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Community Corner

🌱 Community Cats Need Volunteers + Annual Homeless Population Census

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

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Jessica Collins, Neighbor
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(Patch Media)

Hello and good morning, Austin! Happy Monday, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and managed to enjoy the sunshine we received this weekend. I'm here in your inbox today to get you up to speed on the most important local news and community updates.

Grab your morning coffee and cozy up while we cover:

  • Increase in stray cats in your neighborhood? We've got the scoop.
  • Where are my "Bachelor" fans at?! Keep scrolling to learn the deets on the season premiere watch party this evening.
  • Austin's Ending Homelessness Coalition needs volunteers!
  • Shaking up the Austin FC roster.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 60 Low: 46.

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Here are the top stories in Austin today:

1) A local breast surgeon is against a policy that may affect breast cancer patients' access to modern reconstruction methods. Dr. Elisabeth Potter tells KVUE that a change in billing codes could limit the type of reconstructive surgeries that patients get covered under their insurance policy. Learn more on how Dr. Potter is bringing awareness to this issue here.

2) Austin's Ending Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) needs volunteers for its first "Point in Time Count" (PIT) in three years. The PIT is the annual census of the homeless population in the Austin/Travis County Area, which gives local officials insights into trends and provides data to local advocacy groups and funding efforts. ECHO is still looking for more volunteers to help on the night of Jan. 27. Head over to KXAN to learn how to volunteer and more about ECHO's efforts.

3) Community Cats, the organization that oversees Austin's "Trap-Neuter-Return" program, is currently battling severe staffing shortages. Sarah Hammel with the Austin Humane Society tells KVUE that the Austin Animal Center (AAC) is responsible for capturing the cats before the Austin Humane Society then picks them up and performs the procedure. Due to the pandemic, staffing resources have been limited for both the Austin Humane Society and AAC, which has made it difficult to keep up with the backlog of stray and feral cat requests. Both organizations' mission is to neuter all cats and keep the cat population down ahead of kitten season. Interested in volunteering? KVUE has more information on volunteer opportunities here.

4) Austin Police are investigating a homicide in East Austin off East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Around 11 p.m. on Saturday night, officers found a man in his vehicle with gunshot wounds. They began performing life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead on the scene. Detectives are speaking to a person of interest as well as witnesses. CBS Austin has more on this story here.

Today in Austin:

  • (Ages 3-7) Imagination Station at Austin Public Library, Yarborough Branch. (9:30 a.m.)
  • The Bachelor Premiere Watch Party at Irene's. (5 p.m.)
  • Resume Skills Workshop at Austin Public Library, Central Branch. (6 p.m.)
  • Hyperreal Film Club Presents: Fateful Findings at Hotel Vegas. (7 p.m.)
  • Pink Martini featuring China Forbes at The Paramount Theatre. (7 p.m.)
  • Intermediate Two-Step Lessons at Sam's Town Point. (8:30 p.m.)
  • Michael Mordecai's Monday Night Jazz Jam at Elephant Room. (9 p.m.)

Community Chatter:

  • 👩‍🍳 Fonda San Miguel is training the next batch of Austin chefs: The historic upscale Mexican restaurant is collaborating with Austin Community College. "This program allows culinary students to gain field experience while continuing their studies. Students must apply to be accepted into the scholarship program, seeded by a check for $10,000 from Gilliland to the ACC Foundation, which provides scholarships, training equipment, and student support." (CultureMap Austin)
  • ⚽️ Changes to the Austin FC roster: "Although the core of the roster remains largely intact with Sebastián Driussi, Diego Fagúndez, Brad Stuver, and others returning for the club's third campaign, there's been plenty of squad movement throughout the offseason that promises to give this year's team a fresh feel." (Austin Chronicle)
  • 🍗 BBQ alert: "JNL Barbecue took over the market space that had previously belonged to La Barbecue." (Eater Austin)

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That's it for today! 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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