TEXAS — The self-driving taxi known as Waymo is taking a break in Austin.

Since the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, Austin Independent School District (AISD) has recorded at least 20 stop-arm violations committed by the autonomous vehicles.

Cameras installed on school buses through the district’s Stop-Arm Camera Program show Waymo vehicles passing buses when they brake and have their stop arm extended. In some instances, the self-driving vehicles come close to hitting students getting off the bus.

“There’s not a similar pattern,” said Travis Pickford, assistant chief of the Austin ISD Police Department. “There’s not consistency there, other than the Waymo’s are consistently passing our buses.”

Pickford said despite Waymo operating in Austin for years, the district only found out about the stop-arm violations this year when they switched to a new vendor for the Stop-Arm Camera Program.

AISD and Waymo have gone back and forth on this issue, with AISD notifying the company of the violations and the district’s demands for a software update. Waymo replied in November, saying its vehicles have been updated. 

Nonetheless, there were more violations cited by AISD, totaling at least 20 violations as of Nov. 20. And the issue, according to Pickford, is not exclusive to AISD.

“Eanes, Pflugerville, Leander, Round Rock, Del Valle, just to name those five,” he said. “I can only assume that if we’re seeing violations on our buses, it’s entirely possible that violations are occurring in those districts as well.”

“It’s our position and our belief that they need to stop operating while our school buses are out on the roadway,” Pickford said.

Because of the violations, Waymo voluntarily recalled more than 3,000 vehicles in its fleet.

Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer, said:

“While we are incredibly proud of our strong safety record showing Waymo experiences twelve times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians than human drivers, holding the highest safety standards means recognizing when our behavior should be better.

“As a result, we have made the decision to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA related to appropriately slowing and stopping in these scenarios. We will continue analyzing our vehicles’ performance and making necessary fixes as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.”

The recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also cites the stop arm violations are cause for the recall, stating:

“Prior to the affected Waymo ADS [automated driving system] receiving the remedy described in this report, in certain circumstances, Waymo vehicles that were stopped or stopping for a school bus with its red lights flashing and/or the stop arm extended would proceed again before the school bus had deactivated its flashing lights and/or retracted its stop arm.”

As Waymo plans to expand operations into San Antonio and Dallas, Pickford urged the company to ensure all vehicles are following the law before putting more students in the state in harm’s way.

“[People need to] be a voice and be a part of whatever safety working group is coming together to discuss Waymo or any autonomous vehicle operation in their area,” Pickford said.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Health officials urge Texans to take precaution as flu cases ramp up across the state.

Recent data from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) show an uptick in flu-related hospitalizations this season. Weekly emergency department visits have also increased by over 4,000 this month, reaching a high of 9,993 in mid-December.

Austin-based physician assistant Jordan Jones with Baylor Scott & White Urgent Care said she is seeing a large rise of the influenza A virus in the Texas area.

“We’re seeing quite a few patients that are coming in who either have known exposures or positive home tests, which are really great things to have on hand in this season,” Jones noted.

Compared to the rest of the country, Jones said Texas is seeing a moderate level of influenza, however public health officials expect cases to intensify through Christmas and New Years.

“We’re probably going to see a nice rise after the holidays, but we really can’t prepare for exactly when the actual peak will be,” Jones said.

It’s not just flu cases that are expected to spike after the holidays. Jones said Texans should be prepared for cases of other respiratory illnesses like RSV and Covid-19 to climb.

“We really want you to be careful if you are spending time with your family,” Jones said. “If you’re having any symptoms, let other people know so that they can choose: do we want to still plan the holidays together or not?”

What should you look out for?

When it comes to signs and symptoms of the most common flu strain right now, influenza A, Jones described it as feeling like “you got hit by a freight train.”

“That’s what I always tell patients is that all of a sudden you’re down for the count,” she explained.

Common symptoms include:

• Fever
• Body aches
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Congestion

As for prevention, Jones recommends getting the flu shot, handwashing, and carrying antibacterial hand sanitizer if you plan to travel.

“It’s hard for your immune system to fight a virus if you are exposed to something. Allowing yourself rest and stress reduction is also going to help you stay healthy,” Jones said.

Jones recommends seeing a health professional within the first 48 hours of experiencing symptoms to be prescribed Tamiflu, an antiviral medication to treat influenza A.

Bluegrass musician Billy Strings sold out Austin’s iconic ACL Live at The Moody Theater, where Strings closed his headlining North American tour.

​Billy Strings, born William Apostol, is an American singer and songwriter from Michigan. Music has always been a big part of Strings’ life, but he started his music career seriously in 2012. He took on the name Billy Strings after his Aunt saw his talent on various traditional bluegrass instruments. Today, Strings tours with a handful of bluegrass musicians, including Royal Masat (bass), Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), and Billy Failing (banjo).

This past year, Strings and his band have been touring North America, concluding their tour with two shows in Austin, TX. The first being at the Moody Center and the second and final being at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Billy Strings is no stranger to ACL Live and has previously recorded multiple episodes of the venue’s famous series. His debut aired in 202,1 and he went on to record another taping in 2024. In 2024, Billy Strings released his most recent album, Highway Prayers. The album explores themes of personal reflection, identity, and family.

Billy Strings didn’t have an opener and began his set at a little after 8 PM. He opened his set with a few classic bluegrass covers, some being “Riding the Midnight Train” by The Doc Watson Family and “Big Spike Hammer” by The Osborne Brothers. He also performed originals like “It Ain’t Before” from his latest album, Highway Prayers. The song is about feeling disadvantaged by societal systems that don’t work in your favor. The song blends traditional and modern bluegrass sounds, featuring a mouth harp in the original recording.

​The band sped through some more classics while the audience on the floor cut up a rug. He performed a few more originals, such as “Gone a Long Time” from Highway Prayers  and “These Memories of You” from his 2017 album Turmoil & Tinfoil. The latter was recorded with his stepfather, the one who introduced Strings to the genre. The song reflects on their sustained relationship. 

Fans were surprised and delighted when Strings began “Cora Is Gone,” by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and The Foggy Mountain Boys. Strings and his band haven’t performed the cover since 2020. Ultimately, Billy Strings closed his set with Patty Griffin’s “We Shall All Be Reunited,” clearly implying that Strings will be back to commune with the locals of Austin.

Billy Strings will be back on tour soon enough. In February, he will kick off a tour in Georgia and finish towards the end of April in Indiana. Billy Strings has successfully kept an exceptional genre alive by sharing his and his band’s talent with the world.

BILLY STRINGS
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