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Community Corner

🌱 Abbott's Anti-Fentanyl Plans + AISD Housing + Humanoid Robots 🤖

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Austin.

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Jessica Collins, Neighbor
(Patch Media)

Good morning, friends and neighbors! It's me, Jessica, your host of the Austin Daily. I'm back in your inbox this morning with the most important updates within our community.

Settle in with your morning coffee while we dive into:

  • Gov. Abbott wants to ramp up statewide anti-fentanyl efforts.
  • AISD is considering turning two of its properties into housing for teachers and staff.
  • Austin-based robotics company lands a partnership with NASA to develop humanoid robots!
  • Wine Wednesdays, senior/50+ sports tournament, live music, theater, and much more ➡️

But first, today's weather and allergy report:

☀️ High: 99 Low: 72. Hot with scorching sunshine.
🍃 Grass Pollen: medium (⬇️). Ragweed: low. Mold: medium. Dust & Dander: extremely high.

Here are the top stories in Austin today:

1) Gov. Abbott has directed nine state agencies to increase their anti-fentanyl efforts as the statewide, opioid crisis continues to worsen. To paint a picture of the crisis locally: drug overdose deaths are now the number one cause of accidental deaths in Travis County, and KVUE reports that fentanyl was present in 1/3 of those deaths. The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously declared the opioid overdose epidemic a public health crisis back in June of this year.

Abbott has directed each of the agencies to do more to inform Texans about fentanyl's "lethality and prevalence." Action items in Abbott's letter included: developing public service announcements, posting flyers in prominent locations around regulated facilities, training staff, and providing educational opportunities to Texans. KVUE has more on this story here.

2) As concerns over the teacher shortage continue, Austin ISD is considering turning two of its properties into housing for teachers and other staff members. As rising housing costs continue to push many locals outside of Austin, AISD wants to turn the former Rosedale School and the Anita Ferrales Coy Facility into affordable housing for its staff. Many local education advocates have stressed that rising housing costs make it harder to retain and recruit employees.

District officials have been holding public meetings on the housing proposals. Want to make your voice heard on this issue? Head to KUT to learn how you can attend the upcoming meetings this week, and how to access the online survey.

3) Good news: an Austin-based robotics company has landed a partnership with NASA to develop humanoid robots! Apptronik is developing a humanoid named "Apollo" and has teamed up with NASA to bring it to market next year. Austonia reports that the beloved Apollo will be capable of doing a wide range of tasks, and will help workers in industries such as logistics, retail, hospitality, aerospace, and more. How exciting is this? Head over to Austonia for the full story.

4) Plans for the new University of Texas band are currently on hold. Last year, UT announced a new university band for musicians who objected to playing "The Eyes of Texas" due to the song's racial history and origins at minstrel shows. KXAN reports that the new university band is on hold until a new director for the Butler School of Music is hired. The spokesperson said, "we hope to have a new director for the Butler School of Music in place for next fall." KXAN has more on this story here.

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Today in Austin:

  • Why Bonnie In-Store Performance & Record Signing at Waterloo Records. (5 p.m.)
  • School Board Meeting at Lake Travis High School. (6 p.m.)
  • Wine Wednesdays at The VORTEX. (6 p.m.)
  • Date Night @ DAC: "Block Party" at Dougherty Arts Center. (Free – 7 p.m.)
  • AIA Austin Presents: "Urban Rooms in Suburban Spaces" with Charles Di Piazza at Articulture Designs. (7 p.m.)
  • Judah & The Lion with Smallpools at Stubb's. (7 p.m.)
  • Sick of It All, Agnostic Front at Parish. (7 p.m.)
  • Roxy Music 50th Anniversary Tour at Moody Center. (8 p.m.)
  • "Macbeth" at Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms. (8 p.m.)

Community Chatter 💬 :

  • 🥘 Local Caribbean restaurant lands a second national accolade! Less than a week after being named one of the 10 best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit, local eatery Canje is named one of the 50 best restaurants in the country by The New York Times. If you haven't already checked out dinner at Canje, be sure to snag a reservation while you still can. (Austin360 via Facebook)
  • 📈 Growth alert: Austin's population is on track to surpass San Antonio's in less than 20 years – yowza!! (CultureMap Austin via Facebook)
  • 🎾 Are you 50+ and looking to show off your backhand or the free throws you've been working on? The Austin Varsity Games are officially registering adults age 50+ to compete in 13 different sports, leisure, and field events. (Austin Parks & Recreation via Facebook)
  • 🍂 Pumpkin spice and everything nice! CultureMap has rounded up 7 local breweries that are crafting seasonal sips. (CultureMap Austin via Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Wednesday! I'll see you around.

— Jessica Collins

About me: Jessica is happy to call Austin her home for the past 10+ years. She loves the outdoors, arts & cinema, dining, and all of the natural beauty that Central Texas has to offer.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Austin Daily? Contact me at DowntownAustin@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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