Tony Plohetski

The 2015 murder of Samantha Dean -- a cancer survivor and expantant mother -- by the Austin police officer who fathered her baby has always stayed with me. I'm moved by the strength of her parents, who recently sat down for their first extended interview: https://t.co/Uf6z3IEhYS

BREAKING: A substantial propane gas leak caused a home explosion in Austin on Sunday, investigators say. Officials say there are no suspicious or criminal circumstances linked to the explosion.

NEW: Authorities say one home was leveled, another had "collapse damage" and 24 were damaged in an explosion Sunday in Northwest Austin. The cause remains under investigation. Two people received critical injuries, and several others also were wounded, authorities say.

UPDATE: Authorities have closed a large area near the home but residents who have evacuated the area tell me a home was destroyed and multiple others have been heavily damaged in an explosion in Northwest Austin.

Tony Plohetski @tplohetski

NEW: Emergency officials are investigating the sound of a possible explosion near U.S. 183 and McNeil Road in Northwest Austin but do not yet know the source.

NEW: Emergency officials are investigating the sound of a possible explosion near U.S. 183 and McNeil Road in Northwest Austin but do not yet know the source.

RT @dhiott: Open government and public records issues are nonpartisan. This is why we need continued support for the Texas Public Informati…

NEW: After months of fighting to release records about publicly funded security improvements to his home, Travis DA Jose Garza settled a suit with Texas AG Ken Paxton and released a trove of documents. The latest in our eight-month open government battle: https://t.co/cbLVBzjWfH

Beautiful (but chilly morning) for the @statesman @cap10k. 🏃🏻 https://t.co/RxJum7hjCq

BREAKING: A man charged with intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of 5 people, including an infant and child, on I-35 in Austin last month had ** no** drugs or alcohol in his system, according to his attorney and Austin police, who received test results today.

BREAKING: Texas AG Ken Paxton will not face federal charges, per AP sources out of DC. Paxton attorney Dan Cogdell told me this morning that he has no knowledge of this development and added, “They never had a case to begin with.”

The Associated Press @AP

BREAKING: Justice Department decided in final weeks of Biden term not to charge Texas AG Ken Paxton in corruption probe, AP sources say. https://t.co/dKlCTbbtFf

NEW: Two prominent Texas lawmakers have filed bills in the House and Senate addressing breakdowns we have been reporting on in the Travis County District Attorney’s office. It would require disclosure of missed deadlines that result in jail releases. https://t.co/i5Umio1cRW

BREAKING: Former Austin Mayor, Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has died: https://t.co/WlBrZzdNRD

NEW: An unfolding federal civil rights suit stemming from Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star could give a template, experts say, for similar cases against Travis County, where people have sat in jail for weeks and months with no formal charges: https://t.co/xFRsGV1Jq7

NEW: Austin fire officials say they believe smoke in parts of the city are the result of a 400-acre fire near Fredericksburg.

BREAKING: Austin police think an 18-wheeler driver was under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash that killed five and "not capable of operating a vehicle safely," an affidavit says. He "seemed calm and relaxed given the situation," the document says.