Laura Huffman, who has led the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce since April 2020, will be leaving her post at the end of this year. “I am proud of the Chamber’s accomplishments over the last three years. Importantly, none of the success we celebrate would have been possible without the talented staff we have. From the moment I began at the Chamber at the beginning of the pandemic shutdown, I was enormously impressed by the team’s professionalism and commitment to doing great work. Together, we navigated through the depths of the pandemic and the unemployment and uncertainty that came with it. Today, Austin continues to be one of the strongest economic performers in the country,” Huffman said in a statement to the press. Before joining the chamber, Huffman served as the Texas executive director at the Nature Conservancy and held positions with the cities of Austin and San Marcos. The Austin Chamber is expected to announce information on an interim director and launch a national search for a permanent replacement soon. “Laura took the reins of the Chamber at an incredibly difficult time for our community and country,” Ali Khataw, chair-elect of the Austin Chamber Board of Directors, said in a statement. “She provided key direction on issues including the Covid-19 pandemic, homelessness, public safety, talent, and workforce development. Her engagement helped businesses and the community navigate turbulent times and find solutions to these pressing challenges.”

As all our readers know, local elections aren’t over quite yet, with runoffs for mayor and representatives of City Council districts 3, 5 and 9 to take place on Dec. 13. Those who remain undecided on whom to vote for in the mayoral election might want to tune in to KLRU’s Dec. 5 forum, which can be seen in person or virtually, with free tickets available online. Austinites may also submit questions for the candidates at austinpbs.com/elections. Mon., Dec. 5, 11:30 a.m., Studio 919 at The Texas Tribune, 919 Congress Ave., sixth floor.

For the 56th year in a row, crews from Austin Energy are preparing to transform Zilker Park’s moonlight tower into the Zilker Holiday Tree, officially kicking off the holiday season in Austin. Local entertainment, food and live music are always a cornerstone of the Zilker Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony and this year will not disappoint. The Austin Civic Wind Ensemble with conductor Robert Laguna will perform at 5:15 p.m., followed by the tree lighting ceremony at 6 accompanied by a cappella group the Austonettes. The first-place winners of the Zilker Holiday Tree art contest will flip the switch that turns on the 155-foot-tall tree. Event organizers recommend carpooling or taking Capital Metro to the park as free parking on-site is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sunday, Nov. 27, 5:15-7 p.m., 2100 Barton Springs Road (on the south side of the park).

Those looking forward to speaking on the city’s plan for the Palm District will have to look forward a little longer. A memo from Housing and Planning Department Director Rosie Truelove explains that, though a public hearing was set for Dec. 1, adoption of the Palm District Plan will now be postponed to at least Feb. 23, 2023. The memo explains that because the plan is part of the city’s comprehensive plan, Council cannot act without a Planning Commission recommendation that is still pending. Staff will still move forward with a briefing planned for the Nov. 29 City Council work session.

An alarming increase in cases of upper respiratory virus, especially among children, has Austin Public Health epidemiologists urging Austinites to take preventive measures to decrease their chances of contracting an illness this holiday season. Getting up to date with flu and Covid-19 vaccines is the most important thing you can do to stay healthy and keep others around you healthy. According to APH, the region’s emergency rooms “are inundated with patients suffering from upper respiratory illnesses. The flu positivity rate in Travis County for the most recent reporting period is 26.88 percent. It’s usually below 10 percent at this point in the season. The percentage of visits to health care providers due to flu-like illness is 8 percent – much higher than at this point the last few years.” Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority, didn’t mince words, saying, “If you haven’t already, please get your seasonal flu shot. If we can limit the prevalence of those viruses in our community, it will help our already short-staffed health care system care for high-risk patients.” Find vaccine resources here.

Michael Mares Mendoza, Courtney Bee Peterson and Jeff Grauzer at their 2019 art installation, A Lord of the Plains. (Photo courtesy of Tori Rivera)

The city’s Art in Public Places program has selected metal artist Courtney Bee Peterson, mosaicist Jeff Grauzer and digital artist Michael Mares Mendoza to create a permanent public artwork for the Burnet Road corridor. The team is conducting public outreach in the Burnet community “to pinpoint the artwork’s location and design to ensure that it reflects and honors the Burnet neighborhood,” according to the announcement. The artists invite residents to share their thoughts and ideas for the artwork, which is one of 11 corridor art projects currently in progress across the city. Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca said, “Public art is a powerful expression of a neighborhood’s character and history, and we are proud to be involved in supporting local artists in creating public celebrations of local culture.”

While most Austinites will be gathered around the table this Thanksgiving Day, Austin police officers will be patrolling the streets and keeping a sharp eye out for intoxicated drivers. The department’s No Refusal initiative will be in effect all week, 9:30 p.m.-5:30 a.m., ending Sunday, Nov. 27. As APD explains, the public safety initiative “is an effort to enforce DWI laws and keep the public safe by encouraging drivers to make responsible decisions and to apply for blood search warrants on suspects who refuse to provide a breath or blood specimen as required by law.” In plain English? Make good choices and don’t drink and drive.

During this year’s Downtown Austin Alliance Holiday Stroll, the city is inviting you to a Fika at the Old Bakery and Emporium. The conversation and coffee at the event will center around a new mural on the south-facing wall at the 1006 Congress Ave. park. According to a press release from the city, “(C)ommunity members are encouraged to grab a hot chocolate and chat with local artist, RichesArt, who will provide graphic sketches and work with community members to project their vision onto the future mural wall, helping visualize a mural in the space. RichesArt will also provide a spray paint canvas wall for people to experience the process of creating a mural.” The open house will take place on Saturday, Dec. 3, 5-10 p.m. at the Old Bakery and Emporium.

The hardworking epidemiologists at Austin Public Health have been monitoring the spread of flu-like illnesses in Austin-Travis County and they’re not liking what they’re seeing. Cases have started popping up earlier in the season than usual and area schools have reported at least eight flu outbreaks so far. Local emergency departments are busy treating flu and other respiratory illnesses. So what to do? Health officials strongly recommend getting a seasonal flu shot and making sure everyone in the family is up to date with their Covid-19 vaccines. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is not the time to take chances with your health – or with anyone else’s health. APH has commonsense advice: “People will be gathering indoors during upcoming holidays, and it is important to take precautions to limit spreading viruses.” Those who are hosting gatherings in their home are advised to read the CDC’s advice on how to improve ventilation indoors.

The Travis Audubon Society is urging Austinites to contact their City Council member and ask them to include extra protections for birds in the Statesman planned unit development on Lady Bird Lake. A hearing on the development is scheduled for Dec. 1 after many months of discussion. While the PUD remains controversial, particularly because of how much it will cost taxpayers, the Audubon Society wants to make sure birds are not left out of the planning process. According to the group, the developer of the PUD intends to use bird-friendly glass with 15 percent reflectivity only on the lower floors of the building – but that’s not enough. Millions of songbirds are killed every year when they collide with glass windows and glass-clad skyscrapers. Bird-friendly glass is glazed with a special coating that enables birds to see the glass as a solid barrier and avoid it. The Audubon Society is asking Council “to require 15 percent reflective glass for all building glazing systems at the Statesman PUD project, no matter the height, as recommended by the American Birding Conservancy.” Find your Council district by entering your address in this map.

A new service called SkySquad may make holiday travel a little smoother for passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The SkySquad service, which starts at $49/hour, “connects passengers with a trained, pre-vetted airport assistant to provide an extra pair of hands from the curbside to their gate (from ticketing, checking bags, loading items onto the security belt, keeping an eye on travel items when they go to the restroom and more),” according to a news release from AUS. SkySquad launches on Nov. 21, just ahead of Thanksgiving, which is expected to bring record crowds to the airport. Passengers are advised to book SkySquad 24 hours in advance.

The draft Zilker Park Vision Plan document and map are now available for community members to check out and offer feedback to the parks department. There are a few options for providing feedback. You can read and comment on the draft plan online. You can review the map and then complete a short survey. Or you can attend a community meeting, and two of them just happen to be coming up. Register here for a virtual meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. or attend an in-person open house on Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the McBeth Recreation Center, 2401 Columbus Drive. Finally, the project team is planning a series of pop-up meetings across the city – visit the project web page for info on scheduling. Sign up to receive updates on the Zilker Park vision planning process.