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1705 E Sixth

An East Austin family unites to fight against historical designation for their home

Sometimes, despite their home’s historical ties, a family still believes it is time to sell it to a developer. One such example is a small 19th-century Victorian folk-style home at 1705 East Sixth St. It is one of the few buildings…

Travis County bush

Public defender office task force off to a slow start

Having decided to establish a public defender office in Travis County, the Commissioners Court now faces the task of organizing the preliminary steps to begin that process. After a recommendation to the court last Tuesday in a report from the…

What does early voting's first day mean?

Election officials across Texas reported record turnouts for a nonpresidential election on Monday, and the first day of early voting for the midterm elections in Travis County was no exception. In Travis County, 6 percent of registered voters cast ballots…

band on a stage

Noise enforcement called key to new push for 'agent of change' ordinance

The city is making another attempt to find peace and common ground between music and entertainment venues and high-rise hotels or residences as those two land uses becoming increasingly intermixed while Austin continues to grow. A resolution passed under consent…

Hope Farmer's Market

City staff gets green light to research public plaza program

While it’s fashionable in the U.S. for private enterprises to attach the word “plaza” to many things that are not, like shopping malls or condominiums, a public plaza can be hard to find (Austin’s beautiful Plaza Saltillo actually prohibits “loitering,”…

ZAP favors half of zoning case

In the end, the Zoning and Platting Commission approved a rezoning for 200 feet of a property just east of U.S. Highway 183 at 7712 FM 969. However, the approval was made not exactly at the recommendation of staff or…

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Austin Monitor Radio: District 3, Part II

This week, City Council candidates Amit Motwani and Susana Almanza join incumbent Pio Renteria for a … spirited … discussion with Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano. Tune in for a discussion about why each candidate is…

Laura Morrison and Steve Adler

Here are the candidates running to be Austin's next mayor

If you’re tired of hearing about the face-off between Sen. Ted Cruz and Congressman Beto O’Rourke, maybe it’s time to turn your attention to local elections, like the mayor’s race. Mayor Steve Adler is fighting to retain his seat against…

district 9 map

Transit, CodeNEXT, homelessness grab attention for District 9 candidates

The candidates vying for City Council’s District 9 seat next month have their pick of issues and pain points that need fixing. From transportation to homelessness to the recently scrapped CodeNEXT process to update the city’s Land Development Code, there…

old bee caves road

Landowner offers environmental concessions, gets commission approval for restricted covenant updates

Down in Southwest Austin, behind the Oak Hill HEB, is an undeveloped 18-acre parcel of land that is subject to a 1987 restrictive covenant. Currently, the undeveloped land at 6901 Old Bee Caves Road is zoned for commercial use, but because…

Reporter's Notebook: Every dog has its day

And another thing… At the beginning of Thursday’s City Council meeting, Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano took a minute to update Austinites on the flood conditions in the city and efforts by the city to mitigate the issues caused by…

Ken Casaday

Casaday scolds Council over lack of contract

The president of the Austin Police Association lashed out at City Council during Thursday’s meeting over the city’s failure to reach an agreement with the union over police officers’ pay and benefits. “I want everybody on the Council to know…