Headlines / Quote of the Week

Mourning in the Middle East: Local politicians expressed horror over attacks in Israel and Palestine this week, with Mayor Kirk Watson, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Rep. Lloyd Doggett attending an event called "We Stand With Israel" in Austin. Rep. Greg Casar and Council Member Zo Qadri made statements mourning Israeli and Palestinian lives lost, with Qadri taking heat for a tweet thread that asked, "We can all agree that the killing of innocent Israelis is wrong. Well why can't we all agree that the killing of innocent Palestinians ... is wrong?"

Near-Collisions on the Rise: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is short on controllers, and the staffing crisis has come with an increase in near-misses. The Washington Post reported Thursday that a fighter jet almost collided with a private plane at ABIA last month. Read more online.

Finding the Next Head Honcho: The Statesman reported that a City Council committee has decided to hire the national search firm Mosaic Public Partners to provide several candidates for the job of Austin city manager. Mayor Kirk Watson says the city can likely expect to have a permanent city manager by September 2024, which will leave next year's fiscal budget to be presented by current Interim City Manager Jesús Garza.

On the Run Again: Kaitlin Armstrong, accused of murdering cyclist Moriah Wilson and on the lam in Costa Rica for weeks, escaped custody briefly Wednesday, a Travis County Sheriff's Office spokesperson said. After a doctor's appointment, she began running. Officers caught up to her in 10 minutes.

Biden's Border Wall: Several Democrats have criticized President Joe Biden's announcement that his administration will continue the construction of the border wall in Starr County. On top of the concerns for human rights, the 26 laws that have to be waived in order to continue building the border wall include serious environmental implications. Read more online.

A Million Gallons: The mixed housing development Hyatt West received a green light on a zoning amendment to move forward in planning last week by Council members. However, Austin Water is asking that the development connect to a reclaimed water line system for further usage, which would save roughly 1.2 million gallons of water, the Austin Monitor reported.

Ignoring Charter Schools' Failures: Since being appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Mike Morath has waived state academic requirements to allow for the expansion of 17 low-performing charter schools. It is not likely there will be any oversight for this decision, as legislation has decreased the authority of the State Board of Education, The Texas Tribune reported.

Paxton Seeks Revenge: After being acquitted of impeachment charges, Attorney General Ken Paxton says he will now be filing criminal complaints against the House impeachment managers who were involved in presenting evidence in the case. His reasoning? Paxton believes that personal information was released publicly despite the fact that House managers made several redactions of personal details, the Statesman reported.

Mold, Pests, and Rising Rent: Residents of the Palms on Lamar called on the nonprofit legal aid group BASTA Austin for assistance in addressing unsafe living conditions and rising rent. Tenants of the affordable housing complex spoke with the Chronicle while delivering a letter to the landlords to demand action. Read more online.

Bootlickers Seek to Bootlick: Meanwhile, Rep. Tony Tinderholt, one of the far-right representatives in the House Republican Caucus, filed a resolution Tuesday to apologize to Paxton for the impeachment trial he recently endured. Needless to say, the House Republican majority that voted for Paxton's impeachment has not expressed contrition. Read more online.

Saving History in San Marcos: A historic Black church, once firebombed by the KKK, still stands in San Marcos – for now. The Old First Baptist Church has been abandoned and in disrepair for decades, and a new owner has grant money to fix it. But the nonprofit partner needed to move that grant money has dropped out, and so the funding sits in limbo. Read more online.

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Quote of the Week

"Be it resolved that the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby extend a formal apology to Attorney General Ken Paxton."

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– An apology resolution filed by far-right Rep. Tony Tinderholt