BG Reads | News You Need to Know (October 29, 2019)
[BG PODCAST]
NEW -> Episode 58: The Future of Austin politics with Good Politics' Liz Coufal and Nathan Ryan (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Circuit of the Americas offering 'thousands of jobs' to Austin's homeless population for Formula One weekend (KVUE)
With Formula One coming to Austin from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, the race's venue, Circuit of the Americas (COTA), is taking the opportunity to give the city's homeless population a chance to make some money.
COTA officials announced Monday that it would offer "thousands of jobs" to Austinites who are experiencing homelessness or transitioning out of homelessness throughout Formula 1 USGP weekend.
Workers will be paid $15 per hour and be provided with transportation, meals and uniforms, according to COTA officials.… (LINK TO STORY)
No, Austin is not seeing an increase in syringes or feces, city departments say (KXAN)
As the city of Austin continues grappling with how to address homelessness, city departments say one thing is clear: despite changes to city rules which impact people experiencing homelessness, the departments have not seen an increase in the amount of feces or syringe needles around the city.
Austin’s Public Health Department, Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department and Austin’s Public Works Department all said as much while presenting before the city council at work session two weeks ago.
Why mention this again?
Because people at public meetings, Austinites on social media, and even elected officials like Texas Governor Greg Abbott have cited the visible presence of needles and feces as evidence that Austin’s new policies related to homelessness are dangerous…. (LINK TO STORY)
Austin ISD board to vote on new sex-ed curriculum Monday (KVUE)
Students with Austin Independent School District could soon learn about sexual orientation and gender identity at school. These topics are part of Austin ISD’s new and controversial sexual education curriculum.
The current sex-ed material for elementary and middle school students was put together nearly a decade ago. Now a new curriculum is being proposed. District leaders are expected to vote on the proposed changes at a school board meeting on Monday night.
"I hope obviously that they vote yes. And I hope that the community has actually had a chance to see the lessons for themselves now and so its erased any of the misinformation," said Susanne Kerns, a leader of the Informed Parents of Austin group. They are in support of the new curriculum. "It's the information that all kids need to keep themselves physically and mentally safe throughout their entire lives."… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Here's what we know about the Texas A&M Commerce shooting where two died, gunman at large (Houston Chronicle)
A shooting at a college off-campus party is the latest in a string of shootings in Texas that have rocked the state in recent months.
Two people died and another 12 were injured at the Halloween/Homecoming party for Texas A&M - Commerce students, according to the Associated Press.
Authorities believe the shooter, who is still at large, may have been targeting one person when he opened fire around midnight Saturday at the party of more 750 people, about 70 miles northeast of Dallas…. (LINK TO STORY)
US experiments in Texas with plan to speed asylum decisions (Houston Chronicle)
U.S. immigration authorities are testing a program to speed up reviews of asylum claims at a Texas Border Patrol station, offering a glimpse of how the Trump administration may enforce its partial asylum ban.
The pilot project, called the "Prompt Asylum Case Review" system, began Oct. 7 in El Paso, with a goal of having a decision by an immigration judge within 10 days, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the program have not been made public. Mexicans are exempt.
The rollout has not been publicly announced, leading to complaints by attorneys that they have no access to clients and are left in the dark…. (LINK TO STORY)
Texas House panel considers fixes for glitches in school finance law (Texas Tribune)
Several months after a major school finance law rewired how billions of dollars get funneled into hundreds of school districts across the state, educators and state officials are still trying to untangle the threads.
House Bill 3, an $11.6 billion measure, gave school districts more money for employee salaries and programs like full-day pre-K and dual language. But at a House Public Education hearing Monday, educators and advocates pointed to problems with the way the law was written that have resulted in unexpected increases or decreases in funding for individual school districts.
While lawmakers gave the state education agency power to correct those glitches, it's still unclear exactly how broad that power is. Meanwhile, some school officials are holding back on spending their money until they get more clarity on how much they really have…. (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
North Carolina judges throw out current congressional map (Houston Chronicle)
North Carolina judges on Monday blocked the state's congressional map from being used in the 2020 elections, ruling that voters had a strong likelihood of winning a lawsuit that argued Republicans unlawfully manipulated district lines for partisan gain.
The panel of three Superior Court judges issued a preliminary injunction preventing elections under the district lines, starting with the March 3 primary.
The judges halted the use of these districts less than two months after they struck down state House and Senate districts. There they found extreme political manipulation of the lines similar to what voters suing over the congressional map also say occurred…. (LINK TO STORY)
Tribes start casino gambling negotiations with Oklahoma (Houston Chronicle)
Oklahoma's attorney general began casino gambling negotiations with more than two dozen tribal nations on Monday, but the sides remain locked in a stalemate over whether the existing gaming compacts automatically renew at the end of the year.
Attorney General Mike Hunter described the two-hour, closed-door meeting at the Citizen Potawatomi Nation's Grand Casino Hotel & Resort as "positive and constructive," but offered few details about the stalemate. He said the meeting was a good opportunity to outline the state's position.
Oklahoma's new Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has taken the position that the 15-year compacts expire at the end of the year and wants to renegotiate the terms to give the state a larger share of casino revenue…. (LINK TO STORY)
U.S. House passes bill making animal cruelty a federal felony (FOX 59)
House lawmakers passed a bill that makes animal cruelty a federal felony.
The so-called “PACT act” specifically bans crushing, burning, drowning and impaling animals, among other things.
It would also allow officials to go after suspected animal abusers who cross state lines…. (LINK TO STORY