Watch our District 9 forum

On Friday, all eight candidates running for City Council in District 9 participated in a forum hosted by KUT and the Austin Monitor. You can watch the forum, which was hosted by Austin Monitor reporter Sean Saldaña, below. Joining  Saldaña…

Council opts to make Austin a friendlier place for backyard chickens

Chicken enthusiasts have cause for celebration, as a proposal to loosen setback regulations for chicken coops passed last week on City Council’s consent agenda. The move stems from a collaboration between the Public Health Department and the Office of Sustainability,…

Study finds middle-income housing fund outperforms high-dollar real estate

An Austin investment fund created to support and stabilize middle-income rental housing has been verified as an attractive and viable investment by researchers from two Texas universities. Affordable Central Texas, which began acquiring middle-income rental communities in late 2018, has…

Rock climbing gym to relocate, pending rezoning

A locally owned rock climbing gym may be getting a new home. Crux Climbing Center plans to open a new location near SouthPark Meadows and leave its current location on South Congress, should a rezoning request prove successful. “We’re not…

Plans for South Congress PUD include rooftop beehives and bird-safe glass

At its regular meeting this week, the Environmental Commission heard a preview of an upcoming planned unit development proposal for 311-315 South Congress Avenue. The commission heard the Project Assessment Report from both Housing & Planning Department staff and Steve…

Watch our District 8 forum

On Thursday, three of the four candidates running for City Council in District 8 participated in a forum hosted by KUT and the Austin Monitor. You can watch the forum, which was hosted by KUT’s Jerry Quijano, below. Joining Quijano…

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Audit criticizes city’s services for older adults

The team from the Austin city auditor’s office scrutinizing services for aging adults found numerous problems with how the city communicates about its programs and lacks a plan for measuring the performance of those programs. Auditor-in-charge Kelsey Thompson reported on…

As Congress Avenue bats prepare to migrate, officials consider ways to better care for the colony

Austin’s bats are in need of additional protections and the city is preparing to take some small steps to aid the colony.  During an Animal Advisory Commission meeting last week, members voted unanimously on recommendations to help the Congress Avenue bats…

Austin Community College has a $770 million bond on the ballot this election. Here's what's in it.

Austin Community College could see an expansion of its workforce development programs and two new campuses if voters pass a $770 million bond proposition in the November election. If voters approve ACC District Prop A, each of the 11 existing ACC…

Austin's growing pains impacting housing, jobs east of 130

The push of economic development flowing from Austin has officially hit the SH-130 corridor, and is bringing the same pressure on infrastructure, housing and workforce development that have become regular talking points in Austin political circles for years. At a…

Watch our District 5 forum

On Wednesday, five of the six candidates running for City Council in District 5 participated in a forum hosted by KUT and the Austin Monitor. You can watch the forum, which was hosted by Austin Monitor reporter Nina Hernandez, below.…

District 3 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part II

Read Part I of the series here. Esala Wueschner came to Austin four years ago after googling the best places to live for young, single people. He says he’s energized to run because he’s always felt drawn to service roles. …