After years of service, Slusher retires from city

After nine years on City Council, about 18 months at Austin Energy and more than 12 years as Austin Water’s assistant director for environmental affairs and conservation, Daryl Slusher hung up his city spurs last week, retiring on Dec. 31.…

City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 6, 2020

Parks department staff occupy and transform a historic home in South Austin

A rare and intact example of a mid-1860s rural Travis County residence sits at 10140 Old San Antonio Road. After years of neglect, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department has taken over stewardship of the property and installed an administrative…

Preservation • By Jessi Devenyns • Jan 6, 2020

Planning Commission recommends a commercial zoning change in the heart of Brentwood

Commercial enterprises are sprinkled throughout Brentwood, a residential neighborhood in North-Central Austin. However, the request for a zoning change to turn a residential home into a real estate office brought concerned residents to the Dec. 10 meeting of the Planning…

Planning • By Jessi Devenyns • Jan 6, 2020

Austin Monitor Radio: Impervious cover and the LDC

The city’s ongoing attempt to rewrite the Land Development Code touches on many facets of development in Austin. In this installment of our radio show, we take a closer look at how the rewrite will impact impervious cover – the…

Radio • By Austin Monitor • Jan 6, 2020

Adler: 2019 saw action, and frustration, on city's long-standing issues

Looking back on 2019, Mayor Steve Adler sees a year where a series of major issues came to inflection points on which he and City Council had to take decisive action – and then face the criticism that often follows…

City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 3, 2020

County Judge Sarah Eckhardt sees a future of tough decisions and tax referendums for Travis County

Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has plenty of good news to report as she looks back on 2019. Her greatest achievement is the county’s new public defender’s office, for which she was the lead champion on the Commissioners Court. While…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 3, 2020

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe

After quarter-century on court, Gómez sees pros and cons in change

Margaret Gómez has served on the Travis County Commissioners Court for 24 years, representing a precinct whose boundaries roughly correspond with the southeastern quadrant of the county, including nearly all of South Austin east of South Lamar Boulevard. Her career…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 2, 2020

Gerald Daugherty, Travis County's last Republican, fears for county's fiscal future

Gerald Daugherty has long said that this would probably be his last term in office. However, for a couple of days at the beginning of December, there were whispers that the Commissioners Court’s lone Republican might try for another four-year…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 2, 2020

2019: Austin's year in review

Homelessness If there was one topic that dominated local news coverage this year – and there was – it was homelessness. In June, City Council voted to lift ordinances that essentially criminalized homelessness in the city, and most significantly, prohibited…

Austin • By Elizabeth Pagano • Dec 30, 2019

Alter highlights progress in public safety in 2019

Out of all the work she’s accomplished this year, Council Member Alison Alter is particularly proud of what she’s brought to fruition in the realm of public safety. Beginning in January, Alter posted a resolution calling for a third-party audit…

City Council • By Ryan Thornton • Dec 27, 2019

Jeff Travillion says it's time to pay attention to eastern Travis County

Jeff Travillion believes it’s time for the east side to get some love from local leaders. While private dollars are transforming the look and feel of much of East Austin and making it increasingly hard for many longtime residents to…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Dec 27, 2019

As the planet warms, Brigid Shea is planning Travis County's response

Commissioner Brigid Shea may have been elected to handle issues at the county level, but her focus is global. “My major focus in running for reelection, I believe very strongly as community leaders that we have to do more to…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Dec 27, 2019

« Previous Page — Next Page »