Austin, TX

In Central Texas, an urban tree canopy bends to the ice

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2023

In Central Texas, an urban tree canopy bends to the ice

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AUSTIN — All day and all night time after the ice storm struck, Austin residents listened for the cracks, splinters and crashes. Every crack of a falling limb might shut the ability off — if their house hadn’t gone darkish already.

“It’s a extremely, actually thick layer of ice,” mentioned Jonathan Motsinger, the Central Texas operations division head for Texas A&M Forest Service. “Bushes can solely assist weight to a sure extent, after which they fail.”

Throughout the Texas Hill Nation this week, bushes snapped beneath the burden of ice that amassed throughout a number of days of freezing rain. A few of the most iconic bushes have been among the many most severely broken: dwell oaks (a few of them a whole bunch of years outdated), ashe junipers (the scourge of allergy victims throughout “cedar fever” season), cedar elms. As their branches gave method, they took neighboring energy strains with them.

“The quantity of weight that has amassed on the vegetation might be historic, excessive,” Austin Power normal supervisor Jackie Sargent mentioned throughout a Thursday press convention.

Ice can improve the burden of tree branches as much as 30 occasions, mentioned Kerri Dunn, a communications supervisor for Oncor. The utility reported that just about 143,000 of its prospects in North, Central and West Texas have been with out energy Thursday afternoon.

“Bushes are the No. 1 reason behind outages when you have got ice storms,” Dunn mentioned. “We will’t at all times forestall [trees] from falling within the improper route and hitting our gear.”

Almost 153,000 Austin Power prospects have been with out energy Thursday afternoon, and the utility mentioned it’s unable to supply an estimate for the way lengthy it’s going to take to repair the entire damaged strains.

Correct pruning and upkeep of bushes within the paths of energy strains are the accountability of Austin Power, town’s electrical utility that’s overseen by the Austin Metropolis Council. However metropolis officers mentioned residents are accountable for trimming bushes that aren’t in utility easements however are shut sufficient to energy strains to fall on them throughout storms. Tree pruning can price a whole bunch or hundreds of {dollars}.

Sure bushes usually tend to undergo damaged limbs and cut up trunks throughout ice storms, Motsinger mentioned. Dwell oaks, one of the crucial widespread bushes in Central Texas, are likely to preserve leaves all through the winter — which implies they accumulate extra ice than bushes that drop their leaves within the fall. As evergreens, ashe junipers have the identical drawback in ice storms.

Motsinger mentioned the historic drought final summer time might have prompted bushes to have extra lifeless limbs than ordinary, which usually tend to break when caked with ice. However typically, Motsinger mentioned, the drought most likely had much less of an impression than the sheer quantity of ice.

Correct tree upkeep might have prevented a few of the destruction, he mentioned.

Utilities have plans for managing bushes and different vegetation round energy strains, mentioned Ben Gaffaney, spokesperson for the Affiliation of Electrical Corporations of Texas. He mentioned he heard tree limbs falling round his house Wednesday.

However these plans are typically hampered by native insurance policies, mentioned Sargent, the Austin Power normal supervisor. Efforts to keep away from disturbing hen habitats and to keep away from spreading the fungal illness oak wilt throughout sure occasions of the yr can gradual pruning efforts and are among the many “greatest obstacles” to trimming, an Austin Power spokesperson informed The Texas Tribune.

Sargent mentioned throughout a press convention that the utility would talk about metropolis rules that forestall higher pruning with native leaders.

In some circumstances, the utility additionally has to battle public pushback when it prunes bushes round energy strains — residents typically complain in regards to the utility lopping off massive limbs. The Austin Power spokesperson mentioned that between 40% and 50% of Austin householders delay the utility’s trimming work with questions or disputes about trimming plans.

Michael Webber recalled how residents resisted tree-trimming efforts when he served from 2008-13 on the electrical utility fee that oversaw Austin Power. It left the utility in a troublesome spot: Nobody appreciated tree trimming, however nobody wished to lose energy throughout a storm both, he mentioned.

Webber, now an vitality sources professor on the College of Texas at Austin, mentioned his personal road west of Austin was impassable Thursday due to downed branches, and a colleague is mourning her damaged 150-year-old dwell oak.

Austin Power is among the few utilities within the nation that makes an attempt to fulfill with property house owners upfront of tree trimming, in response to town of Austin. The utility notifies neighborhood associations and leaves work plans at folks’s doorways. When property house owners don’t reply, the utility sends letters to inform householders and proceeds with its trimming plan.

“We might actually use assist in that space with getting our residents to know the significance of vegetation administration to permit our crews in,” Sargent mentioned. The utility’s normal supervisor added that Austin Power has elevated its tree-trimming price range lately. Austin Metropolis Council in 2021 doubled the utility’s price range for vegetation clearing, in response to the utility’s web site, however there’s a backlog of trimming work to be finished.

Austin has nearly 34 million bushes within the metropolis, in response to a web based tree census maintained by Texas A&M Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service.

“It’s an enormous level of satisfaction,” mentioned Keith Mars, who oversees town of Austin’s Group Tree Preservation Division.

Mars mentioned that shade from the bushes saves Austin residents hundreds of thousands of {dollars} a yr in vitality prices by cooling properties throughout scorching summer time days.

“Bushes are infrastructure,” Mars mentioned. “How a lot upkeep and the way a lot care we offer, in order that [the trees] can proceed offering these different advantages, is the sort of tradeoff that all of us have.”

Sneha Day contributed to this story.

Disclosure: Affiliation of Electrical Corporations of Texas, Oncor and College of Texas at Austin have been monetary supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partially by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no function within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full listing of them right here.

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Austin, TX

The 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major: Date, Prize Pool, Info

Published

7 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

The 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major: Date, Prize Pool, Info

The 2025 Counter-Strike season is upon us, and BLAST.tv’s next Major is drawing closer. This year’s Major will occur in Austin, Texas, and BLAST estimates it will be “one of the biggest esports events ever in the US” with an estimated “50,000 fans, plus millions tuning in from over 150+ territories and broadcast in 28 languages.” As we look forward to the upcoming year’s Counter-Strike esports, let’s examine everything we know about the 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major, its key dates and prize pool.

The 2025 BLAST.tv Austin major will be BLAST’s second hosted Major tournament after the Paris Major in 2023. It will be the first BLAST.tv Major since Counter-Strike 2’s 2023 release, and the first United States Counter-Strike major since 2018. The event will feature 24 of the best Counter-Strike teams worldwide and progress through three stages: Opening, Elimination and Playoffs.

Related Article: All-Women’s CS2! 2025 ESL Impact Tour Schedule, Prize Pool

The 2025 Austin Major will take place in Austin’s Moody Center. BLAST.tv’s CEO Robbie Douek commented excitedly about the event:

We are incredibly excited to bring the BLAST.tv Major to Austin, Texas. The city’s dynamic atmosphere, the cutting-edge Moody Center and track record of hosting world-leading events provide the perfect setting for what promises to be an unforgettable event. We look forward to showcasing the best of esports to a global audience and making a positive impact on the local community.
– Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST

With the Shanghai Major finishing, the countdown to the BLAST tv Austin Major starts NOW! 🇺🇸
👉 https://t.co/39fd8ZVwxn pic.twitter.com/OqdwilT71B
— BLAST.tv (@BLASTtv) December 16, 2024

The 2025 BLAST.tv Austin major will occur in June 2025, with the summer in full swing. According to the event’s Liquipedia page, it will run from June 9 to June 22, 2025. Here’s a quick summary of each stage’s specific dates:

The 2025 BLAST.tv Austin Major has a sizeable cumulative prize pool of 1,250,000 USD. This prize pool will be split between the top eight teams in the event’s final standings. The winning team will receive a 500,000 USD grand prize, while second, third and fourth-place teams will also receive high rewards. The fifth to eighth-place teams will each score smaller shares of 45,000 USD.

Related Article: Big Esports Tournaments of 2025

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Austin, TX

Texas' goal-line wall will be tested by Arizona State

Published

15 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Texas' goal-line wall will be tested by Arizona State

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas defense seems to have built a big burnt orange wall at the goal line.

Late-game goal-line stands have helped keep the Longhorns moving toward a possible national championship. The latest was Saturday night in Texas’ 34-28 win over Clemson in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

“We’ve got big people, and they know how to play a physical brand of football,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “When we get challenged like that … I think that’s part of our identity.”

So here comes Cam Scattebo, Arizona State’s 5-foot-11, 215-pound All-American wrecking ball of a running back to try to knock it down.

Texas’ win over Clemson sent the No. 5 seed Longhorns (12-2) to the quarterfinals against the Big 12 champion and No. 4 seed Sun Devils (11-2) in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Skattebo put on a show the last time the Sun Devils were on the field. He scored three touchdowns, had 170 yards rushing and 208 all-purpose yards in Arizona State’s 45-19 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game.

Skattebo bounced off tacklers, ran through others and outraced some more. He struck the Heisman Trophy pose a few times, then had a few things to say about it all afterward.

“Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country. And I’m going to stand on that,” he said after the game. “I’m going to keep proving people wrong. And whatever NFL team takes me is going to get a gem.”

Skattebo brings some gaudy numbers to Atlanta to back it up.

The AP All-American’s 19 rushing touchdowns and 22 overall are both tied for school records. He needs 75 yards to break the program’s single-season rushing record of 1,642.

He was twice the AP national player of the week. The first time was for his career-high 262 yards rushing amid his 297 all-purposed yards in Week 2 against Mississippi State. The second was for his game against Iowa State.

Texas players say they are ready for the Sun Devils’ battering ram.

“Yeah, I’m excited,” Longhorns defensive tackle Barryn Sorrell said. “My time being here, I feel like I’ve heard that a lot, that a team is going to come in here and run the ball on us, and I’d like to say there was a different result a lot of those times.

“Just looking forward to that challenge again,” Sorrell said.

Sorrell was in the middle of fourth-quarter goal line stands that helped save wins against Texas A&M and Clemson.

Texas was clinging to a 17-7 lead in College Station when the Longhorns stuffed four consecutive runs inside their own 5. The win sent Texas to the SEC championship game.

Clemson had a chance Saturday to get within a touchdown in the final 8 minutes. A touchdown could have completely swung momentum their way.

But after reaching the Texas 1, two straight runs failed to reach the goal line. Sorrell was in on the tackle that stopped Clemson’s Keith Adams Jr. just short of a touchdown on fourth down.

“We take pride in not letting guys score or get in our paint,” Texas safety Andrew Mukuba said.

Texas is not perfect at the goal line, however. Georgia won the SEC championship in overtime when Trevor Etienne bowled into the endzone from the Texas 4.

But they’ve been close enough to it to keep charging deep into the postseason.

“It’ll be an amazing challenge,” Texas All-American cornerback Jahdae Barron said of facing Skattebo. “He’s a hard downhill running back.”

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Austin, TX

Klubnik not enough to carry Clemson over Texas in homecoming playoff loss

Published

23 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Klubnik not enough to carry Clemson over Texas in homecoming playoff loss

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Cade Klubnik carved up Texas’ defense Saturday night like nobody else this season, just not enough to complete a spectacular homecoming.

What You Need To Know

Klubnik, Clemson’s junior quarterback from Austin, passed for 336 yards — the most by a Texas opponent this season — and three touchdowns

But the Tigers fell short, losing the College Football Playoff game 38-24

Texas safety Michael Taaffe and Klubnik were teammates at Westlake High School when they won the 2020 Texas state high school championship together. The quarterback they beat that day? Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers

Another Westlake teammate, Texas defensive end Ethan Burke, sacked Klubnik in the first half Saturday

Klubnik, Clemson’s junior quarterback from Austin, passed for 336 yards — the most by a Texas opponent this season — and three touchdowns. He directed a second-half comeback that gave No. 12 seeded Clemson a chance to overtake No. 5 Texas after falling behind by 18 at halftime.

But the Tigers fell short, losing the College Football Playoff game 38-24.

“I’m hurting a lot,” Klubnik said. “It was fun to come home, but it was not a vacation. It was time to come win a football game, and we didn’t do that.”

Klubnik led the Tigers (10-4) on a four-play, 55-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, the final 25 on a pass to running back Jarvis Green that left Clemson trailing 31-17.

He directed a 64-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. His 7-yard pass to T.J. Moore, on fourth-and-6 left Texas ahead by just a touchdown, 31-24.

“We put ourselves in a position to win,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “That young man (Klubnik) has grown into an amazing leader. You’re never out of a game with him.”

Texas (12-2) made Klubnik’s job a lot tougher when Jaydon Blue raced 77 yards for a touchdown on the Longhorns’ first possession after Moore scored.

Nevertheless, Klubnik led Clemson 74 yards to the Texas 1, connecting with Moore three times, including completions covering 29 and 30 yards.

But Klubnik was stopped by Texas safety Michael Taaffe on third down and Keith Adams was stuffed on fourth by Bill Norton and Barryn Sorrell.

Clemson’s comeback attempt was over when Klubnik’s pass on fourth down was broken up by Taaffe at the Longhorns’ 25 with 1:16 left.

Taaffe and Klubnik were teammates at Westlake High School when they won the 2020 Texas state high school championship together. The quarterback they beat that day? Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.

That history and rivalry added some extra spice to Klubnik’s trip home.

Another Westlake teammate, Texas defensive end Ethan Burke, sacked Klubnik in the first half Saturday.

Earlier in the week, Taaffe said Klubnik was his “best friend” on the Westlake team when they won that state championship.

“We were definitely sharing words back and forth, that was fun,” Taaffe said. “He’s a great guy. He had a great game.”

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