About the Author
Hunter is a practicing attorney and freelance reporter who relocated to Austin from his home state of Arkansas. He most enjoys covering the intersection of business, politics, environmental issues and entertainment. Prior to joining the Austin Monitor, he reported for the Sidney Herald in Montana. Send tips to huntr.simms@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram at @hunto_simmo.
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Stories by Hunter Simmons
Critical volunteer hours for the Austin Animal Center are not being tallied
According to the Austin Animal Center website, there are about 100,000 free-roaming cats in Austin. That number is a conservative estimate, noting that cats can be impregnated as young as 5 months old and have one to three litters a…
Austin • By Hunter Simmons • Dec 13, 2024
Austin drinking water testing shows 'forever chemical' levels safer than EPA standards
Austin Water has reported that the city’s public drinking water contains little to no traces of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence. The Water and Wastewater Commission received a briefing from water quality…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Dec 6, 2024
Mobility Committee hears public concern regarding expansion of MoPac
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has proposed multiple plans to alleviate traffic along the 8-mile stretch of MoPac Expressway South from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane. This decadelong project is nearing the end of the development process…
Roads • By Hunter Simmons • Nov 18, 2024
Tree ordinances continue to take root in Austin
Since 2020, Austin’s tree regulations and protections have preserved a total of 1,397,678 inches of trees within city limits. Thus far in Fiscal Year 2025, 4,670 inches of trees have been surveyed and 4,250 inches have been preserved, with 91…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Nov 14, 2024
Austin Watershed Protection Department proposes code updates to further protect the Colorado River
The Austin Watershed Protection Department held a public meeting on Monday, Oct. 28, at the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center to discuss proposed code updates regarding the Colorado River. In 2022, City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager…
Land Development Code • By Hunter Simmons • Nov 4, 2024
EPA's Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials Program funds research at UT-Austin
The Joint Sustainability Committee heard a presentation on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials Program at its most recent meeting on Oct. 23. The briefing was an opportunity for committee members to learn about the program, which…
Environment • By Hunter Simmons • Oct 29, 2024
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Austin Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes for 'community of tomorrow'
Habitat for Humanity International announced on Oct. 15 that Austin Habitat for Humanity will host the 2025 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, an annual, weeklong home-building blitz that attracts thousands of handy volunteers. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, last…
Housing • By Hunter Simmons • Oct 21, 2024
Board of Adjustment approves variances in the interest of health and safety
The Board of Adjustment heard a presentation on Tuesday from David Webber, of the Webber + Studio architectural design firm, who requested two variances for increased impervious coverage and floor area ratio at a property in Old West Austin. The…
Land Development Code • By Hunter Simmons • Oct 17, 2024
Incumbent Fuentes has just one challenger for the Council D2 seat
Austin voters living in District 2 will get to cast their ballots for Vanessa Fuentes or challenger Robert Reynolds in the upcoming City Council race. District 2 encompasses the neighborhoods of Dove Springs, Del Valle, Pleasant Hill, Dittmar, Easton Park…
Elections • By Hunter Simmons • Oct 10, 2024
City Council resolution requiring bollard installations at medical facilities could prevent future tragedies
Following a tragic accident at St. David’s North Austin Medical Center on Feb. 13, City Council responded in July by unanimously approving a resolution to enhance safety measures at medical facilities by requiring installation of bollards at entrances. This week,…
City Council • By Hunter Simmons • Oct 4, 2024
TCSO officers stationed at Central Library
To alleviate pressure on library staff to respond to incidents at the Central Library, 10 officers from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office have been onboarded and cleared for stationing at the West César Chávez Street branch downtown. Officers serve in…
Austin • By Hunter Simmons • Oct 3, 2024
Texas fatmucket mussel conservation provides significant value in regional water filtration efforts
At its regular meeting Sept. 18, the Environmental Commission heard updates on Austin’s freshwater mussel population from Matt Johnson, Texas freshwater mussel conservation and recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bianca Perez, an environmental scientist with…
