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City to boost lighting for West Campus

In response to concerns about student safety, the city plans to increase spending to repair and upgrade street lights in the West Campus neighborhood. In a memo released last week, City Manager Spencer Cronk outlined short-term, mid-term and long-term plans…

Council kicks off new year with measures aimed at affordability

In its first official meeting since the election, City Council unanimously approved several measures aimed at Austin’s growing affordability crisis. In an attempt to increase funding for affordable housing in a rapidly gentrifying part of East Austin, Council approved a…

Austin looks to engage residents and preserve 'Old Austin' through storytelling

From Wooldridge Square, the birthplace of Austin illustrator Jim Franklin’s legendary Keep Austin Weird concert poster, to Interstate 35’s historic past as a cattle driving route, Austin is built upon the stories and memories of generations past. However, as the city’s population…

American Cities Climate Challenge brings support, not cash

The announcement two weeks ago that Austin was one of 25 U.S. cities to receive Bloomberg Philanthropies’ American Cities Climate Challenge award was greeted with much fanfare from the media. The press especially touted the $2.5 million Austin would receive…

UT study at center of debate on tourism, hotel tax and expansion proposal

A forthcoming report from a group of University of Texas architectural students may be the next significant piece of research shaping the ongoing debate over how the city uses its Hotel Occupancy Tax funds. That study – commissioned last year…

City hopes 10-foot fence will deter crime on Red River

The city of Austin is inching toward a “short-term” solution to a downtown alleyway that police and business owners say has become a magnet for criminal activity. Drug dealing, prostitution and human waste are frequent issues in the alley between…

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IndyAustin PAC will not be involved in stadium battle

Linda Curtis, the Bastrop-based activist best known for gathering signatures for various citizen initiatives in Austin, has disbanded a political action committee linked to her advocacy group, IndyAustin. The group will continue to engage in advocacy, Curtis said in an…

Gus Garcia, the first elected Hispanic mayor of Austin, dies at 84

Gustavo “Gus” Garcia, a former Austin school board trustee, City Council member and the first elected Hispanic mayor of Austin, died early Monday surrounded by his family. He was 84. At a memorial service at Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership…

Tourism Commission pushes for broader use of hotel tax dollars

Austin’s Tourism Commission wants to see the city push for more latitude in how to spend local hotel occupancy tax dollars, with an eye toward next year’s session of the state Legislature. At Monday’s meeting, the commission approved a recommendation…

Austin economy looks sunny, with affordability as the biggest cloud

Austin business and policy leaders were shown a optimistic picture of the state and local economy Thursday at the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s annual economic forecast, with the smallest concern on the horizon partly a result of the city’s strong…

People living on the streets can now clean up Austin's parks for an hourly wage

People experiencing homelessness can now work for the city of Austin. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department, along with Austin Public Health, The Other Ones Foundation and City Council Member Ellen Troxclair, highlighted the pilot program Monday in South Austin.…

City seeks grants, partnerships to implement tech solutions for homeless

The city’s Innovation Office has applied for a $400,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with the goal of directing the money toward implementing a suite of blockchain technology solutions to help the city’s homeless population. The grant application…

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