Austin-based dating app Bumble is equipping college students with drink-spiking prevention kits and safety alarms, part of a partnership with NightCap and She's Birdie during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Why it matters: Incidents of drink spiking, violence and assault on college campuses peak as students head back to school.

• Experts estimate that more than 50% of all college sexual assaults occur during this period.

Driving the news: Bumble will distribute hundreds of NightCap drink spiking prevention products and She's Birdie's safety alarms to students at the University of Texas and more than 160 campuses through the month of October.

• The safety alarms attach to keychains and light up and ring when detached.
• NightCap's most popular drink spiking prevention product looks like a hair scrunchie and can fit over the top of a glass to cover it.

The big picture: Since 2019, private and public universities in Texas are required to publicly share reports of sexual assault, dating violence and other incidents.

Zoom in: UT received 1,193 reports in the 2021-2022 school year from employees that witnessed or received information regarding sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking incidents.

• Of the 483 actionable reports submitted to UT's Title IX office, 14% were eligible to be investigated in accordance with its formal grievance process.

What's next: NightCap and Doordash will pass out the free scrunchies and keychains to students today and tomorrow at Dobie Twenty21 and Rio West.

Read the rest

A New York Times investigation into a near-crash at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in February suggests two aircraft came as close as 50 feet of each other after botched instructions from a controller.

Why it matters: While the contours of the near-crash have previously been reported, the Times report reveals the precarious staffing situation in air-traffic control towers in Austin and nationally.

Flashback: The Federal Aviation Administration issued a "safety call to action" earlier this year following several narrowly-averted catastrophes — including the one in Austin.

• A FedEx 767 nearly landed atop a Southwest 737 that was cleared for takeoff while the 767 was nearing the runway in bad weather with poor visibility at the Austin airport.
• The FedEx plane, nearing touchdown, pulled up at the last moment to avoid a collision.
• Investigators had previously said the two planes were "less than 100 feet" from a crash.

By the numbers: The investigation, based on documents and interviews, found that nearly 75% of air-traffic control shifts at ABIA go understaffed.

• Austin has 35 fully certified controllers — about 40% below the target level set by the FAA and the union representing controllers, the Times found.
• In September, someone taped a sign to a door in the air traffic control building that said Austin controllers and supervisors had worked a total of 10,642 hours of overtime this year.

What they're saying: "The close call in Austin should have never happened," Matthew Lehner, an FAA spokesman told the Times.

Of note: The FAA currently has a job posting for an Austin air traffic controller, with pay starting at $115,000.

The bottom line: "You have our apologies," the Austin flight controller radioed to the FedEx pilots after they had landed, per the Times. "We appreciate your professionalism."

🚔 Kaitlin Armstrong, the woman accused of killing cyclist Moriah Wilson in Austin, briefly escaped from sheriff's deputies Wednesday as she completed a doctor's appointment. (KXAN)

📉 Tech staffing firm Accenture is cutting about 350 positions in Austin. (Austin American-Statesman)

⚖️ A cook for La Barbecue who lost four fingers on the job is suing the restaurant and its owners for injuries and fraud. (Fox 7 Austin)

🍼 Austin-Travis County medics arrived just in time to help a woman deliver her baby Tuesday morning. (KVUE)

ACL is a chance to see big names like Kendrick Lamar, the Lumineers and Shania Twain, but the lineup is jam packed with Austin-based artists.

What's happening: There are still plenty of local acts to see during weekend two of the festival.

Ben Kweller: The Austin-based indie rocker from Greenville, Texas, has continued to sing through grief following the death of his 16-year-old son in a Dripping Springs car crash.

📍 Miller Lite stage at 3pm Saturday.

Caramelo Haze: The group made up of Grammy Award-winning Beto Martínez, Alex Chavez, Victor "El Guámbito" Cruz and John Speice dropped their debut album NOESTASAQUÍ (You Aren't Here) on July 24.

📍 3:15pm Sunday at the BMI stage.

We Don't Ride Llamas: Gen Z siblings Chase and Max Mitchell will bring their Afro rock to ACL this year.

• Find them at 1:40pm Friday at Miller Lite.

Blakchyl: Emerging rapper Blakchyl has long collaborated with nonprofits, filmmakers and music collectives while opening for Scarface, Jean Grae, Bizzy Bone and more.

📍 11:45am Saturday at Tito's.

Calder Allen: A 20-year-old self-taught guitarist, Allen returns to ACL to share music from his debut album, "The Game."

📍 2:45pm Saturday at the Tito's stage.'

More local picks

💼 Check out who's hiring on our Job Board.

1. Chief Financial Officer, Austin at Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.
2. Financial Planning and Analysis Manager at ROKA.
3. Director, Business Development at Flex.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

🌮 Asher here.

I recently stopped by Tacos Garcilita, a food trailer on South Congress halfway between Stassney and William Cannon.

Why it matters: It shares a parking lot with a tire shop and an auto repair place, so you can get bistec and a lube all at the same time.

• The tacos — about $12 for a plate of a half-dozen — are moreish, as in, "More, please."

Of note: The taco truck has a covered pavilion next door with picnic tables, perfect for scarfing down your torta while watching your car get serviced.

⛽️ Flashback: We previously wrote about some of our favorite gas station food joints, including the best spot to get zucchini noodles while fueling up.