Whispers

AISD will be providing free breakfast and lunch for all students at 77 of its 116 schools this school year. Funding for the meals comes though the federally funded Community Eligibility Provision program, which serves students enrolled in low-income areas free of an application process or documentation. Students that attend schools not served by the […]

After 60 years in operation, Decker Dam at Walter E. Long Lake is getting an upgrade. According to a press release from the city, Austin Energy will replace the gates and anchors for the dam, which were designed and installed in 1967. “Almost 60 years later, it’s time to improve and upgrade that equipment, bringing […]

In an attempt to make impending electrical grid failures easier for the public to understand, city officials unveiled a new color-coded chart on Monday. The chart, which can be seen below, illustrates ERCOT grid conditions with information on what to do at each stage. The chart ranges from green, which represents normal conditions and “everyday […]

In the midst of budget season, the Travis Central Appraisal District is giving property owners a chance to review how proposed tax rates and elections will impact their 2024 property tax bills by visiting TravisTaxes.com. “Over the next few months, discussions on budgets, tax rates, bond elections, and voter approval tax rate elections could have […]

Hours are changing at Austin Municipal Court’s main location, and its North Customer Service Center is moving across the street from its past location. Beginning on Aug. 12, Austin Municipal Court’s main location at the Bergstrom Tech Center at 6800 Burleson Road, Building 310, Suite 175 will operate 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through […]

Austin Community College trustees proposed a new tax rate that will keep the average property tax rate steady and called a special annexation election for the Lockhart ISD area at their Monday meeting. The annexation election will appear on this November’s ballot and, if approved by voters, residents in the Lockhart ISD territory will immediately […]

Members of the Public Safety Commission took quite a while Monday discussing a proposed budget amendment to add $328,000 to the city budget for SAFE (Stop Abuse for Everyone) to increase funding for the forensic nursing staff dealing with victims of sexual assault. Even though the Commission for Women had endorsed the resolution in April, […]

City Council members Paige Ellis and Alison Alter are pushing for amendments to add staff to the Parks and Recreation Department for ongoing maintenance needs. Each of them have a number of other recommendations for budget amendments. Ellis wrote on her City Council Message Board post that she would like to add “$1.5M for 16 […]

A newly approved interlocal agreement will free two Travis County bulldozers to help prevent and fight wildfires. The Travis County Commissioners Court approved the agreement Tuesday, freeing the bulldozers to clear vegetation and fight wildfires with Travis County Emergency Services District 6 through Sept. 30, 2025. “Travis County has two bulldozers that it no longer […]

Tree limbs at East Austin’s Martin Pool, 1626 Nash Hernandez Sr. Road, broke and fell during Sunday’s rainstorm, and the pool is closed for repairs until further notice. The limbs damaged the electrical pole for the entire pool facility. Staffers are in the process of getting a quote and timeline for the repairs. Meanwhile, Metz […]

Improvements along Trinity Street and San Jacinto Boulevard between East Cesar Chavez Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard are coming. They will introduce transit priority lanes intended to enhance bus operations for existing and future Capital Metro routes, add protected bike lanes and enhance pedestrian crossings, while also maintaining vehicle parking and access for […]

As part of an effort to provide resources to people subjected to sexual assault, the city and police department have launched a new website, atxbelieves.org. The website is part of a larger public service campaign done in partnership with Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team that stresses community resources available regardless of law […]