Biscoe looks like the answer for Travis County… Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt’s name moves from the “very likely” category of contenders to take over Austin state Sen. Kirk Watson’s seat at the Legislature to the “almost certain” category with an item on the Commissioners Court agenda for Tuesday. That item would allow commissioners to […]
Reporters’ Notebook
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Reporter’s Notebook: Drip, drip, drip
Givens has broken… It turns out that Givens Pool is failing faster than predicted, and a February memo from the Parks and Recreation Department advises its immediate closure. The department identified Givens as one of seven pools in critical condition in the 2014 Aquatics Assessment. Since then, $260,000 has been spent toward its continued operation, […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Unmusical chairs
Who’s not running for Watson’s seat..? Possible candidates for the Austin/Bastrop-area Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Kirk Watson are dropping like flies. Three state representatives – Donna Howard, Gina Hinojosa and Celia Israel – have all announced that they do not intend to run for the seat, according to media reports. And it appears […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: The breakdown of wide-eyed, optimistic exuberance
The trouble with working groups… At the Feb. 3 meeting of the Public Safety Commission, two agenda items required the appointment of commissioners to serve on working groups. These groups are tasked with assisting the city in determining the scope of work future consultants will need to complete for the APD systemic racism study and […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Wake wake
Is nothing sacred?… The Historic Landmark Commission exercised its right to delay the advancement of an application for a two-story deck at 311 E. Sixth St. at its Jan. 27 meeting. In a unanimous vote, commissioners asked staff to postpone the case and begin researching the building to determine if it qualifies for historic landmark […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Red tread redemption?
Red dawn(s again)… Austin Transportation and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority are partnering up this month to add more red lanes – or “fresh Elmo,” as they’re called by transit advocates – to the city’s central transit spine. Beginning last week, work crews are painting existing bus priority lanes red on Lavaca and Guadalupe streets […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Reverse correlations
Reports of sexual assault down in 2019 for Austin and the country… Juliana Gonzales, the senior director of sexual assault services at the SAFE Alliance, came to give her monthly update to the Public Safety Commission on Jan. 6. She told the commission that overall reports of sexual violence were down for 2019. “We’re not […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Two Apples, one day
Update on Oakwood… A Dec. 13 memo from Austin Parks and Recreation Department Director Kimberly McNeeley gives an update to the Oakwood Cemetery archaeological findings, with “next steps for the reinterment, memorialization and educational outreach related to burials that were discovered beneath the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel during its rehabilitation.” In 2016, construction at the chapel […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Alternatives to hissing
Instead of hissing… On Saturday, the city held a public meeting to discuss the draft Land Development Code, which City Council is scheduled to vote on today. How did it go? In a nutshell: 392 Austinites spoke on the draft code at the special called Saturday Council meeting. Of the 700 people who signed up […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Code warrior
Nineteenth-century home discovered in Northeast Austin… Homes dating prior to the 20th century are rare in Texas. Therefore, discovering one is a momentous event. Historic Landmark commissioners expressed excitement at the announcement from Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky that the home at 1208 E. Howard Lane is from the mid-19th-century settlement of the Dessau community, […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Easy as L, D, C
Diversify the LDC… At Saturday’s joint meeting of the arts and music commissions, the two groups each approved a request that the Planning Commission adjust the language in a recent addition to the draft Land Development Code that is being amended ahead of possible action by City Council. Earlier this month the Planning Commission unanimously […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Humans of Austin
Get by with a little help from your friends, and supporters… With city of Austin special elections taking place Nov. 5, the cycle is almost over – except for candidates who are gearing up for a round of elections in March 2020, which includes the race for Travis County District Attorney. Next year, two left-er […]