Headlines
Fri., June 2, 2017
No regular City Council meeting today (June 2) – the next regular meeting is Thu., June 8 – but the dais began diving into CodeNEXT on Wednesday, the first of four work sessions on the code. "Council: Code Blue," June 2.
R.I.P. Tom Stribling: Interim Labor Relations Officer Tom Stribling passed away on Tuesday morning. He was 60. Stribling, who previously worked as an attorney for CLEAT, the state's largest police union, was hired as the city ombudsman in 2011, and took over at the labor relations office in February. He's survived by his wife and three children.
Deputy Medical Direction: Austin-Travis County EMS Medical Director Dr. Mark Escott appointed Dr. Jason Pickett his deputy medical director. The assistant professor and director of the Center for Prehospital & Operational Medicine at Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio) begins his work here in August.
Fetal Burial Rules: Attorney General Ken Paxton is requesting the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reverse a federal judge's block of the state health department's rule forcing abortion providers to bury or cremate fetuses. Paxton previously appealed the judge's opinion, which called the rule a "pretext" for restricting abortion access. A similar rule is found in anti-choice SB 8, passed by the Texas Legislature in May.
Kleinert Case Concluded? The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declined Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore's request for a rehearing on the appeal of a federal court's dismissal of manslaughter charges brought against retired APD Detective Charles Kleinert, who shot and killed Larry Jackson Jr. in July 2013.
Christi Long, a local transgender activist and drag queen who performs under the name Christi Foxx Paris, was brutally attacked Sun., May 28. Long was raped and beaten with a hammer by a supposed "friend." She sustained numerous head injuries (requiring 12 staples) and a concussion. Friends have started a GoFundMe to help cover Long's medical bills: www.gofundme.com/fundraiser-for-christi-foxx-paris.
Dread Pirate Roberts Ross Ulbricht, architect of online drug market the Silk Road, had his life sentence conviction upheld by a New York court this week. Ulbricht, an Austin native who went to Westlake High, was convicted in Feb. 2015 of seven crimes, including narcotics and money laundering conspiracies.
Bring 'em Back: Is the Texas Legislature going to hold a special session? Gov. Greg Abbott said he'll announce a decision sometime this week. Context clues suggest a recall of state lawmakers is all but inevitable.
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