The Week’s Biggest News in Brief

Over 100,000 Voucher Applications: Since applications for Texas’ new private school voucher program, Texas Education Freedom Accounts, opened on Feb. 4, over 100,000 students have submitted applications. Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock touts the tally as “the largest launch of a new school choice program” in any state. The $1 billion funding pot is predicted to accommodate up to 100,000 students, which means applicants will be accepted via a priority system based on primarily household income. “Texas families are embracing a new era of educational freedom at historic levels,” Hancock said on Feb. 16. “For years, parents have asked for more control and more choices when it comes to their children’s education. Texas is delivering, and families are seizing the opportunity.”

TEA Agreed Order: After three years, Austin ISD announced that they have finally completed all required actions under their Special Education Agreed Order with the Texas Education Agency, and has been formally released from state oversight. Back in March 2023, the state agency found that the district had more than 1,800 special education evaluations overdue, delaying students’ access to needed accommodations in the classroom. After the TEA sought to impose a conservatorship that would direct the actions of the district, AISD trustees accepted the Agreed Order and a state-appointed monitor instead in September 2023. AISD’s administration has since cleared the evaluation backlog and expanded its special education team. “By elevating the quality of our evaluations and the integrity of our service delivery, we have turned a period of intense work into a profound opportunity to grow and deepen our commitment to the families we serve,” AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said on Feb. 17.

Death of A&M Student Ruled as Suicide: Following the death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera in November 2025, speculation has revolved around APD’s initial conclusion that the incident was a suicide. Family members of Aguilera took to social media, claiming that they did not believe Aguilera would have jumped from the 17th floor of the 21 Rio Apartments. They later filed suit against the Austin Blacks Rugby Club and UT-Austin’s Latin Economics and Business Association for providing the student alcohol although she is under 21 years old. According to Statesman reporting, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office has now officially ruled the death a suicide. Deputy medical examiner Dr. Leticia Schuman wrote in the autopsy report that it is unlikely that Aguilera had accidentally fallen from the balcony “given the entirety of the circumstances including a history of prior statements threatening self-harm/suicide, the presence of a suicide-type note on the decedent’s phone, and the height of the balcony railing relative to the decedent’s height.”

Credit: Getty Images

License Plate Readers Are Still Here: In June of last year, City Council put an end to its  partnership with ALPR company Flock, which was using its technology to read license plates. However, according to KUT, the Austin Police Department has been using Flock data from Round Rock and Sunset Valley law enforcement agencies over the last month. Council Member Mike Siegel has said that these findings show a “major gap” in local oversight of the practices. He said that, as City Council prepares to finalize the TRUST Act that places regulations over surveillance technology, this particular practice by APD will be discussed.

Austin United PAC Appeal: Austin United PAC has filed an emergency appeal with the Texas Supreme Court after Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum took the city’s side in the organization’s lawsuit, which was filed after City Clerk Erika Brady deemed there were not enough valid signatures in the organization’s petition to force a public vote on the development of the new convention center. The lawsuit was filed after Austin United claimed that the city had invalidated signatures of the petition. With the state Supreme Court’s deadline to call for a May election having passed last Friday, Feb. 13, with no decision made, the group has not received the resolution that it had hoped for.

Making It Official: After Taylor Rehmet won the state Senate District 9 runoff election on Saturday, Jan. 31, speculation has arisen around the idea of Texas turning more blue in this year’s general election. Rehmet won a solidly red seat, which had been held by acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock since 2012. Today, Thursday, Feb. 19, Rehmet will take the oath of office and will be officially sworn in as senator for the district. 

Austin Public Library Director Hannah Terrell Credit: Austin Public Library

APL Turns 100: The Austin Public Library turned 100 years old on Monday, Feb. 16. To mark the milestone, the library system has launched the Austin Public Library Centennial Celebrations, which will commemorate the 100 years of service of APL, running until Dec. 23. Themed programming will be ongoing throughout the year, with the signature celebration on Oct. 17. “The Centennial is both a celebration of where we’ve been and a springboard into our next century of innovation, inclusion, and service to the communities we serve,” APL Director Hannah Terrell said.

James Talarico on The Late Show (Sort Of): With early voting for the 2026 primaries underway, U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico sat with Stephen Colbert for an interview on The Late Show, scheduled to air on the Monday, Feb. 16, episode. However, Colbert told viewers that CBS halted him from running the interview, citing a Federal Communications Commission “equal time” rule – rarely enforced for late-night shows, at least until Trump’s FCC took an interest – and told him not to publicly comment on the decision. So instead, the show host released his interview with Talarico on The Late Show’s YouTube channel, where it’s garnered more than 6 million views. CBS denied Colbert’s claims, stating “The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with James Talarico.” On Tuesday’s show, Colbert described CBS’s press release, issued apparently without Colbert’s input or awareness, as “a surprisingly small piece of paper considering how many butts it’s trying to cover.”

Credit: Getty Images

San Marcos Council Kills Data Center Proposal: San Marcos City Council held a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 17, to discuss a proposal for a nearly 200-acre data center campus south of the downtown area. According to Statesman reporting, hundreds of San Marcos residents packed City Hall to voice their opposition to the proposal. Around 3am on Wednesday, Feb. 18, City Council voted 5-2 against the potential data center development, leaving residents cheering, who have fought to combat the potential data center for months. The denial of the campus comes after the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-2, approving recommendations to annex and rezone the project. With the location being a hot spot for AI developers, this likely won’t be the last time residents will have to make their voices heard. 

Judge Orders Return of Deported Austin Native: Three months after Any Lucia López Belloza was deported to Honduras when she was attempting to fly home to Austin for Thanksgiving break, U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns has ordered the Trump administration to return the student back to the States. Prior to the deportation, the student had been living in the country for over a decade and was studying at a Boston-area College. The federal judge gave the administration 14 days to get López Belloza back home. “In this unfortunate case, the government commendably admits that it did wrong,” the judge wrote. “Now it is time for the government to make amends.”

APD Officer to Be Retried: After District Court Judge Karen Sage declared a mistrial in APD officer Daniel Sanchez’s deadly conduct trial stemming from the 2022 shooting and killing of 33-year-old Rajan Moonesinghe, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office has scheduled a new date for Sanchez to be tried. Moonesinghe was armed and standing on his front porch when the incident occurred a little over three years ago. The first trial concluded on Nov. 17 after nine days of presenting evidence and 12 hours of juror deliberation before stating that they could not come to a unanimous verdict. “Our hearts continue to break for the Moonesinghe family, who are still waiting for justice for their son, Rajan,” D.A. José Garza said.

Texas Doubles Investment in Israel: Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced on Feb. 12 that Texas will double its investment in Israel bonds from approximately $140 million to $280 million. It’s the state’s largest one-time investment in Israel bonds, making Texas the second-largest U.S. state investor in a country. Since the ceasefire in the West Bank was announced Oct. 10 through the end of 2025, over 500 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, UNICEF reported Feb. 5. “Texas proudly stands with Israel,” Hancock said on Feb. 12. “Texas and Israel have built a partnership that stretches beyond finance, and this step reflects both our solidarity and our belief in what we can accomplish together.”

Austin Energy Balances North Austin Growth: As part of the Electric System Resiliency Plan, a 10-year, $735 million investment to make the grid more reliable that Austin Energy launched in December, the city announced that it has energized a new substation to balance growth in North Austin. Planning for the Kramer Substation began in 2019, with construction beginning in 2024, totaling $25 million. “The Domain area is experiencing rapid growth and this is a key step in meeting the energy needs of area residents and businesses,” said Stuart Reilly, general manager at Austin Energy.

Austin to Toronto: Canadian-based Porter Airlines will begin offering nonstop flights from Austin to Toronto this spring, according to an announcement from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 18. As part of a larger expansion called “Journey With AUS,” the upcoming access to nonstop Canadian flights “reflects AUS’s continued commitment to expanding international travel options for the Central Texas region.” The service is scheduled to be available five times a week, year-round, beginning on May 21.

Georgetown High School Lockdown: According to the Georgetown Police Department, a reported on-campus threat led to the lockdown of Georgetown High School on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Georgetown ISD said that an anonymous bomb threat was the cause of the school lockdown. GPD conducted an investigation into the threat, sweeping the campus of any potential threats. “All staff and students who had reported to campus were evacuated and moved to a secure location,” the school district said.

Texas Tech Cancels OB-GYN Discussion: The Texas Tech chapter of Medical Students for Choice had scheduled Dr. Shelley Sella, an OB-GYN and author, to have a Jan. 26 discussion on campus about medical and ethical decisions that come with potential abortions. However, the university’s Health Sciences Center canceled the event after pro-life supporters argued the legality of the discussion at a public university. According to The Texas Tribune, officials from the university said that the Health Sciences Center “evaluated the request and determined it was not in the best interest of the university to host this event on campus.” Pamela Merritt, executive director at Medical Students for Choice, said that the university’s dismissal of the event “raises the question of the quality of education at Texas Tech medical school.”

(Another) Government Shutdown: Following the longest government shutdown in the country’s history late last fall, a partial shutdown is now in effect as concerns arise around immigration, marking the third shutdown since Trump took office for a second stint. Since the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good, along with other incidents that have raised concerns about how the Department of Homeland Security is handling immigration enforcement, Democrats are requesting changes, such as body cameras, the removal of masks, and the need for judicial warrants. However, no compromises have been made, which led to the partial shutdown that began on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Austin City Council Member Mike Siegel Credit: austintexas.gov QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I think it’s a violation of the intent of Council policy. And that’s where we have an opportunity to clean this up in a few weeks before we finalize the TRUST Act … to make sure this will be covered as well.”

Council Member Mike Siegel on APD’s use of surveillance cameras

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