We Have an Issue: Rocky Road: In this week’s issue, the brawl over what to do with I-35 rages on; plus, the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival is back, baby! – Columns
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Cover picture by Zeke Barbaro, with a reference to Lisa Kirkpatrick
Few things unite the Austinites more than their hatred of I-35, the interstate highway-slash hellscape that cuts through the center of town. Everyone more or less agrees that I-35 needs to be fixed, but how? The Texas Department of Transportation’s solution is to add lanes, a plan that would involve the demolition of a number of companies flanking the freeway, including this one. (A difficult situation for those who loathe the idea of expanding I-35 but would really like to see the Chronicle burn to the ground.) This week’s issue, news editor Mike Clark-Madison looks under the hood of the Plans as editor Nick Barbaro writes from a business owner’s perspective on the wrecking ball.
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In this column last week, I speculated that the inoperative golf cart parked in the back yard of our office had been there since 2000. In fact, as former art director Taylor Holland made clear on social media, the golf cart was bought on the Express in 2001 to go to a swimming pool for our 20th anniversary cover shoot. This was a replica of The Great Golf Cart Swimming Pool Massacre from 1984, which reportedly saw many psychedelics used and gimmicks ensued. Nowadays, gadgets are limited to the volleyball court, where the dead golf cart lives. (Can you blame TxDOT for missing all of this?)
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This weekend marks the return of a personal Hot Sauce Festival, an annual celebration that the Chronicle began back in 1991. This year’s iteration will be smaller and less “let’s all dip our chip in the same salsa bowl!” than years ago; Festival organizers and the host of the Far Out Lounge venue take seriously the need to make this year’s celebration – a major fundraiser for the Central Texas Food Bank – safe and fun for everyone. Read all about it, including the artist roster, from here.
Online this week
Still from Iliana Sosa’s upcoming documentary WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND (LO QUE DEJAMOS ATRÁS), which received a grant from the Austin Film Society (Courtesy of AFS)
Funding the Future of Texas Film: Learn about the 10 feature film projects recently funded by the Austin Film Society that provide critical funding for films by Texan artists who are underrepresented in the industry.
Field Guide Festival: Check out the chefs and farmers line-up online for this new festival (October 29-30) that focuses on local food systems.
Kangaroos and Barroom Disillusionation: Check out Go Fever’s new Australian pub set video for NYE15.
Héctor Jiménez attempts a pass in Austin FC’s 2-1 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps (Courtesy Austin FC)
Déjà VU in Vancouver: Austin FC’s squad falls for the second time in less than three weeks against the Whitecaps.
Nathan Harlan plays “Doctor”: Endochine and the Big Fix frontman debuts a solo project and a brand new video.
The Austin Chronicle Show on COOP 91.7FM
This week Mike Clark-Madison and Nick Barbaro discuss the future of I-35 and Rachel Rascoe gives a preview of this year’s Hot Sauce Festival.
Tune on the KOOP Community Radio on Fridays at 6 p.m. Past episodes at austinchronicle.com/av.
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