APD Sued… Again: In April, Austin police shot a man four times in his home. Now Avelino Medel II is suing the department, arguing the officer who shot him used excessive force and violated his civil rights. The city told KUT it’s aware of the lawsuit, but did not provide a comment. The lawsuit describes the scenario: Medel was in an argument with his father. A neighbor called 911, and APD officers showed up. Officer Gabriel Prado was outside the apartment’s sliding glass door. After officers knocked, Medel grabbed a firearm and Prado shot him four times.
97.1FM No More: ACL Radio is leaving the 97.1FM frequency for a primarily online streaming model. The radio station, which also organizes free live music events like Blues on the Green and the Drop In, announced Monday that it will soon be available on its ACL Radio app, KGSR.com, and on the hybrid digital frequency 93.3HD-2.
Leadership Change at UT: Rachel Davis Mersey, dean of UT-Austin’s Moody College of Communication, will be the university’s interim provost after Sharon Wood steps down this week, the Statesman reported. Wood will return as a faculty member at the Cockrell School of Engineering. In a Tuesday email, Hartzell described Mersey as a “visionary.”
More Helpful Guidelines on “Free” Speech: The UT Board of Regents changed its free speech policy last week to prohibit its universities from taking public political positions unrelated to school business (the rules don’t bind individual faculty and staff).
Katz’s Kloses: Here’s the deal with the original Katz’s Deli site. On Aug. 23, Barry and Lisa Katz of Houston, owners of the Katz’s restaurant brand, bought the historic building at 618 W. Sixth where Barry’s father Marc held court over the deli that “never kloses” for over three decades, and parlayed his brash ads and personality into runs for mayor, and then lieutenant governor. He also brought his son Barry into the business, then sued him after Barry opened a Katz’s in Houston. All part of the heritage that’s back in the building. The Katzes say they intend to lease out the second and third floors.
Unconstitutional Treatment of Texas Kids: The physical and sexual abuse of children inside state facilities that was reported by the U.S. Department of Justice in August is the result of low staffing levels, officials with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department told state lawmakers this week. DOJ found unconstitutional conditions in each of the five detention centers TJJD operates to hold children accused of crimes.
No School Through Labor Day: Republican House Rep. Jared Patterson has come up with a boffo solution to Texas’ faulty grid. Last Tuesday, Patterson proposed closing public schools in July and August, writing that educating students before Labor Day is “an awfully wasteful stress on our power grid.” Is it even necessary to mention that Patterson opposes the Connect the Grid Act, which would join Texas’ grid with the nation’s, boosting reliability and lowering costs?
Fewer Voters: As it turns out, 1.1 million people have been removed from Texas’ voter rolls since the passing of Senate Bill 1, a 2021 Republican priority sold as a necessary safeguard for Texas’ election process that was met with a walkout by state Democrats who flew to Washington, D.C., to try to stop its adoption. Greg Abbott celebrated the removal of the names in a press release last week.
More Elections Stuff: Texas officials are pushing counties to switch from private providers to a state-managed voter registration system, The Texas Tribune reported. If all of Texas’ 254 counties go the state system, the Secretary of State’s Office would be better able to “perform required monitoring activities,” an official said.
Immigrant Spouses Deterred: A McAllen federal judge on Monday temporarily stopped new rules from going into effect which would open a path to citizenship for immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. The new rules offer spouses of citizens without legal status to apply for a green card under certain circumstances while remaining in the U.S.
Mental Health Respite for Teens: Integral Care, the county’s mental health provider, has opened a new mental health center for teens in crisis. The teens referred to the respite center might be self-harming or experiencing suicidal ideation, and the center provides a neutral space to stay for a few days to prevent crisis escalation, KUT reported.
New and Improved COVID Vax: Updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available at a number of pharmacy locations in Austin, KUT reported. CVS has appointments available this week, and Walgreens will have the vaccines starting Sept. 6.
Doggett Gets Money for Opioid Treatment: Last week, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, announced a nearly million-dollar investment of federal funds to pilot two programs for recovery services to curb the ongoing opioid crisis: new peer support programs in the Emergency Department and Travis County Civil and Criminal Drug Courts.
Tracking Trans Texans: Until last week, transgender Texans could change the sex listed on their driver’s license by presenting a certified court order or an amended birth certificate to the Department of Public Safety. That freedom vanished last week, when DPS abruptly began refusing to make the changes except in the cases of clerical error. The move comes as other Republican states, including Florida, Kansas, and Tennessee, are banning marker changes entirely. Truthout reports that DPS has set up a database capable of tracking people who try to make a gender change – information Attorney General Ken Paxton has sought in the past – because those changing the gender on their driver’s license must apply to DLCourtorders@dps.texas.gov.
Zimmy Hopes to winny This Suit: Right-winger Don Zimmerman isn’t running for anything this year, after getting his ass whooped in the 2022 Round Rock school board race. (For more info on the current RRISD race, see Brant Bingamon’s self-described commodious reporting in the current issue.) Regardless, this fedora-wearing freak hasn’t lost a step. Zimmerman sued the city of Austin for the thousandth time last week over new city rules allowing $400,000 in public funds to support residents seeking safe abortions out of state.
Quote of the Week
“Institutions should not, in their official capacity, issue or express positions on issues of the day, however appealing they may be to some members of the university community.”
– New language added by the UT Board of Regents to the university’s free speech policy
This article appears in August 30 • 2024.