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 free rides on days when the temperature was expected to be 105. Advocates for people […]
Public Safety
Posted inPolice
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 of the Austin Police Oversight Act. Way to go, Austin! Despite the hottest Texas summer […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin-Travis County officials issue emergency order in response to monkeypox outbreak
Local leaders issued an emergency order Tuesday in response to the monkeypox outbreak in Austin-Travis County. Since the first case in Travis County was reported on June 23, the number of monkeypox infections has risen to 68, including nine women and two children. There are currently 702 cases in Texas, according to the Centers for […]
Posted inPolice
City pushes to open police personnel files to the public
The city of Austin proposed making portions of police officers’ personnel files public, including disciplinary histories, and raising salaries 6 percent over four years during its Thursday negotiation session. As the current contract’s Sept. 30 expiration date nears, the two bargaining teams have begun debating its most substantial – and contentious – provisions: transparency, oversight, […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin officials expect more doses of the monkeypox vaccine after U.S. declares a health emergency
Austin health officials say they expect more monkeypox vaccine doses to head to Central Texas after the Biden administration’s declaration of a public health emergency Thursday. Medical Director Desmar Walkes said Austin Public Health anticipates the extra doses next month. It’s unclear how many doses the area will get, though, so public health officials are […]
Posted inPublic Health
Texas has an official death count from the 2021 blackout. The true toll may never be known.
In Minal and Rajeeta Shah’s backyard, there once stood a cedar tree. The tall, broad canopy provided shade for the sisters’ garden below, a garden with sunflowers and tulsi and lemongrass. It’s a garden their mother, Manjula, pruned and nurtured for nearly two decades. It still flourishes, despite the best efforts of the Texas sun. […]
Posted inPublic Health
Young people working to build a world without gun violence
“We need to fight like hell to fix this problem,” a 13-year-old girl yelled from the Capitol steps. The crowd of hundreds cheered and hollered its approval. The girl was one of a few young people who spoke at the March for Our Lives rally at the Texas Capitol building on June 11. The organization […]
Posted inPolice
Public Safety Commission discusses APD’s protest response
The Public Safety Commission heard from the Austin Police Department Monday about how it responds to protests, including how it uses the LRAD, a powerful speaker that some fear could damage protesters’ and police officers’ hearing. APD Commander Corey Wroblewski described the basics of APD’s protest response in his presentation. How the police department responds to protests – or […]
Posted inPublic Health
County holds listening session as part of effort to fight public health crisis
Travis County Health and Human Services updated the Commissioners Court last week on the county’s May declaration of a public health crisis due to a sharp increase in drug overdose and opioid addiction rates. The declaration included eight directives from the Commissioners Court to help ameliorate the crisis. Part of that work included HHS and […]
Posted inFire
Austin Water safeguarding its facilities from wildfire risk
As Austin continues to grow, the city is expanding toward wildlands. This creates an increased risk of fire in areas where human development intersects with natural areas, known as the wildland-urban interface. Austin Water discussed its efforts to mitigate wildfires at the Water and Wastewater Commission’s July 20 meeting. These efforts include assessing its facilities […]
Posted inPolice
Proposal to reinstate license plate readers for APD sparks privacy concerns
After a two-year hiatus, City Council is reconsidering Austin Police Department’s defunct automated license plate reader program, rekindling debate over potential ramifications of the powerful surveillance tool. The program was culled amid a nationwide call for police reform in 2020. But with a new budget cycle on the horizon, APD is proposing to reinstate its […]
Posted inPublic Health
What Austinites should know about Covid-19 during this summer’s surge
Austin Public Health officials say they realize many people are tired of talking and hearing about Covid-19. But with “remarkably contagious and infectious” omicron subvariants circulating this summer, they say now is the time to “redouble our efforts” to protect ourselves and others. Here are the top five messages Austin Public Health has about Covid-19 this summer. […]