Please join us for the annual CAN End of Year Celebration on Friday, December 16th.  The celebration will take place at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.  We will celebrate our accomplishments of the past year and introduce our new leadership for the coming year.  We will also celebrate the winners of the 2011 Butler Spirit of Collaboration Award.  This award, in honor of former CAN Executive Director Fred Butler, is presented to a collaboration that has worked to bring people, organizations, and groups together to collectively address community needs. RSVP to mary.dodd@austinisd.org.

Overall, health in the United States did not improve in 2011, and Texas ranked near the bottom among the fifty states in the 20th annual America's Health Rankings. The annual rankings are produced by the United Health Foundation in partnership with the American Public Health Association and the Partnership for Prevention.
 
The report finds that, nationally, increases in obesity, diabetes, and child poverty are offsetting modest improvements in smoking cessation, preventable hospitalizations, and cardiovascular deaths. The biggest challenges for Texas cited by the report are the high rate of uninsured population, low use of early prenatal care, and a high incidence of infectious disease. 

On Tuesday, December 6th, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved the 2012 - 2015 Travis County Plan for the Coordination of Criminal Justice and Related Activities. Judge Biscoe and the Commissioners Court have requested that the Community Plan be submitted to them by Criminal Justice Planning on an annual basis.  The plan outlines key priorities and will help guide future funding decisions.  

The Central Texas population is expected to double over the next 25 years, which will increase congestion on local freeways and roadways.  Extreme congestion reduces mobility and threatens our region's economic health and quality of life. It is for this reason that Central Texas transportation agencies have come together in a regional planning effort called Project Connect. 

Project Connect will develop a framework for implementing the high-capacity transit components of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization's (CAMPO) 2035 Regional Transportation Plan. High-capacity transit makes fewer stops, travels at higher speeds, has more frequent service, and carries more people than standard buses. Project Connect will work toward consensus on regional high-capacity transit and answer the following questions:

• How will high-capacity transit components in the CAMPO 2035 Regional Transportation Plan work together as a system?
• How will our region organize to develop and operate the system?
• How will we pay for the system over the long term?

Four organizations are working together initially to advance Project Connect: CAMPO, City of Austin, Lone Star Rail District, and Capital Metro.  If your organization would like a briefing on Project Connect, please contact TxProjectConnect@gmail.com.  For more information, visit: www.connectcentraltexas.com.

The Capital Area Regional Transit Coordination Committee (RTCC) has developed a draft plan for the coordination of public transit and health and human services transportation.   The plan is based on analysis and input from stakeholders and the public over the past year.  The new plan...

• identifies ways that the region's existing family of public transportation services (ranging from transit buses to agency vans to volunteer drivers) can be better coordinated to meet more needs;
• identifies strategies for meeting unmet transportation needs in the region; and
• guides the prioritization of new services for funding through the Federal Transit Administration.

Feedback on the plan should be directed to Stevie.Greathouse@campotexas.org by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 10th. 

In the annual State of the District address, Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said AISD has weathered the storm of budget cuts enacted by the 2011 Legislative Session and is now on sound financial footing.  The Superintendent also shared the 2010-11 Annual Report. Some of the success that were highlighted included...

• At least 80% of all students met or exceeded state standards in all subjects.
• Achievement gaps have narrowed by half since 2003.
• More students apply and are ready for college than ever before.

 Challenges that Carstarphen said still require District attention include...

• boosting early literacy and graduation rates by meeting the needs of the growing population of English Language Learners;
• improving special education permance to meet federal standards for Adequate Yearly Progress;
• create a plan for the use of facilities throughout the district; and
• transition successfully from TAKS testing to the new state testing model known as STARR.

The Texas Interagency Council for the Homeless is holding public hearings across the state to receive public comment on the Texas Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The Interagency Council, in conjuction with Austin's Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO), will host a public hearing in the Austin City Council Chambers on Tuesday, December 13th from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 

The plan promotes coordination of state, federal, and local efforts and proposes goals, objectives, and strategies to help state agencies better serve those experiencing and at risk of homelessness. The four priority areas in the plan are:

• Data, research, and analysis;
• Affordable housing and supportive services;
• Homelessness prevention; and
• State infrastructure.

People who wish to sign up in advance to speak, are asked to contact Ann Howard at annhoward@austinecho.org. Speakers with prepared written comment are asked to provide a copy of their oral testimony at the time of the hearing.

Austin Water is beginning the process of revising the current Water Conservation Code to better align with long-term drought conditions.  Revisions to the City's water conservation code will seek to strike a balance between conserving our available water supply for the safety of citizens and sustaining the local economy.

On Tuesday, December 13th, Austin Water will host its first public workshop to discuss the code revision process, the timeline for the changes and the water challenges we face.   The workshop will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., in Room 104 of the Waller Creek Center, 625 E. 10th Street, Austin, Texas.  RSVP to the Water Conservation Division at 974-2199.

The Housing Authority of the City of Austin is accepting public comment on its 2010 - 2014 Five Year Plan.  A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 13th at 11 a.m. at the HACA offices, 1124 S. IH 35.  The public may also comment at the December 15th Board of Commissions meeting at noon, also at the HACA offices. Copies of the plan are available at www.hacanet.org.  

Public input into the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan has been extended to December 15th. Take this survey on where the City of Austin should invest its time and money.  Take a look at the plan and tell the City of Austin what you think at SpeakUp.   

The Local Board that administers Emergency Food & Shelter Funding in Travis and Williamson Counties is now accepting applications for 2012 funding. Eligible organizations providing food, shelter, rent/mortgage assistance or utility assistance to those in need in Travis and Williamson Counties may apply.

www.mealsonwheelsaustinefsp.org.  The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, December 16th at 5:00 p.m.

The sixth annual Feria Para Aprender (The Learning Fair) is scheduled to take place Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the North Lamar Event Center from 10 to 3 pm.    

The 2010 Census revealed that 1 in 4 children in America under the age of 5 live in either California or Texas. Half of those children are Latino and many of them live right here in Central Texas. This diverse population is our region's rising generation. Central Texas's success will be measured by their success. 

The purpose of the Feria Para Aprender is to create a learning environment that provides the growing population of students with Spanish speaking parents the information, tools, and resources that are needed to academically excel.  For more information click here.