Racial discourse… When Defend Our Hoodz came to the June 11 meeting of the Planning Commission, City Hall was prepared. Protesters opposed to the 4700 E. Riverside project – a development they refer to as the Domain at Riverside – have been frequenting commission meetings. Last Tuesday, they began screaming profanities and calling out commissioners […]
Reporters’ Notebook
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Trees, fiber, petition
Heritage tree transplants see high success rates… Moving heritage trees within the city of Austin is no easy feat. It is, however, almost always successful. Out of the 20 transplant sites listed on the City Data Portal, all of the trees are thriving, according to Keith Mars, the Community Tree Preservation Division manager. He told […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Trees and tribulations
Water woes… Out of the 33 water utilities in the South that deliver water to at least 400,000 customers, a new study by J.D. Power reports that Austin ranks 28th in terms of customer satisfaction with 707 points. San Antonio, an oft-referenced benchmark within Austin’s water utility, ranks 15th with a 735 point score. Scores […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Once upon a time … and other stories
Renteria remembers… Texas Health and Human Services, the city of Austin and several area nonprofits, including Age Well Live Well, are collaborating to record and exhibit the stories of longtime East Austin inhabitants for a new storytelling project. Beyond preserving the oral history of Austin’s east side, the project intends to serve as a link […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Eyes on the Prii
Now we’re here… As public engagement sessions go, the April 27 kickoff for the input gathering process for the Drake Bridge Commons Project was certainly among the more novel we’ve encountered. Among the planned activities: actors portraying historic Austinites William Drake, Emma Long and Walter Seaholm in a nod to the creation of the South […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Politics, resurrected
The return of Zimmerman… After a few years of (relative) silence from Don Zimmerman, it appears that the former District 6 Council member is once again ready to enter the fray. In an Easter Facebook post, Zimmerman announced he was throwing his famous hat into the ring and exploring a campaign to become Texas House […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Chopped
Bueller?… Council Member Alison Alter took time from Tuesday’s work session to highlight a concern that current appointees to some city boards and commissions have been racking up absences, creating an issue of making quorum at several points. During discussion on a consent agenda item to approve some new appointments, she noted that the city’s […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Water stalled?
Next steps forward… Last fall, Council urged Austin Water to accelerate the implementation of alternative water ordinances that would change how developers incorporate water conservation into their construction. Yet at the most recent meeting of the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force on March 12, Bill Moriarty, chair of the Water and Wastewater […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Beach Boy Blues
Elvis has left the building and gone onto the water… In short order, there will be a new old way to get around on Lady Bird Lake. Many moons ago, Glastron, the No. 1 fiberglass boat producer in 20th-century America, was founded in Austin by Bob Hammond, but only recently were his original creations brought […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Something we agree on
The link between governmental and residential Texas houses… Occasionally a contentious zoning case stirs up old memories that have been tucked away, but not forgotten. In the wake of the Historic Landmark commissioners’ reaction to the presented plans for 1602 West Lynn, Bergan Casey, the granddaughter of former U.S. Rep. J.J. “Jake” Pickle and a member […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Dark Skies over ZAP
Doggone open data… During last week’s SXSW-adjacent session at Capital Factory about the value of open data provided by governmental entities, the city of Austin got an unexpected plaudit that also offered a not-unexpected snapshot into the city’s priorities. Panelist Susan Alzner, co-founder and chief of strategy and operations for the research group shift7, was […]
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Reporter’s Notebook: Of departures and festivals
Cofer resigns… Rick Cofer, the vice chair of the Parks and Recreation Board, resigned several hours after City Council approved his reappointment to the board. His resignation came just hours after a concerned constituent emailed Council Member Kathie Tovo, who had nominated him to the position, and pointed to his past treatment of women. Cofer, a […]