Headlines

Cyclists can ride with more confidence on Barton Springs Road, thanks to the addition of "green lanes" – a westbound off-street cycling track and an eastbound widened buffered bike lane. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

› City Council meets today (May 23) on a hefty agenda with perhaps some disappearing items; most specifically, it looks like the attempt to create an independent governing board for Austin Energy has finally come a cropper. However, there's always short-term rental regs to dispute, and we can celebrate Adelaide, Australia. See "Watch Out for Angry Penguins."

› The city auditor's office issued its long-awaited list of 60 final candidates for the Citizens Redistricting Commission, and eight commissioners were drawn at random on Wed­nes­day: Magdalena Blanco, Mariano Diaz-Miranda, Rachel Farris, William Hewitt, Carmen Llanes Pulido, Arthur Lopez, Anna Saenz, and Maria Solis. (No council member exercised their right to strike a name from the candidate list.) Those eight will choose another six from the same list, to form the CRC – then finally to get down to the business of drawing 10 new City Council districts.

› For only the second time in its history, Capital Metro is considering raising its fares. The increase would be staggered over the next two years, and create four different tiers of service. Even after the proposed increases, Cap Metro fares would be well below those of other major cities, but some advocates argue the price increase would hit the poor and disabled.

› A federal judge on Monday cleared the way for a lawsuit to proceed against APD Officer Nathan Wagner in a civil rights case connected to the shooting death in 2011 of 20-year-old Byron Carter. The trial is scheduled for the week of June 3. (See "Judge on Byron Carter Case: Take It to the Jury.")

› Central Health's Board of Managers met Wednesday for final discussion of a master agreement to solidify the district's relationship with Seton Healthcare Family pursuant to Novem­ber's vote in favor of Proposition 1. As the work nears conclusion, some women's health advocates are concerned that the arrangement could restrict women's access to a full range of services. ("Expanding Central Health," Newsdesk, May 21.)

› Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday gave the unanimous go-ahead to fund a new ambulance to be stationed at Austin's Colony, a growing community off FM 969 in East Austin. To start, the unit will be staffed 12 hours a day, seven days a week with the goal of upping that to 24/7 service later this summer.

› Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty said Tuesday that he believes District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg should resign in the wake of her April drunk driving arrest. That opinion came after the Court was advised, based on a request by Daugherty, that it had no authority to remove her or force her to resign. (See "Daugherty Says Lehmberg Should Resign," May 22.)

› Richard Linklater lost his suit against Truck Insurance Exchange over the company's refusal to cover the loss of his filmmaking archive in the 2011 Bastrop fires (see "Linklater Sues for Bastrop Losses," Screens, May 17). Judge Stephen Yele­nosky ruled in favor of the insurers on May 17, but Linklater's attorney said that the director plans to appeal.