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Whispers
Thursday, September 20, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Affordable housing, and Ben Carson, comes to Austin
On Wednesday, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin broke ground on the redevelopment of Pathways at Goodrich Place, an affordable housing complex in the Zilker neighborhood that will triple in size to 120 units upon completion. The ceremony was attended by Ben Carson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, among other dignitaries, to mark the occasion of the redevelopment enabled in part by assistance from the federal Rental Assistance Demonstration program. Projects with RAD assistance are able to enter into public-private partnership agreements to secure investment to fund maintenance, improvements and expansions. The 40 existing units at Goodrich Place will be replaced with modern living quarters, plus another 80 to meet some of the city’s growing demand for affordable housing. Early last year Madhouse Development, the private-side firm leading the project, applied for tax credits to offset the cost of the construction. The 80 additional units were expected to be available at price points between 30 and 60 percent of the area’s median family income, while the reconstructed units would remain at their existing 30 percent MFI price. HACA recently received $15 million in competitive housing tax credits from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to assist with the project cost.
Thursday, September 20, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Health fair this weekend
A yearly checkup is an important component of a healthy lifestyle, and every September, Take a Loved One for a Checkup Day reminds Austinites to set that appointment. In recognition of this day, Austin Public Health’s Health Equity Unit is sponsoring a free community health fair to promote awareness of the importance of regular doctor visits. Health providers will be there to provide resources to the community. In addition, there will be free health screenings including blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol checks. HIV/STI testing will also be available, and the Lion’s Club will be offering eye exams. Entertainment includes exercise demonstrations, a performance by a dance troupe, raffles, bingo, and giveaways, pool and air hockey tables, and a bounce house and playground for the kids. The event, which is co-sponsored by HEB/Springdale and the KIND Clinic, is this Saturday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Givens Recreation Center, 3811 East 12th St.
Thursday, September 20, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Comal Pocket Park plans complete
The Parks and Recreation Department has been working on its plans for a sprucing up of Comal Pocket Park, at 300 Comal St. As part of the design process, staff members held two input public sessions to solicit feedback from the community on ideas for the space. They are now ready to share their final concept plans for one last review. The presentation and discussion will be on Thursday, Sept. 27, 5:30-7 p.m., at Chalmers Courts Community Room, 1801 E. Fourth St. Once the plans are finalized, the department will begin with the permitting process, and construction will begin in 2019.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Media outlets join forces to buy voter registration database
A handful of Austin-based media organizations have joined a statewide consortium of 21 news outlets to purchase the Texas Voter Registration Database for 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2010. In a Twitter post on Thursday night, Houston Chronicle data editor Matt Dempsey said the cooperation came about because the data sets were “prohibitively expensive” and a pooling of resources was needed to complete the purchase. The group – known as the Texas Open Data Consortium – will use the data to generate stories about voter registration demographics, removal of voters from registration rolls, geographic concentrations of new voters, and more. All participating newsrooms provided signed affidavits saying they won’t use the data for commercial purposes, and that the total data set will not be posted online. The Austin-based news outlets taking part are The Texas Tribune, Texas Monthly, KEYE and KVUE. Notably absent is the Austin American-Statesman, which just went through an ownership change to GateHouse Media and saw 13 newsroom staffers take buyout offers. When asked about the Statesman‘s lack of participation, Dempsey responded on Twitter that “They never responded to my requests to participate.”
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Peace nation
The International Day of Peace will be celebrated around the world this Friday, and Austin will be officially commemorating the occasion at 10 a.m. in front of City Hall. Mayor Steve Adler and Assistant Police Chief Justin Newsom will speak at the Peace Day Austin event, along with other officials, such as the executive director of Interfaith Action of Central Texas, Simone Talma Flowers. Robert Faires, arts editor of The Austin Chronicle, will emcee. Grammy-nominated musician Haydn Vitera will perform, and the program will close with a dove release. Representatives of local businesses, including GlobalAustin, Amy’s Ice Creams, Compassionate Austin, the Long Center and ZACH Theatre will be in attendance as well, among others. Check out www.PeaceDayAustin.org for more information and a list of events related to this day of peace.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Katy McElroy
City, county host community health forum
A healthy community is essential for a happy community. That’s why city and county departments have partnered in the Community Health Improvement Plan, a collaborative effort to improve the health and well-being of area residents. Austin’s public health department is hosting a forum to inform the community on this year’s program. After a brief presentation by Stephanie Hayden, the director of Austin Public Health, the interactive meeting will give attendees a chance to look over priorities of the 2018 plan and share their thoughts on next year’s implementation. Head over to the Austin Public Library’s University Hills Branch, 4721 Loyola Lane, on Monday, Sept. 24, 6-8 p.m., to participate.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
At what cost, Austin?
A pair of recent studies put into fairly sharp relief exactly how quickly the cost of living in Austin is rising. The first comes from GoBankingRates, looking at what U.S. cities have seen the largest increases in the cost of living comfortably. That study ranks Austin second in large part because it found Austin residents needed to earn $18,532 more in 2018 than in 2017 – or $73,163 in total yearly income – to continue living at the same level of financial stability. Arlington, Fort Worth, San Antonio, El Paso and Houston were the other Texas metros that landed in the top 20 spots on that list. The second study comes from the rental market firm Rent Cafe, which ranked average rental costs per ZIP code across the the U.S. The good news, relatively speaking, is that even Austin’s most expensive ZIP codes in terms of average monthly rent fall well outside of the top 50 spots, which were dominated by Manhattan and an assortment of California ZIP codes. In Texas, however, Austin had the most expensive ZIP code (78701, with an average monthly rent of $2,658) and two other spots in the top 10: 78703 with a $2,480 average, and 78702 with a $1,876 average.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
City wants to talk substandard streets
The city’s Transportation Department is looking for input on their current plans to improve some of Austin’s substandard streets. To gather feedback, the city will be holding a series of open house sessions that will help determine how the $11 million earmarked for substandard roads in the 2016 Mobility Bond is spent. Four open houses will take place this month, starting today, targeting projects on Cooper Lane, Latta Drive and Brush Country Road, Davis Lane and FM 1626. Open houses for Circle S Road, Johnny Morris Road and Ross Road are planned for October. Details about the meetings are available online here.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
Section 8 applications open
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin has received 89 vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that will provide housing for non-elderly disabled residents. The vouchers, which are for use in congregate living facilities or to help individuals transition out of homelessness, will bring the Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Program – formerly known as Section 8 – up to 148 total vouchers. HACA will work with organizations such as Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, Integral Care and ARCIL to distribute the vouchers and provide services to help recipients maintain a stable housing situation. The application process for the voucher program, which caps recipients’ portion of their monthly rent expenditure at 30 to 40 percent of their take-home income, is open until Sept. 24. After the application period closes HACA will choose 2,000 completed, eligible applications via a lottery to go on a voucher wait list. In 2014, the last time applications were taken, the agency received nearly 20,000 applications and put 2,500 on its wait list, which has been gradually served and exhausted over the intervening four years.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 by Chad Swiatecki
HQ2? Not quite yet.
The year-plus game of “Will they or won’t they?” surrounding Amazon’s decision on a city to host its second headquarters became a bit clearer late last week. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told CNBC that the company would not be making an announcement on Thursday, when Bezos is scheduled to take part in an interview with the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. That booking, combined with Amazon’s recent ramping up of its roster of lobbyists and other connections made in the political beltway had business-world tea leaf readers speculating that an announcement naming one of the three D.C.-area locations still in contention as the winner was imminent. Instead, all Bezos would confirm to CNBC is that Amazon will make its selection before the end of the year. So there’s that, at least. Austin is among the 20 finalist sites for the massive project that is expected to cost $5 billion and bring 50,000 high-paying jobs to the eventual winner.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018 by Jo Clifton
More fuss about Proposition K
The Travis County Democratic Party Executive Committee voted unanimously on Sunday to oppose Proposition K, the ballot item to require the city to conduct an audit of every department. The group voted after hearing speeches opposing the item from Council Member Greg Casar, Mayor Steve Adler, and Laura Morrison, the former council member seeking to unseat Adler. Local political consultant David Butts has pointed out connections between the audit idea and a number of right-wing groups. A story in Monday’s Austin American-Statesman points out that the group backing Proposition K appears to have broken local campaign finance law by shielding the names of donors to the organization. But the group, whose only known contact person is former Ellen Troxclair aide Michael Searle, put out a press release on Monday castigating the Democratic Party for failing to invite proponents of the audit measure to their meeting. Attorney Bill Aleshire told the Austin Monitor via email, “I personally favor full disclosure of the real source of every political contribution. But voters should judge the efficiency audit prop on what it will or will not do. Adler and Butts are also engaged in stupid political strategy trying to get the Democratic Party executive committee involved. When the Travis County Democratic Party opposes an efficiency audit of the city, it shows why our party may never get back voters who are angry at the cost and waste in government. The Democratic Party should stay focused on getting our candidates elected. Opposing Prop K won’t help.”
Monday, September 17, 2018 by Katy McElroy
Did he or didn’t he?
Revered short story writer and erstwhile Austin resident William Sydney Porter was convicted of embezzlement, but was he actually guilty? A collection of newly acquired letters suggests his innocence. Porter, who wrote as O. Henry, worked as a bank teller at the First National Bank of Austin for a time. Later, after he had left that post and moved to Houston, he was indicted for embezzlement at the bank and eventually tried, found guilty, and given a five-year sentence. He was released after three years for good behavior. The letters, discovered in El Prado, New Mexico, at a resort that was formerly a stop on the Pony Express, are on display in a new exhibit at the O. Henry Museum, Porter’s historical home. They show correspondence between him and J.L. Watson, the business manager of The Houston Post, where Porter worked as a columnist at the time he was indicted. “I want to state to you that the charges against me are not only unfounded, but are, I think, the work of spite as well,” Porter wrote to Watson in one of the letters on display. Some claim that Porter was a fall guy for the bank. After his death, several official requests for a presidential pardon were made on his behalf, but they were not successful. He was also featured on a U.S. postage stamp, an honor he shares with only one other person convicted of a federal crime, Susan B. Anthony. The display, “In Defense of Prisoner #30664,” officially opens on Austin Museum Day, September 23, 2018, from noon to 4:00 pm.