The Incubator for Innovation and Impact is scheduled to open in spring 2017 at Concordia University Texas. Donald Christian (right) , Concordia president, and Kevin Koym, Tech Ranch CEO, announced their partnership recently.

Staff Reports

Concordia University Texas and Tech Ranch, an Austin startup accelerator, have partnered to build the Incubator for Innovation and Impact, scheduled to open in spring 2017.

Located in Four Points at Concordia at 11400 Concordia University Dr., the Incubator for Innovation and Impact will enrich the community with its accessible ecosystem that amplifies an entrepreneur’s resources, opportunities and impact.

“One of Concordia’s strategic priorities is to partner deeply with our community,” said Donald Christian, Concordia president and CEO. “Partnering with Tech Ranch in this new venture allows our university to take advantage of the strength of Tech Ranch’s brand in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship, and promote Concordia’s mission of developing leaders in new and exciting ways.”

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On Sept. 4, 2011, fire destroyed 23 homes in Steiner Ranch including the home that used to sit on this site. Last week, the Austin City Council approved a payment of up to $6.78 million to settle a lawsuit related to the fires.

Fires destroyed 23 homes in Steiner Ranch, Resulted in one fatality

By CASSIE MCKEE
Four Points News

At its Dec. 1 meeting, the Austin City Council approved a payment of up to $6.78 million to settle a lawsuit related to the 2011 Labor Day weekend fires in Steiner Ranch, which destroyed 23 homes and caused the death of Travis County Deputy Constable Kevin Aigner.

Over 19 plaintiffs filed more than 500 separate property damage, personal injury or wrongful death claims against the city, according to City of Austin Litigation Division Chief Meghan Riley.

Homeowners and insurance companies sued the city in November 2012, around the same time fire investigators determined the cause of the fire to be power lines maintained by Austin Energy.

Slack in electric lines led them to touch each other in high winds Sept. 4, 2011, fire officials said. Electricity began arcing, creating molten bits of metal that fell to the ground and ignited dry vegetation, the report concluded.

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“The Nutcracker” will be performed at Vandegrift on Saturday with local dancers including Barclay Bull, Abi Lyons, Maggie Erdman, Ella Reeves, Hadley Rebtoy, Tessa Reeves, Carmel Lou, Hannah Liechty and Aspen Dzubinski.

The Vandegrift Legacies and Dancers Workshop will present two performances of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker”.  Ovation, a youth ballet company in residency at Dancers Workshop, will perform the full length ballet at Vandegrift’s Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The afternoon show is sold out but taking names on the waitlist.

The Legacies will open the show by performing a holiday high kick to Bette Midler’s “Cool Yule” along with another group piece, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, selected especially for this performance.  Legacies lieutenant, Barclay Bull, a junior at VHS, has performed in Ovation’s “The Nutcracker” for nine consecutive years. This year Bull will dance the role of Parent and Snow Demi Soloist in Act I and the beautiful Dew Drop in Waltz of the Flowers in Act II.

The performance of “The Nutcracker” will include a cast of 70 dancers ranging from 2nd grade through high school.

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By LYNETTE HAALAND
Four Points News

The annual Viper 10K took place on Nov. 22 in Steiner Ranch with 35 swimmers from the Vandegrift swim team completing “100 x 100s” to total 10,000 yards.

All swimmers completed the swim in less than 3.5 hours, said Genevieve Walsh, head swim coach at VHS.

The team does this workout each year to challenge the swimmers and to help raise money for the team to travel to swim meets.

“All swimmers stepped up and they did a great job supporting each other throughout the tough swim,”  Walsh said. “They have put in lots of hard work this fall so that we can be super fast in January and February at District, Region, and State!”

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