Austin Signal

Texas Republican leaders previously shunned Bo French for his racist social media posts. Now they want him to regulate the state’s oil and gas industries. The Austin City Council voted in May to annex a 2,600-acre site in the eastern part of the city. City leaders had planned the Dog’s Head development for months, but […] The post A shunned GOP candidate could regulate Texas oil...

The Austin ISD community came together Thursday night to discuss budget changes that include cutting more than 550 positions, including teachers, as the district is working on reducing a $181 million deficit. Christopher Taylor, a former Austin police officer, is suing the city and the Austin Police Department to try and get his job back after being acquitted in […] The p...

The Austin Independent School District is planning to cut hundreds of jobs in its upcoming budget, including teachers, librarians and campus law enforcement. CapMetro’s Bikeshare system has been shut down since a fire Memorial Day weekend, with no timeline for resuming service. A forensic investigator is examining whether lithium-ion batteries caused the blaze at a CapMetro fa...

New research finds 10% of Texans under 6 were recently uninsured, the highest of any state in the country. We’ll have the latest data. We continue our Series of Lasts: stories from the final days of some Austin ISD campuses. Bring your appetite and some Kleenex as we sit for one last school lunch at Ridgetop […] The post Margaret Gómez, longest-serving Travis County commissioner,...

A father who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a traffic stop in San Marcos has been reunited with his family. Gerardo Reyes, who spent more than two months in detention, might still face deportation. Parents and staff from the Austin Independent School District are urging state legislators to increase funding for schools. We’ll […] The post After two month...

Have you encountered an e-moto on the streets of Austin? The high-speed electric bikes are capable of reaching motorcycle-like speeds, and the City Council is looking at stricter regulations. Austin Current’s Sam Stark tells us more. The school year is over, but there’s no break for the many things the Austin Independent School District has to […] The post Austin City Council mov...

The Texas Education Agency has rejected Austin ISD’s proposal for three middle schools that have received consecutive failing grades — putting the entire district at further risk of a state takeover. The Austin City Council has approved guidelines for the construction and operation of a new natural gas plant after the project was OK’d in a secret vote. Thousands [&#...

Delta-8, a hemp product you might’ve seen for sale in gas stations and strip malls across Texas, could soon be treated as an illegal drug, putting it in the same category as heroin and LSD. What this would mean for the businesses that sell them and the people who use them. It’s the last day […] The post Court protection for Delta-8 sales is set to expire appeared first on KUT &am...

Primary runoff election night ended with some big changes for the Austin area and across the state. We’ll bring you the latest on last night’s results and the races we’ll be watching this November. After a shooting spree this month by three teenagers ended in Manor, Austin Police say they could have caught the suspects […] The post Runoff election results show big changes f...

It’s been nearly six years since a majority of Austinites voted in favor of creating 20 miles of state-of-the-art light rail transit across the city. But since that vote, the total length of the future rail system has been chopped in half. Despite that, the price tag for the project has continued climbing. Some folks […] The post Once-supporters now suing to stop Project Connect appear...

The Austin Independent School District expects a $181 million deficit in next school year’s budget — but it still hasn’t released a proposal for what cuts will be made. Austin revised its rules on how city police can interact with federal immigration agents — and city leaders are divided on what the change actually means. […] The post Program at state prison in Austin helps shelt...

A high school senior in Austin has been released from ICE custody and reunited with his family after a judge’s order — in time to walk in his graduation ceremony next month. The city of Austin has faced another blow in its efforts to keep painted street murals and crosswalks. Also, the popular Pease Park troll, Malin, […] The post Austin’s Pease Park troll burns down appeared first on KUT &a...

Early voting is underway for Tuesday’s primary runoffs, and we have a look at two races on some Central Texans’ ballots: state House District 49 and Hays County judge. Austin is working to rename Cesar Chavez Street after accusations of sexual abuse and assault. But some are struggling with those changes. Some good news and […] The post Latino community divided on renaming Cesar Chavez...

The Austin City Council is set to take up a controversial proposal this week about relying more on natural gas during times of high energy demand, and opponents worry about how it could affect climate goals. If you venture out to Lady Bird Lake this Memorial Day weekend, you might encounter an unfamiliar sight: a […] The post I-35 construction has narrowed a passage on Lady Bird Lake appeare...

Three people are in custody following a weekend crime spree and manhunt in Austin that made national headlines. Police say the suspects, all juveniles, are tied to multiple shootings and stolen vehicles across the city. As grocery costs rise, a church near the University of Texas campus gives out hundreds of free burgers weekly to […] The post Church gives out free burgers weekly near UT to...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have been on the rise during the second Trump administration. And while enforcement in some parts of the U.S. has been messy and public, operations here in Texas are being carried out with a quieter, systematic approach. Today we’re taking a closer look at the situation here in Austin and […] The post Immigration in Central Texas — an Aust...

A hearing this week that would’ve allowed for the review of evidence and testimony in lawsuits against Camp Mystic never came to be, and lawyers for the Hill Country girls camp where children and counselors died in last summer’s flooding were absent from the courtroom. Texas will soon have a new attorney general, with a […] The post A look at the Texas attorney general race, with...

A housing program for chronically homeless Austinites could be facing cuts because of budget deficits and clean-ups of local encampments. The potential loss of funding is raising questions about where unhoused Austinites will go if the program is gone for good. Sam Stark from the Austin Current joins us to talk more about this. With […] The post Austin birders compete in the Great Texas Bird...

An Austin ISD high school senior’s detention has shaken his classmates, church members and family awaiting his graduation. He’s being held in a South Texas immigration processing center. We’ll hear more about his story and the people awaiting his return. You’ve probably interacted with the Austin’s Art in Public Places program without even realizing it. […] The post A...

The cost of childcare across the country is on the rise, outpacing the price of in-state college tuition in many states. While many local governments are working to figure out a solution, Travis County is ahead of the game. The pool at Barton Springs was first built around a century ago. But the springs that […] The post Shorter waits for affordable childcare in Austin area appeared first on...

The Austin Independent School District is set to cut more than 200 educator salaries as they work to address a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. District officials have also identified other ways to reduce the deficit, including cuts to the central office and projected revenue from real estate sales. The City of Austin has given the green […] The post Facing deficit, Austin ISD to cut educ...

The Austin City Council is considering a vote to renew its contract with a for-profit utility that provides natural gas to the city, despite long-standing dissatisfaction locally with gas rates. The IHOP near downtown Austin has finally been sold at auction. The pancake purveyor has remained steady despite rampant development all around it. Why it […] The post Austin considers new contract w...

Austin’s SAFE Alliance will no longer provide exams for sexual assault survivors because of a funding shortfall. Other programs could also be on the chopping block. We’ll talk about how others are planning to assist. A swift local police response to the March shooting at Buford’s on Sixth Street was commended in the days after […] The post Austin Police response times ticking upw...

A group of civil rights organizations filed a new lawsuit this week seeking to stop parts of the law that would let state police arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. We’ll have more about the law and why it’s been paused. Infowars, long home to Austin-based conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, shut down […] The post Infowars site shuts down amid tussle with...

Texas hemp businesses can keep selling their cannabis flower and concentrate products for now, after a Travis County judge blocked key parts of the state’s new hemp regulations while a lawsuit against those rules and increased fees plays out. There was just one bidder for the contract to take operational control of three struggling Austin […] The post Texas businesses can keep selling...