Meals on Wheels Central Texas urgently needs new volunteers to help deliver meals to homebound seniors. During the pandemic, Meals on Wheels has modified its schedule so it delivers two weeks’ worth of meals every other Friday. The agency is preparing to resume regular daily meal deliveries in January and has dozens of open meal routes across the city – but not enough drivers to fill the slots. If you’re interested in becoming a Meals on Wheels volunteer, fill out this interest form. A staff member will reach out to schedule an online volunteer orientation, which is held via Zoom on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 11-11:30 a.m. Adam Hauser, president and CEO of MOWCTX, told Fox 7 last year that without volunteers, the agency “would be unable to provide nutritious meals to the thousands of homebound older adults we serve in Central Texas. We encourage folks to consider donating some of their time to deliver hot lunches, warm smiles and valuable safety checks to our neighbors in need.”

The Austin Independent School District is partnering with the Central Texas Food Bank to provide free, healthy meals over the Thanksgiving break. AISD’s curbside meal sites will be distributing free seven-day meal packs before the school break on Thursday, Nov. 19. Families may pick up an additional seven days’ worth of meals at the Food Bank’s mass distribution event on Monday, Nov. 23, 9 a.m.-noon, at Toney Burger Stadium, 3200 Jones Road. In addition to the seven-day meal packs, the food bank will have an assortment of food on hand for distribution. The school district will resume its weekly seven-day meal pack distribution on Thursday, Dec. 3.

Austin City Council met Tuesday to certify the results of the Nov. 3 election and to set runoff elections for District 6, which pits incumbent Jimmy Flannigan against Mackenzie Kelly, and District 10, where incumbent Alison Alter will face off against Jennifer Virden. Early voting for the Dec. 15 runoff will take place Dec. 3-5 and Dec. 7-11. City Clerk Jannette Goodall told Council that a final list of polling locations will be brought back to Council for approval on Dec. 1. She admitted the process of finding locations for runoffs “is the worst two weeks of the year” for her, and the situation has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

The Downtown Austin Alliance has made a $200,000 donation to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which operates Community First! Village, “the master-planned development in Northeast Austin that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for chronically homeless men and women,” according to the announcement. The gift is the fourth installment of the Downtown Alliance’s 10-year, $2 million grant to the organization. Dewitt Peart, president and chief executive of the Downtown Alliance, said, “We are proud to continue our support of Community First! Village as they care and serve those in our community who need our support the most – our neighbors and fellow Austinites experiencing homelessness. Community First! Village has demonstrated again and again that they have been successful in their ongoing mission. Through expansion, their impact will become even greater and the Downtown Alliance will continue to support them every step of the way.” The $200,000 installment will be used to expand Phases II, III and IV at the village. “Phase II features an additional 24 acres, more than 300 homes and other community amenities like additional outdoor kitchens and community gardens. Upon completion of all four phases, the community will be able to house approximately 1,500 additional residents.”

The Travis County Commissioners Court has issued a burn ban, effective immediately, for the unincorporated areas of the county. The ban will run through Dec. 16 unless further action is taken. Travis County Chief Fire Marshal Tony Callaway explained that the lack of rain and humidity led to the ban. “We’re also expecting humidity levels to decline over the next few weeks, worsening our current situation and creating greater risk for the potential spread of wildfires,” Callaway said, adding that the burn ban was a necessary step “to ensure public safety.”

Need to charge up your electric scooter? The Austin Transportation Department has partnered with the electric charging platform Swiftmile to test free e-scooter parking and charging in downtown Austin. The charging stations are “part of a two-phased pilot program dedicated to testing the usability of the company’s universal scooter parking and charging stations. This pilot will observe how effectively the stations influence user behavior in managing sidewalk organization, increasing accessibility, and improving the availability of charged scooters,” according to a news release from the city. The pilot is now in phase two of a six-month project and will be active through January. During this period, Austinites may park and charge their scooters for free at these Swiftmile charging stations.

The city of Austin is hosting a series of virtual panels to address homelessness in our community. The first, which took place Monday, was titled “Understanding the Crisis and How We Got Here.” Tomorrow’s panel will take a look at the different programs currently being enacted to aid those experiencing homelessness in the community. And this Friday, a panel will look toward the future and explore what new approaches and solutions are on the horizon. More information, including a list of speakers, videos and ways to help, can be found on the city’s website.

Austin has a new online search tool aimed at matching renters with affordable housing in the city. The Affordable Housing Online Search Tool, or AHOST, maps income-restricted housing for would-be renters based on household income and size and returns results that include lease information, cost, schools, amenities and application criteria. According to a press release from the city about the new tool: “The searchable map and listing of income-restricted affordable rental housing is drawn from the Comprehensive Affordable Housing Directory, which is a comprehensive online data tool for planning and tracking housing inventories and construction programs across the City of Austin.” A live demo of AHOST will stream today at 10 a.m. on the city’s ATXN.

The Austin Parks Foundation has announced $130,000 in 2020 fall community grant awards. The ACL Music Festival Grants support community-initiated improvement projects in the city, and since 2006, APF has awarded more than $3 million toward community park projects. This fall, the organization awarded $50,000 for construction of a new basketball court in Gus Garcia District Park. In Southeast Austin, $40,000 went toward creation of a new trail and installation of a water fountain in Kendra Page Neighborhood Park. A $25,000 grant helped fund a new soccer field in Perry Neighborhood Park, and at Patterson Neighborhood Park, a $5,000 grant will help pay for baseball field improvements. In addition, a $10,000 grant to Pease District Park will fund the installation of a new, inclusive “contemplative space” and signage that acknowledges the land’s history, which includes slavery and segregation.

Amid what Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott calls “a significantly worsening situation,” the health authority has extended emergency rules designed to help slow the spread of Covid-19. Last week, he said the region “reported the highest number of new cases since September. We are up over 140 percent in a little over a month, and 60 percent in the past week.” The rules, which expire on Dec. 31, 2020, were adopted as authorized by Ordinance No. 2020709-003, and “govern individuals and sites within the City of Austin and impose requirements reasonably necessary to protect public health from Covid-19 during this critical moment of transmission.” The emergency rules are separate from the city and county orders.

Montopolis residents are thrilled by the completion of the newly redeveloped Montopolis Recreation and Community Center. The new 33,000-square-foot facility replaces the former 40-year-old recreation center, which was in poor condition “and could no longer meet the needs of a growing community,” according to a news release. The new Montopolis center features plenty of space for “recreational uses, public health services, educational programming areas, a commercial kitchen and more.” While the facility is not yet open to the public, eager residents may watch a video showcasing the new center or view photographs of the building and its interior. Find more info on the project website.

Republican Jay Wiley, who unsuccessfully ran for the City Council District 6 seat in 2014, has endorsed his former opponent, Jimmy Flannigan, in the December runoff. That might have been a surprise to Mackenzie Kelly, Flannigan’s runoff opponent, especially since Kelly seems to be operating out of the Republican playbook. Wiley posted on Facebook Thursday, “I am a conservative Republican and am supporting Jimmy Flannigan for reelection … I know Jimmy. He is a committed, selfless public servant who cares deeply about the future of Austin. As an Austin City Council candidate myself, I got to know Jimmy and his dedication to our neighbors. We have serious political differences, but we share common cause in our respect for thoughtful, meaningful public policy that improves the lives of Austin citizens.” On the other hand, Wiley said Kelly is “extremely unqualified to serve in a position of public trust. I know her to be profoundly unserious in her public and private affairs and thoroughly void of the kind of judgment we need to confront various issues in Austin. We have had enough clown shows in politics recently, we cannot afford another in our backyard.” Over in District 10, there was a less dramatic endorsement from a former opponent. Pooja Sethi and Alison Alter released a joint statement praising each other. Sethi said, “We simply cannot afford to be divided as we move forward as a city to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, reimagining public safety, and an economic recovery for our great city. Alison Alter has the formal and on-the-ground training essential to represent our district. Jennifer Virden will not be the unifying voice our Council or city need at this crucial moment. Rather than being represented by someone who would be an opposition vote, I support Alison Alter because I believe she will continue to stand up for District 10 residents.” Alter said, “Pooja is a passionate advocate who has worked at City Hall as an Asian American Quality of Life Commissioner and is committed to giving voice and agency to the most vulnerable communities. As I continue to serve District 10, I’m committed to working with Pooja to fight for all people.”

This whisper has been corrected to reflect the fact that Wiley did not run for Council in 2016.