Today’s newsletter is supported by Austin Energy and the Value of Public Power
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The new Austin Current newsletter launches Nov. 10 and will be coming from a new email address, so watch out for messages from newsletters@mail.austincurrent.org and thetexastribune@mail.beehiiv.com. You’re already signed up, so just keep an eye out for it in a couple weeks.
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Today is the last day of the Austin Monitor. I always pictured that announcement would come from a more frantic place, and expected I’d have to summon the stoicism of a captain watching their ship sink beneath their feet. Surprisingly enough, however, the Monitor never sank.
Instead, in keeping with our history, we’re evolving right alongside this city we have kept such scrupulous tabs on for all of these years.
In its 30 year history, the Monitor has changed hands a number of times, underwent multiple transformations, rebranded and even switched names (what started as In Fact became In Fact Daily until the Austin Monitor was born in 2013.) We’ve blossomed from a subscriber-based newsletter to an independent nonprofit that’s no longer hidden behind an expensive paywall.
I came on in 2010 and took the helm as editor in 2014, with the help of Jo Clifton, who taught me everything there was to know about City Hall as my editor before she decided to return to her calling as a reporter and politics editor. (For those that are curious, she has no plans to stop any time soon and is thinking of turning her focus to audits and city lawsuits in the near future.)
I started this job in a panic, operating without much of a safety net and fewer resources. And, weirdly, it keeps working out. I’ve had so much fun working with other news organizations, other nonprofits and other people with bright ideas about how we can get more information to more Austinites. I’ve turned off countless friends with overly-detailed responses to innocent questions about any number of local issues. And, with all apologies to my friends, none of that is going to change as we enter this new era.
Through the very hard work of a dedicated team of freelance writers, we managed to get the news out to anyone who wanted it day after day, year after year. But, just as the paywall seemed incongruous with our nonprofit, civic-minded ethos, so did the freelance model as Austin became progressively less affordable. In 2025, that model relied increasingly on our reporters’ dedication and unflagging belief in their mission. What was a viable career when I started became, at best, a side gig.
Our latest evolution, powered by the Texas Tribune, will allow us to produce the ambitious local journalism Austin needs with a staff of full-time reporters. We know the players, the history and the policies, but as the Monitor, we’ve never had the capacity to string them all together and tell the stories in the way I know they can be told. It’s going to take a couple months to build this new newsroom, but I’m so thankful we can take y’all on this journey with us. We’ll be back, as the Austin Current, in no time at all. In the meantime, follow our growth through our newsletter, and keep an eye out for updates here.
Thank you so much for sticking with us through these changes. We could not have set out on this new voyage without our readers, and I’m looking forward to connecting with you and hearing about what you’d most like to see moving forward in the years to come.
A message from today’s sponsor, Austin Energy:
Public Power Works for You
Austin Energy is your community-owned electric utility, bringing power to our vibrant city for more than 130 years. Since 1895, we’ve been powering the greater Austin area—lighting up homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses—and now serve more than half a million customers every single day.
But we’re not just an electric utility. As community members, we care deeply about this ever-changing city we call home.
See how public power works for Austin at AustinEnergy.com/PublicPower
Millennium seating setback spotlights uncertain future for East Austin hub
From Chad Swiatecki:
Nearly three years after the city approved funding to upgrade the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, the project remains incomplete. The wait for new theater seating to complete the upgrade has been pushed back to at least summer 2026 amid departmental transitions and procurement delays.
The delay extends a yearslong effort to modernize the sizable East Austin cultural facility, which first opened in 1999 as a safe gathering place for neighborhood youth. The complex’s 100-seat theater has already received new lighting, curtains, paint and a replacement cinema screen. But until the seating is replaced, the renovation funded through a $400,000 grant from the city’s economic development entity Rally Austin will remain unfinished.
Reilly named General Manager of Austin Energy
City Manager T.C. Broadnax has appointed Stuart Reilly as general manager of Austin Energy. Reilly, who has been with the city of Austin since 2007, has served as deputy general manager and then as interim general manager of the utility prior to this appointment.
Reilly brings more than 18 years of experience in public power to the job. That includes six years in executive positions at Austin Energy. “Stuart’s leadership experience, operational knowledge, and commitment to this community make him exceptionally qualified to lead Austin Energy.,” Broadnax said in a news release. “He understands the challenges and opportunities ahead and has a proven record of guiding the utility with integrity and focus.”
Reilly began his career with the city as an Assistant City Attorney, specializing in utility operations, customer programs and renewable energy. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in government. He then attended the George Washington University Law School, where he graduated with a juris doctor degree.
— Jo Clifton
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