Whispers

A free spay/neuter clinic for dogs and cats is underway through April 7 at the Brodie Oaks Shopping Center, 4115 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, Texas, 78704 – also providing free vaccinations, flea/tick prevention and microchips to pets who undergo surgery. Registration and drop-off will begin on-site at 7:30 a.m. and will continue until […]

This weekend, the Landmarks Bike Tour returns to UT Austin. Landmarks has partnered with the school’s Orange Bike Project for the tour and is offering $10 rentals for those who need a bike. According to Landmarks, the docent-led tour of their collection will include stops at “Mark di Suvero’s Clock Knot, Nancy Rubins’ Monochrome for Austin and […]

Austin Water’s 2024 Water Quality Report, released Wednesday, shows that Austin’s drinking water meets or exceeds state and federal standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency. The water has little to no detectable traces of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the city’s public water system is free […]

This weekend promises to be a traffic tangle for those not aware of two events taking place this weekend. Both Zilker Park’s ABC Kite Festival on Saturday and the Statesman Cap10K on Sunday will shut down multiple roads, and city officials are urging drivers to plan accordingly. On Saturday, the 97th annual ABC Kite Fest […]

Community not Commodity is sounding the alarm on HB 3919, called the small lot impervious cover bill, which would “would allow 70 percent impervious cover on residential lots of 4,000 square feet or less.” The bill is set for a hearing on Wednesday at 8am in the House Land & Resource Management Committee. Since Austin […]

City Council and the Planning Commission will host a joint meeting at 2 p.m. today to hear public comment on a proposal to allow larger homes on lots where there is already existing housing. According to the posting, if adopted the proposal would “increase the maximum square footage limits of two new housing units when […]

City Council has approved an ordinance expanding erosion protections along the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam, aiming to prevent future damage in a part of East Austin particularly prone to extreme erosion. The new rules, approved at last week’s Council meeting, double the required buffer for erosion hazard zone analyses from 100 to 200 […]

More than 40 county officials from seven counties in the Hill Country region met in Austin last week to align on key policy priorities ahead of the 2025 legislative session. The gathering was organized by county commissioners and leaders from Comal, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Travis and Williamson counties to discuss their shared agenda. Officials […]

Austin Municipal Court and Downtown Austin Community Court have launched their annual warrant amnesty program that began March 31 and runs through April 25, offering a chance for people with unpaid citations or outstanding warrants to resolve their cases without fear of arrest. During the amnesty period, warrant fees will be waived for those who […]

The Austin Police Department and the nonprofit 911 Cell Phone Bank are launching a phone collection drive in April to provide electronics to people fleeing abusive or dangerous situations. A press release from APD said, “For individuals escaping domestic violence or human trafficking, an untraceable phone can serve as a crucial lifeline.” As Melissa Nachbaur, […]

Austin Animal Center and Greater Good Charities are partnering up to offer a free spay-neuter clinic for Travis County residents. Spaying and neutering is a vital tool to help control the pet population crisis filling the nation’s shelters with homeless dogs and cats. Sterilization also has significant health benefits, reducing the chance of cancers, infections […]

Carole Keeton, Austin’s first woman mayor, died Wednesday at the age of 85. She was born in Austin to Page and Madge Keeton and devoted herself to the city throughout her life. Her father was a much-lauded dean at the University of Texas Law School. Carole graduated from UT and married attorney Barr McClellan in […]