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Axios Austin
Why a popular Austin supermarket needs special permission to expand alcohol sales
Wheatsville Food Co-op is asking city officials for special permission to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption at its South Lamar location. Why it matters: The Austin grocer is limited in its ability to sell alcohol at the site because of its proximity to the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders.Zoom in: City of Austin rules require at least 300 feet between a business selling alcoholic beverages and a school.But the City Council can waive the requirement for a business if it determines it's not in the best interest of the public, is not effective or necessary, or for any other...
How the San Antonio Spurs view their Austin future
The San Antonio Spurs are aiming to expand their Austin footprint.Why it matters: Whether the team can build up its Austin fanbase could serve as a model for other small-market sports franchises seeking footholds beyond their home base.Driving the news: The Spurs kick off their NBA season on Thursday, and the squad is scheduled to once again play a pair of home games in Austin's Moody Center.One of them, on Feb. 21, scheduled to be nationally televised on TNT, is against the Phoenix Suns and University of Texas alum Kevin Durant.The Spurs are hosting a watch party, open to the...
Things to do in Austin this weekend, Oct. 24-27
Here's what's on deck this weekend.Thursday👻 Scream at the Austin After Dark Film Festival, featuring a selection of independent short, very scary films from 5-11:30pm at Central Machine Works. Free.Friday🪔 Celebrate Diwali with food, music and cultural dance at Round Rock's Centennial Plaza. Free.🎸 See Georgetown's own Conan Gray at the Moody Center with guest Maisie Peters. Doors open at 6:30pm, and tickets are still on sale.🌳 Find free music at Mueller Lake Park amphitheater at KUTX's Rock the Park, featuring Karate Dance Party at 6:30pm and Superfónicos at 7:15pm.Saturday🎉 Celebrate Día de los Muertos at the long-running Viva La Vida festival and parade from 12-6pm downtown at Fourth Street and Congress Avenue.🎶 Catch Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats with guest Gregory Alan Isakov at the Moody Center. Doors open at 6pm, and tickets are still on sale.Sunday🎃 Wrap up the weekend with Subciety Presents' Spooky Arts Festival at Cabana Club, featuring live music, vendors and a haunted house. Free.🐶 Take your dog to Far Out Lounge's Barktoberfest, featuring food and music. Free.
Texas Monthly's top Austin tacos
Eight of the 50 best tacos in Texas are in Austin, according to Texas Monthly.Driving the news: Texas Monthly taco editor José R. Ralat released his list Monday after traveling 14,000 miles around the state to sample from more than 400 taquerias in about six months. That's an average of more than two taco restaurants per day.It's his first ranking of the best tacos in Texas.The big picture: Ralat has noticed a shift in tacos he's dubbing the New Tejano movement."More than ever," he writes, taquerias "are crafting nostalgic dishes from their blended cultures and incorporating native Texan ingredients."Zoom in:...
Austin City Hall and police union near labor contract
The Austin City Council is on the verge of approving a long-term labor deal with Austin police officers.Why it matters: Tension between Austin's progressive leaders and the police union meant years of stop-and-start negotiations.Protests of police brutality in 2020, sparked by the murder of George Floyd, prompted questions in Austin, as in most American cities, about the city's relationship with its police force.Context: A new police union president — Michael Bullock — found common ground this year with Mayor Kirk Watson, who has made finalizing a contract a priority as part of a wider effort to boost police staffing.Watson is...
Texas Parks partner with bee-sniffing K-9s
As the sun crept below the Wildflower Center's Savanna Meadow, Gerty the German shorthaired pointer was hard at work, following the scent of bee nests hidden throughout a field.Why it matters: Ecologists like Jacqueline Staab, Gerty's handler and BFF, hope bee-sniffing K-9s will help advance our understanding of bumblebee nesting and potential threats to pollinators in Texas.Bees build their hives in or on the ground and thrive in Texas grasslands, but rapid development has diminished habitats for bees.Driving the news: Texas Parks and Wildlife's Pollinators and Prairies Program is partnering with Staab's nonprofit, North Carolina-based Darwin's Bee Dogs, to measure...
The perfect order at Rockman Coffee and Bakeshop
We waited in line for over an hour this weekend to try East Austin's new Rockman Coffee and Bakeshop.Dig in: Pastry chef and baker Amanda Rockman opened her namesake bakery earlier this month, and on Saturday, the line to get inside ran along the building and spilled into the adjacent parking lot 20 minutes before opening.Rockman herself came out front to thank customers, and told us that over 1,000 baked goods were ready for purchase that day.If you go: There are tons of baked goods to choose from: croissants, cookies, bagels, cinnamon rolls and more. Plus, La Colombe coffee, delicious house-made syrups, micheladas and other alcoholic options to sip on.🍽️ Best bites: We slurped down one of the best pumpkin spice lattes we've ever tasted — made with house-made pumpkin spice syrup — before moving on to a sesame bagel with homemade french onion schmear.We also tried a savory ham, cheese and mustard croissant and a decadent apple almond croissant. Not to brag, but Rockman said our selections were her favorite order.📍 Stop by: Make sure you swing by early because they'll sell out. 2400 E. Cesar Chavez St., suite 200.
What the owners of an Austin coffee company would eat on a desert island
As part of our Desert Island Dish series, we caught up with Kimberly Helms and Sara Gibson, co-owners of Sightseer Coffee, which has a retail bar inside Sugar Mama's Bakeshop on South First Street and a roasting facility near West Stassney Lane and Menchaca Road.Why it matters: All their coffee is farmed, sourced and roasted by women.What they're saying: "Building up women in the supply chain is an amazing way to work up sustainability across the board," Gibson tells Axios.You're headed to a desert island. What's the one dish you can't do without?KH: "I would bring the masa pancake...
How to watch Austin's U.S. Grand Prix
Throngs of Formula 1 fans will head to Circuit of the Americas this weekend for the U.S. Grand Prix. Why it matters: F1 — an international racing championship — brings glamour to Austin, as it sits alongside locales like Monaco and Mexico City in a 24-city calendar year circuit.
The Race Media announces acquisition ahead of Grand Prix
Motorsports content company The Race Media has been acquired by RAFA Media, the companies announced in Austin ahead of Formula One this week.Why it matters: Company officials say the acquisition will take The Race's podcast and video production to the next level, allowing them to scale as F1 becomes more popular in the U.S.Catch up quick: The Race Media, which launched in 2020, is the company behind The Race, WTF1 and Driver Database.The Race Media's WTF Talent launched in 2023, becoming the only influencer agency focused on motorsport. It now has a roster of over 50 influencers.Zoom in: RAFA Media,...
Central Texas is experiencing worsening drought conditions
It may be cooler this week, but Central Texas is facing worsening drought conditions.Why it matters: Severe drought and extreme heat can lead to high fire risks and water shortages and impact trees and other plants.Driving the news: Drought conditions have worsened in Central Texas and across the state this month, with Travis County now under "moderate drought" conditions as of Oct. 10, according to the latest map from U.S. Drought Monitor.Local officials are set to sign disaster declarations in an 11am press conference Thursday because of the area's increasing wildfire risk.Austin weather station Camp Mabry hasn't seen rain since...
Bevo vs. Uga: The mascot feud between University of Texas and Georgia
This Saturday's matchup between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs will carry some football frisson. Why it matters: National eyes will be on Austin as Texas Memorial Stadium hosts the sort of blockbuster matchup that UT officials, fans and boosters were angling for with a leap to the Southeastern Conference.The game pits two Heisman Trophy favorites at quarterback — the Longhorns' Quinn Ewers and Georgia's Carson Beck — and it will be a test of just how good Texas' top-ranked defense really is.Between the lines: It's also a mascot grudge match.Flashback: The last time Georgia played Texas,...
How Tito's Handmade Vodka got into electron tracking
The philanthropic arm of Tito's Handmade Vodka gave a $1.4 million gift to the University of Texas to support the development of a new scientific instrument.Say this three times fast: The Austin Universal Tool for Ultrafast Momentum Nanoscopy — or AUTUMN — allows scientists to track how electrons move through materials at extremely fast speeds, and the gift from Love, Tito's will support AUTUMN's development.Zoom in: The money allows the UT team to move forward with the addition of a special chamber that will allow AUTUMN to create a kind of movie camera with high-speed resolution.The update will give researchers a more precise view of electron behavior and could advance research in quantum computing and energy storage.What they're saying: "It's a huge, open question how electrons and other charge carriers move through materials because there's not a direct method to visualize them at very fast time scales," UT physicist Edoardo Baldini said in a news release.What's next: The research team expects to be able to use the tool in about 18 months.
How the founders of Hangtight are growing their startup
Two Austinites have set up an app that they hope will be the next Facebook.Why it matters: It remains very early days for Hangtight, a scheduling and social media app aimed at bringing people together.Founders Rich Fortune, 26, and Armando Vera Carvajal, 33, have raised roughly $200,000 in angel investment and regularly clock super-long days at their three-person company. (The third person is an engineer.)Fortune grew up in Virginia, and Vera Carvajal — a University of Texas graduate who co-founded the startup accelerator Astralabs — is originally from Mexico.We caught up with them to talk about the app and what...
UT football players have made over $6M since June
University of Texas football players — and student-athletes in general — are reaping millions of dollars from their success, per data analyzed by Axios.Why it matters: Four years into the name-image-likeness era, the data, obtained through open records requests, shows how some student-athletes are realizing their earning potential.For generations, players were shut out from the lucrative Division I sports-and-money machine.The big picture: The NIL explosion comes just as UT sports increase their media exposure with a move to the Southeastern Conference. On Saturday, the top-ranked Longhorns play 18th-ranked Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game.On Oct. 19, UT takes on...
Things to do in Austin this weekend
There's plenty to do in Austin this weekend if you don't have a pass to ACL.Thursday🎶 Groove to promqueen at Stubb's Indoors at 8pm. Tickets available online starting at $10.Friday🇲🇽 Listen to contemporary music and traditional styles from Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean at the Hispanic Heritage Music Festival from 2-3pm Saturday at the Pleasant Hill library branch.🛍️ Get discounts at Second Street stores during an ACL block party between Colorado and Lavaca streets, featuring food and drink specials, $25 tattoos and music.🎸 Find Texas country music artist Aaron Watson at Cedar Park's open-air Haute Spot. Doors open at 6pm and tickets start at $22.Saturday🍺 Celebrate Oktoberfest with the German-Texan Heritage Society from 11am-7pm at the German Free School. Tickets start at $15.⚽️ See the U.S. Men's National Team face Panama at 8pm at Q2 Stadium. Tickets start around $45.Sunday🧀 Enjoy melted cheese as restaurants, chefs and home cooks battle for queso glory at the Quesoff from 12-3pm at Mohawk. Tickets start at $23 and are going fast.
What it was like to grow up in the "Only Murders in the Building" building
Asher here, glued to another episode in the "Only Murders in the Building" series.Driving the news: New episodes of the comic whodunit — starring Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short — drop through the end of October.Behind the scenes: My interest in the show is keener than most because … I grew up in that building — and my parents still live there.In the show, the building is called the Arconia. In real life, it's the Belnord, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, just a few blocks from Central Park.There were never the sorts of secret corridors key to some...
Construction begins for Sixth&Blanco mass timber project
Construction for mixed-use site Sixth&Blanco has begun, according to Austin real estate development firm Riverside and Larry McGuire, local restaurateur and co-founder of MML Hospitality.Why it matters: The structure will be made out of mass timber, an increasingly popular way to construct buildings out of wood composites rather than steel and concrete.The project also marks another big step into real estate development for McGuire, whose MML Hospitality Group has virtually taken over Austin's restaurant scene and stepped into the hotel and retail space in recent years.Driving the news: The 1.6-acre development, designed by Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron,...
UT's Tower restoration set to begin this fall
The University of Texas' multiyear, $70 million renovation of its iconic tower will begin this fall.Why it matters: Many floors of the historic building have sat empty for years, and university officials say the renovation will be the first "meaningful investment" in the tower since its completion in 1937.Driving the news: Exterior restoration will begin first, with updates to the stone, windows, lighting, clockface and historic gilding on the facade of the building.Metal and wood surfaces will be repainted in their original color, exterior lighting will be updated to an LED-based system, windows will be refurbished, and workers will reapply...
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