COVID-19 update
Hospitalizations drop a little bit over the past day in Travis County as Austin Public Health has issued warnings this week that numbers are on the rise. 132 people infected with COVID are hospitalized this morning. That’s two fewer than yesterday. Active cases are up to 1,089 but overall, the county’s confirmed 32,748 cases. Of that total, 31,203 have recovered.
AISD COVID protocols assessed
As COVID cases are climbing in Travis County, the Austin School District has been looking at its options. The county is in Stage 3 on the risk chart and AISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde says it may be necessary to revise the number of people allowed on campus if we move into Stage 4.
“We have students that are reporting on campus, and that was our calling. And it’s very challenging. We’ve been as flexible as we could be with the accommodations,”says Elizalde.
However, in order to receive state funding, AISD has to offer some students in-person instruction. The majority of AISD students are still working off campus.
Positive COVID tests in Manor ISD.
Four Manor Schools have either students or staffers testing positive for COVID-19 recently with Oak Meadows and Decker Elementary as the latest. Some teachers, speaking anonymously with KXAN say they think the district needs to be better at communication.
“When you fail to communicate, you’re not giving us the right to plan for our families, for our students. You’re taking away all of our freedom to decide what we want to do for ourselves,” she says.
Others believe the Manor School District administration is failing to take any responsibility.
Education budget cuts
State education leaders are eager to see how the newly elected lawmakers will handle budget cuts. When state lawmakers who were elected this week go to work in January, they will be facing billions of dollars in lost revenue. That very likely means big cuts and public education leaders are worried that the Republican majority may put them in the crosshairs.
“Schools in Texas still generally are underfunded, and the COVID and the economic problems from the COVID pandemic have worsened than that,” says Clay Robinson with the Texas State Teacher Association.
It was two years ago that a dozen education friendly lawmakers were elected to the State House and all but one has since been reelected.
UT Homegame
With another UT home football game set for tomorrow, any student hoping to attend will have to be tested for COVID first. The university’s own COVID dashboard shows very low positivity rates among students still under 1%. The school says it is concerned that 25 new cases were found this week, which is a bit more than normal.
Economic recovery blocked
The Austin/Round Rock metro’s economic recovery may be slowing. Using spending, employment and housing market data, the Dallas Federal Reserve comes up with the Business Cycle Index, a measure of how the economy is doing. The Federal Reserve’s Christopher Slijk says most of those factors going on locally are trending positively.
“Austin and Travis County has stood out compared to the state in terms of spending, consumer spending really rebounding quite rapidly, up almost 9% from January,” says Slijk,
However, with a rising local unemployment rate of 6.7%, the area’s economic rebound is getting blocked.
Violent crime up in big cities
As the depolicing movement begins to take root in the city, a new report from the Major Cities Chiefs Association shows a rise in violent crime among many big cities in America, including Austin. Between January and September of this year, the report says, Austin saw 38 murders at six more than the same time last year. Robberies and aggravated assaults are both significantly up as well. Several other studies this year have shown similar findings, but Mayor Steve Adler continues to balk at the claims that Austin is becoming a less safe city.
Federal agencies are now involved in an investigation into an Austin man allegedly found with what officials call a homemade destructive device. The FBI says that device and the 308 caliber rifle were found in the home of two time convicted felon Eric Whitmer. No specifics have been given about the device itself, nor whether he’s accused of plotting to use it.
Cyber truck redesign
Tesla’s redesigning the cyber truck that will be manufactured in the Austin Gigafactory. Elon Musk says it’s back to the drawing board for the truck, and consumers may get a first look at it in December. Musk hinted that the redesign has more to do with having a concept that will be approved by European regulators as much as public sentiment.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-11-6-20
