The Watershed Protection Department has launched its first annual flood safety video contest open to 6th-12th graders in Austin. Students should create a 30-second public service announcement aimed at teaching motorists not to drive on roads covered with water and conveying the critical message, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.” According to Watershed, “driving through flooded roads is the leading cause of deaths during a flash flood. It not only puts drivers’ lives at risk, but also the lives of passengers and emergency responders.” Contest winners will receive a $100 gift card and their PSA may be aired on local news stations. The contest deadline is March 31. Find more details and contest rules here.

What better reason than a marathon to close roads in Austin? Motorists, cyclists and anyone else trying to get across town on Sunday, Jan. 22, should try hard to avoid going near the 13.1-mile course of the 3M Half Marathon, expected to attract upward of 6,000 participants. The race starts in Northwest Austin on Stonelake Boulevard and traverses through Austin, ending at the finish line at 14th Street and San Jacinto Boulevard. Roads close 90 minutes before the race start time of 7:30 a.m. and reopen around 11:30 a.m. Check out the interactive course map to find the best place to watch the race or use Capital Metro’s trip planner if you have someplace you need to go. Find a full list of street closures here.

Austin’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march, festival and food drive will honor Dr. King’s legacy while giving Austinites an opportunity to celebrate civil rights victories with a joyous musical event. The march will start Monday, Jan. 16, at 9 a.m. at the statue of King on the UT campus, will pause at the south steps of the Texas Capitol for a rally, then continue to Huston-Tillotson University for a festival. The festival, from 11:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., features food vendors and local musical artists. Marchers are asked to bring canned goods or non-perishable food items to donate to the Central Texas Food Bank. There will be donation receptacles at several locations along the march route. Check out the march route on the MLK Celebration website, as well as more information on the food drive and parking locations. The city’s website has a full list of all MLK Day street closures. Participants are encouraged to walk, bike or take public transit to the event.

According to the latest monthly figures from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, “passenger traffic growth for November 2022 was up 16.01 percent compared to November 2021 with 1,845,593 passengers flying during the month.” That prodigious number helps explain why airport officials continue to urge travelers to get to the airport as early as possible for their flights and to plan ahead for everything, including parking, packing and rental cars.

For the first time in five months, Travis County’s Covid community level has risen to medium. The change, which comes with advice to mask if you’re not up t0 date on vaccines, is the result of a new subvariant known as XBB.1. “This new subvariant is making its way into our community right as many people were indoors gathering with others during the cold and over the holidays. When mixed with a flu infection, the combination can cause serious illness for those at-risk such as children and seniors,” Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, said in a statement to the press. “It’s important that we do what we know works to minimize spread. Got symptoms? Get tested. Stay home if you don’t feel well. Wear a mask if you can’t keep your distance to protect those who are at high risk. Most importantly, get up to date with your Covid-19 vaccines.” Find information on testing, vaccines and locating masks on the city website.

What happens when an older adult can no longer walk their dog or drive their pet to a vet appointment? Many homebound or disabled seniors struggle to care for their beloved furry family members through illness or disability. That’s where PALS – Pets Assisting the Lives of Seniors – comes in. PALS volunteers help out by driving their clients’ cats or dogs to vet appointments or to the groomers. Volunteers can pitch in on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis, usually Monday-Friday, with some opportunities available on Saturdays. In some situations, volunteers may help foster a pet for a few days to a few weeks if their guardian has to go into the hospital. The PALS program also accepts donations of pet food and pet supplies or gift cards. Find out more about PALS and see if it’s a good fit for you. Reach out here with any questions.

The city’s Ethics Review Commission believes City Council members are not disclosing enough information to assure the public that they do not have conflicts of interest when voting on various items. The commission also has complained that Council members’ statements of financial interest are not available on the city website. In fact, those statements are not publicly available except through the filing of a public information request. At its final meeting of 2022, the Council Audit & Finance Committee heard a request from Betsy Greenberg, who sits on the city’s ethics commission, who asked the committee to put items on a future agenda to talk about requiring the city clerk to post the disclosure forms on the city’s website for elected officials as well as candidates. She added that going through the PIR process can take weeks. No member of the committee responded to Greenberg and they did not discuss putting the item on a future agenda. Greenberg told the Austin Monitor she would come back to talk about the problem again this month.

This whisper has been changed to correct Betsy Greenberg’s title.

At 6 p.m. tonight, City Council will convene to swear in its newest members, who were elected to office in December. The inauguration of Mayor-elect Kirk Watson, District 3 Council Member José Velásquez, District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter and District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri and the swearing in of reelected Council members Natasha Harper-Madison and Paige Ellis will take place in Council chambers. The ceremony can be viewed on Channel 6, online at ATXN or via the city’s ATXN app. During the meeting, Council will also vote to elect a new mayor pro tem from among its ranks. The role is currently filled by Alison Alter, and is typically a two-year term, though the most recent election proved more contentious than most and resulted in Council members sharing the term.

The O. Henry Museum has reopened and is eager to show off its renovations to the public. Along with upgraded fire suppression and HVAC systems, the museum underwent “building leveling, a building envelope, roof upgrades and repairs, lead remediation and landscape improvements,” according to a city news release. Visitors to the museum can learn about the life of William Sydney Porter, the famed short story writer better known by his pen name, O. Henry. The author’s first commission, which includes 27 hand-drawn illustrations made to accompany the memoirs of prospector Joseph T. Dixon, is on hand to view. Wednesday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m., 409 E. Fifth St.

All of you scofflaws whose Christmas trees are still drooping forlornly in the living room or smushed into a corner of the porch will be happy to learn that the city is offering two more days of free tree recycling at Zilker Park this weekend. You may drop off your tree between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, or Sunday, Jan. 8. All live trees are accepted provided they have not been sprayed with fake snow (flocking). Please remove all tinsel and ornaments and don’t put the tree in a bag.

We at the Austin Monitor wish all of our readers a warm, safe and fun holiday season. As is tradition, we’ll be taking a bit of time off to enjoy our own holidays before resuming regular coverage in 2023. In the meantime, enjoy our look back on the past year and forward to the next with local officials. See you soon!

With the exit of the mayor and three City Council members, a lot of City Hall staffers are pondering change and looking for new jobs. Lesley Varghese, who has been chief of staff for Mayor Steve Adler, tells the Austin Monitor she is moving to the SAFE Alliance to serve as its new president and chief legal officer, effective Jan. 1. Kelly White retired from the job earlier this year after several decades of service.

Although Council Member Pio Renteria is retiring in January, his chief of staff, Lizette Melendez, is joining the new District 3 team of Council member-elect José Velásquez. Renteria noted that Melendez started at the front desk in his office, then got a master’s degree and worked elsewhere before rejoining his office as chief of staff. Velásquez wrote on his Facebook page, “I personally feel blessed that she was available and willing to come serve with us.” Velásquez told the Monitor that Dora Anguiano, who has handled constituent services for Council Member Ann Kitchen for many years, will also be joining his staff.

Nici Huff, who has worked for Council Member Kathie Tovo for several years, will become a policy adviser in the office of Council Member Leslie Pool. Pool said Huff will handle some policy work as well as scheduling and constituent services.