Headlines

Austin Justice Coalition co-founder Chas Moore speaks at the Tamir Rice Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 29. On the subject of police brutality, Moore said, "Our approach as activists has been not enough. ... In 2016 we have to ramp it up, every last one of us, including me." For more, see austinchronicle.com/news. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

APD's DWI "No Refusal" initiative continues tonight, New Year's Eve, so don't drink and drive (as if you needed another reason).

Self-Regulation: The latest front in the ride-for-hire controversy is a petition drive initiated by a coalition calling itself "Ridesharing Works for Austin" – and including TNCs Uber and Lyft – that seek to place on the November ballot an ordinance eliminating fingerprinting and other TNC safety measures initiated by City Council in Decem­ber. The coalition blames Council for the companies' threats to leave town if they don't like the new regs.

Jim Bob Moffett is retiring as chairman of Freeport-McMoRan, the gold and copper mining conglomerate he founded in the Nineties, accused of environmental and human rights violations at its Indonesian copper mines, while the company's Southwest Austin real estate projects around Barton Creek triggered the movement that became Save Our Springs. Declining commodities prices and other problems have recently decimated Freeport's stock value.

Police Chief Art Acevedo handed six-year veteran Officer James Ayers a four-day suspension Tuesday for insubordination and violations of general attendance. Ayers had established a reputation for arriving late to work between March and August. When asked to meet with superiors about the tardiness, he "admittedly used profanity while providing excuses for being late" and proved insubordinate when tasked to write a memo about his habit.

Just Stay Home: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pursued his vocation of suing the federal government, this time the Environmental Protection Agency for new restrictions on smog that the state considers too strict. The EPA says a smog reduction from 75 to 70 parts per billion could prevent 325,000 cases of childhood asthma – the state responds that most people spend most of their time indoors.

Sticky-Icky Stickland: Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, took a hit this week when primary challenger Scott Fisher released online postings by the gun-toting state rep from last decade seeking advice on growing marijuana and cheating on drug tests. Apparently "Stick" (as he called himself) was also looking for a "smoking buddy" to share "da green."

Retention Deficit: A new report by State Auditor John Keel shows Texas state agencies lost 18% of classified staff in the 2015 fiscal year, with the Department of Aging and Disability Services (32.2%) and the Juvenile Justice Department (26.6%) faring worst. The report comes on the heels of a judicial ruling that Texas' foster care system is so understaffed that overburdened case workers regularly burn out.