November 20, 2023

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Today’s Forecast

69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.

🗞️ Extra, extra

The front of Austin's downtown City Hall

Catch up on all the news from City Hall. | Photo by ATXtoday

There’s a lot happening in Austin, and it can be hard to keep up, even for us.

We often stock our daily newsletter with updates from Austin and Travis County government leaders, but even we can’t cover everything. That’s why we rounded up a few pieces of civic news you may have missed in the last few weeks.

Block party
The City of Austin will soon roll out its “Living Streets” initiative. The program — beginning implementation in early 2024 — will allow residents to apply to “activate” neighborhood streets for a range of short-term closures, meant to allow space for exercise, play, and community-building. See a map of eligible streets and find application details online.

ATX_LivingStreetsGif — Is your street eligible for Austin’s new Living Streets program?
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Gif by ATXtoday, map via the City of Austin

Water conservation
Austin City Council voted to postpone the implementation of an ordinance requiring some large developments to use reclaimed water due in part to concerns the change would increase costs for multifamily housing projects. The new rule, which aims to reduce strain on local water supply, will now take effect on March 7, 2024.

Storm preparedness
In the wake of Winter Storm Mara, which damaged ~10.5 million trees and left ~375,000 Austinites without power in February, Austin Energy is studying the potential for burying some city power lines. The process wouldn’t be without its headaches, as buried power lines can be expensive, be vulnerable to flooding, and provide barriers to repairs.

A group of crew members pointing at branches downed by the ice storm — Ice from Winter Storm Mara downed more than 10 million trees in Central Texas this February.
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Photo by @dustinsafranek

That’s a long walk
A 32-mile trail following CapMetro’s Red Line, called the Red Line Trail, is in the works following the path of the commuter rail that stretches from Downtown Austin to Leander. Parts of the trail are already completed or under construction, but the transit company is examining remaining segments for short- and long-term implementation.

Quiz

How many City Council districts are there in Austin?

A. 7
B. 10
C. 13

Check your answer

Events

Monday, Nov. 20

Dale Watson | Monday, Nov. 20 | 10:15 p.m. | The Continental Club, 1315 S. Congress Ave., Austin | $10 | Join honky tonk maverick Dale Watson at this 21+ show.

Tuesday, Nov. 21

Tim O’Brien | Tuesday, Nov. 21 | 7 p.m. | BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin | Free | The author of “The Things They Carried” and “America Fantastica” will discuss his works and sign copies.

Wednesday, Nov. 22

Cheese Pairing Workshop | Wednesday, Nov. 22 | 6 p.m. | Uncorked Vintage Academia HQ, 2101 E. St. Elmo Rd., Ste. 335, Unit D, Austin | $55 | Taste cheese from around the world and learn how to pair them with wines alongside jams, jellies, crackers, and other treats.

Thursday, Nov. 23

ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot | Thursday, Nov. 23 | 9:30 a.m. | The Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr., Austin | $30-$40 | Start Turkey Day with a trot through Downtown Austin.

Friday, Nov. 24

Austin Flea: Black Friday & Small Business Saturday | Friday, Nov. 24-Saturday, Nov. 25 | 12-5 p.m. | Still Austin Whiskey Co., 440 E. St. Elmo Rd., Ste. F, Austin | Free | Support local businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year with this two-day pop-up market.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Shop

Ring in the holidays with these gifts

This holiday season shop for unique gifts from our small business partners. | Photo by 6AM City

Our online shop (Six & Main), a site that celebrates small businesses locally and in our 25 sister markets, is dishing out major deals this holiday season. From coffee to artwork and apparel, there’s a gift for everyone.

Black Friday

30% off items included in our gift guides for her + him

Cyber Monday

30% off Treat Yourself Gift Guide

There are more savings this weekend for the foodies, pet parents, and more…

Unwrap more gifts

News Notes

Legacy

On Friday, community leaders and Austin Police Department officers honored Jorge “George” Pastore, a SWAT officer who died in the line of duty earlier this month. Learn about Pastore’s legacy — Austin Cops 4 Charities is collecting funds for those affected. (Austin American-Statesman)

Development

The East Austin property slated to become the St. Elmo Public Market was sold and will now become a bar and arcade. The 42,000-sqft site — expected to open next year — will contain duckpin bowling, pinball machines, and 40+ classic arcade games. (Austin Business Journal)

Sports

Texas football defeated Iowa State 26-16 Saturday, putting the Longhorns one step closer to earning a spot in the Big 12 championship next month. Texas will next play Texas Tech at home this Friday, Nov. 24.

Festival

This year’s SXSW brought in almost $381 million to Austin’s economy. Throughout the festival, 52,600+ hotel room nights were booked and 70 music venues participated in 2,000+ acts.

Biz

Cedar Park-based Hyliion, an electric trucking company, will cut two-thirds of its staff in order to focus on generator technology. The layoffs amount to ~150 jobs in Central Texas. (Austin American-Statesman)

Coming Soon

The team behind L’Oca d’Oro will open a casual pizzeria in Govalle early next year. The new concept, called Bambino, will open at 979 Springdale Rd. and serve up New York-inspired “grandma pies” in addition to salads, soft serve, and cocktails. (Eater Austin)

Arts

Mayor Kirk Watson will cameo as Mother Ginger in Ballet Austin’s annual production of “The Nutcracker” on Sunday, Dec. 3. The dance company has welcomed community leaders to play the role since 1997 — this year’s guest stars also include Interim Chief of Police Robin Henderson + West Lake Hills Mayor Linda Anthony. Get tickets.

Sports

🏈 High scorers

Texas football has some of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the country. | Photo by ATXtoday

Texas football teams have some of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the NCAA, according to recent data on college football assistant coach salaries.

The top-earning assistant coach in Texas is UT’s Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who has an annual salary of $1.7 million.

This doesn’t come close to No. 1 in the country — Clemson’s Garrett Riley, who takes home $2.05 million annually — but it does rank Kwiatkowski as No. 14 nationally. (Of note: Texas’ head coach Steve Sarkisian is not among the top 25 highest-paid head coaches.)

Other Texas-based, high-earning assistant coaches in the list’s top 50 include:

No. 15 — Texas A&M’s DJ Durkin, $1.6 million
No. 20 — Texas A&M’s Bobby Petrino, $1.4 million
No. 30 — UT’s Kyle Flood, $1.25 million
No. 35 — Texas A&M’s Elijah Robinson, $1.2 million
No. 44 — UT’s Jeff Banks, $1.1 million

The Buy

A Black Friday deal on the ultimate gift: A Bwine F7 GPS Camera Drone. They’ll have fun flying it and capturing incredible footage. Get it for ~~$529.99~~ $370.99.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
London

From the editor

I’m so excited for the cold front to roll in this week — I love a chilly Thanksgiving.

I also happened to put up my Christmas tree this past weekend, so the change in weather will be extra cozy.

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