Good morning and welcome to the month of November! Here's hoping you don’t look scarier this morning that you did last night. It’s going to be another warm day with temperatures in the mid-80s.
Here’s some stories KUT has been working on:
Texas Women's Health Program Won't Launch As Planned
Despite comments Wednesday morning from Texas Health and Human Services Commission executive director Kyle Janek indicating the program would be ready to start on Nov. 1, an agency spokeswoman confirmed that the state-led program would not begin until ongoing court controversy over the issue is clarified.
Candidates Battle Over Transportation
The results of the Nov. 6 elections will determine the priorities for Austin and Travis County. One of the top concerns in the area is transportation infrastructure. The Texas Department of Transportation has no money to build new roads. It spends what it gets from tax money just doing repairs and maintenance. Different ideas on how to do just that are colliding in the race for Travis County Commissioner.
Senate Candidates Differ on Medical Law
Two Texans are vying to replace retiring U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Republican Ted Cruz is up against Democrat Paul Sadler in a race that some have called over before it even began. But, Saddler doesn’t want to focus on his odds of winning. Instead, he focuses on pointing out the stark contrast between himself and his GOP opponent Ted Cruz.
PolitiFact: West Austin Overrepresented
There are two competing proposals on the ballot in Austin to change the city’s long-standing representation on City Council. Both the 10-1 plan, as it’s called, and the 8-2-1 plan aim to bring in a city council more tied geographically to constituents, rather than the at-large system currently in place.
And here are some more Austin and Texas stories from around the interwebs:
Lackland Sergeant Accused of Trainee Sex Gets Hearing (Star-Telegram)
Staff Sgt. Eddy Soto is accused of "having an unprofessional relationship with a female trainee" and sexually assaulting two female former trainees at Lackland Air Force Base. The Air Force trainer will be facing a hearing on whether he gets court-martialed for having sex with trainees.
Cities Revving Up For Start of F1 (Community Impact)
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the race at the $400 million COTA track situated to the southeast of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. While no studies to estimate the economic impact of F1 have been completed or formally commissioned by Round Rock, Pflugerville or Hutto, officials in all three cities are hoping to feel the effects of visiting race fans, especially on the impact in sales and hotel occupancy taxes.
Development Putting the Squeeze On an Iconic Honktonk (KVUE)
South Lamar between Barton Springs and Ben White is considered by some locals to be an area of Austin unaffected by change. That sentiment is slowly changing with signs of progress along pockets on the busy street. The Broken Spoke for example in the 3300 block of South Lamar boasts of being the oldest structure on that part of the strip. But even Broken Spoke is now being bookended by development on both sides.
Grim Reaper Gets KVUE Meteorologist Mark Murray During the Newscast (KVUE)
The Grim Reaper paid a visit to KVUE Wednesday night during the 10 p.m. newscast to claim a meteorologist. He must not have liked the 7-Day forecast.
