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Stories by Hunter Simmons

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport announces new flight service while anticipating capacity cuts

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has announced new flights starting this month while anticipating capacity cuts with the softening economy’s effect on travel demand. Jason Alexander, Austin’s deputy chief of airport affairs, gave a briefing on air service updates to the Airport…

Two bills compete to reform firefighters retirement fund

Two competing bills in the Texas Legislature aim to tackle the issue of reforming the funding structure of the Austin Firefighters Retirement Fund. In a message on the City Council Message Board (posted by the mayor’s chief of staff, Colleen…

Austin Animal Services Office begins developing bond package for 2026 vote

The Austin Animal Services Office is in early stages of developing its future bond package. The complete package for all participating city departments will be presented to voters in 2026. In the meantime, the department is working through a process…

Austin Energy Green Building program logs 21,573 projects since its creation

In 1991, Austin Energy Green Building developed the first rating system in the country to evaluate the sustainability of buildings, creating a model for other cities and the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system.…

Parks and Recreation Department contemplates a 2026 bond, two years overdue

Austin Parks and Recreation Department is in the process of developing its 2026 integrated bond, with the last one created eight years ago for a 2018 bond election. These bonds fund capital improvement projects for parks and recreation, including building…

Austin ranks fifth in nation for cities most at risk for wildfires

According to a CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Report conducted in 2024, Austin ranks fifth in the nation for cities most at risk for wildfires. The top four cities are all located in California. David Bock, senior wildfire mitigation specialist at the…

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Austin Animal Services Office releases fiscal year statistical report and waives adoption fees

Due to consistent overcrowding, the Austin Animal Center has waived adoption fees for the foreseeable future. Numbers from the Austin Animal Services Office’s statistical report for Fiscal Year 2025 show a continued need for adoptions. Austin Animal Services Office released…

front of City Hall

Austin's Ethics Review Commission dismisses complaints against Siegel and Faddis without prejudice

Two complaints about alleged campaign finance violations were dropped at a special called meeting of the city’s Ethics Review Commission, but they could be filed again in the future. Adam Haynes, a former member of the Planning Commission, filed the…

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Documentary film highlights the history of an 1870s-era home and the story of Clarksville

Everyone involved in the making of “Haskell House and the Story of Clarksville,” a documentary short film about the oldest documented residence within the Clarksville National Register historic district, was recognized by the Austin Parks and Recreation Board at its…

Joint Sustainability Committee looks at agricultural land acquisition and preservation

The Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board is looking for support for a plan to preserve and acquire agricultural land in the region, and it’s turned to the Joint Sustainability Committee for help and recommendations. The recommendations are a next step…

Animal Services Office releases strategic plan draft

The city’s Animal Services Office released a draft of its 2025-2030 strategic plan on Jan. 8. Enumerated in the draft is the office’s vision “to provide services and resources that allow people and animals to thrive in the city of…

Austin Resource Recovery gets ready for the new year

Austin Resource Recovery plans to collect a total of 260,375 tons of waste from curbside and drop-off center operations during Fiscal Year 2025, with an estimated 40 percent of curbside collected materials to be diverted from landfills, according to a…

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