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Axios Austin
Record Store Day comes as vinyl sales surge
Data: RIAA; Chart: Axios VisualsLocal record stores are expecting a busy Record Store Day on Saturday as vinyl sales continue to rebound, outperforming CDs for the first time in more than three decades last year.Why it matters: It's still a streaming world, but decades-old music formats have seen a boost in popularity in recent years. Record Store Day usually marks the biggest sales day of the year for local stores.By the numbers: National vinyl record sales in 2022 outperformed CDs 41 million to 33 million, according to a recent report from the Recording Industry Association of America.Vinyl sales grew to...
Record Store Day comes as vinyl sales surge
Data: RIAA; Chart: Axios VisualsLocal record stores are expecting a busy Record Store Day on Saturday as vinyl sales continue to rebound, outperforming CDs for the first time in more than three decades last year.Why it matters: It's still a streaming world, but decades-old music formats have seen a boost in popularity in recent years. Record Store Day usually marks the biggest sales day of the year for local stores.By the numbers: National vinyl record sales in 2022 outperformed CDs 41 million to 33 million, according to a recent report from the Recording Industry Association of America.Vinyl sales grew to...
City rolls out new lifeguard pay structure
Austin Parks and Recreation Department officials beefed up the pay structure for lifeguards, part of an effort to fill positions at pools and summer camps and avoid the staffing shortages of previous years.The big picture: The department has 550 lifeguard vacancies and 100 summer camp positions open, a spokesperson told Axios.By the numbers: Staff earn a minimum of $20 an hour and must work between May 21 and Aug. 12 to be eligible for bonus payouts.Lifeguards receive a $250 bonus for 200 hours of work.Three hundred hours and 400 hours of work each triggers another $250 bonus.Last year, base pay...
17% of downtown Austin is dedicated to parking
Austin's got a lot of asphalt designated for parking.Driving the news: According to the Parking Reform Network, 17% of downtown Austin's surface area is dedicated to parking lots or garages.Yes, but: It feels like parking lots in downtown Austin are steadily transforming into skyscrapers — we're thinking for example of the lot just south of Republic Square that's now a tower construction site.Plus, roughly 25% (!) of downtowns in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are dedicated to parking, per the nonprofit network.Those other Texas cities are among the cities nationally with the most land dedicated to parking, underscoring Texas' car-dependent...
City rolls out new lifeguard pay structure
Austin Parks and Recreation Department officials beefed up the pay structure for lifeguards, part of an effort to fill positions at pools and summer camps and avoid the staffing shortages of previous years.The big picture: The department has 550 lifeguard vacancies and 100 summer camp positions open, a spokesperson told Axios.By the numbers: Staff earn a minimum of $20 an hour and must work between May 21 and Aug. 12 to be eligible for bonus payouts.Lifeguards receive a $250 bonus for 200 hours of work.Three hundred hours and 400 hours of work each triggers another $250 bonus.Last year, base pay...
17% of downtown Austin is dedicated to parking
Austin's got a lot of asphalt designated for parking.Driving the news: According to the Parking Reform Network, 17% of downtown Austin's surface area is dedicated to parking lots or garages.Yes, but: It feels like parking lots in downtown Austin are steadily transforming into skyscrapers — we're thinking for example of the lot just south of Republic Square that's now a tower construction site.Plus, roughly 25% (!) of downtowns in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are dedicated to parking, per the nonprofit network.Those other Texas cities are among the cities nationally with the most land dedicated to parking, underscoring Texas' car-dependent...
Austin voters to decide fate of police oversight
Voters in the May 6 election will decide the fate of two competing Austin police oversight measures.Driving the news: Early voting begins Monday, and voters will have to parse through two similarly worded measures, with very different outcomes.Proposition A would create the Austin Police Oversight Act to strengthen civilian oversight in the investigation of police misconduct cases.Proposition B would limit the powers of the Office of Police Oversight and civilian Community Police Review Commission.Flashback: Voters for Oversight and Police Accountability (VOPA), a political committee largely funded by the Austin Police Association, pushed Prop B to counter Prop A, brought by...
Austin voters to decide fate of police oversight
Voters in the May 6 election will decide the fate of two competing Austin police oversight measures.Driving the news: Early voting begins Monday, and voters will have to parse through two similarly worded measures, with very different outcomes.Proposition A would create the Austin Police Oversight Act to strengthen civilian oversight in the investigation of police misconduct cases.Proposition B would limit the powers of the Office of Police Oversight and civilian Community Police Review Commission.Flashback: Voters for Oversight and Police Accountability (VOPA), a political committee largely funded by the Austin Police Association, pushed Prop B to counter Prop A, brought by...
TxDOT releases new I-35 renderings
The Texas Department of Transportation has released new design proposals of what a revamped I-35 might look like.The big picture: Despite fierce opposition from some Austinites, the key artery is poised for a long, pricey makeover.What they're saying: TxDOT officials have said that expanding I-35 is necessary to accommodate the region's booming population, improve emergency response times and ease traffic congestion.Yes, but: Some traffic experts say expanding the highway will add more vehicles to Austin's roads — and community activists fear an amplified highway will further divide the city.Between the (highway) lines: Renderings are a classic way for agencies to build enthusiasm for a project, and the aqua-lit waves in the image above are surprisingly artistic for TxDOT. A rendering of someone biking beneath a section of I-35 by Lady Bird Lake. Courtesy TxDOTWhat's next: TxDOT is expected to finalize the project's design and scope in August, with construction starting in 2024, per KXAN.The $4.5 billion, eight-mile project includes dismantling the existing I-35 upper decks north of Manor Road.The work is expected to last eight years.
Austin electric vehicle registrations rise
Data: S&P Global Mobility; Chart: Axios VisualsElectric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 9.3% of monthly new vehicle registrations in the Austin area in January 2023 — up from 7% in January 2022, Axios' Joann Muller reports.Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 were the most popular, followed by the Chevrolet Bolt, Ford F Series and Ford Mustang Mach-E.Zoom out: Nationally, EVs accounted for 7% of new vehicle registrations in January, up from 4.1% in January 2022.The growth is another sign that the EV transition is gaining momentum.Why it matters: EVs aren't just for early adopters anymore, and Central Texas has led the...
Q and A with AustinDEEP's Jessica Price
We caught up with Jessica Price, the CEO and founder of AustinDEEP, who trademarked her own deep tissue massage and recently launched a massage therapy school with an eye toward expanding the businesses' footprint in Central Texas.Catch up quick: Price successfully lobbied the Texas Legislature in 2021 to pass a bill that allows Texas massage therapists to complete half their required training hours online. The move made it easier and more affordable to become a licensed massage therapist, according to Price.The measure allowed Price to launch The DEEPAcademy School of Massage last fall.The $5,500, 20-week training gives graduates an opportunity...
Things to do in Austin this weekend, April 14-16
It's shaping up to be a hot weekend in Austin. Here's what's on deck:🌸 Celebrate Songkran — the Thai New Year — at Fierce Whiskers' free event from 4-9pm Saturday, featuring authentic Southeast Asian fare, beverages and water balloons.Sway Thai will also celebrate Songkran through April 20, with a transformed dining room with botanicals, floral installations and celebratory dishes.🍕 Eat 'za and drink free beer at Show Me Pizza's second anniversary party from 5:30-9:30pm Friday at 2809 S. First St.🏃♀️ Run or cheer on your friends at the Statesman Cap10K — known as Texas' largest 10K — at 7:15am...
The number of abortions performed in Texas dropped dramatically in 2022
Note: Includes abortions provided by clinics, private medical offices, hospitals and virtual-only clinics. Months with fewer than 10 abortions are represented as zero. Data: #WeCount/Society of Family Planning; Chart: Axios VisualsA drastic drop in Texas' abortion numbers last year directly correlated with restrictions to access, per a new report from the Society of Family Planning.Why it matters: The data starkly reveals how last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the statewide abortion ban curtailed Texans' abortion rights.By the numbers: Abortions performed by clinicians dropped from a monthly average of roughly 2,650 for April through June 2022...
Memo recommends polystyrene ban to protect waterways
Austin Watershed Protection Department officials say city leaders should consider a ban on fast-food containers made of polystyrene, or Styrofoam, to reduce waste in local waterways.Driving the news: The April 10 memo, first reported by the Austin Monitor, recommends that the Council evaluate the possibility of a citywide ban for polystyrene takeaway containers.The memo also recommends new ordinances and incentives to encourage businesses to use carryout bags, designating a "trash czar" to coordinate trash management strategies and revising code to reduce overflowing dumpsters.Why it matters: Those fast-food containers are ugly eyesores in our waterways. Plus they're not great for fish...
Memo recommends polystyrene ban to protect waterways
Austin Watershed Protection Department officials say city leaders should consider a ban on fast-food containers made of polystyrene, or Styrofoam, to reduce waste in local waterways.Driving the news: The April 10 memo, first reported by the Austin Monitor, recommends that the Council evaluate the possibility of a citywide ban for polystyrene takeaway containers.The memo also recommends new ordinances and incentives to encourage businesses to use carryout bags, designating a "trash czar" to coordinate trash management strategies and revising code to reduce overflowing dumpsters.Why it matters: Those fast-food containers are ugly eyesores in our waterways. Plus they're not great for fish...
How the Austin airport is easing travel for people with non-visible disabilities.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has launched a new service to ease travel for people with non-visible disabilities.Why it matters: Airports can be chaotic and disorienting for all of us, but travel can be especially challenging for people with a range of non-visible disabilities, including autism, anxiety disorders, dementia, and Crohn's disease, among others.How it works: Passengers (or their companions) with non-visible disabilities can order a sunflower lanyard to wear around their neck while at the airport.The green lanyard with sunflowers works as a discreet visual cue to indicate to airport staff and other passengers that the wearer (or someone with them)...
How the Austin airport is easing travel for people with non-visible disabilities.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has launched a new service to ease travel for people with non-visible disabilities.Why it matters: Airports can be chaotic and disorienting for all of us, but travel can be especially challenging for people with a range of non-visible disabilities, including autism, anxiety disorders, dementia, and Crohn's disease, among others.How it works: Passengers (or their companions) with non-visible disabilities can order a sunflower lanyard to wear around their neck while at the airport.The green lanyard with sunflowers works as a discreet visual cue to indicate to airport staff and other passengers that the wearer (or someone with them)...
Austin student wins C-SPAN documentary competition
An Austin teenager took the top prize in C-SPAN's national 2023 video documentary competition.Driving the news: Carson Collins, a home-schooled sophomore, submitted a documentary titled "A Perilous Purchase: CCP Ownership of U.S. Land," about U.S. land ownership by entities associated with the Chinese Communist Party.Collins snagged a $3,000 first-place prize.Details: C-SPAN's StudentCam competition asks middle school and high school students to explore multiple perspectives on a topic important to them and consider solutions. This year's competition asked students to tackle the question: "If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?"C-SPAN...
Austin student wins C-SPAN documentary competition
An Austin teenager took the top prize in C-SPAN's national 2023 video documentary competition.Driving the news: Carson Collins, a home-schooled sophomore, submitted a documentary titled "A Perilous Purchase: CCP Ownership of U.S. Land," about U.S. land ownership by entities associated with the Chinese Communist Party.Collins snagged a $3,000 first-place prize.Details: C-SPAN's StudentCam competition asks middle school and high school students to explore multiple perspectives on a topic important to them and consider solutions. This year's competition asked students to tackle the question: "If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?"C-SPAN...
Texas county poised to close its libraries
Officials in a Central Texas county are gearing up to close its public libraries after a federal judge in Austin ordered them to return banned books to shelves.Driving the news: Elected commissioners of rural Llano County, a little over an hour's drive northwest of Austin, are convening a special meeting Thursday about whether to "continue or cease operations of the current physical Llano County Library System," per the posted meeting notice.The county, with a population of 22,000 people, operates three libraries, with nine full or part-time employees, not including the library director.The big picture: The move would be a sharp...
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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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