Austin area COVID-related hospitalizations continued dropping throughout the weekend and are now halfway thru Stage 3 range at 19.9, less than 5 points from Stage 2 - that new county map from the CDC shows Travis and Williamson Counties under low COVID risk, but Hays County under high risk. Today is election day in the mid-term primary. Only about ten percent of registered voters in Travis County voted early, which doesn't bode well for turnout today. A slew of statewide offices and all of our U.S. House seats are in play - polls will be open today from 7am to 7pm and remember, the margin to win outright is 50% plus one vote - any candidate falling short of that will face their runner-up in a runoff election in late May - Governor Greg Abbott would like to avoid a runoff with any of his challengers and seems on track to do so. Today is also Fat Tuesday - Cajun joints throughout town including Evangeline Cafe, Shoal Creek Saloon, Cypress Grill, and many more expect big business tonight. Austin ISD officials will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss future plans for district masking policies. The Texas men's basketball team played their last game ever on the court of the Frank Erwin Center last night, a 68-61 loss to Baylor. Women's hoops will close out at Frank Erwin on Saturday vs Oklahoma State, and the Harlem Globetrotters will close that court out officially on April 2. There's also Monster Jam monster truck event scheduled at the Frank Erwin Center on March 12 - the building is set to be demolished sometime in April. High school football phenom and Louisiana legacy QB Arch Manning is set to meet again with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian later this month - could he be on his way to Austin?Austin based Juiceland is set to resume its expansion plans after holding back during the pandemic with openings coming in the suburbs of San Antonio and Dallas. The Chicks announce a U.S. tour - with a conspicuous lack of Texas dates. The Alamo has been named one of the ten most beautiful monuments in the U.S. - remember to take a drive down to visit if you haven't lately. Congrats to the members of the Williamson County Go Texan BBQ team, who won the 2022 World Championship BBQ competition at the Houston Rodeo on Saturday, dominating a field of 250 teams. Keep an eye out for American Idol episodes airing on Sundays this month on Fox for glimpses of home - the show shot auditions at Lakeway Resort's Vista Ballroom last fall. And, don't forget Amplify Austin Day for this year - it starts at 6pm tomorrow night and runs through the same time Wednesday.
