The Todd & Oz Show 6-18-26

The Todd & Oz Show 6-18-26

The Austin city council's quest for density is causing some concern for at least one member of the city's zoning and platting commission. Lonny Stern represents district 3 on the commission and he says the city should force large housing developments to create public walkways through them so people don't have to walk all the way around them while critics of such an idea says allowing the public to cut through a private housing development would invite much more crime and concerns about the safety of children , Austin’s long-debated light rail project moved into another phase as the Austin transit partnership met this week to discuss design and pre-construction work, and the discussion comes as some businesses along the planned route continue to raise concerns about losing customers, or potential displacement, also there is some concern here in Texas over what is coming to new cars as there is a growing push to repeal an impending government mandate that requires all new cars to have technology to monitor driver's behavior, as a way to stop drunk driving. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Todd & Oz Show 6-17-26

Austin police are investigating the deaths of a man and a woman in southeast Austin as officer Austin Zarling says there were multiple calls made to 911 asking about a welfare check of a husband and wife at a home in the 4700 block of Oltorf saying the 911 calls were placed just before 3:15 p.m., but officers didn't actually arrive at the house until 6:20 p.m. , new restrictions on what Texans can buy with their snap benefits have been in place since April, but some critics say those new restrictions are causing too much confusion for struggling families, and for grocery stores. Texas senate bill 379 bans snap recipients from using their benefits to buy things like candy, gum, and sweetened drinks, but Gina Plata-Nino with the food research and action center tells cbs austin the changes have made it harder for people who rely on snap to meet their basic needs, and the Texas education agency has released the spring 2026 STAAR test results for third through eighth graders. Statewide, the numbers show a shift in Texas classrooms, including a surge in advanced math and a jump in middle school reading with state officials attributing those reading gains to a statewide school cell phone ban. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Todd & Oz Show 6-16-26

Texas ranchers may be holding back on reporting screwworm infestations out of fear of the federal government's response as Robin Giles has been working the 13-thousand-acre hillingdon ranch in the hill country for 70 years that’s been in his family for over 130 years saying he's seen it all, including screwworms, the city of Austin is looking for a contractor to help out with the task of taking an inventory of the city's trees as city leaders say they want to follow the lead of other cities like Dallas, Denton, and Chicago who have all completed tree inventories, and the Texas education agency today is set to release the results of the STAAR test for grades 3 through 8. and the results could be very impactful for the Austin school district as Dobie, Webb, and Burnet middle schools have all failed to meet basic academic standards for four straight years and the STAAR test results factor largely into the T-E-A's overall accountability ratings for schools, and Austin ISD superintendent Matias Segura has been sounding the alarm that a fifth failing grade for any of those schools could cost them their local control. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Todd & Oz Show 6-15-26

The US and Iran have struck a framework deal as Trump heads to the G7. Oil prices had already fallen sharply in anticipation of the deal, and Trump posted that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen after the deal is signed, Texas Governor Greg Abbott laid out the GOP's agenda going forward at the Republican state convention in Houston and education experts are watching closely to see whether recent gains in test scores at the high school level will carry over to younger students as more STAAR results are set to be released tomorrow. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Todd & Oz Show 6-12-26

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is trying to protect homeowners from surging power bills connected to new data centers, the City of Austin is considering a partnership with Travis County to expand fare-free public transit in the fall's general election and Karmelo Anthony has filed an appeal in his murder conviction while also telling the court he cannot afford an attorney and must be appointed one. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.