The city has sent out a news release advising community members that Austin Memorial Park Cemetery will be closed on Sunday, April 18, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. “for asphalt work near the entrance to the cemetery that is part of the road improvement project which began in November 2020 and will be completed this spring.” Cemetery visitors may notice several newly paved roads that are part of the facility improvement project being undertaken – no pun intended – as part of the 2018 bond program.

Texas voters must be registered 30 days before elections to participate, which means that today is the last day to register to vote for the May 1 elections. Travis County residents can determine whether they are registered at  votetravis.com. If you’re not registered, don’t panic; here’s an online application. In addition, voter registration forms can be downloaded to be mailed or hand-delivered to the Travis County voter registrar. Applications should be addressed to: Travis County Voter Registration, PO Box 149327, Austin, TX, 78714 and they may be dropped off at 5501 Airport Blvd. Applications must be postmarked or received by April 1. In case of changed names or addresses, voters can update their voter registration online.

After hearing reports from City Auditor Corrie Stokes’ team about follow-up audits on police oversight and homelessness as well as a brief discussion about the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex, City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee had little time to talk about issues relating to Austin Convention Enterprises. There was no mention of former Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who is now president of ACE. His hiring caused some consternation on the part of some former colleagues, even though ACE Board President Phillip Schmandt explained the hiring scenario. Council Member Leslie Pool reiterated it was important that the committee understand ACE and the city’s role in oversight of the asset. Schmandt provided many pages of documentation at Pool’s request and she promised more discussion about ACE and the Hilton hotel at the committee’s April meeting. Committee members also agreed to postpone discussion on a disparity study and the minority- and women-owned business programs.

Trinity University Press’ Maverick Book Club, which meets monthly to talk about “the books that are shaping the narrative landscape of the state,” will be gathering on Zoom to discuss Fault Lines: Portraits of East Austin with photographer John Langmore, activist Bertha Rendón Delgado, historian Harrison Eppright, and reporter Michael King. Fault Lines “features more than 100 color and black-and-white photographs of Austin, Texas taken between 2006 and 2010, during which time Langmore was fully aware that the window for capturing the East Austin community was rapidly closing.” April 7, 7 p.m. Register for the event at Trinity Press.

It’s almost Easter Sunday, but things really aren’t quite back to normal, so while Travis County Parks will be open on April 4, “visitors are reminded the parks will have limited capacity in order to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 within the community and among park staff.” The county’s news release goes on to say that “Easter is one of the busiest days for the entire park system,” and “If a park reaches capacity, additional visitors will not be allowed for the rest of the day, and a closure notice will be added to the specific park’s web page.” You know what to do: wear a face mask; practice social distancing; use hand sanitizer. Also, one more warning: “Please do not bring confetti eggs (cascarones) that contain plastic confetti.” Find a full list of park rules here.

Two swimming pool projects are taking shape in East Austin: the Givens Aquatic Facility Renovation and the new Colony Park Aquatic Facility. Both projects have their second virtual community meetings coming up, where the design team will “provide possible concepts for the future pools” and solicit feedback. Feedback gathered from the first virtual meetings, SpeakUp Austin surveys and community conversations went into developing the concepts that will be discussed. Interested community members are invited to join in the next phase and attend the meeting of their choice. Register on Zoom for Community Meeting #2 for the Givens Pool Renovation, Monday, April 26, at 5:30 p.m. Register on Zoom for Community Meeting #2 for Colony Park Pool on Wednesday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m.

AISD students, families and community members are invited to attend a virtual ceremony celebrating the opening of Murchison Middle School’s new modernized spaces, which were “inspired by the northwest Austin landscape and the school site’s history as a former rock quarry.” The ceremony will include remarks from Principal Beth Newton and AISD leaders and a video tour of the new facility, which features “a new 6th-grade addition, media resource center and administrative spaces.” Wednesday, March 31, at 8:30 a.m. via Zoom. (The meeting ID is 992 9830 4224 and the password is “matadors.”)

A proposal to add two HOV lanes on Interstate 35 between U.S. Highway 290 East and Ben White Boulevard continues to cause plenty of fuss. If you are one of the many Austinites who has an opinion on the I-35 Capital Express Central Project, don’t miss the chance to comment directly to TxDOT through the second virtual public scoping meeting. Comments are due by April 9, and the meeting, fact sheet and other information about the current proposal can be found online.

Sound in Sculpture, UT’s showcase for student-composed music responding to works from the university’s public art program, Landmarks, returns this spring in an online format. The series features compositions from Geli Li, Sophie Mathieu, Abhi Rao, Thomas A. Rodriguez and Rita Yung “in a variety of styles, ranging from works for a brass quartet, to piano solos, to a mix of voice and instrumental arrangements.” Free, no registration required. The event will stream through the Butler School of Music’s Vimeo channel on April 22 at 7 p.m.

On Friday, Austin Public Health confirmed that more than 29 percent of adults in Travis County have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. About 12 percent of that population is fully vaccinated. In other heartening news, populations that have been fully vaccinated are showing a vast decrease in Covid infections. As of March 18, long-term care facilities reported only six new cases over the previous two weeks, which is a staggering 98 percent decrease compared to Jan. 21, which saw 273 new cases over the same time period. Today, March 29, marks expanded eligibility to all adults, and APH is expecting additional vaccine supply from the state. “We know that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone,” APH Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard said, in a press release from the city. “Whether that be physically or emotionally, everyone has had to change their daily routines and limit interactions that were once normal. These sacrifices have not gone unnoticed, and our community has done comparatively well in limiting Covid-19 cases and deaths. As supply increases and more people are able to get vaccinated, we will be able to begin a return to normalcy.” That said, health officials stress that until the population reaches herd immunity, things are not quite normal yet, and everyone should continue to wear masks, social distance and practice safe hygiene. There are a number of paths for those looking for vaccines, including vaccinefinder.org.

With vaccination rates rising, most Austinites are anticipating a return to normal life in the near future. For our readers (and for us!) that might include a return to City Hall after more than a year away, and obviously, things have not stood still for the past year. Since we have been gone, Austin Java has left its City Hall space. A March 23 memo from the Office of Real Estate Services explains that a mysterious new tenant is on the way and ready for City Council consideration this June. From the memo, here are your clues. Guess accordingly: “The proposed tenant use would be an upscale convenience store, coffee shop and café with in-store and patio seating. Terms with the tenant will be negotiated to be in-line with the market norms of the City’s 2nd Street District.”

Austin ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde and the district’s leadership team are hosting a series of virtual conversations to let the community know about AISD’s 2020-25 Strategic Plan and the 2021-22 budget process. District families, staff and students are all invited to attend “Conversations with the District.” The staff conversations are 4:30-5:30 p.m. while the conversations for families and community members are 5:30-6:30 p.m. View the full list of community conversations and register to participate on the event page.