Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division continues a controlled burn of 280 acres today that began Tuesday, covering areas east of FM 1826, west of Brodie Lane and northwest of FM 1626. The burn is planned for 10 a.m. to noon. The burns are intended to mimic natural fire cycles to limit fire intensity and reduce […]
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 inEnvironment
Austin receives $1M from EPA for plans to combat pollution
The city has received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that will fund climate action plans for Central Texas. The grant was announced Monday morning at City Hall, where members of City Council and federal lawmakers gathered to celebrate the award that is part of the EPA’s $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction […]
Posted inWhispers
Del Valle area gets more training for manufacturing jobs and skilled trades
Students and job seekers in Del Valle just east of Austin have new resources for training in skilled trades and advanced manufacturing. Skillpoint Alliance, which offers training in a wide array of trade and manufacturing disciplines, has opened a campus in Del Valle just east of State Highway 130 specifically targeting potential plumbers and HVAC […]
Posted inWhispers
SH 130 gets $20M investment to support autonomous networks
FiberLight LLC, an Atlanta-based fiber network provider, has announced plans to complete a $20 million infrastructure project along the nearly 100 miles of State Highway 130 east of Austin. The project is a partnership with the Autonomy Institute, a nonprofit that seeks to promote commerce and autonomous systems. The goal is to turn SH 130 […]
Posted inWhispers
Home Builders confab looks at 2024 housing trends
The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin will host its annual housing forecast at 7 a.m., Feb. 15, at the AT&T Conference Center on University Avenue. The forecast will feature more than 600 area real estate professionals including builders, real estate agents and brokers, vendors, architects, developers, engineers, lenders and bankers. The discussion looks at […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City, event planners talk planning and street closures during SXSW festival season
The city has started evaluating event permits and scheduling street closures taking place during next month’s South by Southwest festival, the 10-day period referred to in city planning circles as spring festival season. One of those planned closures announced during a stakeholder meeting held last month by Austin Center for Events is a partial shutdown […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music Commission wants tight guidelines on venues receiving Live Music Fund awards
The Music Commission has formed a working group that could reshape how the city will award grants to live music venues as part of an expansion of the Live Music Fund. The group, which will likely include five commission members and operators of a handful of local venues, is expected to deliver its recommendations by […]
Posted inPlanning
New restaurants to pave the way for Stream Realty’s Sixth Street revitalization
The real estate group looking to revitalize the Sixth Street entertainment district just west of Interstate 35 is betting that a wave of new restaurants will be the initial difference-maker in the move to gradually strip the area of its “Dirty Sixth” reputation. Paul Bodenman, senior vice president of investments at Stream Realty, told the […]
Posted inPlanning
HealthSouth redevelopment scenarios spell out options for affordable housing downtown
The Housing Department has presented City Council with the four scenarios most likely to spur redevelopment of the former HealthSouth site on the eastern edge of downtown. A memo from Housing Director Mandy DeMayo spells out for Council the findings of Economic & Planning Systems Inc. in its analysis of how the city can adjust […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
City could step in to aid, revive Blues on the Green summer concert series
The city could step in to provide financial assistance, fee waivers or other resources to the Blues on the Green summer concert series, which organizers announced last month was canceled for 2024 because of rising costs. On Friday, Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison posted in the City Council Message Board that she plans to present a […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
EDD previews changes to Cultural Arts funding programs ahead of consultants’ reviews
The Economic Development Department is moving ahead with a handful of adjustments to its pilot programs for Cultural Arts grants, with more changes likely to result from a comprehensive review from three outside consultants. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting, staff from the Cultural Arts division gave an update on the funding process for the […]
Posted inWater
Concert venue planned near Edwards Aquifer spurs neighbors to prepare for legal fight
Residents in Hays County and a southwestern portion of Travis County hope the possibility of a civil case against a California development company will stop plans to construct a 5,000-seat concert venue on a two-lane country road near Dripping Springs. Traffic concerns are important for the Fitzhugh Neighbors group that has formed to fight the […]