Sunday, February 28, 2010

The City of Austin is launching the next phase of Operation Reclaim Waller Creek on Monday, March 1 to improve safety and the environmental conditions of the waterway.

Austin Police and crews from Watershed Protection and the Parks and Recreation department will clean up the ¼ mile section of the creek that stretches from Cesar Chavez Street to Lady Bird Lake.

Cleanup crews, including people who are fulfilling community service requirements, will cut back overgrowth in and along the creek, remove graffiti, pick up trash, and work to enforce city ordinances.  The month-long cleanup will help the city get ready for the Waller Creek Tunnel Project, designed to help with flooding and reduce debris in the creek.

“This operation will help improve the quality of life for those who work, live and visit the downtown area,” said APD Officer Jason Huskins, Downtown Area District Representative.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Austin Voices Seeks Nominees for Shout Out Awards

Austin Voices for Education and Youth, a non-profit that seeks to expand opportunities for youth, is accepting nominations for the third annual Shout Out Awards scholarship program.  The Shout Out Awards honor people who are taking action to strengthen public schools in Austin.

There will be four $1,000 scholarships awarded - two for high school students, and two for parents demonstrating leadership in improving schools in Austin. The parent scholarships can be put toward a student's college tuition, a parent's job training or can be donated to a child's school.

The winners of the Shout Out Awards will be announced at a ceremony on April 8th at The Highball.  Nominations are due March 10, 2010.  The nomination form is available at austinvoices.org.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Cactus Cafe Fans Hold Rally on Campus

by Ben Wright
Austin Citysphere Contributor

A little talk could save a lot of music

Political leaders, students and Austinites gathered at the foot of the UT tower, Friday, to protest the threatened closure of the Cactus Cafe.

Over a hundred people attended the lunch time rally which included speeches by state Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin and music from David Garza and Sara Hickman.

Speaking after the rally to Austin Citysphere, Naishtat said a “meeting of minds” was the solution and that both students and local community members should have a hand in deciding the cafe's future.

“Initially it would appear that the university was not interested in any type of meaningful input form the community,” he said. “I think they are changing their position encouraging participation.”

The university has said the closure of the cafe and the informal classes program is part of a larger push to cut costs at the university. The money needed to keep run both the Cactus Cafe and the Informal Classes program is $122,000 – or 2.39% of Mac Brown's salary after it was increased in December.

Naishtat said the money could be raised by the local community if necessary.

“This can all be worked out,” he said. “We are able to raise the money to keep the Cactus Cafe open and that is something that needs to be discussed.”

Naishtat said that the university's current plans for “re-purposing” the space, “is not the Cactus Cafe that all these people have come to love and support.”

Great Texas Warrant Roundup Starts March 6

If you have outstanding warrants, now is the time to take care of them.  The fourth annual Great Texas Warrant Roundup will begin Saturday, March 6.

Thousands of defendants with traffic, parking, city ordinance, penal code and higher charge warrants from participating jursdictions will be sought after, with arrests expected to continue for several days.

The participating agencies sent out notices recently to people with outstanding warrants.  If you have a warrant for your arrest, you are urged to contact the law enforcement agency that holds the warrant and resolve the case voluntarily, in order to avoid being arrested at home or at work.

To see the full list of participating agencies and their representatives, click here (PDF).

Bank Robberies Plague North Austin

Two bank robberies in two days are keeping Austin Police detectives busy.

Thursday morning, a man dubbed the "Reckless Robber" by police held up the Bank of America branch at Shoal Creek Boulevard and Anderson Lane. He is the suspect in another bank robbery at a Wells Fargo branch on West 35th near Kerbey Lane in Austin last November 25 as well as other incidents in Houston and San Antonio.

He went into the branch around 9:30 a.m. with a gun, and left on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. The Reckless Robber is described as a white man, about 200 pounds, with what police say is an "East Coast accent." Police say he wore a wig that made him look bald.

Then, Friday afternoon just before 3:00 p.m., APD responded to another robbery at the Wells Fargo branch at 10401 Anderson Mill Road. The suspect went inside the bank and demanded cash, and got away with the money as witness called 911.

Witnesses were able to give police a good description of the suspect and the getaway vehicle, and the information was given to all police.  The suspect's vehicle was found and when officers tried to make a stop, a pursuit began that went on for about seven minutes.  The suspect was taken into custody in the 200 block of E. Anderson Lane at the end of the chase.

Luckily, there were no injuries at either robbery.  These were the 3rd and 4th bank robberies of 2010.  If you have any information in either case, call the APD Robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092 or CrimeStoppers at (512) 472-8477.


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New ACL Studio On Track For December Opening

The new home of Austin City Limits is on target to open in December.

The 2,500-seat state-of-the-art-venue will host tapings of the show, produced by KLRU-TV, the Austin PBS affiliate.  ACL is the longest running music series in the country with more than three decades of shows in their catalog, and tapes about 20 shows each year at its present-day studio on the UT campus.

Stratus Properties is behind the mixed-use development Block 21, where the new studio and the W Hotel will be situated.

Terry Lickona, Austin City Limits producer, told the Austin Business Journal that KLRU may be able to develop new television series and even ACL spin-offs with the new facility in place.  The new studio will also double as a performance venue.  Stratus will work with Live Nation to book the venue between show tapings.

Lickona assures fans that the move to the new facility won't change the "magic of Austin City Limits," and says that the acoustics will be pristine and the venue will be able to accommodate intimate shows as well as large rock acts.

Grab Your Spoon and Fork, Restaurant Week Gets Underway

More than 60 restaurants in Austin are cooking up special fixed-price menus to celebrate Austin Restaurant Week.

The "week" is actually an eight-day event that runs in two four day stretches.  The first half runs February 28-March 3, and the second half is March 7-10.

Five percent of Restaurant Week sales will go to the Sustainable Food Center of Austin.

Prices for the event range from $10-$15 for lunch to $25-$35 for dinner.  You can find a list of participating restaurants and their menus at www.restaurantweekaustin.com.
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