Stories by Tyler Whitson
How you’re paying (and maybe paying again) for Austin’s roads
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at…
Transportation • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 23, 2015
Why your speeding ticket doesn’t pay for what you think it does
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at…
Austin • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 22, 2015
Taxicab drivers rally for worker-owned co-op
As Austin’s ground transportation service industry faces upheaval due to new competition, taxi drivers are using a looming expiration of the city’s taxicab franchises as an opportunity to push for, among other requests, a cooperative, driver-owned franchise. Dave Passmore, president…
City Council • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 22, 2015
Drop in poverty rate likely due to displacement
When the poverty rate in a city drops, many would consider it a cause for celebration. In Austin, however, where property value increases have outpaced family income growth for decades, that is not the case. City Demographer Ryan Robinson told…
Austin • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 21, 2015
Downward oxygen trend a risk for salamanders
Barton Springs is the only known home to the endangered and federally protected Barton Springs and Austin Blind salamanders. Unfortunately, for these unique creatures, the level of life-sustaining dissolved oxygen in their ecosystem has dropped on average over the past…
Preservation • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 20, 2015
US Fish and Wildlife concerned about SH 45 SW
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent letters to Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and others Wednesday, expressing concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed State Highway 45 Southwest on the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan,…
Austin • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 17, 2015
Subscribe to our newsletter
MoPac South may only work with raised ramp
Whether it includes two or four express lanes, a proposed MoPac South expansion project would likely require the elevated ramp over Lady Bird Lake that has caused a stir in recent weeks. That is what Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority…
Roads • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 16, 2015
Austin Energy deregulation bill sent to Senate
A bill that could have major implications for Austin Energy and the city budget passed its first hurdle in the Texas House on Tuesday and now goes to the Senate floor. It could give certain Austin Energy customers the ability…
Energy • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 15, 2015
Mobility Committee maneuvers on taxicab contracts
While the city has begun a process to rewrite regulations for both taxicabs and transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft, a looming expiration of the city’s taxicab franchise agreements and a bill in the Texas Legislature appear to…
City Council • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 9, 2015
Mayor talks climate change with health experts
Though climate change poses a major threat to the environment, it is also a danger to the public, both worldwide and in Central Texas. That’s the point Mayor Steve Adler made Tuesday when he sat down in his office at…
City Hall • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 8, 2015
Council pushes Austin Energy on solar solicitation
To RFP or not to RFP? According to City Council, the answer is yes, and ASAP — or at least by April 15. Council voted Thursday to impose the deadline for Austin Energy to issue a request for proposal, or…
City Council • By Tyler Whitson • Apr 7, 2015
Council votes for extra staff through September
Following weeks of deliberation, the mayor and City Council offices are receiving a boost in staffing — at least for the next few months. Council voted 9-2 Thursday to approve a resolution that will effectively add three full-time staff members…
