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City Council takes steps toward relief for live music venues and 'legacy' businesses

Austin’s struggling live music venues, restaurants, bars and longtime businesses are a step closer to getting some Covid-19-related relief from the city, but some are still holding out hope for quicker relief. City Council approved Thursday the guidelines for two…

City to replace five more names dedicated to Confederate history and white supremacy

In line with a resolution that called for the renaming of city assets whose names were associated with white supremacy and Confederate history, the city is moving forward with five more name changes. A Dec. 2 memo from Chief Equity…

New SAVES programs face uncertain funding

The city has started nine programs in nine months to help local Austin businesses survive the pandemic. On Thursday, City Council will consider final program guidelines for three more programs providing relief for child care providers, local music venues and…

Human Rights Commission passes recommendation for domestic violence survivors

Late last month, the city’s Human Rights Commission unanimously passed a recommendation to continue providing hotel shelter for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking during the Covid-19 pandemic. Courtney Santana, a Human Rights commissioner and the CEO…

For child care providers in Austin, city relief couldn't come soon enough

Patsy Harnage doesn’t get a lot of holidays. For the last decade, she’s grown accustomed to working herself to the bone. Operating a child care center is hard work, built on razor-thin margins. That’s part of the job; it’s an…

City leaders and Cap Metro get to work crafting Project Connect anti-displacement plan

In November, Austin voters approved a tax increase to support Project Connect and the expansion of public transportation throughout the city. Now, local leaders need to figure out precisely where and how to spend some of that money, including $300…

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Austin music venues won't get Covid relief money until next year. They say they're running out of time.

Jeannette Gregor was shaking, her voice quivering. “I am not a public speaker. This is actually kind of a nightmare for me – especially after about five months of isolation and no social contact,” she said back in September. “So…

Black coalition says Austin should pay out millions in restitution for long-ignored systemic racism

Black residents are calling on Austin to address decades of racism, inequity and displacement, demanding the city move to potentially provide as much as half a billion dollars in restitution for the Black community. Roughly 50 Black Austinites of all…

City revives a New Deal program to put people back to work

Lee esta historia en español. The city of Austin is putting up to $2 million toward a new employment program that helps organizations hire people financially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Austin Civilian Conservation Corps is modeled after a…

The pitfalls of being an Austin service industry worker during Covid-19

Gina Dvorak has been working since she was 16 – she’s never not had a job. So when she was furloughed from the serving job she’s held for over 10 years at an Austin Japanese restaurant, she fell into a…

New collective continues the fight to dismantle systemic racism

Mayor Steve Adler and a coalition of community activists launched a new nonprofit organization earlier this month, creating an entity to succeed the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities and bring many of its 278 recommendations to…

Neighborhoods free to reimagine Halloween as APH lays out recommendations

Austin neighborhoods are working to reimagine Halloween, with families and households strategizing how to balance safety and fun in an effort to preserve the spooky holiday amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Austin Public Health issued a statement Oct. 9 regarding recommendations for…

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