Desnudo Coffee's East Austin location serves hundreds of cups of coffee each day. But once a year the truck has to shut down for its annual health safety inspection. Closing for even a day can cost the business thousands of dollars as it has to prepare and move the trailer, and that doesn't include how much it loses in profits.

That process is changing this month. Food truck owners in Austin will be able to get their trucks inspected on-site making it easier to continue operations and get the inspection and permits they need.

The new health safety inspection program comes more than a year after the Austin City Council promised to improve the inspection process for mobile business owners. The city’s current program requires the owners to move the trailer to a city facility in North Austin, which they said can be complicated and costly.

Sergio Trujillo, who co-owns Desnudo Coffee, said the annual process requires them to close down for at least a day and a half to prepare for the inspection. He said it also means finding a way to tow the trailer to the city facility, which can be expensive.

“It's once a year, but if you have multiple trailers and your staff counts on you [for income] ... it affects a lot more than you think,�� Trujillo said.

There are more than 1,500 mobile food vendors across the city, and each is required by state law to get inspected annually.

Council Member José Velásquez said making the process more accessible and equitable was important to ensure small and micro-businesses can continue to operate in Austin.

“We wanted to look for a practical way to relieve some of that burden on our small business owners because we know when we are talking about food trucks they are [operating] on razor thin margins,�� Velasquez said.

Now, the business owners will have more options following the council meeting on Thursday. Council members approved an expansion of the program that allows for on-site inspections and permits with an increase in cost for the convenience. On-site permits will cost $740 and the on-site re-inspection fee will be $230. The cost for re-inspections at the city facility are $109. Permits there start at $212, according to city documents.

Trujillo said the tradeoff is worth it.

“We lose a lot of money by closing [those days] plus we have to pay a fee for someone to tow our trailers over there, and we also have to be there, or send someone, to the inspection,�� he said. “So it's those hidden fees that you don’t really think about.��

Velásquez said the new on-site inspection program was created with business community input. Over the last year, the city created a focus group to help shape the program that included Desnudo, Veracruz All Natural, Spicy Boys Fried Chicken and others.

offering on-site inspection was a top desire of food truck business owners, with about 92% saying they wanted the option.

On-site inspections are just the beginning, Velásquez said. Looking forward, he said the city is also looking at how it can do on-site inspections for an entire food park.

“That would be more cost effective if we had our inspector do four or six all at one time for an entire trailer park, then it would just help expand the product and the efficiency of the product,�� he said.

Laurel Seymour knows who Austin’s first female lifeguard was. Well, she’s pretty certain.

“I know Binnie Seymour was the first lady lifeguard in Austin, Texas,�� she told KUT’s ATXplained project. “But can you provide us some proof?��

Binnie Seymour is Laurel’s paternal grandmother: Grandma Binnie.

Binnie was born in 1940, the second of four children. She said she spent much of her childhood in Westlake Hills where her dad attempted to make a living catching minnows and often brought the kids along.

“We were kind of river rats, so to speak,�� Binnie said. “I’ve been on every creek and every river around Texas.��

In the mid-1950s, when Binnie was 14, she got a job in the locker room at Deep Eddy Pool. She earned 50 cents an hour taking and retrieving swimmers�� clothes from lockers.

A couple weeks later, Binnie said, her bosses approached her with a proposition: Would she like to be considered for a promotion to lifeguard?

“If I could pass the test, then I could have the job,�� she said she was told.

Binnie said the lifeguard test consisted of a simulation in which she had to save UT Austin football players who pretended to drown. Binnie, who barely weighed 120 pounds, did her best to rescue the linebackers, fullbacks and wide receivers.

“I probably grabbed some of them by the head of the hair, but I pulled ‘em in,�� she said.

She got the job and a raise to 90 cents an hour. Then, Binnie said, her boss told her she had earned another badge.

“My boss told me, ‘You are the first lady lifeguard in Austin, Texas,'�� she said. Binnie had no reason not to believe him.

But what would have been a notable moment in the city’s history went unmarked. Binnie said she doesn’t remember a reporter writing a story or a photographer taking her photo for the local newspaper.

And at 86 years old today, Binnie said there are few people still alive to verify her story. This makes confirming the tale she has told her grandchildren that much more difficult.

“I wish a lot of the people were still alive,�� Binnie said.

A shortage of lifeguards

Women break barriers when history requires it of them.

During World War I and World War II, women took jobs to support the war effort and to fill vacancies left by the men who had been drafted. Women drove trucks, operated radios and toiled in factories �� and, it turns out, sat atop lifeguard stands.

“Many of the old timers that frequent Bartons will recall the good old days when the big husky lifeguards watched over the flock,�� a reporter for the Austin American wrote in March 1943. “[H]owever such things are in the past for the duration, and beautiful girls will grace many of the lifeguard stands of the nation this season.��

A month earlier, the same paper reported this news with a bit more of a cautionary tone.

“Habitues of Austin’s several municipal swimming pools may as well get ready to have their safety in the water watched over this summer by women lifeguards, Joe Prowse, assistant city recreation director warned Wednesday,�� a reporter wrote.

That same article included the names of two women who had signed up to safeguard pool visitors that summer: Dorothy Kerbow and Jean Parker. Parker had not yet been assigned to a pool, but Kerbow would work at Westenfield Pool, which still operates in the neighborhood of the same name.

These women are the first documented female lifeguards in Austin.

The article included little other information about Kerbow and Parker. KUT News was unable to find additional details about Parker or any living relatives. But Kerbow, because of her distinct last name, was easier to find.

Kerbow was born in San Marcos in 1918 and grew up in New Braunfels, just south of Austin.

Her son, Dave, who owned the seafood restaurant Catfish Parlour in North Austin for decades, said his mother, like Binnie, spent much of her childhood in water.

“She had the Comal River, the Guadalupe River, Landa Park, all those places to swim,�� he said.

In the mid-1940s, the city was looking for women to fill lifeguard stands, and Dave said his mom was looking to make extra cash. She passed the test easily and began working as a lifeguard that summer. He said she worked at city pools on weekends and holidays for nearly a decade.

Dave described Kerbow as ahead of her time �� a woman who spoke her mind and rarely took no for an answer.

“She was very strong-willed,�� he said.

Kerbow began working in an Austin post office in 1950. She moved out to Wimberley 20 years later to take the job of postmaster. Dave said his mother lived in a house with a pool and swam often.

Kerbow passed away in 2013 at 94 years old.

How a swimming affair became a love affair

So, Binnie Seymour was not Austin’s first lady lifeguard. She and her family took the news well.

“I guess I lose a little bit of a bragging right,�� Laurel, Binnie’s granddaughter, said.

“Well, that’s interesting,�� Binnie said when told about Dorothy Kerbow.

And, as small-town Austin would have it, Binnie knew the Kerbows. She attended Austin High School with Dorothy's oldest child, Karen Kerbow.

“She was blonde-headed,�� Binnie recalled. “And she was just very sweet.��

Even though Binnie cannot claim the title of Austin's first female lifeguard, the hours spent swimming netted her something else: a love story.

While Binnie grew up spending time in rivers and creeks throughout Central Austin, she said she never learned how to swim well. Then, she met a boy named Billy when she was just a teenager.

“Billy could swim like a fish,�� Binnie said. “I just watched him swim, and before long, I was swimming like a fish, too.��

They got jobs together in the locker room at Deep Eddy Pool and became lifeguards around the same time. Binnie said this gave her the chance to keep an eye on her then-boyfriend.

“I just thought, ‘Oh, that’ll be fun! Billy’s a lifeguard and then I can watch Billy,'" she said. "I watched him to make sure he didn’t flirt with other girls.��

Binnie was an amateur photographer and the two often took photos at Mansfield Dam, with one or both of them standing on the dam’s edge.

In 1958, Binnie and Billy married. Most of the past seven decades, they said, have been spent happily �� and in water.

This story has been updated with a statement from the Austin Police Department

The city of Austin's automatic license plate reader program will come to a close at the end of the month.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced Tuesday night that City Council will not vote this week on renewing the program. The decision came after several community members and city leaders spoke out against it during a council work session that included Austin Police Department leaders.

“While I appreciate the Austin Police Department’s thorough presentation ... and have confidence that APD can continue to use this tool in a responsible way focused on keeping Austinites safe, I am also sensitive to community concerns and outstanding questions from members of the City Council,�� Broadnax said in an email to council members and Mayor Kirk Watson.

He said delaying the vote will give the city more time to address the concerns raised around data privacy.

In 2023, the City Council gave APD permission to pilot a program to use scanners to read license plates. The scanners allow police to run plates through a database to search for certain criminal activity, like stolen vehicles.

The city placed 40 cameras across the city �� many of them downtown �� and installed nearly 500 cameras on police vehicles to help catch criminals. The city’s contracted with Flock Safety and Axon to run the program.

Risks to vulnerable communities

But residents have expressed concerns about how the data is being maintained and the risks it creates for immigrant communities and those seeking health care prohibited by the state.

Critics said the captured information can be kept and shared with outside agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Texas Attorney General.

Council Member Mike Siegel said the city’s contract with Flock does not protect Austin’s vulnerable communities from mass surveillance, and that is really concerning as immigration and deportation efforts have escalated.

“Austin should not be participating in Trump’s mass surveillance programs,�� he said. “We have evidence that ICE is actively collaborating with Flock, and ICE essentially has side door access to Flock’s cameras and data sets and that data is being used to enforce ICE actions.��

A found that ICE has accessed these license plate reader databases to assist with deportations.

Siegel said the data could also be shared with other agencies that track people seeking abortions or gender-affirming care.

Policing tool

The Austin Police Department has maintained that the license plate reader program is helping crack down on crime, citing its ability to assist the department as it faces staffing issues.

“This police department is 300 officers short,�� Assistant Police Chief Sheldon Askew said. “We do not have enough officers to do the job that we would prefer to do without the use of technology to supplement [our work].��

Askew said the readers were helping to catch criminals and have led to arrests and justice for many victims across Austin. A found that 75 million scans resulted in 165 arrests, 133 prosecutions and one missing person found.

He also said the data is not being used for immigration-related searches or other unauthorized uses. The audit did find that information was not being shared for immigration purposes.

However, recent APD data Askew shared in an email to council members found that between 10%-20% of license plate searches in the database did not include a clear reason or case number, which is not in line with the city resolution allowing the program.

Askew said police department supervisors have been instructed to counsel officers to ensure their use of the technology aligns with the city’s goals and policy.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said during the work session Tuesday that she believed the city could be good stewards of the program.

“I take this very seriously,�� she said. “But I do feel that there is a way to do this and to do it in a way that we can be successful and have a program here as a large city that addresses violent crime. We can do both.��

But she ultimately agreed with Broadnax's decision to postpone the decision to continue the program.

"Listening to the concerns raised by our community members and elected officials has given us an important opportunity to pause and reassess the path forward," Davis said in a written statement. "The use of technology plays a critical role in how cases are solved and removing dangerous criminals from our streets. It is essential for us to responsibly look at ways to expand access to investigative technologies."

She said if the city decided to move forward with the program, she would be open to using a different vendor.

City leaders say the program could come back to council in five to six months. Staff will be looking at contract language, potential costs for the upcoming budget and how to help the police department fill gaps without this technology.

San Marcos is also grappling with the issue. After hours of testimony, the City Council voted early Wednesday to reject a proposal with Flock that would have expanded the city’s program.

Colton Luther isn’t usually one for inserting himself in politics. Yet, last week, he found himself writing a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott.

Luther works closely with farmers at Geremy Greens, a hemp farm located just outside Austin. He said Senate Bill 3, which would ban consumable THC products like vapes and gummies, will have massive implications for hemp farmers.

“This is bad policy," he said. "This is policy that takes away an entire industry. It takes away jobs, it takes away money. There is going to be a ton of devastation from this bill."

Luther’s message was one of roughly 120,000 handwritten letters and signed petitions from farmers, small business owners and veterans that were delivered to the governor’s office Monday. Each of them urges Abbott to veto SB 3 and rewrite a THC policy that calls for stricter regulation opposed to an all-out ban.

Luther said Texas farmers are losing money every day the bill hangs in limbo.

“Farmers out there are uncertain now of the next season,�� Luther said. “We have [some groves] that are actually on pause at the moment, losing money day by day, waiting to make sure what they grow, what they process, the transactions that they do, do not land them a felony.��

Lawmakers have reassured farmers that it’s just consumable hemp products that contain THC on the line, but Luther said that accounts for most of growers' business.

“If you take away the market that creates the demand that the farmers are upholding �� what business do we have left?�� he said.

Luther said many farmers are making plans to move to states where marijuana is legal or decriminalized, which he said are “begging�� for hemp production. But that's worse-case scenario.

"We love Texas. We love helping Texans. That's our biggest passion," he said. "That's why we're still here, why we go through these uncomfortable press conferences ... we really we do care about our neighbors."

U.S. Army Veteran Dave Walden also penned a letter to Abbott, warning a THC ban would leave veterans reliant solely on the Texas Compassionate Use Program. Walden said THC products through the program cost him five times more compared to options at cannabis dispensaries.

“A veteran that lives off disability and makes a couple grand a month and that’s all the income they have, how can they afford it?�� Walden said.

Mitch Fuller, the national and state legislative chairman for Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, also wrote to Abbott.

“[It’s] an important alternative modality to the opioids and antidepressants that the VA has been negligent in shoving down our throats for the last 25 years,�� he said. “That's the problem, that’s the poison: the opioids.��

Fuller said opposing SB 3 is the top priority for the veterans organization. He said taking away readily available THC products could result in an uptick in veteran suicides.

“Please don’t take something away from us that works,�� he said Monday.

SB 3 was championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who argues the bill will "save an entire generation from being hooked on drugs."

Patrick, along with other supporters of the bill, have raised concerns about children getting their hands on THC products sold in candy-like packaging throughout the state.

Aubree Adams, director of Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Texas, said her son became addicted to marijuana and experienced cannabis-induced psychosis.

"It’s a predatory, addiction for profit industry that wants to profit off the destruction of our families while they’re laughing all the way to the bank," she said. "They don’t want people to know the true harms of THC,�� she said.

Abbott has until June 22 to take action on the bill. He hasn't indicated whether he will veto it.

If he doesn't, or if he signs it, the bill will go into effect on September 1.

A string of storms last week brought flooding, dangerous winds and damaging hail to Austin.

They also brought much needed rain.

While the region remains deep in drought, the precipitation resulted in something the city has not seen in almost a year: a month of above-average rainfall. Meteorologists say that late spring rainfall will impact temperatures and humidity going into the summer.

The storms “tipped us over the scale for the month of May,�� Mary Wasson, a meteorologist for the San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle, told KUT News. “May is our wettest month, but most of [this] May was super dry until that last week.��

The week brought about 5 inches of rain to Austin’s Camp Mabry weather station, which had seen only about an inch and a half of precipitation in May up to that point.

By the end of the month, 6.5 inches had fallen at Camp Mabry, above the May average of 5 inches. It was the first month at Mabry to record above-average rainfall since July, according to National Weather Service data.

Spring averages and lake levels up, but drought remains

When it comes to weather forecasting and climate research, March through May are considered “meteorological spring.�� So the late May storms also pushed Austin's spring rainfall totals �� which had been discouragingly low �� closer to something like average.

Wasson says this spring now ranks 50th in 128 years of recordkeeping when it comes to the amount of rain that fell.

Austin’s two main water reservoirs also saw some benefit from the rainfall. The water levels in Lakes AG���˰ټ��� and Buchanan have both increased over a foot since the storms.

But the lakes are still significantly lower than they were , currently sitting about 49% full.

Due to low lake levels, Stage 2 drought restrictions remain in place in Austin. Those , including rules around outdoor watering, aim to reduce water usage from the Highland Lakes by 20%.

The Highland Lakes were last full in 2019, and experts say a complete rebound from drought is still a long way off.

Recent storms "will hardly put a dent in much, given the severity of this long term drought," Mack Morris with the National Weather Service in New Braunfels wrote to KUT. "But it certainly helps with short term stuff."

Keeping back the 100s?

In the short term, meteorologists say, late spring rains will likely help push back the arrival of triple digits, as the sun’s energy goes to burning off soil moisture rather than heating the earth.

“This week, we're looking at highs only in the 90s, despite some of that heat trying to creep back in,�� Wasson said. “Our normal [high temperature] this time of year is in the low 90s. So we’re not going to be too far away from that.��

But that soil moisture also increases humidity and can push the “feels like�� temperature much higher.

“It's a double-edged sword,�� Morris told KUT last month. “If you have more rain, you have more moisture in the soil, and you have higher humidity, so your heat indices will probably be higher in June.��

Austin celebrates Pride two months out of the year: in June during national Pride Month and in August, when the city holds its main Pride parade. That means there’s twice as many opportunities to celebrate LGBTQ+ history and identity.

Here’s a list of things to do around the area during this first round of festivities, from book clubs to art markets to drag performances.

Pride Flag Raising Ceremony, June 3

AG���˰ټ��� County Judge Andy Brown will host the fifth annual  from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 700 Lavaca St. The free event includes vendors, artists and interaction with LGBTQ+ leaders.

UMLAUF After Dark: PRIDE, June 3

The UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum near Barton Springs will hold a party with music, food, karaoke, aerial performances and an artist showcase on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is $12 per person; you or at the door.

Austin Public Library events, June 3-30

The city’s library system is hosting Pride events at multiple branches all month long. You can go to a , like I Saw the TV Glow, an , and, of course, LGBTQ-themed .

All the events are free. Find a full list of them on .

Queerbomb, June 7

Queerbomb is a free annual Pride celebration created in 2010 “to push back against corporate-centric pride’s exclusionary rhetoric�� and “insistence on ‘family friendliness.’�� The community-funded picnic doesn’t accept business sponsorships. This year’s Queerbomb will take place at the Capitol from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers say more information is coming; .

Round Rock Pride, June 7 

The Austin suburb’s free will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at Centennial Plaza. There will be food trucks, a lineup of performers and goods for sale from local artists.

Pride Party x The Little Gay Shop, June 8 

The Little Gay Shop, an Austin store selling art and books from LGBTQ+ creators, featuring dozens of queer-owned businesses. The free, family- and pet-friendly event includes a drag queen story hour for kids, book signings with local authors and free drinks for adults 21 and older. The indoor-outdoor event takes place at Distribution Hall in East Austin from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

UMLAUF Family Day: PRIDE, June 8 

The UMLAUF Sculpture Garden is also hosting a for LGBTQ+ youth from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can attend a queer comic workshop, do arts and crafts, and listen to book readings with ASL interpretation.

Neon Rainbows�� PRIDE & the Gay Ole Opry Drag Show, June 21

Neon Rainbows, an organization that puts on queer country events around Austin, will hold a at Cheer Up Charlies from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The party will kick off with two-stepping before a drag show starts at 11 p.m. The event is free and open to adults 21 and older.

Pride Bar Crawl, June 21

A will kick off at Thirsty Nickel on Sixth Street starting at 4 p.m. The go-at-your-own-pace event features multiple bars in downtown Austin, an afterparty from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. at Tiger Lilly, Pride-themed merch and drinks included in the cost of admission. Tickets are $24 per person, with prices set to go up after June 7. Proceeds will go to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.

Pease Park Pride Picnic, June 28

The Pease Park Conservancy will host a from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can take part in a book swap, go to a clay workshop, buy some shaved ice or dance to the DJ. The event is free and family-friendly.

Taylor Pride, June 28

The city of Taylor is hosting its fifth annual Pride celebration from 4 to 10 p.m. in Heritage Square Park. The free festival features music, local vendors and themed merch. A list of vendors isn’t available to the public yet; check for updates on .

Ten young singers dressed in tie-dyed shirts stood at the altar of a church on the Drag. Some were stiff, their eyes fixed straight ahead. Others swayed while tapping their thighs.

A couple managed a smile.

The audience of family members and supporters in pews across from them, meanwhile, had no trouble smiling.

The Pano Youth Choir had been practicing almost every Tuesday night since January for its inaugural performance earlier this month.

“It’s been a journey,�� 15-year-old soloist Theo Klumpp said after the show. “It didn’t sound like that the entire time, but even when it didn’t, there was definitely a very strong community.��

No auditions were required for the choir, which was made up of singers in sixth through 12th grades. It cost $185 to join �� though the fee could be reduced if it was prohibitive.

Many of the singers had been pushed to join by their moms. Director AV Villarreal said it took some time before a few felt comfortable singing with the group.

“I had some sweet kiddos who came in the first rehearsal and didn’t make any sounds at all. They sat in the back all by themselves with their arms crossed and their hoodie tied all the way around their face,�� they said. “And I was like �� well, you know, it’s just going to take time, because kids need to trust you �� before they are willing to be vulnerable."

With time, they said, the kids blossomed.

Villarreal, who has a master’s degree in choral conducting and has taught young singers for a decade, said they wanted to form the group in part because of their experience with Panoramic Voices. The adult choir, which doesn't require auditions, has been in Austin for more than 20 years and bills itself as having a “music without borders�� approach that welcomes singers of all experiences and backgrounds.

“[I like] just being part of an ensemble where there’s low pressure and where there’s community and people really enjoy making art together,�� they said. “I was like �� this has got to be for kids.��

Juli Orlandini, Panoramic Voices' managing artistic director, said she knew it was a perfect fit and told Villarreal to run with the idea.

“AV had complete artistic control,�� she said.

'One of the best inventions'

Growing up in Austin with a father who plays guitar, Maura Collier said she has always been into music �� and that it's good for your mental health.

"Music is beautiful and one of the best inventions," she said. "Everyone should be included in music, even if you can't sing that well."

The 12-year-old, who also played violin during the show, said she was shy at first, but that Villarreal was a great teacher. To calm her nerves before performing, Maura said she takes a few deep breaths.

“Deep Breaths�� was also the title of the spring program. Villarreal said they were inspired thinking about what the expression means in a post-pandemic world.

“It’s this thing [people] used to say to each other colloquially and comfortably as a quick way to calm down,�� they said. “After we’ve spent so much time afraid of sharing air with each other, how do we reconnect with our breath?"

Villarreal said they were intentional about choosing songs for the program and lifting up the voices of female composers. The soloists got to pick their own music.

Many of the songs were folky, like “Crowded Table�� by The Highwomen. Two singers performed a song from the movie Harriet. Then there was Ivy Kim, who stunned the audience with a piece from an Italian opera.

A space to grow

After the performance, Hindatu Mohammed wiped tears from her face.

“I was just crying the whole time,�� she said. “My child has never been in a choir before, so to be able to have a space for a newcomer to choir to really feel welcome and then to flourish, I don’t even have words for it. It’s incredible.��

This was Mohammed’s first time hearing her daughter, Malika, sing pieces from the show.

“She wouldn’t sing any solos for me [at home],�� she said, “so it was all completely surprising. It was all brand new.��

Orlandini and Villarreal are focused on growing the program in the fall and said more details will be available for those who are interested in joining.

Thirteen-year-old Ari Kahan said they would “absolutely�� do it again.

“Join us!�� Ari said. “No, seriously, we really need more members.��

Disclosure: Stephanie Federico is a member of Panoramic Voices.

Austin has paid out nearly $30 million to settle lawsuits over police conduct during protests following George Floyd's murder five years ago.

Most of the settlements were related to injuries caused by police using shotguns to fire lead-pellet bags at demonstrators outside the department's headquarters in May 2020.

A wave of lawsuits followed over police use of the so-called "less-lethal" ammunition. As of last week, the city had settled 27 lawsuits, including a $4.5 million settlement to Sam Kirsch.

Kirsch told Austin City Council on May 22 that he's suffered for years as a result of being shot in the face. He's had permanent nerve damage and had to have an eye removed six weeks ago.

He said the city could have "serious questions" over the next few years, given the frequent protests of the Trump administration.

"I really worry about what's going to happen the next time there's widespread protests, and it could easily happen on your watch," he told council members. "Will you ensure the safety of the people of Austin from APD when they're peacefully protesting, or are more people going to have life-changing injuries and will [the city] continue to pay millions?"

Other high-dollar settlements include $2.95 million to Brad Ayala, whose skull was fractured after he was shot in the head by an officer. Eve Howell, who was also nearly killed after being shot in the head, settled her lawsuit for $8 million in 2022.

A number of police officers were also indicted by AG���˰ټ��� County District Attorney José Garza, but most of those indictments have been dropped.

Since the protests, the city has rolled out changes within the Austin Police Department. In 2020, the city tried to move funding from APD, but that money was restored because of a state law banning cities from cutting money to police. APD also started to retool its training for police cadets, an effort that's been stymied by at the police academy. The city has also begun to roll out the Austin Police Oversight Act, a proposition approved by voters in 2023.

But attorney and criminal justice advocate Rebecca Webber, who represented Kirsch, told KUT the city has dragged its feet on many reforms, including the APOA. The measure, which aims to give civilians more access to police complaint files, was on hold for years because of state laws protecting police employment documents.

"The city has failed to implement it," she said. "So, I am possibly more frustrated today than I was five years ago about the city's failure to take accountability for its police department."

While Kirsch was able to get restitution, Webber said, APD avoided accountability. The department could have been found criminally liable, but its internal investigation wasn’t released until after a statute of limitations to prosecute expired.

KUT reached out to the city and the Austin Police Department for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline.

A previous version of this story referred to Eve Howell as Justin Howell. She no longer goes by that name.

Employees rushed in and out of Room Service Vintage carrying records, shelves, art, lamps and clothes to the sidewalk Thursday morning, a day after the shop flooded during a destructive storm.

Following the store's closing time, employees and vendors were gathered for a regular meeting when the storm hit and water began to rise.

“We were wading through it, all the carpets were squishy,�� store manager Cristin Cornal said. “We had like 10 people trying to push water out the front door ��  all working together with random tools.��

Cornal said the storm was over almost as soon as it started.

“The sun was out and we were like, ‘Our store’s completely flooded and it looks beautiful outside,’�� she said. “ Was that even real?��

Audrie San Miguel, a former employee and friend of the owner, got emotional as she saw the once brightly colored, patterned rugs dragged out through the front door. Now, they were wet and full of mud that muted the colors.

"That particular carpet was so valuable and so iconic," she said. " It's kind of part of the identity of Room Service."

The vintage store has been in North Loop since 1981, and the store owner said the rugs had been there since the '90s.

Room Service Vintage's neon sign was also damaged. Strong winds and hail led to several broken tubes and missing pieces in the sign.

San Miguel said some merchandise was ruined, and it will take time for the business and vendors to recover.

 ”The water rose so high that even stuff that was against the wall and hanging on the walls got water damage from the water rising so quickly,�� she said. “These are individual people that are missing out on days and days of sales.��

Rick Cole, restoration manager  with Water Damage Roofing and Restoration, was called to the vintage store Thursday morning to help with the water damage.

��"When the storm rolled in at about seven o'clock, we started getting multiple calls, minute after minute," he said. "And, of course, we only have so many people.

The main issue, Cole said, is addressing water damage in places that don't have power. Without electricity, workers can't plug in water extractors and dehumidifiers that help prevent mold from growing.

" There's only so many restoration companies in town... It was 1:30 a.m. when I finally fell asleep and I got up at 6," he said. "Running on fumes."

Room Service Vintage is currently closed but hopes to reopen on Tuesday, .

At least one person is dead as a result of the severe storm that hit Austin on Wednesday.

The person was walking in a creek bed with two others in the . The adult was pronounced dead on the scene after being submerged in water for over 20 minutes, Austin-AG���˰ټ��� County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said at a news conference Thursday morning.

There were nine water-rescue calls during the storm. The calls included vehicle rescues and pedestrians swept away by water, city officials said.

Around 13,000 Austin Energy customers at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday. A single utility customer typically represents 2.5 people, so the outage is impacting around 32,500 residents.

The utility said it could take a few days to get service back for everyone. It said it would update estimated restoration times once the damage was fully assessed.

So far, crews have seen extensive property damage, Stuart Riley, interim general manager of Austin Energy, said. Strong winds as high as 77 mph and fallen trees pulled down power lines and poles, leading to a peak of 72,500 customers, or around 181,250 people, without power. More than 100 utility poles were broken in the storm.

"Looking at our outage history data in our system, which goes back to 2012, this event is the third worst storm we have had in Austin Energy, following only Winter Storm Mara and Winter Storm Uri," he said.

Austin Energy warned residents not to touch downed power lines or tree limbs that are touching them. Call 512-322-9100 to report a downed line.

Flooding can make roads dangerous, and city officials do not recommend trying to drive through standing water as it is often deeper than it looks. Multiple low-water crossings are closed around Central Texas. Check the status of roads at .

Wednesday's storm brought hail, high winds and rain that led to flash flooding. Around 2-3 inches of rain fell within the span of half an hour, officials said.

Austin resident Don Gillespie said the storm was by far the most intense rainfall he’s experienced.

“We’ve had a few heavy rain events, but we haven’t had anything like this in a while,�� Gillespie said. “It all seemed to come and go pretty quickly.��

He said it all happened in the span of about 30 minutes. The hail started first along with strong winds. Then the rain came.

Once the sun came out, Gillespie said he walked out to see Hancock Creek, which is just a few hundred feet from his North Austin home where he has lived since 2003.

Normally, he said, the creek is down to a trickle or dry, but on Wednesday the water rose to about a foot or so beneath the pedestrian bridge that spans it. The water was flowing quickly.

He said he noticed a man looking for his friend. A little after 7 p.m., Gillespie said he heard emergency vehicle sirens. The missing man was found and was declared deceased by the rescue crew.

The National Weather Service concluded the storm was not a tornado but a "microburst," a storm with strong, downdraft winds. The NWS estimated the sustained winds were between 65-85 mph, which is about as strong as a Category 1 hurricane.

Damage is mainly centered around North and Central Austin.

Isolated and scattered thunderstorms with the potential for large hail, damaging winds and heavy rain are possible in Austin between 2 and 6 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said.

If rain falls in the same places it did last night, more flooding is likely, NWS meteorologist Emily Heller said.

There are no severe storm watches or warnings currently in effect.