U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul has scheduled a discussion with more than 100 state business and political leaders on March 18 at the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin hotel, to address American diplomacy, international development assistance and how to strengthen national security and economic development. McCaul, who is the lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is expected to discuss pending legislation he’s promoting including the Global Fragility Act, the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy Act and recently introduced legislation to recognize the role of diplomacy, development and defense to national security. Other topics for discussion at the event, which was organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, include strengthening the Texas economy through international diplomacy and foreign assistance.

The Zilker Park working group is seeking input on a survey examining preferred modes of transportation in areas around Zilker Metropolitan Park. The group was formed last summer to address concerns over an expanded crushed gravel staging area for Austin City Limits Festival, and the creation of an expanded parking area that neighborhood residents say goes against a recommendation of the Parkland Events Task Force to reduce the usage of green space parking. The 25-question survey is active online until March 22 and addresses transit, parking, circulation and connectivity issues related to the park, which is the primary concern of the working group’s Short Term Parking and Traffic Solutions Sub-Group. The survey results are likely to be discussed and lead to possible recommendations at the group’s next executive committee meeting on April 1.

The Austin Independent School District picked up a record number of awards at the statewide Visual Arts Scholastic Event on March 2. Honors went to a whopping 857 pieces of art created by Austin high school students; 95 of the works were selected to advance to the state competition. AISD students participate in VASE each year, where they are judged on the merits of their art, an interview and their artist statements. Naturally, you’re longing to see some of the work of these young artists. An exhibition of works by AISD student artists will be on display from March 25 to April 18 at the AISD Performing Arts Center, 1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd., open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-7 p.m.

While many Austinites were busy renting or dodging motorized scooters this week, Dripping Springs was busy banning them entirely. The city announced Thursday, “As a safety measure, Dripping Springs City Council, on March 12, approved an ordinance that bans the use of motor assisted scooters on public rights of way and sidewalks within the city. The ordinance also prohibits a person from abandoning any motor-assisted scooter on any public sidewalk, public property, public park, public way, public street, or highway within the city.” The measure will go into effect March 21 and is a pre-emptive ban that the city’s mayor, Todd Purcell, said would “ensure we are taking the necessary steps to protect our citizens and visitors.” Those found in violation of the new ordinance can be fined up to $500, and the city can impound motorized scooters found on public property or sidewalks.

Austin Parks and Recreation Director Sara Hensley is in Arizona this week as one of four candidates vying to become city manager of Flagstaff. Hensley said that Flagstaff has a population of about 80,000, and like Austin, is a city that practices inclusivity. Before coming to Austin in 2008, Hensley was the director of parks in Phoenix. She has 25 years of public service and was an interim assistant city manager of Austin from March 2017 until the end of 2018. Other finalists for the Flagstaff job include Shane Dille, one of Flagstaff’s deputy city managers; Jill Keimach, who has 32 years of public service, most recently in several mid-sized California cities; and John Craig, who is currently the deputy city manager of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Flagstaff’s current city manager is retiring. Flagstaff has a small council, just six members and a mayor. In its most recent election, there were only six candidates for three council seats and one candidate for mayor.

Add a hyperloop tube train to the menu of long-term transit options for Austin. The subject of long speculation while also sitting firmly in the “Yeah, right” section of regional infrastructure moves, the viability of the Virgin Hyperloop One got a boost at South by Southwest with the announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao that a new transportation technology council will look to identify and remove regulatory roadblocks to the high-speed transports. A Texas tube network that would connect Austin to Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Laredo is among the likely routes identified by the company in 2017. The transportation technology council, which will also examine tunneling, autonomous vehicles and other potential new modes of transit, will hold its first meeting this week.

It’s been a long journey and the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan is in the homestretch. Now it’s time for the public to weigh in on the final draft of the ambitious plan, which will – drumbeat here – determine the future of transportation in Austin. City Council has set a date for a public hearing to allow the community to voice its views on the plan: Thursday, March 28, time TBD, at City Hall, 301 W. Second St. The final draft is available for review online here. The city’s boards and commissions will continue to consider recommendations for the ASMP through March and all of those meetings are open to the public, too. Find the complete list of board and commission meetings here. There are lots of other goodies on the city’s ASMP website, like beautiful interactive maps, a timeline and an animated overview of the plan.

For all of you who nag your local media to get the story right, or yell at your computer when you find a false story (and spread the word), for all of you primed to fight for democracy, know that you are valued. Your acknowledgement came at a South by Southwest event called “Bad Guys Attacking Elections: It’s Not Just the U.S.” New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose thanked the people he called “an amazing community of pedants,” who worked to fight disinformation in the 2018 midterm elections. These people scour the internet and report on the deceptive, false and dangerous lies perpetrated by trolls with a political agenda in many countries. Roose joined panelists Graham Brookie, director and managing editor of the Digital Forensic Research Lab; Katie Harbath, public policy director for global elections at Facebook; and Moira Whelan, founding partner of BlueDot Strategies, to talk about the international problem of online manipulation of opinion. That includes an election in North Macedonia, Roose said: “It’s incredibly strange that the four of us are talking about safeguarding the Macedonian election …. The fact that the integrity of global elections relies on the efforts of a few people in California and New York and D.C. is just incredibly strange and I don’t think we should accept that as the status quo.” He added, “One of the things I will be looking for in the years ahead” will be local news outlets and global platforms willing to make changes to their products. One example was a decision by Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, to limit the number of times a message can be forwarded. The previous limit was 20, while the new limit is just five. Forwarding may be an easy way to spread news, but as Facebook learned, it’s also an easy way to spread lies and rumors. So, to those of you who are inclined to be cranky and nag your local media, we salute you and encourage you to spread your wings. There are an amazing number of elections around the world coming in April. You can help!

Travis County residents and businesses that were affected by the Lake Travis and Colorado River flooding and Austin Water boil water notice of October 2018 may apply for low-interest federal disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA representatives have set up an outreach center to answer questions, explain the application process and help applicants complete their paperwork. The outreach center is located at Travis County West Service Center, 4501 N. FM 620 (Town Hall Room), starting Wednesday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Applications can also be completed online here. For more information, call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Films for the Forest, a production of the nonprofit Rainforest Partnership led by Austinite Niyanta Spelman, presented its latest series of films on Sunday. Spelman told the Austin Monitor, “This is the 10th screening of Films for the Forest. We’ve become conveners of content, of stories and films for other NGOs – people standing up for trees and forests around the world.” Among the films being honored was a Brazilian film titled “Forest People,” by Rafa Calil and Tito Sabatini, which is about the struggle of indigenous rainforest tribes and Chico Mendes, the leader of the union of indigenous rubber tappers in the Amazon who was assassinated in 1988. According to the NGO Global Witness, more environmental activists are killed in Brazil than in any other country. Calil described his decadelong journey to make the film and bring attention not only to the trees but to the people who live in and care for and protect the forest. Films for the Forest will be playing at the EarthX Festival in Dallas in April. The Rainforest Partnership is assisting in the production of “Forest People” by translating the film, which is in Portuguese, into English, French and Spanish. “Forest People” is scheduled to be released in April in Brazil.

The leader of Southwest Key Programs Inc. will retire from his position following roughly a year of controversy and scrutiny. The nonprofit group, which provides shelters to migrant children among other services, announced Monday that Chief Operations Officer Joella Brooks will take over for CEO Juan Sanchez so that a national search for a new top executive can take place. Southwest Key had been a target of local protests and controversy in connection with larger debate over national policies concerning immigrant families in federal custody. A New York Times investigation into the group last year brought even more attention and calls for change. The Austin Business Journal reports that Southwest Key reported $242.6 million in revenue in 2016, and $1.7 billion in federal grants over the past 10 years.

Psst! SXSW attendees, are you listening? Here are two apps that will help you safely navigate the busy festival season and stay informed. It’s a free twofer: Download the Austin Police Department app and the SXSW Go app and you’ll be in the know while you stay safe and secure. SXSW Go, the official guide to South by Southwest, boasts a continually updating schedule of events, among many other useful features. APD’s app provides info such as station locations, news updates, crime prevention tips, and the ability to send APD tips anonymously and chat with officers. You can even file select police reports directly from the app. Download APD’s app and SXSW Go at the App Store. Android users can find APD here and SXSW Go here.