🌱 Red River Ensemble In Austin + Face Mask Meeting + PARD Award

Austin TX

28 February, 2022

6:35 PM

Description

Morning, people of Austin! Gabriela Couvillion here with a brand-new copy of the Austin Daily. First, today's weather: Partly sunny and pleasant. High: 71 Low: 44. Here are the top stories in Austin today: "A new music program formed by Dell Medical School, UT Health Austin and Ascension Seton was launched" on Monday, Feb. 28 in the city of Austin. The orchestra is called the Red River Ensemble, made up of violinist David Bernat and pianist Elias Dagher and director of music services, Mark Bernat, who also established the ensemble. Together they plan "to fill hospital halls with music!" Bernat said, "The idea is that music speaks to so many people that in some ways, it's medicinal… so anybody that's recovering from, whether it's a stroke or other heart surgeries, they seem to recover a lot faster when there's music involved." For more details visit: (KXAN.com) As COVID-19 cases are falling and hospitalizations are down significantly in Austin, "the Austin-Travis County region has been downgraded to Stage 4 of risk-based guidelines" and "the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week loosened its mask-wearing guidelines." However, it seems Austin ISD is going to follow suit, and on Wednesday, March 2, its Board of Trustees are going to meet "to discuss making masks optional at schools and other district facilities." This week, however, masks will still be required for students, staff and visitors. Before the meeting, "district leaders will meet with City of Austin officials, Austin Public Health and Travis County leaders to discuss how the mask-optional protocol will be implemented." For more information visit: (Spectrum News) On Thursday, Feb. 17, the Texas Recreation and Park Society held a ceremony in which they presented The Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) with "a Park Development Innovations Award for the Walnut Creek Metro Park Playground Revitalization." The award "encourages innovation and acknowledges new ideas in park development by departmental staff." For more information visit: (AustinTexas.gov) From our sponsor:Looking for a healthy alternative to that mid-week glass (or three) of wine? Our partners at Betera set out to create beverages that were sophisticated and flavorful enough to drink at cocktail hour but with zero hangover risk. (Their motto is "Drink like there's tomorrow.") Betera's drinks are designed by a Michelin-starred chef using natural botanicals — they're lightly effervescent, sippable, refreshingly bitter and at home in a stem glass or in a highball on the rocks. Betera offers three recipes — Rhubarb-Hibiscus, Elderflower-Lime and Ginger-Orange. We've tried all three and loved them equally — we recommend the mixed case as a great place to start. Betera has extended their 15 percent discount on first orders to Daily readers, in appreciation for the enthusiastic response so far. Enter Patch15 at checkout and https://bit.ly/TryBetera. Today in Austin: Grand Opening of Hill Elementary School in Austin ISD. (9 a.m.) Virtual Cardio and Strength Online Class by Stronger Austin. (5 p.m.) Fun and Social Golf at Spark Golf in Austin. (5:30 p.m.) Virtual Yoga Online Class by Stronger Austin. (7 p.m.) Underground Tuesdays Presents: Um.. with Hooligan, Gombu, Known, Prestus at Empire Control Room and Garage. (9 p.m.) From my notebook: "Spend a lovely afternoon walking through Hyde Park in the Ridgelea area, learn about the neighborhood's history and the historic homes within it, courtesy of this walking tour guide: http://www.austinhydepark.org/." (Nextdoor) "Missing dog! A neighbor in the Tanglewood Forest area lost a male dog on Sunday, Feb. 27. The animal is beige with medium curly hair, and weighs about 20 lbs. He also has cataracts and is hard of hearing. The phone number on the collar is out of date, so please contact the neighbor through this site." (Nextdoor) More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news! Featured businesses: Something More — (Visit website) Add your business here Loving the Austin Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved: Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe Get your local business listed in front of readers Send me a news tip or suggestion at [email protected] Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Tuesday! I'll see you around. — Gabriela Couvillion About me: I'm an active mom of two grown sons and lifelong San Antonio resident. I received a BA in Spanish from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and in my free time I immerse myself in creative writing. Thanks for reading Patch, and feel free to reach out if you have any news and happenings you think may appeal to our readers!