October to issue up to an initial $650 million of bonds for the project was rescinded by the council.

The city also plans to refund hotel occupancy tax-backed debt issued for the prior convention center in order to pledge a 4.5% hotel tax for the upcoming bonds. 

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“The refunding bonds are a separate, but related item to the expansion bonds and will only be secured by 2% venue HOT,” city documents said. “The 2% venue HOT will not be pledged to the expansion bonds and will cease to be collected upon final maturity or early payoff of (the refunding bonds).” 

A petition drive that would have delayed the project fell 494 signatures short of a requirement for 20,000 valid signatures of registered voters, Austin City Clerk Erika Brady determined in November.

Petition backers are appealing a district court’s refusal to force validation in state appellate court after the Texas Supreme Court dismissed their petition for a writ of mandamus, according to attorneys.

The petition drive by Austin United PAC and others sought a ballot measure to stop the demolition and reconstruction of the convention center for seven years — or until the project was approved by voters — and prioritize city funding for local live music, arts, cultural, and outdoor tourism. 

The Austin City Council also approved as much as $1 billion of water and wastewater system revenue bonds last month for the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion and enhancement project. The bonds will be used to obtain a direct low-interest loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program. 

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Other financing sources for the $1.5 billion project are $59 million from the Texas Water Development Board Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and funding from Austin Water.

A groundbreaking for the project, which is aimed at improving treatment processes and protecting the Colorado River, was held in April.

The plant, which serves more than 50% of Austin and operates at a treatment capacity of 75 million gallons per day, will have its capacity increased to 100 MGD, helping meet future demand and requirements set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for Austin’s projected growth of 1.5 million by 2040, according to a city statement.

A legal logjam over a light rail system eased May 22 when the Texas Supreme Court finally ruled on a procedural issue related to an initial $150 million of bonds for the project. The high court ordered a Travis County Court judge to decide whether the bonds’ issuer, the Austin Transit Partnership, a nonprofit corporation created by the city and Capital Metro Transportation Authority, has standing to seek court validation for the debt.

City taxpayers who filed a lawsuit in 2023, along with the Texas Attorney General’s Office have been challenging the legality of the bonds, which would be paid off with a portion of Austin’s operation and maintenance property taxes voters approved in November 2020 for what was then billed as a 27-mile, 31-station light-rail project estimated to cost $7.1 billion.

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Escalating costs led ATP to downsize Project Connect to an initial less than 10-mile, 15-station system with a similar price tag. The completion of a federal environmental review in January allowed the project to continue a process to seek billions of dollars in federal grants and loans.

ATP said Project Connect is moving forward with construction scheduled to begin next year.  

“We are confident in our case and look forward to our day in court,” ATP said in a statement. “The pending litigation has not slowed our progress advancing Austin light rail, which has hit major milestones in the federal funding process, design, and pre-construction work this year.” 

Bill Aleshire, an attorney who filed the taxpayers’ lawsuit, cautioned that several issues remain before the court, including the legality of the downsized project and the ability to pay off bonds with property tax revenue that is supposed to be used for operations. 

“Their federal funding is uncertain, their ability to issue bonds is uncertain, and they just stubbornly will not listen to us and say it’s time to pause Project Connect and rethink it, that maybe rail isn’t the best way to go at this time and maybe we can’t afford it at this time,” he said.

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Oregon Baseball vs. Texas: Starting Pitchers, How to Watch Elimination Game

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Oregon Baseball vs. Texas: Starting Pitchers, How to Watch Elimination Game


The Oregon Ducks baseball team is facing elimination vs. the Texas Longhorns in the Austin Super Regional. Will the Ducks’ shot at the College World Series end on Sunday night?

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The No. 11 national seed Oregon Ducks fell flat in game one vs. the No. 6 national seed Texas at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. In prime time on Saturday night, Oregon stranded a season-high 17 runners while going 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position in a 11-3 loss to the Longhorns.

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Jun 6, 2026; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns pitcher Dylan Volantis (99) reacts after completing the top of the fifth inning against the Oregon Ducks during a Super Regional game at UFCU Disch-Falk field in Austin, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Oregon Faces Elimination vs. Texas

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The rowdy Texas crowd grew louder and louder as Oregon could not bat in their runners, the Ducks left at least one runner on base in each of the first six innings. Longhorns coach Jim Schlossnagle started his ace Dylan Volantis and then surprisingly elected to bring in his No. 2 starting pitcher, Luke Harrison, in relief. It was clear just how aggressively the Longhorns were managing game one.

Meanwhile, Texas jumped out to a 7-0 lead in front of a record-setting 8,550 fans. At the plate, the Longhorns were led by Adrian Rodriguez, who finished with a career-high five RBI. Oregon starting pitcher Cal Scolari (5-1) was charged with the loss and allowed five runs on two hits with six walks and four strikeouts in 3.2 inning.

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Jun 6, 2026; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. (6) slides in to second base ahead of the tag from Oregon Ducks second baseman Ryan Cooney (12) during the sixth inning of a Super Regional game at UFCU Disch-Falk field in Austin, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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Will Oregon baseball be able to turn it around in time to save their season? Schlossnagle feels confident in his Texas team, who is looking to clinch their first trip to Omaha in four years.

“I felt like there were a lot of awesome bats all the way through the lineup,” Schlossnagle said. “Again, we scored 11 runs without two of the best players in the country getting a hit, so if we can get them going tomorrow, I like our chances.”

Only eight teams will advance to the College World Series in Omaha and there are three teams who have already earned their way in by winning their Super Regionals: West Virginia, Troy and Ole Miss.

If Oregon wins on Sunday night, it will force a game three on Monday. Then, the Ducks will be only one win away from punching their ticket to the CWS for the first time since 1954.

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Sunday, June 7: 6:00 p.m. PT, ESPN
Monday, June 8: TBD – if necessary

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Oregon’s Angel Laya celebrates a triple against Yale in the fourth inning of the NCAA Eugene Regional Baseball Tournament game at PK Park n Eugene May 29, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fans can also tune into the Ducks’ radio broadcast to listen to the series on the Oregon Sports Network.

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Starting Pitchers For Oregon and Texas

For Sunday’s game, Oregon starter Will Sanford will be on the mound. Sanford is fresh off a career performance, striking out a career-high 14 batters vs. Washington State in the Eugene Regional, while surrendering just one hit across 6.1 scoreless innings and earning the tournament’s MVP.

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Oregon pitcher Will Sanford celebrates a strikeout against Washington State during the first inning of day two of the NCAA Eugene Regional Tournament at PK Park n Eugene May 30, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Ducks feed off his infectious energy and Oregon will need every bit of it on Sunday.

For Texas, on the mound will be Ruger Riojas, who is an Austin native. The veteran right-hander did battle an injury earlier in the season but helped the Longhorns clinch their regional, limiting UC Santa Barbara to three hits and one run in five innings of work while striking out six.

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What Oregon Said After The Loss

Oregon infielder Maddox Molony hit the nail on the head with his breakdown of the defeat.

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“We did a good job of setting the table,” Molony said, “But the moment got too big a couple times. We need a better job of staying within ourselves and trusting in our abilities.”

Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski was dissappointed in the game one loss but remains optimistic the Ducks can right the ship.

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Oregon head baseball coach Mark Wasikowski gives a thumbs up to the stands after the Ducks defeated Oregon State on day three at the NCAA Eugene Regional Tournament at PK Park in Eugene May 31, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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“I think we’re a whole lot better than what we showed tonight, but what we showed tonight was what we all saw, and that wasn’t reflective, in my opinion, of how we got this far,” Wasikowski said after the loss.

“I thought we kind of shot ourselves in the foot tonight and that’s why we came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard…. We’re 0-1 and it’s the first team to win two,” Wasikowski said. “It’s like a regular conference weekend where you have to win two of three. Nothing got won tonight and nothing got resolved tonight in terms of who goes to Omaha.”

The Ducks have a great challenge in from of them: beating the Longhorns on a hot Texas evening, with their season on the line.

The College World Series begins on Friday, June 12, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.

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No. 6 Texas blasts No. 11 Oregon, 11-3, to open Austin Super Regional

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No. 6 Texas blasts No. 11 Oregon, 11-3, to open Austin Super Regional


In front of the largest crowd to ever watch the burnt orange and white at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, the No. 6 Texas Longhorns delivered an impressive performance, thrashing the No. 11 Oregon Ducks 11-3 to open the Austin Super Regional behind 10 strikeouts from sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis and five RBI supplied by sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez.

Oregon out-hit Texas nine to eight, but the Horns were patient at the plate and delivered timely execution, drawing eight walks, getting hit by three pitches, and driving in three runs on sacrifice flies, adding home runs by junior third baseman Casey Borba and junior designated hitter Ethan Mendoza.

Clutch pitching mattered, too, as Volantis battled persistent command issues, but combined with three other Texas pitchers to strand 17 base runners as Oregon went 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-20 (.100) with runners on base. Two Ducks — right fielder Angel Laya and catcher Burke-Lee Mabeus — each stranded six runners.

“I didn’t think he was sharp tonight, compared to a lot of the other outings that we saw, and yet he gutted it out. He showed the makeup that a true warrior shows when he needed to in the big spots,” Oregon head coach Mark Wasikowski said of Volantis.

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After Volantis retired the Ducks in the first with a strikeout to strand runners on first and third, walks drawn by junior right fielder Aiden Robbins and freshman left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. set the Horns up to strike, and Rodriguez took advantage with two outs and two on when he lashed a 2-1 cutter into the left-center gap. With the Oregon outfielders playing shallow, the hit got to the fence and Pack scored from first to make it 2-0.

In the second, an opposite-field approach by Oregon designated hitter Junior Lauaki produced a bloop double down the field, but Lauaki was too aggressive trying to take third on a chopper to Volantis and got caught in the run down. Another softly-hit ball challenged Pack and Rodriguez with the Texas left fielder getting a good jump to make the catch and avoid a collision.

With one out in the bottom of the inning, Longhorns junior third baseman Casey Borba extended the lead to 3-0 with a 395-foot blast to right-center on a 97-mph fastball, a rare opposite-field shot for the pull-heavy slugger who took focused work in batting practice to that direction on Thursday.

A walk issued to redshirt senior center fielder Dariyan Pendergrass also came back to haunt the Ducks when Pendergrass stole second and third, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Robbins.

Up 4-0, Volantis dealt with a massive jam in the third, giving up an 0-2 single to lead off the inning before briefly losing his command, issuing one-out and two-out walks, then falling behind 3-1 with the bases loaded before beating Brayden Jaska swinging on a fastball and the type of big-time curveball expected from Volantis. The Texas ace left the bases juiced by inducing an inning-ending groundout to second.

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Through the first three innings, Volantis held Oregon scoreless despite issuing three walks and throwing three wild pitches by stranding six runners. The Californian dealt with more traffic in the fourth after allowing a leadoff single up the middle by Lauaki and a double down the left-field line to put runners on second and third with no outs.

But Volantis’ curveball got him out of two more at bats, his fourth and strikeouts with a runner in scoring position, and a groundout to first to end the inning sparked a rare explosion of emotion from the lanky lefty.

One-out and two-out walks drawn by the Horns put runners on first and second for Robbins in the fourth, who worked a full-count walk to bring up junior catcher Carson Tinney. For the big at bat, the Ducks brought in seldom-used lefty Jonah Barkoff for his sixth appearance this season. After throwing a first-pitch strike to Tinney, Barkoff’s balk sent Borba home from third, but a 3-2 breaking ball in the dirt was enough to get Tinney to offer and end the inning.

After retiring the first two batters in the fifth, Volantis looked like he was finally at cruising speed before consecutive singles increased the stress again before another big-time curveball stranded two more runners by retiring Lauaki for the first time.

With Oregon out-hitting Texas 7-3 entering the bottom of the fifth, the Longhorns put one-out hits together with Becerra doubling to right center and Rodriguez singling to left center to make it 6-0.

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Texas scored another run after Mendoza was hit by a pitch, junior first baseman Ashton Larson drew a walk, and Pendergrass was hit by a pitch to force in Rodriguez.

At 96 pitches, Volantis came out for the sixth, but his command faltered again by allowing a leadoff double down the right-field line, a full-count walk, and spiking a first-pitch curveball off the foot of the next batter. For a final time, Volantis recovered, striking out Laya with three swings before departing to a deserved standing ovation as junior right-hander Thomas Burns came on in relief.

Burns got three swings and misses for the second out, but couldn’t find the zone on back-to-back walks on some pitches wildly out of the zone, ending his outing in favor of redshirt senior left-hander Luke Harrison in his second consecutive relief appearance. Despite getting squeezed on a 2-2 curveball, Harrison left no doubt with a swing and a miss on a cutter to strand three and leave the Horns with a 7-2 lead.

A single by Pack and a walk by Becerra put runners on first and second for Rodriguez in the sixth before both advanced on a wild pitch. Rodriguez made the Ducks pay after Pack was nearly picked off on a pitch out, hitting a sacrifice fly to center. And then Mendoza caught a hanging breaker up and over the plate, launching it 438 feet to left center for his 10th home run of the season.

Harrison went 1-2-3 in the seventh to end his effective outing and remains available to start on Monday if necessary or appear out of the bullpen again on Sunday. Freshman right-hander Brody Walls came for the eighth and worked around a solo home run.

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In the ninth, Texas added a run on a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez, whose execution at the plate followed a single by Pack and a double by Becerra.

The Longhorns can advance to the College World Series on Sunday with first pitch at 8 p.m. Central on ESPN with senior right-hander Ruger Riojas (5-2, 3.86 ERA) set to take the mound against Ducks right-hander Will Sanford (9-2, 3.46 ERA).



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Witnesses in Karmelo Anthony murder trial confirm Austin Metcalf’s words immediately after attack

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Witnesses in Karmelo Anthony murder trial confirm Austin Metcalf’s words immediately after attack


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Harrowing new witness testimony shed light on the desperate final moments of 17-year-old Texas high school athlete Austin Metcalf’s life following a fatal April 2025 stabbing at a crowded track meet.

Taking the stand Saturday during the high-profile trial, a recently graduated 18-year-old from Memorial High School broke down in tears as he recounted the chaotic aftermath of the attack, testifying that he heard Metcalf “screaming for help.”

A second witness, a 16-year-old Memorial High School student from the class of 2027, told the court that immediately after the attack, some of Metcalf’s final words were, “he f—— stabbed me.”

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SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS FATAL STABBING OF AUSTIN METCALF AT TEXAS TRACK MEET, OFFICIALS SAY

A courtroom sketch depicts Karmelo Anthony and his defense team as jurors view surveillance video during Anthony’s murder trial in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a Frisco, Texas, track meet. (Pat Lopez)

The new emotional accounts build on earlier testimony from another student who recalled hearing Metcalf say, “Oh my God,” as the reality of the stabbing set in.

Karmelo Anthony, 19, faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of Metcalf, who was unable to be resuscitated by high school staff who attempted CPR as he lost consciousness. He later died at a local hospital.

Anthony has pleaded not guilty to the charge, with his defense team maintaining that he acted in a “split second of fear and chaos” and stabbed Metcalf in self-defense, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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According to background details presented by prosecutors, the deadly encounter was sparked by a dispute over seating at the track meet. 

Multiple witnesses testified that Anthony arrived uninvited and sat down inside the Memorial High School team tent. Fellow students reportedly asked Anthony to leave the tent as many as 15 times, but he allegedly refused.

Demonstrators show support for Austin Metcalf outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, on the first day of jury selection in Karmelo Anthony’s trial on June 1, 2026. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

TRAIN ATTACK VIDEO REIGNITES FURY OVER WITHHELD FOOTAGE OF AUSTIN METCALF KILLING

As the situation escalated, witnesses testified that Anthony warned Metcalf, telling him, “Touch me and find out,” and “Touch me, see what happens.”

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During the confrontation, Anthony sat with a backpack on his lap and one hand inside it, leading some students to warn Metcalf not to touch him because they suspected he was gripping a concealed weapon.

The verbal dispute turned physical when Metcalf reportedly shoved or touched Anthony, prompting Anthony to stand up and stab the high school captain with a 3.5-inch folding knife.

Witnesses on Saturday described Anthony as “the aggressor,” noting Metcalf was “unwilling to fight.”

A courtroom sketch shows prosecutors delivering opening statements in the murder trial of Karmelo Anthony at the Collin County courthouse in McKinney, Texas. (Pat Lopez)

ACCUSED AUSTIN METCALF KILLER WON’T FACE DEATH PENALTY OR LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: DA

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Body-camera footage and officer testimony revealed that a cooperative Anthony made admissions to police immediately following the incident. 

“I’m not alleged. I did it,” Anthony allegedly told a responding school resource officer.

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He then repeatedly defended his actions to the police, saying, “He put his hands on me. I told him not to.”

Fox News’ Peter Cuddihy and Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

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