Katrina Tollin

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Hays County has discontinued its citizen information phone line. The temporary information number was created because of an increase in calls to the county's dispatch line. Now that the evacuation order for areas of the county has been lifted and temporary shelters closed, the number is no longer being used.

"There's no immediate need for a citizen's information line," said Hays County spokeswoman Laureen Chernow. "If the need arises, of course we will reestablish that phone line."

Wondering what you can do to help those affected by the fires in Central Texas? Make a donation of food, clothing or supplies to a nonprofit that will distribute donations to Central Texans affected by the recent fires.

Services for sexual assault victims are significantly lacking in Texas, according to a new survey out of the UT-Austin. 

The study said, for example, that emergency room wait times for sex assault victims are so long that they often leave before receiving treatment and reporting the assault.

"Sexual assault crimes persist as a social problem in Texas and the need to propel this issue to the public's attention is pressing," the study's lead investigator, Dr. Noël Busch-Armendariz said in a press release.

City Council Reviews Next Year's Budget

Today the Austin City Council is having a budget work session to  hear a presentation on the city's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and to consider a proposed property tax rate for next year. The meeting will be at 9 this morning at City Hall.

Suspect Named in Offier-Involved Shooting

Former KVUE broadcast journalist Olga Campos has joined Austin philanthropist Milton Verret to work on charitable efforts for children with serious medical conditions.

Campos will begin by managing the CowParade Austin program Veret began, which will auction painted cow statues to benefit the Superhero Kids Fund for the Blood and Cancer Center at the Dell Children's Medical Center.

People got a chance to climb aboard the possible future of Austin's mass transit system on Thursday. Kinkisharyo, a Japanese-based streetcar manufacturer, is taking its new prototype on an American tour.

The streetcar runs on a combination of power from batteries and overhead wires, storing energy when the train brakes and eliminating the need for overhead wires in parts of the route, Kinkisharyo project manager Bill Kleppinger said.

Chief Petty Officer Matt Mills, 36, died over the weekend in Afghanistan when his helicopter was hit by enemy fire.

The helicopter attack was one of the deadliest against the U.S. in the war, killing 30 service members, NPR reports.

Mills' cousin, JB Abbott told My Fox Austin about the relationship the Seal had with his work.

Hays County officials sent out a quick reminder to his week to help raise awareness of U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans.

The SBA announced in June that small, non-farm businesses in all 254 Texas counties are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans to help cover financial losses caused by the drought. But the Hays County Commissioners Court worried local businesses didn't know they could apply for the help.

While Texans eagerly await any and all rain from tropical storm Don, one gulf city continues the work of rebuilding after Hurricane Ike.

The Galveston City Council narrowly dismissed a resolution Thursday to rebuild 569 public housing units off the island, The Galveston County Daily News reports.

Officials at Austin Energy are studying a couple of bids that could let the utility buy wind power generated along the Texas Coast.

City Council approval by mid-September could move the utility toward negotiations for 20 or 25-year contracts with two undisclosed companies.

Current prices for wind power fall between $35-$45 per megawatt hour, compared to the current price for natural gas at $36-$44 per megawatt hour.

Officials in Oklahoma have closed some of the state's lakes because of blue-green algae outbreaks. The fast growth of already-present algae, paired with high temperatures and still water, pose serious risk to swimmers.

If you see uniformed emergency response teams around the University of Texas' Wooldridge Hall this week, don't worry. The U.T Police Department and other Central Texas first responders will use the vacant building for training exercises through Thursday.

Sergeant Scott Weyland said UTPD tries to train in an empty building when one is scheduled for demolition, usually about once a year. Weyland says this week’s training will focus on “active-shooter” scenarios, including suicide-bomber and hostage situations.

The Del Valle school board voted 8-0 last night to appoint assistant superintendent of business and finance Kelly Crook as interim superintendent, effective June 13.