No regular City Council meeting this week (next is May 7), but the budget cycle has begun – staffers presented the financial and budget forecast April 22, and Council digs into the details on May 6. See “City Budget: First Forecast” and “Council: Meet Denialism Don,” May 1.
The Parks & Rec Department announced this week that it would not be able to open all city pools as scheduled on June 5, will enact a staggered schedule and weekly maintenance closings, and will “temporarily” close both Mabel Davis municipal pool and Metz neighborhood pool due to “serious leaks and declined usage.” The Parks board, just learning about the closings, caught heat from residents Tuesday night.
STAR Flight nurse Kristin McLain fell from the hoist of a helicopter and died Monday night as she and two others attempted to rescue an injured woman along the Barton Creek Greenbelt. McLain was 46 and had been a registered nurse on the staff for seven years. The National Transportation Safety Board has grounded the involved helicopter and has launched an investigation into the death.
Tax cuts divide the Legislature as the House passed a $4.9 billion tax cut plan on April 28, comprising a business franchise reduction and the first-ever state sales tax cut. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatens to block budget negotiations if they don’t raise homestead exemptions on property taxes, increasing the specter of a special session.
AISD staff are asking for a 5% raise. Teachers union Education Austin led a rally April 27 at AISD headquarters calling for an across-the-board raise for all staff. The district is currently considering a 1.5% increase, with an additional 1.5% for more experienced staff.
A raise could help as teachers’ health care is costing educators more, according to a new study by school union Texas AFT. As the state covers less of the premiums, teachers find themselves shouldering more of the costs, and are increasingly delaying treatment.
Robert Pruett‘s Tuesday execution was stayed just hours before he hit the gurney when state district Judge Bert Richardson ordered a stay to allow for DNA testing. Pruett was serving a life sentence in prison when he was convicted in 1999 of killing a prison guard at the McConnell Unit in Bee County with a homemade knife. But questions have since arisen over Pruett’s involvement in the murder, and DNA testing has never been conducted on the tape that covered the knife’s handle.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, plans to announce a Democratic presidential bid on Thursday. Running on an anti-Wall Street and pro-campaign finance reform platform, the self-described socialist will make an interesting foil to Hillary Clinton, who recently announced her own run.
Baltimore was relatively calm Wednesday after a couple of days and nights of protests, rioting, volunteer cleanup, and political conflict in the wake of the death in police custody of Freddie Gray – officials said the results of an investigation into Gray’s death are expected this Friday.
This article appears in May 1 • 2015.