Stories by Andrew Weber, KUT
Doctors, first responders see need for more resources – and distancing – before COVID-19 cases rise
As Central Texas prepares for an inevitable spike in COVID-19 diagnoses, medical professionals are calling on local officials to address unmet needs and implement tighter restrictions on public gatherings. In an open letter to officials Monday, nearly 200 doctors asked…
Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Mar 17, 2020
Austin cancels SXSW amid COVID-19 concerns
South by Southwest is canceled. Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and public health officials said the concerns surrounding COVID-19 were too great. “I’ve gone ahead and declared a local disaster in the city, and associated with that,…
Austin • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Mar 6, 2020
White-nose syndrome has been found in Texas. Here's what that means.
Texas’ first case of white-nose syndrome in bats has been confirmed. The fungus that causes the disease was first detected in Texas bats in 2017, but the disease itself, which has killed millions of bats on the East Coast, hadn’t…
Environment • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Mar 6, 2020
With state approval, ATX Helps will take over the homeless campsite at U.S. 183
State officials agreed Thursday to lease state-owned land to an Austin nonprofit for $1 a month to house homeless Austinites, with the goal of ultimately building a shelter on the 6.7-acre tract. The approval from the Texas Transportation Commission will…
Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Feb 28, 2020
Austin 911 operators effectively field calls, but audit finds gaps in dispatching overall
Operators field roughly a million calls for emergency services in Austin a year. A new city report says those operators do a serviceable job of answering that glut of calls, but found a disconnect between those calls and the delivery…
EMS • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Feb 27, 2020
Travis County hires law professor as its first-ever public defender
Travis County has hired University of Virginia law professor Adeola Ogunkeyede as the first person to lead its public defender office. Until last year, the county was the largest jurisdiction in the United States without an office to handle cases…
Travis County • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Feb 5, 2020
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For the first time since 1999, someone in Travis County has rubella
Public health officials on Thursday morning confirmed the first case of rubella in Travis County since 1999. The confirmation comes roughly a month after the first diagnosis of measles, which was last seen in the Austin area in 1999, too.…
Public Health • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jan 17, 2020
Citing violence associated with homeless, Abbott asks DPS to patrol state-owned buildings in Austin
Gov. Greg Abbott has directed state troopers to increase patrols within two blocks of state buildings in Central Austin in the wake of two stabbings involving homeless Austinites since Friday. In a letter Thursday, Abbott directed the Texas Department of…
Public Safety • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Jan 10, 2020
Supreme Court passes on Boise camping ban case, opening up Austin's rules to lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that found a ban against camping in public in Boise, Idaho, is unconstitutional. The case against Boise’s ban on camping inspired, in part, the city of Austin’s decision…
Courts • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Dec 17, 2019
Zebra mussels have infested lakes Marble Falls and Granger
Zebra mussels are continuing to spread through Texas lakes. Texas Parks and Wildlife said Thursday that both Granger Lake and Lake Marble Falls are infested with the invasive species. The mussels have infested 19 lakes in Texas since their first…
Environment • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Dec 13, 2019
Council members support using hotels to house homeless, but are wary of locations and quick timeline
Austin City Council members say they’re concerned about the timeline, placement and funding strategy for a plan to expand efforts to buy and retrofit hotels to house homeless Austinites. Last month, Council OK’d a plan to buy the Rodeway Inn…
City Council • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Dec 4, 2019
Austin reopens Red Bud Isle after dog-killing toxins from algae subside
Red Bud Isle has reopened after being closed for months because of toxins that attached to blue-green algae, city officials say. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said at noon Friday it reopened the area on Lady Bird Lake, which…
