City of Austin sued for masks
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the City of Austin and Travis County over the COVID local ordinances. Austin’s mayor, Steve Adler, says the masking and COVID rules are set forth by the local health authority and codified by the city because it gives the area the best chance at returning to normal while protecting essential workers.
“We’re going to continue to do that. And obviously the attorney general is of the opinion that the governor’s order removes from local health authority the ability to require folks to wear masks. We’re hoping that he’s wrong,” says Adler.
In the meantime, Adler says the city will focus on vaccination efforts and reminding people masking and social distancing works.
As the city and county wrangle with the state over the masking orders, several businesses, both large and small, are still requiring them. Austin Police Officer Kevin Kherson says that is their right.
“The business can still require individuals to wear masks, and if they don’t they simply ask them to leave. If they refuse to leave then they could call 911,” he says.
Officers will then ask that person to leave and if that doesn’t work, that person then could face fines or jail time, not for lack of a face mask but for criminal trespassing.
COVID-19 update
It looks like the number of hospitalized COVID patients could fall below 200 for the first time in a long time this weekend. This morning, there are 202 people hospitalized, 1,250 active cases. 77,231 cases have been confirmed over the past year, resulting in 75,204 recoveries.
RENT program
More money will open up on Monday for Austin renters who need help. The city will relaunch the Relief of Emergency Needs for Tenants program, also known as the RENT program. Using $25 million in federal funding, applicants will be selected randomly each week and could get up to 15 months of aid. Landlords can also apply. Applications will be taken through the end of the year or until funds run out.
UT classes to be on-campus in the fall
University of Texas President Jay Hartzell thinks on-campus classes and activities will be able to resume this fall. Hartzell stopped short of saying he expects things to fully be back to normal. But he says the school is planning for as much of a return to normalcy as possible. The fall semester at UT begins August 25.
AISD financial concerns
The Austin school district is turning to staffing reductions to address growing financial concerns. Chief Financial Officer Larry Throm says payroll is about $50 million a month.
“We’ll be out of money and we won’t have enough money to pay the September, October, November payroll,” says Throm.
Student enrollments are expected to drop by 1% a year, starting in the 2022 school year. So the district will reduce its staffing levels by 200 but not necessarily through layoffs. Instead, AISD will reset its staffing levels based on attrition or the number of staff who have already retired or resigned.
Higher minimum wage for teachers
A push for a higher minimum salary for teachers is underway at the Texas Capital. Round Rock State Representative James Talarico has filed House Bill 35-80 which would make the minimum salary for teachers $70,000 a year. Talarico, a former teacher himself, says the increase would account for inflation and higher cost of living.
Police training bill
A bill in the Texas House and Senate named after Mike Ramos has its sights set on transparency and police training. Austin area State Senator Sarah Eckhardt supports the bill and says part of it focuses on how officers act in situations like the day Ramos was killed last year.
“We need to speak clearly with our law enforcement community about standards, about training, de escalation, body language,” says Eckhardt,
For police officers who can’t de-escalate situations, she says they need to be removed from the department.
Catalytic converter thefts in Austin
Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in Austin, and not just by a little bit. Jonathan Tutt with Leonard’s Garage in South Austin, tells FOX-7 they’re seeing cars coming every month with missing catalytic converters.
“It’s increased significantly to the point even to where, if your catalytic converter disappears, it takes us a few weeks just to get you another one,”says Tutt.
12 years ago, Austin police say there were 27 catalytic converter thefts, but last year the number skyrocketed by 2,000%. Thieves were able to get valuable metals and sell them from those catalytic converters
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-3-12-21
