Austin's COVID hospitalization average continues climbing steeply, and CTR is also in Stage 5 range. (Late edit: Austin is officially back at Stage 5). AISD schools see a drop in expected attendance on yesterday's first day back after the holiday. A free COVID testing site opens today at the Toney Burger Center, no appointments or insurance required. Health experts hope for a rapid fall in the Omicron wave, potentially ending within eight weeks. Today is the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol - 63 Texans including several from the Austin area are facing charges related to the event. Natural gas supplies saw a 25% drop during last week's strong but typical cold front, leading to renewed fears that the Texas power grid is not ready for another winter storm similar to last February's disaster. Mayor Steve Adler is one of a group of Texas mayors joining forces to lobby the U.S. Senate for new laws negating new voting access restrictions in Texas and other Republican-led states. The Austin real estate market drops to 10th hottest in the country, while research from U-Haul also indicates a cooling of the local housing scene. Austin Pets Alive is suffering a staffing shortage due to COVID and needs help fostering 50 dogs. The Water 2 Wine winery in New Braunfels takes home five awards from the Texas International Wine Competition. The owners of the Mean Eyed Cat, Lala's and The Wheel have acquired downtown speakeasy Midnight Cowboy. The Austin Chronicle opens voting for this year's Austin Music Awards. And two cold fronts combine over the next five days for a bit of a weather rollercoaster.
