Headlines / Quote of the Week

Four women whose lives were in peril when doctors could not give them the abortions they needed under the state's current near-total abortion bans. Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, speaks at a press conference announcing the lawsuit that restores limited freedom in pregnancy health care (read more). (Photo by Jana Birchum)

It's Getting Hot in Herre (so Cut Off All Your Farms): Drought is hitting local rice farmers hard. Since last summer's drought, the reservoirs they rely on have been depleted to the point of triggering a cutoff for farmers with "interruptible" water contracts with the Lower Colorado River Authority. Cutoffs that started in 2022 will continue in 2023, the Austin Monitor reported.

A Milli a Milli $47 Milli: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced this week that $47.1 million will be distributed to cities and counties across Texas as part of the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund. The money transfers sprung from a 2021 bill that agreed to settle statewide opioid litigation. Hegar's press release said this disbursement will be the first of many over several years as the state grapples with a fentanyl crisis.

Hey Ya! You Think You've Got It (but for Real, You Shouldn't Get It): Gun reform with bipartisan support? It might actually happen this session. Bipartisan companion bills in the state House and Senate would close one background check loophole by explicitly requiring courts to report involuntary mental health hospitalizations of teens 16 and older. A ProPublica and Texas Tribune investigation revealed these weren't being reported to the national background check system.

99 Problems but This Ain't 1, More a Fun Fact: Amazon Prime Video is creating fictional city Prime, Texas, to create immersive experiences for Prime Original Series during SXSW, and Mayor Kirk Watson is getting a key to the Prime city. The more you know.

Drop It Like It's Not Essential Aid: Last week, the federal COVID relief program that allowed families receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to maximize their allotment expired. After three years of expanded food access, more than 3 million low-income Texas households will see at least $95 less per month from their typical SNAP deposit. Some Texans will see a much larger reduction according to Feeding Texas, Community Impact reported.

Find Me in Da Lege: The Texas Tribune this week reflected on the 88th Texas Legislature's relationship to queerness. At the same time that the Texas Lege includes a record number of openly LGBTQ+ lawmakers (nine), House Republicans have introduced more than 90 anti-LGBTQ bills. The Texas House LGBTQ Caucus also filed over 100 bills to protect equal rights and combat hateful legislation.

Get Ur Freak On, Domain: Some people like to call the Domain Austin's second Downtown (please stop). After Council amended regulations for the North Burnet/Gateway area to allow 45-story buildings, it might look like one. Two residential towers (about 340 and 430 feet respectively) are in the works.

Quote of the Week

Photo by Daniel Oberhaus / CC BY-SA 4.0

"The reality is that this guy ... did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing."

– Elon Musk, mocking a terminated employee on Twitter, simultaneously opening himself up to a wrongful termination suit