City Council meets today (March 12) with a historically light agenda, but perhaps with other worries on their minds: last week’s release of the draft “Zucker Report,” which catalogs major problems in the Planning and Development Review Department. See “Council,” Mar. 13, 2015.
The SXSW Festivals – Education, Interactive, Film, Music, and so on – have already begun, and Downtown will become the site of an instant mobile community of several hundred thousand Austinites and visitors arriving to See, Hear, Mediate, and Party. Be there and be safe!
Fewer Homeless: The Ending Community Homeless Coalition announced that the total number of homeless people counted during its Jan. 23 “Point-in-Time” count was 1,877, of whom 1,210 (64%) were sheltered. This is a decline of 6% from last year’s count, and there are 29% fewer people experiencing homelessness in 2015 than in 2009.
Austin landlords can continue to refuse accepting Section 8 voucher holders – for now. On March 6, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Austin Apartment Association a temporary injunction (until full arguments are heard) against Judge Sam Sparks‘ ruling the week before upholding the ordinance, which is intended to widen housing opportunities for low-income residents.
The Chronicle hosted the inaugural Austin Music Industry Awards on Monday, March 9 at Palm Door on Sixth to celebrate the winners of the industry-specific categories from the Austin Chronicle Music Poll 2014-2015 ballot. Gina Chavez won the AMP Esme Barrera Award for Music Activism and Education; for the full list, see “Welcome to the Machine,” Mar. 13, 2015.
$520 million. That’s the current proposed price tag for border security proposed by the House Appropriations Committee, and lawmakers are starting to worry about how fast that one item is ballooning, as well as whether they can fill the hundreds of new positions the funds will cover.
For the first time in the Austin Center for Events‘ three-year history, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced Wednesday that the agency will round up 32 agents (many coming from other regions) to keep tabs on how bars and event spaces distribute alcohol throughout the week.
U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with 45 others, signed an open letter to Iranian leaders, warning them not to bother signing a planned nuclear agreement since a future Congress would simply reject it. Unfortunately for them, the letter may violate the Logan Act, barring private citizens from undertaking acts of diplomacy.
Second Lady Jill Biden made an unexpected visit to Austin early this week, fitting in a trip to ACC’s Highland Campus, and a quickly scheduled speech at SXSWedu.
This article appears in March 13 • 2015.