With Austin and Travis County in stage 5 – the most severe stage – of the Covid-19 risk-based guidelines, health officials are urging unvaccinated people to get the vaccine without further delay. Austin Public Health, Travis County and their community partners are providing multiple opportunities this week for people to do just that. If you need the vaccine, visit the Travis County Covid-19 page and click on the button that says “Get Vaccinated.” The calendar displays dozens of vaccine events around the county and is frequently being updated with new events, dates and times. Below the calendar, the “Find a Covid-19 Vaccine Near You” button takes you to the vaccine locations map. No appointments are necessary. Please note that kids aged 12-17 must have a parent or guardian present and that the Pfizer vaccine is the only one authorized for that age group.

Residents who live or work near East Braker Lane may have received notice from the Austin Transportation Department about a proposal to extend East Braker from where it currently ends at Dawes Place about three-quarters of a mile to Samsung Boulevard. The new roadway would reduce congestion on East Parmer Lane and “connect to a future Travis County project extending East Braker Lane further east to Harris Branch Parkway, as well as planned Safe Routes to School improvements to Taebaek Drive.” An environmental study is currently being conducted and a public hearing on the project will be held later this year.

Pease Park Conservancy’s Squirrel Fest, originally scheduled for Sept. 10, has been postponed until April 9 due to concerns about Covid. Billed as “a day of movies, music and fun,” Squirrel Fest is a celebration of the reopening of Kingsbury Commons, and as organizers say in their announcement, celebrating “in-person with you in the spring will feel sweeter than ever, when we can gather together knowing that we can be safe and healthy celebrating side by side.” The conservancy is also conducting a naming contest for the Pease Park squirrel, with the winner expected to be announced in September. Submit your name ideas here through Aug. 31.

With kids headed back to school this week, the Texas Department of Transportation is launching its “Be Safe. Drive Smart” campaign to remind motorists to be more mindful of children walking and biking to and from school. According to TxDOT, “The most common causes of crashes in school zones are failure to control speed, driver inattention, failure to yield the right of way at a stop sign and failure to yield the right of way at a private driveway.” All of that adds up to TxDOT’s reminder to “slow down, stay alert and follow all traffic laws” in order to keep kids safe, not to mention avoiding those nasty fines and tickets. And what comes with school children? School buses, of course, which make frequent stops and need to be watched carefully for children darting out into the street after they’ve disembarked. Keep an eye out for the flashing red lights and pull over until the bus has moved on. TxDOT says 11 people were seriously injured in school zone crashes last year, “along with 1,214 crashes involving school buses across the state.” So it pays to be alert.

Love to walk and want to get more involved in local transportation policy? Apply to join the Pedestrian Advisory Council, which the city describes as “an independent advocacy group providing advice to the city of Austin on planning, policy, design, funding, education and enforcement efforts regarding the creation, maintenance and operation of pedestrian facilities.” The city’s announcement explains that, “Appointment to the PAC is based on an individual’s demonstrated knowledge of issues relating to pedestrianism and expressed interest in becoming a member. In selecting people for membership, the PAC seeks to achieve a balance among various types of pedestrian interests (urban transportation, disability, children, elderly, public health, recreation, etc.).” In normal times, the group meets monthly at City Hall, though during the pandemic the meetings have been conducted via WebEx. Sept. 19 is the last day to apply. Applicants will be invited to attend the PAC’s October meeting to introduce themselves to current members, who will vote to select the new members.

Austin and Travis County have amended recently released masking orders to include public colleges. The rules are now extended so that they apply to anyone over the age of 2 on city or county property or public school grounds. The rules do not apply to UT Austin. Similar masking orders have been issued for Central Texas schools, and KUT has a comprehensive list. Though all of the orders stand in defiance of an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott, for now the orders have been upheld by the court. Full county and city orders, which went into effect immediately, are available to read online.

Just in time for the first day of school, Austin ISD is offering Covid tests to families and school district employees who live and work in the ZIP codes that have been the hardest hit by the coronavirus. Covid-19 rapid tests are available for free at any of the four drive-thru events being held today, Aug. 16, from 7-11 a.m. at the following locations:

• Blazier ES; Southeast (8601 Vertex Blvd., Austin, 78744)
• Cunningham ES; Southwest (2200 Berkeley Ave., Austin, 78745)
• Allison ES; Southeast/Central (515 Vargas Road, Austin, 78741)
• Wooldridge ES; North Central (1412 Norseman Terrace, Austin, 78758)

Water samples taken from Bull Creek on Aug. 6 have tested negative for cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, but city officials are testing again, given the fluctuations in the flow of water since a possible exposure on Aug. 1. A press release from the city explains that those samples, which were taken out of “an abundance of caution,” should have results available by the end of this week. Although cyanobacteria was first detected in Lady Bird Lake in 2019, the danger is not as great in creeks that are flowing and have cooler water temperatures. The city continues to monitor Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, and reports decreasing levels of toxins at Red Bud Isle since June. Find more information about the testing and algae on the city’s website.

What’s worse than getting a flat tire while you’re on a bike ride? Having no idea how to fix the flat and pathetically wheeling your disabled bicycle all the way home. (Not that that’s ever happened to us.) Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way: The Austin educational nonprofit Yellow Bike Project is offering an in-person class to teach participants “how to change a flat tire efficiently and effectively, including how to patch an inner tube.” The class is free, though donations of up to $10 are appreciated. Aug. 30, 6-8 p.m. Register on Eventbrite.

Stuck at home for health reasons? If you live in an eligible community in Austin or Travis County, a phone call will bring Austin Public Health’s mobile Covid-19 vaccination unit right to your door. Call 311 or (512) 974-2000 to schedule an appointment with the Mobile Vaccine Program for yourself, your caregivers and your household.

Remember that Waterloo Park grand reopening festival we told you about a few days ago? Well, it’s been postponed, due to the alarming climb in Covid cases and hospitalizations driven by the Delta variant. A news release from Waterloo Greenway explains that the organization “has made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone all opening-day celebrations scheduled for this Saturday. This includes postponement of the ribbon-cutting ceremony and land dedication, daytime programming and nighttime concert showcase.” All is not lost, however; the newly reimagined downtown park will still open to the public on Saturday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m., though Waterloo Greenway urges all visitors to wear face masks and practice social distancing while enjoying the park. “The opening of this park comes at a critical time for the community, and access to outdoor space has never been more important for physical, mental and emotional health.” The planned CommUNITY Day festivities will be rescheduled at a date to be announced.

All Austin ISD students, whether they’re attending in-person classes or virtual learning, will receive free breakfast and lunch this school year, regardless of their household income. The school district goes a little deeper into the fine print to explain that, while the meals are free for everyone, “campuses will still collect income verification to help maintain demographic information needed for various types of funding for schools and potential state-funded benefits for families. Families may submit income verification during online enrollment, electronically on the AISD Cloud through the Parent Portal, or schools can provide a paper form.” Since the meal program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, AISD is reimbursed for all meals served, “so the more students who eat school meals, the more we can invest in higher quality food, maintain local jobs and support the Texas economy.” So parents, don’t bother packing that school lunch and check out the daily menus.