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OPINION | Thursday the Austin City Council is scheduled to consider saving animal shelter money by revising city reporti...
09/24/2025

OPINION | Thursday the Austin City Council is scheduled to consider saving animal shelter money by revising city reporting of the spaying of visibly pregnant animals and by adjusting how it calculates live-release rates (agenda item 3). What could be wrong with that?

Maybe plenty!

In 2010 the council approved a “no-kill plan” to stop the city from killing animals “for their own good” without a sound medical reason or because the city lacks such resources as space. Later the city adopted a 95 percent live shelter-release rate.

If the city changes how it records euthanasia and other lethal procedures, the shelter could kill more animals while still claiming a 95 percent live-release rate. At what point might such accounting tricks abandon “no kill” altogether? Without transparency, it will be impossible for the average citizen to know what’s going on.

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/pet-peeve/

The July floods that hit Central Texas were catastrophic, killing more than 135 people, including 27 campers and counsel...
09/23/2025

The July floods that hit Central Texas were catastrophic, killing more than 135 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Kerr County’s Camp Mystic and 10 people near Leander in Travis County. Estimated damages are approximately $20 billion.

As residents and officials continue assessing damages, a critical deadline is approaching for impacted residents to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They have until Sept. 28 to apply.

In recent interviews, several flood survivors told Austin Free Press that there are lingering questions and challenges in the aftermath of the disaster. Many Central Texas families said they still are dealing with the trauma of what unfolded that cataclysmic day in July and looking for answers, which at best, have been slow to come.

“It’s usually a dry creek bed,” said Kaleena Schumaker, whose family has lived along Big Sandy Creek near Leander for half a century.

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/washed-out/

Scroll to see where to catch culture, community, and good vibes all around the city!
09/23/2025

Scroll to see where to catch culture, community, and good vibes all around the city!

Under Barton Springs’ eelgrass “Hedge,” myths give way to life more intricate than imagination: snails on swaying blades...
09/22/2025

Under Barton Springs’ eelgrass “Hedge,” myths give way to life more intricate than imagination: snails on swaying blades, cormorants torpedoing past, Mexican tetras scattering, and the infamous nesting-season “Bite Club.” In “Creatures stranger and more intricate than imagination,” Ben Livingston shows how science and lore flow together in this Austin refuge. Read the full story.

Almost a year after the Austin City Council voted to demolish the downtown convention center and sink $1.6 billion into ...
09/17/2025

Almost a year after the Austin City Council voted to demolish the downtown convention center and sink $1.6 billion into a larger replacement, the future of that new downtown convention center might be left up to voters.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson argues that it is a done deal, making the case for a state-of-the-art convention center that won’t cost local taxpayers a dime since it’s being built with hotel occupancy taxes (HOT) that are mostly paid by visitors.

But not all residents share that vision, noting that Austin has neglected a primary economic generator: The city’s cultural arts – including music, performance art, film, historic sites, parks, and other attractions – that benefit residents and visitors from across the globe.

The latter group has organized a “Save the Soul of Austin” campaign backed by the Austin United PAC. They are circulating a petition to ask voters in May 2026 to postpone convention center reconstruction “until approved by voters, or for seven years.” The proposed measure also would prioritize “city financial support for Austin local live music, arts, cultural and outdoor tourism.” The group faces a mid-October deadline to gather 20,000 valid signatures. If they succeed, the matter goes to voters for an up or down vote next year.

These dueling visions of how the city should use its hotel tax revenue – for the new convention center or cultural arts and parks – were captured in recent Austin American-Statesman opinion pieces.

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/competing-visions/

Your guide to what’s happening in Austin this week!
09/16/2025

Your guide to what’s happening in Austin this week!

As Austin continues to struggle with an affordable housing crunch, the Austin City Council passed a resolution Thursday ...
09/15/2025

As Austin continues to struggle with an affordable housing crunch, the Austin City Council passed a resolution Thursday that aims to fund the preservation of the city’s older naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH).

“We recognize that there’s really no real coordination around how the city approaches NOAH properties,” District 10 Council Member Marc Duchen — who spearheaded the resolution — told Austin Free Press.

The resolution directs the Office of the City Manager to analyze NOAH properties, identify which ones have code compliance issues, and find ways to fund and preserve deeply affordable housing. Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, and San Francisco have such preservation programs.

The resolution comes months after the council’s June vote to approve the demolition of the affordable Acacia Cliffs apartments in Duchen’s northwest district under the city’s Density Bonus 90 program. DB90 allows developers to construct multifamily housing buildings over 90 feet tall provided that 10 to 12 percent of the units are affordable. Acacia’s replacement with a much larger structure will nonetheless result in a net loss of 210 affordable units.

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/noahs-arc/

The Austin City Council today is scheduled to consider a resolution that would direct city staff to study ways to invent...
09/11/2025

The Austin City Council today is scheduled to consider a resolution that would direct city staff to study ways to inventory, fund, and protect the city’s endangered stock of existing affordable housing.

The proposed resolution attempts to clean up Austin’s 2024 Density Bonus 90 (DB90) ordinance, which lets developers build multifamily residences up to 90 feet tall if they agree to provide some relatively affordable units. City officials acknowledge a key defect of the ordinance. That is that it incentivizes developers to replace existing affordable apartment buildings with larger ones that offer fewer affordable units than previously existed.

This issue reached a head when the city council voted on June 5 to let Dallas-based developers Price Realty Corp. and Trammell Crow Co. demolish the deeply affordable Acacia Cliffs Apartments in Northwest Hills to build a larger complex that would result in a net loss of 210 affordable units.

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/the-vanishing/

Austin’s week is packed — from big concerts and comedy to dance, festivals, and stargazing. Where will you be?
09/09/2025

Austin’s week is packed — from big concerts and comedy to dance, festivals, and stargazing. Where will you be?

Since 2009, Recycled Reads has proven to be as weird and engaging as the city that owns it.The tan brick store at 5335 B...
09/08/2025

Since 2009, Recycled Reads has proven to be as weird and engaging as the city that owns it.

The tan brick store at 5335 Burnet Road looks like any Old Austin strip-mall outlet. But inside, the plush carpet, vintage books, rare CDs, green plants, stuffed animals perched on shelves, and colorful children’s corner make the place feel homey.

There are no digital card catalogues or enclosed computer labs. Everything’s out in the open with all manner of people conversing in foreign tongues or making art, as kids chase one another down the aisles. Managed by Austin Public Library, this used bookstore doesn’t pressure people to buy stuff. Hanging out here with your neighbors is just fine.

The iconic store’s charm is matched only by its sustainable mission. Recycled Reads partners with Goodwill Central Texas to sell discarded library books, music records, movies, art, and games for $2 or less. This keeps them out of landfills, consistent with Austin’s Zero Waste Initiative. By its 10-year anniversary in 2019, the store had diverted more than 3,600 tons of material from local dumps. What is not repurposed or sold gets recycled by contracted parties.

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/turning-the-page/

With the number of unhoused people in Austin rising significantly, city officials have released a new online app tool to...
09/04/2025

With the number of unhoused people in Austin rising significantly, city officials have released a new online app tool to better connect people experiencing homelessness to support services.

The Open Now app could help users find a wide variety of resources in a single place. But some experts found its listings incomplete and said the city needs to do a better job of getting the word out to the potential beneficiaries. In addition, many unhoused people lack smart phones and must access the app through library computers.

Austin introduces this tech fix as the city grapples with an expanding population of people experiencing homelessness. An estimated 6,838 people sought housing or homeless services in July of this year, 81 percent of whom were unsheltered, according to data from the nonprofit Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO).

Read more: https://austinfreepress.org/home-page-new-app-aims-to-serve-austins-neediest/

Fall is almost here, but the fun isn’t cooling down. Check out what’s happening in Austin this week!
09/02/2025

Fall is almost here, but the fun isn’t cooling down. Check out what’s happening in Austin this week!

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