Mobilized with signs of resistance and dressed in white, thousands gathered at the Capitol on June 30 to protest the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their families. Austin’s Families Belong Together rally was part of a larger movement, with hundreds of sister rallies happening concurrently all across the nation, and the main call to action taking place in Washington, D.C. – Eilish O’Sullivan Credit: Photo by John Anderson

After a marathon June 28 session – adjourning just shy of 4am Friday – City Council takes its summer hiatus, with the next regularly scheduled meeting Aug. 9, when budget preparation resumes in earnest, among a long list of pending business. See “1,020 Minutes Later …,” July 6.

CodeNEXT spent Monday morning in state district court, where anti-CodeNEXT petitioners argued that the city must put the question of the code rewrite on the November ballot, and attorneys for the city responded that state law prohibits public referenda on zoning. See “CodeNEXT: Will We or Won’t We Vote on It?,” July 6.

Also On Monday, a federal court blocked the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants fleeing persecution or violence in their native countries. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled that the government must immediately release or grant hearings to more than 1,000 asylum seekers who’ve been jailed for years without case reviews. ICE has ignored its own policy that asylum applicants who establish a “credible fear” of persecution in their home country must be given a court hearing within seven days or released, said Boasberg.

computing firm Dell is going public again. The local institution was bought back by founder and philanthropist Michael Dell and investment firm Silver Lake in 2013, but now will issue shares again in a planned $22 billion stock sale. The company made its early reputation for desktop PCs and laptops, but as that market has shrunk, it’s increasingly moved into data services for big business.

Now that ducky-pajama-wearing Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, mired in sexual harassment accusations, has stepped aside, Republican Michael Cloud looks slated to replace him, albeit temporarily. Cloud won a special election on Saturday, beating out nine other candidates. He’ll finish out Farenthold’s term, which ends in January, and go head-to-head with Dem party nominee Eric Holguin in November to decide who gets the spot for the full term.

Death Watch: Christopher Young, a Texas death row inmate scheduled for a July 17 execution, is hoping for a new trial instead. On Mon­day, his attorneys asked the Texas Court of Crim­inal Appeals grant him a new hearing, arguing religious discrimination – of a potential jury member – tainted Young’s original conviction. Alliance Defending Freedom, a public interest organization protecting First Amendment rights, filed an amicus brief to support Young’s claims. See more in next week’s issue.

Still feeling the spirit of ’76? The Austin Fire Department would like to remind you that it is illegal to possess, use, or sell fireworks within the city of Austin. Call 311 to snitch, and 911 in case of emergency.

This article appears in July 6 • 2018.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US