As of today (Thursday), Barton Springs Pool has been closed for exactly 88 days. City Manager Toby Futrell’s original order on Jan. 19 — the Sunday that the Statesman ran its notorious toxic-hysteria package — called for a 90-day closure. At press time, Futrell was hopeful, but not absolutely sure, if the pool will actually reopen Saturday; both Council Member Daryl Slusher, overseeing the council’s response to the “crisis,” and the Texas Dept. of Health are reportedly rushing to put to paper their official reports — which will repeat their oft-repeated assertions that the springs are safe. If and when the pool does reopen, Futrell has promised a big party and free swimming for all. — M.C.M.
The City Council heard familiar arguments from both sides at last week’s public hearing on Mayor Gus Garcia’s proposed no-smoking ordinance. Supporters of the strict ban cited the adverse health effects of secondhand smoke and claimed their civil liberties should include the right to eat, drink, or socialize as they wish without being exposed to smoke. Opponents claimed the measure would kill the live music industry even as the city claims to support it. In response to the well-organized Tobacco-Free Coalition of Austin, foes (mostly club and bar owners) have formed an ad hoc group called Keep Austin Free. The council will take up the issue again on May 8; testimony at that hearing will be limited to 30 minutes per side. Final approval of the ordinance would be May 22 at the earliest. — M.C.M.
The 3rd Court of Appeals late Monday granted the Texas Association of Business‘ request for an indefinite hold on a grand-jury investigation while it appeals a ruling last week by District Judge Mike Lynch that allows a continued probe into whether T.A.B. violated state campaign finance laws in the last state election. T.A.B. argues that the ads are protected by First Amendment rights that supersede campaign finance law. The T.A.B. issue is also the basis of two pending civil lawsuits filed by four candidates who were negatively targeted in the ads. Attorneys in the civil case presented arguments Wednesday afternoon, as the Chronicle went to press. — Amy Smith
UT journalism professor and noted anti-war activist Robert Jensen has been getting hate mail for a recent editorial he wrote. That’s nothing unusual for him; the twist this time is that it appeared April 7 on the English-language Web site of al Jazeera (http://english.aljazeera.net), the Arab world’s leading news service. Typical of the comments received: “You, Mr. Jensen, will have blood on your hands when the next terrorist attack occurs that claims American lives [for] corroborating the wildly biased reporting by al Jazeera during this conflict.” Another writer remarked, “I’m sure no legitimate news organization will have anything to do with you after [the editorial] was published.” The writer apparently didn’t know that the Austin American-Statesman published the exact same editorial on April 10. (Then again, maybe he did.) — Lee Nichols
On Monday the city’s Board of Adjustment voted to support the Hancock Neighborhood Assoc. and halted work on a superduplex already underway on Hampton Road. The vote reverses an earlier board ruling to deny a neighbor’s challenge that the project does not comply with the property’s single-family zoning. Now it’s up to the developer of the Hampton project to appeal the board’s decision, says city zoning review manager Luci Gallahan. Many folks in the audience Monday night were from other neighborhood groups, such as the North University NA, that have their own superduplex struggles. — Lauri Apple
It’s the end of the End: Radio station KTND 107.7 FM, which had an Eighties-music format, has been sold to Dallas-based Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. for a reported $16 million. This is HBC’s first foray into the Austin market; the seller, Salt Lake City-based Simmons Media Group, still owns KWNX, a news/talk station at 1260 AM. — L.N.
One of the coolest librarians in the universe, Michelle Gorman — coordinator of the Wired for Youth center at the Carver Branch in East Austin — was chosen one of the nation’s Top 50 library “movers and shakers” by Library Journal. UT librarian Roy Mersky also made the list. — M.C.M.
Neighbors of the two stinky landfills off U.S. 290 in northeast Travis County say they have documents showing that Waste Management Inc. has met with city staff to discuss subdividing and zoning new land for landfill expansion — without informing them. Activists in the NorthEast Action Group got the documents through an open-records request. They’re calling upon the city and county to oppose expansion on any new property WMI might purchase if the garbage giant gains approval to expand from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which controls the permits on landfills. WMI spokeswoman Denise Fraser says the company hasn’t yet bought the property in question, and that it won’t necessarily be used for garbage dumping. — L.A.
This article appears in April 18 • 2003.