While some people are intensely interested in Save Austin Now’s Proposition A, which would require millions of dollars in extra city spending to hire more Austin police officers, and other people are intensely interested in Proposition B, which would essentially result in additional parkland for Austin, not many Austinites have made it to the polls to express their preferences yet. After seven days of early voting, only 4.95 percent of registered Travis County voters had cast ballots for the Nov. 2 election. The polling places most likely to see early voters include the Ben Hur Shrine Center at 7811 Rockwood Lane, which recorded 5,882 voters as of Sunday night, the Austin Oaks Church at 4220 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, which saw 4,416 voters, and Southpark Meadows (Suite 500), where 3,258 ballots were cast. One place not seeing much voter interest was the George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center, where only 425 voters had cast ballots as of Monday night. According to Save Austin Now PAC co-founder Matt Mackowiak, the reason for the paltry turnout is “the low profile of the other items on the ballot” – eight constitutional amendments that have gotten little attention. Mackowiak said his group is “working overtime to educate and motivate voters to early vote before end of day Friday or vote on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The stakes for our city are immense. Violent crime continues to rise as police staffing decreases.” On the other side, Laura Hernandez, No Way on Prop A campaign manager, told the Austin Monitor via email that Prop A is “a dangerous measure with disastrous consequences …. It’s well known that elections in odd-numbered years tend to have lower turnout, and that’s why the Republicans behind Prop A put it on the ballot for this year. They’re trying to pull a fast one on Austinites who aren’t paying attention, and that’s why we’ve dedicated all of our resources to educating voters and getting them to the polls. We know that if Austinites show up, Prop A doesn’t stand a chance.” Pollster Mark Littlefield, who is working in support of Prop B and opposes Prop A, said as of Saturday, “Turnout looks very much as expected in both size and composition.” Find early voting locations here.

A new exhibit opening this Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Elisabet Ney Museum is a tribute to the many talents of Texas artist Marie Elena Ely. “Ongoings” is a collection of photography, collage, painting and prints that “evoke the spirit of the modern American West from Texas Hill Country to the City of Angels and back.” Ney curator Lindsay Barras said, “I’m thrilled for the museum to showcase Marie’s recent work, part of a continuum in her prolific and boundless creation. Her photos and nostalgia meet naturally on paper to create romantic and abstract collage paintings I am certain visitors will enjoy.” Ely, who is described as “somewhat of a creative nomad and free spirit, not unlike Elisabet Ney herself,” also directs music videos and does production design. Noon-5 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday, Elisabet Ney Museum, 304 E. 44th St. The exhibition closes Jan. 9.

After a closure due to mechanical problems, Deep Eddy Pool will be resuming normal winter hours on Tuesday. The popular 105-year-old pool – the oldest swimming pool in Texas! – is open 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekends. Check out these amazing historic photos of Deep Eddy through the years.

Following the CDC’s official authorization, Austin Public Health will be offering booster shots from the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Who’s eligible? Fully vaccinated individuals who live in a long-term care facility, have an underlying medical condition, work in a high-risk setting, or are 65 and older. If you meet any of these qualifications, public health officials strongly urge you to get a booster dose to receive additional protection from Covid-19. Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes explained what’s at stake in an announcement: “Boosters are incredibly important to keeping our community protected and hospitalizations low. Just as we have been urging masking, getting vaccinated and getting tested if you are sick, we are urging the public to stay current with their boosters. If we can stay on top of our vaccinations, we provide protections for our most vulnerable and make it that much harder for Covid to spread in our community.” The CDC guidance allows those who are eligible to choose which vaccine they receive for their booster. Find a vaccination site in Travis County here.

Austin’s annual two-week celebration of nature – with a special emphasis on trees and pollinators – is a hybrid event this year, mixing in-person live events and a curated list of at-home activities in an effort to get the entire community safely involved. The 2021 Roots and Wings Festival, which kicked off yesterday and spans until Nov. 6, aims to help all Austinites attain equitable access to nature, regardless of age, background, ethnicity, religion, or any of that other stuff. The only qualification for participating is a curiosity to learn more about the natural world around you. A great way to get started is to sign the Nature Pledge and then jump into the celebrations with both feet.

New equipment will allow Austin Water to conduct in-house testing of water samples for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, or as it’s more commonly known, blue-green algae, which has plagued some of the city’s waterways and killed several dogs who came into contact with the water. Previously the testing was outsourced, with a wait of several weeks for results. With the utility’s new FlowCam, the results can be achieved within 24 hours. The purchase of the new equipment is the result of “growing concerns about harmful algal mats in Lake Travis and Lady Bird Lake,” according to the news release. As Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros explained, “We have a team focused on preparing for a cyanotoxin event, who have been implementing strategic plans for more than a year to be ready if the worst were to happen. We take this threat very seriously, and I’m proud of the vigilance and proactive measures our laboratory analysts and treatment team have put in place to detect and treat for cyanotoxins.”

The city’s Artist Access Program is now accepting applications from emerging and established performance artists for its Fiscal Year 2023 program. The program, which “provides free or low-cost use of space, available equipment and staff expertise to artists and musicians through an annual adjudicated process,” was created from a Council directive to use hotel tax funds to expand hours at city-owned cultural centers. Artists and arts organizations benefit from expanded rehearsal hours as well as the opportunity to produce public performances for free or at a reduced rental fee of $1 per ticket sold. Find more details here and an application here. The deadline to apply is Dec. 15.

José Chito Vela announced on Facebook  and Twitter Wednesday that he is preparing to run for the District 4 Council seat, should its current occupant, Greg Casar, run for the District 35 congressional seat. Vela, an immigration attorney who serves on the city’s Planning Commission, chairs the board of the Workers Defense Project, where Casar worked prior to his election in 2014. In addition, Vela serves as president of the Blanton Elementary PTA. Casar announced Tuesday that he had formed an exploratory committee to help him make his decision. The committee includes numerous public officials from Travis, Hays and Bexar counties. The race for the District 35 congressional seat will likely be a hard-fought one. On the other hand, Casar has faced little opposition in running for Council since his first election in 2014. The deadline for filing for the March 2022 primary is Dec. 13, so Casar has until then to make his candidacy official. Once he does, his Council seat will be open, but he will continue to serve until a new Council member is elected. Other candidates for the District 4 seat are likely to announce their intentions soon, but Vela seems to have a head-start at this point.

Austin Public Health wants to know what community members think about the process of getting the Covid vaccine, getting booster shots and whether vaccination opportunities have been equitably distributed in the area. As interim APH director Adrienne Sturrup explained in the announcement, “We need you, Austin-Travis County, to tell us where our vaccination processes are working, and where they are not.” And Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes emphasized the importance of continuing the vaccination program, saying, “We need our community to step up once again and get booster doses for those who are eligible. Booster doses will extend the protections afforded to our community and continue to help reduce the burden on our hospital systems by preventing severe illness and need for hospitalization.” Health officials are hosting two virtual engagement sessions to collect public feedback. The sessions – titled “Moving Forward Together Against Covid-19” – will be offered twice, one during the week and one on the weekend. To participate in the conversation, log on with Zoom or through the SpeakUp Austin! website. Monday, Oct. 25, 6:30-8 p.m. on Zoom and Saturday, Oct. 30, 10-11:30 a.m. on Zoom.

The Austin Parks Foundation’s citywide volunteer extravaganza, It’s My Park Day, is taking place on Saturday, Nov. 6 as a hybrid version of itself in order to comply with public health guidelines. The number of volunteers for each project will be capped at 25 and all participants will be required to wear face masks. As with last year, there will be virtual activities for those unable to participate in person. Foundation CEO Colin Wallis explained, “We’re grateful to bring back the event this fall in a safe way that allows for both necessary park improvements as well as communal gathering.” Some of this year’s projects include placing a Veterans Day flag at Austin Memorial Cemetery, breaking ground at North Oaks Garden, the Pillars Project at Rosewood Park and Craft Day & Public Art visioning at Georgian Acres. Register now for specific projects. Here’s a full list of park projects.

Council Member Greg Casar was clearly not surprised when long-time Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett announced Tuesday that he would be running for the newly drawn Texas congressional District 37. Doggett currently represents District 35, but 37 is entirely within Austin. After Doggett’s announcement, Casar was ready Wednesday morning to announce that he had put together an exploratory committee to run for the District 35 seat. The committee includes more than 100 elected officials, community advocates, labor leaders and civil rights activists from across the district, which stretches from East Austin through Hays County and into San Antonio. Mayor Steve Adler and five of his colleagues on the Council joined District Attorney José Garza, former state Rep. Wendy Davis and a variety of San Antonio notables in expressing their support for Casar. According to the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer are also interested in the seat. If Casar goes ahead with the race, as seems likely, he will be giving up his Council seat for the opportunity to run in the March Democratic primary. So we can look forward to a Council race along with the other races in March.