Latest Headlines for Thursday, June 5

City delays decision on license plate reader program

After a prolonged discussion during Tuesday’s City Council work session, a proposed extension of the city’s Automated License Plate Reader program is no longer under consideration. “Given concerns expressed today, I have decided to withdraw this item from the agenda…

Police • By Amy Smith • Jun 4, 2025

City to postpone UNO vote to consult with UT

A vote on a long-debated plan to allow taller buildings and expanded development in the University Neighborhood Overlay district has been postponed until the fall, pushing back the move to add student housing capacity near the University of Texas. The…

Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Jun 3, 2025

CommUnityCare announces new CEO following leadership conflict with Central Health

CommUnityCare, a chain of clinics that serve low-income Austinites, has a new CEO after a monthslong leadership conflict with its public partner, Central Health. With the hiring announcement, the two organizations signaled they had come to a common understanding of…

Public Health • By Olivia Aldridge, KUT • Jun 3, 2025

Austin Resource Recovery expands waste services and reuse programs

Austin Resource Recovery shared the department’s latest initiatives with the Environmental Commission, detailing expanded waste collection services and sustainability programs aimed at keeping Austin cleaner and advancing the city’s zero-waste goals. Ron Romero, Assistant Director of Austin Resource Recovery, said…

Resources • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Jun 2, 2025

Austin has paid out $27 million to people injured by police during 2020 racial justice protests

Austin has paid out nearly $30 million to settle lawsuits over police conduct during protests following George Floyd’s murder five years ago. Most of the settlements were related to injuries caused by police using shotguns to fire lead-pellet bags at…

Police • By Andrew Weber, KUT • May 30, 2025

Austin’s fight against gun violence: A public health-based strategy in uncertain times

Three years after the tragedy in Uvalde, Austin is doubling down on a different approach to gun violence: treating it like a public health crisis. With the third anniversary of the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24 and an…

Public Health • By Mina Shekarchi • May 30, 2025

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Downtown report: Office vacancies up, infrastructure growth continues

Downtown Austin is in a transitional period, with the latest “State of Downtown Austin” report highlighting diverging paths for public and private sector development. The Downtown Austin Alliance’s annual review, now in its seventh year, notes an increase in downtown…

Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • May 29, 2025

Austin could soon see more rooftop solar power systems on public buildings

If you thought the city of Austin already had a program to install rooftop solar systems on its municipal buildings, you weren’t alone. Many others believed the same, according to Kaiba White of Public Citizen’s Texas office. ‘I don’t know…

Energy • By Amy Smith • May 29, 2025

Austin gas rates are up and they're set to go higher. Here's why.

Between recording sessions in KUTX’s music studio a while back, sound engineer Jake Perlman brought up something decidedly un-rock-and-roll: his gas bill. The first few months of the year, Perlman said, he paid about double what he had paid during…

Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • May 28, 2025

A plan to end night swimming at Barton Springs is over before it ever began

The city’s parks department has backed away from a plan to close Barton Springs Pool an hour earlier this summer. The change would have eliminated the free daily night swims — full moon or not. “While the Parks and Recreation…

Parks • By Lina Fisher • May 28, 2025

Council looks to change the 'unhappy experience' of DB90

City Council is preparing to initiate a broad review and recalibration of the city’s density bonus programs, including DB90, which was introduced last year as a tool to encourage the development of affordable housing through additional entitlements. The resolution, which…

Land Development Code • By Chad Swiatecki • May 27, 2025

Austin moves forward with plan for parks over I-35

Austin City Council has approved paying for infrastructure that would allow for parks over I-35, a plan made possible by a state project to widen and lower the freeway. Council members voted Thursday to pay $104 million for support columns that…

Roads • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • May 23, 2025

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Nonprofit spotlight: Four questions for American Gateways

American Gateways ensures access to the justice system for low-income immigrants. We serve 23 counties in Central Texas and provide high-quality legal representation and accurate information about what is happening in our immigration system. What is the mission of American…