Austin

On the 11th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Austin firefighters took part in a memorial stair climb to honor the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11. During the service at the Austin Fire Department’s Pleasant Valley training tower, 45 firefighters scaled the training tower's stairs nine times, roughly equaling the height of the World Trade Center.

"You know every one of those guys that died that day, they were just going to work that morning,” said Eric Novaez, an AFD firefighter who participated in today's service. “They had no idea what they were getting into, and I think that's the same with any firefighter who goes to work. You never know what the day's got in store for you so it's definitely worth remembering."

The climb was completed in silence to remember those firefighters who did not make it back out of the twin towers. Participants wore full gear, including air packs, hose bundles, and several silver dog tags, one for each of the 343. “All of us knew folks who went up there,” said Battalion Chief Randell Nations. “9/11 changed our fire service forever.”

Today marks 11 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Here's information on remembrance events and other stories making news today:

Local 9/11 Memorial Events

There are several events scheduled today across Central Texas to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

At 10 a.m., Austin firefighters will climb the Pleasant Valley Drill Tower. Wearing full gear, they’ll climb up and down the equivalent of the height of the World Trade Center.

At noon, there will be a 9-11 Memorial and pipe and drum performance in the Texas Capitol Rotunda.

The Austin City Council meets this morning to hash out the city’s budget for the next fiscal year. And with competing needs and limited dollars, council members may need three days to agree on the spending.

The city has an overall budget of $3.1 billion – that includes all city services and programs, including Austin Energy and Austin Water. But when it comes to budget adoption, most attention focuses on the general fund – the pot of money that pays for basic city services such as police, fire and EMS, parks, libraries and more. That amount has risen to $742.5 million this year.

General fund spending will likely consume much of council’s attention – council member Kathie Tovo tells KUT News she’s looking closely at funding for youth programs and recreation centers. But the property tax rate that pays for many city services may be on the table too.

It's back to work and school today but with cooler temperatures – highs in the mid-90s. Here's a look at some of the big stories developing today:

AISD Looks at Single-Sex Education Options

The Austin  School Board is taking another look at single-sex middle schools this evening.

AISD Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen had wanted to create single-sex schools at Pearce and Garcia Middle Schools as soon as next school year. But the idea met resistance from some school board members and parents. If the board decides to go forward with the plan, it won’t go into effect until at least 2014-2015.

A good Friday morning. Record high temperatures are still expected today, before a Saturday cold front brings decreased temperatures and an elevated fire risk. Here's some of the area's top overnight stories. 

Most Texas Whooping Cough Deaths Since 2005

The Texas Department of State Health Services says there have been more whooping cough deaths this year than in the past several years. The department says six children in Texas have died from whooping cough (aka pertussis) and more than 1,000 people have gotten sick.

Travis County leads the state in the number of whooping cough cases with 163 as of the end of August – that's about 14 percent of the state total. No one in Travis County has died from the illness. The Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Department says it is "highly aggressive" in seeking out whooping cough cases so the numbers could be somewhat misleading. The department works with local health providers to identify whooping cough cases and alert them of clusters of incidents.

Good morning. We're looking at another hot one today, with a high of 102 degrees. Here's some of the region's top overnight stories. 

Rebuilding Grants for Bastrop Fire Victims

It’s been just over one year since wildfires tore across Central Texas. Many fire victims are still rebuilding their lives.

Now, the Texas General Land Office is taking applications for federal aid from people whose homes were lost or damaged in the Bastrop fires.

The money is coming from more than $30 million dollars in Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

City officials are mulling another economic incentives agreement with a company eyeing Austin for expansion – this time, California-based HID Global.

The self-described provider of “secure identity” products produces items like key-card readers, RFID tags, ID cards and more. In city documents, HID Global writes that it wants to build a manufacturing and distribution center in Austin. 

The company is offering to create at least 276 full-time jobs over 10 years – 47 before the end of 2014, and 276 by the end of 2015. Positions range from semiconductor and electronic component assembly, printing and film developing, to warehouse and shipping jobs. The average proposed wage is approximately $51,000 a year, but the expected average wage of the lowest paid 10 percent of workers is estimated at $21,000. You can read the proposed economic development agreement.

Talk about a bum steer: A Houston court has tossed a lawsuit against an Austin bar – and its mechanical bull.

The Houston Chronicle reports that Rebels Honky Tonk in downtown Austin prevailed in court case brought by a customer, Revel Thom, who was tossed from the bar’s mechanical bull in 2010, fracturing his vertebrae:

Although Thom suffered back pain four to five years before he rode the bull, he said nothing about his condition to the operator, according to the appellate court ruling. He rode the bull until he was thrown off, resulting in the fracture of the T-12 and L-1 vertebrae, court documents state.