Happy Thursday, everyone. I hope you're having a great week. It's me, Jessica, your host of the Austin Daily — here to provide you with the most important things happening in town.

Grab your morning java while we cover:

First, today's weather and allergy report:

☀️ High: 95 Low: 70. Mostly sunny. 🍃 Grass Pollen: high (⬆️). Ragweed: low. Mold: high (⬆️). Dust & Dander: extremely high.

Here's to the wonderful local business who sponsors this newsletter. Check out what they can do for you:

Austin Pet Owners: did you know there’s an environmentally friendly way to dispose of your pet poop? Each year in America dogs generate over 11 million tons of poop, much of which ends in local landfills and waterways. That’s a lot of poop. Fortunately, there’s a locally owned business that will take your poop and recycle it into fertilizer and soil enhancement for gardens and landscaping. Visit Pet Agree Waste Removal to learn more. Give them a call — they’ll literally pick up your pet’s poop.

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Here are the top stories today in Austin:

1) A three+ hour power outage at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport resulted in travel delays and frustrated passengers. According to a press release from ABIA, the Austin airport experienced a power outage in the main terminal on Wednesday morning at approximately 4:30 a.m. resulting in thousands of passengers arriving at a pitch-black facility with no working security lines or functioning ticket counters.

Officials issued a ground stop for all arriving and departing flights at approximately 5:30 a.m. As Austin Energy technicians responded to the power outage, APD closed off roadways into and out of the airport, resulting in hundreds of passengers exiting their taxis and Ubers and walking down Highway 71 towards the airport — what a scene!

Austin Energy restored power to the terminal at approximately 7:30 a.m. and determined the cause of the outage was "due to malfunctioning underground equipment." KVUE has more on the power outage here.

2) A Texas federal judge has ruled that certain businesses do not need to cover PrEP, a drug used to prevent HIV infections. On Wednesday, Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that a mandate requiring most health insurance companies to cover medicine that prevents HIV infection violates the religious freedom of certain businesses.

One of the plaintiffs claimed that forcing them to cover the drug would be pushing them to “facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior.” Head over to KUT to learn more about this story.

3) Animal shelters across the state continue to operate at or above capacity. Shelters continue to hold adoption events, waive re-homing fees, and run awareness campaigns in an attempt to find homes for pets as swiftly as possible — but it hasn't been enough.

Clare Callison, director with American Pets Alive!, told KUT: "We are certainly needing more community support, as well as governmental support." Check out the full interview here at KUT to learn more and how you can help.

4) APD needs the community's help identifying three suspects from a fatal stabbing early Sunday morning in Downtown Austin. APD has identified a young man, D’Andre Isaiah Day, who was killed in Downtown Austin early Sunday morning from an apparent stabbing. The murder happened just after 2:30 a.m. at Sixth and Brazos streets. APD is now searching for the suspects involved and has released surveillance video of the meeting between Day’s group and the three suspects. KXAN has more on this story.

5) Good news: cooler, less humid mornings are headed to Austin this week! KXAN reports that following scattered storms on Wednesday evening, a light northeasterly breeze blows in overnight which will begin the "dehumidification of our weather" through the coming weekend.

While it won't officially be scarf and hot cocoa weather — I'll gladly welcome the cool break. Head to KXAN for the full weather report.

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

About me: Jessica is happy to call Austin her home for the past 10+ years. She loves the outdoors, arts & cinema, dining, and all of the natural beauty that Central Texas has to offer.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Austin Daily? Contact me at DowntownAustin@patch.com

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