Your Daily Guide

At Least 2 Dead in Hill Country Floods

At least two people were killed during flooding in Comfort and Uvalde on Thursday. A Flood Watch is in effect for several Hill Country counties through noon. [KXAN]

• Between 20 and 25 inches of rainfall was recorded between Monday and Thursday in South and Central Texas, causing catastrophic flooding. [National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center]
• Gov. Greg Abbott said dozens of people across the state have been rescued and that current flooding is likely to break records. [Office of the Governor]
• The Guadalupe River in Comfort, near Kerrville, crested at 37.08 feet on Thursday, which is higher than what was recorded during July 4 flooding last year. [Austin American-Statesman]
• The National Weather Service issued an alert on Thursday morning about a “deadly flood wave” moving down the Pedernales River. [National Weather Service]

Ramen Del Barrio Sets Reopening Date

Ramen Del Barrio will reopen on July 25 at its new location in North Austin. The spot is at 2007 Kramer Lane, just south of the intersection of West Braker Lane and Metric Boulevard. [CultureMap Austin]

First Round of Texas Book Festival Authors Announced

A sneak peek of Texas Book Festival’s lineup was released this week and it includes 18 authors. Among them are Jasmine Guillory, Xochitl Gonzalez, and Elizabeth Acevedo. [Texas Book Festival]

Swiss Company To Build Light Rail Cars

Austin Transit Partnership’s board has awarded Stadler $39 million to build 21 vehicles for the city’s light rail. But the total cost of working with Stadler on design and construction could be as much as $352.8 million. [Austin Business Journal]

Austin is good at a lot of things – live music, barbecue, bats, and Willie Nelson. You name it, we’re good at it. But something we’re great at is stress relief. If you’re overwhelmed lately by work, school, the news, or whatever else, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s some of our favorite ways to ditch stress in Austin:

🎨 Take an Art Class

Being creative and doing something with your hands is a great way to shake off your worries. Austin has tons of great art classes and you don’t have to be a Picasso to give them a go. Try these:

• Laguna Gloria offers semester-long art classes and weekend workshops on everything from metalworking to painting and drawing. Fall registration is currently open!
• Dougherty Arts Center offers classes on ceramics, darkroom photography, drawing, painting, and textile and fiber arts. Fall registration is open now.
• Austin Creative Art Center has options for everyone. For adults, you can try weekly classes on acrylic, oil, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, mixed media, and more.

💃 Head to the Dance Floor

We all know exercise can help relieve stress, but if you ask us, the best form is dancing! Sweating it out on the dance floor has great benefits for your brain and your smile and your bod!

• Sign up for a tap dancing class at Tapestry Dance.
• Channel your inner Misty Copeland at Ballet Austin.
• Try a hip hop class at Diva Dance.

🏊 Go for a Dip

It’s no secret that one of the top reasons to live in Austin is the city’s many incredible swimming holes. The key to a stress free swim is to start your day early. Visit Barton Springs Pool before sunrise – lay on the big hill after an ice-cold jump in the water and watch the city wake up. This is the best way to spend a Friday morning before a long day of work and feels like a nice reset if you’ve been feeling overloaded.

😆 Laugh Your Heart Out

The Mayo Clinic says laughter can help you feel better, “even if you have to force a fake laugh through your grumpiness.” You won’t have to fake anything at any of Austin’s many comedy clubs. Spend a night enjoying magical feats and “Saturday Night Live”-like sketches at Esther’s Follies. Or, head up to the Domain and see some stand-up at Cap City Comedy Club. If those don’t make you laugh, experience an improv show at The Hideout Theatre.