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Axios Austin
15 biggest events in Austin this year
New year, new dates to lock into the calendar now. Here’s what to look forward to in Austin in 2023. 1 big event: SXSWMusic, film, tech, comedy and more will be center stage at the 2023 South By Southwest (SXSW) conference. When: March 10–19Where: Various locations in Austin. Details: Information for attendees is here.More events this year: 🎭 Feb. 14–19: Disney's "Aladdin"🏃♂️ Feb. 19: Austin Marathon🤠 March 10–25: Rodeo Austin🎭 March 28–April 2: "Ain't Too Proud"✊🏿 April 1: Urban Cultural Festival🇯🇲 April 21–23: Austin Reggae Festival🎭 May 9–14: "To Kill A Mockingbird"📺 June 1–4: ATX TV Festival🎭 June 13–18: "Hairspray"🎬 Sept. 21–28: Fantastic Fest🎶 Oct. 6–8 & 13–15: Austin City Limits🏎 Oct. 22: U.S. Grand Prix🎞 Oct. 26–Nov. 2: Austin Film Festival🌭 Nov. 3–12: WurstfestGet more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
Tips for buying, selling a house in Austin in 2023
Interest rates might be rising, but it's still a good time to buy a home in Austin.Driving the news: The Federal Reserve slowed down its campaign of interest rate increases last week, raising its target interest rate a quarter percentage point after months of more aggressive steps, and signaled that more increases are ahead.Why it matters: Rising interest rates make borrowing more expensive, which could price already fatigued buyers out of the market.Yes, but: Average home prices started to creep down, especially in Austin's suburbs, and higher interest rates have helped calm down the competition.What they're saying: We checked in...
Austin City Council weighs fate of city manager
As they begin to apportion blame for the handling of last week's winter storm response, Austin City Council members today will scrutinize the actions of the city's top staffer. Driving the news: Mayor Kirk Watson put an emergency item on today's agenda to evaluate the employment of City Manager Spencer Cronk after city officials, to growing frustration, fumbled basic questions about power outages.“The performance review … is to listen to his explanation and hold him accountable,"Council Member Jose "Chito" Vela III, a cosponsor of the item, told Axios in a statement. "All options are on the table.”Why it matters: The...
A 7-story mixed-use development could be coming to South Congress
Data: Kimley-Horn and Associates; Map: Axios VisualsA residential development proposal could transform a 2.84-acre section of South Congress Avenue, with 375 units planned near Live Oak Street.Driving the news: The proposal by real estate development firm Intracorp would replace a senior living facility, two auto repair shops and surface parking on the east side of South Congress. A letter to the city filed on behalf of engineering firm Kimley-Horn and Associates describes the planned site as a "seven-story mixed use development with multifamily residential housing, ground floor retail, below grade parking garage and a separate five-unit townhome."Why it matters: The redevelopment...
Austin mayor faces tough questions after prolonged outages during freeze
He campaigned as someone who could solve Austin's big problems, but weeks into his tenure as mayor, Kirk Watson finds himself on an abject apology tour. The big picture: “The city has let its citizens down," Watson said at a news conference on Friday, as Austin Energy officials once more dodged questions about when power would be fully restored. "It’s unacceptable and I’m sorry."Utility officials tweeted Wednesday morning, "It's possible some customers may be without power for 12-24 hours."They amended that timeline late Wednesday, saying "major restoration efforts" would be wrapped up by Friday evening.On Thursday, they backtracked again, saying...
Here's how you coped with the ice storm outages
More than 250,000 Austin energy customers lost power during last week's ice storm — about half of all homes in the city — and 20,000 Austin Energy customers remain without power.The big picture: We asked how you dealt with the blackouts, the second time in as many years that the city has faced widespread power outages.What you're saying: Many readers only recently got power restored, while others are creeping toward hour 150 without it.We've been without power since around 4:40am Wednesday. I was awake at the time preparing for a 6am work call with a prospect overseas," Casey C. told us.Details: Readers showered at...
Food spoilage a casualty of Austin power outages
One of the casualties of last week's freeze: Perfectly good food.Why it matters: That tragic moment of tossing fast-spoiling food from unlit fridges has played out countless times across Austin.Zoom in: Austin ISD's central warehouse, where thousands of pounds of refrigerated and frozen food are stored for distribution to school kitchens, lost power last week The warehouse is located in South Austin near St. Edward's University.What they're saying: "We have grounds crews picking up limbs, of course, but also electricians, other trades and emergency management team members unloading spoiling food,” AISD chief of operations Christine Steenport said."We will always feed...
In New Yorker piece, Lawrence Wright examines Austin
Lawrence Wright, the famed Austin-based chronicler of Scientology and al-Qaeda, among many other subjects, has a new piece in The New Yorker examining change in his hometown.Driving the news: In "No City Limits," Wright has put together a kaleidoscopic portrait of Austin, a city he first moved to in 1980.Then, he writes, it was "offbeat, affordable, spontaneous, blithe, and slyly amused, as if we were in on some hilarious secret the rest of the world was unaware of."Of note: Wright plays keyboard for the blues band WhoDo.What they're saying: The piece gets at the oft-noted tensions about a fast-growing Austin....
Insurance claims to mount after Austin ice storm
You parked your 2015 Toyota Corolla on your pretty Austin street innocently enough, but a pecan tree branch, heaving with ice, gave up the ghost due to the ice storm this week. Now your car looks like a John Chamberlain sculpture.Driving the news: A lot of Austinites, despondent over roof or car damage from falling trees, are now looking for help.What they're saying: "I don't have tree insurance, what am I gonna do?" one person in West Campus lamented on Tik Tok about his devastated truck.Be smart: If a tree falls on your house or car, take photos of the...
Here's what to do in Austin this weekend, Feb. 3-5
This week sucked, but we hope things will start to feel back to normal by the time the weekend rolls around.Here's what we're eyeing for low-key fun:🎬 Learn about the complexity of movie making at the Harry Ransom Center's latest exhibition, "Drawing the Motion Picture." Paintings, set designs, storyboards and more will tell the visual story of films like "Rebel Without a Cause," "Apollo 13" and "Top Gun."🎪 Catch high-flying acrobatics at Cirque Du Soleil's Moody Center performances through Sunday. Tickets start at $50.🎸 Groove to Austin local Primo the Alien at Stubb's today at 10:30pm. Tickets start at $10.😂 Crack a smile at Fallout Theater at 10pm Saturday during Angelina Martin's "Slide in the DMs" comedy show. Local stand-up stars will share some of the wildest messages they've ever received online. Tickets start at $18. Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
Austin Energy crews still working to repair downed lines after ice storm
Even with temperatures rising, Austin Energy officials Thursday afternoon backtracked from their earlier prediction that power would be restored by Friday evening. Why it matters: More than 121,000 households, or 22.38% of customers, remained without power as of 6am today. "At this time, we are unable to provide a restoration time," Austin Energy officials said in a tweet Thursday.What happened: Utility officials blame frozen power lines and fallen tree limbs for the outages, which left more than 150,000 Austin Energy customers without power this week — and continue to leave Austin and Round Rock public schools shuttered.It's the city's most...
Ice storm knocks out power to 30% of Austin homes
Roads and trees are beginning to thaw, but this week's winter storm again pushed the city to the brink.The big picture: Unlike the 2021 edition, temperatures in the Austin metro hovered near freezing and residential outages were localized, rather than part of bigger problems with the state's grid.Yes, but: As many as 28% of Austin Energy customers — or more than 155,910 homes — were still without power as of 6am Thursday as ice coated power lines and downed tree limbs.Local EMS and fire officials reported a high volume of calls related to downed power lines and tree branches falling...
Austin's winter storm in photos
News flash: It's been pretty dang cold.The big picture: Ice toppled trees onto roads, cars and houses across Central Texas on Wednesday, so we snapped photos around town — showing a very frozen Austin. A downed tree limb rests on a car in southeast Austin. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios Ice covers a tree limb in Austin. Photo: @austinfiredept on Twitter. Trees block a street in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood in South Austin. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios Limbs fall on a South Austin house. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios Light reflects off ice-covered grass and tree limbs at St. Edward's University. Photo: Nicole Cobler/AxiosGet more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
More than a quarter of Austin Energy customers lose power amid freeze
Freezing rain left thousands without power on Wednesday morning and emergency officials scrambled to respond to dozens of wrecks and downed power lines and tree limbs.Driving the news: The National Weather Service extended its winter storm warning through early Thursday, with freezing rain expected across Texas.As of 11am, Austin Energy reported that more than 25% of its customers were without power — nearly 150,000 — across the area because of the ice weighing down power lines and snapping tree limbs.Nearly 300,000 customers lacked power statewide, most along a swath from San Antonio northeast to Paris. Zoom in: Local and state...
How one Austin realtor regards a Texas proposal to ban Chinese homebuyers
We caught up with Rosalia Chiu, who has worked as a real estate agent in the Austin market for 21 years, to ask her about proposed legislation that would bar Chinese nationals from buying property in Texas.Born in Hong Kong, she moved to Austin in 2002 after a career in consulting and project management in Taiwan and Silicon Valley. She lives in Leander and calls her realty job "retirement community service."She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese and Taiwanese Hokkien — and at least half her clients are of Asian backgrounds, she tells Axios. Why it matters: State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a...
How Austin's Carver Museum recognizes Black History Month
The Carver Museum in East Austin is rolling out a month of programming for Black History Month, celebrating activists, educators and more. Driving the news: The museum has partnered with local artists, businesses and organizations to offer interactive programs highlighting this year's theme, "Black Resistance."Details: The month of events kicks off at 7pm Wednesday at the Paramount Theatre for a conversation with Black scholar and revolutionary Angela Davis, and on Thursday, the Carver will host "Create and Heal: The Art of Drumming" with master drummer Armando Martin.Plus, Black Business Week begins Monday, showcasing local business owners.The month concludes with kids' day at the Carver, featuring crafts, music and activities.The bottom line: Most events are free and open to the public and can be found online.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
The best way to warm up on a cold Austin day.
Molière once wrote, "I live on good soup, not on fine words."Except it was in French. Why it matters: Hard to disagree, especially when cold winter weather takes hold in Austin. Here's some favorite soup spots:El TacorridoGrab grub at this Austin mini-chain of taqueria drive-thrus. Order this: The pozole — juicy chunks of slow-cooked pork in a rich, red stew with tasty bits of hominy and green chile, all topped with fresh cabbage and radish. Existential question: Does it count as a soup?Location: Spots on South First, East Riverside, Burnet and North Lamar.The Soup PeddlerFind The Soup Peddler at six...
Today is the property tax deadline: Travis County official urges e-payment
Time to get out that e-check and send a chunk of your cash to the local tax collector.Driving the news: If you're a homeowner, Jan. 31 is the property tax deadline.Why it matters: Property taxes pay for everything from city pothole repairs to teacher salaries. Between the lines: Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant is urging property owners to pay their property taxes online.The Travis County Sheriff's Office is investigating nine open cases of tax office customers who had their property tax payments stolen from the mail in the 2021 tax year, Elfant said.What they're saying: Citing jugging, the new...
Average Austin rents jumped 8.6% in the 4th quarter
Data: Moody's Analytics; Table: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosIn the fourth quarter of 2022, the average asking rent in Austin was $1,585, up 8.6% from a year earlier, per economic research firm Moody's Analytics.Why it matters: Affordability concerns are starting to weigh down the booming rental market.What's happening: Many would-be homebuyers chose to rent longer last year, sustaining apartment demand, according to economists at Moody's Analytics. But folks are hitting their spending limit.For the first time in over two decades, households now have to spend 30% of their income on average rents, a new report shares.What they're saying: Year-over-year rent growth slowed in...
How an Austin ad agency figures into Southwest Airlines' next step
An old and trusted Austin partner will likely play a key role in Southwest Airlines' efforts to rehabilitate its reputation after recent operational failures that affected roughly 1 million holiday travelers.The big picture: GSD&M, the powerhouse Austin ad agency that has told the airline's story for decades, figures to be at the heart of Southwest's long-term reclamation project.The agency conceived Southwest's "You are now free to move about the country" tagline.Between the lines: GSD&M co-founder and chairman Roy Spence was a long-time friend of the late Southwest co-founder Herb Kelleher — and the airline's success tracked with the ad agency's...
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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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