Nurses on Strike
Nurses at Ascension Seton had their second-ever one-day strike Wednesday. And again, Ascension informed them they’d be locked out for an additional three days after the strike. Unionized nurses, who say shortages in basic supplies have made their jobs even harder, planned a bake sale Saturday to buy basics.
Can Kate Cox Abort Her Dying Fetus?
Dallas woman Kate Cox filed an emergency lawsuit Tuesday asking a Travis County judge to allow her to end her pregnancy. It’s the first request of its kind to a judge since before Roe v. Wade in 1973, The Texas Tribune reported. Cox’s fetus was diagnosed with a chromosomal anomaly that is almost always fatal around the time of birth, and the fetus is developing abnormally. Read more.
Shooting Spree
Six people are dead and two officers are shot and injured with non-life-threatening injuries after a shooting spree in South Austin Tuesday. An Austin ISD police officer was injured in a shooting at Northeast Early College High School Tuesday morning. Four people were killed and another officer injured later that day. Police linked the suspect Shane James to the deaths of two people near San Antonio.
HOME Amendments
City Council will vote this week on the Home Options for Middle-Income Empowerment ordinance, which would allow up to three units on all single-family lots in the single-family-zoned categories. Some folks, including City Council Member Alison Alter, are concerned about “stealth McMansions” and have urged further regulations. Read more.
2020 APD Charges
Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced Monday, Dec. 4, that his office would dismiss charges against 17 of the 21 Austin police officers indicted for felony assault for their actions during 2020 anti-police brutality protests. In all 21 cases, grand juries determined there was enough evidence to support charges for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Read more.
Musk’s Cybertruck Event at Gigafactory
Elon Musk has advertised the launch of Tesla‘s Cybertruck since 2019, but after the company’s “delivery event” last week, you may now spot one on a road near you. While attendance to the delivery event was reserved for certified shareholders of Tesla, it was also cast via livestream on X (formerly Twitter). Musk is determined to produce 250,00 vehicles in Austin by 2025 despite challenges to the production of the Cybertruck, the Statesman reported.
The Adler Apartment Complex
After the city of Austin and a partner purchased seven apartment complexes in pricey areas to keep inexpensive, tenants at these complexes say they are being displaced due to rising rent, KUT reported. At each of the apartment buildings bought by the city and Austin Housing Conservancy, residents told KUT their rent went up as much as 25%, and they now owe fees, too.
Wheels on the Bus Won’t Go Around
Cap Metro‘s effort to electrify its entire fleet of buses has been hampered by glitches and, now, the bankruptcy of a company selling million-dollar electric vehicles, the Austin Monitor reported. Cap Metro already has six of Proterra‘s buses in service, but 17 more are just waiting in a factory because Proterra hasn’t been able to charge them.
Help Paying Rent Is Here
Austinites struggling to pay rent can now apply for assistance, after $8 million made it off the runway for Austin residents this Tuesday. It’s much-needed – eviction filings have risen to pre-pandemic levels following the expiration of its eviction moratorium at the end of 2021. You can apply for help through the new I Belong in Austin program if you make under 80% of the median family income in Austin and live in the city limits. Apply at elbuen.org/ibia. Read more.
GOP <3 Nazis
The Texas Republican Party decided not to denounce Nazis last week. On Dec. 2, the State Republican Executive Committee voted 32-29 to reject the inclusion of language in a resolution supporting Israel that read, “The Republican Party will have no association whatsoever with any individual or organization that is known to espouse anti-Semitism, pro-Nazi sympathies, or Holocaust denial.” Party Chair Matt Rinaldi questioned what it means to “tolerate” Nazis. Read more.
“I’m trying to do what is best for my baby and myself, but the state of Texas is making us both suffer.”
– Kate Cox, who is asking a Travis County judge to allow her to terminate her risky pregnancy.
This article appears in Gift Guide 2023.