Andrew Weber

4 weeks ago | kut.org | Andrew Weber

Since 2020, Austin Police Department has strained under the weight of staffing shortages. But a report out this week says APD hasn't had a plan to fix the problem and fully staff the department. City auditors told Austin City Council members Wednesday the department "does not have an effective strategy" to hire more officers. But APD leaders say recruitment efforts are ongoing.

1 month ago | kut.org | Andrew Weber

Just a week into a push to get workers back into the office, employees with Texas' transportation agency are struggling to find parking. So, they're parking illegally. An employee with the Texas Department of Transportation reached out to KUT on Thursday, saying the agency is allowing workers to park in fire lanes at its 1,600-employee campus near Stassney Lane and Burleson Road. The person asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.

1 month ago | kut.org | Andrew Weber

Ashley is the first to admit she isn't a rocket scientist. But she got pretty damn close. Before she worked as a state employee, the nuclear physicist worked 11-hour days at the SpaceX plant in McGregor, making sure rocket engines didn't explode upon ignition. She said she knows how Elon Musk runs a company. "They chew up and spit out people who get burnt out by their demanding hours and timelines," said Ashley, who asked that KUT not use her full name for fear of retaliation.

1 month ago | kut.org | Andrew Weber

A conference promoting fertility will be held on the Forty Acres this weekend. On its face, that may seem like a banal affair, but the speakers at the Natal Conference have promoted racist, eugenics-based theories and have ties to far-right extremism. The conference will take place Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and all day Saturday, with panels and events at UT Austin's AT&T Conference Center and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

1 month ago | kut.org | Andrew Weber

The City of Austin can keep making its own budgets and laws. A bill creating a "District of Austin" that would've given state lawmakers the final say on local decisions was voted down 11-0 by the Texas House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday. During a committee hearing on the measure was last week, Houston-area state Rep. Briscoe Cain, the bill's author, offered little detail on where Austin City Council's responsibilities would end and where state lawmakers' would begin.