Stories by KUT News
Friday, August 16, 2019 by KUT News
AISD
Austin ISD gets B overall from TEA, sees failing grades at some middle and elementary schools
By Claire McInerny & Jimmy MaasReport cards are out, and the Austin Independent School District received a preliminary grade of B for the 2018-19 school year from the Texas Education Agency. But the district also received failing grades at elementary…
Friday, July 26, 2019 by KUT News
Roads
You’ll soon be able to drive faster in MoPac’s express lanes
Drivers using the MoPac Expressway express lanes may get where they’re going a little faster with new speed limits. The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board voted yesterday to raise the top speed from 65 to 70 mph in its…
Thursday, October 4, 2018 by KUT News
AISD
Here are the new names proposed for Austin ISD buildings tied to Confederate figures
The Austin Independent School District’s board of trustees is scheduled to vote Oct. 22 on the proposed new names for four AISD buildings named for Confederate figures.After a long dispute about whether the buildings commemorated the state’s struggle with racism…
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 by KUT News
Austin
With plastic bag ban in the trash, Austin pushes campaign on reducing waste
Austin says it is still committed to reducing plastic waste despite a Texas Supreme Court ruling last month that forced it to end its ban on single-use plastic bags.The city says it’s continuing efforts toward its Zero Waste goal, a…
Tuesday, July 17, 2018 by KUT News
Courts
Court orders Council to put CodeNEXT petition on the ballot
A district judge has ordered City Council to put a petition on the November ballot that, if passed, would require Land Development Code rewrites, such as CodeNEXT, to be approved by voters.The judge ruled that Council has a duty to put…
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 by KUT News
Police
Brian Manley is the sole finalist to lead the Austin Police Department permanently
Austin is one step closer to getting a new police chief.City Manager Spencer Cronk said Brian Manley is the sole candidate to take over the reins at the Austin Police Department. Manley served as the longtime second-in-command to his predecessor,…
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 by KUT News
Public Safety
‘It seems like it can be anything now’: Austinites react as bombings continue
Kyle and Joycelyn Olson keep a whiteboard on the refrigerator in their East Austin home. They used to use it for things like planning dinner, but these days it has another purpose.“What we’ve done now is we start to write…
Tuesday, March 20, 2018 by KUT News
Public Safety
Secure the scene and search for a signature: How the ATF investigates bombings
The Austin Police Department is the public face of the investigation into the four bombings in the city this month. But behind the scenes, the APD is getting help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the…
Wednesday, November 8, 2017 by KUT News
Bonds & Propositions
AISD and Travis County bonds win easy victories
AISDVoters resoundingly supported the Austin Independent School District bond, which maintained a wide margin of victory all Tuesday evening. In the end, 72.06 percent voted in favor of the bond.Austin ISD posed a $1.05 billion bond question to do improvements…
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 by KUT News
Austin
Austin is ready to close its shelter for Harvey evacuees
Austin’s centralized shelter for Hurricane Harvey evacuees at the Met Center could close by the end of the week. About 170 people remain at the South Austin shelter. It held as many as 400 evacuees after the storm, which brought…
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 by KUT News
Courts
Mayor, City Council members hold news conference on ‘sanctuary’ suit
The city of Austin filed a motion in federal court Monday, seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the enforcement of Senate Bill 4, the state’s new law barring so-called “sanctuary cities.”Mayor Steve Adler called SB 4 unconstitutional and said that…
Friday, June 2, 2017 by KUT News
Texas State Legislature
Updated: City of Austin joins San Antonio in lawsuit against ‘sanctuary cities’ law
By Stephanie FedericoThe City of Austin has filed a legal challenge to the state’s new “sanctuary city” law, joining a suit filed Thursday by the City of San Antonio.“Elected leaders across the state are following the leadership of community members…
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 by KUT News
Texas State Legislature
Demonstrators arrested after staging sit-in at state office to protest ‘sanctuary’ bill
State troopers began arresting demonstrators who had staged an all-day sit-in at a state office building to protest legislation banning so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions Monday. City Council Member Greg Casar was arrested and cited with a Class B misdemeanor for Criminal…
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 by KUT News
Austin
Speakers at Muslim Capitol Day call for dialogue and civic engagement
Demonstrators linked arms to form a human wall around Muslims and protect them from potential protesters at the state Capitol on Tuesday for Muslim Capitol Day.Calling themselves “peace observers,” the demonstrators joined in support of Muslim participants from across the…
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 by KUT News
Elections
Texas education groups are trying to get more students, teachers to vote
By Kate Groetzinger & Kate McGeeAustin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz chatted with six Reagan Early College High School students Monday afternoon as they gathered at the early voting center at Austin Community College-Highland Mall to cast their ballots…
Thursday, September 15, 2016 by KUT News
Radio
Listen: Is Austin City Hall a Boys Club?
On Tuesday, the Austin Monitor and Glasshouse Policy hosted a forum that addressed issues surrounding recent allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation at City Hall, as well as a training offered to city staff last year – a presentation that…
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 by KUT News
Development
Austin’s development battle goes underground
Rapid development is just about everywhere in Austin, and some of that development has brought up issues such as questions about environmental impact and concerns over increased traffic. But one developer has a fight on its hands that’s not about…
Friday, May 13, 2016 by KUT News
Transportation
Why driver distraction is a persistent problem that defies easy solutions
On Jan. 13, 2015, at about 9:30 p.m., 23-year-old James Robison was driving his motorcycle on Riverside Drive toward downtown.On the other side of the road, the driver of a Ford Focus had just gotten to Austin from Killeen. He…
Sunday, May 8, 2016 by KUT News
Transportation
Prop 1 ride-hailing measure is soundly defeated
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft were dealt a stunning blow Saturday, as Austin voters rejected Proposition 1 by a 12-percent margin.The proposition, put on the ballot by a petition circulated by the political action committee backed by Uber and Lyft,…
