News

Under One Roof: Who Develops Affordable Housing for Austin?

Joy Diaz, KUT News — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:05:00 +0000

It’s early morning – still dark outside – and Walter Moreau is already done with his morning run. When I meet him he’s downtown, getting ready for his workout.

“I think there’s a lot of things here in the gym that translate to work,” he says.

Moreau leads Foundation Communities – Austin’s largest non-profit builder and manager of affordable housing.

Bill on Drug Testing of State Aid Recipients Gets Initial Approval

Veronica Zaragovia, KUT News — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:55:51 +0000

The Texas House split on a couple of bills that would drug test recipients of state aide. A midnight deadline passed before lawmakers could vote on a bill that would drug test recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

But earlier in the day lawmakers did pass testing for unemployment benefits.

The bill was part of a push by Republicans to make sure people breaking the law weren't receiving state funds, and were ready to be hired.

Federal Agency Claims It Was Shut Out of West Investigation

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:00:36 +0000

The head of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) says other government agencies are getting in the way of its investigation into the fertilizer plant explosion in West.

In a letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, CSB chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives blocked CSB investigators from accessing the site for a month, and "altered or removed almost all relevant physical evidence from the site."

Amber Alert for Missing Baby Discontinued

Matt Largey, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:56:20 +0000

Update: Police say the child has been found. The Amber Alert has been discontinued.

Earlier: Police in McKinney, Texas -- north of Dallas -- have issued an Amber Alert for 10 month old Isabella Reyes. She has black hair and brown eyes and weighs 17 pounds.

The suspect in the abduction is named Sandy Alcocer. She’s 25 years old, five feet tall and weighs 130 pounds. Authorities did not provide images of either person.

Alcocer is believed to be driving a white 2003 Dodge Dakota truck pulling a flat bed trailer. Police think she may be headed for Mexico.

If have any information about the missing child, call 911.

Austin Home Sales Surged 32 Percent in April

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:32:41 +0000

Austin area home sales jumped by 32 percent in April compared to the same month last year. The Austin Board of Realtors says 2,563 single-family homes were sold last month.

Agenda Texas: Budget Agreement Gets Stuck

Ben Philpott, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Hey you remember on Friday when we announced there was a budget agreement?

Yeah, about that....

The agreement may not have been as set in stone as we thought. Today, budget negotiators are back at it, making sure the Friday truce holds through the passage of a couple additional pieces of legislation needed to make the budget math work.

Early TAKS Scores Up at Eastside Memorial

Kate McGee, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:10:00 +0000

Preliminary standardized test scores for this school year show improvements in multiple subjects at Eastside Memorial High School – a school that has had a history of failure going back nearly a decade.

According to unofficial data presented to Eastside Memorial teachers this week, 90 percent of students passed the TAKS end of year exam in English and Language Arts. That’s a nearly 20 percent jump from last year.

Austin Police Cracking Down on Hazardous Driving Memorial Day

Luke Quinton — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:39:47 +0000

Last year’s Memorial Day weekend saw 191 car crashes, one death and 99 injuries, said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo.

This year, APD, state police, and nearby counties are collaborating to counter hazardous driving, in an effort to make holiday weekends less destructive on Central Texas roads.

Nearly Three Months Later, Austin Still Adjusting to Plastic Bag Ban

Lila Weatherly — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:21:57 +0000

Though Austin’s ban on plastic bags took effect March 1, the conversation about how consumers are coping is still going strong.

Austinites have been sounding off on social media about the benefits and inconveniences of banning plastic bags. One particularly in-depth conflict has erupted on an Austin Reddit thread, asking “How has Austin’s bag ban affected you?”

Bill to Ban Sale of Sugary Drinks in Schools Heads to Perry's Desk

Kate McGee, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:53:39 +0000

Middle and elementary school students craving a Coke during the school day may be in trouble.

A bill that would ban the sale of sugary drinks in Texas middle and elementary schools is heading to Gov. Rick Perry’s desk for final approval.

Council Tables Independent Oversight For Austin Energy

Andrew Weber — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:50:12 +0000

The City of Austin cooled the idea of creating a board to oversee Austin Energy.

The original idea was to form a board whose members are more knowledgeable than city council members are about the electric utility industry, but after concerns that its members would be insufficiently accountable to voters, the plan changed, leaving the proposed board with less authority.

Today, Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the current proposal would just be adding bureaucracy, making things not more efficient, but less.

Leander ISD Middle School Evacuated

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:29:20 +0000

Running Brushy Middle School in the Leander school district was evacuated this afternoon because of a bomb threat phoned into the campus. The call came in at about 2 p.m., according to Leander ISD spokesperson Veronica Sopher.

As Texans Rush to Help OK, Gov. Perry Urges Emergency Plan

KUT Staff — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:10:24 +0000

Central Texas is helping those in Moore, Oklahoma and surrounding areas in relief and rescue efforts.

Last night, Texas Task Force 1 was dispatched to Oklahoma, an elite search and rescue team which includes 5 members from the Austin Fire Department.

COTA Pitches Austin X Games, Skatepark to City Council

Andrew Weber — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:15:11 +0000

The Circuit of the Americas wants the City of Austin to get extreme.

City council members heard a pitch from COTA’s Steve Sexton this morning. The Formula 1-hosting racetrack wants the council’s help applying for state tax incentives from the Events Trust Fund for ESPN's X Games, which will move from Los Angeles next spring.

AISD Board Approves Contract with Eastside Memorial Partner

Kate McGee, KUT News — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:27:01 +0000

The Austin School Board Monday night approved a contract with Johns Hopkins University to implement its program — Talent Development Secondary — at Eastside Memorial High School. The decision comes after AISD canceled a contract with a charter school company to run an elementary school that fed into the high school.

The contract now goes to the Texas Education Commissioner for final approval. Although the vote was unanimous, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen questioned if the commissioner would approve the contract.