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Alligators in Del Valle aren't as rare as you might think
While some people think states like Louisiana and Florida have cornered the market on alligator territory, Texas has what Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Jonathan Warner called a “healthy” population of about half a million gators. While most live in…
Austin • By Willow Higgins • Jan 12, 2022
Rodriguez pleads guilty to misuse of federal funds, falsifying records
Frank Rodriguez, who served as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Steve Adler beginning in 2015, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to misapply federal funds and falsifying records “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence an investigation into a…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 12, 2022
Cap Metro should have stopped bus service sooner during winter storm, unreleased after-action report says
During last February’s deadly winter storm, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers sheltered shivering Austinites and drove dialysis patients along treacherous roads to lifesaving treatments. But the agency had unrealistic expectations of how long it could operate in the worsening conditions,…
Transit • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 11, 2022
County seeks to expand mental health care for those facing incarceration
Nearly 20 percent of inmates booked into Travis County jails in September 2021 needed mental health treatment, but a month after their incarceration, only a third of them were receiving the needed treatment. That was the conclusion reached by Dr. Steve Strakowski,…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Jan 11, 2022
ZAP members OK 'spot zoning' for ADU
Last Tuesday, the Zoning and Platting Commission heard what may be one of the last requests to build an accessory dwelling unit on a Single Family Residence-Standard (SF-2) lot after City Council resolved to allow ADUs in such spots in December.…
Planning • By Jonathan Lee • Jan 11, 2022
District 4 candidates face off before special election
Candidates vying for Greg Casar’s Council seat appealed to voters last Thursday at a forum hosted by the city’s Ethics Commission and the Austin chapter of League of Women Voters. Isa Boonto, Melinda Schiera, Jade Lovera, Jose “Chito” Vela, and…
Elections • By Kali Bramble • Jan 10, 2022
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Internal memo reveals TxDOT’s latest changes to I-35 expansion plans
Lowering Interstate 35 under more cross streets including Holly Street and Woodland Avenue, increasing the number of pedestrian crossings and reconfiguring downtown frontage roads are among the changes to TxDOT’s I-35 widening project that are outlined in a new internal…
Roads • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 10, 2022
Chacon highlights priorities for Safer Sixth Street plan
Austin’s police chief has highlighted a handful of action steps as the most important things the police department can do to improve safety in the Sixth Street entertainment district, in the wake of a summer mass shooting that killed an…
Public Safety • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 10, 2022
As ERAP well dries, county turns to other sources to meet renters’ needs
Travis County Health and Human Services broke the bad news to commissioners Tuesday that the U.S. Treasury will not be granting the county’s request for an additional $7.8 million in Emergency Rental Assistance funds. This means hundreds of people counting…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Jan 7, 2022
City urges high-risk people to avoid gatherings as Austin moves to Stage 5 Covid precautions
Lee esta historia en español. Austin and Travis County are back at the highest stage of Austin Public Health’s Covid-19 community risk guidance as the omicron variant of the coronavirus has caused a surge of new infections and hospitalizations. The…
Public Health • By Andy Jechow, KUT • Jan 7, 2022
Council moves toward creating South Central Waterfront TIRZ
At its final meeting of the year, City Council gave preliminary approval for the South Central Waterfront tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ in city parlance. Council members Leslie Pool and Greg Casar did not participate in the Dec. 20…
Planning • By Jo Clifton • Jan 7, 2022
Commissioners discuss CAMPO's forecasts for the future
At a recent Urban Transportation Commission meeting, the executive director of the nonprofit Farm & City urged the commission to keep Farm & City’s concerns in mind when it comes to transportation planning around the region. Jay Blazek Crossley raised two main issues with…
