Lunch time is wrapping up at Austin High School, just west of downtown. As students walk back in the school, Austin Independent School District Police Officer Christopher Roddy walks out. He heads toward the MoPac highway underpass where there are some trails. He patrols this area daily for kids who may be skipping school. “So […]
Kate McGee
Posted inAISD
North Austin students want to unify in a school divided
Students at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy and Lyndon B. Johnson High School have developed a set of short-term solutions to increase collaboration and improve relationships between the two schools, which are located on the same campus in Northeast Austin. The students’ suggestions follow a district committee’s recommendation that LASA be moved to its […]
Posted inAISD
Austin teachers union pushes back on AISD immigration memo
Teachers and principals should not feel afraid to provide information to immigrant families about what to do if ICE shows up at their homes, the local teachers union said at a news conference Wednesday. Education Austin was responding to a memo that Austin Independent School District lawyers sent to campuses Monday, advising them not to […]
Posted inAustin
Cap Metro takes down social media post referencing 2013 Barton Springs drowning
In the photo, a curly haired woman stares into the camera wearing a red lifeguard bathing suit, holding a red rectangular flotation device over her shoulder. “It can be really serious at Barton Springs,” reads the quote that accompanies the picture. “Two years ago, this guy was on drugs and he was swimming and then […]
Posted inTransportation
To end traffic fatalities, Austin says it takes engineering, enforcement, education … and you
Francis Reilly is unique for an Austinite: He doesn’t have a car. He often rides his bike, but these days he mostly depends on the bus. To explain why, he met me at the intersection of Wallis and Rollingwood drives in Austin’s Rollingwood neighborhood west of MoPac. “This is where I was hit by a […]
Posted inTransportation
In Austin, traffic safety improvements come to those who ask
Traffic fatalities are down nationwide, but new research shows those declines are mostly among highly educated people. For those who have less than a high school diploma, the rate of death in a car crash has actually increased. That doesn’t mean you’re a better driver if you have a college degree, but rather that the […]
Posted inTransportation
Vision Zero Plan passes through Mobility Committee, heads to City Council for final approval
Austin’s Vision Zero plan is heading to the full City Council for final approval next week with the blessing of the city’s Mobility Committee, which approved the plan Monday. At Monday’s meeting, Francis Reilly, who works in the Planning and Zoning Department told the Mobility Committee that traffic deaths are a public health problem, like […]
Posted inTransportation
To reduce traffic deaths, Austin envisions ending homelessness
Robert Lormond is standing on the corner of Ben White and Manchaca watching his friend Jerry. Two police officers have stopped him. “I called him across the street. I didn’t see a police officer and he jaywalked,” Lormond says. There are crosswalks on three of the four sides of this intersection, but Jerry cut across […]
Posted inAISD, Austin, Monitor News & Media, Radio
Why Texas isn’t paying for what it wants from Austin’s classrooms: Audio from KUT
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor looked at key examples of that interaction in our series, “The Buck Starts Here.” Today, we take on education. […]