Motorists and pedestrians should prepare for road closures in portions of East Austin this Saturday, June 15, to accommodate the Central Texas Juneteenth Parade and Festival. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m., which means roads will be closed from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. along the route that runs along East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard beginning at Leona Street, turns right on Chicon Street, left on Rosewood Avenue and left again on Chestnut Avenue, finishing at Rosewood Neighborhood Park. Staging needs mean MLK Boulevard will be closed from the Interstate 35 frontage road to Comal Street, as well as Comal Street between East 20th Street and East 14th Street, also 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Only local traffic will be allowed within one block of streets that cross the parade route. Rosewood Avenue will undergo closure from Chestnut Avenue to Walnut Avenue between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. Additional street closures near the festival site may be implemented by the Austin Police Department as required. A complete map of closures and the parade route is available online.

The West Nile virus has now been found in two pools in the 78744 ZIP code, and Austin Public Health is continuing mosquito abatement and outreach to the community. According to a press release from the health authority, the same mosquito trap that captured the first positive pool in May was used to discover the second pool. Austin Public Health has administered larvacide in the area and distributed flyers and repellent to residents. “Our teams continue to monitor mosquitoes in the area and take actions to alert and educate residents on the threat and prevention methods,” APH Director Adrienne Sturrup said in a statement to the press. “While the positive pools have only been seen in 78744, I encourage everyone in Austin and Travis County to follow best practices and protect themselves from mosquitoes through the rest of the year.” More information about how to prevent and identify West Nile virus can be found here and here.

Six more pools and the temporary bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool open today. Civitan, Kennemer, Metz, Parque Zaragoza, Stacy Wading and West Austin pools open today, joining a whole bunch of other pools and splash pads across the city that were already in operation as a way to beat our already-in-progress heat. A list of pools and their operating status can be found here. The Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse at Barton Springs is closed for renovations until spring 2025.

The city’s Green Workforce Accelerator will host a showcase on June 13 at the Central Library to introduce the community to organizations that deploy, train and place residents in green jobs. The free event is sponsored by the city’s Innovation Office, the Office of Sustainability, the Parks and Recreation Department, Austin Resource Recovery and Blue Sky Partners. The accelerator was created to help local organizations create or expand programs that result in the creation and placement of green jobs. Participants in the latest cohort received $15,000 grants plus technical assistance to assess their best plans for growth while participating in the program. Industries highlighted in the 2024 cohort included energy efficiency and alternative energy, water management and conservation, waste management and resource recovery, transportation, plus lands, parks and urban agriculture. Those interested in attending the showcase can register online.

David King, a longtime neighborhood advocate and frequent voice at City Council meetings, died Sunday after a lengthy illness. King, who was retired from the state, was active in the Austin Neighborhoods Council and other community causes. King was known for his kindness and generosity, as well as his ability to quickly immerse himself in a number of policy issues before Council. He briefly served as president of ANC before stepping down to serve on the Zoning and Platting Commission as an appointee of Council Member Ann Kitchen. ANC’s Mary Ingle said her friendship with King extended beyond City Hall and ANC meetings as she would often join King and his husband, Luis Guerra, for dinner and drinks and lots of laughs. “We always had the best time,” she said. “David’s ebullience and his passion for issues was unlimited. And it was unstoppable. We will all miss him.”

As of midweek, the Music and Entertainment Division had received 111 completed applications for the second iteration of the Live Music Fund, with the 397 draft applications suggesting there will be many more applicants ahead of the June 18 closing. City staff gave a progress report on the application process at Monday’s Music Commission meeting, with almost no technical or other issues reported. The division had also held two online workshops to explain and provide assistance for applicants looking to receive grants ranging from $15,000 to $30,000 for performers and promoters, and $30,000 to $60,000 for venues. This year, the grant program – which is funded with Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue – will provide $4.5 million total. Artists and event promoters will receive $3.5 million total, with venues eligible to receive some of the $1 million recently added to the program.

There will soon be another autonomous vehicle company on Austin’s streets. Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon, announced on Wednesday that it will expand its vehicle testing into Miami and Austin. Austin Business Journal reports the company has had employees driving its mapping cars throughout the city in recent weeks. More advanced testing is coming soon for the company using five Toyota Highlanders modified to operate autonomously, though safety drivers will be inside the vehicles to take over when needed. AV activity in Austin has slowed since the Cruise brand decided last year to pause operations nationwide, though it did restart service in Dallas this week. City staff and commissions are still grappling with how to incorporate the new technology into the local transportation system since state laws have limited the ability to regulate them.

Austin’s public safety departments have teamed up for the city’s first Autism Sensory Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 8, at 4101 S. Industrial Drive, Ste. 260, Austin, TX 78744. The Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS invite local families to join in “meeting your local first responders, local non-profits, observe outdoor traffic stop demonstrations, and enjoy face painting for the kids.” The event will also feature a de-stimulation room, for anyone who needs to decompress in quiet. This event is free and open to the public.

On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges affirmed the national right to same-sex marriage. And this year on June 22 through the end of the month, the Travis County Clerk’s Office and Travis County judges will be offering free wedding ceremonies in celebration of Pride Month and nine years of marriage equality. Last year’s inaugural one-day event proved to be popular, so this year’s celebration has expanded. Couples wishing to marry during the County’s Marriage Equality Week Celebration (June 22, 24, 26 and 28) must schedule an appointment via a form on the County Clerk’s website. And they must obtain a marriage license from the Travis County Clerk’s office in advance to comply with the 72-hour waiting period requirement. “In February 2015, the Travis County Clerk’s office issued Texas’s first marriage license to a same-sex couple,” Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado said. “Amid ongoing extreme attacks on the LGBTQ+ community from the Texas State Legislature, our office remains committed to supporting and celebrating the rights of all Texans, including the right to marry who they love, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.”

The United Musicians and Allied Workers advocacy group is seeking performers who have at any point applied to participate in the South by Southwest music festival, in hopes of discussing the push for increased compensation for festival artists. The online meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Central time on June 7, with an RSVP required to participate in any decision-making regarding the Fair Pay at SXSW campaign. Artist compensation at SXSW became an issue leading into the 2023 event, with advocates calling the longtime compensation – $100 for solo acts, $250 for full bands, with the option to receive festival credentials in lieu of payment – far too low. The festival made a modest increase this year and has signaled it may institute further increases. In a related bit of controversy, dozens of acts who had been selected to play at SXSW 2024 opted to drop out as a sign of protest against the U.S. military’s involvement as a partner in the festival. Members of some city boards and commissions have called on the city to repeal all fee waivers and other assistance given to the festival until pay for artists is increased to an acceptable level.

This Friday, June 7, Austin Water Utility will distribute bottled water at Bowie High School for southwest customers impacted by waterline repair work. On Monday, the water utility announced it will be repairing a 48-inch water main on Friday, which will take it out of service for up to 12 hours. Work is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. While the line is out of service, customers are being asked to limit water use to only essential uses to help in maintaining water pressure. Water will be distributed from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Austinites can determine whether they will be in the affected area using this map.