We’ll be updating this story throughout the day Thursday with the latest local news on the coronavirus pandemic. If you’d like to go through a roundup of COVID-19 news from Wednesday, read it here. If you have a news tip or question, email us at news@KUT.org.
Update at 5:30 a.m. — Austin Community College awarded more than $13 million from emergency relief grant
Austin Community College students can now apply for federal financial aid from the U.S. government’s coronavirus aid bill. ACC has been awarded more than $13 million through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, a federal grant funded by the bill.
The funds are intended to help students who have been impacted financially by COVID-19. The college encourages students to apply for aid even if they aren’t sure they meet federal eligibility requirements.
“ACC will review all applications to match students with the best financial support option,” according to a press release from ACC.
Students can apply through the CARES Act Student Aid webpage.
“We’re expecting thousands of applications, and we have a team ready to look at each and every one of those individually,” said Dr. Shasta Buchanan, student affairs vice president, in the press release. “Life is tough right now. We don’t want the cost of college to be another burden for our students.”
Catch up on what happened yesterday
CTRMA makes budget plans amid COVID-19 uncertainty
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority has seen traffic drop by more than half on its tollways since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, and fewer cars means millions of dollars of lost revenue.
Officials with the CTRMA told board members Wednesday that revenues from vehicle tags and video tolls were projected to drop by close to $24 million this fiscal year. Revenues had been fairly strong before stay-at-home orders were issued.
But there are signs that traffic is picking up once again. Traffic on the MoPac Express Lane had been down by more than 90% through early April, but is starting to rebound.
“We wanted to stay with this conservative estimate for the rest of this fiscal year, but we are seeing some positive trends,” said Robert Goode, deputy executive director of the CTRMA. “And of course, with the governor’s announcement, we expect those to continue.”
The authority is also beginning budget planning for next fiscal year, with officials calling for cuts in discretionary spending that could be restored if revenues rebound. It has more than $100 million in reserves, but it won’t need to be tapped yet, Goode said.
The CTRMA is also trying to work with customers who may be behind on paying tolls. It has paused outbound collection activity, extended its courtesy waiver program and halted its habitual violator program.
Other local coronavirus news from Wednesday:
- The Central Texas Food Bank’s last drive-through food distribution in April is Thursday morning at Burger Stadium (3200 Jones Road in Austin) from 9 a.m. until noon.
- The Texas Supreme Court has extended a statewide ban on evictions until May 18. The ban had been set to expire Thursday.
- Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan, along with nine other cities, is requesting Gov. Greg Abbott allow local governments to have postponed May elections in August.
- Despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that allows libraries and certain businesses to reopen Friday, Austin Public Library doesn’t plan to do so.
- Lyft scooters are leaving Austin, the company announced Wednesday. Citing economic challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyft said it is laying off 17% of its workforce, or 982 employees.
What’s happening statewide? Check out special coverage from KERA for North Texas, Houston Public Media, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and Marfa Public Radio.
If you find this reporting valuable, please consider making a donation to support it. Your gift pays for everything you find on KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.
Credit: Source link
