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Tuition drop at Concordia University seen as move to increase access, enrollment
In a bid to bolster enrollment that has slipped since the Covid-19 pandemic, Concordia University will reduce its published tuition cost by 40 percent beginning next school year, to $23,500. The change is a reduction as well as an acknowledgement of the standard cost paid by most students once financial aid and assistance are factored in, rather than the nearly $40,000 per year that was the school’s most recent price point.
RVs won’t be allowed on single-family lots under coming code changes
When City Council considers changes to the Land Development Code in December, while they will discuss giving property owners the option of having three units on single-family lots and allowing tiny homes on those lots, they will not consider adding recreational vehicles to the mix. Although the original resolution anticipated...
Council, parks department and East Austin residents continue clash over city-owned Nash Hernandez building
City Council, Austin’s parks department and East Austin residents are still at odds over plans for a vacant facility at Festival Beach. The Nash Hernandez building, which has sat idle since 2009, was earmarked for Parks and Recreation Department offices and community space until last year, when Council action redirected staff to explore redevelopment as a senior services facility. East Austin residents took to the stand at last week’s Parks and Recreation Board meeting to defend the original plan for the building, arguing the public health facility was out of step with the community’s needs.
Records show first responders in Austin struggling to respond to Cruise’s self-driving cars
Austin’s first responders grappled with how to manage Cruise’s robot cars and their “alarming” behavior, records obtained by KUT show. An internal reporting system used by Austin firefighters and police describes Cruise cars bumping into parked fire trucks, ignoring police directing traffic and – in one instance – almost cutting off an ambulance flashing its lights on the way to Sixth Street. On other occasions, firefighters wrote, Cruise employees struggled to move their own disabled vehicles out of the way of traffic.
East Austin factory would feature world’s largest rooftop solar array
Tesla’s factory in East Austin would be the largest rooftop solar installation in the world when complete, company officials say. “We finished phase 1, so we can pull roughly 10 megawatts. When it’s all said and done, it will be 30 megawatts, which will be the largest rooftop solar I think in the world,” Logan Grant, Tesla senior manager of factory engineering, said in a presentation to the Travis County Commissioners Court.
Mobility Committee laments state law curtailing city’s power over driverless car companies
City Council members heard last week about the ongoing public safety concerns that the emerging autonomous vehicle industry has created in Austin. Last week’s Mobility Committee meeting saw a presentation from staff from the Transportation and Public Works Department as well as public safety departments that updated committee members on their attempts to improve safety and operations for the four AV companies currently operating in Austin. The city began efforts to monitor and move the technology forward safely since 2017, but a state law passed that same year took away cities’ rights to regulate AV companies or compel them to share data or geofence certain areas to limit access to the vehicles that operate as driverless taxis.
The biggest moments from Austin police officer Christopher Taylor’s murder trial so far
The second week of the murder trial of Austin police officer Christopher Taylor, who fatally shot Mike Ramos in 2020, starts today. Ramos’ shooting, along with George Floyd’s murder, sparked weeks of protests for racial justice that year. Police responded to a 911 call about drug activity at...
Commissioners voice support for Tesla factory, community investment plan
The Travis County Commissioners Court defended tax breaks for Tesla’s factory in East Austin and approved the company’s plan to donate $750,000 as part of the tax incentive deal. This is more than double the amount – $298,000 – the electric vehicle manufacturer is required to spend based...
HOME proposal draws a crowd of speakers, both pro and con
A total of 297 interested citizens signed up to address a joint meeting of City Council and the Planning Commission on Thursday about proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations intended to increase the amount of housing available to middle-income residents. Although opponents of the HOME initiative have been loudest in their concerns about what the changes might do to their neighborhoods, there were more supporters of the changes than opponents waiting to speak Thursday afternoon. Approximately 58 percent of those who registered to speak said they were in favor of the changes, while 39 percent were against and about 4 percent were neutral.
Downtown church seeks community partners, not developers, in reimagining prime real estate
First Baptist Church of Austin has so far turned down tens of millions of dollars from developers looking to capitalize on the nearly 2 acres of downtown real estate it owns. Rather than cashing out and moving to the suburbs, church leaders are looking to partner with other houses of worship – possibly including non-Christian groups – to better utilize the space.
MetroBike wins $11.3 million federal grant to fund transition to electric bicycles
Austin’s MetroBike program is the winner of a $11.3 million federal grant that will pay to expand and enhance its services, as well as allow it to transition to a fully electric bicycle fleet. The grant is funded by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternative Set-Aside grant program,...
Following ACL Fest, parks board calls for close look at Zilker Park health
Amid concerns over the impact on Zilker Park from this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival, city parks staff said they have conducted the annual review of the festival and are beginning the work needed to replenish the park. The cost for aerating the soil and other restorative measures will be paid for by concert promoter C3 Presents/Live Nation.
Permit for controversial private dam on South Llano River withdrawn
A Houston-based landowner has withdrawn his request for a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality permit that would’ve paved the way for a private dam on the South Llano River. The TCEQ permit database shows that the application from Waterstone Creek LLC is now closed. The application was withdrawn on...
City auditor unveils new online tracking system for audits
The Office of the City Auditor is advertising a new tool to let any member of the public see how different departments are doing in response to audit findings. That tool is a new online dashboard that tracks recommendations from audits and how departments are carrying out tasks outlined in those recommendations.
Rural schools near Austin say they feel left behind as governor pushes for vouchers
For Randy Willis, public schools are crucial to rural communities. “I think the rural schools are the heart of Texas. They’re the backbone of Texas,” he said. Willis is the executive director of the Texas Association of Rural Schools, which represents about 375 small districts. He thinks the state’s Republican leaders may have forgotten the role rural districts play in their local economies and communities.
Council’s plans to change housing rules upset some neighborhood advocates
Austin’s “single-family neighborhoods are in jeopardy of losing big” with the proposed changes to the city’s zoning regulations, according to Ana Aguirre, president of the Austin Neighborhoods Council. While housing advocates have praised City Council Member Leslie Pool’s HOME initiative, the Austin Neighborhoods Council and Go Austin/Vamos Austin are among those decrying the proposals.
Cap Metro board hears results of first post-pandemic Origin & Destination survey
Besides interrupting Capital Metro’s transportation services, the pandemic also interfered with its process of measuring its ridership, typically done every five years. On Monday, for the first time since 2015, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors heard a presentation on the Origin & Destination Survey. “We came...
Artists decry delay in city grant payments, putting some projects and events at risk
Arts commissioners have joined local artists in criticizing the city for the prolonged rollout of one of its newer grant programs, which has left some recipients without funding ahead of events they’d organized with expectations of using the city funds. Last week’s Arts Commission meeting in some ways resembled...
Vision Zero analysis reveals drugs or alcohol involved in higher percentage of traffic fatalities than state data shows
An analysis by Austin’s Vision Zero initiative found that the presence of drugs or alcohol among Travis County traffic fatalities is higher than previously thought. Vision Zero Analytics is a series of white papers by the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department as part of the overall effort to significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries within the city.
Green Pastures gets to keep three-year site plan extension
Despite pleas from several neighbors, City Council declined Thursday to overturn a ruling from the Planning Commission granting a three-year extension to a site plan for redevelopment of the historic Green Pastures restaurant and surrounding gardens. The vote was unanimous, with Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison absent. In July, the commission...
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