Local COVID hospitalization stats keep dropping, but are still quite high - we're now at about the same level as the peak of the second wave last winter, which was the all time record prior to the Omicron wave. The big freeze is here: temps will hit freezing around 7am Thursday and hard re-freezes will happen nightly thru Saturday night. Widespread shutdowns Thursday include most area school districts, UT Austin's main campus, We Are Blood, and Capital Metro. Austin Bergstrom International Airport will remain open, but individual flight delays and cancellations are likely. Government and energy sector officials remain optimistic that the Texas power grid will perform smoothly thru this winter event, but localized problems with power lines are also a potential service interruption, while Austin Water would rather you didn't drip your pipes. The leader of an acclaimed bone marrow registry at Texas State University is under investigation for inappropriate spending of program funds. The ownership of SeaWorld has made an offer to buy the Schiltterbahn waterpark chain. New pedestrian improvements are under consideration for Zilker Park. Nutty Brown Amphitheater changes its name to Round Rock Amp to go with their new Williamson County location, and announces its inaugural slate of shows starting this April. And SXSW Film has dropped a star-studded rundown of its programming for 2022.
