Demolition of the Frank Erwin Center arena on the University of Texas campus is expected to begin next month, following approval last week from UT leaders to move ahead with the $25 million teardown of the longtime home for both university basketball teams. The vote by the UT Board of Regents also spells the end […]
University of Texas
The preeminent state university whose flagship is located in Austin.
Posted inHousing
The University of Texas says it will help low-income students pay for housing
University of Texas students whose families earn less than $125,000 a year may be able to get money to cover a portion of their on-campus rent for one academic year. University officials teased the new program in an op-ed in the Austin American–Statesman last weekend before officially announcing the program Wednesday. Students whose families earn no more than $65,000 […]
Posted inWater
UT report offers ‘roadmap’ for changes at Austin Water
In the wake of five incidents between 2018 and 2022 related to water quality problems, including three boil-water notices and a zebra mussel invasion, Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros resigned and City Council asked the city auditor to identify a group to study problems at the utility and report back. City Auditor Corrie Stokes led the […]
Posted inHousing
Study finds middle-income housing fund outperforms high-dollar real estate
An Austin investment fund created to support and stabilize middle-income rental housing has been verified as an attractive and viable investment by researchers from two Texas universities. Affordable Central Texas, which began acquiring middle-income rental communities in late 2018, has been found to have a higher return (9.4 percent) and lower risk (a spread of […]
Posted inElections
County mulls options to improve campus voting
While the county is doubling its number of voting machines on the UT campus this year, students and advocates are still warning of long wait times, sparse transit access and a lack of polling sites (hint: there are two). On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously passed a measure to help smooth voting on […]
Posted inEnvironment
City partners up to monitor particulate matter in the air
Austin has begun working to better monitor the quality of its air. The Clean Air Force of Central Texas is working in partnership with the city of Austin’s Office of Sustainability and the Austin Independent School District to install PurpleAir monitors – a low-cost device that measures particulate matter in the air – in public […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Erwin Center’s replacement is on track to open next spring. The new arena is already booking shows.
In about a year, Austin’s newest arena, Moody Center, will open on the UT Austin campus. The arena is a $338 million public-private project that will eventually replace the Frank Erwin Center. But unlike its predecessor, it will be managed by the entertainment company Oak View Group with bookings done through LiveNation and C3 Presents, […]
Posted inPublic Health
Both of Austin’s Covid-19 vaccine ‘hub’ providers are struggling to fill appointments
UT’s Dell Medical School (along with UT Health) and Austin Public Health are reporting issues getting people signed up to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Both organizations were designated by the state as “hub” providers. The state created the hub model so larger organizations – a couple dozen across Texas – could vaccinate a lot of people at […]
Posted inCity Council
Austin to become a better ‘laboratory’ for UT research under interlocal agreement
While City Council members and city departments have long sought help from the University of Texas to research challenges facing the city like gentrification or the “downtown puzzle,” there has never been a formal process to coordinate those efforts – until now. Council unanimously approved a five-year interlocal agreement Thursday to remove organizational barriers for […]
Posted inPublic Health
UT incubator takes the lead in health care consortium targeting Covid-19 and future pandemics
The University of Texas’ Austin Technology Incubator is leading a new consortium of more than 50 health care organizations from around the state working to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future widespread disease outbreaks. The Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium (TEXGHS) has started connecting medical school, community health care agencies and health […]
Posted inAustin
Austin History Center chronicles the pandemic
The Austin History Center is a treasure trove of posters, books, photographs, and records from across the city’s history. And while the center is currently shuttered due to Covid-19, it is still doing the work of collecting records of the pandemic and documenting how Austin residents are living through it. “We recognize that this is […]
Posted inCity Council
UT, city start negotiating a development deal
In response to a City Council request in February, the University of Texas has presented the broad outline of an agreement for developing its Austin properties, including the Brackenridge tract, the Pickle Research Center West, Sematech in East Austin, and the Gateway property, which is just east of MoPac Expressway on Sixth Street. Attorney Richard […]