Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., March 15, 2024
Future I-35: The city announced this week that it won a $105 million grant funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to construct a 5.3-acre freeway cap (green space that covers a highway) over I-35 between Cesar Chavez and Fourth streets as part of the city’s cap-and-stitch program.
Uvalde Parents Walk Out: Parents and family members of the 19 children murdered in the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022 walked out of a public meeting last week after a city investigation concluded that 25 Uvalde police officers had acted in “good faith” and were not to blame for the massacre. The officers were among a group of 370 from 23 different agencies who waited over an hour to confront the gunman, according to Texas Public Radio.
Uvalde Chief Quits: Uvalde police chief Daniel Rodriguez resigned Tuesday. He told the local newspaper the decision was in the best interest of his family. Rodriguez was on vacation when the mass shooting happened, but he’s been criticized for leading a department with insufficient active shooter training.
Acevedo Goes: Speaking of former police chiefs, we’ve got all of the details around the almost-hiring of Art Acevedo in a city position overseeing the Austin Police Department. After receiving public records of communication between city staff and Acevedo, the Chronicle has a timeline for the hiring process and what followed. Read it online.
Standardized Again: UT has decided to once again require prospective students to include the results of standardized tests like the SAT with their applications, beginning in the fall of 2025. The decision is part of a trend by leading universities to reverse policies that had suspended testing requirements during the COVID pandemic. UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell explained to The Texas Tribune that the last few years have “reinforced that standardized testing is a valuable tool for deciding who is admitted and making sure those students are placed in majors that are the best fit.”
Contemplating No Coal Plant: Austin Energy’s general manager, Bob Kahn, has announced that AE will pause the Energy Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan, conceived to reduce carbon emissions by 2030, to pursue further collaboration from stakeholders. The announcement comes several weeks after Mayor Kirk Watson said it was time to reconsider the plan, saying that it doesn’t adequately prioritize extracting the city from the notorious coal-fired Fayette Power Project, the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the area.
Less Wasted Water: Austin City Council has unanimously approved a mandatory water reuse requirement for new, large developments, according to reporting by the Austin Monitor. Council also approved an increased fee of 15 cents for every thousand gallons of water, which it believes will provide extra funding for Austin Water to expand the county’s reclaimed water system. The increased fee is expected to raise the average customer’s bill by $1.47 a month.
More Kids With Disabilities, Same Resources: Texas has underfunded special education and Medicaid for generations. Now, research from the University of Houston shows that 16,000 more babies were born in 2022 than 2021 – after Texas abortion bans took effect – and advocates worry the state will not provide more resources for what will be an increased number of children with disabilities.
Paxton Prods Nonprofit Migrant Shelter: Annunciation House, a faith-based network of shelters for migrants in El Paso that has been operating for 50 years, has been asked by Attorney General Ken Paxton to hand over sensitive documents about clients who have stayed at the shelter, The Texas Tribune reported last week. Right-wing politicians have long accused migrant shelters of encouraging illegal immigration, but in 2017 the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that renting housing or providing services to undocumented people does not constitute harboring that person from detection. Paxton has filed suit to shut down the shelter network, but state district Judge Francisco Dominguez blocked Paxton’s subpoena, suggesting that the attorney general is just playing political games.
It’s Paxton’s World, We’re Just Living In It: Paxton continues to operate by his own personal rules. According to KUT, the A.G. has not admitted that he owns at least five houses purchased in the last several years, despite state law requiring Texas’ public officials to annually state their sources of income. KUT’s Lauren McGaughy reports that in his most recent filing last June, Paxton wrote that the annual disclosure requirement “lack[s] detail” and is “somewhat abstract.”
Mo’ Hotels, Mo’ Tourists: Austin is gaining more hotel units while San Antonio is losing theirs, the Austin Business Journal reported last week. According to Source Strategies of San Antonio, since 2019 Austin’s share of the state’s hotel business increased from 14.6% to 16.3%. During the same time frame, San Antonio’s market share decreased from 10.9% to 10.4%. The Source Strategies data went on to state that Austin’s hotel revenue increased 39% since 2019, to $2.37 billion. San Antonio’s increased about 15% in the same span, to $1.62 billion.
You Driving Here?: Speaking of tourist attractions, San Marcos will soon be the new home of a monstrously large Buc-ee’s after the glorified gas station received economic incentives from the San Marcos City Council, the Statesman reported last week. The facility is expected to include a 74,000-square-foot structure and 120 gas pumps, plus 100 to 175 electric vehicle charging spots. Buc-ee’s will receive a refund of 50% of the sales taxes it pays in its first 15 years. San Marcos estimates that it will collect $5.9 million in property taxes and $3.2 million in sales taxes from the store.
Recruiting Young Teachers: Hutto ISD is addressing its teacher shortage with an innovative K-12 apprenticeship program that will provide on-the-job training and free tuition to make it easier for prospective teachers to pursue a job in education. Hutto ISD Assistant Superintendent Cara Malone said she hopes the program will “bring work and school together and help train people for what they want to do,” according to reporting from the Texas Standard.
City Manager Options Down to Two: Five days after Mayor Watson announced three finalists for Austin’s next city manager, we’re down to two, the Statesman reported. Brian Platt, the city manager of Kansas City, Mo., withdrew Sunday. The other two finalists are Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Denton City Manager Sara Hensley.
Sun Problems: The Travis County Commissioners Court has declared a local disaster one month before the total solar eclipse brings tens of thousands of people to Austin on April 8. “The emergency services personnel asked me to enter this declaration so that we have the ability to regulate traffic to allow for the passage of emergency vehicles during the eclipse,” County Judge Andy Brown told KUT. The commissioners expect the eclipse to temporarily double Austin’s population.
Quote of the Week
“This is the part where you’re starting to offend my intelligence.”
– State district Judge Francisco Dominguez to Assistant Attorney General Ryan Baasch regarding the state’s effort to subpoena a shelter for migrants
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