Headlines / Quote of the Week

Feminist punk rock icon Bikini Kill drew a massive crowd at the Far Out Lounge Saturday, May 7, in a show that hints at what the future of far South Congress has in store (see "The Far Out Is Having a Moment," Music, May 13) (Photo by John Anderson)

Votin' in the Free World: A Tarrant County woman who was sentenced to five years in prison for casting a ballot when she did not know she was ineligible to vote got a second chance this week. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals told a lower appeals court to take another look at the controversial conviction of Crystal Mason. She had been on supervised release for a federal conviction when she cast the ballot in 2016.

Born to be Petty: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday, May 6, the State Bar of Texas was suing him for misconduct due to his lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential election. A few hours after that announcement, Paxton's office announced an investigation into the Texas Bar Foundation for "facilitating mass influx of illegal aliens."

(I Can't Get No) Good Nutrition: A survey from UT-Austin's student-led Food Insecurity Action Team surveyed about 430 students last year and found that nearly 1 in 3 were food insecure, meaning they don't have reliable access to affordable and nutritious food. Most of the food-insecure students lived in nearby off-campus neighborhoods.

Whole Lotta Single-Family Homes: Dallas-based real estate firm RREAF is planning a massive 3,173-acre development between Austin and San Antonio that will include thousands of single-family homes, apartments on top of retail, restaurants, hotels, offices, health care services, light industrial facilities, and schools. The development southwest of Lockhart sits at the intersection of State Highways 130 and 80.

Pour Some Money on Me: After a hiatus due to COVID-19, Austin City Limits Music Festival's return to Zilker Park in 2021 had a $369 million impact on the local economy, according to a report released Tuesday, May 10, by the festival. That impact was $78 million, or 27%, higher than the $291 million brought in by the 2019 festival.

(Don't Fear) The Twitter: After Twitter accepted Elon Musk's deal to buy the company, a Williamson County landowner offered Musk 100 acres of free land for Twitter's new headquarters. Jim Schwertner, president and CEO of Schwertner Farms, owns 20,000 acres of land just north of Georgetown, including the town that bears the family name; a different Schwertner represents the area in the Texas Senate.

Rage Against the Machines? Blast from Austin's past Laura Pressley was on the ballot again on May 7, for a seat on the Florence ISD Board of Trustees. She lost by a 2-to-1 margin, just as she did to Greg Casar for City Council in 2014 – a result she contested in the courts for nearly five years with nonsensical attacks on electronic voting. Let's see what happens this time!

Quote of the Week

"I'm proud of the work that we've accomplished under [Randy Clarke's] leadership over these last four years. He's brought us together in so many ways."

– County commissioner and Cap Metro Board Chair Jeff Travillion on the departure of Cap Metro CEO Randy Clarke, who will soon head the transit authority in Washington, D.C.