Lisa Dreher

The Austin Independent School District and the Austin Public Library are currently contemplating virtual library cards for students so they may access materials without dealing with fines. Dave Inabnitt, Austin Public Library branch services division manager, said students cannot use the libraries if they have fines, and so having a virtual card would allow them […]

City Council approved an ordinance adding electronic smoking devices to the city’s general ordinance banning smoking in public areas on Thursday. In May, the city manager was directed to draft code amendments to add these devices, which include e-cigarettes and vape pens that allow ingestion of nicotine in vapor, liquid or aerosol form, to the […]

City Council approved a resolution reducing event days for three parks and codifying regulations covering parking, noise limits and vending. The resolution was postponed last week per Council Member Ann Kitchen’s request, who was not present for the meeting. Council Member Jimmy Flannigan also worried that Austin City Limits Festival and other major events would […]

City Council Member Ellen Troxclair thinks permitting fees and regulations are not easy peasy lemon squeezy when children need them for lemonade stands. Under city code, it is $35 to set up one temporary food booth for one calendar day, and two days costs $98. Every May 6 is Lemonade Day, where fees are waived […]

City Council is again taking aim at the current city ordinance that sets a curfew for Austin’s kids. Currently, minors can carry a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest-level criminal offense, on their record if they break the city’s curfew, which prohibits them from being outside from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. to […]