Here’s How Musk Gets Even More Powerful: More than 7,000 of Elon Musk’s satellites now surround Earth. There are more satellites owned by Starlink, providing space-based internet service, than by all other companies and nations put together, The Atlantic reports. More than 5 million people have signed up for Starlink, and you may find yourself using it next time you fly United. Starlink could overtake broadband and become one of the globe’s most crucial infrastructures. So Musk “could end up with more power over the human exchange of information than any previous person has ever enjoyed.” He’s already wielding the power, having threatened to restrict Starlink’s service to Ukraine’s troops, for example. This week The Atlantic pointed out the big problem – governments have good reasons to prevent full dependence on Musk’s company for space-based internet, but Trump and right-wingers like Italy’s Giorgia Meloni have shown preference for Starlink.
Musk’s Mad Neighbors: So that’s Elon Musk, who happens to live here. When the world’s richest man moved himself and his baby mamas into an upscale cul-de-sac in West Lake Hills, he also erected a 16-foot fence, added a bunch of cameras, and attracted a slew of Teslas that parked on the street. Turns out, the neighbors aren’t exactly in love with the arrangement, and that big tall fence appears to be unpermitted and 10 feet too tall to be legal, The New York Times reported. Don’t worry, we at the Chronicle have decided to follow this drama with rigor. Keep your eyes peeled.
What Are They Doing Illegal?: Remember when all of those pro-Palestine protesters at UT-Austin were arrested, and many of their charges were immediately dismissed? Well, Rolling Stone reported May 6 that body cam footage shows an officer asking “What are they doing illegal?” which the magazine described as “admitting UT-Austin students weren’t breaking the law before they were arrested.” Arrested students are now suing Greg Abbott.
Not Working As Intended: This week The Texas Tribune and ProPublica partnered to report that a federal agency tasked with protecting immigrant children is actually becoming an enforcement arm, according to agency staff. The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is geared to prevent trafficking and abuse, is under transformation. Just last week, the Trump administration fired the agency’s ombudsman (a Biden era watchdog).
Undocumented Patients Bill Dies: At the state level, a Republican-backed measure that would require Texas hospitals to report how many undocumented immigrants they treat each year failed to make it through the House Tuesday night after a challenge from a Democrat, the Tribune reports. However, this legislation could still come back as amendment pinned on something else.
Raft of Republican Legislation: A bunch of conservative priorities backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are hanging in the balance as the legislative session nears its June end, The Texas Tribune reports. Wednesday, the Tribune laid out where several issues stand. Key legislation to infuse Christian stuff in public schools were voted out of committee, but not yet passed by the House or Senate. Also advanced by a committee last week were an abortion restriction and drag restriction bill – the first bars local governments from helping Texans travel out of state for abortions and the second defunds public libraries with drag story hours. Stuck in committee so far are a bill to penalize abortion pill sales online and identical proposals to restrict trans people’s bathroom choices.
Texas Tribune Buys Local News Outlet: The Chronicle’s Headlines section often highlights stories from the Austin Monitor, which, true to its name, covers city politics religiously. They attend committee meetings most of us don’t even know are happening, and delve into the nitty-gritty governance many outlets sweep over. Now, the Austin Monitor has been acquired by The Texas Tribune. It’s part of a broader plan the Tribune has to expand beyond state-level stuff to develop local reporting, including through their Waco Bridge hired earlier this year.
Scooter Rules: Speaking of the Monitor’s nitty-grittiness, they reported this week that changes are on the way for Austin’s scooter culture. On Monday, Transportation and Public Works posted a new set of drafted rules governing the city’s shared micromobility program. Changes include a requirement for providers like Lime to create programs to provide rentals for economically disadvantaged Austinites, including a 50% off discount for Austinites who make roughly less than $100,000 annually. New rules also include specifications about scooter brakes, lights, and parking.
Traffic Volume Up, But Not Road Time: When state workers who had been allowed to work remotely were called back to work in person in Austin, traffic volumes climbed, according to new data obtained by KUT. But rush hours didn’t change much on I-35, MoPac, or 183, KUT found. Why is traffic not so bad? One theory is that more flexible start times reduce big traffic moments.
Bike, Bike, Baby: Speaking of traffic, biking helps. The city’s Transportation and Public Works and partner organizations including CapMetro Bikeshare will celebrate Bike to Work Day Friday with bike trips, educational information, and an event at Austin City Hall. The 9am event will feature Mayor Kirk Watson, Council Member Paige Ellis, and Transportation and Public Works Assistant Director Anna Martin, the city said in a press release.
Microplastic Migration: Turns out, according to UT-Austin researchers, microplastics in Texas bays aren’t staying there but are instead sweeping out into the Gulf of Mexico (or “Gulf of America” if these scientists want to ever receive federal grant funding, but we digress). These plastics then absorb in fish and bird bodies and eventually our bodies. As one scientist put it simply: “It’s good that the bay is not a microplastic dump or hotspot. But the bad thing is they move around much easier than we thought. And they’re a threat to everything.”
Food Plan In Motion: The city and county are moving ahead with the joint Austin/Travis County Food Plan under a new interlocal agreement approved by City Council last week, the Monitor reports. This launches a more than 3 year process to build out a more sustainable and equitable local food system. The plan’s been in the making since City Council called for it in a 2021 resolution, and it’s more urgent now with federal funding for food banks and other programs cut.
Quote of the Week
“What are they doing illegal?”
– an officer at UT-Austin pro-Palestine protests last year, as recently revealed by Rolling Stone
This article appears in May 16 • 2025.