Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., May 3, 2024
Protesters Freed: On Wednesday afternoon, the 79 individuals who were arrested for criminal trespass at the pro-Palestine protest on UT’s campus Monday have all been released from jail. The charges against each protester remain active, as Travis County Attorney Delia Garza reviews the arrests individually to determine if her office will prosecute.
Protests Intensify Across Campuses: Tuesday night saw a violent law enforcement crackdown on university student protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. In New York, NYPD sent tactical vehicles and hundreds of police to arrest protesters that had occupied a Columbia campus building; in Tampa, police fired tear gas on University of Southern Florida students; and on the UCLA campus, Zionist counter-protesters dragged pro-Palestine protesters from their encampment, beat them, and shot fireworks into the encampment.
Drug Overdose Outbreak: Austin-Travis County EMS and APD responded to more than 51 suspected overdose incidents on Monday. Many were treated with Narcan – an opioid overdose-reversal drug – and transported to local hospitals, but four died after paramedics were unable to revive them.
TCAD Early Vote: Early voting in the election for three members of the Travis Central Appraisal District’s Board of Directors concluded Tuesday, April 30. About 4% of registered voters cast a ballot during the nine-day early voting period. Election day is Saturday, May 4.
Project Connect Lawsuit: Austin’s effort to protect Project Connect has begun. Last week, city attorneys did battle with Ken Paxton’s Office of the Attorney General, which is suing Austin in an attempt to kill the funding mechanism behind the city’s proposed light-rail system. Paxton and other plaintiffs are challenging the authority of the Austin Transit Partnership to borrow money for the project. If they succeed, Austin’s dream of rapid transit will surely perish.
Austin Water Adjusts Conservation Plan: Austin Water is sending its conservation plan to City Council despite a lack of support from the city’s Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force. The task force says the plan’s new goals are less ambitious than those initially proposed, but Austin Water officials say they reflect a more realistic conservation vision, the Austin Monitor reported.
New Head at Texas Music Office: Longtime Austin music industry insider Chip Adams is stepping up as director of the Texas Music Office starting May 7. Adams, who ran the label Modern Outsider Records, previously worked as the TMO’s community relations and outreach specialist and expanded the Music Friendly Communities program, which creates baseline services for musicians across the state. He replaces Director Brendon Anthony, who led the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism offshoot since 2015.
Blues Are Back: Blues on the Green returns to Zilker Park June 11 and 12. The free summer concert series, an Austin favorite for over three decades, was initially canceled for 2024, after organizers Austin City Limits Radio revealed challenges in putting on a festival “without admission fees and bar sales.” Soon after, City Council stepped in, approving a resolution to co-sponsor free music events. H-E-B also provided increased funding to keep the tradition alive.
Austin Opera's New Season: The arts org revealed its 2024-25 lineup, starting off with a timely revival of its 2016 original adaptation of the Cold War conspiracy classic The Manchurian Candidate. This will be followed by a full choral production of Verdi's Requiem and a workshop of a new opera, Ofrenda: A “Día de Muertos” Story, created through the Opera ATX Residency for Latinx Creatives initiative. The season will close with early-20th-century tragedy Madame Butterfly.
Abbott Ignores LGBTQ+ Protections: Gov. Abbott ordered the Texas Education Agency on Monday to ignore new protections for LGBTQ students. The protections, which are part of the Biden administration’s revision of Title IX protections, are set to go into effect in August, the Texas Tribune reported.
Trans Protection Resolution: City Council will vote on a resolution Thursday, May 2, voicing support for gender-affirming care for transgender minors. The resolution states that, since the Texas Legislature criminalized gender-affirming care last September, families and providers of health care for transgender children are “living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved.” It references research showing that gender-affirming care is the appropriate medical response for gender dysphoria and states, among other things, that no city resources shall be used to investigate, prosecute, or penalize transgender individuals for seeking health care. The resolution will almost certainly be approved.
Pot Shots: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to soon reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department is proposing to recognize the medical uses of marijuana, which would not legalize the drug for recreational purposes but would remove it from the Schedule I group, which includes other drugs with potential medical uses, like psilocybin and MDMA.
No More Graffiti?: Austin’s Downtown Commission plans to create a Department of Nuisance Abatement to remove graffiti. The commission is seeking $2 million to fund the new department. It proposed a similar recommendation last year that was unsuccessful, the Austin Monitor reported.
Quote of the Week
“It is not the role of the criminal justice system to jail people for conduct that has not yet occurred or that might occur, nor to assist our governor in efforts to suppress nonviolent and peaceful demonstrations.”
– County Attorney Delia Garza
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.
