Andrew Weber is a digital reporter for KUT News. A graduate of St. Edward's University with a degree in English, Andrew has previously interned with The Texas Tribune, The Austin American-Statesman and KOOP Radio.
A new study reveals what most Austin drivers could tell you anyway: Traffic here is bad. But the study says Austin’s traffic has grown worse than any large metropolitan region in the last 20 years.
The yearly Urban Mobility Report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute says Austin drivers have wasted the most time in traffic since they began collecting data, more than any other city surveyed in the national study.
Update:Austin’s Public Safety Commission voted unanimously Monday to send a resolution to local leaders aimed at reducing gun violence.
The resolution encourages the Austin City Council, Travis County Commissioners, the Austin Independent School Board and Austin Community College to stop leasing facilities for gun shows—or to require those shows to conduct background checks.
The commission also wants local law enforcement to hold gun buyback programs and to collect data on guns used in crimes.
Transportation and Public Works officials briefed the Austin City Council today on proposed renovations to Rainey Street, the popular entertainment district plagued with more than its fair share of parking and transportation problems.
Officials said converting Rainey Street to a one-way street could add metered parking spaces, two bike lanes, and increased accessibility for those with disabilities, but also presented another, less drastic, proposal that would keep the street a two-way.
State lawmakers gathered Tuesday at the Capitol in support of a bill that would outlaw texting while driving.
Both Senate Bill 28 and House Bill 63 would ban all forms of cell phone use while driving a vehicle—including texting, emailing and talking. This is the second attempt at a texting ban for both State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) and State Rep. Tom Craddick (R-Midland). Gov. Rick Perry vetoed the last attempt in 2011.
Allowing teachers to carry concealed handguns could make them targets in a school shooting, according to one law enforcement expert who testified before lawmakers Monday. State Senators held a joint committee hearing to hear ideas on improving safety in public schools in the wake of a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that claimed 26 lives.
Update: AT&T U-verse says service has been restored to most customers affected by the outage. The company posted the following on its facebook page this morning:
U-verse service has been restored for the vast majority of our customers affected by the outage. We expect any remaining customer issues will be resolved this morning. We will provide a credit to customers who were affected. We know our customers count on their U-verse service and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Are you still without service? Leave us a comment or send us an email—news@kut.org—that is, of course, if you can track down some internet access.
Original post: (Jan. 23, 4: 59 p.m.) Some AT&T U-verse customers across Texas and throughout the southern U.S. are experiencing TV and Internet outages.
Whirlybirds, eggbeaters, choppers — whatever you want to call them — helicopters brought some kind of ruckus over 2012’s Formula 1 weekend. And now a group is looking at what can make for a less turbulent 2013.
In the past few years, once quaint and quiet Rainey Street has become a haven for the hip, with businesses ubiquitously flipping the neighborhood's historic bungalows into bars.
Tonight, the City of Austin Planning Commission will discuss two possible changes along Rainey Street: one that would encourage the relocation of historic homes, and another measure that would require new bars to seek permits, including public hearings.
Inauguration day is a day of pomp and circumstance. It’s when the president assumes the position of Commander-in-Chief to resounding applause and throngs of admirers. For some presidents it’s a breeze. Yet, even on his second go of an inauguration, President Barack Obama still managed to draw a frenzy of action, insanity, and triviality to accompany his second Oath of Office.
Obama’s speech clocked-in at just over 2,400 words, which was almost equal to his 2008 word count (but nowhere near as brief as George Washington’s second inauguration at 135-words). But for Obama's second inauguration, the weirdness ran long.
The Circuit of the Americas announced today that they will debut their shiny new music venue, the Tower Amphitheater, this spring with a concert featuring country music star Kenny Chesney on April 5.
COTA officials say the festival will bring new opportunities to the complex largely known for motorsports, and that they plan on scheduling 15 to 20 shows a year to keep the circuit occupied between race days.
Good news, theater junkies. Frontera Fest 2013, the festival that exhibits veteran and up-and-coming playwrights of Austin, began yesterday.
The festival features plays, choreography, comedy improv, monologues, avant-garde, and all creative utterances of over 250 performers on the “fringe” of the theater world.
The Commissioners Court didn’t renew an Austin/Travis County EMS contract last night. They’ll wait until next week to do that. But county commissioners did show some love for a new proposal that would create a unit of paramedics roaming the city in trucks tending to those sick and injured Austinites in need of assistance.
Sounds familiar right? Strangely enough, they’re not ambulances.
Texas has been courting businesses for some time now, attracting job creators and corporations to the state in droves.
State and city officials have lured corporations in with sales tax incentives. That's prompted accusations of corporate welfare and ill-gotten subsidies, but the state’s dance card is full when it comes to reeling in businesses. In fact, the state’s attracted more businesses than most.
Hey, Texplainer: How does a Legislative special session work?
Consider a special session the legislative overtime in Texas. If both the House and Senate reach a stalemate on key issues or if the governor decides the legislative show must go on, he or she can call for a special session.
