KUT Morning Newspod December 8, 2011
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City Council to Vote on Permanent Parks Smoking Ban
The Austin City Council is scheduled to vote today on an ordinance to permanently ban smoking at all city parks. The ban would include city athletic fields, nature preserves and swimming pools. Golf courses would be exempt from the ban. There could also be exemptions for some special events.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Struggling Financially
State parks officials announced this week they were passing the hat. They need more than $4 million to keep parks running – and they are appealing to the public for donations. As KUT’s Matt Largey reports, some say it highlights the need for more reliable state parks funding.
TCEQ Approves Plan that Could Cut Off Water for Farmers
Rice farmers in southeast Texas may have their water supply cut back- or cut off- if drought conditions don’t improve. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has approved a plan from the Lower Colorado River Authority to cut off or reduce water from the Highland Lakes to farmers downstream, if lake levels don’t improve significantly by March.
The LCRA says it’s trying to protect tight water supplies for its industrial and municipal customers such as the City of Austin.
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