Editor's note: Upcoming restaurant closure and Austin's own Pike Place lead this round of top stories. Read on for more of the week's most popular headlines.
1. Favorite South Congress restaurant announces closing date. Austin is losing one of its kitschiest dining destinations. South Congress staple Snack Bar will close at the end of October, according to a letter posted to the restaurant's website on Tuesday.
2. Developers unveil updated plans for Austin's massive public marketplace. It's been almost a year since initial plans for a massive South Austin marketplace akin to Pike's Place were revealed. And after some shuffling, the developers of Saint Elmo Market District have closed on the land and are ready to move forward.
3. Southwest's big sale connects Austin to 26 destinations for under $200. Flying out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport just became much cheaper. Southwest Airlines’ nationwide fare sale offers decreased, one-way tickets to 26 destinations, with five flights costing less than $100.
4. Fixer Upper star wants to tell the story you don’t get on the HGTV show. What was once a drive-through town on the way to Austin has become the nation’s epicenter of home renovations. And carpenter Clint Harp has seen the whole story unfold from the inside.
5. New study declares Austin the second-best city for liberals to live. Austin has long been considered the lone blue dot in the middle of a sea of Texas red when it comes to politics. And now our fair city ranks as one of the top spots for liberals to live in the country: No. 2 in the United States and No. 1 in Texas.
Hit the Road
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has been looking to make improvements on MoPac Expressway South from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane to try to improve traffic. It is looking to add up to four express toll lanes.
But the Austin City Council recently passed a resolution over its concerns with the project.
“[The resolution] tells the city manager to work with the CTRMA on the MoPac South Project. When you see state money being spent on projects that affect the local community, we want to make sure we are holding the highest standard possible," Councilmember Paige Ellis said.
Some of the concerns listed in the resolution include that it's been more than 11 years since CTRMA held its original scoping meeting; that the Recommended Build Alternative has not changed substantially since 2015; and that fine particulate matter in the air in Travis County already exceeds healthy metrics; plus others.
Ellis said she has some environmental concerns.
"The environment is protected for species like the golden cheeked warbler and salamanders, so we want to make we are sure limiting impervious cover," Ellis said.
The CTRMA said its environmental study evaluates potential harms and mitigations to things like water quality and endangered species. The CTRMA added that it has "worked extensively with the city of Austin throughout the study."
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Read the full story, including information on how to submit feedback, and watch the video at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added a paragraph to this excerpt listing some details from the City Council document.
