Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., Jan. 20, 2023
Jailhouse Unlock: A former Afghan soldier who worked in intelligence alongside U.S. troops has been in a Texas detention center since September, after he crossed the border seeking asylum. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, sent a letter to the Biden administration last week asking them to pardon him.
(We're Gonna) Tok Around the Clock: Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott barred state employees from using TikTok on their state-issued devices over concerns that the Chinese-owned company could use its data and algorithms for espionage. UT-Austin took it further, blocking students and faculty from using the app while connected to university internet servers.
Said You Was High-Classed, That Was Just a Lie: Eight hundred Austinites will be without a job after Ryder System Inc. announced Jan. 11 that it's closing its Austin site. The transportation company said they expect "one or more other operators" to step in.
Whole Lotta Holdin' Goin' On: Austin's 911 call center is still overwhelmed, and things are getting worse. They had about 200 calls on hold for hours on New Year's Eve. "Nobody has ever seen that happen at our call center," communications supervisor Casey Callahan told the Austin Monitor. Now call takers are bracing for an influx of emergencies amid South by Southwest.
Why Do Fools Run the Gov? Gov. Greg Abbott in his inauguration speech Jan. 17 called Texas the "headquarters of headquarters," with the most Fortune 500 headquarters of any U.S. state. He promised the largest property tax cut in Texas' history, hammered on the idea that schools need to be safer and avoid social justice topics, and defended the power grid, saying 14 bipartisan bills last session "fixed the flaw."
Shake, Rattle, and In Vitro: Including fertility treatments in the city's employee insurance plan could cost the city $1 million every year, and that "would have a significant ongoing fiscal impact," per a memo from acting Human Resources Director Rebecca Kennedy. Council directed the city manager to study the logistics of providing fertility treatments and adoption assistance.
Be Bop a Louis: St. Louis-based tech giant Emerson Electric Co. has made a $7.6 billion offer to buy Austin-based National Instruments. Emerson execs said that they've been trying to buy NI for eight months, but after making the bid public Tuesday, NI's share price jumped to $53 per share from $47 last Friday.
Johnny B. Homicidal: The latest season of popular true-crime podcast Tenfold More Wicked will follow Austin's 1880s serial killings with deep dives into the lives of victims, suspects, and witnesses. It airs Jan. 23.
Quote of the Week
"America is evil and capitalism is bad and socialism is better."
– Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at his inauguration Jan. 17, listing things he doesn’t “want teachers in our colleges saying”
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