Early Vote: After two full days of early voting, 3,119 voters cast a ballot in Travis County, where runoff races are underway for seats on the Austin City Council and Austin ISD Board of Trustees. Mike Siegel is facing off against Gary Bledsoe for the D7 Council seat (see p.22 for more) and Fernando de Urioste and Lindsey Stringer are competing for the at-large place 8 seat on the AISD board. Early voting will continue to run through Dec. 10 and election day is on Saturday, Dec. 14.
Well, Would You Look at That: There may be a psycho little voice in your head hoping that Texans really get what they asked for. Donald Trump, who won the vote along Texas’ traditionally Democratic southern border, has threatened to levy a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico. He’s also promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Both actions, should they occur, would devastate the Texas economy. The Texas Tribune recently explored the potential impacts, citing experts who estimate that 60% of those employed in Texas’ construction industry are undocumented, meaning any large-scale deportation would cause statewide delays in building projects. Tariffs with Mexico, Texas’ largest trade partner, would reduce exchange among auto and electronic manufacturers and lead to higher prices and unemployment.
Biking Food to Unhoused Austinites: You just gotta love generous Austinites. Take Austin Bicycle Meals, which has grown from a group of friends distributing 50 lunches a week for those experiencing homelessness to an organization delivering over 1,000 meals a month, KUT reports.
Nay, Good Neighbors: Speaking of good Samaritans, Attorney General Ken Paxton continues his crusade against organizations doing the Lord’s work by filing a lawsuit against the Sunrise Navigation Center. The center, operated by Sunrise Community Church in South Austin, has provided resources to people experiencing homelessness for years. The lawsuit describes the center as a “magnet” for the unhoused that has been a “disaster” for housed neighbors. In a statement responding to the suit, Sunrise pastor and Executive Director Mark Hilbelink said, “We are committed to being a good neighbor” and “our mission and obligation is to take care of the poor.”
Overdoses Dipping: Accidental overdose deaths are declining in Travis County for the first time in three years, KUT reports. According to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 255 drug deaths from January to July of this year (data for the rest of the year is not yet available), as opposed to 314 from the same period in 2023. County Judge Andy Brown is hopeful that investments in Narcan have helped improve outcomes, but notes that overdoses are still the leading cause of accidental death in the county.
Consequences for APD Shooting Death: Austin Police Officer Christopher Taylor was sentenced to two years in prison this week for killing Mauris DeSilva in 2019 while DeSilva was believed to be undergoing a mental health crisis, the Statesman reports. Taylor is believed to be the first Austin officer to be convicted and sentenced for an on-duty shooting, but he is not yet behind bars. Taylor’s attorneys immediately appealed District Judge Dayna Blazey’s sentencing and Blazey agreed to let him out on bond.
Weathering Storms: Some reassuring news – ERCOT officials announced on Tuesday that the state is better prepared for extreme winter storms this year, The Texas Tribune reports. Meteorologists are predicting a warmer winter but, at the same time, a greater likelihood of extreme weather. ERCOT said new power generation added to the grid over the past year will lower the possibility of a devastating collapse of the state’s electricity provider. That’s nice because, as ERCOT officials also explained, demand for power continues to break records.
Oughta Be Colder in Autumn: By the way, Austin had one of its warmest and driest fall seasons on record, according to the meteorology team at KVUE (the meteorological fall season ends in November). The average temperature across September, October, and November was 75.7 degrees – the highest recorded since 1931. The city also only got 2.64” of precipitation when the usual amount for the fall is above 10”. Sure, we had some beautiful, springlike days in October and November… just don’t think too much about the climate change that caused it.
Casar’s Rising Star: U.S. Rep. Greg Casar is expected to win the election to chair the Congressional Progressive Caucus Thursday, Dec. 5 (current CPC Chair U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal is term-limited and Casar did not draw any opponents in the race). The freshman member was reelected Nov. 5 with nearly three-quarters of the vote and has already begun to make a name for himself on the national stage as a progressive Texan. As chair of the CPC, Casar will lead the most left-leaning members of Congress through a period of resistance against a Republican Party that will hold a trifecta in the federal government for at least the next two years.
Homes, Courtesy of H-E-B: H-E-B will donate $1 million to Austin Habitat for Humanity to help build affordable housing in East Austin, KUT reports. The beloved grocers announced the donation on Tuesday. It will partially fund Habitat’s Persimmon Point, a 126-unit project that is already under construction, as well as the group’s Whisper Valley development in Manor.
Homes for Elders: The city’s newest affordable housing project opened last week. Ekos City Heights will be for people 55 and older and include 179 apartments, 110 of which are set aside for households at or below 50% of the median family income and 10 for those at or below 30%. Ten more are reserved for people leaving homelessness, with Caritas of Austin providing on-site support.
Homes for Students: UT President Jay Hartzell announced in an interview with the Statesman on Tuesday that the university will create a first-ever housing endowment to ensure affordable housing for UT students. The endowment will help fund a new 1,000-bed undergraduate housing complex on Whitis Avenue and provide students housing scholarships. Hartzell told the daily that for students to thrive at UT they must have access to affordable housing.
Abbott Says To Hell With Those Kids: What the hell is wrong with Greg Abbott? On Tuesday, the governor threatened to withdraw state funding from the Texas Children’s Hospital after one of its doctors posted a TikTok video advising patients that they are not required to disclose their citizenship status to receive health services. The video was a response to Abbott’s recent executive order demanding that Texas’ public hospitals report on health care provided to undocumented migrants. To reiterate: Abbott is threatening to yank funding for a children’s hospital.
Quote of the Week
“We’re in a pattern that supports something like a Uri this winter.”
– ERCOT meteorologist Chris Coleman, who predicts above-normal temperatures this winter with a solid chance of extreme cold events
This article appears in December 6 • 2024.