Save Austin Now works ethics commissioners' last nerve

The nonprofit that launched the successful campaign to recriminalize behavior related to homelessness in the May 1 election has again tried the patience of the Ethics Review Commission, which on Wednesday voted to postpone a final hearing on a complaint…

Report depicts the state of poverty in Travis County

On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court fielded discussion from Health and Human Services on the state of poverty in Travis County. Rochelle Olivares, April Klein and Lawrence Lyman, the core informing team of the HHS Research and Planning Division, presented a…

Tourism Commission recommendations include gondolas funded by hotel tax

A transit system geared toward tourists, paying Austin musicians to promote local tourism, and a variety of programming and promotional efforts for historic sites are among a new batch of recommended uses for the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax dollars. This…

With state change, Board of Adjustment could consider new hardships

A move by the Texas Legislature could change the way the city grants variances to the Land Development Code. The bill, House Bill 1475, would add another type of hardship for the Board of Adjustment to consider – the financial…

PARD publishes update on Montopolis Negro School preservation effort

For nearly three decades in the 20th century, the Montopolis Negro School gave Black children an education in an era when they were not welcome in Austin schools. The schoolhouse at 500 Montopolis Drive was not just a place of education,…

Postmortem of winter storm raises many questions

While individuals and departments shone in their dedication to the city and its people during the cascade of calamities caused by Winter Storm Uri, City Manager Spencer Cronk still has a lot of questions to answer when he releases the…

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Vaccination in the county continues to soar, as FDA approves Pfizer for kids

The Travis County Commissioners Court and Austin City Council convened Tuesday to receive updates from interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott on the Covid-19 vaccination progress in the region. Thirty-eight percent of individuals in Travis County were fully vaccinated as…

City leaders, Austin police say arrests will be a 'last resort' as enforcement of homelessness ordinances resumes

It’s illegal – once again – for people experiencing homelessness to set up encampments throughout most of the city. Sitting or lying down in some stretches of Austin and panhandling at night are also against the law after voters this month…

Austin won't make arrests during first phase of reinstating rules related to homelessness

After voters passed Proposition B on May 1, Austin is reinstating rules that ban homeless encampments on public land, prohibit sitting or lying down in parts of the city, and place a nighttime curfew on panhandling. While those rules go…

Council approves rezoning for Foundation Communities project, quashing valid petition

A 100 percent affordable apartment project is coming soon to Southeast Austin. City Council has approved a rezoning for the Parker Apartments, a project by affordable housing developer Foundation Communities with 135 income-restricted units catering to families. Council members voted…

Downtown vacancies eyed for arts activations, tenants with new pilot program

Vacant storefronts in downtown Austin could become temporary homes for arts and creative organizations beginning this summer thanks to a pilot program under development by the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation. The foundation is currently working on a lease agreement with…

Environmental Commission mulls Brackenridge redevelopment

The Environmental Commission fielded discussion on May 5 regarding redevelopment plans for the Brackenridge Hospital site, a 14-acre area located at 601 E. 15th St. Since the hospital historically treated indigent people in the Austin area, City Council decided that…