Headlines / Quote of the Week

Development Delayed
Recent amendments to Austin's land use regulations to increase housing supply are progressing at a slow pace due to heavy workloads and short-staffing at the Housing and Planning Department, the Austin Monitor reports. While amendments including the elimination of parking requirements were expected by the end of 2023, there is little chance of meeting that deadline.

Firings & Frozen Hiring
Austin-based tech company Oracle has reportedly initiated layoffs and frozen hiring, following the trend of widespread cuts across the tech industry. Layoffs included positions in Oracle's health unit and electronic medical records firm Cerner, acquired by Oracle last June for $28.3 billion.

Henry's Historic Home
A restoration project at the historic Henry G. Madison Cabin, the home of the first Black Austin City Council member, will restore and repair the structure with a budget of at least $85,000. The cabin earned local historic landmark designation in 1976 and was built in the 1860s by Henry Green Madison.

Llano Library Lawsuit
As a case over the removal of library books by Llano County officials comes under review by the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, library advocates are concerned that protections against censorship in libraries could be eroded. Librarians warn that books that are not inappropriate could be wrongly targeted in the wave of book-banning that frequently focuses on information relating to sexuality, race, and injustice.

Ogallala Out of Order
For farmers in Texas and the High Plains region, the Ogallala Aquifer provides a lifeline in times of drought. The Texas Tribune reported this week that after several years of scarce rainfall, the aquifer is running dry and soil conditions are poor. With little chance of the aquifer replenishing if rainfall trends continue, some farmers are turning to regenerative agriculture techniques to reduce reliance on the aquifer.

Starting in September
Following City Council's February decision to fire city manager Spencer Cronk, a search committee for a new manager is formed. Mayor Kirk Watson's plan for the search proposes September 1, 2024, as a potential start date for the new manager, but Watson clarified that the process would not be rushed and a decision could take longer than projected.

Warbler Woes
The golden-cheeked warbler, a native bird species beloved by Texans, could be removed from the endangered species list by a lawsuit from the General Land Office and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which argued that the bird's protected status is an obstacle to their "ability to maximize revenues." Experts warn that threats to the species are only increasing due to urban development in its home in the Texas Hill Country.

"Samuel Alito's argument that it was OK to take a secret freebie plane trip from a billionaire because the seat 'would have otherwise been vacant' is not the sort of logic you want from a Supreme Court justice."

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– Mark Jacob, former editor at Chicago Tribune & Chicago Sun-Times, commenting on the revelation that not only SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas but also Alito have been receiving massive undisclosed gifts