travis county

Farm Bill Could Kick 170,000 Texans Off Food Stamps

Mone Miller — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:08:38 +0000

The U.S. House is considering a version of a farm bill that could heavily impact benefits for Texans receiving food stamps.

The change to state policy standards for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could take away 482 million meals for the hungry, and could cut 171,000 people from food assistance statewide, according to the Texas Food Bank Network.

New Center Can Supervise Court-Ordered Parental Visits

Nathan Bernier, KUT News — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:08:00 +0000

Victims of spousal abuse in Austin have a new option if their children are to receive supervised visits with the other parent. Travis County has opened PlanetSafe at 11^th and Nueces, a supervised visitation and safe exchange center. Its grand opening is today.

The facility is operated by the local non-profit Safe Place, and was established with the help of $600,000 in federal grants from the Office of Violence Against Women. Travis County supplied the use of the building for a nominal rent and is paying for staffing.

Transportation Group Seeks Input on Changes to CAMPO 2035 Plan

Joy Diaz, KUT News — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:26:30 +0000

Starting tomorrow, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization – better known as CAMPO – begins asking for the public’s ideas on a series of projects.

Some projects are being dropped, while others are being picked up for consideration.

Got Property Tax Questions?

Austin Feldman — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:19:00 +0000

Own some property in Travis County? Want to know how it's taxed?

Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler and Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant are hosting a series of property tax forums.

The Travis County tax officials will present information about the appraisal process, exemptions and deferrals, payment plans and the deadlines that all those paying property tax should know. They will also be available to answer questions.

Austin and Travis County Partner for National Public Health Week (Update)

Filipa Rodrigues — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:19:19 +0000

Update: The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department is holding a meeting this afternoon to present and outline key goals and objectives of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The action-oriented plan is designed to improve the health of Austin and Travis County residents. It will highlight community health issues like obesity and access to primary care.

The meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. at City Hall.

Williamson County Named Healthiest in Texas

Filipa Rodrigues — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:40:38 +0000

Williamson County is ranked as the healthiest county in the Lone Star State, according to a collection of county health rankings.

The study from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that Williamson County is the healthiest county in Texas this year, ahead of Collin County in Northeast Texas.

The Lead: SXSW 'Calmer' This Year, Travis County Incentives

KUT Staff — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:05:42 +0000

Good morning, Austin! Ready for a sunny start to SXSW Music? The National Weather Service says Austin's due for a high near 77 today. The evening will be clear with a low around 44.

Here's a roundup of some KUT News stories for today:

The Lead: Austin's Police Chief says he thinks South by Southwest has been a little calmer so far this year.

But APD Chief Art Acevedo acknowledges that things will probably start to heat up a bit as the music portion of the festival gets going. Acevedo plans to hit the streets over the next several days.

New Rules Reversed at Hippie Hollow, Austin's Clothing-Optional Park (Update)

Tyler Pratt — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:46:38 +0000

Update: Travis County Parks reversed its decision to change boating rules at Hippie Hollow on Lake Travis at a public meeting last night.

In fact, after about a week of tension between Travis County Parks and people who frequent Hippie Hollow, the meeting ended with laughter and applause.

“This is a great example of a grass roots movement. Where people are trying to reach out the administrators who work in their government and the guys come to the table and listen to what the folks have to say,” Friends of the Hollow member Randall Huntsinger said.

Handbag Drive Gives Domestic Violence Victims Handle on Hope

Austin Feldman — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:33:58 +0000

The Texas Advocacy Project and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office are launching its annual “Handbags for Hope” drive.

The sixth annual installment of the drive asks Austin-area residents to donate new and gently used handbags to give to domestic violence victims.

The Lead: Ft. Hood Fire Response, Feds Won’t Arraign Armstrong

KUT Staff — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:05:22 +0000

Good morning. The National Weather Service says Austin’s due for a high near 70, along with scattered clouds and maybe a stray thunderstorm.

Lead Story: Federal prosecutors say Lance Armstrong won’t face criminal charges, despite the cycling star’s confession last month to Oprah Winfrey that he did use performance-enhancing drugs.

The U.S. Attorney in the case says the decision was made last year not to press charges, and Armstrong’s recent televised comments haven’t convinced prosecutors to re-open the case.

Travis County Homeless Population Dropping

Laura Rice, KUT News — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:06:43 +0000

The annual Austin/Travis County homeless count shows the number of homeless people living the area is down by 5.5 percent from last year to 2,121.

The Ending Community Homelessness Coalition or “ECHO” conducted the count late last month.

The count determines the level of federal funding the area will receive and helps community organizations determine which services need to be improved.

Counting Travis County's Homeless Population

Filipa Rodrigues — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:58:44 +0000

Across the United States, groups are attempting to get a firm count of the number of homeless people living in their midst. In Travis County this past weekend, the count was led by a group called Ending Community Homelessness or ECHO.

For the first time in the history of the count, volunteers reached the Travis County limits in order to get more accurate numbers.

Power Outages, Freeze Warning & Wind Advisory for Central Texas

Laura Rice, KUT News — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:28:05 +0000

It’s a windy, chilly morning. There’s a wind advisory in effect for all of South Central Texas until noon today. A freeze warning is in place starting at 11 p.m.

The cold weather is moving across Texas, even bringing some snow to the Dallas area this morning.

The wind was a factor in power outages that left more than 3,400 Austin Energy customers in the dark this morning. Austin Energy spokesman Ed Clark says damage to a pole knocked out power to about 2,300 customers around Brodie Lane and William Cannon Drive. Clark expected power to be restored to about 70 percent of those customers by 7:30 a.m.

Two More West Nile Deaths in Travis County (Updated)

Laura Rice, KUT News — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:09:27 +0000

Update: Nov. 11, 1:09 p.m.:

Dr. Philip Huang is the Medical Director for Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services. He says there are still some people in the county who are very sick from the virus but he’s hopeful the death total won’t continue to rise.

Dr. Huang says it’s not clear if West Nile will be as big of a problem next year.

“This particular season with the warmer winter and then some of the spring rains seemed to be sort of the conditions that really promoted West Nile activity," Huang says. "So we don’t know how things are going to be next year. But I think there’s certainly some concern that there is going to be for the future continued increase in some mosquito activity and things in the Austin-Travis County area.”

Huang says the county has found mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile as recently as late October.

Cold Front May Bring Severe Weather to Region

Joy Diaz, KUT News — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 22:50:09 +0000

Areas east of I-35 and the Austin metro area may see some severe storms this evening as a cold front moves through.

Forecasters say the main threats are wind and possibly large hail. Rainfall is expected to be light and spotty – although some areas may get up to one inch of rain.

The National Weather Service has a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for parts of the eastern Central Texas until 9 p.m.; no watch has been issued for Travis County, but the NWS has issued a “hazardous weather outlook.”