AUSTIN, Texas – An 18-year-old man is charged with murder for selling fentanyl to a teen that later killed her in North Austin, police said.

Austin police said on April 13, around 10:55 a.m., officers responded to a call for service at a home in the 1200 block of Knollpark Circle. The caller said his daughter, 17-year-old Sienna Rae Contreras, was dead.

When officers arrived, they found Sierra’s dad, who said he had seen his daughter the night before. The next morning, when he went to wake her up, he found her dead in her bed.

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An investigation showed that Xavier Alexzander Buentello, 18, had sold fentanyl to Sienna, which caused her death hours later. This falls under Texas Penal Code 19.02 as first-degree murder.

Buentello had been in the Travis County Jail since April 29 for different charges. He has now been charged with Sienna’s murder.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477.

Check out some of Community Impact’s recent coverage of energy and the environment below.

Low wind, high demand could trigger Texas power grid emergency in August

High temperatures, rapid population growth, and an influx of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence companies will continue to squeeze Texas’ power grid, energy officials reported in June.

• There is a 12% chance of rotating power outages on August nights with little wind, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
• During the summer, the strain on the power grid is typically highest from 8-9 p.m., when more people are using electricity and less solar power is available.
• If wind power production is also low, ERCOT may ask Texans to reduce their energy use. The grid operator called for energy conservation 11 times last summer.

What to know about Texas’ power grid ahead of another hot summer

Energy leaders face continued skepticism from Texans in the three-plus years after the deadly power outages during Winter Storm Uri, the dayslong freeze in February 2021. Community Impact sat down with ERCOT leaders in May to discuss how the grid has evolved to meet the needs of Texas’ rapidly growing population and more.

• ERCOT relies partially on solar power to meet high demand during the summer, resulting in a “rapidly declining energy source” as the sun sets, CEO Pablo Vegas said.
• Power plants and transmission facilities across the state have been upgraded to ensure they can withstand extreme temperatures, said Venkat Tirupati, ERCOT’s vice president of DevOps and Grid Transformation. ERCOT did not confirm how many plants had been upgraded but said officials have inspected 2,117 “weatherized” facilities since December 2021.

Report: Texas summers will keep getting hotter, drier

Texans can expect more 100-degree days and longer wildfire seasons in the coming years, according to a recent report from the state climatologist at Texas A&M University.

• 2023 was Texas’ hottest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By 2036, the year Texas turns 200, triple-digit days will likely be four times more common than they were in the 1970s and ‘80s.
• Rising temperatures and varying rainfall can cause drier conditions, leading to an increased risk of wildfires. With higher temperatures occurring earlier in the year, researchers expect the spring and summer wildfire seasons will last longer.

Texas’ first statewide flood plan finds over 5 million people live, work in flood-prone areas

Over 5 million Texans live or work in areas vulnerable to flooding, according to a draft of the state’s first flood plan.

State lawmakers tasked the Texas Water Development Board with creating the plan in 2019, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The 267-page draft, published in early May, recommends over $54.5 billion in funding to reduce flood risks.

• Nearly 1.3 million homes and over 12 million acres of agricultural land are in flood-prone areas, the plan estimates. Each of Texas’ 254 counties has experienced at least one federally declared flood disaster.
• The plan asked the Texas Legislature to expand early warning systems for floods; create minimum building and infrastructure standards to reduce fatalities and property damage; improve low-water crossing safety; and enhance dam and levee safety programs.

‘Profits over people’: Lawmakers, residents demand change from CenterPoint after Hurricane Beryl

CenterPoint Energy faced another day of reckoning over its response to Hurricane Beryl on July 31. Around two dozen Texas House members grilled CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells on how the utility prepared for the storm, what changes it was making and why power restoration took so long.

• “We keep hearing the same thing: we’ll do better, we’ll do better,” Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston, told Wells. “It’s an excuse. That’s not enough. People want to know that this will not happen again and that we will make changes.”
• CenterPoint has proposed raising customers’ electricity bills by 2% for the next 15 years to cover the nearly $1.8 billion in recovery costs associated with the May derecho and Hurricane Beryl.

Gov. Abbott orders CenterPoint to speed up action plan for future storms

CenterPoint Energy will speed up its plans to trim trees, replace utility poles and increase communication with its customers ahead of future storms in Southeast Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Aug. 1. Abbott said he met with CenterPoint executives for over two hours Aug. 1 and ordered them to complete the bulk of their proposal by the end of the month.

• CenterPoint will clear tree branches and other vegetation from 2,000 miles of “higher risk” power lines by Aug. 31, according to the proposal. The company originally planned to complete this project by the end of the year.
• About 1,000 utility poles will be replaced by the end of August, which was also originally scheduled for the end of the year.
• Abbott also directed CenterPoint to improve its communication with Houston-area residents after Hurricane Beryl. The utility has held five community listening sessions to get customer feedback since July 17 and will hold large open houses in each of the counties it serves before Sept. 30.

There’s one piece of the Antlers Lodge at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa that visitors will remember above all — bet you can’t guess what it is. But the restaurant space around the huge, three-tiered antler chandelier was in need of an update.

After significant renovations to the surrounding space, the dining room is looking less like a hotel event room and more like a chic, modern restaurant. Along with the visual changes, the restaurant on the western edge of San Antonio is also debuting a new chef and an updated menu.

Previously cloaked in brown and beige, the semi-rustic dining room looked a little more country before the renovation, but the hotel walls were unmistakable. Now with a cool gray carpet, gray and floral seating, and much darker walls, the space has a more wintery upscale look without fully leaving the woods behind. The mounted deer head pops much more on its white mantle.

The chandelier pops more against the darker tones.Photo courtesy of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

Most eye-catching are the patinated mirror tiles above the open kitchen, which continues to display its copper cookware and the hard work of the kitchen team.

The rustic look pays homage to the more than 100-year-old Rogers Wiseman cattle ranch that was previously located where the ranch stands today. Now the award-winning resort is keeping up with its luxurious

Native San Antonian Joseph Lambert is the new chef de cuisine in charge of making sure the food matches the chic new atmosphere. Having worked his way up the ranks from washing dishes, he’s been with the Hyatt Corporation for six years, according to a press release.

“I am excited to join the incredible team at Hyatt Regency Hill Country’s Antlers Lodge,” said Chef Lambert in the release. “My goal in my new role is to foster an environment of creativity and passion for the food our team prepares for our guests. I look forward to helping guests make lasting memories through delicious dining experiences.”

The open kitchen keeps the culinary excitement up.Photo courtesy of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

Some of the new menu is reserved for exactly what diners would expect in a restaurant so fully adorned with antlers: center cut filet mignon, Lone Star bone-in ribeye, and a variety of creatively prepared game like bison meatballs, chili-rubbed elk tenderloin, chili coffee-crusted elk carpaccio, and South Texas antelope.

But not all the dishes are from so far inland, and they don’t all center around meat. Lighter fare includes vegan garden ravioli, seared haibut, and elote shrimp from the Texas Gulf. Of course, any restaurant with such outdoorsy inspiration must include s’mores, which in this case sandwich the toasted marshmallows between brown butter graham crackers, chocolate ganache, and a whiskey chocolate sauce.

This renovation is part of a much broader, multi-phase project that’s transforming the resort as a whole. In 2023, it completed a $50 million phase that updated the rooms with hardwood, better tech, and walk-in showers. Austinites may recognize the resort for its lazy river, which bridges the gap between the outdoorsy Hill Country and the tourist-ready city with competing hotels.

More information about the Antlers Lodge (9800 Hyatt Resort Dr., San Antonio) and reservation links are available at antlerslodge.getbento.com.