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Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN Live’s top headlines for Aug. 16, 2023

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin pharmacy agreed to pay $200,000 in civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), according to the Department of Justice.

The DOJ said a routine inspection was conducted at People’s Pharmacy Inc., or Peoples Rx, in June 2022. Peoples Rx operates five retail pharmacies and one compounding laboratory in the Austin area, according to the DOJ.

A release said investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration determined the pharmacy violated certain regulatory recordkeeping provisions, improperly dispensed controlled substances to practitioners for office use and issued prescriptions without authorization.

According to the DOJ, the claims resolved by the settlement were allegations only, and there had been no determination of liability.

Peoples Pharmacy provided a statement, writing “the DEA found no evidence of diversion of controlled substances.”

Peoples was deficient on some recordkeeping practices, which has been remedied through additional training of pharmacists and pharmacy staff. Some of the deficiencies, for example, had to do with missing dates on DEA-required forms, often due to time-crunched pharmacists and staff. Numerous articles have been published about the stress placed on pharmacies since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

While the failure to complete the annual self-certification that is required to sell over-the-counter ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine products (common ingredients in cough, cold and allergy products) was an oversight, Peoples uses a secondary screening tool in its Point-of-Sale system that is used to show that there were no irregular or questionable purchases of those products during the time period at issue, which indicates that no sales were made to customers who could use those products for illegal purposes.

Peoples Pharmacy has, and will continue to, improve its recordkeeping and compliance program through additional training of staff and by adding an inspection role to ensure the proper paperwork is being completed fully and accurately in compliance with the protocols required by the DEA.

Peoples Pharmacy statement

“During their inspection, DEA diversion investigators also learned that Peoples Rx had sold pseudoephedrine products without self-certifying as required by the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (CMEA),” the DOJ said.

According to the release, the Diversion Control Unit in DEA’s San Antonio District Office led the investigation.

“The primary goal of the DEA’s diversion control program is to prevent, detect, and investigate the diversion of controlled substances from their lawful purpose into illicit drug traffic. In furtherance of this goal, DEA conducts inspections of pharmacies and other DEA registrants to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements relating to drug security and recordkeeping,” the DOJ said.

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The National Hurricane Center gives a 20% chance of development over the next seven days. Here's what this could mean for Central Texas.

Credit: KVUE

AUSTIN, Texas — The 2023 summer has been a historic one in terms of heat and dryness for Central Texas. As we continue to look for any sign of rain or a cooldown, we are now turning our attention to the Gulf of Mexico, where tropical development is now a possibility early next week.

The National Hurricane Center has officially tagged the Gulf for a 20% chance of tropical development over the next seven days. Nothing is imminent and, for now, the odds are low, but the bottom line is we'll need to keep a close eye on things.

Credit: KVUE

So, what does this mean for Central Texas and could it bring us rain? Yes, it could, but we're still a long way from locking in rain chances to our forecast. Let's talk about the overall weather pattern.

A very strong ridge of high pressure, or the "heat dome," will be strengthening north of the Lone Star State through this weekend. This is going to bring us another round of scorching hot high temperatures, which will be 105 to 109 each afternoon.

However, by early next week, we are seeing signs of the high pressure shifting far enough to the north that the door could be open for a tropical system to develop in the Gulf and then move westward towards the Texas coast.

Credit: KVUE

Even if the a formal tropical system does not develop, we would be appreciative for just some high rain chances. This is a possibility for Tuesday and Wednesday if a tropical system does in fact move our way.

However, for now, we are keeping rain chances very low and isolated in the 7-day forecast until we have a better understanding of if this system will develop and where it could track. As of now, it looks like South Texas could be positioned better than Central Texas to receive rain from this system. This is where the Climate Prediction Center has the highest likelihood of above-average precipitation on its 6- to 10-day outlook.

However, here in Central Texas, we are also highlighted for rain potential. We will continue to closely monitor this in the coming days, but for now, we advise to keep the hope for rain and cooler weather relatively low.

Credit: KVUE

So, what does the climatology say for tropical development during this part of the year? At this point in hurricane season, between the second week of August and the first week of September, tropical systems start to become more commonplace.

Credit: NOAA

The main origin and track of August and September tropical disturbances come from the eastern Caribbean or southern Gulf and traverse toward the Gulf or Atlantic Coast. So, even if we miss this chance for rain, it's expected that another chance could soon be knocking at our doorstep.

In addition to the potential for rain, this system could also help break our triple-digit heat streak. Our current forecast calls for afternoon highs around 100 degrees on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but some forecast models hint at temperatures in Austin dropping into the upper 90s.

The KVUE Storm Team will continue to watch this tropical wave through the weekend and provide further updates.

After spending the past decade running Austin’s best Neapolitan pizzeria, Bufalina (and Bufalina Due) owner Steven Dilley is turning his attention to New York-style pizza.

The wine connoisseur and former New York city resident plans to open Palm Pizza in September in the small space formerly inhabited by Mission Dogs at 1701 E. Cesar Chavez St.

The restaurant will focus on thin, crispy bottomed pies that define the Big Apple, serving slices and 18-inch pies. The menu will include a salad, sandwich specials and a thicker, airier square slice.

The pizzas will share similar ingredients to those at Bufalina, though, coming out of an electric PizzaMaster, the relatively lighter, crunchier pies will obviously be very different from the pies at Dilley’s original restaurant.

“From the beginning, we knew we wanted a lighter slice that could hold its shape without being tough,” Dilley told the American-Statesman. “It's pretty easy to get a rigid slice with no tip sag if you use strong enough flour, but we want to balance the crisp base with the right chew and tenderness. There are days when we're like, will anyone really notice a difference between all these variations of flours, sauces, oven temps, etc. that we're pouring over? But I hope people will be happy with the final product.”

Chef Grae Nonas, a New Jersey native who helped open the new Bufalina and was an original co-executive chef at Olamaie, consulted on the menu at Palm Pizza. The team also includes Bufalina partner and celebrated sommelier Rania Zayyat, and Clint Elmore, the owner of the late 40 North pizzeria on West 10th Street, who will run day-to-day operations at Palm Pizza.

Dilley, who graduated from the University of Texas, lived in NYC from 2002 to 2010, where he worked as an algorithmic equities trader while indulging his obsession with pizza.

Though he won’t claim one favorite and says he didn’t take any inspiration from a specific pizzeria, Dilley says he’s “a fan of what the newer places have done, approaching things with a fresh eye.” And he’s able to rattle off a list that anyone visiting NYC might want to put in their pocket.

“My favorites were Joe's in the West Village; John's, also in the Village; Lombardi's, Adrienne's Pizza Bar (mainly for the square pie) way downtown,” Dilley said. “Best Pizza in Williamsburg opened right as I moved back, and that place was and is great. I'd also make pilgrimages to the classic spots like Lucali, the original Patsy's, etc. Since I moved back there's been a pizza renaissance up there, kind of like barbecue in Central Texas. Scarr's, L'Industrie, Mama Too, and on and on and on.”

Palm Pizza takes its name from the several palm trees planted on the property by the restaurant’s landlord, a palm tree enthusiast.

Mission Dogs closed at the beginning of 2022, and Dilley signed a lease last summer. He put the NYC spot on the backburner while dealing with delays in opening the latest Cesar Chavez Street iteration of Bufalina just down the street.

More restaurant news

With water levels continuing to drop in the Highland Lakes that supply Austin, the city is announcing Stage 2 water restrictions to take effect Tuesday. Even if you don’t have a lawn, or don’t bother watering the lawn you have, you could notice the new rules impacting daily life in Austin.

Here are some of the new policies aimed at conserving our water supply.

Lawn watering down to once a week

Under Stage 2 watering restrictions, automatic irrigation and hose-end watering is limited to one day a week. You are allowed to water your lawn using an automatic system only between midnight to 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight.

You're allowed to use hose-end watering between midnight to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to midnight during your designated day.

Under Stage 1 rules, people trying to establish new lawns or landscapes were exempt from watering restrictions. They are no longer exempt. You can find your watering day and a full list of exemptions to the rules, including drip irrigation and soaker hoses for vegetable gardens, here.

Car washing

Charity car washes are prohibited under the new restrictions. At home you can wash your car only with a bucket or a hose with an “auto shut off valve.”

Dining out

If you go to a restaurant, you now have to ask for a glass of water if you’d like one. Restaurants will not be allowed to immediately put water on the table regardless of whether their patrons want it.

Patio misters — also called swamp coolers — at restaurants, bars and other commercial establishments will be allowed to run only from 4 p.m. until midnight.

Golf courses, fountains and more

Under city rules, “large ornamental fountains” will no longer be allowed to operate.

Golf courses that use potable water are allowed to irrigate fairways only on their watering day, while golf tees and greens can be watered every other day only with the approval of Austin Water.

Watering golf course fairways is allowed only between 7 p.m. and midnight or between midnight and 5 a.m. on the course's designated water-use days.

Commercial pressure washing equipment must meet city water efficiency requirements.

Note: If you notice some city parks watering their land in apparent defiance of city policy, it may be because they use non-potable water or water pulled directly from Lady Bird Lake. Irrigating parks with such water exempts them from conservation measures.

Rules to last until drought subsides

Austin gets its water from Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan in the Highland Lakes system of the Colorado River. Those lakes are, at the time of publication, 46% full and projected to drop below 900,000 acre feet of water storage. That automatically triggers Stage 2 conservation restrictions, the goal of which is to cut back city water use by 10-20%.

Stage 3 restrictions go into effect when the lakes drop below 600,000 acre feet of water. Under Stage 3 restrictions, the city must reduce water use by a minimum of 20% under an agreement with the Lower Colorado River Authority, the group that manages Colorado River water.

An acre foot of water is about 326,000 gallons, or the amount of water it takes to cover an acre of land with one foot of water.

You can find a copy of Austin’s drought contingency requirements here. You can also find the LCRA's projections for reservoir levels and other information about the Highland Lakes here.

Penalties for not following Stage 2 water conservation rules may be as much as $1,000 per violation. You can call 311 to report a violation.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said you could only water your lawn for up to three hours during your designated day. The story has also been updated to reflect the correct times for hose-end watering.

Austin school district students generally remained steady on their state assessment scores from 2022 to 2023, but a smaller proportion mastered grade-level content in reading and middle school math this year, according to State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test data released Wednesday.

Statewide, student achievement in the 2022-23 school year appeared to stay steady but showed lags in mastery of certain grade-level material, according to the data released by the Texas Education Agency.

The test scores come after a significant redesign of the STAAR test for the spring 2023 exam, which many educators worried would pose new challenges for students and was changed amid ongoing efforts to bring students back up to grade-level standard after enduring pandemic-related learning disruptions.

In general, Austin students performed better than the state average on reading, science and elementary math.

Austin middle school math scores were generally lower than the statewide average, and district students performed far worse than the state average in Spanish language math and reading tests.

Only 19% of third graders taking the Spanish reading STAAR test met grade-level standards compared with 26% for the state. In math, only 6% of Austin third graders taking the Spanish test met grade-level expectations, compared with 23% statewide. Last year, nearly double — 11% — the Austin third graders taking the Spanish math test met grade-level standards, according to the data.

Compared with last year, slightly fewer Austin students passed the reading STAAR test this year, but students experienced significant dips among those who met or mastered grade-level content, according to the scores.

In 2022, 61% of Austin third graders met grade-level standards, compared with 57% for the 2023 test. Middle schoolers’ scores on the reading STAAR test dipped slightly.

The percentage of Austin eighth graders who met grade-level standards fell from 57% to 56% from 2022 to 2023 and those who mastered the content fell from 40% to 33%, according to the data.

Elementary math scores for Austin students showed little change from 2022, while a larger proportion of middle schoolers passed or did well on math, according to the data.

In 2023, 43% of eighth graders met grade-level math requirements, compared with 40% last year, according to the data.

Check your child's STAAR score here:https://www.texasassessment.gov/

The good news is that reading and math scores are heading in the right direction, said Jonathan Feinstein, Texas director of nonprofit Education Trust.

However, educators still have a lot of work to do, he said.

“Despite that progress, just over half of Texas students are on grade-level in reading, and fewer than half are on grade level for math,” Feinstein said. “The gaps that existed before the pandemic for students of color and students of low-income backgrounds have only grown wider.”

Statewide, many districts are still struggling to bring students who went through pandemic-related disruptions up to grade-level standards.

Many administrators also worried scores might be lower this year because of the STAAR test's redesign that the TEA launched this spring. Students now take the test entirely on a computer and must complete several short-answer questions, for which they type out responses instead of picking from a multiple-choice selection.

TEA officials also said the test questions would be more aligned to materials students learn in the classroom.

It’s difficult to tie test score changes directly to either pandemic recovery or the newly redesigned STAAR test, said David DeMatthews, a University of Texas associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy.

“In a sense, you’re comparing apples to oranges,” DeMatthews said, referring to the old and new tests.

What’s clear is that pandemic recovery work isn’t over yet, he said.

“The pandemic did harm to kids, and schools still have a long way to go,” DeMatthews said.

While the data are trending in the right direction, state leaders should realize the scores still leave a lot of room for improvement, said Mary Lynn Pruneda, senior policy adviser with policy think tank Texas 2036.

"To ensure every student has the chance to achieve their full potential, we must continue to invest in our public schools and in the data-driven strategies that help students succeed," Pruneda said.