Your weekend is here, Texas, and it's time to take a look back at some of the stories that were in our headlines this week.
Your Weekend Weather
Elevated to near critical fire danger again Sunday. We’ll start the morning with clear skies and temperatures quite cool in the low 50s. By the afternoon, expect plenty of hazy sunshine with warm temperatures in the low 80s. Thankfully tonight we’ll get to enjoy full radiational cooling with lows in the 40s and light winds near five mph, which will help with wildfire efforts. St. Patrick’s Day looks to feature hazy sunshine as well, with warm temperatures in the low 80s.
Take a look at your local weekend forecast: Austin | San Antonio | Dallas
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The Week in Review
1. Gov. Greg Abbott, Democrats call on Texans to share thoughts on school vouchers
Gov. Greg Abbott told an audience of private and home school families on Tuesday that they will play a huge role in the success of a school voucher bill if they lobby harder than the opposition.
“I can roll to the Capitol in less than five minutes. I know that you can get there also,” said Abbott.
Conversely, Rep. Gene Wu, the chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, believes it will be average Texas families that kill what he calls a scam.
A 17-vehicle crash on Interstate 35 in Austin on Thursday night has left at least five people dead and several others injured.
The fatal crash led to the arrest of 37-year-old Solomun Weldekeal Araya, who now faces five charges of intoxication manslaughter for each victim. He faces two additional charges of intoxication assault.
3. Maintenance hole explosion at Texas Tech University causes fires, outages and cancels classes
An explosion inside a maintenance hole on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock set off fires and power outages, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week, university police said.
The explosion happened Wednesday evening at the Engineering Key section of campus, which was evacuated.
4. Wildfires spark in Texas Panhandle during 'near historic' fire conditions
Officials are reporting multiple wildfires in the Panhandle and other smaller fires throughout the state as Texas experiences historic fire conditions.
The Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County, located near Fredericksburg, has burned over 8,640 acres and is 40% contained as of 12 p.m. Sunday. Aircraft designed for suppression are on their way to help ground crews.
5. Keith Lee stops by SXSW, tries some of the 'best barbecue' he's ever had
Content creator Keith Lee is known all over for his viral food reviews, and last week, he brought his positive attitude and business acumen to South by Southwest. Lee was a featured speaker on the first day of the conference, and he talked about how he made a food critic business on TikTok.
Not only did Lee speak at SXSW, he also made sure to review at least one restaurant during his short 12-hour stop to Austin: la Barbecue.
6. Judge orders Trump to reinstate probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup on Thursday found the firings didn't follow federal law and required immediate offers of reinstatement be sent.
Around the Nation
1. Fewer Americans filed for jobless claims last week, signaling a still-healthy U.S. labor market
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, indicating a still-healthy U.S. labor market.
A Look Ahead
Pitbull, Jelly Roll and Chris Stapleton will headline the NCAA March Madness Music Festival April 4 through April 6 at Tower Park at Hemisfair in San Antonio. Doechii and Benson Boone will also perform.
