Governor Abbott wants to avoid shutting businesses down
Governor Greg Abbott is standing his ground against a growing call from cities and counties to give them more authority to shut businesses down. Speaking with KFDM TV in Beaumont, Abbott says cities like Austin already have the tools they need without also having to put people into financial ruin.
“If local officials enforce the mask order, it will slow the spread of the coronavirus. They just now need to step up and to begin to enforce the orders,” says Abbott.
Cities continue to make big demands without actually doing enough to enforce the orders that he has already put into place.
COVID-19 Update
144 people have died in Travis County from coronavirus, but almost 500 more people are now classified as recoveries as of this morning. Just 24 hours ago, Austin Public Health said 8,900 and five people have now recovered out of the 11,926 total confirmed cases since March.
There are 108 COVID-19 patients in the hospital this morning in Williamson County. The county says 38% of its beds are open and available. 3,151 cases have been found since mid-March, 972 of which have resulted in a recovery.
In Hays County, 10 people have now died from the virus since the outbreak began. Hays has seen a total of 68 patients in the hospital since March, 20 of whom are currently in the hospital. 528 people have recovered. Of the 13,600 tests that have been administered so far, more than 10,000 have come back negative.
AISD still wants on-campus classes
The Austin Independent School District is still holding out hope for a 100% on-campus learning opportunity for students in the fall. Although, Superintendent Dr. Paul Cruz says only about half of parents surveyed say they’re ready to send their kid back.
“About half are saying they want to have virtual classes. So we say that on August 18 we will start school and we will have a 100% option for virtual learning for our students,” Cruz says.
The in-class option is preliminary, and it could change at any time. Classroom capacity would begin a 25% and then grow from there as AISD plans for in-person classes. The group Education Austin wants no part of it. Mayor Steve Adler says a 35-day shutdown of businesses could make it safe to reopen schools. However, Education Austin President Ken Zarifis tells CBS Austin that even with a shutdown, it still won’t be safe enough.
“There’s nothing that shows us that this is dying down. We have to be responsible when it comes to our kids and their families and our teachers and employees,” says Zarifis.
Here in Texas, state law bars public school employees from striking. But Zarifis says Education Austin still may call on as many teachers as possible to refuse to work anywhere but from the confines of their own home.
Austin police don’t want to give tickets for mask mandates
The Austin Police Association doesn’t want cops spending their time writing you a ticket for not wearing a mask. President Ken Casaday says writing people a ticket for not wearing a mask is really gonna hurt the very people that the city council claims they want to protect.
“Here we are talking about overburdening poor people, and now we’re being taxed to go out and write these same people citations,” says Casaday.
Making cops write tickets for that reason puts them at higher risk of getting sick as well. Just last week, about 70 calls were made to 311 reporting someone not wearing a mask.
Texas takes back millions in overpaid unemployment claims
Texas overpaid tens of millions of dollars in unemployment benefits to more than 46,000 people. Now the state wants that money back. The Texas Workforce Commission said it’s owed more than $32 million in overpayment to over 46,000 Texans who have become unemployed since March. The agency is required by state law to recoup the money and has sent notices. The commission believes the majority of errors were caused by incorrect information on unemployment claims. Those receiving notices can appeal. Those found guilty of fraud could be forced to pay a 15% penalty on top of the money owed.
Stolen property found in Cedar Park
If you live in Cedar Park and had some of your property stolen from you years ago, police have arrested two people who have been found with tens of thousands of dollars in stolen bikes, clothes, jewelry and antiques dating back, possibly as far as 2015. Police are now hopeful to solve some old cases here. Meantime, Addison Mullins and Richard Orr are charged with burglary of a building and possession of a controlled substance.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-7-7-20
