But, the Monkees
On Tuesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals launched an international campaign, dumping wheelbarrows of humanely picked coconuts outside of Whole Foods‘ Austin headquarters, in protest of its continued sale of coconut milk that contributes to allegedly abusive monkey labor conditions.
Then I Saw Her Pay Station
Parking prices are going up at Zilker, and so are pay stations to reduce lines and congestion in parking lots. Daily rates will rise from $5 to $7 and the money funds park improvements.
Now I’m a Believer (in Conspiracies)
Republicans in the Texas Legislature want to scrap the multistate system that weeds out fraudulent voter registrations, claiming based on misinformation that it is run by left-wingers. The Electronic Information Registration Center, or ERIC, allows states to share voting roll data. The Texas Tribune reports an ERIC replacement may not be viable.
A Lot of Traces
After applying for a permit to dump 142,500 gallons of wastewater per day into the Colorado River, Elon Musk‘s Boring Co. received a host of citations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last week. Violations include failure to post a public construction notice or provide “knowledgeable personnel” for inspections, and more.
Of PFAS in My Well
Speaking of nasty water, according to a new report from a public health watchdog, more than 1,000 wells across Texas contain 40,000 pounds of PFAS, “forever chemicals” that cause health problems. Physicians for Social Responsibility recently demonstrated the use of PFAS in oil and gas drilling and called on Texas to restrict their use of such chemicals.
I’m In Love (With THRA)
Travis County will receive $1.47 million from the first round of opioid settlement funds, per the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance. In more good news, Narcan was approved by the Food and Drug Administration this week for over-the-counter use.
I’m a Sneezer
Spring is in full bloom and so are allergies for a lot of folks. The Allergy & Asthma Foundation of America‘s annual Allergy Capitals report recently ranked Austin as 97th out of 100 cities for difficult allergies but, as KUT reported this week, nobody here seems to understand how that could possibly be right.
I Couldn’t Pay My Taxes If I Tried
The Austin Monitor reported this week that a bill filed by state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, would likely result in higher property taxes in Austin and other nearby cities. Senate Bill 1110 would block cities from transferring utility money to general funds. Last week, Austin CFO Ed Van Eeno and Austin Energy‘s Mark Dombroski testified before the Senate Business and Commerce Committee to problems the bill would create for Austinites.
Quote of the Week
“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
– Texas Observer Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Arana to The Texas Tribune’s question about the Observer shutting down (read more)
This article appears in March 31 • 2023.