As another year of the South by Southwest Conferences and Festivals wraps up, here are a few news items to know this week if you live in or around Northwest Austin.

1. Local projects added to Central Texas transportation plan update 


Construction projects on I-35, US 183 and Toll 183A have been added to a four-year regional construction planning document, which is organized by the Captial Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

CAMPO has organized a series of meetings that begin this week to get public input on the construction plan. Comments can also be submitted by email, postal mail or in person at 3300 N. I-35, Ste. 630, Austin.

Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Transportation activated 11 new traffic cameras on March 13, which allow Austin drivers to view I-35 from 51st Street to Woodward Street from their computers.

2. City accepts record requests by email


Beginning Monday, Austin residents can submit requests for public documents by email rather than just through the city's online portal. Read more here.

For records from any city department except the Austin Police Department, residents may send the request to [email protected]. For APD records requests, the public may use [email protected].

3. Aquatics Hiring Day


The Austin Parks and Recreation Department's Aquatic and Nature Based Programs Division hosts an aquatic hiring day Monday. Parks department officials will offer information and applications to anyone interested in working as a lifeguard, cashier, swim instructor or swim coach. Applicants need to bring their IDs and social security guards to complete the application, interview and registration process. Wages depend on the position as well as the age and experience level of an applicant. Hourly pay starts at $13.50.

The event is scheduled from 4-8 p.m. at the Aquatics Administration and Training Center, 2818 San Gabriel St., Austin. Call 512-974-9330 for more information or visit www.lifeguardaustin.com.

4. Northwest Austin homes sales surge 


Most areas of Austin saw stagnant or declining year-to-year home sales growth in February, according to data released March 16 by the Austin Board of Realtors. But the story was different in Northwest Austin—an area that includes the 78726, 78750, 78729, 78759, 78727 and 78758 ZIP codes—where the median price for single-family homes increased 7.3 percent to $323,000 in February compared to February 2016.

ABoR President Brandy Guthrie cautioned against citing the decreases in other parts of the city as an example of a housing market slowdown, considering 2016 was a very strong year for local real estate.

5. Mayor Adler on MSNBC


President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban will hurt Austin, Mayor Steve Adler said during a March 16 appearance on the MSNBC television news channel.

Alder spoke about the travel ban, which was temporarily blocked last week by two federal judges from Hawaii and Maryland, as well as the recent Immigration Customs Enforcement Raids in Austin and how the mayor represents the population in the city who support President Trump and the executive order travel ban. Read more here.