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Axios Austin
How Austin's parks rank nationally
Data: ParkScore; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosAustin ranks 41st among the 100 largest U.S. cities for its public parks, per the latest report from the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a pro-parks nonprofit.The group rates cities on a variety of metrics, including the percentage of residents who live near a park, the share of city land reserved for parks, parks investment and more; cities are then awarded a "ParkScore."Why it matters: For play, for health, for picnics, parks are key to our peace of mind.They were especially crucial during the throes of the pandemic as a way to get outside while keeping...
Design platform Canva opens East Austin office
Canva is announcing the opening of its East Austin campus Thursday, with plans to hire 92 additional U.S. employees this year — most of them based in Austin.Why it matters: The Australia-based design platform opened its first, now former U.S. office in Austin in 2020, and the new 25,000-square-foot site, by the corner of East Cesar Chavez and Tillery streets, will allow Canva to expand further in Central Texas, company officials told Axios.Canva employees previously worked from an office at 200 E. Sixth St.What they're saying: "We spent some time exploring different areas of the city and were drawn to...
Austin soon to be Texas' tallest city
Once upon a time, the Texas Capitol towered over Austin — but from the city's ever-loftier C-suites it increasingly looks like a plaything.Driving the news: Austin is expected to grab the title of tallest Texas city by 2026, per a new study by Texas Real Estate Source.Zoom in: Combined, Austin's skyscrapers measure 23,582 feet — second in the state to Houston's 30,498 feet of high-rises. But the analysis expects Austin to take the title in a few years due to the rapid rate of high-rise construction here.Additionally, the 74-story Waterline tower in downtown Austin will soon be the tallest building...
Where to find Austin's most decadent cheesecake
The burnt Basque cheesecake from Ukrainian-born baker and recipe developer Olga Koutseridi has only five ingredients — eggs, sugar, heavy cream, sea salt, cream cheese — but they provide a knockout punch.The cheesecake, caramelized on top and soft in the middle, falls squarely in the creme brulee category of desserts — creamy and a little sinful.How it works: Operating under the unassuming name Local Bread Baker, Koutseridi, born in Ukraine and in business in Austin since 2019, sells cheesecakes and other baked goods online, available for pickup in the Hancock neighborhood, just east of Hyde Park.Cost: The 6-inch variety runs $30, which is a lot — until you consider that it's rich enough that if you play your cards right, you can nurse that bad boy for a couple weeks.Plus: Proceeds from the sales have supported humanitarian-minded nonprofits such as Austin-based Liberty Ukraine, so you're helping people thousands of miles away each time your fork tines scoop another bite.
Austin real estate: How prices are cratering
Data: Zillow; Map: Erin Davis/Axios VisualsA lot of bubble-like air has escaped from our local real estate market, per new housing data.Driving the news: Average home prices in greater Austin have fallen by more than 10% between July 2022 — when the market peaked — and April 2023, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.That drop-off, from roughly $540,000 to $485,000, is the biggest by percentage in the entire country, which has overall seen about a 1% decline during that same period, from $341,000 to $339,000.The Zillow home value estimates are based on factors including sales transactions, tax assessments and...
It's cheaper to rent than buy in Austin
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ne7zA/1/Almost 95% of Austin homes remain cheaper to rent than to buy, despite falling home sale numbers and prices, according to a new analysis from online real estate company Redfin.Context: That's well above the national average of 81% and just slightly below the nation's most unaffordable metros, like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.By the numbers: Home sales nationally declined 22.7% year-over-year in April compared to 14% in the Austin metro area, per the Austin Board of Realtors.The average sales price for the metro fell 15.1% to $466,705 compared to April 2022, the Board of Realtors found.Yes, but: Mortgage rates have nearly doubled, while rent is down 1.8% year-over-year, according to Zillow's April rent report.In the city of Austin, the average monthly rent is $1,873, per Zillow.The intrigue: Before the pandemic-era housing boom and steep interest rate hikes, many Austinites were able to lock in mortgages on condos or starter homes.The bottom line: This analysis underscores our increasingly unaffordable housing market.
Austin weather outlook: Cooler summer than last year's scorcher
A June cooler than last year's inferno appears to be on tap after much-needed rain fell on Central Texas last month.By the numbers: 4.3 inches of rain fell at Austin's Camp Mabry in May — 0.74 inches below the historic average.Still, it felt rainy, in comparison to a record-hot May 2022 that saw only 2.03 inches fall — leading to a scorching summer in 2022.Why it matters: Soil moisture is key for keeping temps down.Dry soils reflect heat back into the air, while wet soils absorb it, Nick Hampshire, a National Weather Service meteorologist stationed in New Braunfels, tells Axios.The good...
Austin looks to narrow Barton Springs Road
Data: City of Austin; Map: Simran Parwani/AxiosAustin transportation officials want to remake Barton Springs Road.Driving the news: To improve safety in an area increasingly popular with pedestrians, the city is proposing narrowing Barton Springs Road from two lanes to one lane in each direction from Azie Morton Road to South Lamar Boulevard.Why it matters: That stretch of Barton Springs serves as a gateway to Zilker Park, particularly during the ACL Music Festival, as well as a route to downtown from Rollingwood and West Lake Hills.Flashback: A crash in April 2022 put at least nine people in the hospital after a...
Austin American-Statesman journalists to strike Monday
Reporters and photographers at Austin's daily newspaper are going on a one-day strike Monday as they seek better pay and benefits.What's happening: The Austin NewsGuild, which represents non-management newsroom staff at the Austin American-Statesman, is striking for one day.Details: Reporters are seeking a boost in minimum annual pay from $42,000 to $60,000.A third of newsroom employees have not seen a raise since 2017, per guild vice-chair Nicole Villalpando, who is a healthcare reporter and Season for Caring editor at the paper.Statesman employees have taken second jobs doing Doordash deliveries, Uber driving and pet-sitting, said Villalpando, who has worked at the...
Austin sprays clay substance to tamp down toxic algae
Starting Monday around Red Bud Isle, the city of Austin will undergo its third year of a pilot program to slow the growth of harmful algae on parts of Lady Bird Lake.The big picture: Toxins in blue-green algae make it potentially dangerous, especially for dogs.City officials recommend that people and pets avoid the algae and not drink water directly from the lake. Do not allow dogs to lick their fur prior to rinsing.How it works: Workers spray lanthanum-modified clay near Red Bud Isle and along the north shore of the lake between I-35 and the lagoon near the Festival Beach...
Bike fatalities up as Austin works to make cycling safer
Data: The League of American Bicyclists via NHTSA; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosAustin's Walk Bike Roll plan will head to the City Council for approval this summer, a move that would update urban trails and sidewalks while expanding the city's bicycle lane network to more than 1,200 miles.Why it matters: Serious injuries and fatal crashes among cyclists and pedestrians have climbed in recent years, and additional crossings, sidewalks and bike lanes can make traveling safer.By the numbers: There were, on average, 3.6 fatal bicycle crashes in Austin per million residents between 2017-2021, according to recent data from the League of American Bicyclists...
Austin officials settle with South Terminal operator
Ending a fight that threatened to hold up expansion of the Austin airport, city officials Thursday approved an $88 million settlement with the firm that has operated the South Terminal.The big picture: The city had to swallow a bitter pill after trying to to use eminent domain proceedings to take over the airport's South Terminal.LoneStar Airport Holdings, which leases and operates the South Terminal, last year rejected a $1.9 million offer from the city to take it over.What changed: In February, a panel of special commissioners in Travis County Probate Court ordered the city to pay as much as $90...
Austin officials settle with South Terminal operator
Ending a fight that threatened to hold up expansion of the Austin airport, city officials Thursday approved an $88 million settlement with the firm that has operated the South Terminal.The big picture: The city had to swallow a bitter pill after trying to to use eminent domain proceedings to take over the airport's South Terminal.LoneStar Airport Holdings, which leases and operates the South Terminal, last year rejected a $1.9 million offer from the city to take it over.What changed: In February, a panel of special commissioners in Travis County Probate Court ordered the city to pay as much as $90...
Lifeguard shortage ends for Austin swimming pools
Austin pools are fully staffed with lifeguards and due to open on time this summer.Why it matters: Swimming pools are key oases in our sweltering city.The big picture: Amid the pandemic and labor shortages, city officials for years struggled to entice enough people to become lifeguards — but now it looks like they've finally unlocked the formula.What's changed: Money. Plus, "people are ready to get back to work," says Ashley Wells, the City of Austin's aquatic division manager.Austin Parks and Recreation Department officials increased lifeguard pay to avoid the swimming pool crisis of recent years.Starting pay is now $20 per...
Texas Legislature: A 2023 recap
It's an old saw that the Texas legislative process is meant to kill bills, not pass them.The big picture: With the regular legislative session finally over, we thought we'd circle back to consequential bills we wrote about over the past few months to see which passed — and which didn't.Between the lines: GOP lawmakers brought their majority to bear, once again, in a series of key business-friendly and socially conservative laws — even as many of their efforts failed.Long chafing at big-city, progressive ordinances that have ensured paid sick leave, renter protections, rest break requirements for construction workers and a...
Ken Paxton's political fate is now in the hands of allies in the Texas Senate
The political fate of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, impeached by the Texas House over the weekend, is now in the hands of some of his conservative ideological allies in the Senate.The big picture: The fight among Republicans over Paxton's future will consume state politics at least until the Senate holds a trial to determine whether he should be convicted on numerous charges of abusing his office for personal gain.State of play: Pending a Senate trial, Paxton is out, at least temporarily, as attorney general.His deputy, Brent Webster, who helped Paxton file a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the...
ATX TV Festival cancels some programming over writers strike
The Writers Guild of America strike has had far-reaching ramifications, including in Austin ahead of the ATX TV Festival.Driving the news: The annual television festival, which runs from June 1-4, announced four event cancellations over the strike and added five new panels, including a conversation on the strike and the issues at stake.Programming cancellations include "Late Night With Seth Meyers," "Andor": A Conversation with Tony Gilroy, "Tiny Beautiful Things" with Liz Tigelaar and Cheryl Strayed and the "Dawson's Creek" 25th Anniversary Screening and Conversation."These members of the WGA support and believe in their series and teams, but stand with the...
ATX TV Festival cancels some programming over writers strike
The Writers Guild of America strike has had far-reaching ramifications, including in Austin ahead of the ATX TV Festival.Driving the news: The annual television festival, which runs from June 1-4, announced four event cancellations over the strike and added five new panels, including a conversation on the strike and the issues at stake.Programming cancellations include "Late Night With Seth Meyers," "Andor": A Conversation with Tony Gilroy, "Tiny Beautiful Things" with Liz Tigelaar and Cheryl Strayed and the "Dawson's Creek" 25th Anniversary Screening and Conversation."These members of the WGA support and believe in their series and teams, but stand with the...
Things to do in Austin this weekend, May 26-28
🎶 Listen to an oral history/roots music concert led by Austin-based musician Javier Jara, inspired by interviews with Latinos across the United States. 7:30pm tonight at the Carver Library Auditorium, 1165 Angelina St. Tickets start at $15.🍗 Eat good food at Hot Luck Festival through Sunday, with live music and a lineup of great food from talented chefs. Tickets are still available, and events are held around downtown and throughout the city.🎬 Catch a film at Paramount Theatre's Summer Classic Film Series, which kicks off at 7:30pm tonight with a screening of "Casablanca" and screenings Saturday of "The Neverending Story"...
Things to do in Austin this weekend, May 26-28
🎶 Listen to an oral history/roots music concert led by Austin-based musician Javier Jara, inspired by interviews with Latinos across the United States. 7:30pm tonight at the Carver Library Auditorium, 1165 Angelina St. Tickets start at $15.🍗 Eat good food at Hot Luck Festival through Sunday, with live music and a lineup of great food from talented chefs. Tickets are still available, and events are held around downtown and throughout the city.🎬 Catch a film at Paramount Theatre's Summer Classic Film Series, which kicks off at 7:30pm tonight with a screening of "Casablanca" and screenings Saturday of "The Neverending Story"...
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Axios Austin, anchored by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.
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