Katy McElroy

The Parks and Recreation Department kicked off its 23rd Totally Cool Totally Art program on Monday, the after-school program that supports Austin-area teenagers with creative inclinations. TCTA brings together local artists and recreation center staff members to provide free art instruction and mentoring to students in seventh through 12th grades. Recreation centers around the city participate, […]

The Capital Area Council of Governments is accepting nominations for their annual Air Central Texas Awards. These awards are given to organizations and individuals to celebrate activities that have made significant contributions to regional air quality. The two awards are: Air Central Texas Outstanding Organization Award – given to an organization that has shown exceptional leadership […]

In case you somehow haven’t heard, Austin is under a boil water advisory until further notice. All water used for cooking, ice or drinking should be boiled for at least three minutes. As can be expected, this has been affecting local restaurants and grocery stores as well: The Austin Chronicle has a handy list of […]

Can’t decide whether to party in observance of Arbor Day or for Monarch Appreciation Day? Well, this year you don’t have to. This year there will be a joint celebration of both nature holidays at the Zilker Botanical Garden. The Roots and Wings Festival is Saturday, Oct 27, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 2220 Barton Springs […]

The Austin Monitor, KUT, Glasshouse Policy and A Functional Democracy will be wrapping up our candidate forum series tonight with a conversation with the mayoral candidates. The forum will start at 7 p.m. at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1164 San Bernard St. Those who are free earlier can join us for a happy hour at Full […]

Update 11:30 a.m.: The city of Austin is now also on a boil water notice. Residents should boil water before drinking or cooking with it, or use bottled water. Austin Water has issued an urgent call for all city residents to make efforts to reduce their water intake. According to a press release from the […]

The Austin Fire Department is bringing its search for a new fire chief to the public. Last week the department announced the candidates for the job: Joel Baker, Noel Horan, Steve Landin, Kevin McGee, Mark Rohlfing and Scott Walker. Now, everyone is invited to meet these six finalists from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, […]

There are 17 days left until the joint general and special elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6. However, early voting starts in just two days, on Oct. 22. The Travis County clerk will offer 29 permanent early voting sites, along with 61 mobile locations, making it easy and convenient to cast your ballot. The site at […]

The Austin Fire Department is getting a new chief, and the candidates have been announced: Joel Baker – Served as fire chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department in Atlanta, Georgia, until his retirement in February 2018. Noel Horan – Assistant to the director with the San Antonio Fire Department in San Antonio, Texas. Steve […]

Ozone in the outer atmosphere protects the Earth from the sun’s intense rays. But ground-level ozone is a major ingredient of smog, and the most common type of air pollution in Texas. The highest concentration of ground-level ozone is in the air from March to November. Here are some tips to help keep Austin’s air […]

A new city website provides a convenient forum for members of the public to monitor where candidate and political action committee money comes from. All people seeking office, including current officeholders, and PACs, must file campaign finance reports with the city clerk. The new site, www.austintexas.gov/cityclerk/cfdi/index.cfm, contains all the data the city has received from […]

The city’s Anti-Displacement Task Force has created some recommendations on how we can best address problems of displacement and gentrification in Austin. Now, it’s time for the community to provide feedback on the draft, at a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m., at Widen Elementary, 5605 Nuckols Crossing Road. Following the community input, the recommendations […]