Citing overcrowding and unseasonably warm temperatures, Austin Animal Center has sent out a call for people willing to foster medium and large dogs for at least a week. “Besides every normal dog kennel being filled, we also have 13 dogs in crates stashed in every climate-controlled nook and cranny,” AAC spokesperson Abby Varela said in a statement to press about the space crunch at the shelter. “We have literally run out of places to put them. Normally we would put dogs in crates in our outside truck port area when we have no other options, but with the potential heat advisory, we need them moved out of there immediately.” View the dogs available for fostering on AAC’s website. Staff members are available to process applications from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. every day this week.

You know it’s summer when the Drop-In kicks off. The free concert series on the Long Center’s Hartman Concert Lawn is a showcase of local talent, both longtime favorites and emerging new artists. The 12-show series, which runs every Thursday night from May 26-Aug. 11, features David Garza, David Ramirez, Geto Gala, James Robinson, Jeska and the Vanity Project, Luna Luna, Money Chicha, Natalie Price, Nuevo, the Octopus Project, the Past Lives, Ruthie Foster, San Gabriel, Sharon Silva, Sweet Spirit, and Think No Think. As Long Center president Cory Baker said in the press release, “Access to free, live music is what makes our city so special, and we are excited to expand this series in its second year. Throughout the summer, Austinites and visitors alike can expect to see some of their favorite sets and maybe even discover their new favorite band.” Reserve your tickets for the first show on May 20 at TheLongCenter.org. Doors open at 7 p.m., music starts at 8 p.m.

Texas voters resoundingly approved two constitutional amendments aimed at property tax growth Saturday. Proposition 1, which limits school taxes for residents who are elderly or disabled, was approved with 86.91 percent of the vote. Proposition 2, which increases the public school homestead exemption to $40,000 from $25,000, was approved with 84.82 percent. The two amendments represent a small amount of relief for homeowners saddled with high property appraisals this year. The Legislature is anticipated to focus on the issue when it reconvenes.

About 59 percent of Leander voters have elected to stay in Capital Metro’s service area. As KUT’s Nathan Bernier reports, this is the fourth time since 1985 that the city has affirmed its partnership with the transit authority. Recently, that partnership came into question when some argued that ridership numbers did not justify the expense. However, Saturday’s election means that Leander will retain its current service, which includes a stop on the red line, and will continue paying a 1 percent sales tax to Capital Metro that is expected to be more than $10 million this year.

Photo by Stephanie Lee Shelton, courtesy of TPWD.

The public has a chance tonight to witness – virtually – one of Texas’ greatest wildlife spectacles: the nightly emergence of millions of Mexican free-tailed bats from Bracken Cave, home to the largest bat colony in the world. The event, co-sponsored by Bat Conservation International and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, will be streamed live on Facebook starting at 8:20 p.m. on May 9. Biologists will be on hand to answer live questions from the audience and discuss the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, bipartisan legislation that could bring $50 million to Texas to help protect wildlife and restore precious ecosystems like Bracken Cave. RAWA has the strong support of the National Wildlife Federation, the Texas Alliance for America’s Fish and Wildlife, the Wildlife Society and the American Fisheries Society. Community members are encouraged to contact their U.S. senators and representatives and urge them to vote yes on this critical legislation.

With less than 7 percent of Travis County voters casting ballots so far, plenty of people have yet to vote in the May 7 election. If you are among the 93 percent of registered voters who haven’t voted, don’t forget that election day is this Saturday. Anyone registered to vote in the county can vote at any voting location in the county. For more information on the lone proposition on the ballot and voting in general, head over to our voter guide.

A hefty pile of dough may be coming Austin’s way, courtesy of the Biden administration’s HOME-American Rescue Plan Act, which has set aside $5 billion “to assist people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, and other populations experiencing housing insecurity.” The city of Austin is eligible for $11.4 million of this funding if its allocation plan, or proposal, to use the money is accepted. The draft allocation plan is available for viewing and community members are invited to submit comments on the plan during the public comment period, which ends June 10. A Community Development Commission hearing (also open to the public) will take place on Tuesday, May 10, followed by a City Council public hearing on June 9. Delve deeper into the details of the city’s allocation plan and then click the “Share Your Thoughts” button to do just that.

Two toll highways are getting new speed limits as per a vote from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board of Directors. Before setting the new speeds, a speed study was conducted on State Highway 45 Southwest and the 183 Toll “to determine the 85th percentile speed, or the speed at which 85 percent of drivers will travel at or below.” According to CTRMA, “The 85th percentile speed for the 183 Toll was 72 mph northbound and 75 mph southbound, and for 45 SW, the 85th percentile speed was 70 mph northbound and 68 mph southbound.” Motorists may now drive up to 75 miles an hour on the 183 Toll, and 70 mph – the default speed limit – on SH 45 SW.

Attorney Bill Aleshire, who represents a dozen Austin voters who feel aggrieved by City Council redistricting, said Wednesday that the 3rd Court of Appeals had turned down his request to hear the case. That’s good news, Aleshire said, because it means the case, Cheatham v. Adler, can move directly to the Supreme Court after a decision from the Travis County district court. Aleshire filed his suit in Travis County as required, but simultaneously asked the court of appeals and the Texas Supreme Court to hear the case, which will test the theory that voters are unconstitutionally disenfranchised when they are moved from one district to another and therefore lose their right to vote for two years or more. The case is set for trial in Judge Lora Livingston’s court in Travis County on May 12. Livingston could grant the city’s motion for summary judgment without taking any evidence, which would send the case to the Supreme Court, or she could hear evidence and make her decision. Either way, the losing party will almost certainly file an appeal.

Two upcoming meetings, one virtual and one in person, will tackle the topic of renaming Pan American Neighborhood Park to Tony Castillo Pan American Neighborhood Park. The meetings will update community members about the renaming proposal, offer some background about the park and Tony Castillo and present an opportunity to discuss the possible name change. Register here for the virtual meeting, which will be held Thursday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The in-person meeting will be held Saturday, May 21, at 10:30 a.m., at A.B. Cantu Pan American Recreation Center, 2100 E. Third St. There’s also a community survey that is open now through June 4, which attempts to take the public’s temperature on the proposed name change. Find out more on the project web page.

The parks department team leading the Montopolis Pool renovation project is kicking off its community engagement phase. The team has launched a survey to gather feedback and find out what the community’s priorities are for the pool, which first opened in 1979 and is now in need of an upgrade. The survey aims to find out, among other things, which amenities residents would like to see incorporated into the new pool design. The project team also has some pop-ups in the works that will be held at the pool and the Montopolis Recreation and Community Center. Stay tuned for more info on those events. Find out more about the Montopolis Pool renovation project here or take the survey.

A total of 58,293 Travis County voters cast ballots early for the May 7 election. The Travis County Clerk’s website showed fewer than 7 percent of registered voters had cast ballots as of the end of the day Tuesday. Austin residents are deciding whether to instruct police not to arrest people with small amounts of marijuana and to ban so-called no-knock warrants that have proved deadly for people caught in the crossfire. Statewide, voters are deciding on two propositions. Prop 1 would lower the tax rate on school district taxes for people 65 and older or with disabilities, while Prop 2 would increase the homestead exemption for school property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000. That in turn will reduce the taxable value of a home, but would also cut into the amount school districts will collect from taxpayers.