(Talk1370.com) -- Austin Police say the suspect in a South Austin explosives case from earlier this week has an extensive history and was known to law enforcement. That and more in your Morning Headlines.
House Takes Final Vote On Vouchers, Funding: Just hours after passing their initial readings in the House, lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2 - the lower chamber’s billion dollar school voucher program and $8 billion school funding package. Now it’ll be up to the Senate to decide how it wants to proceed with ironing out the differences between its own version of SB 2… the House version differs in how students are prioritized for the ESA program, along with the amount of money students can receive. Gov. Greg Abbott says he’ll sign the bill as soon as it reaches his desk.
South Austin Explosives Suspect Had History: We’re learning more about the man behind an incident in South Austin earlier this week that led to a home explosion. Austin Police say 66-year old Steven Aldrich was arrested on a charge of possessing “components of explosives” - that’s after investigators found a large quantity of homemade explosives and materials inside that home on Vintage Stave Road. APD Chief Lisa Davis said a concerned citizen called 911 to report those materials Tuesday evening, prompting law enforcement to respond to the scene. Davis said Aldrich had been on parole for a prior explosives-related offense in Williamson County back in 2019. His new charge is a third-degree felony; he remains booked in the Travis County Jail.
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Convention Center Officially Closed: The Austin Convention Center is now officially closed for construction - with an official groundbreaking event held Thursday to kick off the reconstruction project. The $1.6 billion dollar project is slated to double the rentable square footage of the existing facility, ending up with about 620 thousand square feet. That money is coming from hotel occupancy taxes. The construction project is slated to take about four years - the center is expected to re-open in time for South By Southwest in 2029.
Support First Responders For Lunch: And it’s Good Friday - that means today is the day for the annual fundraiser at Austin area McDonald’s restaurants benefitting the 100 Club of Central Texas. Stop by for lunch between 11am and 2pm; McDonald’s will donate 10 percent of sales to the 100 Club, which helps support the families of fallen and critically injured first responders. That’s today from 11am to 2pm at any area McDonald’s location.
24/7 Weather Center Forecast: Warm and a little humid for your Friday... we'll get into the lower 90s by the afternoon, with a forecast high of 91. Rain chances start building in later tonight, with the focus on the western Hill Country. Strong to severe storms possible in the I-35 corridor later Saturday into Sunday morning.