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Day Trips: Gifts From All Over Texas • The Austin Chronicle

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Day Trips: Gifts From All Over Texas • The Austin Chronicle


Holiday gift giving means it’s time for a road trip.

Maceo’s Spice & Import Company (maceospice.com) in Galveston is the perfect destination for the chefs and eaters on your list. Not only is the island city decorated for the holidays, but the 81-year-old specialty shop has an expansive selection of spices and hard-to-find imported foods. The house-made tomato gravy and pesto sauce are highly recommended. While you’re there, treat yourself to a muffaletta sandwich and a bowl of gumbo.  

If someone on your holiday gift list is a New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival fan, head to Santo at the intersection of I-20 and U.S. 281. Kennedy’s Sausage Hometown Market (kennedyssausagehtm.com) makes the original Crawfish Monica Sauce (minus the crawfish) from Jazz Fest. The market sells other frozen foods that can be found nowhere else except maybe their other store in Stephenville. 

At Santo you’re 16 miles south of Mineral Wells, so drive to the Crazy Water Company for a case of Texas’ original mineral water. 

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Any NPR listener would be proud to proclaim their support by wearing this unique t-shirt designed by the late West Texas artist Boyd Elder Credit: MPR

If you can’t make a road trip during the hectic days leading up to the holiday, then shop online. One of the pleasures of traveling Texas is finding the friendly voice of National Public Radio. Small radio stations were hit hard after the elimination of federal funding for public media. For instance, Marfa Public Radio lost a third of its funding. Consider making a gift to one of the 44 public stations in Texas in someone’s name. Or purchase a very cool T-shirt from Marfa Public Radio (marfapublicradio.org) as a way of making a donation.

Want a gift with staying power? Give a personalized brick to support the renovation of the historic Bolivar Point Lighthouse (bolivarpointlighthouse.org). The red brick with their name on it will be used as a paving stone at the lighthouse across the channel from Galveston.

Purchasing a customized brick for the 1872 Bolivar Point Lighthouse not only supports the renovation, but is the gift that keeps giving for years to come Credit: Gerald McLeod

Feliz Navidad, y’all. 


1,784th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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Austin, TX

Austin opens cold weather shelters ahead of freezing temps

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Austin opens cold weather shelters ahead of freezing temps


As the Austin area prepares to plunge into freezing temperatures Sunday night, the city is initiating its Cold Weather Shelters protocol.

Those wanting to use the emergency shelters, which open when overnight temperatures reach 35 degrees or lower, must register between 6-8 p.m. at One Texas Center (OTC) on Barton Springs Road, according to a release from the city. Those interested and in need of transport can reach the OTC via bus lines 1, 7, 10, 20, 30, 105 and 801. Anyone who can’t pay bus fare but needs shelter will still be allowed to ride, a Facebook post from the city said.

Following registration, CapMetro shuttles will take guests from the OTC to a cold weather shelter. The addresses for these shelters are kept confidential due to “safety, privacy and capacity concerns,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The Statesman also reported that shelters provide meals and allow leashed, friendly pets.

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All parks and libraries are meanwhile serving as warming centers during regular operating hours, except for Austin Public Library’s Old Quarry Branch and Willie Mae Kirk Branch.



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Austin, TX

Building cleared after non-credible bomb threat made in Downtown Austin

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Building cleared after non-credible bomb threat made in Downtown Austin


A Downtown Austin building was cleared after a bomb threat was made Saturday night.

Police say that the call came in at 9:38 p.m., after which officers arrived to the scene and cleared a nearby building at 311 E 6th St.

ALSO: H-E-B delights Austin airport travelers with surprise gift vending machine pop-up

The threat was found to not be credible, and no one was injured.

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Police say no one is in custody and they will be clearing the scene shortly.



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The richest small town in Texas tops our most popular Austin stories

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The richest small town in Texas tops our most popular Austin stories


Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson held a press conference Friday to discuss a new deal with Southwest Airlines and its expected impact on the city.

The deal, approved Thursday by the Austin City Council, awards Southwest $2,750 for each new Austin-based hire over the next five years. In exchange, the airline plans to add 2,000 high-paying jobs with an average salary of $180,000 and invest in local workforce initiatives, including the city’s new Austin Infrastructure Academy.

Officials say the deal will strengthen Southwest’s presence at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the carrier already handles more than 40 percent of all passenger traffic.

The partnership is expected to bring in nearly $20 million in local tax revenue, and the incentive program will last for five years and pay Southwest up to $5.5 million.

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Mayor Watson said the agreement will not only create new jobs in Austin but will improve the overall experience at AUS.

“We’re building lives and careers at the same time we’re building tarmacs and terminals,” Watson said. “Southwest is choosing Austin because our people, our workforce, and our future make us a smart investment. This deal creates thousands of good-paying jobs, improves the passenger experience, and ensures the benefits flow directly to Austin workers, families, and tourists. This agreement is proof that Austin means business and cares about the success of its people.”

Read the full story at KVUE.com.



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