The Austin Daily News - May 9, 2026

In this week's issue: Austin council voted 9-1 to bulldoze the last neighborhood shields blocking housing density — and the council member who personally promised those shields would hold co-sponsored the resolution The city has spent $35 million on outside lawyers since 2020, including nearly a million dollars to fight — and then settle — a botched SWAT raid that caused $23,000 in actual damage The viral SpaceX IPO math: 160 Austin employees projected to clear $100 million each, 12 will become billionaires — the number Austin's money class can't stop talking about A Texas startup built 550 robotic telescopes on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere and Ashlee Vance showed up Let's ride.