Here Comes the Convention Center: Austin Convention Center directors unveiled the plan for the new building at this week’s City Council work session, and the project is ambitious, the Austin Monitor reports. Trisha Tatro, director of the Austin Convention Center, said the design would create the “first net-zero carbon convention center in the world.” The existing building will close in April and the new building will open for the 2029 spring festival season, presenters told Council. The new building will include roughly 50% indoor space, per square footage reported by the Monitor.
Project Connect Adds Pedestrian Plans: Meanwhile, we’re also getting updates on the city’s massive public transit overhaul, Project Connect. Last week the Mobility Committee of City Council heard updates on new pedestrian projects, including a tree-lined hike-and-bike greenway in the median between the separated traffic lanes on East Riverside Drive, a car-free zone at UT-Austin and a plaza at the proposed Oltorf stop on South Congress, the Monitor reports. Currently, the price tag for the whole project sits at about $7 billion.
Investing in Environment: Speaking of big, expensive projects to improve the city, Austin’s bond task force has decided against asking voters in 2025 to approve a bond to fund a package of environmental investments. Instead, they’re looking to add climate project funding into a general bond to put before voters in 2026, the Monitor reports. The city’s Environmental Investment Plan includes $7 billion in proposed climate-related investments to reduce carbon emission, conserve land and water, and build community resilience.
Buying Citizenship: Give me your rich, your avaricious, your entitled felons, yearning to grift free. On Tuesday, Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new visa program that he described as the “gold card,” which he said would allow “very high-level people” a new route to citizenship. And it will only cost them around $5 million! The so-called gold card would replace the EB-5 visa generally sought by wealthy foreign investors but which The New York Times describes as “an avenue for fraud.”
Kremlin Mode: The White House announced this week that the makeup of the press pool won’t be independently decided anymore. Instead of an association of journalists deciding which outlets will have access to the press pool at the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and at important meetings, as has been the case for many years, the Trump administration will now pick which outlets cover its work, Politico reports. An administration official indicated traditional newswire services – AP, Bloomberg and Reuters – will no longer have a permanent spot in press pools. Bloomberg and Reuters will alternate, while AP will remain blocked because it refuses to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
To Keep or Not To Keep Your Tesla: Has the great sell-off begun? According to KUT News, some Tesla drivers are verklempt, now that the company’s owner, Elon Musk, has become a full-on fascist. There have been protests at Tesla showrooms and folks have joked on social media about refusing to let Tesla drivers merge into traffic. KUT’s Texas Newsroom conducted an online survey, asking Tesla owners how they’re feeling. “The general consensus was clear,” Lauren McGaughy writes. “Everyone said they love their Tesla. But, whether they like Musk or hate him, they said they are being plagued by social pressure, random targeting and, sometimes, deeply personal ethical battles over keeping their cars.”
Unclear Federal Savings: But as you know, Musk isn’t really paying attention to any of his businesses. He’s in Washington, D.C., firing government workers in the name of the cost-cutting initiative. But it’s not certain he’s saving money. The New York Times reported this week that DOGE has removed all of the five biggest “savings” that had originally been posted to his online “wall of receipts,” which supposedly documents the cost savings, after the Times and other news outlets demonstrated that the claims were riddled with errors.
Measles on the Move: Texas is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in decades. Over 90 cases have been confirmed in West Texas in the last month and, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 16 of those have resulted in hospitalization. Dr. Desmar Walkes of Austin Public Health told KUT News the outbreak is “a result of a drop in vaccination rates.” Measles isn’t fun. According to the CDC, about 20% of unvaccinated patients require hospitalization. Five percent of children with measles develop pneumonia.
Measles in San Marcos: By the way, if you’re not vaccinated, we’d recommend you stay away from San Marcos. Hays County health officials issued a public health alert this week, saying a person who visited San Marcos for seven hours on Feb. 14 tested positive for measles. Officials warn that anyone who was at Texas State University from approximately 3 to 7pm and at Twin Peaks restaurant from 6 to 10pm may have been exposed. The Hays County Health Department is asking anyone who thinks they were to contact their local health authority.
Expensive Tree Relocation: There’s not much more beautiful than an old oak tree. So folks in Kyle are asking city officials not to cut down a particularly majestic example that abuts Old Stagecoach Road, a two-lane road the city plans to widen. As the name more than suggests, the current Old Stagecoach Road was part of a rutted path that connected San Antonio and Austin in the 1800s, when the oak in question was already hundreds of years old. Given the beauty and history of the tree, Kyle officials have decided to spend between $730,259 and $950,259 to relocate it, KUT News reports.
Statesman Gets a New Boss: Since the corporation Gannett gained the Austin American-Statesman in 2018, the newsroom lost about 60% of its people. Now, the historic daily paper will have a new owner in Hearst, the owner of the Houston Chronicle.
Battery Buyers, Be Aware: Austin wants you to buy battery storage systems and it’ll make it worth your while. The Austin Monitor reports that the city’s Electric Utility Commission is discussing a program to pay customers to connect their battery storage systems to the energy grid, a move that might help avert future ERCOT-related disasters like the statewide blackout that killed hundreds during Winter Storm Uri. In similar programs already underway, participants receive $50 off their monthly utility bills along with an annual $25 rebate. Folks can also currently receive a 30% federal tax credit for buying battery storage systems, but that program is probably being discontinued as we speak.
Quote of the Week
“There is most certainly a crisis. Anyone who believes otherwise is not paying attention.”
– Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, talking to KUT about teacher pay
This article appears in February 28 • 2025.