Happy Labor Day! It will be a pretty hot one with an .
City of Austin Offices Closed 鈥� But Animal Center Open
It鈥檚 Labor Day and that means 鈥� as are recreation centers, senior centers and libraries.
But the Austin Animal Center is open today and is . The center says they received lots of new pets in August but that adoptions were slow. It鈥檚 once again 鈥渟everely overcapacity鈥� and has no room for incoming animals. The free adoptions are being offered at the Austin Animal Center at and the Town Lake Animal Center at .
City pools, golf courses and tennis centers are also open today.
Trash and recycling collections will remain on schedule.
UT System Framework, One Year Later
As the one-year anniversary of University of Texas Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa鈥檚 鈥溾�� passes, those affected by the plan are reflecting on the changes.
The plan focuses on four areas: student opportunity, the university鈥檚 economic prosperity, improving quality of life by offering research-based solutions, and efficient and productive stewardship of the system.
that one year later, Cigarroa鈥檚 plan has produced some results: 鈥淭he system has revamped its major teaching awards, launched a service providing online courses, and created a $10 million startup venture fund,鈥� the Tribune writes. The framework is not without its detractors, however:
But questions over what constitutes success 鈥� particularly in determining how to set up an incentive pay plan for university presidents that was called for in the framework and approved last month 鈥� have revived old concerns. Jenifer Sarver, a spokeswoman for the Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, which was created in 2011 by a group who were concerned about the direction [UT System Board of Regents Chair Gene Powell] intended to lead the board, said the framework could be a powerful tool. 鈥淏ut, if it鈥檚 going to be top-down and prescriptive, or used as a vehicle to funnel pet projects of the regents,鈥� she said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not going to be effective, and it鈥檚 not going to improve quality for Texas students.鈥�
You can read Chancellor Cigarroa鈥檚 own update on the framework鈥檚 progress .
Is America鈥檚 Best Restroom in New Braunfels?
The convenience store chain Buc-ee鈥檚 likes to brag on billboards about its clean restrooms. But are their bathrooms the ?
A poll by Cintas 鈥� the company behind a number of cleaning products and services 鈥� shows the restrooms at the New Braunfels Buc-ees are in the top 10. Now, the public is invited to vote for the big winner.
The New Braunfels stalls are western-themed and are pitted against bathrooms in San Francisco, Hollywood and New York. A finalist in Las Vegas features plush, red velvet seats and gold plated faucets. Another in Washington, D.C. has oversized wood barrels for sinks.
Voting ends Oct. 26.
