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🌱 Patch AM: Will Waco trade riverfront hotels for new apartments and restaurants?

Make time for The Great Handmakers Market on the Waco Patch calendar

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Tuesday August 18th Patch AM
Tuesday August 18th Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Morning Waco! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • Will Waco trade riverfront hotels for new apartments and restaurants?
  • See how Waco ISD and nearby districts scored in new TEA ratings
  • How TxDOT wants Waco drivers to avoid tragedy this Labor Day

Also on today's calendar: Waco Downtown Farmers Market and 6 more events.

Today's riddle: Why did the man leave his watch in the bank? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Hot with plenty of sun, with a high of 105 and low of 78 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Wednesday: Partly sunny and hot, temps: high: 104, low: 77.
  • Thursday: Hot with periods of sun, with a high of 103 and low of 79 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Waco proposes replacing downtown hotel plans with apartments and dining options (kxxv.com) — Waco officials are weighing a zoning change that would swap previously planned downtown riverfront hotels for more than 100 apartments plus thousands of square feet of restaurant and retail space along Webster Avenue and the Brazos. City council is expected to vote Tuesday night, and the proposal is tied to both financing challenges for hotels and Waco's broader push to add housing.
   

2. A look at Central Texas school districts that experienced gains in state's A-F accountability ratings (kwtx.com) — Parents in Waco ISD can see how their schools scored in the state's latest A–F accountability ratings, with 11 of 19 campuses improving and the district's overall grade rising slightly. Local leaders describe new math and English curricula, coaching, and longer days aimed at boosting reading and math. Nearby districts like Temple and Connally also saw notable shifts in their scores.
   

3. TxDOT: Be safe on the road this Labor Day holiday (fox44news.com) — Waco-area drivers are being urged by TxDOT to plan sober rides before the busy Labor Day weekend, emphasizing that any kind of impairment can lead to a DWI. A Texas mother who lost her daughter to a drunk driver shares how one preventable decision devastated her family. Officials stress using rideshares, designated drivers, or friends instead of driving impaired.
   

4. Waco man jailed on $60,000 bond for assaulting his father's caregiver (kwtx.com) — A Waco-area man is being held on a $60,000 bond after deputies say he assaulted his elderly father's live-in caregiver during an early-morning disturbance on Old Bethany Road. According to an affidavit, the victim reported being hit, choked to the point of blacking out, and threatened, and investigators note the suspect has a prior family-violence conviction in McLennan County.
   

📸 Around Waco

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Waco

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

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Other local events

📣 Waco Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

    Tuesday August 18
  • Senior Picture - Make Up Day
    Midway ISD Connect Lab Blue,Connect Lab Red
    8:00 am
  • MHS Varsity Tennis @ Lake Belton
    Midway ISD Off Campus Activities
    4:00 pm
  • MHS Volleyball vs. A&M Consolidated @ HOME
    Midway ISD MHS Arena
    5:00 pm
    • Thursday August 20
  • MHS JV Tennis vs. Lake Belton @ HOME
    Midway ISD Panther Courts
    4:00 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Update: Pet Reunited
    A cat who went missing in Waco, TX, has been safely reunited with their family after 1 days, 1 hours. Message from Finder: "This sweet boy has a… (Nextdoor Farwell Heights)
  • I have 3 playful kittens that need a new home they're all girls & they're not fixed !
    There is a 10$ non refundable fee for them! If anyone is interested please let me know I wish we can keep them but i already have toooo many cats :( (Nextdoor Cedar Ridge)
  • BJ's Restaurants, Inc. posted a job opening for Janitorial in Waco. Apply here.
  • Jason's Deli posted a job opening for Kitchen Team Member in Waco. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Waco here.

Ok Waco! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: So he could save time! (Thank you Lorraine S. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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