Travis County Commissioners reviewed the county’s economic development agreements last week, and despite the fact that they bring billions of dollars in investments and create thousands of jobs, some members of the court wonder whether the county really needs such deals. Representatives from the Planning and Budget Office told Commissioners that Travis County currently has […]
Mark Richardson
Mark Richardson is a multimedia journalist, editor and writer who has worked in digital, print and broadcast media for three decades. He is a nationally recognized editor and reporter who has covered government, politics and the environment. A journalism graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, he was recently awarded a Foundation for Investigative Journalism grant and has three Associated Press Managing Editors awards for excellence in reporting.
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Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 12-16
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office posts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 13. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ON THE PROPOSED CHAPTER 48, RULES OF TRAVIS […]
Posted inWhispers
Rodgers appeals ruling on complaint
Activist Brian Rodgers is appealing a ruling by the city against his complaint that Decker Lake Golf LLC violated the city’s anti-lobbying ordinance. Rodgers filed the complaint last week, pointing to emails discovered when he filed a public information request with the city. Acting Purchasing Officer Urcha Dunbar-Crespo ruled Tuesday that the emails and phone […]
Posted inWhispers
Travis County hires medical examiner
Travis County Commissioners voted Tuesday to hire J. Keith Pinckard, M.D., Ph.D., as the county’s chief medical examiner. Commissioners chose Pinckard after a nationwide search, following the Aug. 18 resignation of former Medical Examiner David Dolinak, M.D. Pinckard, who will make $270,000 a year, will report directly to the Commissioners Court. He will inherit a […]
Posted inWhispers
Early voting remains slow
Early voting for the Dec. 11 Council runoff election posted 3,146 ballots Monday, just 0.57 percent of registered voters. That brings early voting totals to 30,207, or 5.47 percent of registered voters. Top vote-getting sites continue to be the Randalls at Braker and Research, the Randalls at William Cannon and MoPac and the Ben Hur […]
Posted inWhispers
Austin to celebrate 175th birthday
The City of Austin will mark its 175th birthday Dec. 27, but Mayor Lee Leffingwell has already begun celebrating with two events planned for today. The first event is a reception at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall, where Leffingwell and Austin History Center Manager Mike Miller will say a few words about the history of […]
Posted inWhispers
Passenger traffic grows at ABIA
Passenger growth continued at Austin Bergstrom International Airport in October, as passenger traffic increased 11 percent compared to October 2013. The airport has seen increased passenger traffic for 57 out of the last 58 months. In October, most of the major airlines serving ABIA saw an increase in boardings. Southwest, the largest carrier, saw a […]
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics
Adler, Martinez highlight differences in forum
Just 10 days away from the Dec. 16 runoff election, mayoral candidates Steve Adler and Mike Martinez worked hard Sunday to put some daylight between their positions on a number of key issues, including affordability, transportation, taxes and budgets. KUT, KLRU and the Austin Monitor co-hosted a debate Sunday between Martinez and Adler. KUT Morning […]
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Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 12-9
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 10. RECEIVE UPDATE ON COMPLIANCE REVIEW OF TRAVIS COUNTY’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE AGREEMENTS. (Backup) […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Parks
Anti-lobby complaint filed on Long Park golf plan
A complaint filed Thursday with the City of Austin alleges violations of the city’s No-Contact Rule between the developers of the proposed Walter E. Long Park golf courses and city employees. Community activist Brian Rodgers filed the complaint after obtaining copies of emails between the developers and city staff through a public information request. Rodgers, […]
Posted inWhispers
Two reappointed to county housing board
Travis County Commissioners have reappointed Melvin Wrenn and Richard Moya to the board of the Housing Authority of Travis County. Both men are longtime members of the board, and their terms will expire at the end of 2016. The Housing Authority exists to provide affordable, safe and clean housing for low-income families in Travis County. […]
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Early voting picks up the pace
Early voting for the Dec. 16 runoff election picked up slightly Wednesday, with just under 1 percent of registered voters casting ballots. In all, 5,366 votes were cast, bringing the total for the first three days to 9.749 — just 2.64 percent of registered Travis County voters. The heaviest turnout continues to be in the […]