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By Ben Thompson

Austin City Hall Reporter

Ben joined Community Impact Newspaper in January 2019 after graduating with a degree in journalism from Northeastern University in Boston. He spent more than two years reporting on Montgomery County and The Woodlands area before moving to Austin in 2021 to cover City Hall and other news throughout the city. Contact Ben with questions, tips or feedback at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @BThompson_CI.

Articles

An increase to Austin Energy's base rates was approved Dec. 8. (Darcy Sprague/Community Impact)
City Council OK's Austin Energy rate hike; typical residents to see $9 monthly bill increase
Capital Metro's headquarters is now located at East Fifth Street and North Pleasant Valley Road. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Cap Metro continues planning for transit-oriented development around Austin
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department's Central Maintenance Complex is located next to Oracle's headquarters campus. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
‘Something is off here': Officials review value of voter-sanctioned Austin parkland swap
Candidates raised more than $1 million and spent $880,000 million since Oct. 30. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Austin runoff candidates raise $1M ahead of December election; Watson leads with $456K
person holding semiconductor chip
Growing semiconductor industry solidifies Central Texas' status as 'Silicon Hills'
East Austin's Springdale Road is one of the dozens of stretches of roadway city officials have targeted for denser development. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Austin City Hall notebook: Council opens up corridors, commercial zones for more housing development
Endeavor Real Estate Group plans to bring a 3.6 million-square-foot mixed-use project to the shore of Lady Bird Lake. (Courtesy Endeavor Real Estate Group)
Austin City Council clears plans for 19-acre redevelopment on Lady Bird Lake
Runoff elections will be decided Dec. 13. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Austin runoff election: Mayor, council candidates square off as early voting begins
Austin City Council District 9's eight-candidate general election field has narrowed to Zohaib "Zo" Qadri and Linda Guerrero in the December runoff. (Community Impact staff)
Q&A: Austin City Council District 9 candidates advance to Dec. 13 runoff election
General election finalists Ryan Alter and Stephanie Bazan are in the District 5 runoff election. (Community Impact staff)
Q&A: Austin City Council District 5 candidates advance to Dec. 13 runoff election
José Velásquez and Daniela Silva are finalists in the Austin City Council District 3 runoff election. (Community Impact staff)
Q&A: Austin City Council District 3 candidates advance to Dec. 13 runoff election
Austin voters will decide between Celia Israel and Kirk Watson to be the next mayor Dec. 13. (Community Impact staff)
Q&A: Austin mayoral candidates Celia Israel, Kirk Watson heading to runoff election Dec. 13
Austin City Council finalists will participate in public forums Nov. 30. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Austin to host candidate forums Nov. 30 for mayor, council finalists ahead of runoff election
Austin City Council will consider a pair of policy changes that could spur more three- to 16-unit housing projects. (Darcy Sprague/Community Impact)
Council seeks to streamline ‘missing-middle’ housing additions in Austin
Austin officials hope changes to city development rules will bring more housing to transit corridors. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Austin development updates could open the door for more housing on corridors
Several voting locations around Austin college campuses will not be used in the city's December runoff election. (Olivia Aldridge/Community Impact)
Limited voting sites for Austin runoff election prompts calls for increased access
Austin officials shared advice for cold weather preparations ahead of the winter season. (Community Impact staff)
City shares winter weather preparedness tips for Austinites
The city is considering a full replacement of Barton Springs Road's bridge crossing Barton Creek. (Courtesy city of Austin)
Austin eyes replacement of Barton Springs Road bridge
A city-commissioned audit of the Austin Police Department's responses to sexual assaults produced several recommended improvements. (Katy McAfee/Community Impact)
Shortcomings remain in Austin police's response to sex crimes after some recent gains
Austinites have until Nov. 14 to register to vote in the city's December runoff election. (Ben Thompson/Community Impact)
Voter registration for Austin's December mayor, council runoffs ends Nov. 14