In defiance of local and statewide shelter-in-place orders, mask-less demonstrators gathered at the “You Can’t Close America” rally on Sat., April 18 at the Texas Capitol. The rally, which unsurprisingly included an appearance by Austin’s Homegrown Conspiracy Clown Who Must Not Be Named (and not pictured), coincided with several protests across the country last week decrying shelter-in-place restrictions in the name of “reopening the economy” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Photo by John Anderson

Back, Back and Forth and Forth: The twists and turns continue in the legal battle over state officials’ draconian attempt to ban abortion amid the COVID-19 crisis. On Mon., April 20, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Texas can ban medication abortions during the coronavirus pandemic, except in cases in which patients would have exceeded the state’s legal limit for abortions on Wed., April 22, the same day restrictions on nonessential surgeries in Texas are relaxed. The decision reverses the 5th Circuit’s previous ruling last week that reinstated medication abortions. Stay tuned for more online and in next week’s print issue.

Increasing Food Access: In an effort to help provide emergency food to Travis County residents, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved allocating $160,000 to a new food access program. A collaborative effort between local orgs, food distributors, and commercial kitchen and culinary incubator Cook’s Nook, the program aims to distribute over 400 – and eventually over 1,000 – prepared meals daily through community partners between now and May 31. Depending on whether the Commissioners Court authorizes funding to extend the project, the program could run through June 31.

CapMetro Feels Crunch: Capital Metro could see $8.7 million to $13 million in lost revenue each month that the COVID-19 crisis continues as a result of the pandemic’s financial impact. In a virtual board meeting on Mon., April 20, the transit agency pointed to a decline in sales tax revenue (which largely finances CapMetro) and fares in accounting for the lost revenue. Agency officials shared CapMetro is eligible to receive $102 million in funding from the federal coronavirus relief bill, CARES Act.

Money, Money, Money: Earlier this week the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board voted to commit $633 million to the expansion of I-35. The hefty chunk of change is set to be cut from planned transportation projects; however, the CAMPO board voted to delay the vote on the final list of diverted projects until its June 8 meeting.

Quote of the Week

Gilberto Hinojosa Credit: Photo by John Anderson

“Texas Republicans like Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick would put Texans at-risk to enrich themselves and their stock portfolios. They would see our family members die to bail out [W]all [S]treet. The lives of our families, our friends, and our communities have no dollar amount. Texas Republicans can no longer claim to be the pro-life party anymore.”

– Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa in response to Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick yet again insisting to Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that everybody will be willing to die from COVID-19 in the name of economic recovery.

This article appears in April 24 • 2020.

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