Those interested in a look back at Texas Senate history will want to check out the new Texas State Library and Archives database of Texas Senate audio recordings available here. The project has digitized recordings dating from 1972 to 2006 and includes digitized audio files that represent approximately 25,000 cassette tapes. According to a statement released by the library, “The original tapes were created by and received from Senate Staff Services. The collection includes public committee hearings, floor debates, press conferences, impeachment hearings, and joint meetings with House committees. Before digitization, interested parties were required to physically visit TSLAC in order to play the aging cassette tapes. In the interest of preservation, the original cassettes are no longer available to the public, but can now be accessed 24 hours a day through an online searchable database. The Texas Senate Recordings can be searched by legislative session, keyword, or browsed in their entirety.”

In case you missed it, the proposed cancellation of USA Cycling’s Cyclo-cross National Championships event at Zilker Park because of rain caused a storm of its own this weekend. Though park officials eventually backtracked on the cancellation and instead postponed the event until the next day with a new route, it wasn’t before widespread criticism of the move had flooded social media and digital media (See the Austin Chronicle’s coverage for better examples.) Austin Heritage Tree Foundation’s Zoila Vega pushed for the cancellation. In emails that appeared online, Vega, referring to the original route, predicted damage to the 1/2 Critical Root Zones of 20 Zilker heritage trees, and said moving forward with the event was against city code.

On Thursday, City Council members presented proposed changes to Council committees and meetings. Now they are looking for Austinites’ feedback about the plan. Information on the changes can be found here. And there is a discussion board about the changes on the SpeakUpAustin website. So far, so good, in that no one has suggested naming anything after Fred Durst.

Starting this week, San Jacinto Boulevard will be reduced to a single vehicle lane, as construction in the southeast quadrant of the San Jacinto and Third Street intersection begins. Eastbound traffic on East Third Street will detour to San Jacinto to East Second Street, east to Trinity Street and back north to East Third Street. Pedestrian routes will also be detoured as needed to accommodate construction.

Starting today, all of Austin’s transit riders will need to bring extra quarters with them to catch a ride. Capital Metro is making changes to all pass prices. The local base fare will increase 25 cents to $1.25. A Local Day Pass will cost $2.50, a 7-Day Pass will cost $11.25 and a 31-Day Pass will cost $41.25. Premium fares will cost $1.75 for a Single Ride, $3.50 for a Day Pass, $16.75 for a 7-Day Pass and $62 for a 31-Day Pass. Commuter fares will cost $3.50 for a Single Ride, $7 for a Day Pass, $27.50 for a 7-Day Pass and $96.25 for a 31-Day Pass. And MetroAccess fares will be $1.75 for a Single Ride, $17.50 for a 10-Ride Booklet and $46.50 for a Monthly Pass.

On Thursday, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce announced its new chairman, chair elect, and members to its Board of Directors. The Chamber selected Gene Austin, who is the president and CEO of Bazaarvoice, as the Chamber’s 2015 chairman of the board. It also selected Tony Budet as the chair elect. Budet is president and CEO of University Federal Credit Union.

New members of the Board of Directors, who will serve until December 31, 2017, are:

Ray Almgren, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, National Instruments
Paul Arcediano, CEO, R&R Limousine & Bus
Denise Bradley, Vice President, Communication & Community Affairs, St. David’s HealthCare
Rich Gergasko, President & CEO, Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Neville Letzerich, Chief Marketing Officer, Websense
Carlos Lopez, South & Central Texas Office Leader, HNTB
Demetrius McDaniel, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig
Richard Rhodes, President & CEO, Austin Community College District
Amy Updegrove, Publisher, Texas Monthly
Ray Wilkerson, President, Ray Wilkerson Companies, Inc.
Matt Williamson, Managing Director, the Beck Group
James Wood, Vice President & General Manager, Sterling Acura of Austin

On Jan. 27, the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce will open the #IAMBLACKAUSTIN Modern Black Portrait Exhibit at Austin City Hall from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Images from the exhibit will remain on display through Feb. 3. The #IAMBLACKAUSTIN exhibit is an interactive campaign “highlighting the multidimensional expression of Black life in Austin, Texas.” Individuals represented in the exhibit have contributed to the African-American community in the (rapidly gentrifying) city, and the collection aims to “serve as a visual historical reference that reclaims a space that would otherwise be forgotten.” Throughout the exhibit, individual members of the community will be highlighted, and portraits at the unveiling will include City Manager Marc Ott, Deputy City Manager Michael McDonald, Chantell Moody, DJ Hella Yella and Ebony Stewart. Click here to RSVP for the unveiling.

For those who missed it, motorsport.com ran an extensive story on Austin’s own Formula One racetrack this year. The article, titled “Is America’s only Formula One track in trouble?” can be read here in its entirety. Recommended for anyone curious about the future — and history — of Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, and maybe Austin in a more general sense. Despite the overwrought references to rattlesnakes, it’s an interesting read.

On Thursday, City Council will announce details on the proposed structural and procedural changes that, in the words of a statement released Wednesday, “promise to increase public engagement, assure a more deliberative and thoughtful process, and to increase the efficiency of city council meetings.” We will keep you posted on the changes, as well as their implementation.

After letting them fall by the wayside for a while, the Travis County Commissioners Court is bringing back the practice of having work sessions twice a month. At their Tuesday meeting, Commissioners approved meeting on the second and fourth Thursday of every month, beginning in February. “This is just re-instituting what had previously been the practice of the court,” said Judge Sarah Eckhardt. “Commissioner (Margaret) Gomez suggested that we bring back the practice of work sessions on every other Thursday.” Eckhardt said the meetings would be scheduled from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the first set for Feb. 12.

Starting Feb. 2, Dewitt M. Peart will be the president and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance. Peart will replace Charlie Betts, who held the position for the past 18 years. Currently, Peart serves as executive vice president of economic development at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. Peart spoke about the move in a statement released Wednesday. “I am truly excited about this opportunity,” Peart said. “Downtown Austin is the heart of such a dynamic region and the economic driver for the entire Central Texas economy. It’s hard to follow a leader like Charlie Betts, but I welcome the opportunity to work with our downtown stakeholders and partners, as well as the entire community.”

Currently, the Austin Transportation Department has two corridor studies underway. The South Lamar Corridor study, which received a lot of attention from the previous City Council, has a survey available for those who use the road. That survey can be found here.  The other, the Guadalupe Street Corridor Study, released documents detailing existing transit service and peak hour traffic volumes Wednesday.