Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How ongoing AC failures are disrupting learning at Austin ISD schools

And check out USA Vein Clinics to Host 'Let's Talk Veins' Event in Austin on the Austin Patch calendar

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Thursday September 24th Patch AM
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Morning Austin! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☕️️

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In today's newsletter:

  • How ongoing AC failures are disrupting learning at Austin ISD schools
  • How a $1.27M pipe could change Austin's old landfill
  • What UT's $7 million police boost means for West Campus safety

Also on today's calendar: USA Vein Clinics to Host 'Let's Talk Veins' Event in Austin and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Do you know what the two sides of a circle are? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Partly sunny and hot, with a high of 96 and low of 73 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
  • Friday: Mostly sunny and hot, temps: high: 96, low: 72.
  • Saturday: Partly sunny and very warm, with a high of 95 and low of 72 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Kealing Middle School is latest Austin ISD school to face AC issues as troubles continue (kxan.com) — Families in Austin should know that Kealing Middle School is the latest Austin ISD campus hit by repeated AC failures, with humidity and heat disrupting classes throughout September. Several other schools, including McCallum, Anderson, and Lamar, have also faced serious HVAC problems despite recent bond-funded upgrades, raising concerns about learning conditions during triple-digit Central Texas heat.
   

2. City of Austin considers $1.3M pipe system for 'trash juice' (kxan.com) — Austin city leaders are set to vote today on a $1.27 million pipe system that would automatically send leachate, or "trash juice," from the closed FM 812 landfill to the wastewater line, reducing labor and spill risks. The change would replace truck hauling, improve environmental safeguards, and relies on ongoing testing that shows little current concern, according to city staff and experts at UT Austin.
   

3. UT adds $7 million to police budget to boost officer, employee salaries (thedailytexan.com) — UT is boosting its police budget by $7 million, significantly raising officer and dispatcher pay and supporting expanded patrols that now include Austin's West Campus neighborhood. Leaders say the move aims to improve safety, recruitment, and retention, while student and safety advocates describe the added investment in local public safety resources as reassuring and much needed.
   

4. Athena the owl's offspring released into the wild (fox7austin.com) — An owlet descended from Athena, Austin's official owl ambassador, has been successfully released back into the wild at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center after months of rehabilitation and flight testing. Four foster siblings raised alongside it are also ready for release around Central Texas, while Athena herself has not been seen since leaving the nest in April.
   

5. TOMO Mags Works to Restore the Austin Community's Relationship With News • The Austin Chronicle (austinchronicle.com) — An Austin magazine shop, TOMO Mags, has launched a News Reading Club to help locals reconnect with trustworthy news and civic life, drawing about 60 people to its first meeting at the Thompson Austin. Partnering with the Trust Project, organizers are fostering respectful, solutions-focused conversations about information, AI, and democracy, with the next free gathering set for October 31 downtown.
   

📸 Around Austin

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Young Professional Network Celebrates One-Year Anniversary with a Night of Networking —LaGuardia Media PR Presswire Read on Patch
  • Thought I'd share Golden hour up at Inks Lake yesterday.
    In the grand scheme of things sometimes it's important to remember our insignificance in the grand scheme of the universe and at the same time honor… (Nextdoor Belterra)
  • Update: Reunited!!
    Micro chips got us connected with the owners. The husky's name is Sonny! I just found a couple dogs wandering down Del Curto Rd near South Lamar… (Nextdoor South Lamar)
  • Boys & Girls Club of Austin posted a job opening for Youth Sports Coordinator in Austin. Apply here.
  • The Hertz Corporation posted a job opening for Part Time Car Control Clerk in Austin. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Austin here.

Ok Austin! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: The inside and the outside ! (Thank you James M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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