COVID hospitalization rate continues dropping, but is still in Stage 5 range - CTR and new cases are still very high. Travis County residents are found to mask up more reliably than Texans or Americans overall, but student leaders at UT are dissatisfied with the institution's precaution policies. Austin City Council members are dissatisfied with Austin Water's explanations for the recent boil-water notice and will meet on the topic on Tuesday morning. Staffers for Governor Greg Abbott's re-election campaign were ejected from a Wednesday evening event featuring Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke for distributing empty pill bottles with fake fentanyl labels. New York U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will appear with Congressional candidate Greg Casar at a rally at The Mohawk on Sunday. Early voting for the March primary election starts Monday and the Austin Bar Association has released its preferences in local judicial races. A retrial is set in a murder case in Greece related to the 2017 killing of an Austin man. Environmental conflicts arise over the proposed Violet Crown development near Bee Cave, and also the landfill that serves as a parking lot on the western end of Zilker Park. The Kerrville Folk Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary this spring, tickets are available now. Season passes for Austin pools have also gone on sale. Austin alt-rock outfit Spoon releases their new album Lucifer On The Sofa today. Local restaurant workers may be eligible for free child care. Michael and Susan Dell have made a major investment in the WNBA. Austin makes rankings of the friendliest American cities, and the best American cities for quality pizza, but a Fox News report that we're one of the ten unhealthiest cities in the country is found to be Pants On Fire.
