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This fall might've been Austin's warmest. The city says it's ready now for record cold.

Austin and Travis County leaders said they are prepared for potentially record winter weather despite the warm fall. At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown said the city and county have several mechanisms…

Local housing, child care costs remain high as analysts expect strong economy overall

With analysts expecting the U.S. economy to remain strong in the year ahead, local leaders returned to common concerns – housing costs, child care and wages – as the biggest issues facing the Austin economy headed into 2025. The Austin…

City-owned Austin Studios found to have generated $2.6B in economic impact

After a quarter century of operation, the city-owned Austin Studios facility on the site of the former Robert Mueller Municipal Airport has generated more than $2.6 billion in economic impact, according to a recent study. Last week, Austin Film Society…

Austin is making it easier to open overnight cold weather shelters

The city of Austin is changing how and when it will open cold weather shelters this winter to make shelter more frequent and predictable for people, city officials said. When temperatures dip to near freezing, the city opens overnight shelters…

Arts Commission joins call for bond money to replace Dougherty Arts Center

The Arts Commission wants City Council to commit to including funding for a new Dougherty Arts Center in the city’s next bond package, likely to go before voters in 2026. At its most recent meeting, the commission unanimously approved the…

City’s new travel policy aligns with best practices used in other cities

The city’s travel reimbursement process for employees appears to be working well since the policy was updated early this year, according to an audit of the new policy presented Tuesday to City Council’s Audit and Finance Committee. While the audit…

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SXSW economic impact sees small dip based on lower spending for ticketing

South by Southwest’s impact on the local economy decreased slightly this year from 2023, according to a new study from business analysts Greyhill Advisors. The study found that the festival generated $377.3 million for local businesses and residents, compared to…

Youth homelessness has increased rapidly in Austin, according to nonprofit data

The number of young people experiencing homelessness in Travis County, which includes most of Austin, has risen substantially in the past four years, according to numbers from a nonprofit that tracks the issue. Since 2020, the number of people under…

Council OKs contract for new academy to train ‘workforce of the future’

City Council on Thursday approved a $5 million contract with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to start and manage the Austin Infrastructure Academy for 12 months. In addition to job training, the contract with Workforce Solutions includes the provision of child…

TCSO officers stationed at Central Library

To alleviate pressure on library staff to respond to incidents at the Central Library, 10 officers from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office have been onboarded and cleared for stationing at the West César Chávez Street branch downtown. Officers serve in…

Downtown panelists look at options for equitable development as area grows

As downtown Austin continues to be transformed by a number of major infrastructure projects as well as real estate development, area stakeholders want to put in safeguards to prevent the city’s core from becoming inaccessible to artists, cultural groups and…

Arts Commission weighs sizes of grants to aid underserved groups

Members of the Arts Commission want the city to show how effective new grant programs have been at reaching arts organizations from underserved communities, out of concern that large award amounts for the Thrive grant program may result in too…

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