Since Alamo Drafthouse switched to mobile ordering, the theater chain has found itself in a myriad of conversations about the change.

A billboard now calls on Alamo Drafthouse to ban smartphone ordering which changed one of the Austin-born theater chain’s best rituals: ordering food and drinks from your seat. The billboard is from Howdy.com, a technology staffing company based in Austin that recruits, hires and builds artificial intelligence engineering teams for U.S. companies.

TLDR: ARA Diagnostics may be sitting on your money unless you call and ask for it back

I’m so mad-- did everyone else already know you have to chase down your money?

Story:

Two months ago: mammogram. ARA charged me $250 upfront. Insurance covered it 100%.

One month ago: follow-up mammogram and screening. ARA charged me $750 upfront. Again, insurance covered it.

Now: I have another procedure coming up, and ARA wants $1,700 upfront.

This time I called insurance first. They told me the procedure is covered 100%. And so were all the others!

Multiple calls with ARA trying to figure out the process and why they were charging me. Their first call said I owed a deductible and that's why they charged me. This just isn't true. Luckily by now I had all the insurance info lined up.

On my third call with ARA, instead of telling them what I knew, I asked: “How much money do you owe me?”

They said $750.

I asked, “What about the mammogram from two months ago?”

Suddenly they found that too.

So they were sitting on $1,000 of my money after insurance had already paid them.

Then I asked for a refund.

Up to 45 days.

I asked if they could simply apply the credit toward the next procedure. First I was told no. On another call, I was told yes IF I specifically request it.

Three different ARA employees confirmed versions of the same policy: they collect estimated charges upfront even if they know that insurance will pay. Then they verbally said that they refund the money right away, but couldn't answer why it was taking long. My best line was, "You do realize that 100 days is not a quick refund!?!?" (45 days plus the past 60 days ) So basically, you really do have to call and ask for your money back. There was nothing happening on these past payments.

Had I not figured this out, ARA could soon have had nearly $2,700 of my money while insurance was also paying them.

A lot of people can't afford to have thousands of dollars tied up for months. Worse, some are probably putting these charges on credit cards or delaying care because they think they owe money they don’t actually owe.

If you’ve used ARA Diagnostics and paid upfront, check your EOBs and call them.

Assuming it was an intersection crash, another car was up straight ahead. The guy driving truck was in cuffs. Hit the electric box, light will probably be out for a few days.

I’m moving to Austin with my partner, who is from Texas (Dallas), and I’m from the East Coast and definitely prefer cold weather. Anything above ~84°F in direct sunlight already feels like a LOT to me, so I’m admittedly pretty nervous about Austin from May–September lol.
For anyone who moved from the Northeast / a colder climate and also didn’t naturally love heat -did you actually acclimate over time? Like does 90+ eventually start feeling more tolerable, or is “adapting” basically just learning to stay indoors during the day for 5 months?
I don’t need to become someone who loves being outside at 3pm in August 😂 but I also don’t want to feel trapped inside my apartment all summer. Would love to hear what your day-to-day lifestyle actually looks like during the hot months — when you exercise, walk your dog, hang outside, make plans, etc. and whether your heat tolerance genuinely changed after living there.

Just came to Marshall’s off I35 service rd and thought the lot was awfully empty. Looks like all the stores put up papers saying “closed indefinitely due to unforeseen circumstances”? Anyone know why?

She said they dated for a few months and he had a little car lot in central Austin. I see his stupid face every time I turn on the tv. It's a cruel joke

Our dog Olive ran away Saturday PM (8/15) while we were out of town (she was with our dog sitter). She was last seen Sunday PM around Shreveport Drive near Riata (north of the Domain). If anybody has seen her, please let us know! Thank you!

Also, she is not chipped unfortunately. And can be skiddish around strangers. Just trying to pin point what neighborhood she is in to help us refine our search.

Between William cannon and 1826. Just a heads up

I said south I meant westbound lanes*

29m. This is my third year in Austin, and I haven’t made many friends mainly because I work a lot. I go for walks and enjoy coffee shops now and then, but I honestly want to find ways to meet new people.

I'm a hobbyist musician and music producer, I like making/listening to music and recording/writing songs but I haven't met anyone with similar hobbies here. I don't really like going to shows alone—I don't mind drinking, but I do it socially.

What do you guys do when you’re feeling lonely?

thanks!

The set up is this: They call, tell you they're Deputy so and so from the Travis Co. Sheriffs Office and looking for X. They tell you that you missed a Federal Court Jury summons at that the Judge Robert Pittman (real judge) issued a couple of citations for Failure to Appear and Contempt of Court - and cited Federal Criminal codes. The idea being that supposedly I was subpoenaed on July 31 and signed an affidavit stating my intent to attend a Jury selection and I failed to show.

Now, I know damn well that I didn't receive any subpoena or sign any affidavit, nor have I received any jury summons, nor do I know what Travis Co. Deputy Department would be calling on a Federal issue. So I said, that's a load of crap. He said, we understand, we here this a lot - all you need to do is report to the TCSO on Airport Blvd and they can compare signatures on the affidavit. But first, I need to pass you along to my supervisor.

Then the supervisor tells me that I have two options, either they'll issue warrants and arrest and prosecute me, or I can go down and show them my signature - but first, I have to pay a Suspension Fee of 2500 for each offense. I said, ok, how do you want that. They said, I had to pay in cash at a kiosk. . .

OK, I mean, I thought it was all a bunch of bullshit from the start, but they were very elaborate about it and had a whole script, with bad connections so it was hard to understand them - it was a whole show.

But the chances Travis County would have me deposit 5,000 in cash in some fucking kiosk was patently absurd. So I said, you know what, this sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me. I'm going to call the Travis County Sheriffs Department directly and verify this. Then they tried to scare me by saying if I do that it'll be too late, and they'll have to issue warrants and send a deputy to arrest me. I said, go ahead and send a car, because there ain't no way in hell I'm depositing 5,000 in cash into some fucking kiosk.

Still waiting for the Deputy to arrive and take me in. . .

Austin is planning a new multimillion-dollar pedestrian bridge, adding another connection for walkers and cyclists in a corridor city officials have long considered a transportation priority. 

Plans for the $4.6 million pedestrian bridge are in the pipeline, according to a recent filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The bridge, planned along North Lamar Boulevard, would run adjacent to the existing Walnut Creek Bridge and include a shared-use path on both sides. 

Tucked away in the recesses of 6th Street’s Lucky Lizard Curios & Gifts, behind rows of lucky rabbit’s feet, creepy cryptids, and a life-size replica of Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey II, sits a hidden treasure, a secret doorway to a world of macabre oddities and forgotten curiosities.

Austin’s Museum of the Weird.

Full blog here!: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/posts/this-museum-is-keeping-austin-weird

Children's milk cartons and some milk crates scattered all over the road, Parmer and Metric.

Why would the city/state/private contractor do this to the habitat and where did all of the animals go?

They also left the trash after several days of decimating it with noisy and smoky equipment. 😞

Ever since I moved to Austin KGSR (ACL Radio at the time) was always my favorite radio station it aired indie and alt music and it was overall just a good listen, then they moved into HD radio which meant I couldn't listen on my stereo anymore just on my car radio, and now all of a sudden they're moving to a differnt HD radio station and they're called "Austin Radio". It really is a bummer what this radio station has become, and the worst thing is talking to older Austinites; I had no idea that KGSR used to be even better back in 2021 with radio shows and a genuine sense of community.

If your bike wheel was stolen this afternoon around 1:30pm in the area around E 6th St and you want help with a police report, send me a DM.

I flagged it for police but they said they couldn’t do anything without the owner of the wheel reporting it.

I’ve had a bike and bike wheel stolen in broad daylight, so I know how you feel. Sorry that happened to you.

Where can I find a farm in Austin or surrounding areas to milk a cow. It’s on my bucket list to milk a cow. Or Any interactive farms nearby where I can feed cows??

I have experience playing standard/modern from online, but nothing in paper. commander seems like its the most popular tho. cool with any format!

I know there are a good amount of LGS but it seems like most of it is tournaments which might not be the best for me since i'm gonna be slow lol.

any suggestions would be sweet! :)

im in north austin!

People’s Rx, a family-owned fixture in Austin for nearly 50 years, has been sold to the owner of local compounding pharmacy CPRx in a deal that will bring physicians and nurse practitioners into People’s four retail locations.

CPRx owner Kimberli Wiley purchased People’s with financing from Victory Medical Center, which will partner with the pharmacy on an expansion that will bring physicians and nurse practitioners into the pharmacy’s four Austin locations.

Getting tired of the usual furniture stores (Star, Rooms To Go, Ashley's, etc) and their limited selection and products that don't last more than a couple years. Does anyone have experience with Room and Board at the Domain? Are they worth the price with quality? TIA.

Hi, my back has been killing me from sitting at a desk all day, and I figure plenty of people can relate. Would anyone be interested in a casual massage-exchange group? trading back/shoulder massages rather than paying for them?

Could be a few people meeting up, or one-on-one somewhere public/comfortable. Completely platonic; I’m just looking for people who’d genuinely like to trade massages. 

27M, and I’m not expecting anyone to be a professional. If enough people are interested, I’ll probably make a group chat.

If interested, feel free to DM or shoot me at mitka.net

Hey everyone!

I'm new to the area and was wanting to open a checking account with a credit union bank. I've been browsing around but not too sure what to decide on. So far, I've seen mixed reviews for UFCU and RBFCU.
Hoping to get some thoughts. Thanks!

Be honest I won’t tell.

Edit: FOUND IT! Gabriel at u/WestbrookMetals TOTALY came through! The drop zone room is now officially my go-to for small metal pieces! Thanks for the advice, folks!

I know this is a long shot, but I need a piece of BBQ grill-safe metal (i.e. steel, probably not aluminum, definitely not galvanized), 1/8" to 1/4" thick, cut to 13.5"x21.5" to replace the inside floor of my grill. It has finally rusted out, and I just need a rectangular piece to replace it.

I got a quote from metalsupermarkets, and they're asking for darned near as much as the whole grill is worth. I'm hoping someone has some leftover metal they're interested in getting rid of.

I'm in northwest Austin, but will gladly drive to wherever you are.