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How prepared is the City of Austin for a major wildfire?

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How prepared is the City of Austin for a major wildfire?


We’ve seen plenty of destructive wildfires across Central Texas from Bastrop County to Hays and Caldwell counties to the grass fire that destroyed an apartment building in Cedar Park.

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So it begs the question: how long until we see a major wildfire in the city of Austin and are we prepared? 

In this FOX 7 Focus, FOX 7 Austin’s John Krinjak speaks with Justice Jones and Lt. Steve Gibbon with the Austin Fire Department’s wildfire division about the risk and preparations for wildfire danger.

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JOHN KRINJAK: Where are we right now as far as wildfire danger goes? At the moment here in Austin, what do people need to know?

JUSTICE JONES: Yeah, the fire danger in Austin is extremely high right now. So we need people to know that any spark, any unwanted ignition can be catastrophic. So our first request to the public is be extremely cautious right now. You don’t want to be the cause of a catastrophe.

STEVE GIBBON: We’re monitoring the fuels. Our fuels right now are getting to a very critical state as it continues to dry. And with the heat and the lack of rainfall, our conditions are going to continue to deteriorate until we get some rain. And so people just need to be really cognizant of what they’re doing, whether it’s dragging a chain behind a truck or, you know, getting out, doing welding or, you know, fence building, you know, working out, you know, even mow in their yard if they strike a rock and start a fire. So there’s a lot of little things that people need to pay attention to.

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JOHN KRINJAK: What has going to these other fires around here done as far as preparing you guys?

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JUSTICE JONES: Well, since the 2011 fire season, Austin Fire Department has been training nonstop to respond to wildland fires. And we train in a way, and we developed policies where we can assist our partners and other communities when they’re experiencing wildfires because we’re going to need help some day and we’re going to ask them to show up for us.

STEVE GIBBON: Oftentimes, the more rural areas will start sparking fires before we do. Just the nature of the fuels they have available down there. So it’s a real cue that as these areas around us start burning, that we should anticipate that, you know, the fires will be moving into our area as our vegetation continues to drive through the region.

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JOHN KRINJAK: We haven’t seen, you know, big wildfires here in Austin recently. We have seen a lot like brush fires, though. What should people take away from that? What do you take away from that as far as like what is the risk that something could balloon into something bigger?

JUSTICE JONES: Well, firefighters are very effective in suppressing the majority of wildfires. We put out 99% of the fires right away. It’s that 1% on extreme conditions that we’re concerned about. And we’re entering into some of those extreme conditions. So help firefighters by preventing any unwanted ignition right now and have a plan for evacuating because we can’t protect your home and property until you’re out of harm’s way. If you live in a neighborhood that has limited ingress and egress or is a one way in-one way out, that’s a real cue that you’re in a dangerous situation. So you want to give yourself extra time to evacuate. To do that, you want to have your evacuation items in order. Make sure you have your prescriptions, your pets, the people you love all accounted for. And don’t hesitate when you receive that evacuation notice.

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JOHN KRINJAK: And given just how hot and how dry it is, how likely do you think it is that we see a significant wildfire within Austin later this month?

JUSTICE JONES: Well, the conditions are shaping up even for the next few days to have extreme fire potential. That means the vegetation is extremely dry and vegetation that we nailed to our homes in the forms of fences and decks is extremely dry as well.

STEVE GIBBON: The way conditions are going now, yes, it’s going to be I anticipate that we’re going to have a significant fire here before too much longer. Just it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when and when all the holes in the Swiss cheese line up and we get the dry conditions. And if we get a little front push through and brings a little bit of wind with it, then it could be an interesting day for us. 

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Austin, TX

Texas I-35 high-speed rail proposal is put into motion by lawmakers

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Texas I-35 high-speed rail proposal is put into motion by lawmakers


Austin lawmakers are putting a proposal in motion that has been in the works for years; plans to build a high-speed rail on I-35.

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The goal of House Bill 483 is to connect Dallas, Austin, and San António, using high-speed rail.

“The excitement and enthusiasm around this bill has been kind of overwhelming. I am surprised how much everyone is paying attention to it. I’m excited and encouraged. I think Texas is a booming state, with a booming economy, but we are far behind infrastructure options for residents,” says State Representative House District 136 John Bucy.

House Bill 483 submitted by lawmakers in Austin spells out plans for a high-speed rail expected to reach speeds of 110 miles per hour, connecting Dallas to Austin to San Antonio along interstate 35.

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“The interconnection of these major hubs that we are all traveling all the time would benefit our day-to-day lives. It is a way to a different mobility of travel then flying or driving in a car, it would be faster than driving in a car it would be safer. Many years ago, Rick Perry had plans to add more lanes and add a train up the I-35 corridor. We are not doing enough for infrastructure, and it needs to get done,” says Bucy.

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Last year, Travis County Commissioner’s Court Judge Andy Brown met with officials in Bexar County to discuss the possibility of a passenger rail between Austin and San Antonio, pending an environmental study.

Mayor Watson also highlighted opportunities for developing an inner-city passenger rail to congress, in November 2023.

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This year, The Texas Passenger Rail Advisory Committee discussed plans to add a high-speed passenger train along the corridor between Austin, San Antonio and Monterrey, Mexico.

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This month, State Senator Sarah Eckhardt joined in efforts to get house bill 483 passed.

“This is going to be a long process. We are going to try to get this bill by first continuing to raise awareness, asking for a hearing in committee that won’t  be until February or march at the earliest, so that process will be beginning, committee hearings and then hopefully we can continue to build support for it,” says Bucy.

According to the bill, high-speed rail would be constructed through state funds.

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“What we are doing is directing the Texas Department of Transportation to enter into an agreement so they would have a bid process, people would make their bids for building and maintaining this line, so it would be like public private partnership,” says Bucy.

Rep. John Bucy says the goal is to get the bill to the governor’s desk.

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“I know the governor loves to talk about Texas’s innovation and moving forward I would think a new high-speed mobility would be right up his alley,” says Bucy.

The bill would take effect in September 2025 if it is passed.



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Austin, TX

Texas Supreme Court overturns ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in lawsuit

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Texas Supreme Court overturns ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in lawsuit


(AP) – The Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in a whistleblower lawsuit at the heart of impeachment charges brought against him in 2023.

The court on Friday said Paxton’s office does not dispute any issue in the lawsuit by four former Paxton employees and agreed to any judgment in the case.

“In a major win for the State of Texas, the state Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the agency has wasted public resources for years,” a statement from Paxton’s office said.

An attorney for one of the plaintiffs declined immediate comment, and a second attorney did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

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The former employees allege they were improperly fired or forced out for bringing to the FBI allegations that Paxton was misusing his office to protect a friend and campaign donor, who in turn, they said, was helping the attorney general to conceal an extramarital affair.

The Supreme Court ruling noted that the Texas governor and Legislature have expressed a desire to hear testimony from the witnesses prior to agreeing to appropriate funds to settle the lawsuit.

The court said forcing Paxton, First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster, Chief of Staff Lesley French Henneke and senior advisor Michelle Smith to testify earlier could improperly be used for legislative purposes in deciding any appropriation.

Under the preliminary deal, Paxton agreed to apologize to the former employees for calling them “rogue” employees, settle the case for $3.3 million and ask the state to pay for it, prompting the state House to reject the request and begin its own investigation, leading to the vote to impeach him.

Paxton was ultimately acquitted after a Senate trial.

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The Supreme Court termed its ruling conditional upon the lower trial court complying with the decision, while saying it is “confident the trial court will comply” with the order.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



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Austin, TX

This Texas city ranks among 10 best to live in the US. See full list, how others scored

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This Texas city ranks among 10 best to live in the US. See full list, how others scored


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A Texas city has been named among the top ten U.S. cities to live in over the next two years.

Ten Texas cities were included in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Places to Live list. For the annual rankings, U.S. News analyzed 150 major cities in the U.S. based on quality of life, job market, value of living and people’s desire to live in the area.

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How did your city fare on the list? Here’s a breakdown of the data.

LIST: 10 best US cities to live

Texas’ capital secured a spot in the top 10 places to live, as determined by U.S. News.

  1. Naples, Florida
  2. Boise, Idaho
  3. Colorado Springs, Colorado
  4. Greenville, South Carolina
  5. Charlotte, North Carolina
  6. Raleigh, North Carolina
  7. Huntsville, Alabama
  8. Virginia Beach, Virginia
  9. Austin, Texas
  10. Boulder, Colorado

Austin offers healthy balance of work and pleasure, US News says

Austin had an overall score of 6.8 out of 10, compared to Naples’ score of 7.1. The Texas capital also scored 6.8 in the quality of life index, with a value index score of 6.3.

“With the slogan ‘Keep Austin Weird,’ this Texas city is laid-back to the point that if you’re dressing up, it must be a life event,” the U.S. News analysis says. “People here enjoy the outdoors, even more so with their dogs. Austin has a contagious vibrancy and enthusiasm.”

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U.S. News notes Austin’s strongest assets are a mix of work and pleasure. The number of companies headquartered in Austin makes it attractive to working professionals, especially those in technology, government, education, and health care. But the capital is far from being “all work, no play.” Its claim as the live music capital of the world invites music lovers to take a listen, whether at the airport, along streets downtown, or at one of the approximate 200 venues throughout the area.

Austin also ranked no. 32 on U.S. News’ Best Places to Retire in 2025 list.

LIST: Best Texas cities to live

Here are the rankings and scores U.S. News gave for the ten Texas cities included in the list:

Ranking City Overall Score Quality of Life Value Index
#9 Austin 6.8 6.8 6.3
#48 McAllen 6.4 6.6 7.6
#62 El Paso 6.3 6.5 7.3
#77 Corpus Christi 6.2 5.8 7.0
#87 Brownsville 6.2 6.2 7.7
#89 San Antonio 6.1 6.1 6.8
#95 Dallas 6.1 6.4 5.6
#97 Houston 6.1 5.9 6.2
#99 Beaumont 6.1 5.5 7.3
#107 Killeen 6.0 5.9 7.3
Table by Alexis Simmerman/American-Statesman | Data by U.S. News & World Report



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