Headlines

Margarita Ludueña holds a "Respect Austin" sign, followed by Julia de Leon with a "Respect Workers" sign as they march to the federal courthouse Feb. 1 in a symbolic plea for the court to reject White Lodging's lawsuit against the city of Austin – filed after the city revoked a fee waiver deal based on pay for construction workers. The Workers Defense Project and Save Our Springs Alliance have filed legal briefs defending the city's actions.

› There's no City Council meeting this week, but look for plenty of pre-Valentine's Day love at the Feb. 13 meeting, when Council is set to approve dollars for several proposed affordable housing developments and for acquisition of water quality protection land. Slings and arrows will fly, too, in the form of occupancy limits for "stealth dorms" and other hot-button issues. See "Council Set to Tackle Stealth Dorms."

› A video of six men beating up two others near the corner of East Sixth and Brushy on Jan. 26 has gone viral on the website LiveLeak, prompting Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo on Monday morning to assure listeners of KLBJ-FM's Dudley and Bob Morning Show that he will "not rest until we catch those guys and bring them to justice." Acevedo said that he has already committed to dedicating 22 of 47 new police positions to beefing up police presence in the Downtown Area Command.

› Six people were arrested during a demonstration outside Travis County's Downtown jail, as part of a protest over the sheriff's participation in the federal deportation program known as Secure Communities. The protesters, who used dragon sleeves to lock arms, were charged with interference with public duties and criminal trespass for blocking the booking facility's sally port. Sheriff Greg Hamilton has said his office will continue to work with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as is required by law.

› Travis County Commissioners approved a new contract with the Saxet Gun Show Tuesday, but they may have been firing blanks. The contract requires sellers conduct background checks for all sales, which Saxet flatly refuses to do.

› The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted Monday to deny clemency for Suzanne Basso, slated for execution on Wednesday evening, Feb. 5. Basso's attorney had argued, in part, that she is incompetent to face execution for the 1998 beating death of Louis "Buddy" Musso.

› Also Monday, lawyers for death row inmate Rodney Reed filed a motion with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asking that it reconsider its decision last month to deny Reed's latest bid to have his conviction overturned.

› On Wednesday, the Court of Criminal Appeals in a unanimous ruling denied death row inmate Larry Swearingen the opportunity for DNA testing on never-before-tested items of evidence, including two lengths of pantyhose alleged to be the weapon he used in 1998 to kill Montgomery County college student Melissa Trotter. For more on the case, see Newsdesk, Feb. 5.

› Sen. Wendy Davis' recent media woes about how she wasn't enough of a single mom don't seem to be hitting her campaign finances. Her team announced she raised over $900,000 in the first three weeks of January alone.

› Margot Clarke was appointed chair of the Sierra Club Lone Star chapter this week.