Community Corner
🌱 Limited Voting Sites 🗳️ + Free Concert At UT + Chamber CEO Resigns
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Austin.
Happy Friday, Austin! I hope your belly is (still) full and that you had an excellent Thanksgiving Day. It's Jessica here in your inbox bright and early to get you up to speed on the latest local news and community updates.
In today's issue we'll cover:
- The number of voting locations have been halved ahead of the runoff elections.
- A person was rescued from an East Austin lake.
- Free concert today at the University of Texas campus ahead of the football game.
- Thousands turned out for the 32nd Annual Turkey Trot – we've got the recap!
But first, today's weather:
Rain and a t-storm; cooler. High: 58 Low: 52.
Here are the top stories today in Austin:
1) Community members are concerned about limited voting sites for the Austin runoff election. Voters will return to the polls starting next week for the City of Austin runoff election and the number of voting locations has been reduced from 170 sites to 86 sites. KVUE reports: "...polling locations at Austin Community College, St. Edward's University, Huston-Tillotson University and the University of Texas were all cut from the runoff location list, per the report. It's raising questions about voting access for Austin's young voters." Head over to KVUE for more on this story.
2) The Austin Chamber of Commerce CEO Laura Huffman has announced her resignation. The chamber is expected to announce an interim chamber leader shortly, and will then kick off a national search for a permanent CEO. "Laura took the reins of the chamber at an incredibly difficult time for our community and country," said Ali Khataw, chair-elect of the chamber's board of directors. "She provided key direction on issues including the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness, public safety, talent and workforce development. Her engagement helped businesses and the community navigate turbulent times and find solutions to these pressing challenges." The Statesman has the full scoop here.
3) One person was rescued after a vehicle goes into Lake Walter E. Long in east Austin. Austin Fire Department was able to successfully remove the person from the water in less than 30 minutes after they arrived on the scene. Reminder: do not drive around the barricades around the water crossings. CBS Austin has more on this story.
4) Thousands gathered and laced up their running shoes for the 32nd Annual Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot downtown on Thursday morning. The Statesman was on the scene covering the event – check out the pics!
Today in Austin:
- (Free) Longhorn City Limits Presents: Asleep At The Wheel, Django Walker at UT's LBJ Lawn. (9:30 a.m.)
- Longhorn Football: University of Texas vs Baylor at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. (11 a.m.)
- (Family-Friendly) Peppermint Parkway at Circuit of the Americas. (6:30 p.m.)
- A Christmas Carol at ZACH Theatre. (7:30 p.m.)
- Solid Comedy with Deric Poston and Ehsan Ahmad at Vulcan Gas Company. (7:30 p.m.)
- Austin Shakespeare's: Sense and Sensibility at The Long Center. (7:30 p.m.)
- Dumpstaphunk's Phunksgiving with Michael Hale Trio at Antone's. (8 p.m.)
Community Chatter:
- 🛍️ Retail season is here: Austin retailers are ready for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. (The Statesman)
- 🎭 Weekend Events: CultureMap Austin has outlined the top events this Thanksgiving weekend. (CultureMap Austin)
- 🏠 Real estate update: Five new houses hit the Austin market – check them out! (Austin Patch)
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That's it for today. See you all tomorrow for 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 Daily? Contact me at DowntownAustin@patch.com
