Headlines
Fri., March 16, 2018
City Council celebrates South by Southwest with the rest of us this week, resuming regular session March 22, when it will pay for its break with an agenda just shy of 100 Items (96), including setting public hearings (tentatively in May) for the long-awaited arrival of CodeNEXT. Budget prep gets serious April 4. See "Council: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over," March 16.
Spring break is generally national SXSW news from Austin, but this year's headlines report mysterious package bombings having killed two people, injured others. The FBI and other federal agencies are joining local police in the investigations. Officials say they believe the bombings are related, and residents should be wary of unexpected or unmarked packages.
Austin Police report more than 260 calls about potentially dangerous packages since Monday's bombings, though none of the boxes have turned out to hold any explosives. See "Domestic Terrorism," March 16.
Bye, Bye, Busby: After five years as executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, Heather Busby is stepping down from her role this spring. During her time running the reproductive rights group, Busby was part of the "unruly mob" that protested House Bill 2 and advocated against the law until its defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court. If anyone has the energy to fight against the state's never-ending attacks on women's health care, her gig is now up for grabs.
The Austin Bulldog (aka The Bill Aleshire newsletter) reports that city legal has told Aleshire it has decided to allow anti-CodeNEXT petitioners to solicit signatures on sidewalks outside city libraries, pending a revision of the current rules. And City Attorney Anne Morgan advised City Council that the petition itself appears to be illegitimate under state law, as an attempt to reject the entire zoning process and enact an ordinance in opposition to the City Charter.
An Officer-Involved Shooting in the 6200 block of La Naranja Lane in Southwest Austin early on Monday morning left one 23-year-old man injured, but in stable condition. Interim Police Chief Brian Manley said officers were responding to a domestic disturbance, heard gunshots inside the home, and exchanged gunfire with the man after he charged toward the door.
Kendrex White, the former UT student who killed Harrison Brown by stabbing last May, said in a court filing that he was insane at the time of the attack and should be provided alternative punishment to a prison sentence. White's trial date has not been set.
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