🎶 October, here we come!

✍️ Local Literati

The Pulitzer Prizes — prestigious awards celebrating American journalism, letters, drama, and music — were awarded this week, and, for the first time ever, the Austin-based Texas Tribune was named as a finalist along with its reporting partners for coverage of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. [The Pulitzer Prizes]

• Other award winners and finalists who once called Texas home include: journalist Keri Blakinger, author Tracy Daugherty, retired University of Texas history professor Jacqueline Jones, reporter Silvia Foster-Frau, and photographer Lisa Krantz.

🚨 Arrests Follow Overdose Outbreak

Several people are in custody after a deadly batch of narcotics infiltrated the area, killing at least nine and causing a total of 79 overdoses. Even so, it’s unclear if those responsible for the fentanyl-laced drugs have been found. Federal and local agents arrested one man in South Austin on May 1, as the outbreak ripped through town. Inside his home, law enforcement found a cache of drugs weighing more than eight pounds, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana. [KXAN]

• Five people have been arrested after a sting in the North Lamar Boulevard/Rutland Drive area, but none were directly linked to the influx of overdoses. [KVUE]

🎓 Congrats, Class of 2024!

Things are still tense at UT in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests, clashes with law enforcement, and dozens of arrests. Board of Regents Chair Kevin Eltife didn’t mince words this week when he said that “divestment [from Israel] is not an option,” despite the wishes of some students. [Dallas Morning News]

• Commencement is still on, although some cultural ceremonies have been canceled in the wake of DEI cuts. The Class of 2024 will graduate Saturday, in an evening ceremony complete with fireworks and the lighting of the tower. [KXAN]

☑️ Election Results

Voter turnout was exceptionally low — 6.25% — for the recent primaries, but decisions were made nonetheless. Those who did cast ballots chose a trio of Democrats to sit on the (nonpartisan) Travis Central Appraisal District board, which is involved in assigning value to properties for tax purposes. [The Austin Bulldog]

• And of the six neighborhoods that had to decide whether or not to disannex from the city of Austin, results were split down the middle, with three electing to stay and three opting out of city services. [KUT Austin]

🤩 Guess Who’s Coming To Zilker

First, there was a mysterious Zilker Park pay phone, which played different sounds that caused Austinites to speculate — with quite a bit of accuracy — on this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup. [Austin American-Statesman]

• Then came the official announcement, confirming that the two October weekends of this year’s fest will NOT disappoint. Tickets are on sale now! [ACL Festival]