KUT’s Morning Newspod for March 30, 2011
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Texas Sued Over Foster Care System
A New York advocacy group filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying Texas’ foster care system harms thousands of children overseen by the state. Bill Zeeble of KERA in Dallas reports the group says Texas’ system is broken and needs more caseworkers.
Patrick Crimmins, with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, says the suit is without merit. You listen to Zeeble’s full story here.
How Much Will Zero Waste Cost Austin?
Austin’s Zero Waste Plan likely will come at a cost to rate payers. The City of Austin wants to reduce the amount of waste sent to area landfills by 75 percent by 2020 and 90 percent by 2040. The City of Austin has been picking up home recyclables at the curb and will soon require apartments to do the same.
The city is also considering other programs such as compost pick up and electronic recycling. Solid Waste Services Director Bob Gedert told KUT rates would need to go up if new programs were added.
You can hear more about the city’s Zero Waste Plan and give your input at a public meeting at City Hall tonight. KUT’s Erika Aguilar also has more on today’s podcast.
How do Public Information Requests Work?
Complaints and a lawsuit over the City of Austin’s refusal to release some e-mails dealing with city business has put a spotlight on the city’s public information process. That attention has brought hundreds of new public information requests, at least triple the number the city usually fields, since February. KUT’s Matt Largey gives us a behind the scenes look at how public information requests work on today’s pod.
Podcast: Download (9.6MB)
