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AFD on the front lines of effort to combat overdose crisis
The Austin Fire Department spoke about its use of naloxone to combat drug overdoses in its quarterly report at the Public Safety Commission’s July 5 meeting. The department’s report coincides with City Council’s declaration of opioid overdose deaths as a…
Public Health • By Veronica Apodaca • Jul 14, 2022
Austin builders are starting a lot of new homes. Finishing them is not so simple.
Alexandra Spurlock bought a new three-bedroom home in Hutto, about a half-hour drive north of downtown Austin. When she signed the papers last summer, the home was nothing more than a plot of dirt. The builder said the house would…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 13, 2022
Notley/Monitor Poll: Austinites are eager to vote and disenchanted with local government
Most Austinites disapprove of City Council and think local government isn’t responsive to their concerns, according to a June survey of 507 likely voters conducted by Change Research and commissioned by Notley for the Austin Monitor. Fifty-six percent of respondents…
Austin • By Jonathan Lee • Jul 13, 2022
Affordable housing advocates want voters to decide $300M bond proposal
Community groups concerned with affordability issues in the Austin housing market are pushing City Council to approve language for a bond proposal in November that could raise $300 million to build more homes and fund programs related to housing opportunities.…
Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Jul 13, 2022
County moves ahead with plan to expand community access to naloxone
Travis County Health and Human Services has identified a vendor to implement its plan to increase access to the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone in the community. The plan, which will cost approximately $350,000, is part of HHS’ response to the…
Public Health • By Seth Smalley • Jul 13, 2022
Notley/Monitor Poll: Lack of affordability tops list of Austin’s most pressing issues
Austinites across demographic groups and the political spectrum find common ground when identifying the city’s most pressing issue. Nearly 60 percent chose lack of affordability, according to a June survey of 507 likely voters commissioned by Notley and conducted by…
Austin • By Emma Freer • Jul 12, 2022
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While the heat blazes on, city cooling centers close for the day
City Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison warned last month that the city did not seem prepared for a summer heat wave that might leave any number of residents looking for air-conditioned shelter. As it turned out, the Council member herself became…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Jul 12, 2022
Mercedes-Benz dealership nearing construction
A Mercedes-Benz dealership is one step closer to construction in South Austin after the Environmental Commission recommended a variance request last week, allowing private driveways to be built on the site in a critical water quality zone buffer. To comply…
Planning • By Willow Higgins • Jul 12, 2022
Here's what it would take for ERCOT to start rolling blackouts
Texans woke up Monday morning to a familiar fear, worried that the state’s electric grid may not provide enough energy to see them through the day. While the anxiety is understandable, a shortfall of energy reserves on the system does…
Energy • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jul 12, 2022
Notley/Monitor Poll: Most Austinites think the city is headed in the wrong direction
Earlier this summer, the Austin Monitor set out to poll Austinites’ opinions on the most important issues facing the city and how well local government is addressing them. Over the course of this week, we’ll highlight what residents have told us…
Austin • By Jonathan Lee • Jul 11, 2022
Debate intensifies over owner-opposed historic zoning of lakefront estate
The fate of a lakefront estate at 2002 Scenic Drive is now in the hands of the Planning Commission, with a battle over the property’s merits ending in victory for preservationists last Wednesday. Citing architectural, landscaping and historical qualifications, the…
Preservation • By Kali Bramble • Jul 11, 2022
Renovations to Texas Capitol and mall create a 'new civic space'
Finishing touches are being done on the first phase of the Texas Capitol Complex renovation, which is expected to be completed this fall. The 2016 Capitol Complex Master Plan governs the redesign of the Texas Capitol by expanding state offices…
