Responsible Growth for Northcross is filing its lawsuit today against the city of Austin and Lincoln Property Co., asserting that the city's Tuesday approval of a second site plan for the redevelopment of Northcross Mall was illegal.

Grounds for the lawsuit include claims that a conditional use permit process should have been followed, that the city prejudicially failed to enforce a plat note requiring a higher standard for water quality (rainwater runoff) for the redevelopment of the site, and other allegations regarding the city's failure to follow its own ordinances and processes.

"We are dismayed that the City once again has approved a site plan for Northcross in violation of several of its own laws," said RG4N President Hope Morrison in a statement. "We have tried for months to resolve this situation without litigation, but the City, the developer and Wal-Mart have made it clear that they won't listen unless someone sues them."

"This has been a very tough issue," said Assistant City Manager Laura Huffman, sounding discouraged about the impending lawsuit. The ACM noted that the developer's promised voluntary upgrades to the project, brokered by city staff, are not in the site plan that was approved. "We're still waiting for their changes to be submitted, in the form of a site plan amendment that will confirm what they presented," said Huffman. She added, "I'm hoping for that immediately."

Even if you haven’t been following Congress’ struggle to pass an immigration bill, which died in the Senate today, you’re probably aware that a large chunk of all those immigrants about whom everyone keeps talking reside in Texas, many in the Central Texas area. According to the 2006-2007 Travis County Immigrant Assessment report, released earlier this month, Travis County’s immigrant population swelled 230% between 1990 and 2005, to about 148,000 people, or 17% of the county’s population. In response to this and other report revelations, Travis County Health and Human Services and Veterans Services Department, the Community Action Network, and the Immigrant Services Network of Austin are hosting a public forum about the assessment, as well as ways the community can respond to the influx in its foreign-born population, tomorrow, Friday, June 29, at St. Edward’s University, beginning at 8:30am. According to a press release, “From 9:15am - 10:15am the key findings of the report will be presented[.] From 10:15am - 10:45am individuals familiar with the report will be available for questions[.]” Those people include Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gomez and the report’s writers. To view the 2006-2007 Travis County Immigrant Assessment, check out www.co.travis.tx.us/health_human_services/research_planning/default.asp, and to register for the forum, see www.caction.org/immigrant/ForumRegistrationForm.doc.

Press release from the city of Austin:

Area rainfall contributes to flooding; increased waterway restrictions

City of Austin officials have expanded a boating ban for all of Lake Austin, Town Lake and the Colorado River below the Longhorn Dam through noon Friday, June 29.

The expanded ban is necessary due to the Lower Colorado River Authority’s opening of four flood gates at Mansfield Dam and three gates at Tom Miller Dam, creating very swift, debris-filled waters and unsafe conditions.

Persons with interests along these waterways should contact the City of Austin Parks Police Headquarters at (512) 974-7707 during business hours to receive written authorization to secure or remove property in the Flood Ban Area. Proof of ownership or occupancy is required.

Watercraft illegally operated on waters in the Watercraft Ban Area is a Class C Misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $500 and boats may be impounded. Crossing barricades put in place on roadways or boat ramps for public safety can result in a Class B Misdemeanor, punishable by jail time up to 180 days and fines up to $2000.

City officials urge residents to “Turn around, don’t drown.” Residents can ensure their safety by avoiding low-water crossings. If water levels are unknown, turn around and use an alternate route. Never attempt to drive, swim or walk through water that is flowing in a roadway, ditch or storm drain. Six inches of water can cause most cars to lose control or stall. A car can literally be swept away in as little as one foot of water.

For current flood ban and roadway closure information, visit the City of Austin’s Emergency Conditions Web page at www.cityofaustin.org/emergency.

Visitors at the Dell Children's Medical Center grand opening gaze out at a central open-air Healing Garden. The new children's hospital officially opens for care on Saturday. So remember not to take little Jim Bob with his broken arm to the old one – drive to the emergency room at Mueller off I-35 (51st Street exit) instead.

Back to that Healing Garden – for wellness and all, Dell Children’s is supplementing the pharmaceuticals with views of native Texas plants. The truly wow-kazow beautiful new hospital was designed by Seton and its architect, Karlsberger, to lift the spirits of sick children and their families. In addition to state-of-the-art medical care and facilities, the new children's hospital features sustainable building materials that include native sandstone and limestone. With its ample natural light and views, the hospital is distinguished by a handsome interior design, oodles of original artwork in nearly every space (selected by my mom, no less), landscaped courtyards, loads of family-friendly features, and even a swank eatery. Every little amenity counts for children and parents who must endure the long-term stresses of hospitalization for illnesses like pediatric cancer or brain surgery.

Setting a high green-building standard for the surrounding Mueller, Dell Children’s is due to become the first LEED Platinum hospital in the U.S. – the top status awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council. Cool like Austin!

Here's a strange one: National Republic Online editor, dim star of the right-wing wankosphere and heir to a wing-nut dynasty Jonah Goldberg has finally finished his long-anticipated literary masturbation, err, masterstroke, Liberal Fascism. (Goldberg's toils in pursuit of the tome are documented here, here, and here.) Only the subtitle of the book has changed – from the oh-so-proactive The Totalitarian Temptation From Mussolini to Hillary Clinton to The Totalitarian Temptation From Hegel to Whole Foods. Huh?

Goldberg must not get out much from behind his Cheetos-encrusted keyboard in the front lines of the Glorious Global War on IslamoFascistNaziVeganism, because if he did, he'd know Whole Foods' John Mackey is a hardcore, dyed-in-the-wool libertarian. Not exactly shot-caller of the granola mafia.

We can only hope Goldberg's third subtitle will cover the Totalitarian Temptation from, say, Chuck E. Cheese to public libraries. Don't get me started on them …

It’s always nice to start out the day with a steaming cup of sweet irony. So, you can imagine how pleased I was to find the following letter from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws Executive Director Allen St. Pierre in my inbox this morning, along with an open letter to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., written by his former college smoking buddy Norm Kent, a NORML board member.

It seems that Kent was a tad ticked off by a form letter sent by Coleman’s office, explaining the senator’s anti-pot position – a regurgitation of tiredass lies proffered by the White House Office of the National Drug Control Policy, including that pot is a “highly addictive” substance and that using pot makes our “schools and workplaces … more dangerous.”

For Coleman, it seems, pot has had one negative effect: memory loss.

Read below St. Pierre’s introduction and Kent’s open letter to his old buddy Norm:


NORML's open letter to Sen. Norm Coleman

Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman acknowledges on his website that he was a "campus organizer in the '60s" when he attended Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. His Wikipedia entry states: "He ran for student senate and opined in the school newspaper that his fellow students should vote for him because he knew that 'these conservative kids don't fuck or get high like we do. … Everyone watch out, the 1950s' bobby-sox generation is about to take over.'" Several photos show the then longhaired Coleman speaking through a bullhorn and unfurling an anti-war banner with other students.

Since that time, the Brooklyn, NY-born politician graduated from the University of Iowa Law School and stayed in the Midwest, where he worked as a prosecutor in Minnesota for 17 years before his two terms as mayor of St. Paul. In 1996, he switched parties – from Democrat to Republican – and in 1998 he lost the Minnesota governor's race to Jesse Ventura. In 2002, Coleman was elected senator by a 2% margin. He benefitted from the sudden death of the state's incumbant Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash 11 days before the election.

The presidential primaries seem to be causing ructions in the Republicans. First, one of their strongest candidates turns out to be Fred Thompson, someone who hasn't formally declared and therefore hasn't actually had to come up with any of those tricky … what do you call them? … oh, yeah, policies. Now they're arguing about who gets to join the debates.

It seems that the Iowa Presidential Forum, scheduled for June 30, has left someone off their guest list. Let's see, there's Rep. Tom Tancredo, Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, but John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Jim Gilmore RSVPed and said they were busy. Hang on, that's only nine – where's Texas' own U.S. Rep. Ron Paul?

Yup, the anti-Iraq war libertarian was deliberately not invited. According to reports, Ed Failor, executive vice president of event sponsors Iowans for Tax Relief, said they did not regard him as a credible candidate, so it wasn't worth inviting him. Surprisingly, Tancredo is demanding the event let Paul attend. Meanwhile, some sharp-eyed Iowans have already noted that, while McCain won't be there in person, he'll still be represented: Failor also happens to be a big McCain donor and a senior adviser to his Iowa campaign.

Damp isn't the word for it. The consistent rain showers hitting the area for the last two weeks have saturated the soil and sent water levels rising, so the Lower Colorado River Authority is opening more floodgates on the swollen river. This time it's the Tom Miller Dam at the bottom of Lake Austin, and more dumping could follow.

After opening the floodgates on Buchanan Dam at Lake Buchanan and Mansfield Dam at Lake Travis last week, the LCRA thought the problem had been dealt with, but they didn't count on the continuing downpour. By 5pm Monday, most areas had received an inch of rain, although meters at Mary Quinlan Park recorded three inches. According to National Weather Service stats, that's more than Austin's total rainfall for the whole of June last year.

LCRA meteorologists expect the same levels every day through Thursday. They warn that, if the weather keeps up, they could have to open the Wirtz Dam on LBJ and Starcke Dam on Lake Marble Falls with "little or no warning." Residents are reminded to keep an eye on flood levels and tie up or beach anything that could float away: They're also recommending drivers do the sensible thing and not risk going through a puddle that could really be a pond.

On the somewhat positive side, this deluge has meant the LCRA could fire up the hydroelectric turbines in the dams fitted with them – unusual for this time of year.

Will Council Member Lee Leffingwell run for mayor? That question has proved popular chaw at recent gatherings of City Hall watchers and community-advocate types. Mayor Will Wynn’s term expires in 2009, and term limits prevent him from running again. Brewster McCracken is known to have mayoral ambitions; Leffingwell is the other name most often mentioned. So we asked him.

“I’m definitely interested and very strongly considering it,” Leffingwell affirmed, while noting that it would be too early to officially announce. His first hurdle, of course, is winning re-election to council in May 2008. But provided that Leffingwell maintains Place 1 – a likely outcome – his campaign team could stay in place for the mayoral race. Leffingwell has drawn his base of support from Central Austin, environmental and nonprofit circles, and the business community; he noted that Austin’s gradual shift toward suburban political participation could deliver a slightly more conservative electorate come 2009.

Asked how dueling mayoral sights might affect his working relationship with McCracken, Leffingwell cited their mutual respect and said, “Anything can happen in two years, and in the meantime we both have a job to do.”

“I think I have the temperament that helps people build consensus,” noted Leffingwell. In considering the mayor’s office, he’s been thinking about how he might use those skills to bring council into alignment, in part by hearing out and incorporating members’ individual needs and concerns. “This city is very important to me,” he said with sincerity. “I would consider it a great honor to be mayor of this city – if the opportunity presents itself, it’s an offer you can’t refuse.”