Tuesday is the last day for public comment on a proposal that could evict or even separate thousands of families with mixed-citizenship status who receive housing assistance in Texas. Since 1980, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has allowed households that include noncitizens to receive benefits for public or subsidized housing. The proposed […]
Andrew Weber, KUT
Posted inAustin
Austin has new rules on panhandling, camping and resting in public. Here’s what that means.
Three revisions to the city’s rules against panhandling, camping, and sitting or lying down in public went into effect Monday. People have feelings about that, and it’s unclear what impact the rules will have on those experiencing homelessness – or on the officers enforcing city law. How are these rules different from the old ones? […]
Posted inPolice
City audit says Austin police could be better about keeping track of body camera footage
The Austin Police Department is still working out the kinks in its body camera program, according to a new city audit. The report released today by the city auditor’s office looked at footage from 151 body cam videos from Aug. 1, 2018, to Jan. 31, 2019 – a small sampling of all the videos recorded […]
Posted inPolice
Austin police report shows a slight uptick in property crimes in 2018
A new report released Monday from the Austin Police Department shows crime overall increased in 2018, with property crimes up 9 percent. Violent crimes dropped slightly, however. The report also acknowledges controversy surrounding the way APD handles sexual assault cases, after a state audit found the department incorrectly cleared 30 rape cases in 2017. Overall, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Council to weigh money for a new homeless shelter
City Council members will vote today on items that would expand the number of beds in Austin’s homeless shelters. Council will vote to direct staff to find land and funding for an emergency shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness. Members could also approve a one-time donation of city money to help the Salvation Army reduce a […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Texas lawmakers tried to take the reins from cities this session. The results were mixed.
For the last handful of legislative sessions, the Texas Legislature has had it in for Austin and other cities. GOP lawmakers who regularly thumb their noses at “big government”-minded efforts in D.C. have filed bills targeting city laws regulating everything from plastic bag usage to how residents preserve trees, arguing city laws in Austin create […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin can afford to build only 3% of the 2,580 miles of sidewalk it wants, audit finds
The city of Austin has the resources to build out only 3 percent of its missing sidewalks, according to a new city audit. The mobility bond Austin voters approved in 2016 set aside $37.5 million to build and maintain city sidewalks over an eight-year period, but the audit released today suggests the Public Works Department […]
Posted inTransportation
CDC study says Austin scooter riders don’t wear helmets, ride fast and don’t know what they’re doing
Nearly 200 people were injured because of rentable scooters between Sept. 5 and Nov. 30 last year, according to a first-of-its-kind study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Austin Public Health Department. During that time, there were about 940,000 rides taken in Austin overall, according to the Austin Transportation Department. That […]
Posted inAustin
Yep. A lot more people have moved to Austin, the Census Bureau confirms.
New numbers out today from the U.S. Census Bureau confirm something you’ve definitely noticed or complained about in the last eight years: Austin is growing. But that growth isn’t confined to the Austin area. The data put Texas counties and metro areas in the top 10 of all measures for population growth over the last […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Proposed labor rule would mean gig economy workers in Texas can’t get unemployment benefits
The state’s labor regulator will meet this morning for a final vote on a controversial new rule on gig economy workers that opponents say will have far-reaching implications for workers going forward. The proposed rule from the Texas Workforce Commission would eliminate a requirement that app-based companies – like Uber or DoorDash – that hire […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Austin defends its short-term rental rules before Texas lawmakers
Austin’s rules on short-term rental units – advertised on apps and sites like Airbnb and HomeAway – are under fire at the Texas Capitol. House lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would override the city’s ban on properties in residential areas that aren’t owner-occupied. Richardson Republican state Rep. Angie Chen Button said the […]
Posted inRoads
The idea to bury I-35 has risen from the dead
“Cut and cap” – the idea for burying Interstate 35 in the downtown corridor and paving over that chasm to create green spaces or mixed-use development – is no longer in the rearview mirror. Congress for the New Urbanism, a nonprofit transportation advocacy group, highlights the idea in a new study (grimly) titled “Freeways Without […]