BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 12, 2019)
[BG PODCAST]
NEW -> Episode 60: Opportunity Zones with Christine Maguire, Redevelopment Division Manager at City of Austin (LINK TO SHOW)
[BG BLOG]
NEW -> In the Weeds: Hemp legislation updates from USDA and State of Texas (LINK TO BLOG)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Music commissioners push ACL Fest promoters for more local involvement, equity (Austin Monitor)
Members of the Music Commission appear to have opened the door for a partnership between the city and local concert promotion giant C3 Presents to feature more Austin musicians at Austin City Limits Fest and other festivals run by the company around the world.
The Nov. 4 meeting featured something of a first for the commission, with two executives from the company in attendance to discuss ACL Fest’s role and impact on the city. The agenda item featured no action and came after several months of pushing by the commission and city staff to receive updates from C3 and the organizers of South by Southwest on festival performance and related issues.
The discussion started with Emmett Beliveau, C3 chief operating officer, sharing details from the company’s most recent economic impact analysis – measured at $264 million for the 2018 festival. Talk shifted quickly to the number of local acts booked over the two weekends each year when the festival takes over Zilker Park and draws 75,000 people a day.… (LINK TO STORY)
UT Austin students say they want more active shooter training (KXAN)
In order to prepare students and staff for possible mass shootings, the University of Texas at Austin Police Department holds public safety training on campus. They have the curriculum down; now they want more eyes to see it.
Most of the training is by request.
This is the first-semester UTPD has opened the “Run, Hide, Fight” seminars up to the public on campus. Eighty-nine people have enrolled in the November 11-13 training in the Avaya Auditorium in the Peter O’Donnell, Jr. Building.… (LINK TO STORY)
Ahead of freezing temperatures, Austin activates cold weather shelters for the homeless (CBS)
An arctic blast rolled through Central Texas on Monday leading the city to activate cold weather shelters for a homeless population that some believe are more visible than they were in the past.
The Front Steps organization says single adult men and women needing shelter should report to the ARCH at 5:15 p.m. Families in need of shelter will need to be at the Salvation Army at 501 E. 8th Street by 7 p.m…. (LINK STORY)
[TEXAS]
State to take over Houston ISD by replacing school board and superintendent (Texas Tribune)
In a move that is unprecedented in scope, Texas state officials announced Wednesday they plan on taking over the state’s largest school district, yanking power from Houston Independent School District’s elected school board members to “prevent imminent and substantial harm to the welfare of the district’s students.”
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath sent a letter to Houston ISD Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan and Board President Diana Davila giving two principal reasons for the decision: the school board’s “failure of governance” and the repeated low academic performance of Wheatley High School, which received its seventh failing rating this year. In addition to appointing a board of governance to replace the elected school board, Morath will also appoint a superintendent to lead the district. The timeline of the takeover action is unclear.… (LINK TO STORY)
Ted Cruz calls efforts to halt Rodney Reed's execution "remarkable bipartisan coalition" (Texas Tribune)
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has joined the fast-growing calls from Texas lawmakers and A-list celebrities to take a closer look at the death sentence of Rodney Reed.
Cruz called efforts to halt the execution of Reed “a remarkable bipartisan coalition” on Friday night, the day before hundreds of people rallied outside the Texas Governor’s Mansion in support of Reed.
“Having spent years in law enforcement, I believe capital punishment can be justice for the very worst murderers,” Cruz tweeted. “But if there is credible evidence there’s a real chance a defendant is innocent, that evidence should be weighed carefully.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Fracking may indeed be causing earthquakes in Texas, according to UT study (Dallas Morning News)
Since Texas earthquake rates first picked up in 2008, academic scientists, regulators and oil and gas companies have publicly agreed on one thing: fracking was not to blame. Instead, studies tied the quakes to the disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production.
Now, a new study suggests for the first time that some Texas earthquakes — specifically, those in West Texas — may indeed be connected to hydraulic fracturing, the process of injecting fluid, sand and chemicals underground at high pressure to release oil and gas.… (LINK STORY)
[NATION]
As Illinois Prepares To Legalize Pot, Public Housing Tenants Not Allowed To Partake (NPR)
Recreational pot is about to become legal in Illinois, but Chicago's Housing Authority says not in our backyard or front yard or anywhere on public housing premises, for that matter.
Housing voucher recipients received a letter from the agency last week, warning them about the ramifications of smoking or possessing pot on federally funded grounds even after it becomes legal on Jan. 1. In a nutshell, those who violate the federal law could face eviction.
"While federal law prohibits marijuana use and possession in federally subsidized housing, the [Chicago Housing Authority] is working to educate and inform residents so they understand all applicable laws related to cannabis and federally-funded housing," spokeswoman Molly Sullivan said in a statement.… (LINK TO STORY)
As SpaceX Launches Dozens Of Satellites At A Time, Some Fear An Orbital Traffic Jam (NPR)
SpaceX successfully launched 60 communications satellites on Monday using a single rocket.
It's the second time in less than a year that Elon Musk's company has made such a launch, marking a dramatic increase in the number of satellites in orbit.
Over the next year, SpaceX and a rival company, OneWeb, plan to put hundreds of networked satellites in orbit to eventually provide high-speed Internet to any point on Earth. But critics worry that lax regulations, poor infrastructure and Musk's go-fast ethos could lead to chaos.… (LINK TO STORY)