Headlines

• City Council returns from its summer break Thursday to face a weighty agenda, with items ranging from the new Water Treatment Plant No. 4 to the controversial legal settlement with the family of Nathaniel Sanders II. See "City Hall Hustle."

• Recession? What recession? Updated budget projections from the city of Austin and Travis County show higher-than-predicted property tax receipts, and a possible small tax increase could mean both entities may avoid layoffs and approve small pay raises.

• Texas billionaire and noted sporting philanthropist Red McCombs has stepped forward as the moneyman behind the new U.S. Grand Prix Formula One track to be built in Elroy, south of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. See "Formula One Moves on to Step Two."

• The Capital Metro board Monday officially welcomed Linda Watson into her new role as CEO of a transit agency in need of a public image enhancement. See "Watson Takes Cap Metro Wheel."

• Capping off a 10-month search process, the city announced Friday its choice for Austin Water's new conservation division manager: current acting conservation division Manager Drema Gross. Gross has filled the position since it became vacant in September. Now she will continue to do so, minus the "acting" part.

• City Council on Thursday will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act and honor several businesses that actually get the whole ADA thing. The top Austin Access Award winners this year are Austin Community College South Austin Campus, Barton Creek Square mall customer service, and Regal Westgate movie theatre.

• Pity the child who lives in Texas. The latest 2010 Kids Count Data Book shows Texas ranking 34th nationally in a study of children's well-being. While the state improved its overall rating in several categories, infant mortality numbers increased over previous years. For the complete study, see datacenter.kidscount.org/tx.

• Attorney General Greg Abbott is suing the Environmental Protection Agency, arguing that the EPA's termination of Texas' polluter-friendly flexible permits program violates states' rights.

• More omens for Gov. Rick Perry: The Washington Post has moved the Texas governor's race from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up," crediting Democratic candidate Bill White's "effective campaign to capitalize on discontent directed at the incumbent."

Quote of the Week

"You know why most airline food tastes like chicken? The answer is, most airline food is chicken – so it's kinda the same thing here."

– Mayor and former pilot Lee Leffingwell, joking that public safety takes up a large chunk of the budget because of the high number of public safety employees