Seeing smoke on the horizon? It might be from a prescribed burn being conducted today by Austin Water. The utility will be burning on 99 acres of Water Quality Protection Lands, and smoke from the burn “may be visible south of State Highway 45 and MoPac, east of FM 1826, west of Brodie Lane, and northwest of FM 1626 from 10 a.m. to sunset,” according to the news release. Luke Ball, with Austin Water’s Wildland Conservation Division, explained, “Conducting prescribed burns is one of the strategies used to manage these lands and protect groundwater in Central Texas. Prescribed burns improve the resiliency of our land when they are used as a planned seasonal management tool.” In addition to reducing the danger of wildfire, prescribed fires promote the growth of native grasslands and greater biodiversity that helps to recharge the Edwards Aquifer. Sign up here if you’d like to receive notifications by email about future prescribed burns.

If you’re planning an excursion today, the Parks and Recreation Department would like you to know that the Butler Hike and Bike Trail will be closed between Barton Springs Road and the Barton Creek Pedestrian Bridge for trail maintenance. The trail will be reopened Friday.

The race to fill the seat of departing District 4 Council Member Greg Casar just got a little more interesting, with the arrival of two new candidates, Jade Lovera and Melinda Schiera. Lovera filed her campaign treasurer designation last week and told the Austin Monitor she would be formally announcing her campaign at 4:30 p.m. today at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center. She indicated that her campaign website would be functional today at jadeforaustin.com. Schiera’s website says she has “volunteered as vice-president and president of the North Austin Civic Association, leading communication, beautification and safety efforts for the past 10-plus years.” The website also reveals that has her own business called Belt Out Loud Marketing. These two candidates join attorney Jose “Chito” Vela, Monica Guzmán, policy director for Go Austin/Vamos Austin, and Amanda Rios, who is a supporter of Save Austin Now, the PAC behind the recent failed initiative to beef up the Austin Police Department.

Project Connect’s Orange Line is coming to the Drag, the section of Guadalupe Street that runs along the west boundary of the UT campus. Not anytime soon, of course – the light rail lines are still in the design phase. But it’s the perfect time to give community input on the rail line as well as the bicycle and pedestrian facilities that will accompany the Orange Line. You can attend a design workshop today, Dec. 8, from noon-1:30 p.m. at the William C. Powers Student Activity Center, 2201 Speedway. Lunch will be provided at the workshop, which is open to UT students, faculty, staff and members of the public. If you can’t make it in person, a virtual workshop will be held at 5:30 p.m. Register for both events here.

Wondering what Austin ISD is planning to do with the campuses it closed last year? The district is holding an online community meeting to answer your questions and update you on the site repurposing process for Anita Coy, Brooke, Metz, Pease, Rosedale and Sims campuses. You’ll also get a chance to share your thoughts about the best use for these facilities. The meeting will be conducted via Zoom today, Dec. 8, from 6-7 p.m. Register here.

There’s a lot going on downtown this month; hence our multiple reminders, to help get you in the spirit for whatever you’re celebrating. This Saturday from 3-7 p.m. brings a Shop the Block event along the 600 block of Congress Avenue. Retailers are hosting a sidewalk market with free hot cocoa along with live music from Lion Heights and Leon Sanchez and comedy from the Hideout Theater Improv Group. The festivities continue Sunday from noon-5 p.m. with the People’s Market at Republic Square. This free event hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance and Frida Friday ATX offers more outdoor shopping opportunities along with live performances from Young Voices of Austin and Mariachi Las Coronelas. There will be food vendors, art exhibits, free yoga and something called a “children’s holiday card activity table,” which sounds like lots of fun for little people.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has been working hard to minimize its impacts on the environment. So hard, in fact, that the airport is one of just four airports in North America to reach carbon neutrality, attaining a Level 3+ Accreditation from an industry airport carbon accreditation program. According to a press release from the city, a Level 3+ accreditation means AUS “has reduced its emissions as much as possible and successfully offset residual emissions by investing in and implementing projects that reduce carbon dioxide.” Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca called the accreditation “a significant milestone for our city.” Jacqueline Yaft, AUS chief executive officer, added, “AUS is proud to be the first medium-sized North American airport to achieve carbon neutrality. As our airport develops and grows to meet the needs of our community, we will continue our commitment to carbon neutrality and environmental stewardship through innovative collaboration with our partners, and by incorporating sustainable design and green development.”

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association has awarded a Planning Achievement Award for Transportation Planning to the city’s Urban Trails Program and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study. According to the news release, the award “honors planning efforts in the state of Texas that work to increase transportation choices for all populations, reduce single-occupancy vehicle dependence, and mitigate climate change impacts.” The Bergstrom Spur Corridor Study is an analysis of the abandoned rail corridor called the Bergstrom Spur, located in Southeast Austin near the airport. Previous studies identified the corridor as “an important future link for connecting regional bicycle, pedestrian, trail, and transit networks. Through the study, the project team worked closely with local residents and community members to develop proposed concepts for the urban trail and future transit connections.” Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca said, “Beginning this project brings us one step closer to ensuring all Austin residents have affordable, sustainable options for getting where they need to go safely.”

If you’re the type of citizen who faithfully votes in every election, adds your voice (and your feet) to protests, and reaches out to your local and state representatives when there’s something on your mind, you might be interested in becoming even more civically involved in your community. If so, the city invites you to “take the next step in civic engagement” by serving as an appointed member on one of Austin’s 70 local boards or commissions. In the latest edition of the Imagine Austin speaker series, interim City Clerk Myrna Rios will discuss the application process, qualifications and responsibilities, and any conflicts of interest that may arise while serving. Three active commission members will also be on hand to share their experiences. Register here for the webinar. Wednesday, Dec. 8, 5-6 p.m.

Love global design but want to support local fashion designers at the same time? The ATX+EGYPT Fashion Pop-Up allows shoppers to do both. The pop-up store, part of the ATX+EGYPT Entrepreneurship Program, sells clothing, jewelry, bags, leather goods and more made by fashion designers from Austin and Cairo. As Sylnovia Holt-Rabb, acting director of the Austin Economic Development Department, explained, “This pop-up store is a great opportunity to support Austin fashion designers during the holiday season. The store also provides fashion designers from Cairo with an opportunity to access the U.S. market.” The store is open Dec. 5-20, Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday from noon-5 p.m., 225 W. Second St.

This weekend, Austinites are invited to attend the official groundbreaking of the Holly Trail Segment of the Hike-and-Bike Trail, which is a first step toward connecting the trail and converting to parkland the shore adjacent to the Holly Street Power Plant. In 2007, operation ceased at the plant, with the official decommission coming in 2017 after decades of activism from the neighborhood and members of the Holly Decommissioning Committee. The trail is just one part of the extensive plan for the area, which includes a playscape, pool and restroom. Saturday’s groundbreaking will include a recognition of the work of the decommissioning committee. Saturday, Dec. 4, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2300 Riverview St.

The Commissioners Court is looking for qualified residents of Travis County to serve on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. Board members meet on the second Tuesday of every month. The primary responsibility of the 10-member board is to hire the chief appraiser and to approve the annual budget. According to the county’s description, TCAD provides accurate appraisals of property in Travis County, covering an area of about 873 square miles, and is responsible for nearly 450,000 tax accounts. “The Appraisal District’s primary responsibility is to develop an annual appraisal roll for use by taxing units in imposing ad valorem taxes on property in the district.” The deadline to apply is today at 5 p.m. Find the application packet and more information here.