Brand-New Flower in Texas: The top news this week concerns the “wooly devil.” Readers will be alarmed to learn that a new species of sunflower has been discovered in the Big Bend National Park in West Texas. The hairy, green-gray plant with yellow and lavender flowers, dubbed Ovicula biradiata, was found on a hike in the park’s backcountry by park workers, who uploaded photos of it online. “This new plant didn’t fit cleanly within any recognized genus, which is the rank of classification above the species, which meant that it wasn’t only a new species to science, but a completely new genus,” Isaac Lichter Marck of the California Academy of Sciences told KUT.
Supporting Creatives: The local arts nonprofit Rally Austin is looking at three programs in the city’s upcoming 2026 bond election to support local creatives by investing in local music venues, arts spaces, and other creative infrastructure, the Monitor reports. The three programs could be part of a larger package investments presented to voters to approve funding for, including climate-related spending.
A Real-Life Rainbow Bridge: The Parks and Recreation Board voted Tuesday to create a task force to explore the creation of a “rainbow bridge” pet memorial at a local park, the Austin Monitor reports. The interactive bridge might allow people to tie the collars of their lost pets onto it, or honor the dead in another meaningful way.
Banning Drag: Texas A&M is groveling at the feet of authority. Last week, Texas A&M’s board of regents voted to ban drag shows at the 11 universities they oversee, saying the age-old art form violates federal and state orders that public agencies recognize only two sexes. The resolution also states that drag shows demean women and create a hostile environment for them. The regents have ordered the leaders of its schools to cancel any upcoming drag shows, the Statesman reports.
Wildfire Dodged: We didn’t burn down. But Tuesday’s crazy wind rattled city leaders, who are all too aware that Austin ranks as the fifth-most vulnerable city in the nation for wildfires, KUT reports. “Here’s the reality of the situation … if we do get a series of fires started, it will quickly overwhelm our resources,” said Austin Wildfire Division’s Chris Dibrell. Looks like that will be a problem for a future windy day.
Measles in Texas: The measles outbreak in West Texas continues to spread. The Texas Tribune ran an interesting story on Tuesday focusing on the role played by the Mennonite community in Seminole, where dozens of children have been sickened due to low immunization rates. So far, 146 people in the region have caught the disease and one child has died. In Lubbock, 80 miles north, children, some of them infants, are on ventilators, struggling to breathe.
Police Oversight Check-In: The road to implementing the Police Oversight Act, approved by voters in May 2023, has been rocky, with lots of litigation. This week, the Public Safety Commission heard an update on the Office of Police Oversight’s implementation of the act, the Monitor reports. The act included that the OPO publish complaints, but they’re still not available online. The director told the commission they were working to redact and upload documents from 2022 and 2023.
On the Erode Again: New erosion protections to a section of the Colorado River below Longhorn Dam got the green light from the city’s Planning Commission last week. The ordinance would increase the erosion hazard zone around the river where buildings are not allowed to be built. Another ordinance on erosion made a recommendation to city staff to look into rules requiring disclosure of the risk posed by erosion to buyers of any property within the newly expanded erosion zone.
Bees on the Brink: The Tribune also reports that commercial beekeepers in Texas have lost about two-thirds of their bee colonies in the last nine months. Beekeepers across the nation have lost a similar number of their bees during that time, according to a survey published by Project Apis, which amounts to a financial loss of about $635 million. Experts worry that the collapses of the bee colonies will lessen the quality and availability of foods like watermelon, berries, and almonds.
HUD Cuts Could Slash Local Programs: Federal cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development could endanger some of the roughly $15 million in federal housing funds the city currently receives annually. This could lead to significant disruptions to the city’s affordable housing and homelessness programs, the Monitor reports. These include rental assistance, down payment assistance for new homebuyers, emergency shelters, and infrastructure investments in low-income parts of the city like Colony Park.
Privatize, Baby, Privatize: Speaking of cutting federal programs, Elon Musk said this week that the U.S. government should privatize “as much as possible,” including Amtrak and the U.S. Postal Service. “We should try to privatize everything we possibly can, and that would be my recommendation,” Musk said. President Trump seems to be picking up what Elon is putting down, as he said last month: “We’re losing so much money with the Postal Service, and we don’t want to lose that kind of money.”
I-35 Construction Starts Downtown: A new phase of I-35 construction is beginning Downtown. While the I-35 Capital Express Central project is underway at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Texas Department of Transportation announced the new phase starting near Lady Bird Lake. There will be construction along 35 from Holly Street to the intersection of I-35 and Highway 71, KXAN reports.
Juvenile Injustice: The never-ending public disgrace that is the Texas Juvenile Justice Department was in the spotlight again Tuesday. Democrats on the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee criticized TJJD leaders’ responses to a U.S. Department of Justice report which identified a “pervasive atmosphere of sexual abuse.” in state youth prisons. “I think one of the biggest problems is that the agency treats this report like it’s nothing,” Rep. Gene Wu said.
Palestinian Art Removed: This week, two students at the University of North Texas agreed to remove their Pro-Palestinian artwork, appearing at an exhibition on campus, after state lawmakers said it was antisemitic. State Rep. Mitch Little of Lewisville sent a letter to UNT on Sunday, asking the exhibit titled “Perceptions: Observations & Reflections of the Western Muslim” be removed within 48 hours. In answer, one piece was removed.
Prayer in Schools: Meanwhile, Republicans in the Texas Senate are urging a law compelling school districts to display the Ten Commandments in every public classroom and to set aside time for students to pray during school hours. The Senate’s education committee approved the measure Tuesday.
Texans Counter Trump: Texas’ U.S. representatives made some efforts to protest Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday. Rep. Al Green of Houston was kicked out of chamber after repeatedly yelling that Trump has no mandate to cut Medicaid. (Trump has said Medicaid won’t be affected, but the broad cuts Republicans promise would be difficult without cutting it.) Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, wearing a shirt that read “resist,” was one of several legislators who left during the speech. Austin Reps. Greg Casar and Lloyd Doggett also took action. Casar held a sign through the speech reading, “Musk Steals.” Doggett help up a sign reading “False” after Trump’s many lies.
Quote of the Week
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?”
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy questioning JD Vance about agreements with Vladimir Putin
This article appears in March 7 • 2025.