The Covid-19 alternate care site at the Austin Convention Center is now open as the county’s interim health authority warned overwhelming the area’s hospital system is “inevitable” at this point. “Patients will be referred here directly from hospitals; this is not a site where individuals can show up and receive care for Covid-19,” Dr. Mark […]
Jerry Quijano, KUT
Posted inPublic Health
Health officials say vaccinations could begin in Austin next week once FDA gives approval
Austin Public Health’s interim authority said he’s “extremely impressed with the efficacy and safety” of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccine’s overall efficacy is 94.6 percent, Dr. Mark Escott said during a news conference Wednesday, and for people between the ages of 16 and 55 the rate is 95 percent. He said the […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin area moves to Stage 4 Covid-19 risk guidelines
Lee esta historia en español. Austin is now under Stage 4 coronavirus risk guidelines, interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott announced Thursday, following an increase in hospitalizations and cases. Under these guidelines, the public is urged to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, and businesses are recommended to reduce capacity to 25-50 […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin’s top doctor warns November Covid surge could be worse and last longer than the first
There is a 100 percent probability that the coronavirus epidemic is growing in the Austin metro area, according to modeling from the University of Texas Modeling Consortium. As other areas across Texas – most notably El Paso – experience new surges of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations, the city’s interim health authority says Austinites must remain […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin Public Health official says governor relaxed capacity rules too soon
Lee esta historia en español. Austin Public Health’s interim health authority says he would have rather waited a few more weeks before easing capacity restrictions for businesses in the area. On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that many businesses, including restaurants, gyms and libraries, may open at 75 percent capacity beginning Monday. Dr. Mark Escott […]
Posted inEnvironment
Tower Girl, UT’s resident falcon, has laid eggs again. Will one hatch this year?
Tower Girl, the peregrine falcon who has made the UT tower home for a few years, has laid three eggs in her nest as of Sunday. This is the fifth time the falcon has laid eggs in the tower, but none has hatched so far. David Hillis, a professor of integrative biology at UT Austin, […]
Posted inTransit
As contract negotiations drag, Cap Metro bus drivers symbolically protest
Some Capital Metro bus drivers wore black makeup or a black sticker under their eyes Wednesday in a symbolic “Black Eye” protest of drawn-out labor negotiations between their union and a Capital Metro contractor. Capital Metro awarded a $1.4 billion contract to MV Transportation in August to handle its bus operations and maintenance services. Before […]
Posted inAustin
Austin Public Library is checking out whether to stop charging for overdue materials
The Austin Library Commission is looking into eliminating overdue fees for all materials in the city’s public library system. The Austin Public Library stopped charging fees on overdue materials checked out for kids in 2018. Now the commission has created a three-person working group to analyze the feasibility of a completely fine-free system. Penalties for […]
Posted inPolice
Got guns or ammo you don’t want anymore? Austin police will take them, ‘No questions asked’
Residents with unwanted firearms and ammunition can turn them over to the Austin Police Department on Tuesday at the first of a series of no-questions-asked gun surrender programs. The point of the program is to prevent weapons from ending up in the wrong hands, Police Chief Brian Manley said – not to identify people turning […]
Posted inAustin
Proposed partnership with ECHO would convert more motels to temporarily house Austin’s homeless
ECHO, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, says the addition of 200-300 short-term motel units would substantially impact the community of Austinites living without shelter. In a memo sent Tuesday to the mayor and City Council, city staff said they agree. Earlier this month, Council approved buying the Rodeway Inn in South Austin and converting the […]
Posted inTransportation
The cost of metered street parking in Austin is going up
The cost of parking in a metered, on-street space in Austin is going up. Beginning next Monday, the standard meter rate around Austin will be $2 per hour. The current metered rate is $1.20 inside the city’s downtown core, from Interstate 35 to Lamar Boulevard, and Lady Bird Lake to 10th Street. Meters outside that […]