Central Texas top stories for October 16, 2024. Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, Congressman Colin Allred, squared off in a debate last night, listen to the details. Travis County is asking voters to approve a tax rate hike this November to expand access to childcare for low- and middle-income families. The median sales price of homes in the Austin area fell last month, but that was not the case inside the city limits. Austin had the highest temperature ever recorded in October.