Early voting for the Dec. 16 City Council run-off election began this week, and runs through next Friday, Dec. 12. Also on the ballot are Austin ISD school board and Austin Community College board of trustees candidates.
The last regular City Council meeting of the year – and the seven-member at-large era – convenes Thursday, Dec. 11 (work session Dec. 9), when the contentious Decker Lake golf course proposal and Springdale Farm zoning (along with plenty more) are both expected to return to the dais.
The background of Larry Steven McQuilliams became clearer this week following his early Friday morning assault on several Downtown government buildings, including APD headquarters, where he was shot and killed by police. McQuilliams was an ex-felon and reportedly a member of a white supremacist organization; he had written on his chest, “Let Me Die.” See “Hate in the Heart,” Dec. 5.
AISD trustees extended their superintendent search on Dec. 3 by adding Interim Superintendent Paul Cruz‘s name to the mix. Previously, he had been excluded, as he would have an unfair advantage over external applicants. However, many public school advocates, including Education Austin, had pushed for his inclusion.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the execution of schizophrenic death row inmate Scott Panetti Wednesday morning, just hours before he was to be put to death, citing a need for more time to “fully consider the late arriving and and complex legal questions” raised through Panetti’s most recent appeal. There have been questions concerning Panetti’s competency since the day he was convicted.
Fran and Dan Keller may not be compensated for the decades they spent in prison “for a crime few believe actually happened.” An Austin judge ruled this week that the Kellers failed to prove innocence; his recommendation will go to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which will make the final decision whether to exonerate the couple.
The fix is in: The Legislative Budget Board issued their 2016-17 economic estimates on Dec. 2, giving state lawmakers an estimated $94.3 billion to allocate for non-dedicated spending for the biennium. However, they used the lowest prediction for economic growth, provided by the comptroller’s office, rather than more optimistic forecasts by independent analysts.
More border troops: The LBB also included an extra $86 million to pay for more personnel on the Texas-Mexico border. That covers 640 more DPS staff, plus Texas Parks and Wildlife Rangers, extra flight time for aircraft until Aug. 31, 2015, and increased national guard deployment through March 31.
This article appears in December 5 • 2014.