Austin Energy could decide to shut off electricity to circuits that include critical infrastructure – such as fire stations, hospitals and 911 operations – to prevent the state’s power grid from collapsing, the municipal utility warned Tuesday. “Only as an absolute last resort. I cannot guarantee that we will not get to that stage,” Austin […]
Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
Posted inCity Council
Austin officially moves forensics lab out from under police department
In a move long advocated for by survivors of sexual assault, the Austin City Council voted Thursday to officially transfer its forensics bureau out from under the police department. It will now function as an independent entity. “This move is a long time coming,” Council Member Greg Casar said before the unanimous vote. “It’s because […]
Posted inHousing
Austin and Travis County extend eviction bans (again), say more rent help is coming
Citing a continuing public health crisis that could only worsen if people have to leave their homes, Austin-area officials have extended protections against most evictions through April 1. “Keeping people inside and housed curbs the spread of the virus,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said via a virtual press conference Thursday. “Ensuring housing stability contributes […]
Posted inElections
Voters to decide on changes to how Austin’s government works
Austin voters will be asked to decide on a slew of changes to the way local politicians are elected and what power they have in governing after the city clerk validated a petition Tuesday. Earlier this month, Austinites for Progressive Reform, a local political action committee, turned in a petition with more than 20,000 signatures, the amount […]
Posted inPolice
Videos used to train Austin police perpetuate ‘racism, sexist gender norms and classism,’ panel finds
A panel of community members has recommended the Austin Police Department remove 60 videos from its training curriculum after concluding they bolster racist and sexist ideas and do little to help officers constructively interact with the public. “The vast majority of the videos we reviewed over these seven months were disappointing in quality. Most were […]
Posted inPublic Health
Hundreds line up for Covid vaccines from Austin Public Health. But the wait was ‘worth it.’
Frank Kucharski and his wife, Jill Jones, were near the back of the line that wove around an Austin Public Health vaccination center at least twice in Northeast Austin on Thursday. They estimated they had a three-hour wait ahead of them – but at least the weather was nice. “I’m glad it’s a sunny day, […]
Posted inRoads
Despite fewer drivers, more people died on Austin roads in 2020 than in the past five years
The first traffic death on Aug. 26 happened just before 7 a.m. A man was making a left-hand turn out of an apartment complex in West Austin; he was killed after his car collided with a Jeep Cherokee. Later that day a bicyclist ran a red light and collided with a driver heading south on […]
Posted inPublic Health
‘I’m so excited, I’m like shaking’: Austin health care workers receive first Covid-19 vaccines
Esmeralda Torres’ eyes lit up above her mask as she talked about the Covid-19 vaccine she’d gotten in her right arm Tuesday morning. “I’m so excited, I’m like shaking,” she said. “I’m so happy.” Torres, a medical assistant at UT Health Austin’s Musculoskeletal Institute, was one of the first people in Austin to receive the […]
Posted inHousing
Austin created a program to pay struggling tenants’ rent. Some say it added to stress.
Petra Antonio and her husband, Domingo Quiroz, got Covid-19 in September. Antonio said she felt OK, but Quiroz had a fever and a cough that kept him awake at night. He wanted to avoid going to the hospital, because he believed from news reports that if you’re sick enough with the coronavirus to need hospitalization, […]
Posted inCity Council
Adler backtracks after initially saying he did ‘not do anything wrong’ by flying to Mexico during the pandemic
After initially saying he didn’t do anything wrong, Austin Mayor Steve Adler now says he realizes he “set a bad example” by traveling to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for vacation last month. An Austin American-Statesman story revealed Wednesday that Adler attended an in-person wedding for his daughter in early November and then flew with others […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin Public Health urges people who gathered for Thanksgiving to get tested and stay home
Austin Public Health officials are asking people who traveled for the holiday or celebrated Thanksgiving indoors with people from outside their household to stay home for a week and get tested for Covid-19 within the next few days. “It is critically important that everyone do their part to combat Covid-19 by avoiding gatherings and travel […]
Posted inAustin
City revives a New Deal program to put people back to work
Lee esta historia en español. The city of Austin is putting up to $2 million toward a new employment program that helps organizations hire people financially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Austin Civilian Conservation Corps is modeled after a New Deal program of the same name. The idea is the same as it was […]