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Largest fentanyl spike in decade puts Austin on high alert

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Largest fentanyl spike in decade puts Austin on high alert


AUSTIN, Texas — Capt. Christa Stedman of Austin-Travis County EMS says their overdose heat map from last week shows a troubling drug scenario that led to at least 79 separate incidents and nine deaths in the greater Austin area.

“The thing that makes this surge so different than others is most of these people weren’t trying to take opioids,” Stedman said. “They were trying to use multiple different substances — crack cocaine, methamphetamine, K2.”

If there is a silver-lining, the 17-year field expert said it was the city’s quick response teams and dispersal of hundreds of units of naloxone to counteract the deadly street narcotic.

“Some of those additional adjustments were putting additional commanders out on the street, running calls,” Stedman said. “Our community health team distributing Narcan, essentially giving it to anyone they passed.”

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While the surge is reportedly over, those responsible for the spike are still mostly unknown. Patrick Eastlick, a lieutenant with the Austin Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit, says five arrests were made involving the selling of this illicit drug. However, the suspects haven’t been directly linked to this deadly batch and whether a larger local supplier or even Mexican cartels are involved is still part of an ongoing investigation. 

“Step by step, we go after the dealers, street level or higher up and just keep following leads to get to the main source,” Eastlick said.

According to a recent report from ATCEMS, Travis County has about twice as many opioid overdose deaths as any other in Texas. It’s a sobering reminder of the dangers of putting any unknown substance into your body.

“You don’t know where it came from,” Stedman said. “Even if you got it from your friend despite their best interests, unless you got it from somewhere legitimate, you’re just taking a gamble.”



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Austin, TX

Ragin’ Cajuns set for road debut on Monday in Austin

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Ragin’ Cajuns set for road debut on Monday in Austin


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AUSTIN, Tx. (KLFY) – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Women’s Basketball team ventures out on the road for the first time in the 2025-26 season meeting No. 4 Texas on Monday, Nov.10 in Austin, Texas.

Tipoff from the Moody Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CST). Live coverage is available on SECN+ and The Goat 103.3 FM/1420 AM.

The contest with the Longhorns (2-0) marks the beginning of five consecutive games away from home for the Ragin’ Cajuns (0-2) that runs through Thanksgiving Weekend. The next home appearance isn’t until the Dec. 2 Education Game.

UL and Texas meet for the first time since November 2022, a game the Longhorns won 68-45 at the Moody Center.

Louisiana’s on-court competition in the 2025-26 season began with four straight appearances at the Cajundome, splitting a combination of exhibition and two regular season games. A strong second half from Bowling Green and shooting woes of their own vs. Delta State spoiled the Ragin’ Cajuns’ opening week.

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Texas, the preseason SEC favorite and 2025 Final Four participant, has won 26 straight games at Moody Center and has a 51-5 all-time record at their home arena. The Longhorns are continuing a season-opening, five-game homestand having already collected wins over UIW and No. 24 Richmond.

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Austin, TX

Central Texas under Red Flag Warning for Sunday

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Central Texas under Red Flag Warning for Sunday


The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for all of South Central Texas. The warning will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Central Texas fire watch

NWS predicts northern winds of 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Relative humidity is set to be 15-20%, along with dry vegetation. The agency says that the combination of these conditions will favor the spread of wildfires.

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The Critical Fire Weather Watch comes just days after Austin and Travis County officials announced wildfire preparedness, including what’s being called No-Ember November.

For the entire month, the city and county leaders will be hosting social media and community events aimed at making sure people are aware of fire prevention practices, as well as how to be prepared when a wildfire strikes.

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The city and county have also updated their Community Wildfire Prevention Plan, which looks to reduce the risk of wildfire damage by making sure communities are aware of what to do when fires spread.

Austin homes could be at risk

What they’re saying:

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“This time of year, we also start seeing the grasses, which are fuel for fires, they start to cure out and go dormant for the winter months,” says Walter Flocke, a fire analyst with the Texas A&M Forest Service.

“Austin ranks 5th in the nation for the number of homes at risk for wildfire. It is important that we as community leaders take action to educate the public on this risk and steps they can take to protect themselves while we are also planning for how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters,” says Austin Mayor, Kirk Watson.

“Specifically, this plan will access and map current wildfire hazards, vulnerabilities and hazards across the county,” says Travis County Judge Andy Brown.

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One of the major factors in the new plan is community input.

“We’re not writing these plans for the community, we’re writing them with the community,” says the director of Austin Emergency Management.

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What you can do:

Mayor Watson is also urging the public to enroll with Warn Central Texas, which be one of the primary ways officials will be able to notify communities of emergency events.

Any HOA’s, businesses or other community leaders are also encouraged to visit Ready Central Texas. The site will allow the public to request preparedness training for disasters.

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The Source: Information in this report comes from the Texas A&M Forest Service and Central Texas officials.

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Hazel Coffee Co. cafe opens in Ann Arbor with Austin, Texas, vibes

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Hazel Coffee Co. cafe opens in Ann Arbor with Austin, Texas, vibes


ANN ARBOR, MI — A coffee shop with Austin, Texas, “vibes” has arrived in Ann Arbor.

Hazel Coffee Co, 2111 Packard St., unveiled its offerings in a soft opening Wednesday, Nov. 5, co-owner Bryan Caragay said.

“The community around here has been the most supportive,” Caragay, 29, said. “We have had dozens of people yesterday and today just say how happy they are for us that we got through it and congratulating us.”

Caragay co-owns the shop with his wife, Hailey Polidori Caragay. The two hope to make their coffee shop unique by adding a “coffee-and-community tagline.”

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“We really wanted to bring that Southern hospitality to the Midwest and just have a really collaborative, creative environment,” Hailey Polidori Caragay, 29, said. “We want it to be a place people gather from all aspects of creativity.”

Hazel Coffee Co. comes after years of doorstop drop-offs and event-catering, Bryan Caragay said.

The couple, originally from the Plymouth-Canton area and both 2018 Central Michigan University graduates, started a coffee catering company in 2020 when they resided in Austin.

Bryan said his wife dropped off coffee orders door-to-door and used one espresso machine to prepare drinks at the start.

The couple moved to Ann Arbor in 2022 and transitioned their coffee business to catering carts. Bryan said they opened the coffee shop as “a home base” for patrons.

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“We get a lot of people saying that they loved our coffee at our catering events but there was nowhere they could actually come and enjoy the coffee themselves,” Bryan said.

The couple “blindly moved” to Ann Arbor because the city has “similar vibes to Austin.”

They began seriously touring potential sites about two years ago, but the locations were either too expensive or “the landlords weren’t great.”

Construction of Hazel Coffee Co., named from an early memory of Hailey’s mother drinking hazelnut coffee, began in May in a vacant lot, close to YORK Food and Drink and Core Collective.

Bryan credits the coffee shop’s landlords, whom he calls “the most amazing landlords you could ever imagine,” for helping him and Hailey with the shop’s initial financial struggles.

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Hailey said many local business owners have already stopped by the coffee shop and are excited to collaborate.

“We took a lot of inspiration from coffee shops down in Austin, Texas where everything is super welcoming,” Bryan said. “Our whole thing is you should be able to walk in and get a very well-dialed espresso like a specialty coffee shop would offer. But also, if you’re somebody who’s not into that and you want a chai or a matcha, we’ll be able to provide that for you as well.”

Bryan said the couple does not want customers to be judged for their drink orders.

Menu items include a cinnamon sugar latte, maple sea salt latte and other house-made drinks.

“(Customers) should expect to feel welcomed immediately when they walk in the door,” Bryan said. “They should always feel like someone has made a connection to them and that when they come in, we’re going to make sure that they leave with something they were happy with.”

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Hazel Coffee Co is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

The couple is also passionate about technology. In their sophomore years at CMU, they came up with Guarded Safety, a smartphone safety app that alerts users’ contacts if they feel like they’re in a dangerous situation.

The couple’s product won the October 5×5 Night pitch competition at Fenn Valley Vineyards in Fennville in 2017.

Read more: CMU students’ app to improve college safety wins 5×5 Night contest

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.

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