Whispers

At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit requested by the Parks and Recreation Department that would allow alcohol sales at the Waller Creek Boathouse. The issuing of the permit is part of a wider project by Parks and Rec to bring alcohol sales operating within parks into compliance with […]

The Planning Commission voted to support historic landmark zoning designation for 610 Baylor St., also known as the Perry House, to City Council at its Jan. 28 meeting. The Monitor previously reported on the case, advanced by homeowners Hayes and Jessica Barnard through an LLC, which would add certain preservation protections and responsibilities for the […]

Though a freeze on federal grants is itself frozen for now, it’s safe to say that the landscape has changed, though the need for help funding infrastructure has not. In a moment indicative of this change, City Council moved forward with a grant request from the U.S. Department of Transportation that could award $25 million […]

Despite pleas from about two dozen people to reject the two items, City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to authorize an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station to conduct a study of wildland fire fuels on properties managed by the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. The agreement relates to […]

Austin ISD student testing scores are returning to prepandemic levels and are higher than the state, peer-districts and the nationwide average, according to results from a reading and math assessment given to a sample of fourth and eighth grade students nationwide. The National Assessment of Educational Progress “results are an encouraging sign that Austin ISD […]

At its meeting last week, the Ethics Review Commission affirmed chair Michael Lovins’ earlier determination that the commission lacks jurisdiction over a complaint filed in December by Jeb Boyt against recent City Council candidate Gary Bledsoe. The December complaint alleged violations of Chapters 392 and 393 of the Texas Transportation Code, Section 39.02 of the […]

Austinites need to save for six years to afford the typical $109,800 down payment on a single-family home, according to recent data from the real estate technology firm RealtyHop. That six-year wait was calculated based on the area’s median household income ($91,461) and median home price of $549,000, based on the company’s home listings in […]

One of the nine gates at Longhorn Dam failed in the open position on Tuesday afternoon during routine work. As of Tuesday afternoon, the cause of and solution to that failure was still under investigation, with Lady Bird Lake’s water level down 1 foot as of 2 p.m. Though the problem was not impacting water […]

The Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.1 percent in December 2024, down slightly from 3.2 percent in November, according to data released earlier this month by the Texas Workforce Commission. The region continues its trend of maintaining a lower unemployment rate than both the Texas average of 3.7 percent and the national […]

The city of Austin’s Bond Election Advisory Task Force has begun laying the groundwork for public engagement efforts for the proposed 2026 bond package. The engagement plan, presented during a recent task force meeting, emphasizes inclusive, multilingual outreach and a variety of strategies to connect with Austin’s diverse communities. Led by the Communications and Public […]

The Movability nonprofit group has announced the call for session proposals for the 2025 Movability Summit, which will take place Sept. 19 at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on the University of Texas campus. The event coincides with National Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Week and is expected to attract 250 professionals and practitioners from […]

Travis County property owners have until this Friday (Jan. 31) to pay their property taxes without incurring penalties or interest. According to the county tax office, as of Monday morning, 68 percent of the 2024 property taxes due had been collected, leaving more than $2 billion outstanding. “We expect to see an uptick in the […]