Stories by Andrew Weber
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 by Andrew Weber
Austin
City audit says Austin doesn’t effectively help people get out of homelessness – or measure progress
A new audit of the homelessness service providers in Austin says the city doesn’t always hold providers accountable.The report from the City Auditor found nine of the city’s largest contracts in 2017 met city benchmarks for service only about half…
Friday, February 15, 2019 by Andrew Weber
Austin
Good news: Fewer people moved to Austin in 2017. Bad news: It was still a lot of people.
Prepare to be shocked: People keep moving to Texas.A new Texas Realtors report looking at Census Bureau and U-Haul rental data found that more than half a million people relocated to the Lone Star State in 2017 – the second-highest number…
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 by Andrew Weber
Transportation
Austin records first traffic death involving rented scooter
A 21-year-old scooter rider was killed in a crash last week, says the Austin Police Department. According to the department, it’s the first death related to a rented scooter in Austin.Police say Mark Sands was riding a Lime scooter on the…
Thursday, January 31, 2019 by Andrew Weber
City Council
New city agreement with ARCH would shift focus to housing
The Austin City Council will vote Thursday on renewing the contract for Front Steps, the operator of the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. The new agreement could bring systemic changes to the city’s homeless shelter.One of those changes would…
Friday, January 25, 2019 by Andrew Weber
Transit
After years of declines, Cap Metro sees an increase in ridership
After years of declining ridership, Capital Metro’s ridership increased in 2018. The boost comes in a year that saw the transit operator’s largest overhaul of its bus system, known as Cap Remap, which affected more than half its lines.Overall, Capital…
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 by Andrew Weber
Transportation
Texas wants to put more autonomous vehicles on the road
Like a mirage on a sun-beaten West Texas highway, the future of autonomous vehicles in Texas isn’t altogether clear. A new state effort hopes to clear up the prospect of an increasingly connected fleet of vehicles on the road.The Texas…
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Austin
Gus Garcia, the first elected Hispanic mayor of Austin, dies at 84
Gustavo “Gus” Garcia, a former Austin school board trustee, City Council member and the first elected Hispanic mayor of Austin, died early Monday surrounded by his family. He was 84.At a memorial service at Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy,…
Friday, December 14, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Courts
Lawsuit challenging Austin’s move to rename Manchaca Road heads to trial
A lawsuit challenging the city of Austin’s decision to rename Manchaca Road will go to trial.The suit, brought by the group Leave Manchaca Alone, alleges the city didn’t properly inform residents and businesses ahead of a City Council vote to…
Thursday, December 13, 2018 by Andrew Weber
AISD
Austin ISD budget document suggests consolidating 12 schools to cut costs
Facing a shortfall and declining enrollment, the Austin Independent School District is considering consolidating schools, among other options, to cut its deficit by as much as $55 million over the next few years.A budget document sent to the Austin school…
Friday, November 30, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Courts
Manchaca is (again) still Manchaca – for now
A Travis County district judge has hit pause on the city’s attempt to change Manchaca Road to Menchaca – again.Business owners from the group Leave Manchaca Alone sued to block the Austin City Council’s October decision to change the name…
Friday, November 16, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Police
Council approves labor contract with police after a year without one
Officers with the Austin Police Department are getting a new labor contract.After nearly a year of negotiations, City Council members unanimously approved a four-year and $44.6 million contract between the city and the local police union. Police reform activists celebrated…
Wednesday, November 14, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Courts
Locals sue to stop Austin from renaming Manchaca Road
A group of property owners and businesses along what’s called (for now) Manchaca Road is challenging the city’s move to change the South Austin road’s name before the name change goes into effect Thursday.The Austin City Council passed an ordinance Oct.…
Wednesday, October 3, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Austin
Austin reconsiders homelessness ordinances as Houston laws are challenged in court
It’s a new fiscal year for the city of Austin, and one of the myriad items on City Council agendas over the next year will be an overhaul of ordinances relating to homelessness. That won’t be easy, as federal courts…
Friday, July 27, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Austin
Equity Office proposes renaming 7 Confederate streets – and even the city itself
The Equity Office is recommending the city remove or change the names of streets, parks and markers in Austin that honor the Confederate States of America and slavery.The office also suggests eschewing the name “Austin” altogether, as Stephen F. Austin…
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 by Andrew Weber
AISD
AISD Board President Kendall Pace resigns after text message controversy
Kendall Pace, president of the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees, said this morning that she would resign from her position as president and as Place 9 trustee after controversial text messages she sent to another board trustee surfaced…
Thursday, February 1, 2018 by Andrew Weber
Bicycles
Dockless bikes are (maybe) coming to Austin. But first, let’s talk it out.
Nobody wants to be the withholding stepparent.That’s why, when dockless bike companies Ofo and Spin rolled out during South by Southwest last year, they put the city in a tough spot. Austin, which markets itself as an innovative, tech-savvy city,…
Tuesday, December 5, 2017 by Andrew Weber
Bicycles
Research hopes to fill in the gaps for bicycle and pedestrian data
Traffic is terrible.City and state officials are really good at counting cars to see how terrible traffic is and how it got that way, but that sort of data-collection infrastructure doesn’t exist for bike and pedestrian data. New research hopes…
