Monday, September 14, 2026
|
|
|
|
Tomorrow’s Forecast: Sunny ☀️ — High of 102° and Low of 78°
Hi y'all! Data centers remain in the news. Today, Gov. Greg Abbott told the Texas Water Development Board to penalize data centers that don't respond to surveys about their water usage.
Abbott's directive is the latest in what many see as a reversal on his position about data center development in Texas.
Also in the news: how runners are surviving the summer heat; UT announces a new dean for the College of Communication; and a look at Central Health's proposed budget.
— 💖 Wynne
|
|
|
|
Central Health is the local agency responsible for funding healthcare for Travis County's low-income residents. It must seek approval from Travis County commissioners for its budget each year. Renee Dominguez/KUT News
|
|
|
|
By Olivia Aldridge
Travis County commissioners are poised to vote Tuesday on a more than $1 billion budget for the Central Health system, the local public hospital district charged with providing care to low-income community members. The budget, which carves out major funding for new mental health initiatives, would also come with an effective property tax rate increase of 6%.
The budget contains around $650 million in expenses alongside a more than $365 million contingency reserves fund. Central Health’s board of managers voted for the budget last week, and now await the county commissioners’ final signoff. Commissioners typically approve Central Health's proposed budget, but have sometimes postponed voting to push for more information or data about Central Health's finances or organizational practices.
Alongside the budget, the board passed a resolution announcing Central Health’s intention to prioritize community mental health initiatives. That includes support for the city of Austin’s No Wrong Door program, which aims to “reduce the cycle of arrests, emergency department visits, and homelessness among people with the most complex social and behavioral health needs.”
The proposed budget outlines $54 million in new mental health and crisis care investments, including $33.1 million that would pay for 22 new psychiatric department beds and 10 new psychiatric department emergency bays. $16 million are earmarked for start-up costs and operations of a future Mental Health Crisis Center, a proposed partnership with the city, county and other local stakeholders.
“The historic investments we’re making this year will help connect more people to the right care sooner so that fewer people are left cycling among the emergency room, the jail, and the street,” said Dr. Pat Lee, Central Health President and CEO, in a news release.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson urged Central Health to put funding towards No Wrong Door in recent weeks, emphasizing a report from the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute which found that at least 950 people in Austin were tied up in cycles of homelessness driven by behavioral health challenges.
|
|
|
|
By Andrew Weber
Cary Granat has been appointed the new dean of the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.
Granat previously served as co-founder and CEO of Walden Media, a production and publishing company known for films like the "Chronicles of Narnia" series. He will take over as dean of the college from interim Dean Anita Vangelisti, who’s been in that role since August 2024.
In a statement, Granat said he was "optimistic about what lies ahead" in his new role.
"I arrive with open hands, a listening ear, and a simple conviction that leadership worthy of this College must be humble in posture and transparent in practice," Granat said.
William Inboden, UT's executive vice president and provost, said Granat will start on Sept. 28.
KUT and KUTX are both housed in the Moody College of Communication, and the general manager of the stations is overseen by the dean.
Granat will oversee the hiring of KUT and KUTX’s next general manager after Debbie Hiott’s firing earlier this summer.
|
|
|
|
🔍 What's inside Central Health's proposed budget
👟 How runners are managing as they train for marathons in the Austin heat
🏈 What a win over Ohio State means for UT
Listen to Austin Signal every weekday live at 1 p.m. on KUT 90.5 or wherever you get your podcasts.
|
|
|
|
KUT's city hall reporter Luz Moreno-Lozano is training for a marathon with her run club, Ship of Fools. Mid-run the group stopped for a selfie on the Montopolis Bridge in east Austin. Luz Moreno-Lozano/KUT News
|
|
|
|
While some people are trying their best to avoid the heat this summer, KUT's Luz Moreno-Lozano is putting in the miles as she trains for an upcoming marathon.
Luz wrote about how her run club supports each other, the benefits that happen on race day after this type of training and what goes in to running in these temperatures. (Getting up at 4:45 a.m. is part of it!)
|
|
|
|
|
KUT and KUTX are 100% community supported with no federal funding. Become a member today.
|
|
|
|
|
