• Texas has a heap of pressing problems, but voter fraud isn’t one of them. Nevertheless, the Senate clashed in an all-day and all-night voter ID debate March 10; the bill passed 20-12 on straight Republican-Democrat lines, with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst casting a rare vote. See “After All-Nighter, Senate Passes Voter ID.”
• The ballot is set for the May 9 mayoral and City Council election, with a few new who-are-theys replacing the old ones. See “And the Candidates Are �.”
• Marc Ott has postponed plans to cut firefighter staffing on select fire engines, while debate over public safety salaries is heating up the mayor’s race. See “Naked City” and “City Hall Hustle.”
• Murder charges were filed against Kenneth Hernandez and Martha Medina-Hernandez in the gruesome slaying of Christy Lynne Espinosa, last seen enjoying Fat Tuesday festivities on Sixth Street before her burned body was discovered in east Travis County.
• Student government at UT-Austin is in disarray after its Election Supervisory Board declared a winner in the race for Daily Texan editor when it should have called a run-off; then came the more damaging revelation that the board’s then-co-chair, Cesar Martinez Espinosa, sent a campaign e-mail supporting new student government President Liam O’Rourke.
• No surprise here – Texas leads the nation in the number of homeless children, according to the latest findings of the National Center on Family Homelessness; the study counted 337,105 homeless Texas kids as of 2006, although advocates say that number has grown substantially since then.
• Police say staff at Corpus Christi State School ran a “fight club” among its residents. The state school system, which provides residential facilities for Texans with developmental challenges, has already been blasted by multiple federal reports.
• A citywide, two-year effort paid off this week when Austin became a certified Community Wildlife Habitat, making it the first Texas city – and the largest metropolitan area in the country – to earn the distinction.
• PC giant Dell Inc. is reportedly laying off hundreds of workers this week, including Austin-area employees, as part of an aggressive cost-cutting plan. On a related note, two Austin tech employers – AMD and Freescale – were added to Moody’s Investors Service’s “Bottom Rung” list of at-risk companies.
• The folks at the Rhizome Collective, a sustainability education center and warehouse space used by several local nonprofits, face eviction within the week due to city code violations; a fundraiser this weekend will help the collective stay afloat while it weighs its options. See “Res Publica.”
• In case you hadn’t noticed, the South by Southwest Film and Interactive Festivals begin on March 13.
Quote of the Week
“I’d like to think that we’re past discrimination, but the fact that we have to debate voter ID tells me we’re not there yet.”
– Sen. Leticia Van de Putte on this week’s Senate debate on a GOP-driven voter ID bill
This article appears in March 13 • 2009.