Today’s newsletter is supported by Austin Energy and the Value of Public Power 🚨 The new Austin Current newsletter launches Nov. 10 and will be coming from a new email address, so watch out for messages from newsletters@mail.austincurrent.org and thetexastribune@mail.beehiiv.com. You’re already signed up, so just keep an eye out for it in a couple weeks. […]
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Early voting in Travis County has begun. Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls.
Travis County elections officials estimate only about 25% of registered voters will cast a ballot this fall, keeping with the trend of lower voter turnout on off-year elections. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t important issues to weigh in on. This guide is here to help inform you about what is on your ballot and […]
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Austin, Monitored: Parkland and a delay for the MACC
Callout: Today’s newsletter is supported by “Austin Parks Foundation’s Party for the Parks” ⚪️ Quote of the Day “We relied too heavily on our parkland dedication fees. Meanwhile, the price of land soared.” — Dr. Amanda Masino of Evergreen Austin ⚪️ Parks and Recreation Department pushes for parkland acquisition in 2026 bond From Lina Fisher: Sixteen years […]
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Planning Commission OKs upzoning of Rosewood Elementary site
A rezoning request for the former site of Rosewood Elementary in East Austin picked up a recommendation from the Planning Commission during a meeting on September 9, moving the site closer to possible redevelopment. If successful, several addresses around the school, which is located at 2406 Rosewood Avenue, would go from single family residential zoning […]
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Planning Commission asks Council to defend the HOME initiative
Austin’s HOME Initiative was supposed to make it easy for homeowners, landlords and developers to build more units per lot, and thus help swell the city’s supply of affordable housing. In a letter to Ctiy Council, the Planning Commission says it has “serious concerns” that HOME may not be delivering as many homes as it […]
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200 have drowned in Austin’s Lady Bird Lake since 2004. A serial killer isn’t to blame, study says.
A new study released this week aims to put a stop to the rumors swirling about a potential serial killer in Austin. Researchers from Texas State University in collaboration with the Austin Police Department found no evidence of a serial murderer during a review of nearly 200 cases. While the idea of a Rainey Street […]
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Austin, Monitored: Affordable housing showdowns, license plate readers and the future of I35 (again)
Today’s newsletter is supported by the Future of Downtown presented by the Downtown Austin Alliance on May 27th – learn more! Quote of the Day “Council passed a resolution, city legal worked on a contract with a vendor, then we have a city auditor do an assessment of our contract to say it is not […]
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Austin, Monitored: Discrimination, Harassment, Retaliation and UNO
Today’s newsletter dives into new stories about planning for new development near campus and an audit about how the city handles the uglier side of human resources.
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Health diagnostics ‘unicorn’ to bring more than 1,000 jobs to bolster Austin’s life sciences sector
The city is expected to see an influx of more than 1,000 life sciences jobs in the coming years, with a California-based molecular diagnostics company announcing a major move into Austin. BillionToOne broke ground Wednesday on a 220,000-square-foot facility expected to occupy six buildings in the EastVillage ATX development on Parmer Lane near Samsung Austin […]
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Arts nonprofit lands historic preservation funding for East Austin gallery space
A historic grocery store-turned-gallery space on East Cesar Chavez is on the path to landmark designation, with unanimous support from the Historic Landmark Commission to initiate the zoning process. The zoning case comes as nonprofit Women and Their Work accepts $104,428 in Heritage Preservation Grant funding for roof, foundation, window and door repair to the […]
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Tovo pushes renovation of historic convention center house
For 22 years the city has owned the historic Castleman-Bull House, which sits vacant and unused at 201 Red River St. across from the Austin Convention Center’s service yard entrance. Now City Council Member Kathie Tovo hopes to push through a resolution this week that would start the process of renovating the interior and returning […]
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Political groups in Texas prepare to reach out to Latinos ahead of the 2020 census
If counted accurately, the 2020 U.S. census is expected to show a boom in Texas’ Latino population. That’s why groups in the state say they plan to focus their efforts on making sure Latinos here fill out the form and get counted. Jolt, a group working to increase the number of young people of color […]