About the Author
Mark Richardson is a multimedia journalist, editor and writer who has worked in digital, print and broadcast media for three decades. He is a nationally recognized editor and reporter who has covered government, politics and the environment. A journalism graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, he was recently awarded a Foundation for Investigative Journalism grant and has three Associated Press Managing Editors awards for excellence in reporting.
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Most Popular Stories
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Stories by Mark Richardson
Extra cost stops commissioners from changing employee paydays
What started out a few weeks ago as a routine request to change the frequency of paychecks to Travis County employees turned into a major disagreement among Commissioners Tuesday over the cost of making such a change. In the end,…
Local Government • By Mark Richardson • May 7, 2014
Community group seeks organized assistance for flood victims
A community organization called the Travis Austin Recovery Group (TARG), formed in the aftermath of the historic 2013 Halloween floods, is noting the six-month anniversary of the event with the release of a Draft Recovery Plan for the people and…
Local Government • By Mark Richardson • May 2, 2014
Study prefers Urban Rail, Lady Bird Lake bridge for Central Corridor project
The Project Connect: Central Corridor study team says Austin should use Urban Rail as the preferred local mode of transportation for the central portion of its proposed $1.4 billion transit project. The Central Corridor project’s 9.5 mile alignment will run…
Transportation • By Mark Richardson • May 2, 2014
City set to participate in early fire detection system
The severe drought gripping Central Texas brings a high degree of risk for wildfires, and that is a major concern for local fire officials, who do not want a repeat of the massive blazes that devastated areas like Bastrop and…
Local Politics • By Mark Richardson • May 1, 2014
Lawsuit says sheriff’s office, phone vendor violating inmates’ rights
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses several local law enforcement agencies with violating defendants’ constitutional rights by listening in on conversations between inmates at the Travis County jail and their lawyers and using that information to gain a conviction. …
Local Government • By Mark Richardson • Apr 30, 2014
Neighbors upset over subdivision of lots in eastern Travis County
A landowner’s request to divide a two-acre lot in the Estates of Wilbarger Creek into two one-acre lots has riled up some neighbors, who say they moved out to the picturesque preserve in east Travis County to enjoy the wide…
Development • By Mark Richardson • Apr 23, 2014
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Critics say taxpayers, not drivers will have to pay for SH45 SW
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority says a preliminary Traffic and Revenue Forecast for the planned State Highway 45 Southwest it released recently will stand as the final report, showing that the road project is financially feasible. But critics of…
Environment • By Mark Richardson • Apr 21, 2014
Halloween flood report points to shortcomings of emergency response
An after-action report on the City of Austin and Travis County’s response to the Halloween flood released last week said that there were myriad serious problems with the response to the emergency. Chief among them was a lack of ability…
Public Safety • By Mark Richardson • Apr 15, 2014
Caldwell residents fighting proposed landfill
LOCKHART — Plans for developing an industrial park and landfill in northern Caldwell County have run into fierce opposition from local residents, who say it is a danger to the county’s water supply and that there is no need for…
Environment • By Mark Richardson • Apr 8, 2014
New LCRA manager reorganizes agency, introduces new team
Phil Wilson, the new general manager at the Lower Colorado River Authority, is wasting no time in making high-level changes to the power and water agency. He sent out a message to LCRA employees last week outlining his approach and…
Local Government • By Mark Richardson • Mar 18, 2014
Despite tragedy, the beat goes on at SXSW
After an early morning tragedy that left two people dead and sent 23 others to local hospitals, stunned city officials spent most of Thursday working through the grief and trying to keep the South by Southwest Music festival on track.…
Public Safety • By Mark Richardson • Mar 14, 2014
Battle over SH45SW features argument between Biscoe and Bunch
The never-ending case of SH 45 Southwest has dogged County Judge Sam Biscoe for the past 25 years of his public life. But at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting – with his December retirement date in sight – the normally reserved…