Last week saw movement on two fronts related to the creation of the long-anticipated downtown health care innovation district that is tied to the University of Texas’ Dell Medical School. The most high-profile piece of news came with the announcement of the hiring of Chris Laing as the executive director of Capital City Innovation. The […]
Austin
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Hotel taxes key to ‘downtown puzzle’ to help area homeless
For all the interlinked pieces of the “downtown puzzle”-solving plan that Mayor Steve Adler unveiled Monday morning – and in a 20-minute speech he name-checked just about every relevant downtown Austin presence – the ambitious and far-reaching policy gambit boils down to one key transaction. That exchange would see hotel guests and their wallets as […]
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City continues to work on Zilker special event parking
The city transportation department is adamant: Nothing has been determined yet about parking for special events held in Zilker Park. Hence, the meeting at the Austin Energy headquarters on Barton Spring Road Thursday evening was an opportunity for Austinites to review different proposed parking policies for major events, such as the Austin City Limits Music […]
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Commission talks reversing institutional racism
Cast out of its usual place in the shadows, racism was put front and center as a topic of discussion during a briefing at the Planning Commission Tuesday night. Eric Tang and Jane Rivera, co-chairs of the Real Estate and Housing work group of Mayor Steve Adler’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities, […]
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Can an expanded convention center solve the ‘downtown puzzle’?
After months of research, city staff has come up with a few ways that City Council can find money to begin solving the so-called “downtown puzzle,” the expression used by Mayor Steve Adler to describe a host of potential downtown projects that could benefit the city. Those projects include expansion of the Austin Convention Center […]
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HAAM considers enrollment closure amid growing health care costs
A growing base of musician members needing health care services has officials with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians looking at possibly closing the program to new members later this year. The nonprofit, which was founded 11 years ago, will discuss its current budget picture and capacity issues at Monday’s meeting of the Austin Music […]
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Austin public libraries to expand videoconferencing
The Austin Public Library Friends Foundation received a $120,000 grant from Google.org last Friday for Austin Public Library to expand videoconferencing to the rest of its branches. The foundation applied for the grant that will fund needed technology, and it will award the money to the libraries in a public announcement soon. Google already funded […]
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Road map, conference point to Austin’s future as a smart city
With dozens of projects underway in departments throughout city government, Austin now has an initial road map for how to better use data and technology to become a so-called “smart city.” The Smart City Strategic Roadmap is the first draft of a report that City Council commissioned the Innovation Office to produce late last year, […]
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Council OKs $6.9 million in fee waivers for state
Despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s long list of proposed topics for an upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature that look a lot like Austin bashing, City Council voted Thursday to allow staff to negotiate an interlocal agreement with the Texas Facilities Commission for participation in reconstruction of the area directly north of the Capitol. Council […]
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Animal Advisory Commission weighs Monk parakeet deal
Austin’s population of Monk parakeets has garnered a lot of attention over the past few weeks, with some questioning Austin Energy’s policy for removing the birds’ nests from power lines and utility structures in town. The Animal Advisory Commission heard from Elaina Ball at its June 12 meeting. Ball, who is the chief operating officer […]
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CodeNEXT activists sign on with opposing petitions
Whoever “Austin Neighbor” is, they’re not happy about the city’s plans to increase housing density under CodeNEXT. In a quirk of 21st-century digital advocacy, the change.org online petition website features a pair of somewhat oppositional petitions related to efforts to rewrite the city’s Land Development Code. One, created by local affordable housing advocate Tommy Ates, […]
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Economic development sessions to target middle-class jobs, local business growth
A focus on middle-class job growth, workforce development and growing existing businesses are some of the priorities the city’s business boosters will emphasize this week during a series of community meetings intended to shape local economic development policies. The seven meetings from June 5-8 will each be directed toward a specific group – small business, […]