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Community Corner

🌱 City Council Pushes Back On I-35 Project + Tech Layoffs + STEM Day

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, and Happy Sunday everybody! It's Jessica, your host of the Austin Patch newsletter — here to give you the download on the most important local news and community updates.

Grab your morning java and cozy up while we cover:

  • City Council pushes back on the I-35 expansion project.
  • Three different theater productions are taking place this afternoon – I've got the scoop below.
  • Another tech company announces layoffs at its Austin office.
  • A new, state-of-the-art climbing gym is headed to Northeast Austin!

But first, today's weather:

Areas of low clouds and fog. High: 80 Low: 58.

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Here are the top stories today in Austin:

1) Austin City Council passed a resolution requiring amendments to the I-35 Capital Express Project. City Council is calling for better crossings between East and West Austin around every quarter mile, water quality protection, incentives for eighteen-wheelers to use Texas State Highway 130 instead of I-35, and to minimize the number of properties seized as the highway is expanded. Mayor Watson is opposed to the City Council's decision citing funding concerns. KUT has more on this story here.

2) Austin Police are currently searching for a missing 15-year-old mom and her infant son who were last seen in north Austin. KXAN reports that Alexis Garza, the teen mother, was last seen with her two-week-old infant son at approximately 10 p.m. Thursday near the 2600 block of South Interstate 35. Garza reportedly ran away from a state facility with her son. KXAN has more on this story here.

3) Thousands of young girls from Central Texas and across the state traveled to the University of Texas' campus yesterday to participate in the annual "STEM Girl Day". The event encourages kindergarten - 8th-grade girls to understand whats possible in the worlds of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Austin American-Statesman was on-site for the event – check out their photos here!

4) Website builder and management company Wix to lay off 100 Austin employees. The Statesman reports that Wix is also cutting 27 positions in San Francisco, 142 in Miami and 62 in Denver. Learn more here at The Austin American-Statesman.

Today in Austin:

  • Dr Seuss's The Cat in The Hat at The Kleberg at ZACH Theatre. (2 p.m.)
  • ZACH Theatre & Deaf Austin Theatre Presents: Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella at The Topfer at ZACH Theatre. (2:30 p.m.)
  • Austin Shakespeare Presents: Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing at Rollins Studio Theatre. (3 p.m.)
  • Texas Roller Derby Presents: Rhinestones vs. Holy Rollers at Palmer Events Center. (5 p.m.)
  • The 41st Annual Austin Music Awards at Mohawk. (6:30 p.m.)
  • Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at Black Star Co-Op Pub and Brewery. (7 p.m.)

Community Chatter:

  • 🧗 Austin going for new heights: Mesa Rim Climbing Center, a new 50,000-square-foot facility with 55-foot climbing walls is headed to Northeast Austin in early March. "These walls will be the tallest in the Southwest, according to a press release, and in the largest facility, too. For scale, that's about five stories high (the walls, that is, with even taller ceilings), and about the sprawl of a football field." WOW, what a facility! (CultureMap Austin)
  • 🎨 New art exhibition: "Now on display through July, Blanton Museum of Art's new major exhibit "Day Jobs" features over 95 works that highlight how other forms of employment impact an artist's creative process." (Tribeza)
  • 🧑‍💻 Tech scene news: Delivery company Favor hired a new CEO, Keith Duncan. "Duncan previously worked as its chief revenue officer, but left for a short stint at a real estate technology company." (Austin Business Journal via Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update!

— 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at DowntownAustin@patch.com

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