Stories by Austin Monitor
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Travis County bonds
Travis County Bond Advisory Committee member John Langmore joins Austin Monitor freelance reporter Caleb Pritchard to talk about (what else?) bonds. Specifically, they discuss the upcoming November election, and what Travis County has in store for voters this time around.…
Monday, July 10, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Just mull it over
“Sanctuary cities” protests continue… Protesters interrupted a Cedar Park Fourth of July parade last week to protest Senate Bill 4. No one was arrested, but they were removed so the parade could continue. They told KVUE they were calling for…
Monday, July 3, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Good vibes
Worth getting up for… Sometimes in the course of covering events for the Austin Monitor there are moments when it seems like things are going to go off the rails. It happens pretty frequently during the public comment portion of…
Wednesday, June 28, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: City Demographer Ryan Robinson
City of Austin demographer Ryan Robinson sits down with Austin Monitor editor Liz Pagano to talk about demographic shifts, trends and even a few predictions about the future of this fair city of ours. Join us, with the embedded audio…
Monday, June 26, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: What is equity, really?
There’s always a silver lining… If you only read the transcript of Mary Owens’ remarks to City Council during Citizen Communication on Thursday – and therefore could not hear the frustration and contempt conveyed by the tone of her voice…
Monday, June 26, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: County Commissioner Jeff Travillion
Travis County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Travillion sits down with Austin Monitor reporter Caleb Pritchard to talk about affordability, transportation and other pressing issues facing the county’s northeastern quadrant. Audio embedded below:
Monday, June 19, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Best-laid plans
No two ways about it… yet… Like many, many other projects around town, the conversion of downtown’s Colorado Street to a two-way avenue will be delayed, albeit slightly. Crews have been reconstructing the street from the Governor’s Mansion on West…
Monday, June 19, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Talking Texas Legislature with Deece Eckstein
Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator for Travis County Deece Eckstein joins Austin Monitor reporter Caleb Pritchard to talk over the ins and outs of the 85th Texas Legislature on the verge of what promises to be a very special session for the…
Monday, June 12, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: This week in conflict management
Fighting for privacy in the nude… During a special City Council meeting Wednesday, John Miki, one of the consultants leading the proposed overhaul of the city’s Land Development Code, described some of the community divisions over development that he encountered…
Monday, June 12, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Let’s talk about bikes
Bike Austin board president Hill Abell joins Austin Monitor editor Liz Pagano and Monitor reporter Caleb Pritchard to talk about bikes. Tune in to hear the latest on mobility bond bike projects, bicycling challenges in Austin and to check in…
Tuesday, May 30, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Conspiracies
Think before you speak… As we reported, last week’s final meeting of the Visitor Impact Task Force was a marathon affair. After nearly six months of meetings, the group kicked off the final round of bargaining over the details of…
Monday, May 22, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Art and other concerns
Austin artists aren’t good enough?… As part of its consent agenda on Thursday, City Council approved three contracts with firms and artists to provide artwork to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and an Austin Energy cooling plant. Council approved the electric…
Friday, May 19, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Public Safety
Austin City Council votes to challenge Texas over new ‘sanctuary cities’ law
By Lisa Dreher and Elizabeth Pagano Though it has already been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Austin City Council can now pursue its own case against Texas’ “sanctuary cities” law. On Thursday, Council voted to allow the city…
Monday, May 15, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Not our jam
Bit of turbulence during that pilot program… An attempt by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to make “data driven decisions” went slightly off the rails at Tuesday’s City Council work session, where Council members learned that a “parks pass”…
Monday, May 8, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Return of the hat
Return of the Commission Commission?… Once upon a time, there was a Boards and Commissions Transition Task Force that put together a long report on how the city might best manage its boards and commissions in light of the switch…
Monday, May 8, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Evolve Austin’s Andy Cantu
Evolve Austin executive director Andy Cantu joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about CodeNEXT as part of our radio series that examines the differing points of view that surround the rewrite of the City of Austin’s Land Development…
Monday, May 1, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: CodeISSUES
CodeNUDE… CodeNEXT might not represent as radical a change as some may hope (or fear). For instance, the draft of the new code that City Council is now examining made absolutely no changes to how the city will define “adult-specified…
Monday, April 24, 2017 by Austin Monitor
City Council
Reporter’s Notebook: It’s the little things
Honorifics Olympics… Mayor Steve Adler appears to be having a tough time deciding how to refer to Council Member Alison Alter on the dais. The mayor tends to address his Council colleagues as “Mr.” or “Ms.” during meetings, but on…
Monday, April 17, 2017 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: But what came next will surprise you
I, Stuart Harry Hersh… A few months ago, long-time housing advocate and former city staffer Stuart Harry Hersh bought a house. While undoubtedly a big moment for Hersh personally, it’s also been a transition at City Hall where for years,…
