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Willie Nelson
Sure, a new Taylor Swift album debuted Friday, but another music icon also has some new music coming out. Austin's own Willie Nelson is releasing a Frank Sinatra cover album, his second such effort.
We've compiled the latest Austin news and information to help you keep up with interesting stories and breaking news around the city. Here is what we have shared so far this week:
Dec. 11: South Lamar Boulevard is getting a makeover and 4 more headlines you might've missed
This rendering shows what the planned transformation of South Lamar Boulevard from Riverside Drive to Barton Springs Road.
(City of Austin)
South Lamar changes: Money from the voter-approved 2016 Mobility Bond is being put on South Lamar Boulevard pedestrian and bikeway improvements, TOWERS reports. This map shows the extent of the changes between Riverside Drive and Barton Springs Road, all part of broader plans for the entire South Lamar corridor.
Two legends, one album: Willie Nelson offered an exciting announcement to wrap the week: a new album of Frank Sinatra covers. This is the second time that Nelson has paid homage to Sinatra, with the latest album slated for a late February release, per Pitchfork. One song from the album, "Cottage For Sale," is already available online to stream.
Unfortunate COVID-19 milestone: The COVID-19 death tally in Travis County reached and exceeded 500 people Thursday, a grim marker as deaths climb nationally to nearly 300,000 total. City health officials warn Austinites not to relent on pandemic safety measures or risk moving to Stage 5 safety restrictions.
Local election, outside influences: Early voting ends Friday for the Austin City Council Districts 6 and 10 runoff elections, and Election Day is Tuesday. The Austin Independent found a Facebook page that invites outside groups into town before Tuesday's Election Day. It's all an effort by Austin-area Republican groups to help two challengers unseat incumbent Council Members Alison Alter and Jimmy Flannigan.
That didn't take long: Two days after Austin American-Statesman employees announced plans to unionize, the newspaper's management has already rejected the Austin NewsGuild's request to be recognized. The guild's formation was just announced Wednesday, with a "vast majority" of journalists asking parent company Gannett for a seat at the negotiating table.
Dec. 10: Costs of 'Live PD' reality show still adding up and 4 more headlines you might've missed
'Live PD' still lingers: Despite losing his re-election bid amid indictment, outgoing Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody will cost taxpayers long after he leaves Jan. 1. "Live PD" was canceled after revelations that Javier Ambler died in police custody while the reality show filmed the whole thing—and lawsuits are piling up for Chody's defiance to keep the show running, Community Impact reports.
NYE21 during COVID-19: The city of Austin typically holds a family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration on Auditorium Shores, but that's not going to happen during the pandemic. Instead, KXAN reports that live music performances from six bands across three venues, including Saxon Pub, have already been filmed for a virtual event this year. More details are expected to be released soon.
Company-CEO relocation package: A real estate investment firm from the United Kingdom is relocating to Austin, and—in seemingly familiar fashion—its CEO is moving here, too. Etienne Cadestin, CEO/founder of Longevity Partners, leased space in downtown Austin instead of Portland, Salt Lake City and Miami because we're cheaper and more focused on sustainability, Austin Business Journal reports.
AISD waits for pandemic relief: After spending $51.2 million on pandemic emergency needs this year, Austin ISD is yet to recoup most of those costs from the state, which controls CARES Act federal funding received earlier this year. KXAN learned that, at best, only 75% of those emergency expenses can be recovered, and it's unlikely AISD will even get that much back.
Transgender representation on task force: Public Safety Commission agreed with LGBTQ leaders that a transgender representative is needed on the city's task force for reimagining public safety. The commission voted unanimously for the recommendation, which City Council must ultimately approve, according to the Austin Monitor. The move comes as anti-transgender violence is up nationwide.
Dec. 9: Lady Bird Lake is safe for your four-legged friends again and 4 more headlines you might've missed
Lady Bird Lake is now free of toxic algae that threatens the safety of dogs swimming in the water.
(CC)
Your pup can swim again: If there is any benefit to the increasingly cool weather, it's that Lady Bird Lake is safe again for your dog to swim. Since a deadly algae outbreak in 2019, the city has been testing the lake for toxins that likely killed dogs last year. For the first time since mid-July, those toxins are no longer active in Lady Bird Lake, KXAN reports.
Latina media moguls in training: Become a certified "Media Chica" as part of a new program from Latinitas, an online magazine in Austin since 2002. Austin Woman Magazine covered the creative program, which offers young Latina women media training and field experience—with their work published by Latinitas. The program has already graduated three cohorts.
Kendra Scott anniversary: The Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at The University of Texas has nearly hit its one-year anniversary. Famed Austin jeweler Kendra Scott started the program and doubles as a teacher. She reflected on the institution's first year with the Austin Business Journal this week, with hopes a decade from now that Scott can say "we changed Austin."
Council candidate's curious company: Campaign finance reports can be revealing, as Austin Chronicle learned this week. The alt-weekly revealed that District 6 candidate Mackenzie Kelly hired an Infowars videographer to produce her campaign ads despite his history of bigoted social media messages. Kelly's campaign denied any connection between the candidate and the Alex Jones-led "news" site.
Lamar art installation to retire: Did you know those blue panels lining the underpass of downtown Lamar Boulevard is actually a public art display installed in 2003? Most people don't get it, probably why the work is slated for "delisting" on Thursday's City Council agenda. Even the original artist endorses the piece's retirement, KUT learned.
Dec. 8: Live music venues could be rescued soon and 4 more headlines you might've missed
Mohawk music venue on Red River Street
CC
Live music miracle: Multiple short- and long-term efforts to rescue music venues and other "legacy" Austin businesses proceeded last week at City Hall. Emergency grants are available, up to $140,000 for six months, Community Impact reports, and $15 million exclusively for venues could be unlocked by January.
Real tree > fake tree: It's not too late to get a real Christmas tree and embrace the holiday spirit this December. Austin.com compiled this list of tree farms that let you cut down your own Christmas Tree in true Griswold family fashion.
Music legend lost: A fixture of Austin's music scene was laid to rest this weekend. Margaret Wright, 78, was a singer and pianist known for taking over any venue she performed, according to the Austin American-Statesman, whether it be the Driskill Hotel or Skylark Lounge. "She knew every tune ever written," said Harold McMillan, a bass player who has played alongside Wright for three decades.
Dogs from the valley: Austin Humane Society rescued 15 dogs from shelters in Del Rio, Texas, where the city lacks a no-kill status, KXAN reports. The pups arrived in Austin for medical evaluations before being made available for adoption. This is good news for AHS after reports last year that overcrowding and volunteer issues threatened the shelter's no-kill status.
Party down: A new hotel and event space in the Hancock neighborhood caught social media flak this weekend for hosting hundreds at a dance party. Chances are, the event dodged statewide health orders because the outdoor setup was "not subject to an occupancy limit," KVUE reports. Nonetheless, Austin health officials recommended party-goers quarantine up to a week.
Dec. 7: Debate begins over who should get COVID-19 vaccine and 5 more headlines you might've missed
Pixabay
Return of the Mack, kinda: The University of Texas performance on the football field leaves a lot to be desired this season, but a former coach's daughter just delivered a "Jeopardy!" championship performance on the popular game show. KXAN reports that Katherine Ryan, daughter of longtime UT coach Mack Brown, won Friday's show and returns Monday as the defending champion. The episodes were filmed in early November before host Alex Trebek lost his battle with cancer.
Bring your blankets: The recent cold-weather snap takes its toll on individuals experiencing homelessness. That's why Front Steps is accepting blanket donations through the spring for visitors to its downtown ARCH homeless shelter and beyond. KXAN reports there is a special need for larger blankets based on feedback from shelter visitors.
Get in line for a vaccine: The Austin Latino Coalition is pushing the city to distribute the vaccine to low-income minorities as soon as possible, according to KVUE. This tool from the New York Times helps identify how soon until you might gain access.
Vaccine could be required: Just because a vaccine is coming online doesn't mean everyone wants to take it. KVUE reports that employers may be able to require their workforce to take the vaccine once it becomes widely available. Some exceptions will apply, but there's nothing in the books saying companies cannot enforce vaccination, according to one legal expert.
Businesses battle COVID-19: The Westover Hills neighborhood near MoPac and US 183 just lost a business to COVID-19. Hempton's Retro Threads announced it is closing at the end of the year, according to KVUE, after almost 5 years of selling vintage clothing, jewelry and handbags.
Don't break anything: Home appliances such as ovens, dishwashers and laundry machines, are getting used more than ever—and breaking down more than ever. KVUE reports the wait time for repairs are up significantly because of this higher-demand, and a limited supply chain only makes matters worse. Some local residents are waiting weeks for service repairs and replacements as a result.
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(Pixabay)
This Gemini season, starting today, is appropriately paradoxical, twisting and blending simple concerns with life’s bigger, faster and more fiery quests.
Shortcuts: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
On Sunday, May 29, we’ll experience one of the year’s biggest calls to adventure in the Mars/Jupiter conjunction—a potent duo whose combined force will start to be especially strongly felt when Mars moves into Aries on May 24. Contrastingly, Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, will keep our mental temperament grounded and steady as they move slowly through the sensual, materially-oriented sign of Taurus for most of the month. These contrasting forces might be tricky to weave together—read ahead for tips on how your sign can find the right approach this month!
Gemini: May 21-June 20
Welcome to the season of your Solar Return, Gemini! This month will set the stage for your whole coming year, so it will be great to start it off on the right foot. The most important bit of cosmic context is Mercury moving slowly till the end of the month in the grounded sign of Taurus. This is an encouragement to savor your questions and conversations with the world, without needing to rush to answers and to mull over the elemental, fundamental aspects of your life. It would be great to give yourself perspective, especially by experiencing new environments and by moving through the world in a new manner. Allow yourself to be surprised! You might loosen some of your hardened beliefs, but don’t discount the trustworthiness or substance of the new ideas you may stumble upon.
Cancer: June 21-July 22
For you, Cancer, the paradoxes of Gemini season have to do with inwardness and outwardness. On the one hand, you can expect your inner world to be as active as ever, swirling with meaningful thoughts and experiences needing to be digested. On the other, this month features a strong call to get out of your shell, open up to the world at large, and bravely share yourself—perhaps even in an unprecedented way! In transitioning between these extremes, the Moon can be as good a guide as ever—heading into and out of the New Moon on the 30th, you might focus on articulating and envisioning this burgeoning impulse and nourishing the terrain for its growth. As we ramp up to the full moon on the 14th, you might find small ways to embody, communicate and make real this developing dream.
Leo: July 23-Aug 22
This Gemini Season is particularly intense for you, Leo, as it calls forth both a fiery, hungry spirit and a more serious, dedicated energy, aware of life’s hardships and limitations. These impulses herald a summer of growth and maturation, which would be great to get a good jump on. Just don’t let this process make you too heavyhearted or self-involved! Your friends, community, and experience of the broader social world at large can help soften and clarify this strong, fiery self that’s metamorphosing. You might rely upon this bigger, human perspective to help you progress smoothly and gracefully. Although it might require some extra humility, taking yourself less seriously can be a superpower. A lighthearted approach can be extraordinarily efficient and effective. It might be paradoxical, but consider that relying on a bigger, greater power than your own is your path to individual fullness.
Virgo: Aug. 23-Sept. 21
This Gemini season brings a charge for you to expand into more substantive and serious subjects, Virgo. Especially if you feel you’ve been playing small, this will provide an opportunity for you to grow into more meaningful and demanding work in the world. At times, this will feel hectic and harsh—there will be no shortage of fire this month. You, as much as anyone, though, can help find the right place and time for that fire, directing it where there’s a need for more energy and oomph. Lightheartedness can be really helpful in navigating and dancing with this heat—with a bit of humor and perspective, you can respond and adapt quickly and gracefully. By the end of the month, you should be able to feel like your view of and faith in the bigger picture has expanded.
Libra: Sept. 22-Oct. 23
This Gemini season will provide ample opportunities for you to learn and grow through your relationships, Libra. We’re really looking at the full spectrum of potential experiences here—on the one hand, Mars’ entry into Aries can ignite flammable subjects, and people are generally likely to be on edge, assertive and protective. On the other, Venus’ conjunction with Uranus toward the end of the month can bring unexpected encounters and new forms of relationship into play. Throughout all of this, there’s a theme for the next year of growth through fiery, direct relationships. This is a step beyond just keeping the peace which may be discomforting, but consider that it may take your relationships to incredibly satisfying and enduring places.
Scorpio: Oct. 24-Nov. 21
This Gemini season brings opportunities for sharpening both your wits and tools, Scorpio, although this may feel like a trial by fire. Although they may feel particularly urgent and exciting this month, many of these challenges and opportunities will last throughout the summer, so take your time to get your focus clear and settle into a groove. The real challenge and potential this month have to do with navigating subtle, intricate dynamics so that you aren’t flustered and know exactly where to put your effort. In order to develop this discernment, you can definitely rely on trusted allies, who can act as mirrors, triangulation points and simple safe havens amid the storm. This is a strategic necessity, but be sure to give thanks and enjoy the simple goodness of companionship, too!
Sagittarius: Nov. 22-Dec. 21
The sharp, powerful impulses and stimulation of this Gemini season are pushing you to the development of your free will, Sagittarius—a spirit of playful, proud independence and spontaneity. There are a couple of ways that you might think about this. First, that courage is necessary to truly live out your convictions and ideals, as well as a way to ultimately best serve the world. Truth isn’t always soft or easy. On the other hand, this isn’t too complex and is keyed to cutting through stagnation. There’s a sort of simplicity and instinctive wisdom that you can draw upon and develop into this month, letting things happen. If you need to, you can think of this as an act of trust, or faith in a basic goodness and natural, flowing order of things.
Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 19
The motion and activity of this Gemini season can quickly develop your values and taste, Capricorn, as you strip back ordinary and inherited ways of thinking and open your eyes to life’s beauty. This simple and vibrant beauty will stimulate your desire to savor life’s goodness and strive for the highest quality experience possible. Along the way, your fixed, limited ideas about what is possible can fall away, even as the new and extraordinary may require incredible strength and devotion from you. Although these are lofty ideals, they’ll have a lot to do with your tangible, everyday experience of your body and sense of home—this is a primal, almost wild energy being rekindled. Alongside this intense fire comes a certain risk, so make sure to enter into this new adventure step by step, without injuring yourself or anyone else.
Aquarius: Jan. 20-Feb. 18
This Gemini season can help you learn how to feel more rooted and alive in life’s simple aspects, Aquarius. Although this can certainly take place in tandem with new teachers, these don’t have to be big gurus—rather, your curiosity, delight, and common sense might be the best guides. In this regard, your quality of perception, thought and the well-being of your inner child can all make great strides. Through the first part of the month, this will likely feel exciting and overwhelming. As we approach our new moon, though, you can get a better sense of where you need to be settling into more focus and definition in your life. This back and forth between a growing sense of clarity and inner authority and a stronger capacity to be firm and to the point will continue to deepen throughout the summer.
Pisces: Feb. 19-March 20
This Gemini season is focused on helping you develop a stronger sense of connection to the world around you, Pisces. Although this can take place by rearranging and bringing more life into your body and environment, an initial spirit of fresh possibility and willingness to release what is stale and outgrown is a necessity. In doing so, you can land upon a greater sense of capability and being resourced for life’s adaptations and evolutions. This will certainly be a month of growth in your material world and relationship with your body, but the serious litmus test is how settled you feel internally—the quality and clarity of your thoughts and inner world. Ideally, though this summer you’ll develop a stronger trust in yourself and an easier interface between your inner riches and outer quality of experience.
Aries: March 21-April 19
The Mars/Jupiter conjunction is especially important for you, Aries, as it happens in your home sign. This signifies a spark of expansion that will play out over the coming year. Here, Jupiter is calling you into new ventures and adventures, to level up and act on the big dreams and desires brewing inside of you. Thus, this month is a great time to initiate some bigger change, to take some jump, leap or healthy risk. Although you don’t want to let this moment slip away, please don’t get impulsive or headstrong—make sure you’ve got at least a bit of a plan. Ideally, whatever you’re aiming at will require a good bit of care, and you can expect that much of this opportune, fertile energy will continue and develop throughout the next year.
Taurus: April 20-May 20
The start of the coming month will challenge you to keep up the pace, Taurus, so that it can consolidate into a healthy rhythm. Finding the right stride, you can find yourself breathing more easily, and maybe let yourself loosen your grip or take your hands off the handlebars, trusting your sense of balance and the strength in your legs. This can set the stage for an opportune spell at the end of Gemini Season, as your ruler Venus makes a conjunction with Uranus—you might keep an eye out for spontaneous side adventures, ways to create space for synchronicity, or simple moments where life is calling you into new ways of being. Ideally, these will feel like clear upgrades, but if you need to think of them as experiments or trial runs, that’s totally okay, too.
(Moriah Wilson/Instagram)
Austin police have charged Kaitlin Marie Armstrong, a local cyclist, for the murder of Moriah "Mo" Wilson.
Wilson, a rising star in the gravel and mountain bike community, was found dead with gunshot wounds inside an East Austin home on the night of May 11 when she was in town for the weekend Gravel Locos race in Hico, Texas.
Police believe Wilson was having a relationship with a man Armstrong was also in a relationship with. The man, another gravel cyclist, Colin Strickland, has since issued a statement on the murder.
In his statement, he said he had a brief romantic relationship with Wilson in October 2021 before he resumed his relationship with Armstrong, but that he remained friends with Wilson. "There is no way to adequately express the regret and torture I feel about my proximity to this horrible crime. I am sorry, and I simply cannot make sense of this unfathomable tragedy.
NEW: Austin professional cyclist Colin Strickland has just released a statement about the murder of cyclist Moriah Wilson, clarifying his relationship with her and expressing “torture about my proximity to this horrible crime.” pic.twitter.com/KnIna3mWrE
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) May 20, 2022
Wilson, a 25-year-old Vermont native living in Colorado, had won a slew of races becoming a fan favorite. She had just become a full-time racer this year.
Anyone with information on this crime can contact Austin police at 512-974-TIPS or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477.
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