Wells Dunbar, KUT News

Cleanup is underway in North Texas after devastating tornadoes claimed six lives and multiple injuries.

The National Weather Service’s preliminary count says 10 tornadoes stuck North Texas last night. The Fort Worth suburb of Granbury, Texas took some of the worst damage, with damage showing signs of wind gusts up to 260 MPH.

Severe weather in North Texas has left confirmed fatalities it its wake. 

CNN cites a spokesperson from the Hood County sheriff's office saying "multiple fatalities" occured in Granbury, 35 miles outside of Fort Worth. Other news outlets report the Rancho Brazos subdivision and nearby areas along Lake Granbury took the brunt of the storm. Smaller tornados were reported in multiple North Texas counties.

Update: The “destructive device” Bryce Reed was said to possess was a pipe bomb.

U.S. District Court charging documents for Bryce Reed state that on May 7, an unnamed person called the Sheriff’s Office regarding components Reed had left with them – components an ATF agent says form a pipe bomb.  You can read the documents here.

Update (11:56 a.m.): StateImpact Texas notes there are now two investigations into the West plant explosion: one existing investigation into the origin and cause of the fire, lead by the State Fire Marshall’s Office office and the ATF; and the new, DPS-helmed investigation into any potential criminal activity, spurred by the arrest of West paramedic Bryce Reed. 

Update: President Obama's remarks have concluded. You can see KUT News' continuing coverage of Obama in Austin here. 

Original post: President Barack Obama is schedueld to speak momentarily at Applied Materials in northeast Austin. It's part of his first stop on his “Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour.” The White House says Austin was picked as the place to start the tour because it leads the country in manufacturing and tech job growth.

Here’s news that may strike fear into the hearts of local employers: Austin users of Reddit – the news and entertainment website where anyone can create a “subreddit” on a topic of their choosing – rack up the most pageviews per capita of any city in the world.  

And in an unweighted, raw count of total visits by city worldwide, Austin comes in tenth. 

President Barack Obama’s got a thing for Austin.

The President is kicking off his “Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity Tour” in the Capitol City today. The White House says Austin was picked as the place to start the tour, because it leads the country in manufacturing and tech job growth. (And we’re sure Austin’s reputation as a Democratic city in a solidly Republican state doesn’t hurt either.)

How powerful should an independent Austin Energy board be?

That’s the question the Austin City Council is asking itself. Right now, the council governs the city-owned utility. But council members are talking about turning over that power to an independent board. And haggling over the power of this unelected panel continues to dominate talk at City Hall.

Tomorrow, Austin running emporium RunTex will have its assets auctioned off.

It’s the end of the road for the local store, which once counted five locations. After RunTex was evicted from its location at Riverside Drive and South First Street, county tax assessor Bruce Elfant revealed the company owed over $17,000 in back taxes.

The City of Austin is thinking about helping to create a permanent farmers' market that would operate seven days a week. It was the first recommendation in a recent report produced for the city by Texas Perspectives, a local economic analysis and consulting firm. 

"Permanent food markets and food hubs could well speak to all the major findings of this report," TXP wrote, "as they offer the possibility of enhancing the Austin food sector in a way that appeals to both tourists and locals." 

Westlake High School is open for classes, after a written threat discovered on campus yesterday lead to an extensive overnight search.

Officials didn’t reveal the exact nature of the threat, but an email from Westlake principal John Carter says “School will operate as normal, with an increased security and adult presence in and around the campus. The first period bell just sounded moments ago and classes have started.”

Update: The Department of Public Safety deactivated the amber alert late Thursday night after the two teens were found.

Original Post (3:24 p.m.): Police in Kingsland, Texas have issued an Amber Alert Two for two teenaged girls who may have been abducted.

One is 13-year-old Savannah Sloan. She is 4'5", weighs 85 pounds with blonde hair and blue eyes. The other is 15-year-old Misty Sloan. She’s 4'10", weighs 95 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. They were last seen yesterday at 1 a.m. 

Popular park and festival spot Auditorium Shores could close for a whole year if the Austin City Council approves a proposal from the Parks and Recreation Department.

The changes include an improved irrigation system, new turf grass and an enhanced off-leash area for dogs. The cost would be shouldered via a $3.5 million donation from the Austin-based promoters C3 Presents. The company has worked out similar deals to improve the grounds at Zilker Park, which hosts C3’s Austin City Limits Festival.

Update: Reuters is also reporting the unnamed susepct is dead. 

Original post (2:33 p.m.): A terminal at Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport is closed, after a man allegedly fired a gun in ticketing area before shooting himself.

The San Antonio Express-News cites a Houston Police Department statement “that an armed male suffered at least one gunshot wound at 1:35 p.m. Thursday near a ticket counter in the pre-screening area of Terminal B.”

The Austin filmmaker behind some of the web’s funniest viral videos is at it again.

Austin filmmaker Joe Nicolosi is currently owning Reddit with his viral video, “The Matrix Retold by Mom.” In the clip, Nicolosi’s mother narrates a rather fast and loose retelling of the Wachowskis' sci-fi epic, while animation makes her hilariously fuzzy retelling come to life.

Update: The Texas A&M Board of Regents approved the university’s $450 million plan to redevelop Kyle Field into the biggest stadium in Texas (by seating capacity). Demolition work on the existing stadium is slated to begin in November this year, with plans for a grand opening in time for the 2015 football season.

You can read a press release, and view a photo gallery here.

Original post (May 1): Football is big at Texas A&M and it could be getting bigger – even bigger than it is at UT Austin.