The Music Commission has formed a working group to evaluate the execution of the second year of the Live Music Fund, which recently awarded $4.5 million to just over 100 musicians, promoters and music venues throughout the area. The group was formed partially in response to early feedback on the program collected by the advocacy […]
Chad Swiatecki
Chad Swiatecki is a 20-year journalist who relocated to Austin from his home state of Michigan in 2008. He most enjoys covering the intersection of arts, business and local/state politics. He has written for Rolling Stone, Spin, New York Daily News, Texas Monthly, Austin American-Statesman and many other regional and national outlets.
Posted inCity Council
ECHO’s $350M plan offers to ‘effectively end’ homelessness in Austin
The city is projected to need $35 million annually over a 10-year period to effectively end homelessness via a plan that emphasizes adding hundreds of permanent supportive housing units while also addressing emergency shelter and prevention steps to keep people from losing their homes. City Council’s Public Health Committee met on Wednesday and received a […]
Posted inWhispers
HACA nets over $750,000 for wellness, self-sufficiency programs
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) has received two grants totaling over $750,000 to expand health care and self-sufficiency services for its residents. Through its Austin Pathways subsidiary, HACA aims to enhance programs that support health and self-sufficiency for families. A $500,000 grant from the St. David’s Foundation will extend the Bringing […]
Posted inCity Council
Downtown Commission questions scope, cost of core transportation plan
The city has identified improvements to several east-west streets through downtown as priority projects in a new plan to address mobility in the area. Last month, the Downtown Commission got the first look at portions of the Austin Core Transportation Plan, which was developed by the Transportation and Public Works Department as a complement to […]
Posted inWhispers
Veterans wanted for Workforce Solutions hiring event
Workforce Solutions Capital Area will hold a hiring event focused on area veterans at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex on Hargrave Street in District 1. The Red, White & You job fair has more than four dozen employers and hiring agencies signed up to find candidates for local jobs. Any prospective […]
Posted inElections
Laine appears to edge out Kelly in race for D6 Council seat
Austin’s District 6 seat for City Council appeared to have been won by challenger Krista Laine, based on unofficial results from Travis and Williamson counties posted early Wednesday morning. Laine held a 704-vote lead over incumbent Mackenzie Kelly, according to the results, with the combined totals showing 13,953 votes for Laine and 13,249 votes for […]
Posted inTransportation
Auditor identifies safety, contract management among areas of risk for airport
A special report from the Office of the City Auditor has identified three areas of risk at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as the facility moved forward with a $4 billion expansion. The three risk areas – contract and vendor management, asset management and maintenance, and emergency management and safety – will be examined beginning in 2025 […]
Posted inWhispers
City plans Congress Avenue closure for Nov. 11 Veterans Day Parade
The city will close Congress Avenue from 11th Street to Riverside Drive from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, for the annual Veterans Day Parade. The section south of Cesar Chavez Street will close starting at 5 a.m., with the northern section shutting down at 6:30 a.m. Also, one block east and west […]
Posted inAustin
SXSW economic impact sees small dip based on lower spending for ticketing
South by Southwest’s impact on the local economy decreased slightly this year from 2023, according to a new study from business analysts Greyhill Advisors. The study found that the festival generated $377.3 million for local businesses and residents, compared to the $380.9 million figure notched in 2023 when by many measurements the event saw a […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin slides from top 10 in ULI’s ranking of top real estate markets
For the first time in over a decade, Austin has slipped out of the top 10 in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) forthcoming annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2025 report. The report, which examines nationwide real estate prospects, ranked Austin fifth in 2024, fourth in both 2022 and 2023, and first in 2020. This […]
Posted inCity Hall
Council to consider $5.5M contract for redo of city’s website
The city’s primary website is slated for a comprehensive revamp from a California-based vendor, due in part to staff’s assessment that the work needed to properly improve the site exceeds their resources and abilities. An item on next week’s City Council agenda would allocate $5.5 million for a six-year contract with TW Lrw Holdings, LLC, […]
Posted inCity Hall
Report finds slashed site plan review times, with further improvements on tap
An analysis of the city’s ongoing work to improve its widely criticized permitting process for building within the city shows substantial improvements in turnaround times for the main types of reviews, with further gains expected as the city moves forward with later phases of its plan. The site plan review process applies to any type […]