Headlines

City Council District 1 candidates field questions during a forum held at Wesley United Methodist Church hosted by the Chronicle, the Austin Monitor, KXAN News, Univision, and KUT. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

AT LONG LAST, City Council concluded its FY 2015 budget process Tuesday, approving a $3.5 billion All Funds budget ($854 million General Fund), after two days of surprisingly detailed adjustments of additional funds. See "City Council: All This and Bull Creek, Too."

BULL CREEK and Onion Creek were also on the table – although off-budget – as Council decided to negotiate and potentially buy the 75-acre state tract at Bull Creek Road and 45th, and to buy out more homes in the Onion Creek/Williamson Creek floodplain.

FIREFIGHTER DWIs were headlined in a Statesman story last week on Austin Fire Depart­ment discipline; Austin Firefighter Association President Bob Nicks objected, and challenged AFD Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr to a "positive, nonpunitive action" – a year without alcohol. The chief passed.

A SXSW POST-EVENT evaluation report was issued by the city last week, making recommendations concerning day parties, traffic on Sixth Street, permitting review, and other matters, after a city task force looked for ways to better manage the mega-event. See "SXSW Post-Mortem."

AFTER ALLEGEDLY OPENING fire on FBI agents and other officers with the Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force, who'd approached his vehicle in an attempt to issue an arrest warrant, Tyler Caraway was shot and killed by police officers in North Austin Monday evening. Caraway, 24, was wanted in connection with a bank robbery.

WENDY DAVIS VISITED BookPeople Wed­nes­day, promoting her memoir, Forgetting to Be Afraid. Davis' revelation that she had a late-term abortion after a doctor diagnosed her fetus as not viable has brought renewed focus to the issue of reproductive rights in Texas. Meanwhile, Greg Abbott is claiming that Davis' book deal and tour are an illegal use of corporate funds in a political campaign.

RICK PERRY'S LAWYERS continue to fight his prosecution: They filed a motion to dismiss, claiming the charges against Perry are an unconstitutional attempt to criminalize the political process.

TEXAS' GAY MARRIAGE ban "defies logic," said the two couples suing the state to repeal the constitutional amendment. "As numerous courts already concluded, no conceivable basis exists to deny same-sex couples their right to marry," plaintiffs wrote in a legal brief to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Abbott must reply by Sept. 26.

Texas took it on the chin Saturday night: the 41-7 loss to BYU is the worst home defeat the Long­horns have suffered in 17 years – against a team many fans thought they'd beat. Whoever on the squad is neither injured nor suspended this weekend heads to Arlington Saturday to play UCLA.