Free Republic

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Widespread power outages in the Texas capital stretched into a third day Friday for thousands of residents following a winter storm that was spiraling into a management crisis as city leaders remained unable to say when all the lights would come back on. Impatience among frazzled, freezing and fed-up families in Austin escalated even as milder weather returned. On Friday, the newly elected mayor stood before cameras and apologized after a week of slow repairs, failed technology and lacking communication with the public. “The city let its citizens down. The situation is unacceptable to the community,...

Homeowners along lakes LBJ and Marble Falls will finally have a chance to start rebuilding after the October flood. Crews with the Lower Colorado River Authority will begin lowering the lakes on Sunday, Dec. 30 so residents can make repairs. Lake LBJ will be lowered 4 feet while Lake Marble Falls will be lowered 7 feet.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is providing $100,000 each to Burnet and Llano counties to help the counties recover from recent historic flooding along the Colorado and Llano rivers... "LCRA is very pleased to provide this financial assistance to Burnet and Llano counties to help them clean up after the flood," said Timothy Timmerman, chair of the LCRA Board of Directors. Since mid-October, much of the Highland Lakes watershed has received 10-15 inches of rain, sending an enormous amount of water rushing into the Highland Lakes. At the peak of the flood, flow into Lake Travis was estimated at 375,000...