AISD Voters 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 to all the district’s schools. For some schools, this will mean repairs or […]
KUT News
Posted inAustin
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 record flooding in Houston and devastated parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast Texas. Travis […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 if it goes into effect it will have irreparable social and economic impacts. He […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Updated: City of Austin joins San Antonio in lawsuit against ‘sanctuary cities’ law
By Stephanie Federico The 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 who have called for a Summer of Resistance against the immoral and unconstitutional […]
Posted inTexas 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 Trespassing among nearly 20 other protesters. Dozens of people staged the sit-in at the Texas […]
Posted inWhispers
Adler says Austin and Travis County don’t meet definition of ‘sanctuary city’
From KUT News: Austin and Travis County do not meet the definition of “sanctuary city” in the eyes of the federal government, Mayor Steve Adler said today after a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Washington, D.C. “I specifically asked the question, ‘Would a city that was not honoring voluntary detainers be a […]
Posted inCity Council
Here’s how Austin wants to solve institutional racism
In November, Mayor Steve Adler announced the formation of a group of local leaders tasked with suggesting city policy that could begin to ensure equity throughout the city. On Tuesday, the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Equities published its nearly 70-page final report. Co-chaired by Austin Independent School District Superintendent Paul Cruz […]
Posted inAustin
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 state who were taking part in the biennial tradition, which is billed as an […]
Posted inElections
Texas education groups are trying to get more students, teachers to vote
By Kate Groetzinger & Kate McGee Austin 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 on their way to class. The students are among the 1,963 young adults in […]
Posted inRadio
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 garnered national attention for its sexist overtones. The discussion panelists were Mayor Pro Tem Kathie […]
Posted inDevelopment
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 what’s happening above ground, but below. At the small, overgrown Burditt Prairie Cemetery in Montopolis, […]
Posted inTransportation
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 and his passenger had come down to help a friend shoot a music video. […]