Andrew Weber

The Austin City Council provided some clarity Tuesday over where it will limit camping and resting in public, as well as its overall strategy to boost citywide, housing-focused initiatives and investments.

Austin will re-examine its new rules governing homelessness, according to a memo released Friday.

The memo sent to the City Council on behalf of Austin's Homelessness Strategy Office says the city could abandon its idea to make space for emergency encampments in every City Council district.

Austin police arrested a man carrying an assault rifle, a pistol, a knife and a baton at Pease Park on Wednesday. 

The suspect was identified in an Austin Police Department affidavit as 23-year-old Dalton Broesche. He was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor, and has an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault in Harris County.

Austin is being sued over wording for a petition-driven referendum on the city's $1.2 billion expansion of the convention center and its use of hotel tax revenue.

The City of Austin says it has found potentially dangerous blue-green algae blooms at Auditorium Shores and Barton Creek downstream from Barton Springs Pool. The algae samples contain neurotoxins that are similar to those found earlier this month at Red Bud Isle, but the city says the concentration of neurotoxins is higher.

Austin City Council members say they need a better look at where Austin could be falling short in terms of its wildfire preparedness.

Update at 5:26 p.m.: ERCOT announces the need for conservation has ended.

The original post follows:

Texas' electric grid-operator put out a call for conservation today as it faces record demand amid soaring temperatures.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced Monday that reproducing populations of zebra mussels have been found in Lake Lyndon B. Johnson and Lake Pflugerville – bringing the total number of statewide lakes infested with the invasive species to 17.

City officials say two separate samples of algae near Red Bud Isle have tested positive for traces of a neurotoxin, but samples in other parts of Lady Bird Lake were found to be "harmless."

Three dogs died recently after swimming in Lady Bird Lake.

The city's effort to expand the Austin Convention Center will be on the ballot in November. The effort to derail the Austin City Council's roughly $1.2-billion plan was spurred by a citizen-driven petition that was certified late last month.

A majority of Austin EMS personnel say they've been assaulted while on the job in the last two years, according to an internal survey. Most first-responders also say they don't feel properly trained to address aggressive behavior.

The City of Austin says it's prepared to boost spending on housing and homelessness assistance programs ahead of a state-mandated property tax revenue cap that goes into effect next year.

President Donald Trump spoke this morning after 29 people were killed this weekend in mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas. Authorities say both shooters obtained their assault-style weapons legally, which has reinvigorated calls for federal action on gun control. 

Earlier this morning in a tweet, Trump called on Congress to pass legislation expanding background checks for firearms, but also suggested any reform be tied to "desperately needed immigration reform." 

Travis County Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve a revised plan to set up a grant-funded office to provide legal services to low-income defendants.

An effort to put a planned expansion of the Austin Convention Center to a public vote is one step closer to its goal. Today, the city clerk certified a petition that will send the issue to the city council.

As the city adjusts to new rules for panhandling, camping or sitting or lying down in public, the Downtown Austin Alliance hosted a forum Tuesday to discuss the road ahead for dealing with homelessness and plans to expand emergency shelter access across the city.

The Austin City Council's approval of a new city-owned shelter and its revisions to city law that expand where people can rest, camp and ask for money have sparked a polarizing discussion about public safety, public health and the future of Austin itself.

The state's top leaders are reminding prosecutors that marijuana is still illegal in Texas.

The letter from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Attorney General Ken Paxton comes after district attorneys in major cities said they have effectively stopped prosecuting low-level marijuana possession cases since House Bill 1325 went into effect on June 10.

Travis County is one step closer to finalizing its formation of a public defender office for low-income defendants charged with certain felonies and misdemeanors. The Travis County Commissioners Court today OK’d the structure of the office’s seven-member oversight board, which will include attorneys, criminal justice advocates and former judges.

The city's proposal to expand the Austin Convention Center could be on the ballot in November. A group opposing the City Council's decision to build out the center says it submitted a 30,000-signature petition calling for a referendum that would force a public vote as the city moves ahead with the plan.

Tuesday is the last day for public comment on a proposal that could evict or even separate thousands of families with mixed-citizenship status who receive housing assistance in Texas.

Revisions to Austin's rules against panhandling, camping and sitting or lying down in public are in effect.

Austinites have expressed concern about how the rules will impact those experiencing homelessness and how officers will enforce the laws. KUT asked the Austin Police Department to help clarify things.

Austin is in the grips of an affordability crisis. That's not news to Austinites, really, but a large part of that crisis stems from the housing supply failing to keep up with demand. 

A study out this week from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies shows Austin's not alone.

The Austin Animal Center is at full capacity and is waiving adoption fees this weekend. The city's shelter says it has no more kennels left; it aims to get 500 animals adopted over the weekend to free up space.

Why do some Austin drivers think turn indicators are optional? Why are bugs so big in Austin? Are swingers running rampant in Steiner Ranch? 

The Austin Police Department is still working out the kinks in its body-camera program, according to a new city audit.

A new report from the Austin Police Department shows crime overall increased in 2018, with property crimes up 9%. Violent crimes dropped slightly, however.

Federal immigration authorities say they arrested 52 people in Central and South Texas last week.

The arrests came before telegraphed operations in 10 major cities, including Houston, that President Donald Trump had touted. The president tweeted Saturday that he would delay the large-scale raids to give Congress time to make adjustments to U.S. asylum laws.