Austin, TX
F45 Training, Couch Potatoes: 9 business updates to know in South Central Austin
Now open
Lightspeed Restoration of Austin
The family-owned business serves the Austin, Buda, Driftwood, Kyle and Manchaca areas with water damage restoration, fire restoration, disaster recovery and air duct cleaning. Owner Jonathan Friedman and his family decided to open Lightspeed Restoration of Austin after Texas’ winter storm in 2021.
Coming soon
F45 Training
The training gym will open a new location on South Lamar Boulevard in April. F45 Training studios offer 45-minute functional workouts focusing on cardio, resistance, a cardio-resistance hybrid and recovery. The new studio will also include F45 Recovery, which features cold plunges, infrared saunas and compressions.
Relocations
Texas Radio Live
Austin’s longest-running live music radio program will relocate to a new home for its 14th season. After 13 years at Guero’s Taco Bar on South Congress Avenue, the show will begin broadcasting from Half Step on Rainey Street at the end of January.
In the news
End of an Ear
Local record store End of an Ear is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Owners Dan Plunkett and Blake Carlisle first opened in 2005 off South First Street before moving to its current location in 2016. The store offers vinyl records, CDs and DVDs. In-store performances have included artists such as Band of Horses, Voxtrot, Alex G and Mitski.
Closings
Couch Potatoes
The Austin-based furniture store will close its south location at the end of January. According to a message posted on the business website, the closure is a “strategic decision to adapt to the evolving retail landscape in Austin.” Couch Potatoes’ other stores in north and Central Austin will remain open.
Zoe Tong
The Barton Springs Road restaurant closed in late December. Zoé Tong’s owners, chefs Simone Tong and Matthew Hyland, announced the Dec. 31 closure in an email to customers and through social media posts.
Sí Baby-Q
The Asian barbecue truck on Zoé Tong’s patio run by Simone Tong and Terry Black’s BBQ alum Jonathan Lagos had its last day of service at Barton Springs Road in December. According to a social media post, Sí Baby-Q actively searching for a new spot.
Confituras Little Kitchen
The baked goods and locally-made jam business closed its brick-and-mortar location in December, according to a social media post. Customers can find Confituras at the Barton Creek Farmers’ Market on Saturdays.
The Beer Plant
The vegan restaurant closed in the Tarrytown neighborhood in late December. The business owners thanked their customers and staff in a message posted to their website. Opened in 2016, The Beer Plant served plant-based brunch and dinner, beer, wine and cocktails.
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Video of new Texas Tech System chancellor home at historic Lubbock property
The Texas Tech System is acquiring the historic Tudor Revival ‘English Home’ in Lubbock to serve as the new chancellor’s residence.
Money and rankings don’t make a great university. Providing opportunities for disadvantaged students and protecting academic freedom, however, do.
Case in point: Michael and Susan Dell recently surpassed $1 billion in giving to the University of Texas at Austin, launching a plan to build a new medical center and advanced research campus in north Austin.
To be sure, this is a magnanimous gift that will fund important initiatives. While enormously grateful for this contribution, I am disappointed that this gift was not accompanied with a strong message from Michael Dell admonishing the University for gutting DEI and infringing upon academic freedom.
As a colleague of mine astutely observed: “Good luck recruiting doctors and med students. The attacks on DEI and political climates will mean a lot more than rankings and money long-term.”
UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, referencing the Dell gift, is right: “We are transforming this site into a new campus the world has never seen before.” Yes, never seen, but in a very negative and dangerous way!
Last week, I received a message from the Texas Exes: “This is your last chance to show your support during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, UT Austin’s Texas-sized fundraising event. Can we count on you?”
My answer: “No, absolutely not. I won’t give one dime to a university that no longer is committed to diversity and preserving academic freedom.”
Having proudly taught at UT for 41 years, I am sad to say this.
– Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D. is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus, Moody College of Communication and Founding Director, Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium (IE) at The University of Texas at Austin.
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AUSTIN, Texas — APD SWAT responded to a barricaded subject in East Austin Saturday afternoon.
According to police, the incident took place near the 3400 block of Kay St., and officers responded to the call at around 1:30 p.m.
Once officers arrived, they made contact with a victim who “advised of circumstances that met the state law requirement of assault with a deadly weapon family violence.” Shortly after, the suspect barricaded themselves inside the residence.
ALSO: National Weather Service warns of storms with gusty winds
Austin Police officers, SWAT, hostage negotiators, and Austin-Travis County EMS were still on the scene and the suspect was still barricaded as of 6:15 p.m.
People are being encouraged to avoid the area due to increased police presence, or stay in a safe location if they are unable to avoid the area.
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This is a developing story and more information will be provided as it becomes available.
A 27-year-old Pflugerville man faces capital murder charges for allegedly killing his parents and his brother, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies of 62-year-old Armand, 63-year-old Jami and 31-year-old Noah Dahan were found by deputies conducting a welfare check Thursday at their home on Civorno Drive. Deputies said the victims had suffered gunshot wounds. https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/tcso-pflugerville-triple-homicide/
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