Rockin’ Around the Dais: Austin City Council meets today, Thursday, Dec. 9, for its last meeting of the year. Among the 90 items on the agenda is an ordinance that, if approved, would create Austin’s 19th Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, to help pay for public amenities at the South Central Waterfront. Read more.
In Union There Is Strength: Employees at Integral Care, Travis County’s mental health services provider, are pursuing unionization. Almost 90 employees signed a letter in support of unionizing, which they say would help address understaffing and high turnover.
Primaries Giveth, Taketh Away: Former KUT Texas Standard reporter and Austinite Joy Diaz announced her run for Texas governor as a Democratic candidate this week. Meanwhile, political strategist Matthew Dowd, a former Republican campaign strategist, announced the end of his run as a Democratic candidate for Texas’ next lieutenant governor.
Howdy, Omicron: The Texas Department of State Health Services identified the first known case of the B.1.1.529, or Omicron, COVID-19 variant in Texas in a Harris County resident. DSHS said Omicron’s presence in Texas is unsurprising given how quickly the variant – which the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have classified as a variant of concern – has spread in other countries.
Best Offense Is a Good Defense: Out of the 5,157 COVID vaccine doses Austin Public Health administered last week, 84% were for booster shots, which is a new record for APH. Austin and Travis County’s pediatric vaccination rate is double the statewide total, with nearly 26% of eligible children (ages 5-11) so far receiving at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
Austin City Limits Music Festival will return to Zilker Park next year on October 7-9 & 14-16, organizers announced this week. Presale for three-day tickets opens today (Thu., Dec. 9); find more at aclfestival.com.
Horns Up, Italia: Julia Grosso, a midfielder for the University of Texas at Austin‘s women’s soccer team, has signed with Juventus FC Women based out of Turin, Italy. Grosso, who plays on the Canadian national team, helped win Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer by scoring the winning penalty kick in the shootout of their 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal match against Sweden.
Don’t Mess With Texas Voters: The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Texas over its newly drawn congressional and state House maps, alleging the state’s redistricting plans violate the Voting Rights Act and disenfranchise Black and Latinx voters.
Quote of the Week
“Having a carbon neutral airport is a significant milestone for our city.”
– Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport’s recent recognition as one of four carbon-neutral airports in North America
This article appears in December 10 • 2021.