🌱 Deadly Stabbing On Rainey Street + New Restaurant And Bar Openings

Good morning, neighbors! Happy Last Day of South by Southwest 2023 — we survived!! It's Jessica, your host of the Austin Patch newsletter, back in your inbox bright and early with the most important local news and community updates.

Cozy up on this crisp morning while we dive into:

• SXSW attendees got a surprise in the skies on Friday night!
• Need to wind down and recover after a busy Spring Break? I've got the perfect event for you.
• Rent prices continue to creep up in the Greater Austin area.

But first, today's weather:

Considerable cloudiness. High: 59 Low: 38.

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Here are the top stories today in Austin:

1) The Austin PD reports that two individuals were stabbed in the Rainey Street District late Friday night. The incident took place near the intersection of Rainey and Driskill streets. Both victims were transported to the trauma center with serious injuries. This is a developing story and Austin PD is still looking for a suspect. Learn more here at KXAN.

2) Temps are expected to dip into the 30s and 40s this morning. A few areas in the Hill Country and Austin Metro area may also see lows dip to near or below freezing for an hour or two Sunday morning. Otherwise, Austinites can expect cloudy skies with scattered storms in the forecast today. See the full weather forecast here at KXAN.

3) Austin-Travis County EMS, STAR Flight and Lake Travis Fire Rescue joined forces to rescue a person who fell 20 feet off of a cliff near Hamilton Pool yesterday afternoon. The individual was "hoisted out of the cliff area and airlifted to Dell Seton Medical Center for a non-life-threatening lower extremity injury." KVUE has more on this incident here.

4) SXSW attendees and anyone hanging around Downtown were treated to an hour-long drone light show on Friday night. The 600 drones flew for a little over an hour with a countdown clock and revealed a special surprise at the end (accessible via a scannable QR code). CBS Austin has footage from the event and more on the surprise here.

Today in Austin:

• (All Ages) Strange Things Happening: A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 1917-1973 at Luck Ranch. (11 a.m.)
• (Free, All Ages) SoCo Stomp! (Day 5) at C-Boys Heart & Soul. (12 p.m.)
• (Free) Peach Fuzz & Feeld Presents: Southby Sandlot at The Long Time. (1 p.m.)
• East X Sahara Lounge Yayborhood Day Party at Sahara Lounge. (2 p.m.)
• Conscious Breathwork and Sound Healing at Sanctuary Yoga. (4 p.m.)

Community Chatter:

• 📈 Rent prices are up: "Austin rent prices increased nearly 10 percent from 2022. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Austin is $2,070 now, in March of 2023, which is a one percent increase from the previous month, but a nearly 10 percent increase from 2022 at 8.4 percent." (CultureMap Austin)
• 🥙 2023 restaurant and bar openings: "There’s yet another exciting year in store for Austin diners for 2023. From two intriguing forthcoming bars from stellar Austin industry people to a wine restaurant with Korean-ish dishes to a role-playing gaming headquarters with food, beers, and bread to a New York-exported Irish bar, the city’s dining options continue to expand and grow." (Eater Austin)
• 🎶 Macklemore is BACK! "Macklemore charmed the SXSW crowd at ACL Live with more than a dozen songs, stories from the road, inspirational messages and quippy observations." (Austin360 via Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around!

— Jessica Collins

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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at DowntownAustin@patch.com