🌡️ Smaller lawns, higher temperatures

🏠 Lawn Size Requirements Slashed

If you’re one of the few who can afford to build a house in today’s world, I’ve got news you can use: Austin City Council members cut the amount of land required to build a home from 5,750 square feet to 1,800 square feet. Some believe the reduction will change neighborhoods for the worse, while others think it’s an opportunity for homeowners to build on their land or slice it up to sell. [KUT]

🔥 First Triple-Digit Day of 2024 Nears

Ah well. Spring was nice while it lasted. Triple-digit temperatures are landing in Austin this weekend due to an early-season heatwave. Forecasters may issue heat advisories with temperatures on the rise. Stay safe out there: Take breaks if you’re outside, drink water, and check on your friends, family, and neighbors. [National Weather Service]

🐶 Adopt A Pet, Win Concert Tickets

Two people will win Justin Timberlake tickets if they adopt a pet through May 27 from several Austin-area shelters participating in a JT-themed “It’s Gonna Be May” promotion. Here’s hoping you play NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” for your new pal as you leave the shelter! (Sorry, I had to!) [City of Austin]

🚨 Austin Police Wanted Killer Pardoned

We learned this week that Austin police wrote, but did not send, a letter urging the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to parole Daniel Perry, who’d been convicted of murder by a Travis County jury. The letter argued that Perry, who killed Garrett Foster during a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest, should never have been charged and should be pardoned. Days after the letter was drafted, Gov. Greg Abbott granted Perry clemency. [Austin American-Statesman]

• Perry, who was driving for Uber at the time, said he shot Foster, who was legally carrying an AK-47, in self-defense. After his conviction, messages and social media posts that were unsealed revealed that Perry had made several racist posts and violent statements about protesters. [The Texas Tribune]

🎥 Austin Moviemakers Debut Film

In theaters today: Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater’s new movie “Hit Man,” starring Austinite Glen Powell. It’s based on a Texas Monthly story about a murder-for-hire, and Linklater is hoping you’ll see the movie in theaters before it's released on Netflix June 7. Powell plays a fake hit man in the movie. [Texas Monthly]