Travis County hires law professor as its first-ever public defender

Travis County has hired University of Virginia law professor Adeola Ogunkeyede as the first person to lead its public defender office. Until last year, the county was the largest jurisdiction in the United States without an office to handle cases…

Community reacts to APD racial profiling study at Public Safety Commission

Last week, a report from the city’s Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation, and Equity Office showed that black and Hispanic drivers are more likely to be stopped in their vehicles by Austin police than white and Asian drivers.…

Real estate group's $1M donation will help fuel expansion plans for Community First! Village

A $1 million donation from the Austin Board of Realtors will help the Community First! Village of Austin with its plans to expand and add more homes for the chronically homeless throughout Austin. In an announcement made Monday, the professional…

C3 Presents partnership will bring touring acts to Moody Amphitheater starting in 2021

The new Moody Amphitheater in Waterloo Park will be programmed with large touring music acts booked through local live concert giant C3 Presents and Live Nation. The Waterloo Greenway nonprofit that is steering the creation of the urban parks system…

Capital Metro to modernize information delivery with onboard displays

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority will soon outfit 67 local service buses with 29-inch wide-screen digital displays, initiating a new era of dynamic passenger information delivery. Last week, the agency’s board of directors unanimously approved a contract with Clever Devices,…

Parks staff mark completion of first phase of Walnut Creek trail project

The city has brought to a close all major work on the portion of the Walnut Creek Hike and Bike Trail that runs through Balcones District Park, located to the west of MoPac Expressway. In a presentation to the Parks…

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Republic Square Salt & Time sign takes more time

Republic Square is one of the original squares in the city of Austin, but it has long been an underutilized spot in the city center. In an effort to activate the space, the city has worked for the past few…

Audit finds tax increment financing works

According to a report from the Office of the City Auditor, the city has successfully used tax increment financing to attract development to places that otherwise might not have seen new infrastructure, such as Austin’s old airport, now the Mueller…

Advocates host discussion on what makes good transit

November’s transportation bond hasn’t taken shape yet, but is likely to feature the largest public transit investment residents have ever been asked to consider. In light of that, transit advocates and grassroots organizations hosted a talk Wednesday with Christof Spieler,…

Austin releases reworked land code ahead of second of three votes to finalize

The Austin City Council released the second draft of its Land Development Code Friday, the latest step in the city’s more than half-decade-long attempt to update the rules determining what can be built in the city and where. “The code…

Reporter's Notebook: Wake wake

Is nothing sacred?… The Historic Landmark Commission exercised its right to delay the advancement of an application for a two-story deck at 311 E. Sixth St. at its Jan. 27 meeting. In a unanimous vote, commissioners asked staff to postpone…

Austin Monitor Radio: Austin Tenants Council

On this week’s edition of Austin Monitor Radio, Daniel Armendariz, a senior housing advocate with the Austin Tenants Council, joins Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns to talk about the issues renters face in Austin. Listen in below for a conversation…