The Austin Chamber has announced the recipients of its 2020 Greater Austin Business Awards. The 20-year-old event “celebrates businesses in the region, recognizing the people and companies that have demonstrated a unique vision, innovation, and best business practices,” according to the chamber. The chamber has made a special effort this year to recognize the effect of the pandemic on area businesses, with a Healthcare Heroes award that recognizes the recipients’ “continued collaboration with the community amid Covid-19.” Voting for the Uniquely Austin award, which is given each year to a company “that exemplifies what it means to live and do business in Austin,” is now underway. Read about the finalists and cast your vote here. Other award categories include Austin CEO/Site Leader, Community Relations, Company Culture, Consumer Product, Customer Experience, Employee Health & Wellness, Entrepreneur, Environmental Champion, Nonprofit and Technology Innovation. The award recipients will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 5-8 p.m.

The ‘Wishbone’ bridge.

A virtual open house launched by Austin Transportation portrays upcoming changes to Longhorn Dam and along South Pleasant Valley Road. According to the department, “The changes are an update to near-term interim improvements that were presented during the 2018 and 2019 public process for a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge design over Lady Bird Lake.” South Pleasant Valley Road between Cesar Chavez and Oltorf streets was identified earlier this year as a “High-Injury Roadway.” The Vision Zero team’s analysis led staffers to update the scope of the improvements “planned for South Pleasant Valley Road between Cesar Chavez Street and Elmont Drive to better align with the safety needs of people driving, rolling and walking in the area.” Construction should begin by early 2021.

A new political action committee formed to boost candidates who “prioritize public safety” in the November City Council elections launched Tuesday. In a press release about the new Fight for Austin PAC, the group announced its intention to educate voters and support candidates based on “their record and positions related to public safety issues, especially the homeless campaign ordinance and the $150 million police budget cut. Candidate questionnaires will be sent out and reviewed before endorsement decisions will be made.” This November, voters will choose City Council members in districts 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10, with incumbents running in all but District 2. The PAC has six founding board members: S.A.F.E. Project founder Cleo Petricek, downtown property owner Michael Girard, former City Council Member Ellen Troxclair, executive Chris Ragland, chiropractor Larry D. Maddalena and Travis GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak. “Incumbent Council members have made our city less safe,” Mackowiak said. “Our Fight for Austin PAC will give Austinites an opportunity to support candidates who will make our city safer. It is time Austin fights back against City Hall. It is time we throw the bums out.” (Disclosure: Ellen Troxclair is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, which is the parent nonprofit of the Austin Monitor.)

The union representing city, county and state employees has endorsed David Chincanchan in the race for Place 2, the seat being vacated by Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza. Longtime AFSCME employee Jack Kirfman told the Austin Monitor that the group was “going with David,” citing his work for Council Member Pio Renteria. “He’s a great policy guy, very simpatico” with workers issues and will have very little learning curve if he is elected, he said. Kirfman said Chincanchan’s opponent, Vanessa Fuentes, seemed very intelligent but has much less experience than her opponent. AFSCME is also endorsing all the current Council members running for reelection, including Alison Alter (District 10), Leslie Pool (District 7), Jimmy Flannigan (District 6), and Greg Casar (District 4). ” I think all of the incumbents deserve to be endorsed and reelected,” he said. “I think they’ve performed in a thoughtful and forward-looking way” during a difficult time.

A free public symposium on the archaeological findings at Oakwood Cemetery Chapel will feature nationally renowned anthropologist Dr. Michael Blakey among other speakers. All Together Here: A Community Symposium for Discovery and Remembrance will be broadcast online and through live social media channels. The event is divided into two themes: Day 1 sessions, on Friday, Oct. 9, will address the archaeologist’s report and what it means; while Day 2, Saturday, Oct. 10, covers “the historical context of the people who were found and how the context expands our understanding of 19th-century Austin, cemetery history, and cultural expressions of grief and reverence of ancestors.” Dr. Maria Franklin, an associate professor in UT’s Department of Anthropology, said, “This is an innovative symposium that bridges research, community engagement, and a collective conversation on how to best honor the men, women, and children who were recently discovered at Oakwood.” Register on Eventbrite. Afterward, the recorded sessions will be posted on the parks department’s YouTube channel.

For the latest installment of the Wild Neighbors Series, dark skies advocate Cindy Luongo Cassidy will be giving an online presentation on the consequences of artificial lighting on the natural world. Almost every living thing depends on the cycle of light and dark. Yet as the state’s population has boomed, dark skies are becoming increasingly threatened and the ensuing light pollution affects animals, plants and even human health. In addition to giving participants a peek at real darkness, Cassidy will share information about “outdoor lighting practices that let us have the light we need, while saving energy, reducing glare and limiting negative consequences on the environment.” Participants will receive a digital handout with drawings of recommended light fixtures. Register to attend here. Login info will be sent before the event. Thursday, Oct. 1, noon-1 p.m. Wild Neighbors is hosted by Travis County and City of Austin Balcones Canyonlands Preserve partners.

The 2020-2021 edition of the Austin Environmental Directory, compiled by Paul Robbins with help from a number of other local environmentalists, presents not only a listing and description of Austin environmental organizations but a compendium of articles about the environment and our interactions with it. From the neurotoxin BPA found on many grocery receipts to the carcinogens found in many carpet materials, floor products, and kitchen and bathroom surfaces, the directory is a great guide for anyone contemplating home upgrades. Robbins told the Austin Monitor, “I really set out to create an urban survival manual. We’ve got all these toxins overwhelming us, in our food, in our water, in our clothing, in our building materials, etc. and I thought this could be the children’s issue where I could talk about how to avoid all these toxins. It’s relevant to everyone, but it’s particularly relevant to children.” Robbins spent three years putting this issue of the guide together. If you have ever wanted to reach out to the Austin Sierra Club, Texas Conservation Corps, Urban Patchwork outdoor learning environments, or groups dedicated to organic gardening, solar energy, health, parks or recycling, you’ll find a listing in the directory. Robbins is distributing 30,000 free copies of the book, which was financed by contributions and sales of ad space. On Tuesday, he delivered copies for the public to Half Price Books, the Wheatsville Food Co-ops and the Central Market on North Lamar. He has also updated the directory’s website.

This whisper has been changed to correct the number of copies available.

Austin Environmental Democrats met online last Friday and voted overwhelmingly to endorse the city’s two transportation bonds that will be up for vote in November. The group also made endorsement decisions about Austin Independent School District trustees, voting online with a process allowing voters to remain anonymous, just like when they vote on paper ballots in person. The group voted 51 to 7 to endorse funding for Proposition A, which would fund Project Connect’s rail lines and bus rapid transit as well as affordable housing and other anti-displacement measures.  They also voted 50 to 7 to endorse a package of road, sidewalk, bicycle lane and trail improvements known as Proposition B. On the question of AISD trustees, the group endorsed John McKiernan-González in District 2 , Kevin Foster in District 3 and Noelita Lugo in District 8. Lynn Boswell and Jennifer Littlefield got a dual endorsement in District 5. The group also endorsed one candidate in Del Valle ISD: David Albert for District 2.

While AISD students are starting school this week with four weeks of remote learning, crossing guards – wearing face masks and observing social distance – are still at their posts to protect any students who are attending classes at physical campuses. School zone flashing beacons are also in operation. Safe Routes to School Program Manager Amir Emamian said in a news release, “The school year might look a little different this year, but we want to make sure that our kids are safe when they’re walking and biking to school.” Motorists are reminded to be on the lookout for kids crossing the street, stay alert for the flashing beacons, observe the speed limits, and above all, don’t text while driving.

The city has, once again, delayed its phased reopening plan. This time, according to a Sept. 4 memo from City Manager Spencer Cronk, phase one of the plan will be delayed until “at least the end of November 2020.” That phase was originally scheduled to begin on June 29. The memo explains, “This weekend marks six months since our region first declared a local state of disaster in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, city departments have continued to provide essential services to our residents while also offering our employees more opportunities for teleworking and flex scheduling. …We have long believed and planned to return to our work environments once the pandemic subsided. As we learn more about this disease, we are working to clearly define what a ‘workplace of the future’ post-Covid will look like for our organization.”

Today, Austin ISD students start their first four weeks of school – not physically at school, but learning remotely. To help parents and caregivers in this effort, the district has launched new web pages supporting the resources it calls community learning spaces. A community learning space, according to AISD, is “a place outside school where a legal guardian takes the student to receive in-person supervision, access to digital resources and other support.” These spaces are not run by AISD staff, but “facilitated by community organizations, groups of parents, faith-based organizations or other public entities” to provide “in-person support to students during times of remote off-campus instruction.” Among other things, the new web pages include training for remote student learning, FAQs for caregivers, locations of community learning spaces, and video tutorials for AISD technology devices. While such concepts are also called learning pods, the district prefers to use the term community learning space “because it represents the many ways individuals and organizations have stepped up to support students during the pandemic.”

In its efforts to ensure that all students have equal access to the internet for remote learning, Austin ISD will continue and expand its use of Wi-Fi-enabled buses as the school year gets off to a start. The buses will be available weekdays from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., from Tuesday, Sept. 8, to Oct. 5. The district is also doubling its Wi-Fi bus fleet to 261 buses, according to a news release, which adds, “The buses are ready to roll out on the first day of learning and will be strategically positioned at apartments and neighborhoods where they can make the biggest impact. AISD students will be able to access free Wi-Fi on their school devices.” The first four weeks of school – Sept. 8-Oct. 5 – will be remote. “The community may see school buses in their area, but it’s for Wi-Fi connectivity, not transportation,” the district clarifies. Check out the AISD School Bus Wi-Fi Map to find out the location of buses in your area.