Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., June 16, 2023
Raining Cats and Dogs: KUT reported this week that the Austin Animal Center is facing severe overcrowding as a result of limited resources, the pandemic, and Austin's no-kill policy. The center, which has a capacity of 309 dogs and 165 cats, had 562 dogs and 669 cats last week. Austin Pets Alive! says AAC's overcrowding could be solved with certain changes, but AAC says their recommendations are impractical and costly.
Apeshit Homophobe? Cedar Park police revealed new details about the fatal shooting of Akira Ross, indicating it may have been a hate crime. Suspect Bradley Stanford reportedly used a gay slur before shooting at Ross, who was with her girlfriend. Stanford has been charged with first-degree murder.
EV Tortoise & Fossil Fuel Hare: Ford and General Motors will switch the charging ports for their electric vehicles to the same port used by Austin-based Tesla. Starting next year, Ford and GM electric vehicle owners will be able to access Tesla's network of Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada as a result.
Activate Desert Lizard Mode: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas issued its first Weather Watch for June 15-21, forecasting expected record-high demand, but sufficient grid capacity so far.
Squirreling Away Federal $$$: U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, vowed this week to use her role as House Appropriations Committee chair to reduce federal spending, citing "years of out-of-control spending." Far-right House members including Rep. Chip Roy would like to cap spending at 2022 levels.
SCOTUS Addresses Elephant in Room: The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week on redistricting is good news for Texas lawsuits over Republican-drawn voting maps. The court's 5-4 decision found Alabama's racially discriminatory line-drawing unconstitutional, explicitly opposing arguments that the Texas attorney general's office has used in court.
Bat City United: Wednesday, several musicians' unions sent a letter to the Austin Parks and Recreation Board in support of a recommendation to City Council that for SXSW to use city property, it should pay artists more. The Parks Board will vote June 26.
Busy Bill-Signing Bee: Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Texas CHIPS Act, pouring $698.3 million into microchip research and manufacturing. Another $666.4 million will advance research and development centers at UT-Austin and Texas A&M University.
Nests for Songbirds: Austin's Music Commission expects to have cost estimates by the end of the year for three proposed creative hubs at three cultural centers.
"We've got dogs coming out of our ears."
– Kelsey Cler, a spokesperson for the Austin Animal Center
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