In a move that paints a clear picture of Austin’s erratic winter temperatures, city pools will be closing due to freezing weather on the way. The Parks and Recreation Department will close its year-round pools from Friday, Dec. 23, through Saturday, Dec. 24. Regular holiday hours are expected to resume on Christmas Day and normal operating hours will recommence once temperatures are above freezing, expected to be Dec. 26. Pool schedules are also available online.

A lot of people were surprised by the very close race for mayor, with the results on Dec. 13 showing that former Sen. Kirk Watson had 57,346 votes and state Rep. Celia Israel had 56,460 – just 886 fewer votes. Israel won Travis County by 17 votes but Watson won Williamson and Hays, giving him the job. However, when the provisional ballots for Travis County were counted and the final results posted on Dec. 20, Watson was 30 votes ahead of Israel in his home county. The final count in Travis County was 55,262 for Israel and 55,292 for Watson, proof once again that every vote counts. Neither campaign responded to a request for comment by the Monitor’s deadline.

Santa Claus isn’t the only thing that’s coming to town later this week; Austin is also due to be visited by a bitter Arctic freeze, with temps predicted to dip as low as 16 degrees on Friday night. The city’s office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management urges community members to do whatever’s necessary to be prepared in advance. As HSEM Director Juan Ortiz said in a news release, “The most important gift you can give your family this season is to get prepared in advance of anticipated chilly temperatures. As you prepare for time with your loved ones please make sure you included winter weather preparations as part of your holiday weekend plans.” Before you do anything, sign up for Warn Central Texas, which sends emergency alerts to your smartphone in the event of, well, an emergency. Then put your emergency supply kit together – here’s a handy checklist. And download Austin Water’s winter weather preparedness tips, which tells you how to winterize your home. For more tips on winter preparedness, visit ReadyCentralTexas.org.

Friends and family gathered Sunday to honor the life of Shudde Bess Bryson Fath, one of Austin’s best-known and hardest-working environmentalists. She died at the age of 106 on Dec. 9 after more than 40 years of service to the community. One of her longtime friends, Bruce Elfant, who is Travis County’s tax assessor-collector and voter registrar, told the gathering that Shudde managed to cast her ballot early in the recent mayoral and City Council elections. Congressman Lloyd Doggett said Shudde and her husband, Conrad, supported him starting with his first run for the Texas Senate in 1972. He quoted a statement she made during an interview several years ago that briefly sums up her philosophy: “You can get discouraged by a lot of things, but if you keep on trying, good things will happen.”

The Other Ones Foundation is seeking donors to help it complete its $400,000 campaign to build the fourth neighborhood at the Esperanza Community in North Austin. The new neighborhood of small homes and shelters for those experiencing homelessness will help house 50 people and provide basic hygiene and support services for those living in the community. The nonprofit, which helps manage Esperanza and provides low-barrier employment opportunities to the homeless, has raised just over $160,000 and hopes to complete the fundraising drive by the end of the year so construction can finish next year. Thus far, the Other Ones Foundation has helped 50 former residents of the site find stable housing. After construction concludes, up to 250 people will able to use the transitional shelter complex at peak times. For more information and to give, visit toofound.org/cbn.

Meals on Wheels Central Texas is in “urgent need” of new volunteers who live in the greater Austin area and can help deliver lunchtime meals – and a smile – to homebound older adults on weekdays. Volunteers may choose the meal pickup site that is most convenient to where they live or work. The first step to becoming a volunteer is to fill out an application form and then attend a brief online volunteer orientation. The total training takes just one hour. Over 5,000 seniors in Central Texas rely on Meals on Wheels for a midday hot meal five days a week. The organization says volunteering just an hour a week can “make a world of difference” in people’s lives. Find more information and a list of delivery routes here.

Motorists driving along East Riverside Drive may notice crews from Austin’s Public Works Department working in the 800 block, making “safety improvements aimed at decreasing serious injury and fatal crashes in the area,” according to the Transportation Department, which is collaborating on the project. The collaboration came out of a Vision Zero analysis of five years of crash data from the area, which found several crashes “in which vehicle drivers crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic. In recent years, multiple severe crashes on this stretch of East Riverside Drive have caused a fatality and serious injuries.” The safety enhancements will include “new crash attenuators, or materials that absorb the impact of a vehicle to reduce the severity of a crash, as well as new guardrails.” In early January, the crews will be moving to the east side of the road to finish the project.

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control on the JYNNEOS mpox (monkeypox) vaccine, shows that the shot “is not only safe for those who get it, but also very effective at preventing infection.” Approximately 1 million people in the United States have gotten the vaccine and besides “short-term swelling, redness and pain around the injection site, people reported no major side effects.” Find out more about mpox vaccine eligibility and and schedule a free vaccination in Austin here.

If you’re looking for a brand-new, healthy New Year’s tradition, Texas Parks & Wildlife has just the thing: Take a hike. For its First Day hikes, TPWD has collected some of the state’s best and most beautiful walks, varying from short strolls to vigorous climbs, through wetlands, forest, beaches or mountains. Some of the hikes are actually bike rides or horseback rides, and some are guided and others are self-guided, so there is truly something for everyone. See a list of all the First Day hikes.

The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians will receive extra assistance from Central Health to provide health care coverage to an additional 500 local artists. Central Health’s board of managers approved the enrollment increase in its partnership with HAAM, with the new enrollees covered by Sendero Health Plans at an estimated cost of $1 million. HAAM members’ premiums are subsidized by Central Health at an average monthly cost of $221 per client for Sendero’s “silver” plan in the federal health care marketplace. The marketplace’s open enrollment period runs through Jan. 15, though HAAM members earning less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level may be able to enroll even after that deadline if funding is available. Mike Geeslin, Central Health’s president and CEO, called partnership with HAAM “vital to the health of our community” and said it will serve as the model for establishing other health care partnerships.

A sense of normalcy continues to return to the Austin real estate market, with median home prices in the Austin/Round Rock area showing no year-over-year increase for the first time since February 2019, according to data analyzed by the Austin Board of Realtors. The group’s November report also showed the number of days homes sit on the market continues to increase to an average of 58 days, with total home sales (2,026) dropping by 36.6 percent for the largest drop in closings since May 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic caused a major slowdown in real estate transactions. The noticeable slump in home sales has caused a dramatic change from recent years where thriving demand required buyers to make offers the day a property went on sale, often without being able to view or evaluate a home fully. “It’s a relief to see more homes available and sitting on the market long enough to give buyers an opportunity to think before they leap,” ABOR President Cord Shiflet said.

More than 7,000 adoptable pets will be available to go home with their new families at a mega adoption event this weekend sponsored by Petco Love, BOBS from Skechers and several Texas-based animal welfare groups. Adoption fees will be waived and all adoptions include vaccinations and discounts on food and pet supplies at Petco. Mega adoption events are aimed at encouraging pet-friendly homes to consider adopting dogs and cats from shelters instead of buying from breeders or pet stores. Petco Love President Susanne Kogut said in a release, “No pet should spend any day, especially the holidays, without a loving family. Adopting a pet fills your home with more love every day …. You will also make holiday wishes come true for the dedicated shelter workers who work tirelessly to save these pets. These mega adoption initiatives are really about filling communities with love – unconditional pet love.” Saturday, Dec. 17, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 18, noon-5 p.m. Austin Animal Center, 7201 Levander Loop; Hancock Petco at 1000 E. 41st St..; Austin Pets Alive’s Town Lake location at 1156 W. Cesar Chavez St. and its Tarrytown location at 3118 Windsor Road. Find a full list of participating locations here.