Outgoing UT-Austin President Greg Fenves and New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown welcome 2020 graduates to UT-Austin’s virtual commencement ceremony on May 23. Brown’s keynote address offered graduates a message of resiliency and hope as they face an uncertain future amid the pandemic. “When the job market is back – and it will be back – my guess is that you’ll end up being asked this question during one of your interviews: ‘I see you’re a 2020 graduate. That was tough. How did you handle it?’,” Brown told her alma mater. “My suggestion and my hope for you is that you do whatever it takes to be able to honestly say, ‘It was tough, and disappointing, but it taught me about the importance of resetting. It taught me how to get back up and begin again.'”

Climb Be Damned: May 25 saw 86 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Travis County – the largest one-day jump since county health officials started tracking the outbreak in March. The next day, Gov. Greg Abbott added additional businesses and activities allowed to reopen this week under Texas’ Phase Two of reopenings, including water parks, mall food courts, driver education programs, and adult rec sport leagues.

Decisions, Decisions: As we go to press Wednesday (May 27), the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Transportation Pol­icy Board held an online workshop to discuss the projects to be included in the 2021-24 Transportation Improvement Program. In April the board voted to reallocate over $600 million to help fund the I-35 Capital Express Project, meaning some local projects won’t be included in the new TIP. The board is scheduled to vote on the final list of TIP projects at its June 8 meeting.

Hello, Goodbye Fare-Free: Capital Metro fares will resume on June 1 for all Cap Metro services. The transit agency will also introduce its Workforce Aid Pass, offering fare-free service through June 30 to community members experiencing unemployment. Learn more about the program at www.capmetro.org/workforce.

Summer Bummer: The city’s Parks and Recreation Department announced it will cancel and refund all paid youth summer camps. PARD will now offer a free, modified summer camp program at 20 locations in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. Updates will be posted to www.austintexas.gov/parks. Speaking of updates, see our updated Summer Camp Guide.

Y’all Come Back Now: UT-Austin will resume in-person classes this fall, according to a May 20 university announcement. However, students will not be allowed to return to campus after the Thanksgiving break in an effort to prevent spreading the novel coronavirus; instead, they will participate in reading days and final exams remotely.

Tracing the Bag: After a Houston Chronicle scoop, Gov. Greg Abbott is under fire for hastily awarding $295 million for COVID-19 contact tracing to an obscure Metroplex outfit called MTX with a spotty track record (and expensive lobbyists). State officials have finally coughed up the contract, heavily redacted at MTX’s direction; legislators in both parties are skeptical and promise hearings.

Sun’s Out, Report’s Out: According to Environment America Research & Policy Center‘s “Shining Cities 2020” report released this week, Austin Energy ranks first in the nation among municipally owned utilities for per capita solar electricity installed – supplying customers more than 1,500 watts per person of solar energy.

Quote of the Week

Credit: Photo by Jana Birchum

“The message is getting confused … in an election year, and the public is being told [they] have to choose public health or the economy … and that’s simply not true. … If we don’t act responsibly, we risk failing at both things.”

– Interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott in a May 27 press conference

This article appears in May 29 • 2020.

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