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North Austin nightclub stages pandemic opening—prompting concerns about enforcement

A North Austin nightclub's grand reopening went off without a hitch Friday. Videos shared by the club showed dozens of patrons dancing in tight packs into the wee hours of the night, with hardly a mask to be seen.
This is despite a countywide ban on bars and nightclubs, and at least seven complaints that were filed against the venue for allegedly violating pandemic orders since the opening.
El Nocturno's opening Friday was preceded by two visits from Austin code inspectors, who found nothing wrong, KVUE reported. However, those inspectors may have missed the crowds because they arrived around 7 p.m., two hours before the club's advertised opening at 9 p.m.
A statement from the city shared with the news station said its COVID compliance teams must witness violations first-hand, and do not consider video footage as evidence.
Videos uploaded by the club, now deleted, show what would be clear violations. The videos are available on KVUE.
One reason code inspectors arrived so early may have to do with the department's hours, which end at 8 p.m.
A city spokesperson told Austonia the code department is not the only department to respond to COVID compliance calls. Other departments, such as the Austin Police Department and Fire Department, operate after 8 p.m.
The bigger mystery, perhaps, is not how El Nocturno escaped enforcement but why it was able to open in the first place.
A countywide ban on bars and nightclubs is keeping these establishments closed, though some have gotten special permission to operate as restaurants by offering minimal food services. A top city health official recently called the exception a "loophole."
But El Nocturno doesn't have that—or any permit whatsoever from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The agency confirmed that the nightclub's permit for selling alcohol expired in February.
The club is not advertised as BYOB, and Facebook posts on its page boast a $2 drink special.
Late Sunday night, the club posted a status on its Facebook in Spanish that masks are required to enter.
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Lately, the crypto market is looking shaky.
The price of bitcoin fell by more than half from its high, the digital currency luna crashed to $0 and a type of so-called stablecoin TerraUSD has been described as dead.
Reporting from the LA Times notes that experts seeing a correlation between traditional markets and the cryptocurrency market is high right now, with plunges in one being followed by a plunge in the other. On Wednesday, stocks had their worst day in more than two years with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1,164 points.
Crypto’s volatility has long been questioned, especially after SXSW this year was filled with Web3 enthusiasts and displays.
With 8% of Texans owning Bitcoin and many others involved in the local crypto and Web3 scene, what are they feeling amid the crash?
In a written comment to Austonia, ATX DAO said a positive with the downturn is that “most of the speculative moneygrab type projects get washed out of the market, and the quality projects that deliver real value remain and gather more attention.”
The group went on to say it could work to their advantage as they carry out their latest project: a mural at Native Hostel that will have an NFT version. They’ll use sales toward donations to HOPE Outdoor Gallery, a local nonprofit that supports artists and creatives.
Meanwhile, Yagub Rahimov, a founder of an Austin-based Web3 company explains that they aren’t really impacted by the crash.
Since the company known as Tested Web functions as a Web3 online reputation marketplace, it is utilizing blockchain technology without tokenizing.
“We are a share to earn marketplace. That means that any activity that users have on tested web.com, we will be rewarding,” Rahimov said. “Those rewards are coming in the form of rewards points. And every quarter they can opt in to receive either a gift card or a check. We are not issuing any cryptocurrency. That's one of the important elements that I believe we got it right that way.”
With recent developments at Tested Web, Rahimov says he “couldn’t be happier.” After struggling to find tech talent in early spring, he’s had a hiring spree in the last 10 days and received a $1 million grant and partnership with Silent Notary, a blockchain-powered validation provider.
But his recent business success aside, Rahimov is noticing what’s happening in the markets and predicts that the correlation between the crypto market and traditional one will be broken.
“The way Bitcoin was introduced back in 2009, it was as a reply or response to the 2008 market crash,” Rahimov said. “And it really feels like we are in 2007, 2008, actually, early, early days of the market crash. And if it becomes that way, very likely that the winner is going to be those of decentralized parties.”
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Barton Springs Pool is on a condensed schedule while the city tries to fill out its lifeguard roster.
The popular pool is currently closed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays while it navigates a lifeguard shortage. The city is offering bonuses to new applicants who can start by early June.
Austin Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Jodi Jay said there are 207 lifeguards ready to work and 100 incoming but the department needs 750 to be fully staffed.
Zoom out: The pandemic has had a lasting impact on hiring—in 2019, the city was able to hire 850 lifeguards. The Aquatic Department has been unable to match those numbers since it reopened training classes in spring of 2021.
Why it matters: The city needs at least 400 lifeguards, plus 30 with open water certification, to open pools on a modified schedule by June 4. Without hitting that mark, some facilities could limit hours or close.
The job pays between $16-19 an hour, anyone over 15 can get certified and there are bonuses on the table:
- $500 bonus if you get certified and start working by June 6.
- $500 bonus if you work through August 14.
- $250 bonus if you get advanced certification.