While some people think states like Louisiana and Florida have cornered the market on alligator territory, Texas has what Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Jonathan Warner called a “healthy” population of about half a million gators. While most live in the state’s southeast region, Warner, who serves as TPWD’s alligator coordinator, says some gators, both […]
City Hall
Posted inCity Hall
Rodriguez pleads guilty to misuse of federal funds, falsifying records
Frank Rodriguez, who served as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Steve Adler beginning in 2015, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to misapply federal funds and falsifying records “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence an investigation into a matter within the jurisdiction of an agency of the United States.” According to a statement […]
Posted inAustin
Former Mayor Bruce Todd leaves a lasting legacy
Bruce Todd, who served his community as mayor of Austin as well as Travis County commissioner, died Christmas Day at the age of 72. He suffered from Lewy body dementia for several years before his death. Todd, who was Precinct 2 commissioner from 1987-1991 and mayor from 1991-1997, is remembered as a champion of the […]
Posted inCity Hall
Cronk: Police reform efforts put Austin in national spotlight
Looking back at 2021, City Manager Spencer Cronk feels proud of the way city employees performed in the face of a seemingly never-ending pandemic, an unprecedented ice storm, and state legislation that not only redirected use of city funds, but restricted how much money the city can collect. This followed on the heels of a […]
Posted inAustin
Chamber prez credits Austin’s rapid recovery to diverse local economy
Even after nearly two years of Covid-19 restrictions, Austin continues to have one of the strongest regional economies in the United States. Austin Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Laura Huffman says the key to that bounce-back comes from the diversity of the local business community. With health care a growing presence because of the […]
Posted inCity Council
Mayor emphasizes Austin’s knack for rising to the occasion
The Austin Monitor sat down with Mayor Steve Adler in early December to recall the highlights – and lowlights – of 2021, including Covid-19, homelessness, Winter Storm Uri, police reform, and the rising cost of housing in Austin. At the beginning of 2021, Adler and others hoped that they would not have to deal with […]
Posted inAustin
2021: Remembering the year that was
Though everyone reading this lived through it, it’s still somewhat unbelievable that 2021 continued the vibe of 2020. Nonetheless, we are taking a backward glance at what happened in our fair city over the past 12 months and throwing caution to the winds in looking forward to the next 12. See you in 2022! The […]
Posted inCity Council
Tovo ‘strongly considering’ a run for mayor in 2022
As Council Member Kathie Tovo enters her last year as District 9 representative, she sat down with the Austin Monitor to discuss what she hopes to accomplish in 2022, including a potential run for mayor and how she responded to the considerable challenges of 2021. While Tovo, who was first elected in 2011, said 2020 […]
Posted inCity Council
Alter says resilience has been the theme of 2021
Reflecting on her fifth year serving District 10, City Council Member Alison Alter recalls confronting significant obstacles, but maintains that Austin has come out the better for it. “It’s been an incredibly challenging year, but we’ve set a lot of things into motion that I believe will make Austin a more resilient and sustainable place […]
Posted inCity Council
Pool’s 2022 priorities include district-level plans, increased EV use
With City Council set on implementing building code changes by individual plans and priorities, Council Member Leslie Pool said in 2022 every member of Council will get their own “time to shine” with the chance to push the changes important to their districts. Of course, each of those initiatives will need to have broad support […]
Posted inCity Council
Ellis sees opportunity for growth amidst 2021’s challenges
Despite a year that brought both public health and environmental disasters, District 8 City Council Member Paige Ellis has pushed forward in her efforts to rethink transportation, parks and affordability solutions in our rapidly growing city. While the Covid-19 pandemic has been a historic challenge, Ellis says it has opened up unexpected opportunities to rethink […]
Posted inCity Council
Casar says 2021 was about helping people in crisis
From community organizer to City Council member to congressional candidate, Greg Casar exudes the energy of someone eager to get things done. Since taking office in January 2015, he has accomplished much of the social agenda he put forward as a Council member. Now he’s poised to make an early departure from Council once his […]