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City Hall
Shorthanded shelter temporarily shuts down on Sundays
The Austin Animal Center, which provides shelter for more than 16,000 animals each year, announced this week that it will close its doors to the public on Sundays, beginning Jan. 23. Historically, the shelter has been open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily,…
City Hall • By Willow Higgins • Jan 14, 2022
Alligators in Del Valle aren't as rare as you might think
While some people think states like Louisiana and Florida have cornered the market on alligator territory, Texas has what Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Jonathan Warner called a “healthy” population of about half a million gators. While most live in…
Austin • By Willow Higgins • Jan 12, 2022
Rodriguez pleads guilty to misuse of federal funds, falsifying records
Frank Rodriguez, who served as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Steve Adler beginning in 2015, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to misapply federal funds and falsifying records “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence an investigation into a…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 12, 2022
Former Mayor Bruce Todd leaves a lasting legacy
Bruce Todd, who served his community as mayor of Austin as well as Travis County commissioner, died Christmas Day at the age of 72. He suffered from Lewy body dementia for several years before his death. Todd, who was Precinct…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Jan 5, 2022
Cronk: Police reform efforts put Austin in national spotlight
Looking back at 2021, City Manager Spencer Cronk feels proud of the way city employees performed in the face of a seemingly never-ending pandemic, an unprecedented ice storm, and state legislation that not only redirected use of city funds, but…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 4, 2022
Chamber prez credits Austin’s rapid recovery to diverse local economy
Even after nearly two years of Covid-19 restrictions, Austin continues to have one of the strongest regional economies in the United States. Austin Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Laura Huffman says the key to that bounce-back comes from the…
Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 4, 2022
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Mayor emphasizes Austin’s knack for rising to the occasion
The Austin Monitor sat down with Mayor Steve Adler in early December to recall the highlights – and lowlights – of 2021, including Covid-19, homelessness, Winter Storm Uri, police reform, and the rising cost of housing in Austin. At the…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jan 3, 2022
2021: Remembering the year that was
Though everyone reading this lived through it, it’s still somewhat unbelievable that 2021 continued the vibe of 2020. Nonetheless, we are taking a backward glance at what happened in our fair city over the past 12 months and throwing caution…
Austin • By Elizabeth Pagano • Dec 30, 2021
Tovo 'strongly considering' a run for mayor in 2022
As Council Member Kathie Tovo enters her last year as District 9 representative, she sat down with the Austin Monitor to discuss what she hopes to accomplish in 2022, including a potential run for mayor and how she responded to…
City Council • By Jonathan Lee • Dec 27, 2021
Alter says resilience has been the theme of 2021
Reflecting on her fifth year serving District 10, City Council Member Alison Alter recalls confronting significant obstacles, but maintains that Austin has come out the better for it. “It’s been an incredibly challenging year, but we’ve set a lot of…
City Council • By Kali Bramble • Dec 27, 2021
Pool’s 2022 priorities include district-level plans, increased EV use
With City Council set on implementing building code changes by individual plans and priorities, Council Member Leslie Pool said in 2022 every member of Council will get their own “time to shine” with the chance to push the changes important…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Dec 23, 2021
Ellis sees opportunity for growth amidst 2021's challenges
Despite a year that brought both public health and environmental disasters, District 8 City Council Member Paige Ellis has pushed forward in her efforts to rethink transportation, parks and affordability solutions in our rapidly growing city. While the Covid-19 pandemic…
