Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., March 25, 2022
Paxton Strikes Again: Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton directed his ire at Austin ISD Tuesday, March 22, saying in a letter to the district that holding Pride Week violated state law that restricts sex education. AISD Supt. Stephanie Elizalde took to Twitter to say she wants all LGBTQIA students to know AISD is proud of them and "will protect them against political attacks."
Sixth Street Shooting: Four people were shot and sustained minor injuries on the 400 block on Sixth Street around 2am Sunday, March 20. The attack came nine months after the Sixth Street shooting that killed one and injured 13 and six months after "constitutional carry" went into effect in Texas. Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday said police had already made 31 arrests and seized 19 firearms Downtown, according to the Statesman.
COVID-19 Orders Lifted: Austin Public Health announced an end to all of its emergency rules and orders related to COVID-19 in a statement Wednesday, March 23. Low numbers of infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks made the change possible, according to the announcement.
Starbucks Unions Steam Ahead: Starbucks Workers United announced Monday, March 21, that employees at the 45th & Lamar location in Austin had filed for a union election. Separately, congressional candidate Greg Casar was set to join baristas, Service Employees International Union, and Workers United organizers at the Starbucks at 504 W. 24th on Thursday, March 24.
It Ain't Necessarily So: Gov. Greg Abbott and DPS have repeatedly boasted that border initiative Operation Lone Star has disrupted drug smuggling networks, but an investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, and the Marshall Project found data does not support that. The state's brags have been based on metrics that include crimes with no connection to the border and drug seizure efforts that do not distinguish DPS's and other agencies' roles, The Texas Tribune reported.
We Got You, Toto: Austin Pets Alive! is offering help for animals displaced by the tornado that hit ground in eastern Travis County Monday, March 21. Their Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender program serves residents in Round Rock, Elgin, and Granger, CBS Austin reported. Pet owners can reach APA at pass@austinpetsalive.org.
Fuel Tank Move: A resolution from Council Member Vanessa Fuentes in the April 7 council meeting, if passed, would relocate a planned jet fuel depot. The new location on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport property would still be in walking distance from homes and businesses, the Statesman reported.
Quote of the Week
"I know [the president's nomination] means so much to so many people. It means a lot to me. I am here standing on the shoulders of generations of Americans who never had anything close to this kind of opportunity."
– Ketanji Brown Jackson, Supreme Court nominee, during a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, March 22
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