Local new COVID hospitalization average jumps to a level not seen since before Halloween - but remains in upper Stage 2 range - as Austin Public Health renews a press for vaccines and boosters in advance of holiday gatherings. Missing kids in Austin: an Austin High sophomore has been missing since last Monday, and a 14-year-old Del Valle girl has been missing since last Thursday, both runaway situations, while a 10-year-old Seguin girl has been found outside the country after being missing for several months. Another threat against a high school campus results in the arrest of a Hutto High student. The owner of a Dripping Springs-area distillery is identified as a participant in the planning of the January 6 insurrection. Westlake, Liberty Hill and LBJ Austin's football squads advance to the Texas high school football State Championships next weekend at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Austin City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker returns this weekend after missing last year. And new studies show that Austin is both a great place to look for a new love, and also a great place to look for a new job.
