COVID-19 update
More positive news for Travis County is its number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients falls below 90 for the first time since early summer. Today, 86 people are hospitalized, marking a decline of seven over the past day. 33 of those patients are in the ICU, and that number is also down slightly. The county is nearing another recovery milestone. Right now, 26,829 people have recovered. It’s very possible that we could climb above 27,000 by tomorrow. When it comes to overall cases that have been confirmed since March, there have been 27,981.
Some of Williamson County’s COVID numbers have reversed course this week. They’ve started trending back upwards, specifically the number of active cases. It had plunged well below 100, but today, that number is back up to 112. 74 people are hospitalized. That’s up by four. On the plus side, though, there are now more than 8,000 recoveries from the overall 8,252 confirmed cases.
Young people positivity rate
Teenagers are apparently complicating efforts to bring down Travis County’s COVID positivity rate. That’s according to health authority Mark Escott, who says the overall positivity rate is under 5%. That’s a good number, but it’s almost triple that for kids between 10-19 years old.
“That age group is increasing each week in positivity with a significantly higher rate of positivity as compared to every other group,” Escott says.
High school age kids are spiking the numbers the most with a 14% positivity rate. One plus side is that they’re much less likely to end up in a hospital with complications.
AISD applies for reimbursements
Dealing with COVID-19 has not been cheap for the Austin school districts. In AISD, more than $24 million has been spent leading up to the new year. Chief Business Officer Larry Throm tells CBS Austin the money in the rainy day fund has really been a lifeline.
“We did have the money and that wasn’t budgeted, and it came out of our fund balance, our reserves,” Throm says.
They’re applying for $2 million in reimbursements, but there’s no guarantee they’ll get it. The $24 million has been spent on things like iPads, Chromebooks, PPE and extra pay for staff.
Service sector in Austin
The Austin service sector is expected to continue to falter even as other sectors regain momentum. That’s among the many reasons Council Member Ann Kitchen says the city has to approve a new resolution named giving childcare centers, bars, restaurants and others more relief money.
“We know our businesses and these sectors are continuing to suffer, and we’re really at a crisis point,” says Kitchen.
The council will vote later this month on the SAVES resolution, which could drum up millions of dollars and keep those businesses afloat. However, it may require leveraging hotel or sales taxes, more federal or state aid or even property tax abatements.
New poll shows public opinion on racism
A new poll by the group Voices of Austin shows more than 80% of respondents are worried about the city and the direction it’s headed. The group’s Peck Young says the poll found more than half of respondents feel racism is a problem within more than just APD.
“We asked specifically, do you think all city government is systemic racism? 60% of people say yes. Do you think the city land use planning process and codeNEXT is racist? 53% of people say yes,” says Young.
58% also believe Austin’s health system is racist. Young adds the only question that didn’t see more than half affirming in this category was the transit system, with 38% believing it’s racist.
Spencer Cronk under fire
The Austin City Council is putting City Manager Spencer Cronk under the microscope. Councilman Jimmy Flannigan, who is among the biggest supporters of dismantling the Austin Police Department, tells KVUE they expect Cronk to do what the council demands.
“To make sure he understands the council’s expectations, and the council understands if he’s gonna fulfill those expectations are not,” says Flannigan.
Only Cronk has the power to remove Police Chief Brian Manley and Flannigan is among those who want Manly either fired or demoted. Cronk has been criticized for not proposing enough cuts to APD amid demands for activists and not taking any action yet against Chief Manley.
Illegal car meeting crackdown
Police say almost two dozen people were arrested during the weekend’s crackdown on illegal car meetings near I-35 and Parmer Lane. In total, 22 arrests were made. Charges include misdemeanors like reckless driving and pot possession, felonies involving guns and 25 cars were also towed away. More crackdowns like that are expected throughout this year.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-9-16-20
