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Top Morning Stories August 2, 2011

Daytime high temperatures will continue to rocket past the 100-degree mark for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.
Photo by Daniel Reese for KUT News
Daytime high temperatures will continue to rocket past the 100-degree mark for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Austin’s Heat Wave is Breaking Records 

Camp Mabry reached a record 107 degrees yesterday. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory from noon today until 10:00 pm Friday night. The Weather Service says too much physical activity outdoors could cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

The triple digit heat is also causing record electricity use.  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, set a new record for electricity demandyesterday. ERCOT is urging people to conserve energy use between the peak hours of 3 -7 p.m. today and throughout the rest of the week. Austin Energy also set a new record Monday.  Between 5 and 6 p.m. customers used more power than during any hour in the history of the utility.

Austin's F1 Race Date Could be Pushed Back

Speculation is mounting that Austin's planned Formula One race could be moved from next June to November instead.  Autosport recently reported F1 leader Bernie Ecclestone is reshuffling the race schedule for a few reasons:

With teams concerned about the first race being in Bahrain - because of the still uncertain political situation and the spotlight that could overshadow the season build-up ahead of the event's return to the calendar – Ecclestone's primary focus was on sorting out what to do with the Sakhir date. As well as that, there was some concern in the United States about the possibility of hosting the new race in Austin in June – when very high temperatures could prove troublesome for drivers, teams and spectators. 

No official date changes have been announced.

Banning High School Sports on Longhorn Network

The Associated Press reports Big 12 athletic directors have voted to prohibit the broadcast of high school sporting events for at least the next year. This applies to the new Longhorn Network set to launch later this month. Some UT rivals were concerned it would give Texas an unfair recruiting advantage. Big 12 directors said they would not lift the moratorium unless the NCAA rules such broadcasts are allowed.