Austin Public Health has opened Covid-19 vaccine appointments to anyone 40 years or older. The public health authority will continue to prioritize appointments for higher-risk groups, but the expanded appointments began Monday night. Texas expanded eligibility to all adults on Monday, March 29. In addition, APH is now scheduling second doses 23-25 days after the first dose and updating its walk-up policy. According to a press release about the changes, those who are 28 days past their first dose can walk up and present their vaccination card. Those with appointments who show up at different sites or times will be turned away. Those who would like to make an appointment through APH can register at AustinTexas.gov/COVID19-Vaccines. Once registered, vaccine seekers can log in to Covid19.AustinTexas.gov during the appointment release times to join the queue. According to the city, “While main appointment releases have been happening on Mondays, release times and dates can vary week to week as operations change.”

Big Stacy Pool reopens today on a modified schedule to accommodate the ongoing repairs from Winter Storm Uri. The restrooms are closed because there is still no running water, but there are port-a-potties on-site for pool visitors to use. The pool, at 700 E. Live Oak St., will be closed Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and open Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Reservations are not required, but pool capacity is limited and “Patrons are asked to limit their time to two hours. Once the pool is at capacity, new swimmers will be allowed on a one-in/one-out basis.”

Photo by John Tann

If it’s not one thing it’s another, and mosquitoes are definitely another of those things we have to worry about. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to manage the pesky insects – if you practice a big dose of prevention. Wizzie Brown, an expert in integrated pest management with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, reveals the secrets of mosquito management on the next Wild Neighbors webinar, hosted by Balcones Canyonlands Preserve staff. Brown will discuss “non- or less-toxic ways to control and avoid mosquitoes this year … how to reduce habitats that can lead to mosquito issues around your home and in the landscape, treatment of standing water that cannot be removed, impact of spraying, and use of repellent.” Thursday, April 29, noon-1 p.m. Register for the webinar here. Past episodes of the Wild Neighbors speaker series are archived on YouTube.

The winners of this year’s annual [Re]Verse Pitch Competition, “a program aimed at reducing waste in Austin through innovation and design,” are Plant Baxter, DV Designs, Biochar Filter Socks and Lola’s Classic Babies. The Innovation Fellows, as the winners are called, “will receive prizes valued up to $8,500, and participate in a four-month accelerator program to develop their ideas.” Each of the winning teams will be mentored during the accelerator program while they develop their circular business ideas. The teams will get the opportunity to present their ideas to investors as part of the city’s inaugural Circular Austin showcase on July 28.

The Travis County Democratic Party is hosting a virtual community conversation about the Texas utility system and “why it wasn’t there when we needed it the most.” Moderator Shenghao Wang, energy policy specialist Caitlin Smith, and attorneys Tommy Tynes and Carrie Collier Brown will explore what really happened during Winter Storm Uri, deregulation and the current state of Texas utilities. Thursday, April 8, 6-7 p.m. Register here.

A new partnership is out to “provide convenient fishing education opportunities for families” in Texas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, Fishing’s Future and the George H.W. Bush Vamos a Pescar Education Fund are collaborating to increase “fishing knowledge, skills, and abilities of participating families from Texas metro areas” and “strengthen family bonds and their connections to the outdoors and fisheries resources.” Shane Wilson, CEO and founder of Fishing’s Future, said in the press release that “millions want to fish, but don’t know how.” This program, which runs until the end of May, aims to fix that by holding family fishing events as well as live virtual workshops. Register to participate here.

A handful of times each year, the Parks and Recreation Department offers the community free admission to Zilker Botanical Garden. These precious free days are sprinkled throughout the year and if you don’t mark them on your calendar, you’ll miss them. The next free day is Sunday, May 2, followed by free days on July 17, Sept. 12, Nov. 11 and Dec. 27. Free or not, you still need to get advance tickets to reserve your spot so the garden can make sure everyone is socially distanced, and free days can only be reserved two weeks in advance, so plan accordingly. By the way, those who have EBT, WIC, STAR, CHIP, Medicaid, or MAP ID cards through the Museums for All Program may enjoy the garden for free all year round.

The city has sent out a news release advising community members that Austin Memorial Park Cemetery will be closed on Sunday, April 18, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. “for asphalt work near the entrance to the cemetery that is part of the road improvement project which began in November 2020 and will be completed this spring.” Cemetery visitors may notice several newly paved roads that are part of the facility improvement project being undertaken – no pun intended – as part of the 2018 bond program.

Texas voters must be registered 30 days before elections to participate, which means that today is the last day to register to vote for the May 1 elections. Travis County residents can determine whether they are registered at  votetravis.com. If you’re not registered, don’t panic; here’s an online application. In addition, voter registration forms can be downloaded to be mailed or hand-delivered to the Travis County voter registrar. Applications should be addressed to: Travis County Voter Registration, PO Box 149327, Austin, TX, 78714 and they may be dropped off at 5501 Airport Blvd. Applications must be postmarked or received by April 1. In case of changed names or addresses, voters can update their voter registration online.

After hearing reports from City Auditor Corrie Stokes’ team about follow-up audits on police oversight and homelessness as well as a brief discussion about the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee had little time to talk about issues relating to Austin Convention Enterprises. There was no mention of former Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who is now president of ACE. His hiring caused some consternation on the part of some former colleagues, even though ACE Board President Phillip Schmandt explained the hiring scenario. Council Member Leslie Pool reiterated it was important that the committee understand ACE and the city’s role in oversight of the asset. Schmandt provided many pages of documentation at Pool’s request and she promised more discussion about ACE and the Hilton hotel at the committee’s April meeting. Committee members also agreed to postpone discussion on a disparity study and the minority- and women-owned business programs.

Trinity University Press’ Maverick Book Club, which meets monthly to talk about “the books that are shaping the narrative landscape of the state,” will be gathering on Zoom to discuss Fault Lines: Portraits of East Austin with photographer John Langmore, activist Bertha Rendón Delgado, historian Harrison Eppright, and reporter Michael King. Fault Lines “features more than 100 color and black-and-white photographs of Austin, Texas taken between 2006 and 2010, during which time Langmore was fully aware that the window for capturing the East Austin community was rapidly closing.” April 7, 7 p.m. Register for the event at Trinity Press.

It’s almost Easter Sunday, but things really aren’t quite back to normal, so while Travis County Parks will be open on April 4, “visitors are reminded the parks will have limited capacity in order to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 within the community and among park staff.” The county’s news release goes on to say that “Easter is one of the busiest days for the entire park system,” and “If a park reaches capacity, additional visitors will not be allowed for the rest of the day, and a closure notice will be added to the specific park’s web page.” You know what to do: wear a face mask; practice social distancing; use hand sanitizer. Also, one more warning: “Please do not bring confetti eggs (cascarones) that contain plastic confetti.” Find a full list of park rules here.