Headlines / Quote of the Week

Volunteer Mike Valescu (right) describes which tree sapling volunteers Gary (left) and Lisa Sandlin are about to plant during TreeFolks' Ready, Set, Plant! event at Longhorn Shores on Saturday, January 8 (Photo by John Anderson)

Special Election Now: Early voting in the January 25 special election for Austin's new District 4 council member runs now through January 21. Check out the Chronicle's endorsement, plus polling locations and vote-by-mail info.

COVID All-Time High: Austin and Travis County have returned to Stage 5 of the local COVID-19 Risk-Based Guidelines. The last time Austin was in Stage 5 – the strictest level of local pandemic precautions – was during last summer's surge. This week Austin Public Health reported an all-time high of 112 for the local seven-day moving average for COVID hospitalizations. Officials are urging everyone – regardless of vaccination status – to mask up anytime you're around people outside your household. Read more.

Mayoral Moves: State Representative Celia Israel officially announced her candidacy for the next mayor of Austin this week. Read more.

Austin ISD Athletics updated its COVID-19 policies this week, including capacity limits for indoor games/activities (two people per player), daily health screenings, and masking for anyone not participating in "vigorous activities."

Travis County Commissioners Court has appointed Rebecca Guerrero as interim county clerk following the retirement of County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir at the end of January. Guerrero, who's worked in the county clerk's office for over 20 years, will serve January 28 through the end of 2022.

Executive Decision: Three finalists – Juan Duarte, Lawrence Lyman, and Pilar Sanchez – have been named for Travis County's health and human services county executive. The community is invited to participate in a virtual meet-and-greet with the candidates on Wednesday, January 19, 5:30-7pm. Submit questions at traviscountytx.gov/publicforum or email them to [email protected] by Tuesday, Jan. 18, 3pm.

Frank Rodriguez, a former aide to Mayor Steve Adler, pleaded guilty to conspiring to misapply federal funds and falsify records, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Rodriguez will face up to five years in prison after allegedly accepting a $20,000 fee in exchange for helping obtain a federal grant for local nonprofit Latino HealthCare Forum while he both worked for Adler and served as LHF executive director in 2015.

Austin Animal Center will temporarily close to the public on Sundays starting January 23 due to staffing concerns related to COVID-19 and the difficulty in filling open vacancies. The center will remain open for adoption and reclaim Mon.-Sat. from 10am to 6pm, and for intake Mon.-Fri. from 10am to 6pm.

Quote of the Week

Image via NIAID

"What a moron."

– Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president, aptly describing Sen. Roger Marshall during congressional hearing on Tuesday, January 11