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How to spend Valentine's Day in Austin
Get ready, lovebirds. Valentine's Day is one week away.π½οΈ Keep it classic: You've got plenty of options for a romantic dinner in Austin, and it's not too late to make a reservation.For a pricier dining experience: Summer House on Music Lane is offering an $85 three-course prix fixe menu from 5-10pm. Tickets can be purchased via Resy.For a casual dinner: The Meteor will be open until 10pm offering food and drink options, including their scratch-made sourdough pizza and hundreds of natural wine bottles to choose from. No reservations required.βοΈ An earlier alternative: Drink a coffee with your sweetie at Jo's...
Austin tops Milken Institute high-performing city rankings
Austin tops the Milken Institute's latest annual list of the Best Performing Cities, released first to Axios.Why it matters: These metropolitan areas offer high wages, plentiful jobs, and thriving tech sectors β making them economic models for the rest of the nation.Between the lines: Even as Austin grapples with growing pains, it continues to draw accolades.Details: The Milken Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit, assessed 403 U.S. metropolitan areas using 13 economic metrics, based on data from January 2022-August 2023.Of note: This year's rankings took two new factors into consideration: income equality and "resilience," defined as a city's ability to withstand severe...
Austin police call West Campus stabbing "bias-motivated"
Austin police said the stabbing of a Palestinian American in West Campus this weekend was "bias-motivated" and will be sent to the department's Hate Crimes Review Committee.Why it matters: The decision comes after pressure from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to classify the charges as hate crimes, saying the suspect targeted a group of Palestinian and Muslim Americans leaving a pro-Palestinian rally.Catch up quick: Zacharia Doar, identified by his father in a press conference, was stabbed Sunday evening.Bert James Baker, 36, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and the victim was taken to hospital...
See the food this Austin food trailer couple would take on a desert island
Business and life partners Lynn Metcalf and Erin Gentry run Lynny's, an East Austin diner-inspired trailer that dishes out homey yumminess.Dishes include pancakes, ham and Swiss melts, and fresh biscuits.Coffee comes from Noriega Natural, a ranch in Mexico owned and operated by Metcalf's mother.Background: Metcalf, the chef at Lynny's, which opened in August, is a third-generation restaurateur β her mother and grandmother were waitresses and restaurant managers.She and her family moved to Austin when she was 11, and she went to the magnet program at Kealing Middle School and the liberal arts academy at Johnston High School.She worked first at...
Things to do in Austin this week
Here's what we're eyeing for some fun this week.π³ Learn from chef Kevin Truong of East Meets Wings, who will walk you through the secrets behind his creamy chicken congee and grilled chicken skewers. The $65 cooking class from 6-9pm Monday includes a tasting session with paired wines.𧧠Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Umlauf from 6-8pm Tuesday with live music, a dragon and lion dance and vendors. Admission is free for Umlauf members and $12 for nonmembers.π Make your own valentines at Revival Vintage at 6pm Thursday. A $15 ticket gets you all the necessary supplies, including glitter and stickers, to create your handmade cards.π Catch "Beetlejuice" the musical at Bass Concert beginning Tuesday. Performances run through Feb. 11, and tickets start at $35.π½οΈ Hit James Beard semifinalist Birdie's beginning Tuesday for a taste of their pop-up Italian concept, Aiello's. The $65 prix fixe menu is available Tuesday to Saturday and Feb. 13-17. Birdie's does not take reservations.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
Walking trips decline in Austin
Data: StreetLight Data; Map: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosThere's been a staggering decline in the number of trips Austin residents take by putting one foot in front of the other, per a new report, writes Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj.Driving the news: The number of annual average daily walking trips per 1,000 people in the Austin metro area dropped 37.5% between 2019 and 2022, per a new StreetLight Data report.There were 200 average daily walking trips per 1,000 people in 2022, compared to 320 in 2019.That's an even steeper decline than the national average, which dropped 36% during the same period.How it...
Why abortion won't be on the Texas ballot in 2024
A series of wins for abortion rights supporters have energized Democrats around the country β but abortion access itself won't be on the Texas ballot in November.Why it matters: Texas remains a deeply red state, and even as Democratic activists and politicians see abortion rights as a winning issue, they won't be able to put the sort of potentially galvanizing referendum on the ballot in November that could drive voters β especially swing suburban voters β their way.How it works: Amendments to the Texas Constitution can be put before voters only after being approved by two-thirds of each body of...
Artificial intelligence booms in Austin
A generation after Austin deftly latched onto the computer chip boom, city and university leaders are aiming to make Central Texas key in the development of the new big thing β artificial intelligence.Why it matters: Whether you think of AI as a scary evil or the new great machinery to ease our lives, it's suddenly remaking where we get our news, where we put our money, how we find love and pretty much everything else in our universe.Driving the news: The University of Texas announced this week it's launching an artificial intelligence hub with a cluster of powerful computers.The Center...
How 135 Austin families spent an extra $1,000 a month
The city of Austin gave 135 low-income households $1,000 every month for a year as part of a pilot program and discovered that most of the additional income was spent on meeting the city's high housing costs.Why it matters: In a city that's grappled with housing affordability and gentrification, the findings offer local officials possible solutions for housing-insecure residents.Driving the news: The results of the Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot published this month by Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute reveal how direct cash might help low-income families deal with unstable housing circumstances.The city funded 85 households while St. David's Foundation covered the...
LightSound creates eclipse devices for blind and low-vision people
Instead of grabbing a pair of solar eclipse glasses, people who are blind or have limited vision can experience the total solar eclipse by listening to it.What's happening: Volunteers across the country, including in Austin and San Antonio, are working to create more than 750 LightSound devices to distribute at no cost to groups hosting solar eclipse events.University of Texas volunteers built 140 devices this week as part of a two-day workshop. Volunteers shine a light over their work as they build the LightSound device. Photo: Courtesy of Trent Lesikar, UT AustinHow it works: The LightSound prototype was first developed...
Things to do in Austin this weekend
Here's what's in store this weekend.π¨ Check out the opening weekend of an exhibition exploring the career of Works Progress Administration artist and author-illustrator Elizabeth Olds at the Harry Ransom Center beginning Saturday. The exhibit will be on view through July 14. Free.βοΈ Chow down at Jo's Coffee's 17th annual Chili Cook-Off from 12-3pm Sunday. Entry is free, and tasting wristbands are available on-site for $25. Proceeds benefit nonprofit Free Lunch.π΅ Rock out to the Barton Hills Choir, a youth choir led by Gavin Tabone that specializes in music from classic rock artists, at the Far Out Lounge and Stage from 1-4pm Sunday. Tickets are $20 and available online.π§π· Party at Carnaval, the city's annual Brazilian-style Mardi Gras celebration, featuring Brasileiro-style samba, costumes and live music at 8pm Saturday at Speakeasy's new room, The Ballroom. Tickets start at $40.π Kick off Black History Month with the Carver Museum's Solar Saturday, a quarterly block party with a vendor market, interactive arts and free programming from 2-6pm Saturday.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
Austin restaurants bounce back from COVID closures
Data: Yelp; Chart: Axios VisualsThe number of new restaurant listings in the Austin metro area rose 14% between 2019 and 2023, according to new Yelp data shared with Axios.By the numbers: 683 restaurants were newly listed on Yelp in 2023 in the Austin area, compared to 599 in 2019.New businesses overall in the area rose 36% from 2019.Why it matters: The numbers are a promising sign for Austin's restaurant scene, which has struggled after the COVID-19 pandemic, when business halted and many local staples were forced to shutter for good.Yelp's data showed 495 newly listed spots in 2020, a more...
Austin restaurants bounce back from COVID closures
Data: Yelp; Chart: Axios VisualsThe number of new restaurant listings in the Austin metro area rose 14% between 2019 and 2023, according to new Yelp data shared with Axios.By the numbers: 683 restaurants were newly listed on Yelp in 2023 in the Austin area, compared to 599 in 2019.New businesses overall in the area rose 36% from 2019.Why it matters: The numbers are a promising sign for Austin's restaurant scene, which has struggled after the COVID-19 pandemic, when business halted and many local staples were forced to shutter for good.Yelp's data showed 495 newly listed spots in 2020, a more...
Austin nonprofit wants to improve the number of women in neuroscience
A local nonprofit is aiming to grow the number of women in neuroscience.Driving the news: The group, Women in Neuroscience, just opened applications for its next class of 25 interns.So far, they've provided 80 paid internships to students.Why it matters: Research shows that a health care workforce that reflects the community it serves can improve health outcomes and patients' perceptions of the care they receive.Women account for at least half of neuroscience graduate students, but they comprise less than one-third of neuroscience faculty, according to 2022 research in the Journal of Neuroscience.Details: Judi Nudelman, a retired IBM employee who moved...
Rain brings some relief for drought conditions
Last week's rainfall brought some relief for Central Texas, but experts say it's still not enough to pull the area out of drought conditions.Driving the news: Travis County has moved out of its "exceptional" drought classification, according to U.S. Drought Monitor, but the county still remains under a severe and moderate drought.Why it matters: Every drop of rain counts in a drought, which can lead to high fire risks, water shortages and water restrictions.Zoom in: The city reopened public access to the boat ramps at Lake Walter E. Long last week as lake levels rose enough to safely allow boat...
Highway expansion opponents head to the courts
Opponents of a massive I-35 expansion are turning to the courts to stymie the plan. Driving the news: Nonprofit Rethink35 and a coalition of interest groups have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over its plans to widen 8 miles of I-35 from Texas 71/Ben White Boulevard to U.S. 290 as part of the I-35 Capital Express Central Project.The coalition also filed a federal civil rights complaint arguing the expansion will "exacerbate decades of racial discrimination and segregation," displacing homes and businesses that are "predominately used by or provide services specifically to Black, Latino, and Native American...
Hays County coalition fights proposed Central Texas music venue
Map: Axios VisualsA coalition of Hays County residents and environmental activists is sounding the alarm on a proposed concert venue near Dripping Springs.Why it matters: The friction over the proposed concert venue illustrates heightened tension between conservationists and those who want to bring big-city amenities to the Hill Country as Austin's population pushes outward.The venue, which would seat 5,000 people on 32-acres at 14820 Fitzhugh Road, is the latest proposal for a Hill Country entertainment site.Driving the news: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will hold a second public meeting Monday on a permit application submitted by California-based developer Blizexas.If...
What to do in Austin this weekend
It's a busy weekend in Austin. Here are our picks.πΆ Celebrate the release of Leti Garza's "CanciΓ³nes Sobre La Vida y La Muerte" album at the Sahara Lounge, Friday at 7pm. Entry starts at $12.πΊπ½ Dance your way through Saturday at the Asian-American Resource Center's Day of Dance, with sessions featuring traditional Filipino and Hawaiian styles, as well as Bollywood and K-Pop. Starts at 10am. Free.πΈ Catch Alejandro Escovedo, with an all-pro Austin lineup, at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, Saturday at 8pm. Tickets start at $40.50.π―οΈ Drop by Giddy Ups for a three-day-long celebration of the club's late owner, Nancy Morgan, "one of the biggest hearted, best loved, baddest ass women Texas has ever seen," per a concert lineup. Times vary.πΆ Cover your eyes during "Baby Blood," a 1990 French horror film about a circus performer pregnant with a murderous parasite, at AFS Cinema, Friday and Saturday at 9:30pm. Tickets, $13.50.π€¨ Think your way to victory in the Puzzle Race party at Blue Owl Brewing, Sunday, 3-5pm. Free.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
What to do in Austin this weekend
It's a busy weekend in Austin. Here are our picks.πΆ Celebrate the release of Leti Garza's "CanciΓ³nes Sobre La Vida y La Muerte" album at the Sahara Lounge, Friday at 7pm. Entry starts at $12.πΊπ½ Dance your way through Saturday at the Asian-American Resource Center's Day of Dance, with sessions featuring traditional Filipino and Hawaiian styles, as well as Bollywood and K-Pop. Starts at 10am. Free.πΈ Catch Alejandro Escovedo, with an all-pro Austin lineup, at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, Saturday at 8pm. Tickets start at $40.50.π―οΈ Drop by Giddy Ups for a three-day-long celebration of the club's late owner, Nancy Morgan, "one of the biggest hearted, best loved, baddest ass women Texas has ever seen," per a concert lineup. Times vary.πΆ Cover your eyes during "Baby Blood," a 1990 French horror film about a circus performer pregnant with a murderous parasite, at AFS Cinema, Friday and Saturday at 9:30pm. Tickets, $13.50.π€¨ Think your way to victory in the Puzzle Race party at Blue Owl Brewing, Sunday, 3-5pm. Free.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
Why Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is in India
Gov. Greg Abbott is spending the week in India with business leaders from Austin and around the state to boost trade and investment in Texas.Why it matters: Abbott, who recently made a trip to Israel, continues to blaze an international trail as he fashions himself as a global leader.Driving the news: Abbott began his 10-day trip Friday to meet with the country's government and technology leaders. It's the second time he has traveled to India as governor.Texas business and economic development representatives joined the governor in India, including Opportunity Austin CEO Edward Latson and its vice president of global investment...
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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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