Environmental regulations finally set to move forward

City Council is considering directing city staff to revise some of the city’s environmental regulations this week, with an eye to protecting the city from the growing threat of industrial discharges, flooding and the heat island effect so common in…

TSA lines are out the door again at Austin's airport

The lines for security screenings spilled out of the Barbara Jordan Terminal and onto the sidewalk Saturday morning at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The wait was so long that some people who showed up well in advance missed their flights. “It…

MetroBike program gears up for 10-year expansion project

Cyclists can expect to see expanded bike-share infrastructure roll out in the next few years, as the team behind the city’s MetroBike program prepares to bring an updated interlocal agreement to City Council this summer. Since 2013, MetroBike (formerly B-cycle)…

County, nonprofits prepare to administer supportive housing resolution

The Travis County Commissioners Court met for a work session Thursday to review the ongoing, federally funded affordable housing initiatives in the Austin area. Multiple nonprofits are preparing to build supportive housing in Travis County using federal American Rescue Plan…

Former Capital Idea head running for ACC board

Three spots on the Austin Community College District Board of Trustees – places 4, 5 and 6 – will be up for election this November. Steve Jackobs, the founder and longtime executive director of Capital Idea, stepped down from the…

More dominoes fall in Austin's disappearing warehouse district

As tensions erupted over plans to redevelop Fourth Street at the last meeting of the Historic Landmark Commission, the case of a brick warehouse on the corner of Sixth and Lavaca was caught in a three-way crossfire that flew more…

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HAAM seeks $1M from city to provide health care for musicians

The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians is seeking $1 million from the city to help maintain health care coverage for 3,000 local musicians and cover an additional 1,000 who qualify for assistance from the nonprofit. During a presentation at last…

Neighborhood association attempts to put kibosh on housing for the homeless

Advocates and city officials often say affordable housing is the key to ending homelessness. But as a rezoning case heard Tuesday at the Planning Commission showed, this type of housing can be hard to build, due in part to neighborhood…

Judge hears arguments on Council election lawsuit

After a hearing Thursday, Travis County District Judge Lora Livingston told attorneys for the city and for plaintiffs seeking to force the city to hold City Council elections in all districts this fall that she would make a decision on…

Utility commission ponders letting new developments shoulder rate increase

Austin’s Electric Utility Commission is thinking over some suggestions to offer to City Council about Austin Energy’s rate review, which as currently proposed would increase the utility’s base rate by 7.6 percent to make up for a $48 million deficit.…

Staff seeks to build a better way to manage homeless encampments

City staffers are making a series of changes to the management of homeless encampments, with a centralized response and assessment system in the works that is expected to become operational later this summer. City Council’s Public Health Committee received a…

Planning Commission recommends rezoning amid 'heartwrenching' testimony

A case at the Planning Commission Tuesday highlighted the vulnerability of renters amid Austin’s rapid growth, as older apartment buildings are increasingly torn down to make way for new development. At issue is the Old Homestead apartment complex, an 80-year-old,…