Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., July 26, 2024
Biden Coming Monday: Joe Biden is still coming to Austin. Two days after sparking jubilation with his decision to abandon this fall’s presidential contest, Biden’s team announced that he would make an appearance at the LBJ Library Monday to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act. There is a certain historic resonance to the visit as it will take place at the shrine dedicated to the last sitting president to make the decision to forgo a reelection bid.
Republican Doom Spiraling: Triggered by Biden’s decision and terrified of Kamala, Texas Republicans reacted with their usual fantasy-fried schizophrenia. Sen. John Cornyn, once regarded as the only adult in the room, copied and pasted the Trumpian lie that Harris was responsible for “criminals and terrorists stream[ing] across our wide-open border.” Gov. Greg Abbott used Biden’s announcement as an opportunity to hallucinate about implements of control, saying, “I think I will need to triple the border wall, razor wire barriers, and National Guard on the border.” Could Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick top this? Hell yeah. “Obama is seeking his 4th term as President,” Patrick wrote on X. “The June debate was a hit job on Biden by his own party.”
Madame President: It seems VP Kamala Harris will snag the nomination. This week, she quickly secured the support of enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination and held her first campaign event, reminding her supporters that she has lots of experience prosecuting fraudsters and sexual abusers like Donald Trump. Rep. Lloyd Doggett applauded Biden’s decision and urged a Democratic process, saying “I continue to urge a fair, open, and democratic process to select the nominee best able to convince battleground voters.”
Skipping Netanyahu: Democratic lawmakers boycotted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress Wednesday, including VP Harris and Austin’s Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett. Read more online.
Trying to Thrive Near I-35: All the awesome improvements to I-35 and other transportation systems over the next decade will create a lot of extra greenhouse gases in Austin, as drivers loop around the constant construction, the Austin Monitor reports. So the EPA announced on Monday that it is awarding a $48 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to a coalition of local transportation groups to try to lessen the impacts.
Global Glitch: Last week, a technical disaster shut down certain Microsoft Windows systems worldwide, causing mass problems likened to the imagined Y2K disaster. In Austin, the crashes disrupted emergency responses, grounded planes at the airport, and affected area hospitals. This Wednesday, the Austin-based tech company responsible for the crashes, CrowdStrike, blamed a bug and said it would take future measures to prevent similar outages.
Ring the Charm Alarm: A charming old Victorian at 1100 E. Second St., built between 1888 and 1889, will likely be bulldozed after City Council failed to approve its designation as a historic structure, the Austin Monitor reports. The city’s Historic Landmark Commission and Planning Commission had enthusiastically supported the historic designation. The owners opposed it, because, money.
Charter Fodder: Council has approved a whole slew of charter amendments – 13 of them – for voters to consider in this November’s election. If enacted, the amendments would end the requirement that Council meet at least once a week, increase the number of signatures needed to recall a Council member from office, and give Council the ability to appoint and remove the city attorney, among other even-less-interesting things.
On a Doggy Date: In the dog days of summer, Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) is kick-starting a new shelter dog field trip program called Dog Day Out. Every Tuesday and Friday, members of the public can sign up to take an APA! shelter pup on a field trip (you can take them home to watch a movie, out for a hike, or to a dog-friendly brewery).
Flirting with Covid: Texas and six other states are currently experiencing very high levels of COVID-19, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two new COVID variants known as FLiRT, which are very contagious but don’t cause severe illness, are responsible for more than half of the new cases, the CDC said last week.
Zebra Mussels, Be Gone: Missing that subtle stench that emanated from your tap water last summer? That’s because the evil invader – the dreaded zebra mussel – is having a harder time surviving in our region’s lakes and rivers this year (welcome to Texas, zebra mussel!). According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, intense heat and low lake levels have reduced the invasive mussel’s numbers in Lake Travis, allowing our local drinking water supply to reclaim its only-somewhat-stinky reputation.
Rail + Reality = Railality: Wow, again? According to The Texas Tribune, Texas policymakers are once more flirting with the idea of creating a passenger rail system linking the state’s major cities. The Tribune reports that the Texas Department of Transportation recently obtained two federal grants to study ways to increase passenger rail service between Houston and San Antonio and whether service between Houston and Dallas can be reinstated. In the applications for the grants, TXDOT wrote that the increasing congestion on Texas roads has made “highway travel unreliable” (no duh). TXDOT also speculated that intercity rail could reduce highway deaths.
Texas Dems Band Together: U.S. Rep. Colin Allred – facing Ted Cruz in his bid for the Senate – and the Texas Democratic Party are starting a coordinated campaign to consolidate resources for races up and down the ticket, Allred’s campaign announced. The “Texas Offense” initiative allows candidates in lower-profile races to share data and information resources. This coordinated campaign focusing on the grassroots is the first of its kind in over 20 years, The Texas Tribune reported.
Del Valle Lunches: Austin ISD has been offering free breakfast and lunch to all students this summer and now Del Valle ISD wants to do the same. The district announced last week that starting in August it will serve free meals under the auspices of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, a pair of federal efforts that currently provide free chow to at least 3 million Texas students annually.
Wishin’ on Stars: The best meteor shower of the year has begun. After the Earth began passing through a trail of space debris this month, Austinites can now see shooting stars created by the comet Swift-Tuttle, KUT reports. The meteor showers are caused by debris colliding with our atmosphere and creating fiery streaks. A UT astronomer told KUT the peak is likely to happen between the night of Aug. 11 and the morning of Aug. 12. To get a good look, drive somewhere with less light pollution and aim your face north.
Quote of the Week
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President.”
– President Joe Biden
Got something to say on the subject? Send a letter to the editor.
