GOVERNMENT
Austin City Council will consider purchasing and renovating a motel property along I-35 in South Austin to provide shelter for the city's homeless individuals. (Christopher Neely/Community Impact Newspaper)
City may buy Rodeway Inn in South Austin, renovate property to house homeless
A homeless camp underneath Hwy. 290
Austin wants to put trash cans near homeless camps under highways, awaits state approval
Deece Eckstein at the Nov. 12 Travis County Commissioners Court meeting
Travis County intergovernmental relations officer announces retirement, triggers "aggressive" hiring schedule
Gus, a contraband detection dog at the the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, performs a demonstration of how to seek out cellphones around the prison. A measure on the Nov. 5 ballot would ensure law enforcement animals like Gus can be adopted by their handlers after they retire. (Brandon Thibodeaux for The Texas Tribune)
Texas law requires retired police dogs be auctioned off. Proposition 10 would send them home with their handlers.
K-9 dog
Texas law requires retired police dogs be auctioned off. Proposition 10 would send them home with their handlers.
Officials say a comment made by homeless strategy officer Lori Pampilo Harris regarding inmates coming to Austin from all Texas prisons is false.
Not all parolees released from Texas prisons have to come to Austin, despite one city official's claim
A new law has prompted some prosecutors to dismiss marijuana cases unless certain tests are provided. In response, local law-enforcement agencies have developed inconsistent enforcement policies.nn*Leadership directed officers to contact VICE unit in cases with suspected felony amounts
New Texas law legalizing hemp causes local enforcement haze
Texas is among the states most at risk of damaging wildfires.
The Austin Metro has the fifth highest wildfire risk in the United States and city leaders are pushing for more preparation
Early voting began Oct. 21. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Austin election guide 2019: learn about what's on the ballot, where to vote and more
A sign outside the George Washington Carver Library in Austin directs voters inside.
Here are the questions Austin voters will decide on the Nov. 5 ballot
A sign outside the Austin Community College Highland campus polling place directs voters. Early voting in the 2019 election opened Oct. 21.
Ask the editor: How is this year’s local election paid for?
Here's how to use the new voting machines in Travis County
The 2019 local ballot will feature two propositions brought by citizen-initiated petitionsu2014a civic tool for voters to pass laws without City Council consent. Since 2016 there have been five such propositions on the ballot. The city saw only eight during the preceding 24 years.
Some Austinites praise citizen-initiated petitions as essential; others say they show democracy's vulnerabilities
Early voting began Oct. 21. Election Day is Nov. 5.
0.38% of registered voters turn out in Travis County on first day of early voting
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will send state agency to clear homeless encampments under Austin overpasses, monitor water quality