Motivated by the high demand for plumbers brought on by last month’s severe winter storms, local job training organizations have increased their push to enroll students in a variety of skilled trades programs, including electrical and heating/ventilation/air conditioning. Skilled plumbers were in short supply even before the storms caused widespread water line breaks, damaging homes and […]
Austin
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Presentation on city’s racist history explores why Black Austinites are leaving
A joint commission consisting of the bicycle and pedestrian advisory councils fielded a presentation Tuesday from the Equity Office on the history of racism in Austin. Topics ranged from redlining and gentrification to the schism between Austin’s stated values and contradicting realities. Kellee Coleman with the Equity Office drew attention to discrepancies between some of […]
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Shelter logged record-setting number of animal distress calls during ‘snowmageddon’
The weeklong winter “snowmageddon” that stretched from February 16 to 21 also affected the city’s ability to respond to animal distress calls. Pounding sleet, icy roads and temperatures as low as 10 degrees in Austin made the roads dangerous for animal rescue trucks as well as staff traveling to and from the shelters. Austin 311 […]
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Rescue plan gives Central Texas $500 million
According to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin), Travis County is set to receive $247.08 million and the city of Austin an estimated $195.8 million under the American Rescue Plan, approved by Congress and signed yesterday by President Joe Biden. The money for states is generally determined by population, while also using unemployment as a criteria. […]
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Texas is lifting its mask mandate and Covid restrictions on businesses. Here’s what that means.
Lee esta historia en español. Texas is reopening 100 percent, ending the statewide mask mandate and lifting Covid-related restrictions on businesses. Here’s a rundown of Gov. Greg Abbott’s order and what it means for local officials, schools and businesses. What does the order do? It pretty much does what you think it does – lifts […]
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City’s efforts to educate seniors about reducing property tax delayed
The city of Austin has been working on finding ways to educate seniors about opportunities to reduce their property tax. The city is also developing a volunteer program that would allow seniors to offset a portion of the tax. But the pandemic and the severe winter weather in mid-February slowed down the effort. A 2019 City […]
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Council bans declawing of cats
City Council has voted unanimously to ban the declawing of cats, a move also adopted by many other cities, states and countries to protect cats from a practice widely seen as damaging to the animals. “Declawing is a painful and unnecessary surgical procedure in which the cat’s toes are amputated at the last joint, often […]
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These volunteers didn’t wait around to get homeless Austinites into hotels during the historic freeze
Last Wednesday, Patricia Clark was in a hotel room in North Austin watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” She was bored. Just days earlier, she was outside in the 9-degree weather. The 48-year-old has been homeless on and off for more than half her life, living through cold snaps without heat or water or food […]
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Design Commission eyes Dougherty Arts Center plan
The Design Commission on Monday gave feedback on design alternatives for the Dougherty Arts Center redevelopment, setting up a City Council discussion next month. Though commissioners differed on the best alternative, they commended the project as a whole. The “beloved” community arts center, currently located at 1110 Barton Springs Road, will move next to the […]
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Austin Water has restored service to residents, but broken pipes remain a big issue
Areas of Northwest and Southwest Austin that are still under a boil-water notice could be in the clear by Tuesday afternoon, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said at a news conference Monday. “We have collected samples in areas yet to be lifted from the boil-water notice,” he said. If samples come back clear, Austin Water […]
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With energy, water recovery slow, Austin leaders look for answers
With the city’s energy and water utility systems vastly over capacity, local leaders are pushing for immediate solutions to improve residents’ safety and looking at how the state can prevent a similar statewide failure in the future. As of Wednesday night, Austin Energy had restored power to 16 grids that had gone days without power, […]
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Animal Advisory Commission fields outcry over Gracywoods guinea fowl
In Sub-Saharan Africa, where bloodthirsty predators abound, the guinea fowl’s large numbers, fast legs, and plucky dispositions help protect them from looming peril. But over 8,000 miles away, in the charming North Austin neighborhood of Gracywoods, the birds face a different sort of threat, one their sundry adaptations can’t remedy: indignant neighbors. “I want to […]