LCRA Opens Floodgates as Rain Lingers

The Lower Colorado River Authority opened floodgates at Wirtz and Starcke dams on Friday, passing Llano River floodwaters downstream into Lake Travis. Flows below the dams will run higher and faster than usual, the agency said.

Parts of the Hill Country have received more than 7 inches of rain since Wednesday. Lake Travis is forecast to rise 1 to 2 feet, while no floodgate operations are expected at the authority’s other dams.

A flood watch covered the Austin metro through Friday evening, with isolated totals of 6 to 8 inches possible as the Austin City Limits Music Festival opened.

Texans Chase First Win vs. Cowboys

The 0-3 Houston Texans host the Dallas Cowboys at noon Sunday, with just one win between the in-state rivals. Dallas (1-2) has the NFL’s third-worst defense, allowing 387 yards a game.

It’s the Cowboys’ first trip to Houston in eight years. Dallas lost 34-31 to Baltimore last week in Rio de Janeiro on a last-second 56-yard field goal.

Houston fell 19-17 at Indianapolis to start 0-3 for a second straight year, and coach DeMeco Ryans took the blame for holding his timeouts on the Colts’ winning drive. “We’re 0-3, obviously, I haven’t coached well enough,” Ryans said.

What It Really Costs To Get By in Texas

A single Texas adult needs $45,290 a year before taxes just to cover basic expenses, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. Add one child, and that figure climbs to $74,391, or $35.77 an hour.

Child care costs run about $9,724 a year for one child and $19,178 for two. Housing for a single adult costs $14,679, with transportation adding thousands more.

The single-adult living wage of $21.77 an hour is roughly three times the state’s $7.25 minimum wage, which mirrors the federal rate.

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➤ Lake Jackson: Buc-ee’s settled its trademark infringement lawsuit against an Ohio gas station chain, court records show, with terms of the agreement remaining confidential. (More)

➤ Leander: The Leander ISD school board voted unanimously on Thursday night to terminate Police Chief Lucretia “Sha” Rogers’ contract for cause after discussing the matter behind closed doors. (More)

➤ San Antonio: Authorities arrested a 43-year-old woman on Thursday, making her the second woman charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery in Manuel Gomez Mendez Jr.’s death after his body was found burning in March. (More)

➤ Willis: Residents remained under a boil water notice on Friday following Wednesday’s waterline break, with Mayor William Brown reporting no signs of contamination as the city awaits state-required testing results. (More)

➤ Edinburg: Quality Home Innovations is installing free tarps on damaged roofs ahead of weekend rain, with owners estimating permanent repairs typically cost $15,000 to $20,000 for an average Rio Grande Valley home. (More)

➤ Texas Coast: The General Land Office is buying beach wheelchairs and mobility mats for coastal communities, including Galveston, South Padre Island, and Cameron County, to help meet updated state accessibility rules. (More)

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➤ The Dallas Wings faced the Golden State Valkyries last night in winner-take-all Game 3 in San Francisco, with a WNBA semifinal berth at stake. (See Score)

➤ Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and CBS Sports have agreed to part ways after his July arrest for driving while intoxicated, ending a nine-year run in the booth. (More)

➤ Victor Wembanyama vowed he’ll never promote sports betting or prediction market companies, saying that he wants to back brands with a positive influence. (More)

➤ North Texas survived Tulsa 45-44 in overtime on Thursday after a replay upheld a stop on Tulsa’s two-point try for the win. (Watch Play)

➤ Summit Golf Club at Horseshoe Bay Resort in Horseshoe Bay placed second among new clubhouses in Golf Inc.’s 2026 Clubhouse of the Year competition. The building draws on the region’s historic German farmhouses, using native limestone, steel, and wood. (See List)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NHL | WNBA | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Cardboard canoes and tomato-throwing robots headline the fifth annual Ratliff Relays at UT Tyler on Oct. 17, where more than 500 engineering students on over 100 teams race drones and launch bottle rockets during the free main-campus event. (More)

➤ San Antonio’s Historic City Cemetery No. 1 will host a free Hocus Pocus screening Oct. 10 with complimentary popcorn, reviving a 19th-century tradition of picnicking among graves while raising support for preserving the historic cemetery. (More)

➤ Billy Bob’s Texas is celebrating its 45th year with new sound and lighting systems at the Fort Worth Stockyards honky-tonk, designed to give audiences clearer audio and bigger visuals throughout the live country music venue. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ Sick season is here, and doctors say relief for that stubborn throat starts with one surprising fix. (Listen Now)

➤ Nobel watchers say the International Space Station is a serious Peace Prize contender this year, alongside far more contentious earthbound names. (Hear Names)

➤ Pope Leo XIV is urging artists to join the church in a fight to protect human creativity from artificial intelligence. (Podcast Available)

Would you celebrate spooky season by watching a Halloween movie in a historic cemetery?

1. Absolutely
2. Maybe, with friends
3. Too spooky for me
4. I’ll celebrate elsewhere
5. Not a fan of Halloween

Yesterday’s Results:

Will you go to any Oktoberfests, pumpkin festivals, harvest parties, or spooky celebrations this month?

1. No: 48%
2. We’ll see: 24%
3. Hope so: 13%
4. Absolutely: 10%
5. Is it October already?: 5%

Which once-thriving Texas railroad community on Galveston Bay is now down to a single house?

Show me the answer