“Did we know there were license plate cameras tracking cars on our roads?”
Flock Safety cameras on roads near us helped crack a multi-city shooting spree
Police linked a Buda shooting to a broader Austin shooting spree by pulling Flock Safety license plate reader data — the same network of cameras mounted on roads throughout this corridor. The system quietly logged a suspect vehicle moving between crime scenes, giving investigators a thread they could actually pull. We pass these cameras without thinking twice, but this week was a good reminder that they are logging every plate, every time — which cuts both ways depending on how you feel about that.
HBO's Yogurt Shop Murders finale is back, and it still hits differently when we live here
The fifth and final episode of 'The Yogurt Shop Murders: The Final Chapter' dropped on HBO this week, closing out director Margaret Brown's exhaustive look at the 1991 murders of four girls at an Austin yogurt shop — and the men who were wrongly convicted for it. If we haven't watched the series, this is the week to start: the finale brings together the victims' families and the people around the falsely accused, and it does not let anyone off easy. It's a brutal piece of Austin history that most people who moved here in the last decade don't know, and it matters.
Neighborhood Check-in
Now that we know Flock Safety cameras are logging plates on roads near Wildhorse Ranch — how do we feel about it?
Results shared in next week's edition.
Know a neighbor making a difference?
Every week we spotlight one person who makes Wildhorse Ranch a better place. Drop their name — it takes 30 seconds.
DIY Tip
Flush your water heater before Austin's hard water turns it into a sediment trap
Austin's water is notoriously hard, and by late spring the mineral buildup inside a water heater tank can seriously cut efficiency and shorten its lifespan. Turn off the heating element or gas, connect a garden hose to the drain valve at the bottom, and flush until the water runs clear — it usually takes less than 20 minutes. Doing this once a year can add years to the unit and lower our energy bills in the process. If the water heater is already more than 10 years old, this is also the right moment to get a quote before it fails on a 100-degree August weekend.
Fun Fact
“Today is Memorial Day, but Austin has its own specific military footnote: Camp Mabry, tucked inside the city limits just off MoPac, has been a continuous active military installation since 1892 — making it one of the oldest still-operating posts in Texas.”