Mum continues to be the word out of the Austin Chamber concerning possible recent follow-up visits to Austin by Amazon executives charged with deciding where the company builds its massive HQ2 project. The Austin Business Journal lobbed the most recent inquiries at the chamber, which has handled all aspects of the city’s bid, following an Oct. 19 Wall Street Journal story that detailed return trips made to New York City, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey, in recent months. That story also noted the company contacted officials in Miami and the Washington, D.C., area, which has three separate sites still alive in the pool of 20 possible metro areas. Chamber reps said they had nothing new to share concerning Amazon and revealed absolutely nothing, no matter how you parse the statement. Company executives visited Austin and Dallas earlier this year, and the final site will reportedly be announced by the end of the year.

The Parks and Recreation Department kicked off its 23rd Totally Cool Totally Art program on Monday, the after-school program that supports Austin-area teenagers with creative inclinations. TCTA brings together local artists and recreation center staff members to provide free art instruction and mentoring to students in seventh through 12th grades. Recreation centers around the city participate, and snacks and transportation options are available at many locations. Students can explore a variety of mediums; this year’s focus is on metalsmithing, urban art (painting), S.T.E.A.M., and short film. The program runs through May 2019 and caps off with two exhibitions, one at Mexic-Arte and one at the Dougherty Arts Center. View the full session schedule here and contact your local rec center to sign up a student.

The Capital Area Council of Governments is accepting nominations for their annual Air Central Texas Awards. These awards are given to organizations and individuals to celebrate activities that have made significant contributions to regional air quality. The two awards are:

• Air Central Texas Outstanding Organization Award – given to an organization that has shown exceptional leadership on air quality issues
• Bill Gill Central Texas Air Quality Leadership Award – given to an individual who has made a significant and lasting impact on Central Texas air quality

Review award guidelines and submit nominations here by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2.

In case you somehow haven’t heard, Austin is under a boil water advisory until further notice. All water used for cooking, ice or drinking should be boiled for at least three minutes. As can be expected, this has been affecting local restaurants and grocery stores as well: The Austin Chronicle has a handy list of establishments that are closed or serving restricted menus, which will be updated as this saga continues. The city has also issued emergency water use restrictions, meaning that outdoor use of water is prohibited, including:

• Using water for irrigation or testing of irrigation equipment
• Washing vehicles, including at commercial car wash facilities
• Washing pavement or other surfaces
• Adding water to a pool or hot tub
• Conducting foundation watering
• Operating an ornamental fountain or pond, other than aeration necessary to support aquatic life

Can’t decide whether to party in observance of Arbor Day or for Monarch Appreciation Day? Well, this year you don’t have to. This year there will be a joint celebration of both nature holidays at the Zilker Botanical Garden. The Roots and Wings Festival is Saturday, Oct 27, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 2220 Barton Springs Road, with free parking on Stratford Drive. Nature-inspired costumes are encouraged, and a costume parade will happen at 1:30 p.m. Other activities include a singing zoologist, a butterfly tag-and-release station, a kids’ tree climb with city arborists, and nature walks. Bring your own picnic, or grab something to go from the food truck. There is a small entrance fee – $1 for kids under 12 and seniors 62 and over, $2 for Austin resident adults, and $3 for nonresidents – and the event will take place rain or shine.

A new coalition introduced itself to Texas yesterday. The Alliance for Securing and Strengthening the Economy in Texas (or “ASSET”) released a press release announcing its official launch and vowed to “fight for public policies that protect Texas small business owners from burdensome, California-style government regulations.” The 501(c)(4) nonprofit explained that it “believes it is in the best interest of the Texas economy to defend state sovereignty by passing a statewide law to preempt local governments from unilaterally enacting piecemeal local employment and labor laws affecting private employer operational business practices like employer benefits, scheduling, and hiring practices. … Texas businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to operate under these unfunded mandates and burdensome regulations. ASSET believes statewide legislation should be signed into law to prohibit municipalities from instituting local ordinances regulating business practices.” According to that same press release, members include the Real Estate Council of Texas, the Texas Apartment Association, the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association and the Texas Association of Builders.

At the most recent meeting of the Zoning and Platting Commission, commissioners unanimously approved a resolution calling for interlocal agreements regarding transit connectivity between the city of Austin and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The resolution is intended to encourage Capital Metro to improve its bus schedule in areas with low-income households and high minority populations, in response to allegations that Capital Metro had violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and that its new “Every 15” minutes campaign is intentionally misleading. Commissioners David King and Ana Aguirre’s presentation pointed out areas of the Cap Remap route map with potential issues. Some members of the public had expressed concern regarding the new route maps’ potential disparate impact on minority populations living in Northeast, East and South Austin, saying that individuals in those areas encounter wait times between 45 and 60 minutes for buses as opposed to 15-30 minutes for “white millennials” near the University of Texas campus and Mueller. The commission passed the resolution unanimously 7-0, with commissioners Dustin Breithaupt, Sunil Lavani, Nadia Barrera-Ramirez and Bruce Evans absent.

The Austin Monitor, KUT, Glasshouse Policy and A Functional Democracy will be wrapping up our candidate forum series tonight with a conversation with the mayoral candidates. The forum will start at 7 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1164 San Bernard St. Those who are free earlier can join us for a happy hour at Full Circle Bar, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. RSVP here.

Update 11:30 a.m.: The city of Austin is now also on a boil water notice. Residents should boil water before drinking or cooking with it, or use bottled water.

Austin Water has issued an urgent call for all city residents to make efforts to reduce their water intake. According to a press release from the department: “Historic flood waters flowing into our region’s water supply lakes, the Highland Lakes, contain much higher levels of debris, silt, and mud. As a result, Austin water is experiencing reduced water treatment capacity. It is taking more time to filter and treat the water to remove the higher levels of silt and debris.” Apparently the enormous amount of extra water in the lakes is causing the water to be 100 times cloudier than usual, requiring that much more effort to deliver clean water to homes and businesses. Therefore, the utility is asking for residents to help out by reducing their water usage as much as they can, including by stopping outdoor watering and minimizing indoor water use by taking shorter showers and postponing washing clothes and dishes as long as possible. Visit AustinWater.org for updates, and follow the utility on Facebook and Twitter.

The Austin Fire Department is bringing its search for a new fire chief to the public. Last week the department announced the candidates for the job: Joel Baker, Noel Horan, Steve Landin, Kevin McGee, Mark Rohlfing and Scott Walker. Now, everyone is invited to meet these six finalists from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, at Town Lake Center, 721 Barton Springs Road. Attendees will hear presentations and a moderated discussion, and meet the final candidates. The event will be shown live on the city’s Facebook page, ATXN, and ATXN.tv. The AFD has been led by Interim Chief Tom Dodds since the previous chief, Rhoda Mae Kerr, left in July to be the fire chief in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The city manager is expected to choose the new chief by the end of the year.

Thursday morning, in a step toward a cleaner future, City Council approved a deal between Austin Energy and East Blackland Solar Project 1 LLC to create a 144-megawatt utility-scale solar generation facility in Travis County. The deal entails a 15-year power purchase by Austin Energy of $11 million per year for a total of $165 million. The facility will feed right into the city’s energy system upon completion in 2020, putting Austin on track to meet the goal set out by the Austin Energy Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan to 2027, which anticipates approximately 65 percent renewable generation from Austin Energy by 2027. Austin Energy currently sources above 30 percent of its energy from renewables, compared to 20 percent in 2015. East Blackland Solar Project 1 was chosen among more than 430 proposals from 80 separate projects following an Austin Energy request for proposal on May 4. The vote passed 9-1 with Council Member Ellen Troxclair voting no.

There are 17 days left until the joint general and special elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6. However, early voting starts in just two days, on Oct. 22. The Travis County clerk will offer 29 permanent early voting sites, along with 61 mobile locations, making it easy and convenient to cast your ballot. The site at Austin Community College Highland Campus will have two check-in stations and 20 voting booths. Voters will be deciding contests for 28 local jurisdictions including Austin Community College, city of Austin and Austin Independent School District in addition to the gubernatorial election. View your sample ballot at www.votetravis.com. There is also a plethora of voting information, including a map of voting locations, at the county clerk’s website. Travis County also has a voting hotline with information: 512-238-VOTE.