On Friday, July 20, Kathy (Lopez) Abdella, represented by the law firm Deats, Durst, Owen & Levy, filed a formal grievance alleging violation of the Texas Whistleblower’s Act after she was terminated on Monday, July 16, from her job as vet tech at the Williamson County Animal Shelter. The filing appeals the decision to terminate her, requests a hearing, and demands that she be given her job back with full benefits. A formal notice to this effect was sent to Judge Dan A. Gattis; commissioners Lisa Birkman, Cynthia Long, Valeria Covey, and Ron Morrison; Human resources director John Willingham; and County Attorney Jana Duty. Abdella’s firing was a “terrible injustice” and violated state and federal law, according to the notice written by attorney Philip Durst. “Kathy was fired very shortly after she spoke to representatives of appropriate law enforcement authorities and after she spoke out to the press about the dangerous and truly heartbreaking conditions at the shelter,” the notice states, as it encourages county officials to work for an “amicable” solution and not force the issue any further.

UPDATE: Due to an editing error, the original headline stated Ms. Abdella had sued the animal shelter. To clarify, she filed a grievance to exhaust all administrative remedies, and if not satisfied, will then pursue a lawsuit. Chronic regrets the error.

Party like a bank robber: The Public Information Office at the APD just sent out this photo of the bank robbery suspect from the Wells Fargo Bank on July 10. And dude wasn't just looking for the short cash, he's thinking longer-term. Like endorsements. The PIO crew says the robber was clad in a "skateboarding clothing line that we would like for the public to review." Well, that just narrows it down to the entire Warped Tour, doesn't it?

Click on the picture to your right and you'll see a vision of felonious dudeness clad in Quicksilver and DC Skateboarding gear. (Having not ventured into a Journey's since the Clinton administration, we're not sure what "Cirro's Raymondetta shoes" are.)

The adage that politics makes strange bedfellows is certainly coming true for former District 31 congressional candidate Mary Beth Harrell lately. During last year’s race for the Central Texas district (which includes all of Williamson County), the Democrat quite rightly screamed bloody murder when Killeen PBS affiliate KNCT refused to air a documentary that focused specifically on her challenge to Rep. John Carter (a decision later reversed). Now, she is on KNCT every week with her own public affairs program, Insight With Mary Beth Harrell. The program airs Thursdays at 7:30pm. Harrell has also been on the radio recently, doing a three-day stint filling in for far-right radio host Lynn Woolley on Temple’s KTEM (1400-AM). Now that’s definitely an odd matchup: Harrell’s opposition to the Bush administration’s Iraq policy was a centerpiece of her campaign, while Woolley steadfastly supports the war. But Harrell and the arch-conservative bonded over the issue of animal welfare: “He’s into greyhound rescue and he helped to get the new million-dollar city shelter built in Temple … Lynn and I actually get along quite well.” If you’re too far south to get KNCT, each week’s episode gets archived at InsightTexas.com.

Don't look now, but the city's finally gotten around to advertising the vacant job of Convention Center Director. Not that there's been any controversy about unposted job openings as of late or anything. Still, think of the cush benefits – free parties and golf balls galore!

(To apply, go here, click Search Postings and look under Convention Center in the Department field. Tell 'em Chronic sent ya – if you want to have absolutely no hope of landing the gig.)

For years, the infamous Bilderberg Group has met in secret, the great and the good(?) assembling to allegedly carve up the future of the world. Their cloak of secrecy has been almost perfect for decades, the list of attendees the subject of myth and speculation. Well, it would be, if it wasn't for the fact that Gov. Rick Perry's press people had told everyone he was going. But now some details of the trip have been clarified, courtesy of Texas electoral law.

According to campaign finance documents filed with the Texas Ethics Commission, our very own governor flew out on May 30 from Austin to Istanbul, Turkey. Under "purpose of travel," it reads "Guest speaker at Bilderberg conference." D'oh! That's no way to keep a secret organization secret. Perry then flew back to Austin on June 4.

For those of you with a taste for campaign finances, don't worry, the cash didn't come from the governor's office. Nor, although it's on their paperwork, did his PAC Texans for Rick Perry cough up the travel expenses. The flight came courtesy of American Airlines, as an in-kind contribution.

And don't worry that the governor would have gotten bored on the 20-something hour flight: he had company. In the same document, there's also records of a free trip to the Bilderberg conference for Phil Wilson – Perry's former deputy chief of staff and director of communications, who since their summer jaunt has been appointed secretary of state.

After 23 days of flooding, the Lower Colorado River Authority has finally closed the last floodgate on Mansfield Dam on Lake Travis.

With the lake now at 683 feet above mean sea level, 18 feet down from the recent highs, and yesterday's rains having no significant effect on the water table, they've decided it's safe to end the emergency dumping. All LCRA-run sections of the lake system have now re-opened, but those bits run by the city of Austin – Lake Austin, Town Lake, and the river below Longhorn Dam – are still closed.

The city had said that they were waiting until after the last floodgate closed before re-opening the waterway. With levels still high, and water still flowing through the hydroelectric plant at Mansfield Dam, they haven't issued the all-clear yet. Austin Fire Department said they'd hold off on any decision until Friday.

"We appreciate that there's lots of people that want to get back into the water, and that there's businesses that are losing business every day the lake is closed," said AFD pubic information officer Michelle DeCrane, "but we're sure there's no one who would put profit ahead of lives."

Sounds like a one John Morgan's got a thing for a certain city employee:

Toby Futrell is an example of the American Dream. Young, attractive and armed with true intellectual gifts and remarkable drive, she wielded those weapons to benefit every position in Austin city government she applied for and achieved.

We'll back off to give him some alone time with Toby. Catch all our reportage of l'affaire Futrell in this week's issue here and here.

The adage that politics makes strange bedfellows is certainly coming true for former District 31 congressional candidate Mary Beth Harrell lately. During last year’s race for the Central Texas district (which includes all of Williamson County), the Democrat quite rightly screamed bloody murder when Killeen PBS affiliate KNCT refused to air a documentary that focused specifically on her challenge to Rep. John Carter (a decision later reversed). Now, she is on KNCT every week with her own public affairs program, Insight With Mary Beth Harrell. The program airs Thursdays at 7:30pm.

And tomorrow (Thursday) morning, Harrell wraps up a three-day stint filling in for far-right radio host Lynn Woolley on Temple’s KTEM (1400AM, 8-11am). Now that’s definitely an odd matchup: Harrell’s opposition to the Bush administration’s Iraq policy was a centerpiece of her campaign, while Woolley steadfastly supports the war. But Harrell said she and the arch-conservative bonded over the issue of animal welfare: “He's into greyhound rescue and he helped to get the new million dollar city shelter built in Temple … Lynn and I actually get along quite well.” If you’re too far south to get KNCT, each week’s episode gets archived at InsightTexas.com.

Just got these photos from Rep. Lloyd Doggett, taken last night as he and Dem legislators tried to force a simple up-or-down vote on Iraq redeployment from a filibustering Republican senate:

Obstructionist tactics can only delay the inevitable redeployment of our troops from Iraq and a day of reckoning for the deadly blunders of the Bush-Cheney Administration. Tonight we light candles, in hopes that those who employ obstructionist tactics will see the light and allow a vote to bring our troops home.


Click on the picture to see the rest of the photos.