1 big thing: Austin rents are still high, for now

2. Austin ad firm poised to help Southwest rebuild

3. 🤠 The Roundup: Wrangling the news

Illustration of the letters "ATX" writing onto the screen in the form of a lasso.

4.  🍷 Rosie's Wine Bar brings the charm 

Is a new job in your future?

5. Identify this spot and win an Axios hat or tote

A Google Earth image of downtown Austin, with a magenta box around a city block.

☔️ Today's weather: A chance of showers in the afternoon. Cloudy with a high near 40.

Be careful out there. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for Travis, Williamson, Burnet and Blanco counties, among others, with potentially icy road conditions late tonight.

The advisory lasts from 9am today through noon Wednesday.

Today's newsletter is 897 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Thanks to Bob Gee for editing and Keely Bastow and David Chiu for copy editing this newsletter.

🎧 Asher is listening to this episode of This American Life about people who get the runaround. He feels his blood pressure rising.

 🍪 Nicole bought six boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

Austin

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

Axios Austin

1 big thing: City set to count homeless

2.  Social services tech workers want to unionize

Illustration of a dialogue box that reads "unionize" with a cursor aiming for the ok button

Photo illustration of the Willie Nelson statue in Austin checking the news on its phone.

4. 🎵 Your weekend lineup

Illustration of a cassette tape with the tape unspooling to spell weekend. 

Seeking employment? 

5. 🏡 1 housing stat to go

Workers finishing a roof on a house for sale in Southeast Austin.

☀️ Today's weather: Beautiful sunny skies with a high near 62.

🎂Happy birthday to our Axios Austin member Mindi Miller!

Situational awareness: Claudio Reyna has stepped down as sporting director of Austin FC, but will remain an adviser with the club.

The move comes as Reyna has been embroiled in a scandal dating to the World Cup, over pressure he and his wife allegedly put on U.S. Soccer officials after they were frustrated their son hadn't received more playing time on the national squad.

Today's newsletter is 898 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🎥 Asher is watching this short doc about the life of an ambassador's wife.

😏 Nicole is proud to announce that she actually ate all of her groceries this week instead of eating out at a restaurant.

1 big thing: Hundreds of thousands lose power

2. How to whack ice off your tree

Illustration of a mustang wearing glasses and reading the news on a phone.

4. Awesomely weird weather graphic du jour

Graphic showing corgis in a tree to illustrate weight of ice

A new career is waiting for you

5. Photos to go: A frozen city

Thanks for joining us on this chilly Thursday.

☔️  Today's weather: Things are warming up! High of 42 with morning showers likely.

⚡️ Sounds like: Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)," as performed on Austin City Limits.

🚨 Situational awareness: Power may be out in some areas of the city through Friday evening as trees and branches continue to topple utility lines, Austin Energy officials reported last night, per Austin City Council member Paige Ellis.  

Today's newsletter is 645 words — a 2.5-minute read.

Thanks to Bob Gee for editing and Kate Sommers-Dawes and Keely Bastow for copy editing this newsletter.

❄️ Asher is reading this perfect ice storm poem.

😍 Nicole can't wait to see Beyoncé in Dallas, two days before her birthday!

We're sorry you can't crumple up this newsletter and use it as fire starter. 

Officials respond to dozens of wrecks, fires

2. Carver Museum celebrates Black History Month

illustration of a one hundred dollar bill with a dodo on it

4. 💬 Three questions with Rosalia Chiu

Photo illustration of Rosalia Chiu with the city of Austin and circles in the background.

Plan your future

5. 🗺️ 1 new map of ancient civilization to go

A view of the La Danta pyramid at the El Mirador archaeological site in San Andres, Guatemala.

Welcome to Wednesday, the first day of Black History Month.

❄️ Today's weather: Still very chilly. The National Weather Service's winter storm warning remains in effect, with freezing rain and a high of 34.

All non-essential city operations have been suspended through Wednesday.

If you lose power, check out our guide on what to do. 

Today's newsletter is 885 words — a 3.5-minute read.

📖 Asher is reading this novel, about Nazi resistance in Berlin, by Hans Fallada.

☹️ Nicole hopes her power comes back on soon. 

Flip this email to your realtor and encourage them to subscribe.

1 big thing: Housing market resurrected

Illustration of a zombie's hand emerging from a grave, clutching keys.

2. Avoid muggings: Pay taxes online

Illustration of a heavy golden house, glimmering. 

Illustration of a pattern of bats that turn into the Axios logo.

4. Places to find soup on a chilly day

Take your career to the next level

5. Mystery site revealed

Thanks for joining us this frigid Tuesday. 

🥶 Today's weather: Wool socks weather, with a chance of freezing rain before 7am and a 60% chance of precipitation throughout the day. Cloudy with a high near 32.

🌧 Situational awareness: School districts across Central Texas, including Austin ISD, closed schools today over the freezing weather, and a winter storm warning is in effect until noon tomorrow.

🎧 Sounds like: "Taxman," by the Beatles.

💖 It’s a great day to contribute to our newsroom by becoming a member! 

Today's newsletter is 908 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🎎 Asher is desperately trying to occupy his kids with day care closed — aka dollapalooza.

🍲 Nicole is obsessed with this soup recipe from New York Times Cooking.

We caught up with Rosalia Chiu, who has worked as a real estate agent in the Austin market for 21 years, to ask her about proposed legislation that would bar Chinese nationals from buying property in Texas.

Born in Hong Kong, she moved to Austin in 2002 after a career in consulting and project management in Taiwan and Silicon Valley. She lives in Leander and calls her realty job "retirement community service."

She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese and Taiwanese Hokkien — and at least half her clients are of Asian backgrounds, she tells Axios. 

Why it matters: State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican from Brenham, has proposed banning citizens, governments and entities from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing property in Texas — and Gov. Greg Abbott has said he would sign the bill into law.

Between the lines: Tray Bates, vice president of governmental affairs at the powerful Texas Realtors association, says that "our members have concerns about the impact of this proposed legislation and the association is discussing those concerns with its membership, bill authors, and other stakeholders."

"America is the land of freedom. Anyone should be able to buy a home.  If they have the money, why not?"

Why do Chinese nationals buy in the Austin area?

"Many come to school here and some are investors, who never live there. Some want to buy a condo for their kids who go to UT — we call them kiddie condos. They'll sell it when their kid graduates. Some are corporate executives who work with a company here, they like Austin, and they decide they want to buy a house. Or they come as tourists and want to buy property here.

"They're not out to control the economy or something. They're not scammers or terrorists."

As a Realtor who handles Chinese buyers, this could harm your income, correct? 

"This is about equal opportunity for everybody. I'm not opposed because of my bottom line."

Axios interviews Rosalia Chiu about bill banning Chinese homebuyers

"They're not scammers or terrorists," Rosalia Chiu says.

Photo Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of Rosalia Chiu

We caught up with Rosalia Chiu, who has worked as a real estate agent in the Austin market for 21 years, to ask her about proposed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="legislation that would bar Chinese nationals" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/01/25/texas-ban-chinese-property-purchase" data-vars-content-id="23e59e69-81ab-4780-bde8-6d50aa133cac" data-vars-headline="Axios interviews Rosalia Chiu about bill banning Chinese homebuyers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/01/25/texas-ban-chinese-property-purchase" target="_self">legislation that would bar Chinese nationals</a> from buying property in Texas.<ul><li>Born in Hong Kong, she moved to Austin in 2002 after a career in consulting and project management in Taiwan and Silicon Valley. She lives in Leander and calls her realty job &quot;retirement community service.&quot;</li></ul>

News

Real Estate

An old and trusted Austin partner will likely play a key role in Southwest Airlines' efforts to rehabilitate its reputation after recent operational failures that affected roughly 1 million holiday travelers.

The big picture: GSD&M, the powerhouse Austin ad agency that has told the airline's story for decades, figures to be at the heart of Southwest's long-term reclamation project.

The agency conceived Southwest's "You are now free to move about the country" tagline.

Between the lines: GSD&M co-founder and chairman Roy Spence was a long-time friend of the late Southwest co-founder Herb Kelleher — and the airline's success tracked with the ad agency's takeoff.

In recent years, GSD&M rolled out the airline's "Transfarency" campaign, to promote Southwest's free baggage policy.

The agency's website has a short breakdown of its "High School Reunion" ad for the airline.

What they're saying: "We’re continuing our agency partnership with GSD&M and look forward to working with them to support our mission — to connect people to what's important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel," Laura Swift, a spokesperson for the airline, tells Axios.

"Southwest has an amazing history of always having people's backs when they fly," Jay Russell, chief creative officer at GSD&M, said in October, as the airline launched its "Go With Heart" campaign, crafted by the Austin agency, which is located on West Sixth Street, across from Whole Foods. (GSD&M did not respond to a request for comment about the particulars of their partnership moving forward.)

Flashback: More than 800 Southwest flights scheduled to arrive or depart from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport were canceled between Dec. 22 and 29, per data obtained by Axios.

About 25% of all flights into and out of the Austin airport were canceled during that period — but 82% of those cancellations were Southwest flights. 

The bottom line: Southwest still ranks among the top three airlines — behind Delta and Alaska, but ahead of United and American — according to The Wall Street Journal's latest airline scorecard.

Austin ad agency figures to aid Southwest Airlines

GDS&M has devised memorable ad campaigns for Southwest.

Southwest Airlines is aiming to bounce back from the December meltdown. Photo: Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

An old and trusted Austin partner will likely play a key role in Southwest Airlines&#x27; efforts to rehabilitate its reputation after recent operational failures that affected roughly 1 million holiday travelers.The big picture: GSD&amp;M, the powerhouse Austin ad agency that has told the airline&#x27;s story for decades, figures to be at the heart of Southwest&#x27;s long-term reclamation project.

Time to get out that e-check and send a chunk of your cash to the local tax collector.

Driving the news: If you're a homeowner, Jan. 31 is the property tax deadline.

Why it matters: Property taxes pay for everything from city pothole repairs to teacher salaries. 

Between the lines: Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant is urging property owners to pay their property taxes online.

The Travis County Sheriff's Office is investigating nine open cases of tax office customers who had their property tax payments stolen from the mail in the 2021 tax year, Elfant said.

What they're saying: Citing jugging, the new crime trend involving mugging people as they move from an ATM to their car, Elfant also warns people against delivering cash to the tax office. 

"Fortunately, our message to avoid payment through the mail has resonated with our customers but, unfortunately, many of them are choosing to bring cash to the tax office and they are running the risk of falling victim to jugging," he said.

Yes, but: So far, there are no reports of tax office customers being accosted and robbed of their property tax payment, Elfant said.

How to do it: You can pay in person, by phone, mail (postmarked Tuesday), dropbox, or electronic funds transfer — but Elfant encourages payment with an eCheck, for an additional $1, at TravisCountyTax.org.

You can pay online until 11:59pm tonight.

"But be aware it is not unusual for our online system to slow down the closer it gets to the deadline because too many people try to pay at the same time," Elfant said, warning of penalties for late payments.

Beware of muggings while paying Austin taxes

Those paying by cash could risk being targeted for jugging.

Time to get out that e-check and send a chunk of your cash to the local tax collector.Driving the news: If you&#x27;re a homeowner, Jan. 31 is the property tax deadline.

The big picture: Ice toppled trees onto roads, cars and houses across Central Texas on Wednesday, so we snapped photos around town — showing a very frozen Austin.

An image of a downed tree limb in southeast Austin.

A downed tree limb rests on a car in southeast Austin. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios

Ice covers a tree limb in Austin. Photo: @austinfiredept on Twitter.

Frozen limbs fallen on a South Austin road.

Trees block a street in the Sherwood Forest neighborhood in South Austin. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios

A limb falls across a South Austin property.

Limbs fall on a South Austin house. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios

A pretty view of Central Austin from St. Edward's.

Light reflects off ice-covered grass and tree limbs at St. Edward's University. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios

Austin's winter storm in photos

Ice toppled tree limbs into roads and on homes Wednesday.

A downed cedar limb just dodges a South Austin home. Photo: Bob Gee/Axios

News flash: It&#x27;s been pretty dang cold.The big picture: Ice toppled trees onto roads, cars and houses across Central Texas on Wednesday, so we snapped photos around town — showing a very frozen Austin.

Molière once wrote, "I live on good soup, not on fine words."

Why it matters: Hard to disagree, especially when cold winter weather takes hold in Austin. 

Grab grub at this Austin mini-chain of taqueria drive-thrus. 

Order this: The pozole — juicy chunks of slow-cooked pork in a rich, red stew with tasty bits of hominy and green chile, all topped with fresh cabbage and radish. 

Existential question: Does it count as a soup?

Location: Spots on South First, East Riverside, Burnet and North Lamar.

Find The Soup Peddler at six locations around town for quick takeout options.

A warm brew of green broth, from the Soup Peddler. Photo: Asher Price/Axios

What we love: The green detox broth. It's hearty, vegan and loaded with veggies, including onion, zucchini, kale, broccoli, garlic, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice and coconut oil. 

Order it with a grilled cheese sandwich to dip in the broth or enjoy it on its own.

Head to Sap's at their north or south Austin locations to find comforting thai food at reasonable prices.

Order this: The Tom Kha for a lemongrass-forward coconut soup that's got a bit of a kick to it.

It's served with rice and great with chicken.

Locations: 4514 West Gate Blvd. and 5800 Burnet Road

Hunker down at this Austin staple, or sit beneath gas heaters outside if you want to brave the cold.

The tomato-coconut soup at FoodHeads. Photo: Asher Price/Axios

Order this: The coconut-tomato soup. It's sweet, bright and toasty.

Sleek and modern, it inherits the space once occupied by the beloved Ruby's BBQ.

Velvety ground pork and shrimp dumplings with shredded chicken and bok choy in a clear, mild broth. 

Basically, a very un-kosher matzoh ball soup. 

Five places to find soup on a chilly Austin day

Here are some of our favorite soup spots in Austin.

A bowl of the yummy pozole from El Tacorrido. Photo: Asher Price/Axios

Molière once wrote, &quot;I live on good soup, not on fine words.&quot;<ul><li>Except <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="it was in French" data-vars-click-url="http://moliere.huma-num.fr/base.php?Je_vis_de_bonne_soupe" data-vars-content-id="ffe1fee0-b6e6-4b77-a022-90a43330429a" data-vars-headline="Five places to find soup on a chilly Austin day" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://moliere.huma-num.fr/base.php?Je_vis_de_bonne_soupe" target="_blank">it was in French</a>. </li></ul>

Asher Price

Stories

Austin's winter storm in photos

Axios interviews Rosalia Chiu about bill banning Chinese homebuyers

Five places to find soup on a chilly Austin day

Beware of muggings while paying Austin taxes

Austin ad agency figures to aid Southwest Airlines

Newsletter editions

🌨️ The storm's impact

🥶 Hunkering down

🏠 Housing rebound

✈️ Southwest's Austin connection

📝 Tallying the unhoused