Last month, Bennu Coffee was able to reach a milestone it had been after for months: resuming the 24/7 hours of operation it had gained a reputation for among Austinites. At the moment, only Bennu’s Highland location is open around the clock, but owners Stephanie and Steve Williams are already making plans to open up […]
COVID-19
Posted inPublic Health
Council extends masking rules to June
After hearing from Dr. Desmar Walkes, health authority for Austin-Travis County, at a joint meeting with the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday, City Council voted to extend the current health authority rules until June 10, 2022. Commissioners also acted to extend their rules. Under those rules, students, staff and visitors older than 2 years are […]
Posted inEducation
Afterschool programs struggle with staffing, funding challenges
Post-pandemic life is not looking good for afterschool programs in Austin. Attendance numbers are down, and several afterschool programs are experiencing a persistent staffing shortage, with providers having to let go and even repurpose staff. According to a survey from the Afterschool Alliance, providers across the country have concerns about staffing, funding and being able […]
Posted inTransit
How Capital Metro is able to offer free rides
Last month, Capital Metro announced that for the month of October, it would waive all bus and train fares as a way to encourage people to use public transit and to ease recent service interruptions. The decision to waive fees isn’t exactly new for Capital Metro. The agency will provide free rides for things like […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin moves down to Stage 3 of Covid-19 guidelines as local hospital admissions and cases slow
Lee esta historia en español. Austin Public Health is moving down to Stage 3 of its Covid-19 guidance, as cases and hospitalizations continue to decline. “We’ve had a decline in the number of cases, and we are seeing a gradual reduction in the numbers of people in hospital, in ICU and with ventilator use,” Austin-Travis […]
Posted inCity Council
How much would more remote participation cost the city?
Since March 2020, when Gov. Greg Abbott suspended certain requirements of the Texas Open Meetings Act to allow city officials to hold virtual meetings, the public has been allowed to participate by phone. Austin residents have participated in remote testimony with a good deal of enthusiasm. At one meeting after the governor’s order expired, the […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Covid relief for musicians expected by December, with Live Music Fund taking shape
Local musicians impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic are expected to receive federal relief funds by December, thanks to alterations to a pair of music funding programs recommended by the Music Commission. As of last month, city staffers had been concerned that the grants of $1,000-$2,000 could be delayed into the new year because the Covid […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin, Travis County move back to Stage 4 Covid-19 guidelines
Austin-Travis County health officials have scaled back their Covid-19 risk-based guidelines to Stage 4 as cases and hospitalizations have steadily decreased. Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County health authority, credits mitigation efforts such as masking and vaccinations for the improvements. “The behaviors that have been undertaken by our community to get our numbers of cases down have been […]
Posted inAustin
What happened to Austin’s 24/7 restaurants, cafes and coffee shops?
Austin, over the course of its storied history, has developed a thriving hospitality scene. There is no shortage of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and cafes that show the diversity and breadth of the city. Among this grand selection, some of the most beloved are the places that usually stay open 24 hours a day: Magnolia Cafe, […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin health officials say boosting Central Texas vaccine rates will ease the stress on local hospitals
The rolling average for new daily Covid-19-related hospital admissions has been on the decline for more than three weeks. Still, with an average of 57 admissions as of Tuesday, Austin-Travis County remains at the highest level of Austin Public Health’s community risk guidelines. Resources for the area’s hospital system also remain strained. More than 200 […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
ACL Fest hasn’t been given the final OK on its permits yet, but the city says that’s normal
As cases of Covid-19 continue to surge in Austin, there’s been some question of how live events like the Austin City Limits Music Festival, which drew 400,000 people during its last in-person festival, will mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, the city implemented new Covid-related protocols for special events on city land. The […]
Posted inHousing
County may donate rental assistance funds to city for speedier distribution
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court continued to brainstorm ways to spend 65 percent of a federal rental assistance allocation before a U.S. Treasury deadline at the end of September threatens to rescind unused funds. If the 65 percent threshold is not met, all of the remaining unallocated Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds […]