� City Council meets today (Thursday, Oct. 6), against the backdrop of the “Occupy Austin” protest under way at City Hall. Inside chambers, expect wrangling over how to proceed with the Downtown Austin Plan, plus items creating a Parking Benefits District Program for neighborhoods, an advisory committee for a 2012 bond election, and more. See “City Hall Hustle.”
› Also on tap today: A second vote is scheduled to hold city elections this May instead of moving them to November. A special-called meeting for 1:30pm Friday, Oct. 7, at City Hall was added this week for final approval, after a divided council debated the decision in a Tuesday work session. See “The Calendar’s on Fire!.” Randi Shade pollster Mark Littlefield released a survey this week claiming 75% of 365 respondents who voted in at least two of the last three local elections support a move to November, counter to the wishes of council majority.
› Fire has hit Central Texas again: While Bastrop is still reeling from major wildfires in September, a new blaze has consumed another 1,000 acres along Old Potato Road.
› City utility Austin Energy has been awarded a 2011 Scroll of Honour from the United Nations‘ Human Settlements Programme, aka UN-Habitat. The accolade recognizes AE’s Green Building program as a leader in eco-friendly design, and for being the country’s first municipal green building program. The award coincides with Green Building’s 20th anniversary this year.
› More green-minded news: Mayor Lee Leffingwell kicked off the first SXSW Eco conference this week, introducing former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (see “SXSW Eco: Can We All Just Get Along?“). The three-day conference on environmental policy, which has drawn speakers from around the globe, runs through Oct. 6.
› Presidential hopeful Rick Perry has shown his major strength on the campaign trail: raising cash. On Oct. 5, his campaign announced he had raised $17 million in the last quarter. His chief rival, Mitt Romney, is expected to have pulled in $13 million. However, the latest Washington Post poll shows Perry now trailing Romney by 9 percentage points.
› A San Antonio federal district court has requested “interim maps” from the parties in the redistricting lawsuit under its consideration, in the hopes that some kind of state House and U.S. House district maps will be available in time for the spring primaries. The proposed maps are in litigation over the Voting Rights Act in Texas and D.C., and the court is hoping to draft reasonable alternatives by the Nov. 12 filing date. (See “Get Out Your Colored Pencils.”)
› It’s Red River Rivalry time, as the 4-0 Longhorns make the treacherous trek to the Cotton Bowl this weekend, facing off against the also undefeated Oklahoma Sooners. (It’s extra-treacherous for commuters, what with 30 miles of freeway construction along I-35.)
This article appears in October 7 • 2011.