Austin · The New Texan

ROLL CALL

Empty Desks, Empty Budgets: Immigration Enforcement Hits Austin Schools

Pflugerville is closing four schools. Austin ISD faces a $181 million hole. Immigration enforcement is draining the attendance rolls that fund both.

Texas school districts are funded by average daily attendance — every empty desk reduces the check the state sends. Two separate stories broke this week in Central Texas: one about school closures driven by budget shortfalls, another about immigration enforcement pulling students and staff from classrooms.

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The New Texan staff · May 20

AG WATCH

Ken Paxton Lost in Court. It Didn't Matter.

In seven days last May, Ken Paxton extracted $10 million, sued a Muslim university, warned 130 cities, and gave a sheriff a deadline — without a single jury verdict.

The New Texan staff · May 20

SPREE TRAIL

One Stolen Gun, Ten Shootings, Three Kids

The gun used in Austin's ten-scene weekend spree was stolen from a shop the same suspects had already robbed once. The store owner confirmed it. No one in authority has addressed it.

The New Texan staff · May 20

ALERT WATCH

The Emergency Alert Went Out. Half of Austin Never Got It.

During a multi-scene shooting spree, Austin's emergency alert reached some South Austin residents and skipped others. The system was working correctly.

The New Texan staff · May 20

SCHOOL WATCH

Four Central Texas Schools Are Closing. Here's the Map.

Pflugerville ISD voted to close four elementary schools this week. Austin ISD is sitting on a $181 million deficit. Five campuses, mapped.

The New Texan staff · May 20

WADE WATCH

Two Safety Events, One Week, Zero Consequences

A Cybertruck driver jailed in a lake, a SpaceX worker killed at Starbase — two Musk companies, two safety events, 24 hours.

The New Texan staff · May 20

CODE OF SILENCE

Three Shootings, No Statements: Austin PD's Silence Week

A Starbase worker died, a federal jury ruled against Musk, and a Cybertruck sank in a Dallas lake — all in one week. Abbott, Cornyn, and Cruz said nothing about any of it.

The New Texan staff · May 20

WADE WATCH

Tesla Sold a Cybertruck That Can't Handle Water. A Texas Driver Found Out.

A Texas man drove his Cybertruck into Grapevine Lake to test Tesla's Wade Mode. He was arrested. Tesla has not commented.

The New Texan staff · May 20

WHIPLASH ECONOMY

Three Industries Got New Rules This Week. None of Them Asked.

Hemp shops, vape retailers, and summer camps are all contracting at once — each squeezed by a different rule that recently moved.

The New Texan staff · May 20

PAPER TRAIL

From Expired Tags to ICE Detention: One Student's Timeline

A 2 a.m. traffic stop for expired tags sent an Austin ISD senior — weeks from graduation, asylum case pending — to a detention center south of San Antonio. The policy machinery that made it possible had been running for a year.

The New Texan staff · May 20

PROMISE WATCH

The Promise Gap: What Austin Leaders Said vs. What They Built

Austin made five major infrastructure pledges between 2021 and 2026. A project-by-project accounting of what was promised, what was cut, and what was quietly shelved.

The New Texan staff · May 20

Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park

BORDER WATCH

The Commissioner Said No Border Wall. The Contract Said Otherwise.

CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott promised no border wall would reach Big Bend National Park. A $1.7 billion federal contract with the park's name on it arrived seven days later.

The New Texan staff · May 20

TRANSIT WATCH

CapMetro's Worst Month: A Breakdown of Every Failure

Fewer than half its electric buses are running. Its drivers are refusing overtime. CapMetro is managing both at once.

The New Texan staff · May 20

BOOM CEILING

Austin's Growth Bet Hits Two Walls: Wind Power and Water

A federal pause on 54 Texas wind projects and Austin's new warnings about data-center water demand arrived in the same week — each a hard ceiling on the tech-and-energy boom Central Texas has spent years building toward.

The New Texan staff · May 20

SKYLINE WATCH

Downtown Austin Is Booming and Empty at the Same Time

Texas's tallest tower opens its hotel in August. One in five office floors above it sit dark. And the project meant to reconnect downtown to East Austin just lost most of its funding.

The New Texan staff · May 20

PUBLIC SAFETY

Ten Shots, Then a Camera Pitch: The Body-Cam Timeline

Ten shootings across South Austin in a single weekend. The mayor's first public move was a pitch for license plate readers.

The New Texan staff · May 20

Interstate 35 cutting through downtown Austin with the skyline behind it

CAP WATCH

Cap and Stitch Is Dead. The Landlord Isn't Talking.

Austin's I-35 cap shrank from a multi-park civic vision to a single plot of green. Now Mayor Watson wants to spend less getting there.

The New Texan staff · May 20