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Stories by Charlotte Moore
Monday, October 7, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Elections
VanDeWalle is lone Republican candidate in District 50 House race
Four weeks from Tuesday, Travis County voters who live in Texas House District 50 will have the opportunity to clearly define the kind of representation they want on the state level. For them, November’s election is made more interesting in…
Friday, October 4, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Elections
Celia Israel runs for District 50 with a long history of public service
Celia Israel’s civic service resume reads a mile long. The long-time Travis County Democrat is probably most recognized for the work she did on former Gov. Ann Richards’ administration. But that was only one of many destinations along Israel’s…
Friday, October 4, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Elections
Chang Sheppard uses business experience to run for District 50
Jade Chang Sheppard – Democratic candidate for State Representative, District 50 – makes being a successful business woman, a wife and mother of two, and doting daughter look good. But parts of the political hopeful’s journey to get where she…
Thursday, October 3, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Elections
Profile: Reyes says varied background is an advantage in District 50 race
Rico Reyes’ run for the vacant District 50 State Representative seat rests firmly on his desire to give to a community he claims to know more intimately than his competitors. If roots were votes, Reyes might automatically be front-runner.…
Thursday, September 26, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Politics
City gets closer to streamlined process for special event permits
After years of discussion, the City of Austin appears to be getting closer to streamlining its process for issuing special events permits. It’s a move at least one local event planner says is necessary to address what can currently…
Friday, September 20, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Central Austin, University Democrats endorse Israel for District 50
The Central Austin Democrats and the University Democrats endorsed Austin realtor and former member of Gov. Ann Richards’ administration Celia Israel for the State Representative House District 50 seat. Rep. Mark Strama resigned from the seat in June to…
Friday, September 13, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Austin, Travis County cut program funding for Clean Air Force
The City of Austin and Travis County are planning to shift some of the funding they’ve traditionally contributed to the Clean Air Force of Central Texas to a different air quality organization in the upcoming year. The move appears…
Wednesday, September 11, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
County benchmarks Civil-Family Courthouse budget at $284 million
Travis County’s Planning and Budget Office is working with a fresh target cost – a few tens of millions of dollars less than the original projection – for getting the new downtown Civil and Family Courthouse built. On Tuesday, Commissioners…
Friday, September 6, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
MACC Board takes heat from constituents over pending land deal
The advisory board for the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center received a slight verbal lashing from two community activists at its meeting Wednesday night, a result of rising frustration over the fate of a prime parcel of city-owned…
Thursday, September 5, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Travis Commissioners working their way through FY2014 budget
There were a couple of surprises among the routine motions Wednesday as Travis County Commissioners Court began the tedious three-day process of going through and approving each line of the county’s Fiscal Year 2014 preliminary budget. But County Judge Sam…
Friday, August 30, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
City Council
Split Council OKs settlement with Jeremiah Venture for development
After a contentious 6-year battle, Austin City Council members reached a settlement agreement Thursday with Jeremiah Venture LP. It came on a reluctant 4-3 vote. With the agreement, the group gets city support in a permitting process that could…
Thursday, August 29, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Travis County Commissioners balk at funds for Clean Air Force
Travis County Commissioners failed Tuesday to approve an extension of the county’s contract with the Central Texas Clean Air Force. In addition, it appears that the organization’s 2014 funding in limbo. Pct. 1 Commissioner Ron Davis led the charge against…
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
County Budget Office looks for way to help fund Public Integrity Unit
In preparing for the Fiscal Year 2014 budget mark-up process, the Planning and Budget Office Tuesday presented Travis County Commissioners Court with ways to offset the cost of funding the state’s Public Integrity Unit. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg oversees the…
Monday, August 26, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Council nixes requiring lamination of downtown windows to cut noise
Austin City Council members unanimously agreed last week that a proposal to force developers of new downtown high-rise residential structures to laminate windows would do too little to mitigate noise problems and end up costing too much to install. At…
Wednesday, August 21, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Gómez wants to speed up widening of roads near COTA facility
Travis County Commissioner Pct. 4 Margaret Gómez says her proposal to expand roads in southeast Travis County is about safety, business development, and job creation, but some of her critics charge that she is pandering to the Circuit of the…
Monday, August 19, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Commissioners to hear contentious Overlook Estates case again
Progress in Austin again reaches a standoff with neighbors in one Southwest Travis County community holding steadfast to their positions in a battle over development. At issue is a new high-end community called Overlook Estates, owned by the Roy…
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Commissioners OK plans for Community First Village for homeless
After two hours of passionate debate Tuesday, a unanimous Travis County Commissioners Court gave social outreach ministry Mobile Loaves & Fishes the go-ahead to build a recreational vehicle park for the homeless in eastern Travis County. At least two commissioners…
Friday, August 9, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
City Council approves $62 million expansion of terminal at ABIA
With little to no turbulence whatsoever, Austin City Council members Thursday authorized more than $62 million for expanding the Barbara Jordan Terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Passengers will foot some of that bill, but will likely benefit from shorter wait…
Thursday, August 8, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
Task forces urges increased safety, better pay for construction workers
Travis County must do more to ensure the safety of and fair compensation for its construction workers. Those are unquestionably the biggest issues facing construction workers today according to the Economic Development Task Force the county formed to study this…
Wednesday, August 7, 2013 by Charlotte Moore
Uncategorized
County to spend $1.8 million to fund slimmed-down Public Integrity Unit
Travis County taxpayers will help breathe life into the state’s nearly defunct Public Integrity Unit after Commissioners Court Tuesday voted 4-1 to dedicate nearly $1.8 million in funding to the department. Pct. 3 Commissioner Gerald Daugherty – the only Republican…