Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., Feb. 2, 2024
Abbott Defies SCOTUS: After a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to stop Texas from blocking Border Patrol agents from reaching the river in Eagle Pass, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security doubled down last week, sending a cease-and-desist letter demanding that Texas comply with the ruling. But Gov. Greg Abbott insisted Texas will continue blocking the border, The Dallas Morning News reported. A DPS spokesman got on talk radio last week to say the state is adding more razor wire along the river bank.
By the way...: As this tension escalated, the country’s oldest Latino civil rights group, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), accused Abbott this week of encouraging white supremacists to come to the border. They warned that Abbott’s rhetoric could incite bigots like the mass shooter who killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019.
Extremists Passing Through: Relatedly, KXAN reported this week that the “Take Our Border Back Convoy” was planning to head from Dripping Springs to Eagle Pass, Texas, later this week in a protest that invites “active and retired law enforcement and military, veterans, Mama Bears, elected officials, business owners, ranchers, truckers, bikers, media, and law-abiding, freedom-loving Americans.”
Register Rapidly, Please!: Monday, Feb. 5, is the last day to register to vote in the March 5 primary (with early voting starting Tuesday, Feb. 20.) Austinites will get to vote on candidates to challenge Ted Cruz, local judges, Texas Supreme Court justices, and more.
Oil Money Spinoff PAC: Texas billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks have created a new political action campaign, a spinoff of the former Defend Texas Liberty PAC. The new Texans United for a Conservative Majority is supporting challengers who could unseat House Republicans who voted to impeach A.G. Ken Paxton. Defend Texas Liberty was in hot water last year when The Texas Tribune reported that its leader had met for seven hours with well-known white supremacist and Hitler fan Nick Fuentes. Read more online.
Impeach Paxton Again?: Republican state Sen. Drew Springer voted to acquit Paxton but this week called for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate to contemplate new impeachment proceedings against him. Springer said Paxton’s recent decision to concede the whistleblower lawsuit against him amounts to an admission of guilt and makes “a mockery” of the initial impeachment trial.
Paxton’s Properties Problem: It’s been several weeks since The Texas Newsroom reported that Paxton did not disclose six properties he or his blind trust owns on his state ethics forms, and Paxton was unresponsive until this week at a campaign event. There, Paxton denied wrongdoing and said he wasn’t there to “talk about some made-up issue.” It’s unclear if the Texas Ethics Commission will take action, The Texas Newsroom reported.
But Wait There’s More: Depositions were supposed to begin Thursday in the whistleblower case against Paxton, until the Texas Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday putting a temporary stop to that – a decision, The Texas Tribune pointed out, announced mere hours after Donald Trump opined that “Enough time and money has been wasted forcing [Paxton] to defend himself.”
50 Years of ACL: 2024 marks the 50th year of Austin City Limits, and Monday the series announced the initial tapings of season 50. Locals Black Pumas will return Feb. 20, Colombian superstar Juanes plays March 4, Austin native Gary Clark Jr. comes back March 26 for his fourth appearance, and Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes) takes the stage April 29.
Austin’s Dying Daily: Texas Monthly turned a lens to the shrinking Austin American-Statesman this week, writing, “Gannett has allowed the Statesman to continue withering away.” The piece describes how less conventionally successful newsrooms, like KUT’s, have grown to fill the Statesman’s gaps, as the daily’s team becomes smaller and younger than ever.
Fast-Tracking Land Use Changes: Last week, the City Council Housing and Planning Committee approved a resolution urging Council to work fast on Land Development Code changes meant to reduce housing cost citywide by increasing supply through the HOME initiative. The committee wants to see speed especially on those changes related to Project Connect and Equitable Transit Oriented Development (ETOD), the Austin Monitor reported.
Affordable Projects Compete: Speaking of a more affordable Austin, this week, Council will consider plans for 11 housing developments citywide that could receive state funding to offset the cost of creating affordable units. The projects will compete for 9 percent tax credits from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program. The credits are awarded based on which development will provide long-term affordable housing and spur job growth, the Monitor reported.
Jacob’s Well Back in Action: After 222 days of nearly zero flow, Jacob’s Well is rushing with water again thanks to recent rains. The Wimberley watering hole reached zero flow last summer for the sixth time in its recorded history, KUT reported. Education coordinators for the Hays County Parks Department told KUT that, though the flow is good news, it doesn’t mean our water issues are over. Water pumping from the local aquifer continues to drain Jacob’s Well.
X Hiring in Austin: Elon Musk loves conducting his business in Austin, but not for X (formerly Twitter) – until now. Late last week X announced it will build a “Trust and Safety center of excellence” in Austin, hiring around 100 in-house agents, the Austin Business Journal reported. X says it wants to make the site “inhospitable for actors who seek to exploit minors.”
DJ Scorpio Dies: Sky Hutchens, the local booker and promoter who spun records under the name DJ Scorpio, has died, his partner Victoria Renard confirmed this week. Renard wrote that Hutchens passed away in his sleep due to kidney failure. Hutchens was a regular at goth and psychedelic clubs Elysium and the 13th Floor, while Cheer Up Charlies hosted his monthly dance party Nite School for more than a decade. Read more online.
American Music Artifacts: Last week, the LBJ Presidential Library and the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University announced the premiere of exhibit “Music America: Iconic Objects from America’s Music History.” It will open at the LBJ Library Saturday, Feb. 17, during Presidents Day weekend, and the exhibition will be on display through mid-August.
Challenging Trans Care Ban: The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court heard a legal challenge Tuesday to the new state law that blocks doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender minors, which a district court judge has ruled unconstitutional. Texas is now one of 23 states restricting some form of gender-affirming care for transgender youth, The Texas Tribune reports.
DEI Ban Strikes Again: In response to the state’s new ban on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in universities, UT-Austin eliminated Monarch, a program to assist undocumented students and students who come from mixed-status immigrant families, and a related scholarship for those students.
Thousands of Rape-Related Pregnancies: Speaking of Texas’ bans, a UT-Austin-led study published last week estimated tens of thousands of pregnancies after rapes in the 14 states that have banned abortion since Roe was overturned. Texas had the largest share. Read more online.
Trail Time: The Trail Conservancy and the city announced Tuesday the artists selected to participate in this year’s TEMPO on the Trail – a period from March to June when artist teams create short-term artworks along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. Each of the eight artists will receive $25,000 for their work.
Zilker Traffic Study Delayed: Last week, the city’s Parks and Recreation Board further delayed a Zilker Park transportation impact study originally requested by City Council two years ago. Board members worried the study would draw money away from other parks programs and budget items, the Austin Monitor reported.
It’s Been Too Long: Public access to the boat ramps at Lake Walter E. Long reopened Jan. 25 as the lake level was high enough to safely allow boat launching. Updates will be posted to the Lake Walter E. Long Boat Ramp web page.
Stinky Flight: CBS Austin reported on a viral Reddit post this week claiming an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Austin returned to the airport on Jan. 14 after a passenger farted loudly and was being rude to other passengers. The story did not mention an airport or American Airlines spokesman nor other passengers, and CBS has not yet responded to our inquiry. In short, it’s unclear if this actually happened, but it was a widely read story, so there you have it.
Lottery Not Doing a Lot for Us: Contrary to popular belief, the Texas Lottery has never paid much for the state’s public schools, The Dallas Morning News reported this week. It transfers about $2 billion to state schools each year, which is enough to cover costs for five days. Less than a quarter of gross sales go to public purposes, and the rest goes to larger and larger prizes, plus operational costs.
New Affordable Family-Friendly Units: The city of Austin Housing Department celebrated last week closing on a project to be developed in partnership with Foundation Communities. Norman Commons will be a 156-unit multifamily development at 3811 Tannehill Lane. Three-quarters of the units will be multi-bedroom, and all will serve families at or below 60% of the median family income, which is about $70,000 for a four-person household or $63,000 for a three-person household.
Quote of the Week
“Sometimes disobedience is the best way to show leadership.”
– State Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, urging Gov. Greg Abbott to ignore the Supreme Court ruling allowing Border Patrol to cut razor wire
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.
