With freezing temperatures in the forecast, the city and its partners are opening their cold weather shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Those in need of shelter tonight are encouraged to go to One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to register. Capital Metro will be providing transportation to the shelters, which are located off-site. Crews from Public Works and Transportation will be out monitoring road and bridge conditions 24 hours a day until Saturday. Residents are advised to avoid all unnecessary travel, if possible, and everyone is advised to plan ahead in case of emergency. According to a city news release, while this week’s storm “is not expected to be as impactful as Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 … hard freezes, cold wind chill values and a potential wintry mix of precipitation are all possible.” If you’ve been putting off getting a Covid test or vaccination, now is not the time. Austin Public Health testing and vaccine sites, including the new site at Metz Elementary, will be closed Thursday and Friday due to the winter storm warning. The testing site at George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center will have a delayed start on Saturday and will run from noon to 4 p.m.

Austin Animal Center wants to remind pet guardians to keep their furry family members in mind when making winter storm preparations. Animals can suffer from hypothermia just like humans can. While Arctic breeds like huskies and malamutes can tolerate colder temps than short-haired dogs, “no pet should be left outside for long periods during freezing temperatures,” says the center. Keep walks short since paws, ears and tails are at risk of frostbite when temps fall below 32 degrees. Take steps to protect your dog’s paws from icy surfaces. One more important reminder: Give your car hood a few loud thumps before starting the engine to warn any community cats who may be taking refuge inside your warm, dry engine block. Cats and other small animals often seek shelter under vehicle hoods or even in wheel wells in wet, freezing weather.

Oakwood Cemetery Chapel staff members are searching for the descendants of people of color buried in the Oakwood Cemetery. The descendants will be invited to participate in a “vision session” this spring with historic preservation and archaeology project specialists, who are researching the “collective memory of the history of Austin, Texas, and the American South,” according to a news release. One cemetery staffer has researched over 2,700 burials at Oakwood Cemetery and has a list of names of people known to be buried in the area, dating back to the 1860s. Participants may be asked to record an oral history of their family and share photos and other information about their family heritage in order to create a family tree. If you are a descendant of someone buried at Oakwood Cemetery, or have information that might be useful to the project, email Jennifer.Chenoweth@AustinTexas.gov or call (512) 978-2310.

With early voting in the March 1 primary election just two weeks away, the hardworking folks at the Travis County Elections Division are desperately seeking poll workers to help with the early voting period and election day. There are still 229 spots open for the early voting period and 364 vacancies that need to be filled before election day. Poll workers are paid $15-$17 an hour. If you’re interested in working as a poll worker, email erecruiting@traviscountytx.gov or call the Elections Division at (512) 854-4996. And please spread the word!

A gathering of more than 300 Central Texas Interfaith leaders and clergy will hold a nonpartisan “accountability” session online with major Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. congressional districts 35 and 37. Candidates including Eddie Rodriguez, Greg Casar, Rebecca Viagran, and Lloyd Doggett will present their views on issues like living wages, education, housing affordability, homelessness, immigration and public safety. Lydia Moore, a CTI leader with Ebenezer Baptist Church, explained that the pandemic “has exacerbated already difficult economic and health circumstances for all communities, though low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities have been among the hardest-hit. We believe it’s important these candidates hear from these communities and that we will hold them to their commitments if they are elected.” CTI plans to follow up the event with a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote effort that includes phone banking and block walks. RSVP here. Sunday, Feb. 6, 3-4:30 p.m., via Zoom.

The parks department’s Urban Forestry Unit is holding a reclaimed log pickup for those interested in using reclaimed wood in their art, furniture or garden projects, or anything else one might commonly use a large log for (battering ram, anyone?). You must load and haul your own wood at this event, though parks staff will cut your log down to size if necessary. Only one log per person and participants must sign a liability waiver, available on-site. Friday, Feb. 4, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., John Treviño Jr. Metro Park, 9501 FM 969.

Cynthia Miller, longtime partner at Rindy Miller Media, is joining the staff of District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool. Today is her first day as senior policy adviser for Pool and Miller will be working from City Hall. Pool represents the city as a member of the Capital Metro Board of Directors, where Miller just completed a yearlong research project. Miller and her partner and husband, Dean Rindy, have handled communication and outreach plans together over the past 20 years, writing and producing TV, digital, print and radio advertising for clients throughout Texas. Miller told the Austin Monitor she was particularly proud of helping to elect Annise Parker as mayor of Houston in 2009, noting that Parker was the first openly gay mayor of a large U.S. city. Most of Miller’s work for Pool will be centered on communication and environmental and transportation policies. She will join Pool’s chief of staff, Louisa Brinsmade, in the office. Pool was reelected in 2020 and will serve through 2024.

After 10 years, the Austin community organization Common Ground for Texans is shutting its doors, having decided “with heavy hearts” that it has “run its course.” In an emailed message to supporters, the nonprofit’s board wrote, “Like so many other nonprofit organizations during Covid, folks are tired. Attracting new leadership is more than challenging. We value all those who have come to our meetings, viewed our recordings, and advocated for our goals.” CG4TX, as it was called, endeavored to find common ground across the political spectrum while promoting greater civic engagement and respectful discourse. The group even had a civility pledge to remind members and supporters to keep their cool when discussions grew heated: “I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest and respectful toward people with whom I disagree. I value people from different cultures, I value people with different ideas and I value and cherish the democratic process.” For those who want to continue (politely) fighting the good fight, CG4TX recommends several other like-minded organizations to support or join, including the Austin Area League of Women Voters, Braver Angels Central Texas and Ranked Choice Voting for Texas. Farewell, CG4TX, your voice of reason will be missed.

East Austin’s Metz Elementary at 73 San Marcos Street will begin operating as a free Covid testing site, with help from federal funding. PCR tests will be available from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., beginning Tuesday, Feb. 1, at noon. “People need to be able to get a test when they have time to get it,” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett said at a press conference Friday. “This site is for folks that wake up early to take care of their kids, for those that are working late on a restaurant shift, for those that balance 9-to-5s with responsibilities at home, for so many of our neighbors.” Though no appointment is required, community members are encouraged to make appointments online or by calling (800) 635-8611. In addition, Austin Public Health clinics continue to offer free tests throughout the city. Mayor Steve Adler stressed at the press conference that Covid testing is free and that no proof of citizenship, insurance or other documentation is required.

In an effort to boost safety in West Campus, the city is upgrading the street lighting, retrofitting 500 additional older streetlights with LED inserts – called relamping – by the end of 2022. UT campus safety groups have long complained about crime and safety in the area, which according to a city news release, “has historically experienced a higher-than-average rate of property crime compared to the city of Austin as a whole.” Assistant City Manager Stephanie Hayden-Howard said the city is taking a multipronged approach to improving safety “through a combination of better and more lighting, increased police patrols and ongoing support to help our homeless neighbors find housing.” City departments participating in the West Campus safety boost include Austin Energy, Austin Transportation, Public Works, Austin Police and the Homeless Strategy Office.

This again? I know what you’re thinking: Do you people never tire of harping on about vaccination? No, we do not. That’s because getting fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make, for your own health and for the health of those around you. Travis County, Austin Public Health and their community partners continue to host a variety of free and convenient Covid vaccine distribution events every week. No appointments, health insurance or proof of citizenship is required. Simply consult the handy online calendar and map to find the date, time and location of a vaccine event near you. All Austin Public Health sites offer the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, including third doses for the immunocompromised and booster shots. Four APH clinics offer pediatric vaccinations. If you’re receiving your second or third dose or booster, bring your CDC Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card so it can be updated.

Anyone who’s been knee-deep in neighborhood issues over the years has probably had contact with Carol Gibbs, the friendly adviser, facilitator and translator of bureaucratese with the city of Austin. Now, after 13 years as the face of the Neighborhood Assistance Center, Gibbs is retiring from the city, but it’s likely she’ll continue to be called on in times of neighborhood need. Throughout her tenure she has worked in four different yet similar departments, including Neighborhood Planning and Zoning, Planning and Zoning, Planning and Development Review and Development Services. Multiple City Councils have come and gone under her watch. The current Council will send her off today, Thursday, with a proclamation from Council Member Kathie Tovo. We wish Gibbs well in her retirement.