BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 8, 2019)
[BG PODCAST]
NEW -> Episode 60: Opportunity Zones with Christine Maguire, Redevelopment Division Manager at City of Austin (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin Businesses, Nonprofits Hope To Raise $14 Million For A Temporary Homeless Shelter Downtown (KUT)
A group of Austin businesses, nonprofits and faith-based organizations is trying to raise $14 million to build and operate a temporary shelter for Austinites experiencing homelessness.
The coalition, led by the Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Austin Alliance, launched Thursday and is asking for donations, with a goal of opening the shelter next year.
The coalition, operating under the moniker ATX Helps, said the shelter would immediately house homeless Austinites who typically face years-long waits for permanent housing… (LINK TO STORY)
Gov. Greg Abbott announces plan for state-sanctioned homeless encampment off US 183 near Montopolis (Community Impact)
In the same week that state agencies began clearing homeless encampments under Austin’s highways, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Nov. 7 plans for a state-sanctioned homeless encampment on more than 5 acres of land off US 183 near Montopolis.
Abbott’s office provided no further details on when the encampment would open, but provided 780 US 183 as the official address. His press secretary, John Wittman, said, in a text message, the land is as close to downtown as the state could provide and would have various amenities for the camping population.
“The state-provided location includes portable restrooms, hand washing stations, and comes with commitments from local charities to deliver food multiple times during the day,” Wittman said. “This location will provide access to healthcare providers and homeless case workers to provide care for the homeless.”… (LINK TO STORY)
CBD shop owner seeing green after USDA hemp rules drop (Spectrum News)
Texans who want to legally grow hemp are one step closer to making that a reality now that the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week released its framework for hemp production. Now, the state says it's ready to submit its plan for approval. These moves have local entrepreneurs who sell hemp products ready to cash in on the potential cash crop.
Gene Dietrich owns the Austin American Shaman in North Austin. He sells hemp-derived CBD products. "It's like a maintenance, it's really good for you," said Dietrich. He's hoping to expand his product line when local farmers begin growing and selling industrial hemp from Texas soil. Newly released USDA regulations bring the State Department of Agriculture one step closer to allowing farmers to sew their firsts seeds… (LINK STORY)
See also:
USDA Establishes Domestic Hemp Production Program (10.29.19)
[TEXAS]
Texas cleared homeless camps Wednesday. On Thursday, residents were already back. (Texas Tribune)
Crystal Brimm said she was gone all of 20 minutes.
That's all the time it took for the Texas Department of Transportation to clean the encampment where she lives under U.S. Highway 290 and Ben White Boulevard on Wednesday, after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered homeless people to be removed from state overpasses in Austin. Abbott has spent months railing against Austin and its local leaders, accusing them of worsening what he calls a dangerous homelessness crisis by relaxing camping ordinances.
About 10 people returned to that area of the overpass, down from 30 before TxDOT arrived, Brimm said as she sat in a lawn chair Thursday outside the blue camping tent she shares with her husband… (LINK TO STORY)
Buzbee pledges to spend whatever it takes to defeat Turner in mayoral runoff (Houston Chronicle)
Self-funding millionaire lawyer Tony Buzbee on Wednesday said he would spend whatever it takes to unseat Sylvester Turner and predicted a “full-on slugfest” during the five-week runoff to decide Houston’s mayoral race. The runoff will test the effectiveness of Turner’s strategy to portray Buzbee as an acolyte of President Trump — whom Buzbee once supported — against the challenger’s own blueprint of casting himself as a nonpartisan outsider with the chops to improve on Turner’s record handling flood control, infrastructure and crime.
After full election results were published Wednesday morning, Turner wasted no time framing the runoff as a choice between his political record and “a Donald Trump imitator” who Turner said “will say anything, do anything or spend anything to get elected.” Buzbee, speaking to reporters hours later, said he would not allow Turner to make the election “a referendum on Donald Trump,” promising to instead focus on matters of policy while predicting a “full-on slugfest” up until the Dec. 14 runoff. “This is a completely new race now,” Buzbee said. “This is Race 2.0. Now, it's a referendum on what Sylvester Turner has done, or failed to do, and I'm looking forward to making that case.”… (LINK STORY)
Top Texas GOP donor resigns from company after admitting to prohibited contributions (Texas Tribune)
James Dannenbaum, a prolific Texas Republican donor and former University of Texas regent, is resigning from his namesake engineering company after admitting to coordinating illegal campaign contributions in 2017.
Dannenbaum, the president and CEO of Houston-based Dannenbaum Engineering, was charged Monday with recruiting employees to donate over $20,000 to three congressional candidates in February 2017 and then reimbursing them with corporate funds. It is a felony to set up such "conduit" donations, which typically happen when the offender has already given the maximum amount to campaigns, which was $2,700 per election last cycle.
Dannenbaum "this week acknowledged that he made prohibited contributions to various federal election campaigns," Dannenbaum spokesman Bill Miller said in a statement. "His acknowledgement to the federal government has led to his agreement to plea to this offense and he has agreed to step down as Chairman, President, and CEO. Jim has been active in philanthropy and in the community for over 50 years. He deeply regrets these events."… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Joe Biden gets Rep. Marc Veasey’s backing as he tries to seize control of Texas presidential primary (Dallas Morning News)
Joe Biden has secured the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, a move that he hopes will bolster his efforts to win the Democratic presidential primary in Texas in March. Veasey joins a list of prominent Democrats from North Texas backing Biden, including Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas, state Rep. Victoria Neave and state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas, as well as former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.
“You want to listen to the constituents that you serve,” Veasey told The Dallas Morning News. “Everybody I talk to in Congressional District 33 is overwhelmingly backing Biden.” Veasey said Biden, vice president under President Barack Obama, was the best choice in a large field of candidates because he would stabilize a nation ravaged by the policies and conduct of President Donald Trump. “Biden will bring back a sense of decency and normalcy to the White House,” he said. Veasey’s endorsement comes less than a week after former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso abruptly ended his presidential campaign… (LINK TO STORY)
Former New York Mayor Bloomberg Reopens Door To 2020 Presidential Run (NPR)
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is weighing a late entrance into the Democratic presidential primary, reversing course from this spring, when he said publicly that he would not run.
In March, he announced he wouldn't launch a White House campaign, but Bloomberg is now "increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well positioned" to defeat President Trump, according to a statement from adviser Howard Wolfson provided to NPR.
Wolfson, who was a high-profile aide on Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential bid, adds that Bloomberg sees Trump as "an unprecedented threat to our nation."… (LINK TO STORY)