Credit: Photo by John Anderson

� City Council is facing a jam-packed agenda today, Nov. 18, voting whether to reimburse building costs for water/wastewater lines to the Formula One racing site (see “How Do You Formulate a Grand Prix?“), a $300 million appropriation for Water Treatment Plant No. 4 (construction site pictured above), designate Hyde Park a local historic district, and lots more. See “City Counciling,” and meeting updates online at austinchronicle.com/hustle.

Grinning “like a possum eating shit,” Tom DeLay, with attorney Dick DeGuerin, emerges from the Travis County courtroom where he stands trial on charges of money laundering and conspiracy in connection with the 2002 election sweep that gave Republicans a solid lock on the Texas Legislature. See “Point Austin,” below, for more. Credit: Photo by John Anderson

� Just weeks after the November election, the cycle begins anew: Filing opened in the spring City Council races for Places 1, 3, and 4, with incumbents Chris Riley, Randi Shade, and Laura Morrison all announcing their re-election intentions and no challengers appearing thus far.

� Austin Independent School District Superin­ten­dent Meria Carstarphen will deliver her state of the district address at an 11:45am luncheon today (Thursday, Nov. 18) with community and business leaders at the UT Alumni Center – just as lawmakers are warning that several billion dollars may disappear from the state’s new education budget. Video of her remarks will be streamed live at www.austinisd.org.

� Bracing for a gut punch from the Legislature, Travis County Commissioners this week notified local delegates of the severe impact additional budget cuts would have on health and human services and the county jail, where as of Nov. 16 there were 599 inmates in need of mental health treatment, jail officials said.

� We’re not sure why a former Arkansas governor cares about the Texas House speaker’s race, but Mike Huckabee, a likely 2012 presidential hopeful, has endorsed McKinney Rep. Ken Pax­ton over his fellow Republican opponents, incumbent Speaker Joe Straus and Pampa Rep. Warren Chisum. For more Lege news, see “House GOP Goes to War – With Itself.”

� Tonight, the Workers Defense Project and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church hold a “Unity Dinner” to mark the National Day of Action Against Wage Theft. Thursday, Nov. 18, 7:30pm. 5604 Manor Rd. Free, all invited.

� This year’s International Transgender Day of Remembrance, honoring those victims of violent hate crimes, takes place at 6:30pm on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Austin City Hall Plaza, 301 W. Second.

Quote of the Week

Credit: Courtesy of Texas Legacy Project

“If I had known about that, I would have brought a puppy.”

– Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice and a witness in the Tom DeLay trial, after learning former state Rep. Jack Stick was allowed to testify with his 10-month-old son on his lap

This article appears in November 19 • 2010.

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