The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Disagreement over valid petition delays Northeast Austin zoning case
A controversial rezoning at the intersection of Grady and Brownie in Northeast Austin turned more contentious at City Council Thursday when a neighbor and the applicant accused each other of exploiting a nonnative-English-speaking family to sway their opinion on the case.…
Zoning • By Jonathan Lee • Feb 1, 2022
Austin ISD adds two Fridays off this semester to provide 'stress relief' to staff amid omicron wave
Lee esta historia en español. The Austin Independent School District is adding two three-day weekends to the spring semester to give teachers a break as the omicron Covid-19 wave has stretched campuses thin. Students will now have two extra Fridays…
AISD • By Marisa Charpentier, KUT • Feb 1, 2022
Opera house redevelopment project gets first OK
City Council unanimously approved the first reading of the proposed zoning change to three tracts just east of South Congress Avenue while signaling that there is much negotiating and bargaining awaiting the project, which aims to revive part of the…
Planning • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 31, 2022
Parks board approves vision plan for Allandale park revamp
Allandale’s favorite park has major improvements headed its way. Planners involved with the Beverly Sheffield Northwest District Park presented their vision plan and final draft concept for the historic neighborhood park to the Parks and Recreation Board last week. …
Parks • By Willow Higgins • Jan 31, 2022
Park renamed to honor civil rights legend Volma Overton Sr.
The 65 acres of northern waterfront at Town Lake Metro Park has a new name following a resolution honoring civil rights activist Volma Overton Sr. The park, formerly known as Lamar Beach, will now go by Volma Overton Sr. Shores.…
Austin • By Kali Bramble • Jan 31, 2022
Austin spends nearly $1 million to settle lawsuits alleging it mishandled sexual assault cases
The city of Austin is settling two lawsuits alleging it violated the rights of sexual assault victims by mishandling the investigations. The city’s settlement amounts to $825,000, which will be split among 15 plaintiffs, and $50,000 for the plaintiffs’ lawyers.…
Courts • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 28, 2022
Subscribe to our newsletter
Council moves to put a stop to wage theft
Austin is taking a step toward joining El Paso and Houston in punishing employers that engage in wage theft, with a resolution City Council approved unanimously on Thursday. A dozen people signed up to tell Council members to approve the…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jan 28, 2022
As Austin reimagines public safety, new police findings emerge
Arrests made by Austin police declined 51 percent from 2017 to 2020, yet use-of-force incidents increased 58 percent, according to an independent review of the Austin Police Department. A city-retained consulting firm, Kroll Associates, spent 48 months reviewing Austin’s police…
Police • By Amy Smith • Jan 28, 2022
Landmark commission approves 'Keep Austin Weird' sculpture
The Historic Landmark Commission approved plans for a public artwork installation on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Congress Avenue this past Monday, but not before a heated dispute over the piece’s cultural merit. Plans for the statue, a…
Planning • By Kali Bramble • Jan 28, 2022
Council appears ready to hit pause on downtown court relocation
City Council appears set to delay a decision on relocating the Downtown Austin Community Court to the former City Hall building on West Eighth Street. At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Kathie Tovo said she planned to ask Council to…
City Council • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 27, 2022
I-35 frontage roads would be on the same side of the interstate under TxDOT's new plans
The Texas Department of Transportation’s latest proposal to expand Interstate 35 includes a plan to run the northbound and southbound frontage roads directly next to each other on the same side of the highway between Cesar Chavez and Dean Keeton streets.…
Roads • By Nathan Bernier, KUT • Jan 27, 2022
Trail Foundation begins major enhancement of Rainey trailhead
The Trail Foundation, which will soon be taking over the management of the city’s hike-and-bike trail, is working on one of its first major enhancements of the trail. The Rainey Street Trailhead, which is situated at the southern end of…
