🚰 Lead, arsenic found in East Austin tap water

Researchers Find Contaminants In East Austin Tap Water

A new UT study confirmed what residents have complained about for years: the tap water in a far East Austin neighborhood contains levels of lead and arsenic that exceed safety standards. They found that pipe corrosion and the mixing of water supplies by the private utility provider serving the Austin’s Colony neighborhood caused contaminants to build up before hitting residents’ taps. [The Austin Chronicle]

The Onion Launches Infowars Parody Site

The satirical outlet has bypassed ongoing legal battles over the official Infowars domain by launching a parody of the conspiracy outlet on its own site. Austin-based host Alex Jones was shut out of his original domain in May as his bankruptcy cases play out. The Onion will donate $100,000 to Sandy Hook families as part of the launch. [KUT]

Ranking Austin’s Highest-Paid CEOs

Despite not taking a salary, Tesla’s Elon Musk ranks No. 1 among local executives for 2025 compensation with an eye-watering $158.36 billion in stock awards. A new deep dive into 45 local public companies shows that the top earners are overwhelmingly paid via stock options rather than base pay. In fact, only three local CEOs drew a base salary of over $1 million. [🔒 Austin Business Journal]

What Austin Needs To Host the World Cup

While Dallas and Houston hosted several matches for the ongoing 2026 tournament, Austin played a limited role. To move beyond hosting watch parties and training camps, the city would need major infrastructure overhauls — starting with expanding Q2 Stadium to meet FIFA’s mandatory 40,000-seat minimum. [Austin American-Statesman]

Austin ISD Cuts Police Budget

Austin ISD stripped nearly $6 million from its police force as part of its $887 million budget for the upcoming school year. District leaders say the reductions won’t affect campus safety or the number of school-assigned officers, but will instead target department funding for firearms, uniforms, and protective gear. [KVUE]

Why Taylor Won’t Put Data Center Ban On Ballot

The Taylor City Council says state law prevents them from putting a citizen-led data center ban on the November ballot. Activists submitted a 1,400-signature petition to pause development on two active projects due to noise and grid concerns, but the city plans to pass a local ordinance instead. [KUT]

Congratulations to Letty E. for being the only person to guess last week’s “Where Is This?” correctly! This photo was taken off Guadalupe Street on the Drag near the University of Texas at Austin.

This week’s photo was taken farther north:

Do you know where this photo was taken? Click the button below to submit your guess and be featured in next Monday’s newsletter!