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Dear Editor,
    The justice for Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 5, is up for election this year. The 3rd Court of Appeals serves many counties around and including Travis. The incumbent of this seat is Justice Thomas Baker, a lifelong Texan with a legal career and much legal experience. In his first election, Baker defeated a Republican three-term incumbent to flip this seat from red to blue.
    With his first term coming to an end, Judge Karin Crump of the 250th District Court has thrown her hat into the ring as the only challenger to Justice Baker. Crump is also a seasoned lawyer with many achievements, including her current service as the president of the Association of District Judges and recognition for her commitment to pro bono services. Judge Crump was elected to the 250th District Court unopposed in both the primary and general elections following a loss in a 2010 election for Travis County justice of the peace. She has held her seat since 2014 without facing a challenger, and has two years left until her district’s next election.
    Article 16, Section 40, of the Texas Constitution states “No person shall hold or exercise at the same time, more than one civil office of emolument.” That means no officeholder may hold two offices in which they are paid for their work. Also, according to the Office of the Texas Governor, the governor is responsible for making appointments for vacant judicial offices. If Crump were to win the 3rd Court of Appeals [seat], she would be forced to step down from her current seat, allowing Greg Abbott to hand-select a new judge – assuredly a Republican. The 3rd Court of Appeals' Place 5 will remain liberal, as there is no Republican challenger for the seat.
    This is an election which could very well suffer from low attendance, and New Hampshire’s primary results have essentially confirmed that attendance will be low. In 2020 almost 300,000 people voted in the Democratic primary whereas this year only about 91,000 showed up. This is 30% of the attendance of 2020. The point of these statistics is to emphasize that your vote matters more this year. You may not care about the presidential primary as it’s silly to believe anyone other than Joe Biden will win, but local elections still matter; and, critically, since there are fewer people voting, your vote will matter that much more.
    Early voting begins on Feb. 20 and ends on March 1. Election day is March 5.

Dear Editor,
    Austin’s time to take action on climate change is now!
    The Environmental Protection Agency gave the city of Austin a $1M Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to reduce emissions and improve ambient air quality in the Austin metropolitan area. To reduce our emissions, we need to look to more renewable energy sources and strive for energy efficiency.
    This grant is the perfect opportunity for Mayor [Kirk] Watson, Rep. [Lloyd] Doggett, Rep. [Greg] Casar, and our City Council members to prioritize clean energy investments, and educate Austinites about how they can save money through the Inflation Reduction Act.
    Citizens can earn tax credits by switching to renewable energy sources, more efficient heating and cooling systems, and sustainable infrastructure (Department of Energy).
    I love this beautiful city and know that we can achieve a more sustainable future for Austinites. With help from this grant, I hope our local government will divert from fossil fuels and invest in more renewable energy.
    [Energy.gov] shows you how much money you can get in tax credits by switching to more efficient clean energy in your homes.