Stories by Andrew Weber, KUT
Austin could 'decouple' victim services from APD. Here's what that would look like.
Twenty years ago, trombones were echoing in Courtney Santana’s ears – trombones like the ones in Charlie Brown cartoons. There she was, crumpled on parking lot asphalt. Austin police officers were holding her two kids, including her 8-month-old son, who…
Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Sep 3, 2020
Here's how to make sure your Austin ISD student has access to a laptop and high-speed internet
Parents, teachers and advocates worry online-only lesson plans could widen the digital divide and exacerbate educational equity issues in the Austin Independent School District. To try to prevent that, the district, which has roughly 81,000 students, is distributing Wi-Fi hotspots,…
AISD • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Aug 24, 2020
Austin says group doesn't have signatures to put homelessness ordinances on the ballot in November
Austin’s city clerk says a group seeking to reinstate the city’s bans on sitting, camping or lying down in public doesn’t have the requisite 20,000 signatures to force a referendum on Election Day. Save Austin Now, led by Travis County…
Bonds & Propositions • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Aug 6, 2020
Austin will start renaming parks, streets, creeks and anything else that honors white supremacy
Austin will reexamine – and could ultimately change – the names of its streets, buildings, parks and creeks that venerate historical racism and the Confederacy. The decision Wednesday from the Austin City Council follows up on a 2018 report from…
City Council • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jul 30, 2020
Group says it has enough signatures to put Austin's homelessness ordinances on the November ballot
A GOP-backed group says it’s collected enough signatures to put a reversal of the city’s homeless ordinances on the ballot in November. Save Austin Now, a coalition led by longtime strategist and Travis County GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak, announced Monday…
Bonds & Propositions • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jul 21, 2020
District Attorney Margaret Moore concedes after José Garza's commanding early lead
Incumbent District Attorney Margaret Moore has conceded after a commanding lead in early voting and mail-in votes in support of challenger José Garza. The Democratic primary runoff for the office pitted the embattled incumbent against a self-described progressive who says…
Elections • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jul 14, 2020
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Austin Public Health could push for more restrictions as Covid-19 hospitalizations surge
Austin surpassed a crucial threshold for Covid-19 hospitalizations Tuesday, which could signal possible restrictions on businesses and nonessential travel. The seven-day average of new Covid-19 hospital admissions hit an all-time high of nearly 75, according to numbers out Tuesday evening.…
Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jul 8, 2020
Austin leaders encourage peer pressure to get folks to wear face masks and avoid crowding spaces
Austin and Travis County officials are urging people to wear face coverings and to avoid large gatherings as the city and the state reopen for business. If that refrain sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve heard the song and it bears…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • May 29, 2020
Austin sees 10-year high in the number of people experiencing homelessness
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Austin hit a 10-year high in 2020, according to a new report. Data from the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition’s point-in-time count show that 2,506 people were homeless on the night of the annual…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • May 20, 2020
Covid-19 is magnifying food insecurity – and the digital divide – in these Travis County ZIP codes
Children in 11 Central Texas ZIP codes are at high risk of food insecurity because of Covid-19, a new study finds. And the situation is further compounded by a lack of access to high-speed internet as they try to continue…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Apr 30, 2020
Austin Recovery says it can't afford to keep addiction treatment centers open because of Covid-19
Austin Recovery, a nonprofit that has provided substance abuse treatment in Central Texas since 1967, is closing its doors because of the coronavirus. In a letter to staff last week, Austin Recovery board members said the organization’s existing funding gaps…
Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Apr 20, 2020
Salvation Army's downtown homeless shelter closes after positive tests; ARCH confirms first case
Salvation Army Austin’s downtown shelter was closed this weekend after 12 people tested positive for Covid-19. All 187 people staying at the shelter have been moved to a city-leased hotel. KUT has also confirmed the first case of Covid-19 at…
