By Audrey McGlinchy, Elizabeth Pagano & Andrew Weber Austin voters in five of the city’s 10 districts have decided who will represent them on the city council. This includes districts 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10 – Southeast and most of North Austin. While the field was not nearly as crowded as the first 10-1 […]
Austin Monitor
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Apocalypse later
Must be Tuesday… There are a lot of details that will be needed to be sorted on Tuesday. (Most pressing, probably: Is it the end of the world or not? And: Where’s my bug-out bag?) Thankfully, one of the details no longer on the table is keeping track of what happens at the City Council […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: That’s not a dog. THIS is a dog.
Waterfall of Chihuahuas… If Robert “Crocodile” Corbin’s multiple accounts of abuse by dogs and “arrogant dog owners” are to be taken at face value, it’s no wonder he regularly pleads with city leaders to scrap Austin’s “no-kill” policy. Before urging members of the City Council Open Space, Environment and Sustainability Committee to evict Austin Pets […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Campaigns, opinions, etc.
Locals vs. State Legislators… In case you missed it, The Texas Tribune has posted audio from most of its 2016 Texas Tribune Festival panels. Mayor Steve Adler managed to score a seat on one of the panels, “Rideshare’s Road Forward,” talking about Austin’s now infamous ordinance governing ride-hailing companies. For those out of the know, Austin’s […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Upscale dogs, other complaints
You’re never too old to throw shade… Last Monday, the Austin Independent School District’s workshop meeting was full of lively discussion, including more pondering of academic programming and how to correctly catalog it for parents and district members. Often, special programs like AISD’s Liberal Arts and Science Magnet school or McCallum High School’s Fine Arts […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: What has hot dogs, great views and live music? It’s a roundup festival!
Hot dogs at Town Lake Animal Center… Things got heated during the Animal Advisory Commission’s recent discussion of the temperature of the Town Lake Animal Center. There has been increasing public concern over ineffectual swamp coolers where the outdoor kennels are, which means dogs have no protection against the humid Austin summer. Veterinarians have determined […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Cash rules everything around us
In for a penny… This week, City Council will OK the city’s budget. So, it’s understandable that the conversation last week was dominated by budget discussions – particularly given the $1.6 million or so that City Council is left looking for this week, and the many programs still left to fund. Although it took no […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Same as it ever was
Remember your dais voice… City Council members and city management are increasingly pushing back on Council Member Don Zimmerman’s tirades against city staff. It started at a Council budget work session Wednesday, when the cantankerous conservative expressed outrage that a staff presentation on the city’s future financial situation was based on the assumption that city […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Vultures everywhere
Reply all … Over the weekend, Public Safety Commissioner Mike Levy put Austin Neighborhoods Council President Mary Ingle on blast over the upcoming transportation bond election. It all started last week, when ANC held a panel on the upcoming bonds. That panel was held in front of a packed, interested house – but it was […]
Posted inCity Hall
Embattled manager quits housing department
By Jo Clifton and Cate Malek Facing allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, Steve Ritchie, the embattled chief of construction and development for the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development department, submitted his resignation on Thursday. In July, department Director Betsy Spencer was forced into retirement after a Human Resources Department investigation found that Ritchie had […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Chokeholds and other chaos
More here, more to come… On Friday, the Austin Monitor broke the story about a series of disturbing complaints at the city’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department. As astute readers might have guessed, we weren’t able to include all of the details that we read and anticipate writing about in the future. Not every […]
Posted inCity Hall
Sexual harassment and retaliation claims haunt Austin’s housing department
By Jo Clifton, Cate Malek and Elizabeth Pagano City of Austin documents show that employees in the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department have made numerous complaints involving inappropriate behavior, a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and retaliation over the past five years. Many of those complaints revolve around Steve Ritchie, director of construction and […]