Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., June 14, 2024
Brand-New Austin Podcast: Looking for a new, Austin-focused podcast? City Cast, a nationwide network of daily local news podcasts, officially launched in Austin Tuesday. The first episode is a 20-minute conversation with Mayor Kirk Watson.
Kathie Kicks Off Campaign: Speaking of Mayor Watson, Kathie Tovo is running to replace him. At her campaign kickoff party last week, she talked to the Austin Monitor, criticizing Watson for the recently passed HOME initiative, which aims to reduce housing costs by increasing the supply, and for Watson’s short-lived deal with the Department of Public Safety to patrol Austin streets.
Capitalism Capitalizing in Austin: Please forget about your salary before reading this paragraph. The company BestBrokers recently searched Airbnb.com for the most expensive listings in the country and found the second-priciest stay in America is right here in Austin. The Crown Jewel of Lake Austin costs more than $53,000 for a single night (nine beds, 13.5 baths, if you’re interested, Elon).
Austin 1, Paxton 0: District Judge Jan Soifer dismissed the lawsuit filed by A.G. Ken Paxton against the city of Austin over its voter-initiated ordinance effectively decriminalizing the possession of marijuana. Paxton is likely to appeal, but for now, the local law directing Austin police officers to not arrest or ticket people for carrying weed (in most cases) stands.
Henderson Won’t Stay Chief: Interim Austin police chief Robin Henderson is not applying for the top job at the department, the Statesman reports. Henderson has served as interim chief since Joe Chacon’s retirement last year.
Blood and Food: We Are Blood, sole provider of blood for 50 medical facilities in Central Texas, is running its “Giving Double” campaign. Anyone donating blood in June can choose for We Are Blood to donate $5 to Austin Humane Society, the Central Texas Food Bank, or Austin’s TreeFolks.
STAAR, Not So Bright As Usual: Released Friday, scoring information from Texas’ standardized test, STAAR, shows high school students are still struggling with algebra. That raises concerns about Texans’ readiness to enter high-paying careers in STEM fields, The Texas Tribune reports.
Free Pitbull: UT-Austin snagged Pitbull for a free concert in front of the iconic UT Tower June 30 to celebrate UT joining SEC (the Southeastern Conference).
Not Done With Them Yet: UT-Austin is investigating some students arrested at pro-Palestine protests in April, KUT reported. At least six students received letters from the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Friday. The letters alleged that students failed to comply with university directives and disrupted teaching and learning.
Straight to the Heat Dome: We were really hoping last year’s second-hottest summer on record in Texas was a one-time deal. A unique pressure system, generally called a heat dome, was at fault. Now, we’ve got another heat dome. Conditions are “eerily similar” to last summer, KUT reported.
Alex Jones Owes Those Parents: Maybe the Sandy Hook families will get some justice after all. Alex Jones has agreed to liquidate his assets to begin paying the $1.5 billion settlement the families won in a defamation suit against him three years ago.
Uvalde Parents Sue Mail Carriers: The families of another horrific school massacre – the Robb Elementary shooting – sued UPS and FedEx in May, alleging that the companies violated state and federal laws by shipping an assault rifle to the man who murdered 19 children and two school employees in Uvalde in 2022.
SCOTUS B.S.: The man at the center of the most corrupt Supreme Court in the last hundred years – Clarence Thomas – last month admitted that he “inadvertently omitted” two free vacations paid for by his right-wing friend, Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow.
Health Insurance Scare: Baylor Scott and White’s hospitals and patient care sites may stop honoring insurance held by Blue Cross Blue Shield members on July 1, KUT reports. Baylor Scott and White is the largest health provider in Texas.
SoCo So Tall: City Council has approved a request to build a 90-foot residential tower near the intersection of South Congress and Stassney Lane. Council voted 9-1 last week to approve zoning changes that will allow the creation of 275 apartment units and retail space, over the objections of neighbors.
Quote of the Week
“I don’t want to think about it.”
– Victor Murphy with the National Weather Service, when KUT asked about the heat dome over the Gulf moving northward
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