Nina Hernandez

On Wednesday, the city announced it had finally won a grant with the word “smart” in the title. This particular one is called the Smart Cities Council Challenge Grant, and it’s billed as a way the city can build a strategy that leverages the latest technology to solve its mobility problems. Austin is one of […]

After hours of debate on Tuesday, the Texas Senate moved forward on Senate Bill 4, which would punish communities like Travis County for their immigration policies. Gov. Greg Abbott put the issue on his list of emergency items for the session back in January after a skirmish with Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who followed […]

For the past six weeks, the Lower Colorado River Authority lowered the levels of lakes Austin and LBJ to accommodate dock repair and maintenance by property owners on the shoreline. It’s a standard procedure to keep docks and other related infrastructure intact, as well as to regulate the lakes’ aquatic vegetation. Any work going on […]

Austin Water is in the process of putting together a 100-year plan for managing the city’s water supply called Water Forward. Help out by providing feedback at the second public workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. in the AISD Performing Arts Center (1500 Barbara Jordan Blvd.). Members of the project team will present […]

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority is working on a public art project to remodel the bus stop at 12th and Chicon streets. It’s an effort backed by more than half a dozen local entities (including the Austin History Center, Austin Community College and Huston-Tillotson University) to celebrate African-American history in East Austin. Aid the effort […]

In yesterday’s newsletter, when we mentioned the Moody Foundation grant that was awarded to the Waller Creek Conservancy to fund a public amphitheater for Waterloo Park, we mistakenly referred to it as a $1.5 million grant. The grant is actually for $15 million and will pave the way for a “unique steal and translucent stage-house” that […]

After Gov. Greg Abbott made good on his promise to cut criminal justice funding to Travis County last week, Austin’s philanthropic and political communities combined in an effort to find the money elsewhere. The $1.5 million means a lot to the county, going toward programs dealing with a range of community issues, including – but […]

Starting Feb. 10, the city is making it a little easier on applicants working their way through the residential plan review process. Before, residents proposing a new construction that would remove a regulated tree, affect its critical root zone or significantly prune its canopy were required to file a separate Tree Ordinance Review Application and […]

Construction due to start this week on a new bridge over Highway 183 South will create delays for commuters for the next six months. To complete the bridge work, which is part of the 183 South project, crews will have to take away lanes of FM 969 (MLK Boulevard). According to a press release from […]

The Housing Bond Review Committee will meet Friday to discuss Saigebook Development LLC’s application for a mixed-income project at Elysium Park on Oak Creek Drive. The North Austin project was delayed in August due to traffic and flood concerns from surrounding neighbors. The application up for review this time was filed on Sept. 30 and […]

Even in Austin, it appears, some things never change. Thankfully, one of those things is the Zilker Kite Festival, a yearly spring tradition that’s had Austinites of all ages braving allergy season since 1929. That’s not going to change anytime soon: The company that owns the festival, ABC Home & Commercial Services, announced Wednesday that […]

State Reps. Donna Howard, Eddie Rodriguez, Celia Israel and Gina Hinojosa will gather tonight for a forum and community engagement event on major issues due to come up in the 85th Texas Legislature. Each rep will introduce themselves and discuss their priorities for this legislative session and put forward ideas on how lawmakers and community […]