� City Council‘s next regular meeting is Oct. 11, when the agenda will include taxi franchise permits, parking subsidies at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, another look at designs for the Waller Creek Project, and a brace of annexations. For more, see “Council: What’s Your Incentive?” and “Then There’s This.”
� A municipal court judge ruled that three dogs should be euthanized after a serious attack on a man and his dog in a park in early September. Euthanasia of animals after bite incidents remains rare in Austin; according to Animal Services, in the last year, only eight animals have been euthanized by court order out of nearly 1,700 bite reports.
� Austin Energy rate increases took effect Monday as part of a new rate structure City Council adopted in June. Residents will see a 7% average rate increase in their October electric bills.
� The Short-Term Rental Licensing ordinance went into effect this week; residents who rent out their properties need to follow new requirements. See www.austintexas.gov/str for info.
� Austin police are now investigating reports of students in West Campus being targeted by liquid-filled balloons, possibly containing bleach. The UTPD is assisting with the investigation. The Daily Texan was the first to report on the balloon drops, reportedly targeting minority students.
� The trial of the Yassine brothers – Hussein Ali “Mike,” Mohammed Ali “Steve,” and Hadi – opened on Oct. 1. The brothers face federal drug, gun, and money laundering charges after their Downtown bars were raided in March. One co-defendant, Alejandro Melendrez, has already pled guilty to drug charges.
� In a letter to District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, senior Judge Jon Wisser wrote that he has serious doubts that Rosa Jimenez is guilty of the 2003 choking death of toddler Bryan Gutierrez. Wisser presided over Jimenez’s trial; she’s currently appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court. See “Judge to DA: Woman Likely Not Guilty.”
� Don’t miss your chance to vote! Registration for the Nov. 6 election closes Tuesday, Oct. 9; visit www.traviscountytax.org/goVotersRegistration.do for info.
� For local reporters and candidates, the fall election won’t be the same without the help of Mary Fero, Travis County’s go-to person for all things election-related. Fero retired Oct. 1 after nearly 10 years with the clerk’s office.
� The Republican National Committee is facing allegations of voter registration fraud after Strategic Allied Consulting was accused of falsifying and altering voter forms. The GOP has now canceled its registration drive in five battleground states.
� As the Chronicle went to press Wednesday, President Barack Obama faced Mitt Romney in the first of three debates, amid polls steadily favoring the president and a late-breaking racial attack from the right for a 2007 Obama speech to black ministers: Does anybody smell desperation?
This article appears in October 5 • 2012.