Tag Archives: Mayor Kirk Watson

Dirty no more? City opts to keep Sixth Street open to traffic at all times

Beginning this weekend, the city will keep Sixth Street open to vehicular traffic on weekends, a substantial departure from decades of street closures designed to accommodate nightlife culture that saw thousands of pedestrians gather in the roadway while moving among…

Transportation • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 16, 2025

This fall might've been Austin's warmest. The city says it's ready now for record cold.

Austin and Travis County leaders said they are prepared for potentially record winter weather despite the warm fall. At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown said the city and county have several mechanisms…

Austin • By Luz Moreno-Lozano, KUT • Dec 5, 2024

Watson touts progress while pushing for affordability, eyeing city's long-term needs

Two years into his return stint as Austin’s mayor, Kirk Watson thinks the positive moves on housing and affordability made by the 11 members of City Council will be for naught if he can’t keep moving them forward. While he’s…

Elections • By Chad Swiatecki • Oct 17, 2024

Bowen pledges to bring transparency to City Hall, starting with independent audit

Not many people wake up on the day of the filing deadline for mayor and decide to throw their hat in the ring. But that’s what Jeffery Bowen did when he became the fifth candidate in the race to become…

Elections • By Amy Smith • Oct 9, 2024

Doug Greco brings organizing energy to Austin’s mayoral race

Clad in a “Vote for Greco” T-shirt – a style that evokes “Vote for Pedro” from Napoleon Dynamite – Doug Greco may be an underdog candidate, but his campaign is infused with the grassroots energy that has defined his career…

Elections • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Oct 8, 2024

In an unusual hearing, Ethics Commission advances complaints against Greco and Watson to next phase

Ethics complaints filed against mayoral candidate Doug Greco and incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson will move to a final hearing next month, but an anticipated court ruling could circumvent the proceedings. In a preliminary hearing Wednesday, the Ethics Review Commission determined…

Elections • By Amy Smith • Sep 27, 2024

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Women entrepreneurs seek greater support and opportunities throughout Austin

A group of Austin’s leading women entrepreneurs wants the city and business stakeholders to help increase access to capital for women business owners and founders, while creating broader professional networks and providing more business tools and services. Those three areas…

Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Apr 17, 2024

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson declares his plans to run for reelection

To the surprise of practically no one in Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson announced on Wednesday that he will run for reelection this November. In an email to supporters, he outlined victories so far in his current two-year term. “For example,…

Elections • By Jo Clifton • Apr 11, 2024

Federal grant provides $105M for Chavez-Fourth Street cap over rebuilt I-35

The city received a boost in its plan to construct broad, plaza-like caps over sunken portions of Interstate 35, with the announcement of a $105 million federal grant to fund a portion of the construction. On Monday, the U.S. Department…

Roads • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 12, 2024

Austin receives $1M from EPA for plans to combat pollution

The city has received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that will fund climate action plans for Central Texas. The grant was announced Monday morning at City Hall, where members of City Council and federal lawmakers gathered…

Environment • By Chad Swiatecki • Feb 13, 2024

Watson expects City Hall ‘shakeup’ to continue in 2024, with police contract a priority

Mayor Kirk Watson says he didn’t see the widespread shutdown of city services during the February ice storm as an opening to drastically restructure how the city government is organized. But he did take it as confirmation that it was…

City Hall • By Chad Swiatecki • Jan 2, 2024

A look back: Austin’s year in review

With 2023 drawing to a close, it’s time to look back on the local headlines that dominated the news before looking forward to the year ahead. Happy News Year! New city management This year saw a strange kind of sea…

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