Crash and shutdown on 183
A major crash shut down 183 this morning in Leander. Police say two people were killed, another person ran away from a crash at 183 and the 183A toll road. The intersection will remain shut down for an unknown extended period of time. As the first responders remain on the scene there, police are asking that you avoid the area.
COVID-19 update
Travis County is just shy of eclipsing the 26,000 mark for coronavirus recoveries this morning. Currently, the county says there are 25,980 recoveries out of a total of 27,124 confirmed cases. Total hospitalizations have also dropped, and are still heading in the right direction, now down to 122.
Williamson County has officially fallen into the double digits for its number of active coronavirus cases. 97 people are known to have the virus currently and 74 of those were in the hospital. It’s the first time in months that the counties have fewer than 100 active cases. Since March, officials have found 8,092 cases and 7,864 of those are recoveries.
Austin hit a very important benchmark this week, just as a lot of kids were heading back to school. Travis County Health Authority Mark Escott says getting the local positivity rate of COVID-19 below 5% has been vital.
“It’s slightly under that 5% mark that we were aiming for before the opening of schools. I’m happy to say that we’re there,” Escott says.
The rates now down to 4.6% although he is expecting a jump in a couple of weeks because of Labor Day. Overall hospitalizations have also fallen, but he says they’ve hit a new high among 10-19 year olds.
Cap City Comedy Club closed
Another decades old business is calling it quits because of COVID-19. The Cap City Comedy Club, formerly known as The Laugh Stop, says it can no longer stay in business after having remained close since March. The Comedy Club had been in operation for 35 years. All pre-purchased tickets for future shows will be refunded. It joins numerous other longtime local businesses that have had to close down very recently.
RISE fund
The City of Austin’s relief in a state of emergency, or RISE fund has $10 million in it that will be doled out to individuals to help with financial needs. Mayor Steve Adler says they’ll open up that application window next week.
“It’s going to be checks that are written to people in the amount of $2,000 that you just apply for, it’s gonna be randomly given out,” says Adler.
The fund already awarded $15 million to social service groups and nonprofits. To be eligible, you have to be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, live in Travis County and have a direct financial hardship caused by COVID-19
Leander schools on-campus
25% of Leander School District kids from various grade levels have returned to campuses this week. That includes pre K, kindergartners, 1st, 6th and 9th grade. District Spokesman Corey Ryan tells KVUE all teachers have been asked to return.
“They are going above and beyond the normal call of duty to be able to continue to provide learning opportunities and an in-person experience,” says Ryan.
Further reopening plans are expected to be made public next week. Meanwhile, the district says it will notify families and staff members if a positive coronavirus case is found.
Science curriculum adjustments
Climate change and social justice are two of the issues the State Board of Education is considering adding to the current science curriculum. Social justice and science covers the impact of scientific issues on different social groups. Jonathan Covey of Texas Values told members of the state Board of Education it’s too political for Texas schools.
“It’s often used by many groups as a little agent of change, maybe with ulterior motives, to create a window to insert LGBTQ issues,” says Covey.
Adding climate change to the curriculum did have strong support. Suzie Nelson has two kids in public schools
“We need to teach our children the truth, including facts about climate change,” says Nelson.
Update on body found in South Austin
More details are released about a man found buried in concrete in a South Austin backyard last month. Police say Nicklas Kinslow died of a gunshot wound. His death is being treated as a homicide. Two people living at that home Kristie Cardenas and Walker Kaatz had previously been charged with tampering with physical evidence. But, the Travis County DA now says they’ve both been served with murder warrants.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-9-9-20
