Letting go of control… Ford Motor Company has announced plans to carry people and goods around Austin in self-driving cars as early as 2021, but most people in the general public say they wouldn’t feel comfortable taking their eyes off the road in an autonomous car. In August, the Zebra, an insurance comparison company, conducted […]
Austin Monitor
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: AURA on LDC
This week we talk to Kevin McLaughlin, the Land Use Committee chair of AURA, a local urbanist group focused on land use and transportation policy. McLaughlin sits down with Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns and editor Elizabeth Pagano to discuss how the city’s most recent attempt at rewriting its Land Development Code meets – or […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Think of the children
Cub Scouts bring improvement initiatives to the Planning Commission… Webelos Scout Pack 81 Den 4 arrived at the Oct. 8 convocation of the Planning Commission to speak solemnly to the commissioners about their concerns for the city and what they appreciate. The appearance was part of the pack’s Building a Better World requirement, in which […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Read all about it
Planting the seeds… Just because water is crystal clear doesn’t mean it is clean. Craig Nazor, a citizen who sits on the Animal Advisory Commission, alerted the Environmental Commission on Oct. 2 that the discharge from the Walnut Creek Water Treatment Plant may potentially be harmful to park visitors. The plant, he explained, has a […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Hill Country Conservancy
In this week’s edition of Austin Monitor Radio, Frank Davis, chief conservation officer of the Hill Country Conservancy, chats with Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns. Interested in what the Hill Country Conservancy does? Curious about conservation easements? Want to get the latest on HCC’s projects and goals? This is the show for you. Austin Monitor […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Questions and apologies
Barrientos raises questions… Former Texas state Senator Gonzalo Barrientos has raised questions about the convention center expansion, Hotel Occupancy Taxes and Proposition B in a letter sent to Austin City Attorney Anne Morgan. Specifically, Barrientos questions the community benefit associated with the proposed expansion and whether music and preservation can be funded through the extra […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: The TREAD Coalition and the Kinder Morgan Pipeline
This week, David Smith, an attorney who is representing the Texas Real Estate Advocacy and Defense (or TREAD) Coalition, sits down to discuss ongoing legal action against a planned natural gas pipeline through the Hill Country. Smith describes where things stand at the moment in Kinder Morgan’s effort to construct the pipeline and the challenges […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Austin’s bicycle network
On this edition of Austin Monitor Radio, street designer and network planner Nathan Wilkes of the Austin Transportation Department sits down with Monitor editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about the city’s new, interactive All Ages and Abilities Bicycle Network tool, the 2014 Bicycle Master Plan, and recent barriers and triumphs in expanding Austin’s bicycle network. […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: The end of Austin?
And another thing… In arguing against the proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center at last week’s Music Commission meeting, local developer Brian Rodgers drew some confused and sideways glances from commission members. Rodgers, a Tourism Commission member who helped fund the November ballot measure that could derail the expansion, used a seemingly random if […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: (Cont’d)
If forums were homes… South Austin residents concerned about the city’s policies regarding homelessness and plans for opening a housing center in the area are pushing for candid questions and answers at a community meeting scheduled for Tuesday night. The groups Safe Austin for Everyone Project and SafeHorns are emphasizing that the meeting from 6:30 […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Water Forward
In this edition of Austin Monitor Radio, Austin Water Forward program manager Marisa Flores Gonzalez sits down with Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns to talk water conservation. Specifically, the pair dive into the city’s plan to ensure access to safe drinking water for the next 100 years. Curious to know what the plan entails? Ready to […]
Posted inWhispers
Budget Party!
Be sure to mark your calendars for our fourth annual Budget Party on Aug. 29! Budget Party is a web app designed for mobile devices that teaches you about the city of Austin budgeting process. The evening starts with an overview of city budgeting, complete with a budget-themed coloring book. Then we’ll break up into […]