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Grant Weddle, 23, isn't totally sure how he contracted COVID-19.
"I had this girl, we weren't dating … but we were talking and hanging out and whatnot," he told Austonia. She went out to the bars one night in early December, and after spending time with her, they had both developed symptoms.
<p>Now that Weddle has recovered from COVID, he feels differently. "I don't feel as at risk as before," he said. </p><p>Others feel similarly. </p><p>Lynn, a 23-year-old server who works in North Austin and asked to be identified by her middle name, tested positive for COVID in late December after experiencing mild, allergy-like symptoms. Since then, she has noticed an attitude shift. "It sounds bad to say but I feel kind of invincible," she said. "In my head, I should be free from COVID at least through March." </p><p><strong>Germ theory </strong></p><p>The 20- to 29-age group is less at risk for hospitalization and death due to COVID, accounting for 26% of the confirmed cases in Travis County but only 8% of hospitalizations and 1% of deaths. But local public health officials have stressed that they can easily spread the virus to others and should observe precautions to avoid doing so. </p><p>This concern became especially acute in the wake of the Christmas and New Year's holidays when nearly half of the new cases confirmed in Travis County were in the 20-29 and 30-39 age groups, which officials attributed to social gatherings and travel. They also criticized state-level loopholes that allow <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-bars-stay-open" target="_blank">some bars "masquerading as restaurants"</a> to remain open.</p><p>There is still confusion about how long a person who has recovered from COVID may be immune to it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>Weddle knows this. "I'm not naive in thinking that I'm home free, and I'll never get (COVID) again," he said, adding that he continues to take precautions—such as masking while in public—to avoid acting as a carrier.</p><p>Still, having COVID has changed his outlook. </p><p><strong>Risk assessment </strong></p><p>Weddle, who works as an essential worker and asked that his exact job title not be used, said he has taken the pandemic seriously since it began in March. Because his job puts him in contact with strangers every day, he traded out nights on Sixth Street for board game nights at home. </p><p>But it's not that easy for someone in their early twenties to avoid socializing—especially those who have recovered from COVID and now feel the chances of getting it a second time are almost nonexistent. </p><p>Weddle went out to the bars for New Year's Eve, which he acknowledged was risky. "I guess being locked inside for as long as I was (with COVID), I was cooped up and I needed a release," he said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="2344" data-rm-shortcode-id="1756f6097ef396e8d00f42e10d92eb7c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUzNTMyMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjAxMzM4Nn0.ovo9QzEag_mKemNZhgc73K5lXzDMkyF5g8jjefXZfbM/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="3509" id="b52ec" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">(File photo)</small></p><p>Weddle feels comfortable talking to his friends and posting on social media about his experience with COVID—in part because he feels blameless as far as how he contracted the disease. "I got it because someone else went out and gave it to me," he said. "It's not my fault."<br/></p><p>Lynn, who is also an essential worker, feels similarly. She said her social media feeds are full of people who appear to be taking fewer precautions than she is. "Not necessarily in shoulder-to-shoulder bars but going out to eat, getting brunch with a friend, on Sixth Street," she said. "Because my friend group is just as lax as I am, I'm not necessarily worried about how I'll be received."</p><p>Despite feeling invincible and taking some risks, Lynn feels like she is taking adequate precautions to prevent spreading the virus to other people should she be exposed to it again. When visiting her mom, who lives outside of Fort Worth and works in the medical field, she avoids going out the week or two prior. She is also comforted by the fact that her mom has received the first dose of the vaccine and is regularly screened for COVID at work. "She has way more access to testing than anyone else that I know, so I feel more chill," she said.</p><p>Still, Lynn is eager for more people to get vaccinated, including her. She said wants the vaccine so she can feel more secure working and going out. "As soon as the vaccine is readily available, I will be first in line," she said. </p>
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Austin FC announced it has entered into a multi-year stadium naming rights partnership with Q2 Holdings, Inc., for its $260 million stadium.
<p>The new stadium, now known as "Q2 Stadium," remains projected for completion this spring at 10414 McKalla Place, ahead of the inaugural Austin FC season.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="030a6d4b74db488b296e111ef0ab525a" id="01f28"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1353758552905674761"><div style="margin:1em 0">Welcome to @Q2Stadium!
Austin’s Biggest Backyard. 🏟 https://t.co/SGR2DMgukA</div> — Q2 Stadium (@Q2 Stadium)<a href="https://twitter.com/Q2Stadium/statuses/1353758552905674761">1611596165.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Q2, the Austin-based provider of digital transformation solutions for banking and lending, has also secured the name of the "Q2 Field Club," the premium seating and Club experience adjacent to the player's benches in the over 20,500-seat stadium.<br/></p><p>"Our partnership reinforces to our employees and top talent that Q2 is committed to everything that makes Austin special – culture, community and now, world-class professional sports sure to bring a diverse, global audience to our community," Matt Flake, President and CEO of Q2 said in a press release.</p><p>The stadium will have multiple purposes aside from hosting the men's and women's soccer leagues, including other amateur sporting events, concerts and festivals, and community projects. Q2 Stadium will be a venue to host organizations such as Black Girls Code and Code2College—groups that make contribute to the Austin software development communities.</p><p>The stadium will be one of 20 soccer stadiums featured within Major League Soccer in 2021 and is one of eight stadiums that have opened since 2017.</p><p>Austin FC President, <a href="https://www.austinfc.com/andy-loughnane" target="_blank">Andy Loughnane</a>, said in a press release that it was the club's top priority to establish a naming rights partnership with an Austin-based company that is "committed to using this platform to give back to the community."</p><p>"Q2 Stadium holds the distinction of being the first and only major league venue in Austin, and Austin FC is exceptionally proud to begin our MLS journey with Q2 as our partner and Q2 Stadium as our home."</p><p>This is the latest partnership with a local brand for Austin FC. It has already established a partnership with <a href="https://austonia.com/netspend-partners-with-austin-fc" target="_blank">Yeti, H-E-B and Netspend</a>. </p>
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Austin’s iconic Nau’s Enfield Drug hopes see to the business return to its heyday amid pandemic woes
25 January
(Kristin Finan/Austonia)
First dates over frosty milkshakes. Family outings for juicy hamburgers.
Nau's Enfield Drug, which opened in 1951, has been a lot of things to a lot of people over its long history in Austin.
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1410" data-rm-shortcode-id="b1e743a5c79addf437188d2702769e9b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUyOTUwNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzQwNjc4OH0.69JbIZthApxFrG17iKFGW2ViwY-REFY7OLh-hSeP0Ms/img.png?width=980" data-width="1900" id="6a73a" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Laura Labay, manager of Nau's, at the store this month. Labay's parents, Lambert and Kathleen, purchased the store in 1971. (Kristin Finan)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>For Laura Labay, it's a place that represents the shared dream of her parents, who purchased the business in 1971 just before she was born. It's the place where she grew up helping wipe down sticky booths by the soda fountain and where she still works, side by side with her 81-year-old dad, Lambert Labay, who, in addition to being the owner, has been a pharmacist there since 1963.</p><p>"Everyone's heard of Nau's. We're one of the top 10, top 5 businesses that Austin has always been unique for," said Laura Labay, who has managed the store for 23 years. "And we're one of a handful of businesses that still have that community connection and that history."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="3024" data-rm-shortcode-id="0db2d513177a80f98d37053ce27cdd3f" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUyOTQ2Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2ODA4NDM2MX0.FO9xKd1_3IYoqFGTmIIXKEw-87BMk7PEMnINpmcTpwY/img.jpg?width=980" data-width="4032" id="464e6" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Kathleen and Lambert Labay at Nau's soda fountain in spring 1971, just after they'd purchased the store. Kathleen Labay was pregnant with daughter Laura at the time. (Laura Labay)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>Now, due to a series of unfortunate events including the coronavirus pandemic, it's also another Austin institution that's struggling to survive.</p><p>"We've talked, unfortunately, a few times about closing. We're still trying to make ends meet," she said, adding that a combination of an emergency restaurant remodel and the pandemic made 2020 the year where "utterly our world crushed."</p><p>The Labays own Nau's, the business, but not the building in the Clarksville neighborhood where it's famously located at 1115 West Lynn St. In early 2020, prior to the onset of the pandemic, the cafe portion of the business closed because the property needed some updates including a new air conditioner. Due to the pandemic, however, many of those updates stalled—while the pharmacy and drug store have remained open, the once-famous café has now been shuttered for about a year.</p><p>"I really hope that comes back because Austin has lost so many iconic places," said Anne Rapp, a neighborhood resident and Nau's customer, after purchasing a lottery ticket inside the store. "It's places like Nau's that make Austin special and maintain its soul. I think the soul of a town is as important as anything."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="1320" data-rm-shortcode-id="4b2ca2d6bb62edceb53ff23988f27ef3" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUyOTUyNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MTU0NzQwN30.iOm5SgKan84RDh63W_FfXKS5OTVzxE4o_JWGDCkpPj4/img.png?width=980" data-width="1896" id="407f0" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">A sign at the entrance of Nau's welcomes four-legged visitors. (Kristin Finan) </small></p><p><br/></p><p>Rapp, who works in the film industry, said Nau's "reputation precedes it a little bit."</p><p>"I've had many times when big players in Hollywood, from Los Angeles to New York, come here for Austin Film Festival for the weekend," Rapp said. "On more than one occasion, I'll be knocking around with a lot of them and they'll say, 'Can you take me to Nau's? I've heard they have great breakfast.'"</p><p>Laura Labay, 49, agreed that the café and soda fountain, which featured never-frozen hamburger patties and from-scratch shakes and sodas, are the heartbeat of Nau's, estimating that sales are down 80% over typical years, "if not worse."</p><p>"I could put in a modern-day drink dispenser and modern coolers, but why would anyone come in for that?" she said. "They come in because it looks like a soda fountain. The café is really the driving force that is going to be our salvation."</p><p>Right now you can't sink your teeth into a juicy burger or saddle up at the soda fountain, and the store's selection of nostalgic candies, unique soaps and fun gift items is also limited due to difficulties sourcing those items amid the pandemic, but you can still pick up a newspaper, grab a prescription or even arrange a home delivery if you live nearby.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-3x2">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-height="800" data-rm-shortcode-id="5d6f3e83f46eb7ab27b1817fc8ccca42" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUyOTUzMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDc4ODk4OH0.DU44ONyP3FOcrmV9lEKZhdAyefuM6OSrDRjywH8Uz2k/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=164%2C109%2C164%2C109&height=800" data-width="1200" id="9b07f" type="lazy-image"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption..." spellcheck="false">Lambert Labay, 81, is the owner of Nau's Enfield Drug, where he has worked as a pharmacist since 1963. He and his wife, Kathleen Labay, purchased the store in 1971. (Laura Labay)</small></p><p><br/></p><p><strong></strong>Laura Labay said many of Nau's customers are more like family, adding that the neighborhood rallied to support the business after her father suffered a heart attack in 2016.<span></span><br/></p><p>"It was just an outpouring of good faith from our neighbors, all walks of life were trying to help us, and they did. People have memories from growing up here and this is part of their lives," she said. "I don't think you could say that about your neighborhood Starbucks."</p><p>Laura Labay said she welcomes anyone who is interested in the café revitalization efforts or in helping to keep Nau's going, in general, to contact her directly.</p><p>"Most people would have given up, but I have a dream that this is going to come back to its heyday before my father retires," she said. "I just don't want people to forget about us. We're going to be back, and be better."</p>
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Austin may soon be home to a tech plant that would dwarf the Tesla Gigafactory in both investment and job creation.
Samsung Electronics Co. is considering starting construction on a $10 billion memory chip plant in Austin as soon as this year, Bloomberg reported Friday.
<p>The Samsung plant would compete with industry leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., which is scheduled to begin construction on a $12 billion semiconductor factory in Phoenix <a href="https://azbigmedia.com/real-estate/taiwan-semiconductor-launches-38b-phoenix-presence-by-signing-major-lease/#:~:text=Taiwan%20Semiconductor%20Manufacturing%20Company%20is,to%20begin%20production%20by%202024." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">later this year</a>. </p><p>Samsung is capitalizing on a federal effort to draw advanced manufacturing plants away from Asia, Bloomberg reported. </p><p>Samsung Austin Semiconductor LLC purchased roughly 258 acres of land in Northeast Austin in late October, near its existing chip manufacturing plant. Last month, Austin City Council approved a rezoning request from the company to allow for industrial use. </p><p>"The proposed (zoning) agreement will reflect almost the same conditions approved on the current Samsung Austin Semiconductor site," Case Manager Sherri Sirwaitis wrote in <a href="https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=351517" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a staff report</a> submitted to the council. </p><p>Samsung opened its first Austin plant in 1997 and has since expanded its campus, which now spans roughly 300 acres and employs around 3,000 people, <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2021/01/22/austin-could-be-home-to-10b-samsung-plant.amp.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to the Austin Business Journal</a>. </p><p>The company also has a long history of working with state and local governments on tax incentive deals. Between 2009 and 2019, Travis County rebated Samsung $65 million as part of an ongoing incentives agreement. </p><p>One of the people close to the matter told Bloomberg that the company may go ahead without such an incentives agreement. But the Travis County Commissioners Court is scheduled to consider whether to accept an application for an economic incentive agreement on Tuesday. A spokesperson would not say which company has filed the application—nicknamed "Project Silicon Silver." </p><p>Travis County commissioners last considered an unnamed economic incentives agreement application in May 2020, which was later revealed to have been filed by Tesla. They later approved a multimillion-dollar incentives agreement for the electric automaker, which is currently building a $1.1 billion Gigafactory in Southeast Travis County. </p><p>In response to criticism regarding the agreement, Travis County commissioners voted unanimously <a href="https://austonia.com/travis-county-incentives" target="_self">last month</a> to amend its economic incentives policy to include community input requirements. As a result, if commissioners vote to accept the Project Silicon Silver application, the court will be required to post draft agreements publicly and host public hearings before taking action on any incentive agreement. </p>
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