1. Capital Metro joins the ride-hailing industry
Capital Metro will launch a new ride-hailing bus service called Pickup tomorrow. The new service will allow riders to arrange on-demand transit trips in the Mueller, Windsor Park and Coronado Hills neighborhoods using a mobile app. It's free during the pilot program and runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
This comes on the heels of Uber and Lyft's return to Austin following the signing of a bill that canceled out the city's fingerprinting regulations.
2. Austin sues state on 'sanctuary city' bill
.@GregCasar says #sb4 attacks who "we are as a country." Says he will fight bill "to the end." #sanctuarycities pic.twitter.com/xIUK1pIcKB
— Christopher Neely (@TopherJNeely) June 2, 2017
The city of Austin has joined forces with the city of San Antonio, the Workers Defense Project and the Mexican Legal Defense and Education Fund to sue the State of Texas over the constitutionality of the “sanctuary city” bill passed by the Texas Legislature last month.
“Supporters of [Senate Bill 4] have gone way too far,” District 4 Council Member Greg Casar said during a conference call on Thursday night. “[It threatens] the constitutional rights of Texans, from tiny border towns to the largest cities.”
3. Summer treats at Frost Bank
From left, Kyle Littlepage, minority owner, and Mars Chapman, owner, stand in front of the company food truck from which they offer catering.[/caption]Stop by the Frost Bank East Seventh Financial Center, located at 2421 E. Seventh St., Austin, on Friday from 3-5 p.m. for a free treat from Casey's New Orleans Snowballs.
Casey's features 72 homemade flavors of snowballs. Read our dining profile on the 21-year-old business in our May issue.
4. Rainey area traffic examined
A new Rainey neighborhood traffic study shows nearly a dozen developments are slated for the area, which could bring as many as three to four times more cars to the area in the next three to six years. The report, titled The Rainey Neighborhood Mobility Study & Plan, shows that based on how the city of Austin calculates peak-hour vehicle trips, as much as $13.4 million could be collected from developers for transportation improvements.
5. Growler USA kicks off annual 'Beer Skool'
Growler USA's 10-week Beer 101 class starts this Tuesday. Students study everything from hops and malts to beer styles, flavors and smells. The class is held each Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at 609 W. 29th St. until Aug. 8.
