Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
- APD won’t enforce SB 14 as Paxton and Trump further attack gender-affirming health care
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
- Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million
- Council approves call for better coordination, planning among downtown projects
-
-
Discover News By District
-
Popular Whispers
Public Safety
APD responds to concerns about LRAD crowd control measure
At the Public Safety Commission’s special called meeting Tuesday, the Austin Police Department answered follow-up questions about its ongoing use of long-range acoustic device, or LRAD, technology as a crowd control method amid concerns it could damage the hearing of…
Police • By Nina Hernandez • Sep 14, 2022
City to raise pay for 911 operators, police dispatchers amid vacancies
The city of Austin will increase pay rates for 911 call takers and police dispatchers for the second time in five months in an effort to stanch rising vacancy rates. Human Resources and Civil Services Director Joya Hayes announced the…
Public Safety • By Emma Freer • Sep 12, 2022
County hears calls to center voices of people impacted by overdose crisis
Last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court received a monthly update on the opioid overdose crisis, which the county declared a public health emergency in May. A lot of the conversation focused on the testimony of Aaron Ferguson, a local…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Sep 9, 2022
Austin-Travis County EMS, city OK new raises, contract for medical first responders
Austin-Travis County’s emergency medical personnel are getting a raise. The city of Austin reached a deal with EMS negotiators late last month, and City Council unanimously approved the one-year contract with medics on Thursday. The deal is a stopgap, but it…
EMS • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Sep 2, 2022
Travis County DA's vow not to prosecute abortion crimes likely won’t make a difference, expert says
Texas’ so-called trigger law went into effect Thursday. The law, which the Legislature passed in 2021, was designed to be ready should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade and make abortion no longer a constitutional right. While the law makes it…
Public Health • By Seema Mathur, KUT • Aug 26, 2022
Update shows slow but steady rise of monkeypox in Travis County
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, there are just over 15,000 confirmed cases of the monkeypox virus in the United States, and about 1,280 of those cases are in Texas. Travis County currently has 76 presumptive cases…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Aug 25, 2022
Subscribe to our newsletter
Travis County's program to provide lawyers at its downtown jail is (still) on hold
The first court hearing is often the most crucial for people accused of a crime in Travis County. When defendants are booked downtown, they’re charged and given options on how to get out of jail. In some cases, the first…
Public Safety • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Aug 24, 2022
Data tracking electric scooter collisions still incomplete
If you’re an Austinite living within a few miles of downtown, there’s a good chance you know of someone who has been in an electric scooter crash, sustaining anything from a few scrapes to a much more serious injury. Though…
Public Safety • By Samuel Stark • Aug 18, 2022
County acknowledges lag on monkeypox vaccine supply
As of yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control is reporting 992 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Texas, 88 of which are in Travis County (nine confirmed and 79 “presumptive”). On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted to approve a…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Aug 17, 2022
Council to consider budget amendment for sexual assault investigations
The city’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget could include more than $850,000 in additional funding for sexual assault investigations, building on a yearslong effort to reform how the Austin Police Department investigates and processes such cases. Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter…
Police • By Emma Freer • Aug 15, 2022
Cap Metro expands free rides to cooling centers. Advocates for homeless Austinites push for more.
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority said Tuesday it will give free rides to cooling centers on days when a heat advisory is in effect – that is usually when the temperature hits 103 degrees or higher. Previously, the transit agency offered…
Public Health • By Skye Seipp, KUT • Aug 11, 2022
Equity Action submits police oversight petition ahead of November election
Austin voters may get the chance to decide whether to expand police oversight in the November election. Equity Action, a local political action committee dedicated to public safety reform, submitted 33,000 petition signatures to the city clerk on Monday in support…
