Real Estate Photographer in Killeen, TX

The Governor's Office said the designation is meant to attract more out-of-state and international visitors to Texas and boost local jobs and revenue.

KILLEEN, Texas — Killeen, Texas has been named as a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community by Travel Texas.

Travel Texas, part of the Office of the Governor's Texas Economic Development & Tourism Office, announced that Killeen earned the designation in the inaugural year of the program following a "multi-step certification process".

RELATED: Killeen City Council approves reallocating $4.15 million for new park projects

According to Travel Texas, the designation "shows the Killeen Convention & Visitors Bureau’s commitment to further develop tourism as an economic growth strategy, boost local job creation and draw more visitors to their community and to Texas from across the nation and around the world."

The Tourism Friendly Texas Community program is reportedly open to local governments or non-profit organization that serve as the lead entity for tourism promotion and development efforts.

Benefits of the designation include the opportunity to "strengthen or establish relationships important for tourism development, educate local leaders on the importance of tourism to the state, identify and prioritize locally driven strategies and learn more about opportunities provided by Travel Texas and other state government programs available to support both communities and the travel and tourism industry," the Office of the Governor said.

According to the Governor's Office, Travel Texas' mission is to enhance and extend local economic development efforts by marketing Texas as a travel destination, especially in out-of-state and international markets, bringing in non-Texan travelers and creating revenue and jobs for local communities and the state.

“Tourism is critical to both our local and state economies, supporting one in 11 jobs across Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement. “Travelers to and within Texas generate more than $199 billion in annual economic impact and support 1.3 million jobs across the state. Every region of this great state offers endless opportunities to experience the natural beauty, rich history and true Texas hospitality that draws visitors to our communities. I congratulate the City of Killeen and Killeen Convention & Visitors Bureau on earning this designation. All Texas communities are encouraged to apply to become a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community to further grow local tourism and jobs across our great state.”

“As a city that blends rich history with versatile attractions, Killeen offers visitors a distinct taste of Texas hospitality,” said Travel Texas Director Tim Fennell. “From its deep connection to the historic cavalry regiment at Fort Cavazos to its robust arts, shopping and dining options, Killeen welcomes an enriching experience for travelers. This designation as a Tourism Friendly Community recognizes the city’s efforts to provide a great experience for every traveler.”

“I am proud to congratulate the City of Killeen on its designation as a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community,” said Senator Pete Flores. “This recognition highlights Killeen’s commitment to promoting tourism as a vital catalyst for economic growth and job creation. With its unique blend of rich history, cultural attractions and true Texas hospitality, Killeen is well-positioned to welcome visitors from near and far. As we continue to invest in our communities, I encourage all Texas cities to pursue this designation, ensuring that we showcase the diverse experiences our state has to offer and strengthen our local economies in the process."

“Congratulations to the City of Killeen on being designated as a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community,” said Representative Brad Buckley. “Killeen seamlessly blends its rich military and railroad history with all the modern benefits of outdoor activities, diverse dining opportunities, museums and Texan hospitality. It is a destination that can be enjoyed by all ages, and I look forward to seeing people choose a visit to Killeen as a result of this designation.”

“Congratulations to the City of Killeen on being named a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community by Travel Texas,” said Representative Hillary Hickland. “As one of the largest cities in our state and home to a proud U.S. military base, Killeen’s rich history and welcoming spirit continue to draw visitors from across the nation. This well-deserved recognition highlights the incredible work being done to make Killeen a premier destination in Texas.”

“Tourism is at the heart of Killeen, and this recognition as a Tourism Friendly Texas destination is a testament to the passion and dedication of our entire community,” said Killeen Convention & Visitors Bureau Manager Tanida Mullen. “From our hardworking staff to our welcoming residents and thriving local businesses, we are committed to making Killeen a place where visitors feel at home. This designation isn’t just an achievement — it’s a reflection of the vibrant experiences, warm hospitality and economic growth that tourism brings to our city. We’re proud to showcase everything that makes Killeen a must-visit destination in Texas.”

BELL COUNTY, Texas — The City of Killeen will implement Stage 4 of its Water Conservation Plan May 27-30 as the Bell County Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) #1 nears completion on two water system projects, the City has announced.

All customers of Bell County WCID #1 will also be asked to implement Stage 3 of the drought contingency plan, seeking to reduce water usage by 30%.

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According to WCID #1, two projects are nearing completion, and will require a shutdown of the 48-inch line to make final connections. This water main reportedly delivers around two-thirds of the water supply to Nolanville, Harker Heights, Killeen and Copperas Cove along with the 439 Water Supply Corporation and Fort Cavazos.

To compensate for the shutdown, the City of Killeen asks that residents begin "mild conservation efforts" May 26, with Stage 4 of the drought contingency plan beginning May 27.

Those restrictions include:

All requirements of stage 2 and 3 shall remain in effect during stage 4 except:

The entire City of Killeen Water Conservation and Drought Contingency ordinance can be found at www.KilleenTexas.gov/WaterConservation.

For more information on water conservation in the City’s Code of Ordinances, visit this link.

WCID #1 stated a bid was awarded to McLean Construction in April 2024 to construct around 5,000 feet of 54-inch steel pipeline parallel and adjacent to a section of 48-inch concrete cylinder pipe, which the WCID says has faced several breaks over the years.

The new pipeline is reportedly now complete except for connections to the existing 48-inch pipe along North Nolan Road. Another project is reportedly the construction of a 3-million-gallon concrete storage tank west of the parallel line construction, WCID #1 said. This project also reportedly requires a shutdown of the 48-inch pipe.

WCID #1 said if water usage from residents and businesses is reduced enough, a boil water notice may not be necessary, but if water usage depletes storage levels, a boil water notice will be issued.

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - A small business in Killeen, Evolutions Trading, is known for housing some of the rarest Pokemon cards, and in the early hours of Monday morning someone stole nearly $100,000 worth of their inventory.

The shelves of the shop, located at 1512 Lowe’s Blvd., were wiped clean in under three minutes, a devastating hit to the local treasure trove.

Evolutions Trading is a beloved hotspot for collectors and they’re now counting their losses. Among them, a Gold Star Charizard card valued at up to $18,000.

Security footage from the business shows the chilling moment when a masked intruder shatters a window and steps inside with unsettling precision.

“I feel violated. He walked to our high end case, wiped it. And stole cash. The current total we’re sitting at is just under $93,000,” says co-owner of the store, Chris Grannes.

In about two minutes, the suspect swiped through their rarest inventory, slipped out the back door and was gone before the alarm even sounded.

Grannes says among the stolen items are vintage cards collectors dream of.

“The Umbreon from Skyridge, one of my favorites, that one sits at around $10,000,” he says.

Photos taken hours after the break-in reveal the aftermath: shattered glass, empty display cases and a cash register wiped clean.

The store closes early on Sundays and is closed on Mondays, leaving the store unattended for hours. The alarm didn’t sound when the window broke, only when the intruder left out of the back door.

“It’s one of those things where our system failed and that sucks,” Grannes explains.

Had the thief left out of the broken window, he says it would have never tripped the alarm and they wouldn’t have known for hours that someone broke in.

“A lot of it feels calculated, like they knew. They staged it and were ready for it,” he says.

But in the wake of the loss came community. As the sun rose, business owners from nearby shops rallied and helped board up the store front.

“It is really cool to see that and how quick everyone has jumped on ship asking how they can help,” Grannes explains.

Despite the heartbreak, Evolutions Trading plans to reopen its doors Tuesday at 11 A.M., determined to keep their passion alive.

BURKBURNETT, Texas — A family of strong tornadoes tore through areas south of Killeen, Texas, on Thursday, leading to swaths of destruction — all as no tornadoes were officially predicted to occur.

At least three tornadoes, probably all possessing winds greater than 120 mph, touched down near Briggs, a town in eastern Burnet County south of Killeen. Five homes were damaged along County Road 223, and one driver was reported injured. The National Weather Service in the Austin-San Antonio area planned to survey the damage Friday.

Copperas Cove, on the extreme west side of Killeen, reported hail up to 4.5 inches in diameter — roughly the size of a grapefruit. Had the storm been shifted just five miles east-northeast, the damage could have been much more significant. Hail is by far the most expensive thunderstorm hazard in Texas and causes orders of magnitude more financial loss than tornadoes annually.

Storm system moving east

The same parent storm system that drove these tornadoes is shifting east Friday, with an enhanced (Level 3 out of 5) risk of severe weather from Texas to central Kentucky. It includes Houston; Austin; San Antonio; Jackson, Mississippi; Birmingham, Alabama; and Lexington, Kentucky.

The main concern will be damaging straight-line winds, though large hail could be a problem, especially in Texas.

The storms are forming along a slow-moving cold front being dragged southeast by low pressure over the Great Lakes. The front is impinging on warm, humid air and kicking up that moisture to form storms. With jet stream winds blowing overhead, it’s possible a few storms will contain damaging gusts.

The Thursday tornadoes

The first tornado touched down about 4:28 p.m. near Kempner on the west side of Killeen. While the parent storm was slowly drifting east, the tornado meandered south-southeast. It reached its widest — perhaps close to a quarter-mile in diameter — about 4:42 p.m., then exhibited a dramatic and spectacular rope-out between 4:45 and 4:54 p.m.

The rope-out phases lasted an unusually long time, but that’s expected in environments such as Thursday’s. Ordinarily, the bulk of the spin is due to changing winds at the mid-levels of the atmosphere, but Thursday’s setup was a bit atypical — it was a result of robust overturning, or horizontal spin, close to the ground. Storms ingested that spin and tilted it vertically. But that meant any tornadic circulations could linger near the ground for an extended period by feeding off that spin — even after the parent storm’s rotation reshuffled or weakened.

A second tornado touched down about 5:09 p.m. and lasted until about 5:23 p.m. while passing precariously close to Briggs. It appears to have slipped just east of Route 183. We watched as the tornado closed up and roped out. In photos, one can see a prominent slice of cool, dry air wrap around the circulation from the west, carve out a clearing, tighten the spin and eventually strangle it. Then the tornado disappeared.

Moments later, a new tornado formed — and lasted several minutes before dissipating.

Did forecasters see it coming?

Until late Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service was forecasting an approximately zero percent risk of tornadoes. Storm chasers and meteorologists alike were concerned by sunrise that one or two lone, discrete rotating supercells would form near Killeen and pose a hail, wind and tornado threat. High-resolution computer models were consistent in depicting a rotating thunderstorm forming about 3 p.m., and machine learning models placed a bull’s eye around Killeen.

But the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center hadn’t issued any risk category. Eventually, the service added a slight (Level 2 out of 5) risk of large, damaging hail but never predicted tornadoes.

Even the local National Weather Service office for Austin-San Antonio seemingly missed the tornado threat. Its midafternoon forecast discussion from Thursday at 3:04 p.m. did not include the word “tornado.”

In a statement on Friday, NOAA spokesperson Erica Cei noted that the Weather Service forecast on Thursday “highlighted the potential for severe thunderstorms across central Texas” and included areas under a severe thunderstorm watch.

“These watches note that severe thunderstorms can, and occasionally do, produce tornadoes,” Cei added. “When this low but present tornado potential was realized, the local NWS office appropriately issued a Tornado Warning.”

Were the ingredients there?

From a meteorological standpoint, the tornado event was about as classic as it gets in Texas. While there wasn’t much large-scale turning of the winds with height — which would promote rotating thunderstorms — there were other key features that should have been alarming.

For starters, there was a leftover outflow boundary. That marked the leading edge of the cool air exhaust from Wednesday’s storms. That boundary was the source of low-level spin. And if a storm could anchor to and gobble up that spin, it could stretch it into tornadoes.

Ahead of the storms, some meteorologists were discussing similar past events, like what happened in Jarrell, Texas, on May 27, 1997, or north of Abilene on May 2, 2024.

Just two weeks ago, another boundary-induced tornado happened near Sterling City, Texas; the Weather Service didn’t issue a warning until after touchdown.

With a pseudo-dryline bulge, easterly surface winds (bolstering low-level spin) and some extra twist along a stalled moisture boundary/convergence band, I expect a #tornado threat with the supercells exploding near Temple/Killeen. @MyRadarWX pic.twitter.com/IuR2a8Wrev

— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) May 1, 2025

Even more of a red flag was an extreme amount of instability, or thunderstorm fuel. A juiced-up atmosphere allowed thunderstorms to explode about 3 p.m., with clouds blossoming from nothing to nearly 60,000 feet tall in 45 minutes.

There was also an obvious dry-line bulge, or a bulge of dry air nudging its way into a moist air mass over Killeen. That bulge helped enhance low-level spin by pulling surface winds more out of the east.

Added together, it was a classic environment for producing strong tornadoes — and that’s exactly what happened.