Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., Oct. 27, 2023
Tesla Invests in County Workforce: Last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved Tesla's $750,000 community investment plan, to go toward community partners like the Austin Area Urban League, Colorado River Alliance, and Del Valle ISD, as the Tesla Gigafactory, the second-largest factory building in the world, prepares to release its Cybertruck. The company's paid nearly $2.2 billion to Travis County suppliers in 2022 alone, plus $15 million in property taxes over the last three years. Read more online.
Lubbock Passes Abortion Travel Ban: Lubbock County is now the largest county to pass a travel ban that prohibits pregnant Texas women from seeking an abortion. The ordinance passed on Monday; enforcement will be done through filing private lawsuits against the individuals deemed responsible for transportation, The Texas Tribune reported.
Losing Cruise?: Amid a year of expansion to Miami, Nashville, and elsewhere, General Motors' Cruise driverless cars have become ubiquitous Downtown and notorious for behaving strangely – so much so that the feds are now looking into the company. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced last week that they are opening a safety-defect probe into nearly 600 of the driverless cars, due to pedestrian safety concerns. Read more online.
Traffic Deaths and Drugs: A recent analysis by Austin Transportation Department's Vision Zero initiative found that compared to Travis County medical records, the state's crash reports significantly undercount the percentage that involved an intoxicated driver. Travis County noted drugs or alcohol present in 77% of cases, while the state only noted 30%.
To G or Not to G: The city of Austin has new legal arguments to justify maintaining a "G file," a confidential collection of officer misconduct records. The Austin Police Oversight Act states that the city shall not maintain one, but Assistant City Attorney Chris Coppola testified in the Taylor trial last week that the police chief has authority to keep the file, and the city can't stop them. Read more online.
Police Official Charged With Family Assault: The Austin Police Dept. arrested one of its own on Sunday when officers responded to a 911 call made by a woman at the home of Chief Data Officer Jonathan Kringen. Court records indicate that Kringen was seen taking his arm to the woman's bloody face when officers arrived, while children watched, the Statesman reported.
Pipeline From Bastrop to Austin: Flint Hill Resources announced plans to build a 20-mile jet fuel pipeline from Bastrop to the Austin airport, as it is the largest airport in the country to still rely on trucks to deliver fuel. There's no set date for construction to start, but Council Member Vanessa Fuentes said she expects robust community engagement.
Flight Attendants Picketing: Today dozens of United Airlines flight attendants will picket at AUS as part of a nationwide day of action demanding a contract that "gives flight attendants a share of the hefty profits their work produces for United." Flight attendants say there have been years of stagnation in negotiations, despite United pilots just ratifying a new contract and the airline announcing a third-quarter revenue of nearly $15 billion. Flight attendants in around 20 cities are participating.
"I am proud to be part of Team Normal. But they're Team Out of Their Fucking Minds."
– Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
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