Nora Ankrum

Backers of a proposed new Boys & Girls Club to be built in Northeast Austin are hoping to rally support for the project this Thursday ahead of City Council’s vote on the matter. The project got the nod from the Planning Commission in February, but there has been pushback from some neighbors. According to a […]

The city’s Art in Public Places program is planning to commission two artists-in-residence who will create works of art for the Austin Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services. According to the city’s announcement, the artists “will document the people and operations of six fire stations and three EMS stations currently undergoing renovations,” after which they […]

As is Austin Monitor tradition, our typewriters have fallen (mostly) silent to make way for a different sound, a distinctly American sound, the sound of the crack of a baseball bat. In recognition of this important time, the beginning of the baseball season, we implore our readers to join us in working as little as […]

For those trying to keep up with CodeNEXT – the city’s ongoing rewrite of the land development code – a good opportunity for checking in will take place on Monday. The CodeNEXT Land Development Code Advisory Group will be at the “Drawing Lines: Explorations of Place” exhibit downtown. The exhibit showcases artwork representing each of […]

In case you missed it, the city’s Music & Entertainment Division (part of the Economic Development Department) hosted the North American Music Cities Best Practice Summit during South by Southwest and has now posted a short video online about the event. According to a statement from the Economic Development Department, the two-day event (March 17-18) […]

April brings with it road closures downtown, as construction continues on a water main that, upon completion in 2017, will bring reclaimed water to the area. All month, there will be lane closures along Red River Street, from 10th Street to 12th Street, and there will be only one-lane of traffic flowing in each direction […]

The “Drawing Lines: Exploration of Place” exhibit opens Friday with a showcase of artwork commissioned from artists representing each City Council district. Each work of art is intended to represent the unique culture of its district, and the exhibit – described as “experiential and immersive” – is intended to “assist district residents in identifying their […]

The Transit Empowerment Fund – which works to expand transportation access to people who are low-income and dependent on public transit – announced Tuesday that it has hit a major benchmark. Since the program began in 2012, it has enabled more than 2 million boardings on Capital Metro transit services. The program, which is a […]

The city is launching a community engagement effort as part of the development of the Austin House Plan, an initiative that aims to expand housing opportunities in Austin’s tough market. According to the city’s announcement about the plan, it will “outline a strategic direction for the City and explore funding mechanisms, potential regulations, and creative […]

The city has released its annual “year in review” report, which looks back over the previous year’s achievements across all city departments. The report provides information about departmental budgets and staffing in 2015, gives an overview of benchmarks met and awards earned, and includes sections on “How the World Sees Austin” (a roundup of ranked […]

City Council approved a resolution on consent last week directing the city manager to explore strategies for improving the Austin Fire Department’s response times. The move comes after a study – the result of a collaboration between the Fire Department and the Austin Firefighters Association – found disparities in response times among different areas of […]

The Austin Water utility recognized four organizations for “excellence in water conservation” last week at a ceremony held at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. The Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, Applied Materials Inc., the University of Texas at Austin and the Interfaith Environmental Network of Austin (known as IEN) were all […]