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Axios Austin
Self-driving cars in Austin are getting in the way of emergency vehicles
Austin's first responders are grappling with autonomous vehicles hindering rescue operations on city streets, per records obtained by Axios.Driving the news: Internal emails and complaints reveal how emergency officials are dealing with near misses between driverless cars, pedestrians and safety vehicles — all while learning how to report and remove the cars from the road.Why it matters: A growing number of cars from Waymo, Cruise and Volkswagen ADMT are on Austin's streets, and local officials have little authority over the companies as they make Austin a testbed for their vehicles.The big picture: Since July, the city's Transportation Public Works Department...
Nonprofit, ACL Music Festival to supply Narcan to attendees
Alongside the music, the food and the drinks, Austin City Limits Music Festival attendees this year will also be able to access naloxone, the opioid reversal medicine commonly known as Narcan — for free.The festival runs this Friday-Sunday and Oct. 13-15.Driving the news: Ohio-based overdose prevention nonprofit This Must Be the Place will provide the medicine and have a booth at the festival this year to educate fans about the opioid crisis, according to ACL Festival officials.It's the first time doses of naloxone will be provided to ACL patrons, according to ACL promoter C3 Presents spokesperson Sandee Fenton.Why it matters:...
Austin homeowners face higher insurance rates due to climate change
Data: First Street Foundation; Map: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosNearly 88% of properties in the Austin metro area could be facing higher insurance premiums or policy non-renewals due to the risk of wildfires, high winds, and flooding, Axios' Brianna Crane and Kavya Beheraj report, based on a new analysis.Driving the news: Insurers are changing how they factor climate and extreme weather risks into premiums, and Texas is among the states with the steepest increases in homeowners insurance premiums since last year.The big picture: Millions of properties nationwide could see higher premiums because of these climate- and weather-related risks, per estimates from the First...
More than 300,000 Texas children could lose childcare as federal funds run out
This weekend, Texas will fall off a "child care cliff" when pandemic-era federal relief funding for the industry runs out.Driving the news: Without intervention, nearly 306,000 Texas children are expected to lose child care — the highest total in the country, according to an analysis by the Century Foundation.The national think tank estimates nearly 4,000 Texas child care programs could close, which could mean about $775 million in lost earnings from parents forced to cut working hours or exit the workforce as a result."There's not going to be mass closures overnight. This is going to be a slow, steady bleed,"...
Look for these birds in Central Texas as they migrate south for winter
Hundreds of thousands of birds are traveling through Central Texas as they head south to their winter homes.Why it matters: Texas sits in the Central Flyway, a superhighway for migratory birds, and now's your chance to catch a glimpse of species that are coming from as far north as Canada and the Arctic.Driving the news: The birds migrate Aug. 15 through Nov. 30, with peak migration happening now until Oct. 29.They'll move through the sky while you're sleeping, using the moon and the stars to help them navigate.During the day, migratory birds conserve their energy and search for food and...
Climate change made Austin's summer heat more likely
Data: Climate Central; Note: A CSI of 3 or higher means human-caused climate change made the average daily temperature at least three times more likely; Map: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosTexas' record-breaking heat this summer would have been "virtually impossible" without human-caused climate change, per recent climate analyses.Why it matters: Prolonged exposure to heat can make us ill, physically and mentally. And it can quickly turn deadly for vulnerable residents.By the numbers: 63% of summer days in Austin this year had heat made three times more likely by climate change, per a new Climate Central report.That's 57 out of 91 days.How it works:...
More than a quarter of Austin seniors are still working
More than 1 in 4 Austin seniors were working past the age of 65 in 2021, a decision senior advocacy groups say is often driven by fear and financial insecurity.Driving the news: At an age when people could historically retire and get full Social Security benefits, about 27% of Austin seniors — or 25,417 people — remain in the workforce, according to a new study of recent Census Bureau data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.That's above the national average of 21%.What they're saying: Many find meaning and connection through the jobs they do, but for others, a high cost...
Rate of Austin new mothers in the workforce bounces back post COVID
Data: U.S. Census; Note: Includes women ages 16 to 50; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosThe percentage of Austin metro-area women who recently gave birth and remain part of the workforce is growing again after COVID, per new census data.Driving the news: Remote and flexible work is making it easier for new moms to juggle both parenting and their careers. (In fact, the workplace gender gap is at a record low.)That's true for new dads, too — but women tend to bear the brunt of work/life priority changes brought on by parenthood.Why it matters: Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force,...
Nido's rooftop showcases downtown Austin views
As the weather cools, take a stroll along Lady Bird Lake before heading to Nido for stunning views of downtown.The big picture: The restaurant opened at the top of the Loren Hotel in 2022, overlooking the James D. Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge.❤️ Perfect for: Date night.Yes, but: Save it for special occasions. We loved celebrating a birthday there, but the food and drinks will cost you a pretty penny. Photo: Courtesy of Dani Parsons🍽️ Details: We started with the burrata — perfect for a hot summer night — with peaches, almond, chili, honeycomb and sourdough ($19). Plenty for three to share.The...
Why Austin homes are lingering longer on the market
Data: Redfin; Note: Metro divisions are subdivisions of metropolitan areas; Chart: Axios VisualsLess than a fifth of Austin homes for sale are snapped up in two weeks or less, per new Redfin data shared with Axios.Nationwide, roughly 41% of listings were marked pending, contingent or sold within that window, Redfin found.The big picture: The stat is the latest reflection of how the hyper-competitive market during the pandemic's throes — with frantic bidding within hours of a house going on the market — is now in the rearview mirror.Plus: Houses that stay on the market for more than a month are...
Where to catch rising Austin singer Noa this week for free
It doesn't feel very fall-like outside, but Austin is about to close out September. Here are some things to do this week.🥵 Consider the future of life in a changing climate at a meet-up with Jay Banner, a UT geology professor who heads up the university's Environmental Science Institute. Monday at 7:30pm at Trinity Church, 4001 Speedway. Free.📽️ Catch the zany 1971 Western-cum-rock-musical "Zachariah" and performances by the bands Sheverb and Pelvis Wrestley and drag star Brigitte Bandit. At Hotel Vegas, 1502 E. 6th St., starting at 8pm Monday. Tickets start at $5.🎶 Listen to the performer Noa make music on the sixth floor roof garden of the Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St., part of the "Live from the Library" series, 6pm Tuesday. Free.🇹🇼 Celebrate National Day of Taiwan with dancing and music performed on traditional Chinese instruments at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, 5901 Southwest Parkway. Wednesday at 7pm; tickets start at $15.🛶 Float along Lady Bird Lake while taking in live music at the Latino Moonlight Serenades, hosted by the Texas Rowing Center, 1541 W. César Chávez. Thursday at 7pm; entry starts at $10.Sign up for Axios Austin for free.
Which Austin brewers medaled at the premiere American beer festival
Four Austin-area brewers medaled at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this past weekend.Why it matters: This is the premiere U.S. beer contest, and the competition for the best brews has gotten stiff.Who won: Lazarus Brewing Company, with locations on East Sixth and Airport Boulevard, took top honors for its Crazy Horse and Prodigal Pils varieties, in the Bohemian-style Pilsener and German-style Pilsener categories.Vacancy Brewing, on St. Elmo Road, won gold for its Jet Lag Lager.Family Business Beer Company in Dripping Springs took home top marks in the chili beer category for its Chilis from the Grave beer.Lone Man...
Austin is still one of the nation's top remote work hubs
Data: Census Bureau; Chart: Axios VisualsRemote work is holding strong here — 28% of Austin metro area workers were working from home as of 2022, compared to a peak of 32% in 2021, per newly released Census Bureau figures.Driving the news: That's the second-highest percentage among American metro areas, the highest in Texas and well above the national average.The big picture: Workers in America's biggest, most competitive cities aren't giving up the flexibility and savings — in both time and gas money — of working from home.Every state has more remote workers now than it did in 2019, before the...
The Texas Memorial Museum reopens with new name
Austin is getting a new — though familiar — museum.Driving the news: The UT museum previously known as the Texas Memorial Museum is reopening Saturday as the Texas Science & Natural History Museum.University leadership has spent the last year reworking the museum's business model, recruiting philanthropic support and planning new exhibits.Why it matters: The museum is back with a new lease on life after closing in 2022 without plans to reopen, UT News writes.Flashback: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was on site for the groundbreaking of the Texas Memorial Museum nearly 90 years ago.The state Legislature established the museum following complaints...
Austin drought is stressing trees, turning them brown
That's not fall foliage you're seeing. Brown and red canopies across Austin are a sign of trees under stress amid an exceptional drought.Why it matters: Severe drought can have a long-term impact on trees, and we won't fully understand the damage caused by this summer's drought for another year or two, experts say.What they're saying: The summer's extreme heat and low rainfall have taken their toll, said Jonathan Motsinger, Central Texas operations department head for the Texas A&M Forest Service."Trees are changing, but not necessarily for the better," Motsinger tells Axios.What's happening: Some of the trees that are turning brown...
Prison writing prize offered up in Austin
When the literary Insider Prize winners are announced Thursday at Huston-Tillotson University, they won't be present to accept their awards.That's because the prize, which recognizes excellence in fiction and memoir writing, is open only to people incarcerated in Texas penitentiaries.The big picture: The prize "gives incarcerated people an opportunity to dream through their words, to dream beyond the walls," Tommy Mouton, an English professor at Huston-Tillotson, tells Axios."It's such a powerful way to push the notion of equity and empathy and giving grace."How it works: The contest, organized by Austin-based literary magazine American Short Fiction, was judged by Nickolas Butler,...
Ray Benson hosts "Austin City Limits: Country"
Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson won't tell you the biggest moment in "Austin City Limits'" history."Every moment was big," explained Benson, who recently finished hosting a new series on the Circle Network called "Austin City Limits: Country."What's happening: The series began airing Sept. 6 and features exclusive performances, including iconic shows with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Trisha Yearwood, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Turnpike Troubadours, Tammy Wynette, Toby Keith and more legends.Each performance is paired with intimate interviews, and Benson comments on his favorite moments.What they're saying: In a world of YouTube and streaming, Benson said the show...
Desert Island Dish with chef Kris Hammond of Daiboku
We recently caught up with Kris Hammond, chef at the ramen eatery Daiboku near the UT campus — and the popular Sazan Ramen in North Austin The backstory: In 2020, after cooking stints in Shanghai, Chicago and Colorado — and with restaurant life suddenly disrupted by COVID —Hammond came to Austin after his wife got a landscape architect job here."I read about this ramen shop with a Michelin-starred chef" — Shun Shimora at Sazan — "[and] was immediately intrigued at the prospect of learning about ramen," Hammond tells Axios. "My mom is Korean, my dad is Japanese and Italian...my...
Spy Kids has Austin roots
"Spy Kids" has returned to Austin, more than two decades after the first box office hit.What's happening: "Spy Kids: Armageddon," the latest installment in the Robert Rodriguez-produced series will be available on Netflix beginning Friday.The movie was shot in Austin in the summer of 2022.Catch up quick: The original Austin-made trilogy follows two kids, Carmen (Alexa PenaVega) and June (Daryl Sabara), as they become spies like their parents Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid Cortez (Carla Gugino).The new young heroes unwittingly help a powerful game developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology.The duo must become spies...
Where the University of Texas ranks among public universities
The University of Texas climbed six spots in the new U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges Rankings released today.Details: UT is now ranked No. 32 in the overall rankings and is ranked ninth in the top public schools list.Rice now ranks No. 17 in the overall national university rankings, down two spots from last year.Texas A&M is tied for No. 47 nationally and No. 20 in top public schools.Texas State University jumped 51 spots to No. 280.The latest: This year's rankings saw the most significant change in methodology in history, per U.S. News & World Report. The new list...
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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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