Katy McElroy

This year, on Friday, Sept. 21, people all around the world will be transforming parking spaces into “parklets” to bring attention to the need for public, open space in urban areas. Park(ing) Day began in 2005, when a group of designers livened up a San Francisco street with a small parklet installation, and it soon […]

The impending start of school means it’s time for the Austin Transportation Department to test the flashing school zone beacons to make sure they’re ready for service. The seven school districts in the Austin area comprise 165 school zones, which contain a total of 571 flashing beacons. Testing is happening today through Wednesday, Aug. 13-15, […]

After an electrical failure occurred on Thursday afternoon, the city has closed the Liz Carpenter Fountain on Barton Springs Road until further notice. Replacement parts are being procured, and the fountain will be fixed as soon as they are in hand. In the meantime, the city suggests the Ricky Guerrero, Chestnut, Lott and Pease splash pads as alternative cool-off […]

It wasn’t just all about soccer at the City Council meeting yesterday – our city representatives also found the time to declare Sept. 25 Barton Springs University Day. Produced by the Save Our Springs Alliance, the event, which the website shares is “designed primarily for high school students but includes college students and the general […]

As part of the design phase for the Corridor Construction Program, adopted by City Council in April, the Austin Transportation Department has announced that it will be holding public open houses to share its plans to make each corridor better for all modes of transportation. In total, nine corridors will receive enhancements in the program, […]

Austin’s health department officials are concerned about several women who were recently in contact with a bat that has since tested positive for rabies. The press release from Austin Public Health states that on the afternoon of Aug. 2, outside the Austin Convention Center, “multiple females were seen picking up a bat from the sidewalk […]

The city has been refining its rules for dockless mobility, and it would like community input to make sure that they are in line with what the public would like to see. The Dockless Mobility Program was created after LimeBike (now Lime) and Bird released their free-floating, rentable-by-the-minute scooters into Austin’s streets in early April. […]

Austin-Travis County paramedics will be getting their 15 minutes of fame, and then some, over the next 12 weeks. “Nightwatch Presents: First Responders,” featuring the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service and another agency, premiered on A&E last night at 9:30 p.m. The show is a spin-off of the critically acclaimed “Nightwatch” series, which follows first responders […]

The city’s restoration work on the chapel in Austin’s oldest municipal burial ground is complete. The chapel at Oakwood Cemetery received a host of structural improvements, including foundation stabilization, drainage and ADA-access improvements, and overhaul of the mechanical, electrical and lighting systems. In addition, the original floor plan was restored, along with many interior and […]

The Texas Hill Country Conservation Network announced on Tuesday its receipt of a $5.15 million pledge from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, part of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Formed in 2017, the network aims to promote and encourage conservation and sustainable growth in the Texas Hill Country, especially important as climate change promises […]

The rural and small urban transit district serving the non-urbanized areas of Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Williamson and Travis counties, and the city of San Marcos urbanized area, has found a location for a regional hub for its East Austin routes. Ever since the Capital Area Rural Transportation System sold its East Sixth Street […]

According to Austin’s water utility, if someone shows up unannounced at your house and asks to test your water, they definitely are not doing so on behalf of the city. In a press release yesterday, Austin Water stated that it has “received several calls from residents reporting having been solicited for a water sample by […]