Ripping on the “Rainey Street Ripper”: There is no evidence that a serial killer is behind more than 180 deaths occurring in and around Lady Bird Lake between 2004 and 2025, according to a study by Texas State University researchers and the Austin Police Department. The cases were determined to be accidental drownings and are consistent with data on similar incidents in Texas and across the country, the report concluded. The frequency of incidents over the past nine years has also remained stable.
TRE Lawsuit Going to Texas Supreme Court: A lawsuit challenging the ballot language for Austin’s upcoming tax rate election is headed to the Texas Supreme Court, KUT reported Monday. This comes after Texas’ 3rd Court of Appeals dismissed the lawsuit filed by resident Jeff Bowen, who alleged the language is misleading and does not describe how City Council would use the more than $110 million that could come from the tax increase, if approved by voters in November.
Failure to Disclose Evidence Derails Murder Trial: After Travis County prosecutors dropped charges against a 26-year-old man charged in a 2023 murder, District Attorney José Garza is facing criticism for his office’s mishandling of key witness evidence, the Statesman reported last week. Attorneys for Dekatur Dalon Richey, one of two suspects in the murder, discovered prosecutors failed to disclose information about two witnesses prior to the jury being sworn in. Under double jeopardy, Richey is protected from future prosecution.
New, Free AISD Preschool Program: Travis County and Austin ISD are launching nine Apple Blossom Centers across the school district, which will provide a free, full-day Pre-K3 and afterschool program meant for disadvantaged children. It also aims to give parents extra time toward their own schooling or career development. The centers are part of a new $4.85 million investment in child care for more than 2,000 students across Austin, Del Valle, and Manor ISDs, following a federal slash in funding for the similar AISD Head Start program.
City Funds Food Justice, Climate Projects: Austin’s Office of Climate Action and Resilience recently awarded a total of $75,000 in funding to 25 community projects supporting food justice and climate equity, according to a city news release. The projects address a range of issues including produce distribution in schools, building community gardens, and encouraging sustainable transportation.
Microplastics in Your Brain: A new study out of the University of Rhode Island suggests that the accumulation of microplastics in the brain could affect how it functions, with high amounts triggering Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in mice. Also, see Mr. Smarty Pants this week.
New CenTex Nuclear Plants? Per a Trump executive order in May, a Department of Energy “concierge team” is being assembled to help the local nuclear energy company Aalo Atomics to “cut through the red tape” of DOE approvals that can typically take at least five years, in order “to construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three” of their experimental Aalo-X power plants by July 4, 2026, reports KXAN.
Tunnel Vision: Elon Musk’s Boring Company is lobbying to get a contract for a massive tunnel project to address flooding in the Houston area, even though they’ve never worked on such a project and can’t drill tunnels as wide as what’s specified; plus it’s not clear the plan would work anyway. Trump likes the idea, though. All the gory details are in a major investigation from Texas Newsroom, ProPublica, the Houston Chronicle, and The Texas Tribune published last week.
Define “Autopilot”: Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Tesla was hit with a $243 million judgment for actual and punitive damages in August, with a jury finding their “Autopilot” technology partially responsible for a fatal crash in 2019. Tesla says the fault was entirely the driver’s, because their materials clearly state that the driver must always be alert and in control. Plaintiffs countered in part that promotional materials, including Musk’s own statements and even the name “Autopilot,” suggested that the technology was more capable – and should have avoided running head-on at full speed through an enormous traffic barrier/sign into a parked SUV.
And Picking Up on the Theme: Also in August, Tesla shareholders sued both Elon Musk and Tesla in federal court here in Texas, accusing them of misleading them and committing securities fraud by concealing a significant risk that the company’s vehicles were dangerous.
Construction Begins on New Convention Center: The controversial redevelopment and expansion project broke ground this week alongside continued demolition of the existing convention center, opened in 1992.
Quote of the Week
“Occam’s razor suggests the simplest explanation is usually the best.”
– Texas State University analysis debunking the “Rainey Street Ripper” conspiracy theory
This article appears in The 35th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival.