Cedar Park Fire
Central Texas was ablaze this week. A brush fire in Cedar Park Tuesday destroyed an apartment building, damaged three others, and caused the evacuation of hundreds of homes and businesses, KUT reported.
One Way Out
South of Austin, Kyle is struggling to handle the Oak Grove Fire, per KUT. Mayor Travis Mitchell says evacuees and fire crews in rural areas sometimes find there is only one way in and out. Some residents had to drive toward the fire to avoid being trapped by it.
A/C for Firefighters
Meanwhile, the city is working to repair air conditioning in Austin Fire Department fire trucks after a memo from Council Member Mackenzie Kelly described risks of damaged A/C to firefighters and emergency responses, the Austin Monitor reported.
Hey, I Don’t Know About You, but I’m Fighting 52 Lawsuits
Thirteen formerly incarcerated people and the families of nine people who died in the Harris County Jail filed suit this week, joining at least 51 other lawsuits lodged against the jail, The Texas Tribune reported. They are represented by Texas attorney Paul Grinke and Ben Crump, who represents families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
ETJ Mayday
Since 1963, Texas cities have had limited authority over buffer zones around them called extraterritorial jurisdictions, or ETJs, where cities regulate impervious cover, noise, lighting, and more. A new state law will allow ETJ residents to leave that authority through a petition or election, Community Impact reported. We don’t yet know the impact.
The Music Scene, Times Seven
For advocates of local live music, new definitions for music venues and art spaces in the land use code are cause for cautious excitement, the Austin Monitor reported. If Council approves the language next month, the number of properties eligible to hold a music venue will increase almost sevenfold – but advocates warn that an initial surge in venues will likely be followed by closures, depending on the state of the market.
For the News Junkies Who Love a Good Timeline
This week, The Texas Tribune continued its coverage of A.G. Ken Paxton‘s impact in office ahead of the impeachment trial, creating a timeline that tracks the A.G. Office’s dramatic transformation from a quiet state agency focused mainly on child support and bureaucracy to a powerhouse of conservative ideology and a producer of conservative federal judges.
WilCo Gets Sued
The Statesman has been following the fraught relationship between former Williamson County health director Derrick Neal and WilCo Judge Bill Gravell since 2021, and this week Neal filed a federal lawsuit accusing Gravell of racial discrimination that led to Neal’s resignation. Neal alleges Gravell made threatening and inappropriate comments after Neal complained that Gravell had racially targeted him in criticism of vaccine distribution.
87 and Still Slaying
The State Theatre, 87-year-old sibling to the Paramount Theatre, will be renovated. The changes include a rooftop lounge and update to the iconic neon sign. The Historic Landmark Commission was hesitant about the sign, but they have limited sway since the State Theatre isn’t a registered landmark.
“All of a sudden, out of the clear blue sky, a snake fell … and landed on my arm.”
– Peggy Jones, aka “Texas woman attacked by snake and hawk at the same time”
This article appears in August 11 • 2023.