Stories by Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
Austin postpones vote on pilot program to provide basic income to struggling families
Elected officials in Austin decided Thursday to delay a vote on a program that would have sent a monthly stipend to low-income families, no strings attached. City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who represents far Northwest Austin, first called for a postponement.…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 22, 2022
Families could get $1,000 a month as part of Austin's first guaranteed income program
Government aid programs often come with a laundry list of do-nots. For example, if you receive SNAP benefits, more commonly known as food stamps, you can’t use them to buy to-go food, soap, vitamins or medicine. So, what if the…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 19, 2022
The median sales price of a home in Austin has surpassed $600,000
The price of buying a home in Austin knows no other mode than acceleration, it seems. According to the latest numbers from the Austin Board of Realtors, homes in the city sold for a median price of $624,000 in March.…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 15, 2022
Austin says it will sell city-owned property to families affected by gentrification
The city of Austin says it will give people from gentrifying neighborhoods priority in the application process for more than two dozen homes it’s selling to low-income families. This is the first time the city plans to use what it…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Apr 14, 2022
As Austin-area evictions rise, lawyers are on hand (virtually) to help tenants
Travis County eviction court has looked different during the pandemic. Hearings, for the most part, have been held virtually; people can log in from anywhere and learn if they have to be out of their house. Standing in a parking…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 25, 2022
A rush of applications for housing help forces Travis County to close its program months early
Following what one official described as an “absolute deluge” of interest, Travis County says it has stopped taking applications for a program to help people make their rent and mortgage payments. The county had nearly $9.2 million in federal and…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 17, 2022
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Travis County likely to close housing assistance program months early after 'deluge' of applications
Travis County last week reopened a program with millions of dollars in funding to help people make their rent and mortgage payments. Initially the county said it could accept applications through September, but staff members now say they will likely…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 9, 2022
Lawyer argues staggered Council elections, new district maps deny thousands the right to vote
An Austin lawyer has sued City Council members over what he says is the denial of voting rights to tens of thousands of residents. Bill Aleshire filed the lawsuit in a Travis County district court Tuesday on behalf of a…
Courts • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Mar 3, 2022
Director of Austin Water resigns after three-day boil-water notice caused by 'employee error'
Lee esta historia en español. The head of Austin’s public water utility has resigned after an employee mistake at a water treatment facility resulted in residents having to boil their water for three days to ensure it was safe to…
City Hall • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Feb 14, 2022
Don’t worry if you drank the Austin tap water. It was fine all along.
The water flowing out of Austin taps is now safe to drink – and apparently was all along. Austin Water issued a boil-water notice on Saturday night, asking that all customers of the public utility boil their water for at…
Water • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Feb 10, 2022
Austin spends nearly $1 million to settle lawsuits alleging it mishandled sexual assault cases
The city of Austin is settling two lawsuits alleging it violated the rights of sexual assault victims by mishandling the investigations. The city’s settlement amounts to $825,000, which will be split among 15 plaintiffs, and $50,000 for the plaintiffs’ lawyers.…
Courts • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 28, 2022
Austin voters to decide on decriminalizing small amounts of weed and banning no-knock warrants in May
Austin voters will be asked in May if they want to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and do away with no-knock warrants. The former practice is already police policy. In July 2020, the Austin Police Department said it would no longer…
