BG Reads | News You Need to Know (January 6, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW -> Episode 68: BG Media Group 2019 Wrap Up Feat. The BG Podcast and Kicks & Comics (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
After A Man Died, Greg Abbott Blamed Austin's Homeless Policies. The Mayor Called It Demonizing (KUT)
Twice last year, Gov. Greg Abbott drew ire from Austin city officials when he suggested that crimes were the result of the city's new approach to homelessness, in which it has relaxed ordinances prohibiting camping or otherwise posting up in public spaces.
Not only was it an unfair, they said, but neither of the crimes were committed by people experiencing homelessness — and one of them happened before any policy changes took effect.
On Saturday afternoon, Abbott landed a more relevant example when the Austin Police Department confirmed that a suspect who fatally stabbed a worker at a local restaurant a day earlier was experiencing homelessness. But Austin leaders said it's still disingenuous to link the crime to housing status… (LINK TO STORY)
U.S. DOT Gives Green Light To Red Transit Lanes In Austin, Other Cities (KUT)
It’s been a few months since buses started going against the flow of traffic on a small stretch of Guadalupe Street near UT Austin. The lane the buses use is painted red to denote that it’s off-limits to cars. Painting the lane require federal approval – and it wasn’t easy to get.
“You had to apply for sort of experimental status through the Federal Highway Administration, and you had to test the results of your experiment,” said Caitlin D’Alton, transit program director for the Austin Transportation Department. “Austin, among a handful of cities, was able to apply for that and have that experimental status granted.”
More of those red lanes may be coming to Austin in the next few years, after the U.S. Department of Transportation moved in early December to streamline the process for approvals. The department pointed to the effectiveness of the markings in announcing the change… (LINK TO STORY)
After years of service, Slusher retires from city (Austin Monitor)
After nine years on City Council, about 18 months at Austin Energy and more than 12 years as Austin Water’s assistant director for environmental affairs and conservation, Daryl Slusher hung up his city spurs last week, retiring on Dec. 31. As he contemplates his future, he says he wants to start writing again, though he’s not sure what form that will take.
Before Slusher was elected to Council, he and his friend, Daryl Janes, presided over what a Texas Monthly writer called “an ornery seat-of-the-pants political newsletter called the Daryl Herald” from 1985-88. After Janes left for a higher-paying job, Slusher carried on alone with a publication called the Austin Mirror. He also worked as a deputy constable to bring in a few more bucks.
He became politics editor of The Austin Chronicle in early 1989 and stayed until 1994, when he ran for mayor against Bruce Todd. Slusher explained that he never intended to run for mayor, but after he complained on talk radio that no one was competing against Todd, a host of people urged him to take the plunge himself.
Todd won that race in a close runoff, but having gotten a taste of actually being involved in politics instead of just writing about it, Slusher ran for Council and won a seat in 1996. He retired from the position in 2005. Slusher told the Austin Monitor that throughout his political and journalism careers he has focused on the environment, social equity and financial responsibility… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remains quiet on whether the state will opt out of refugee program (Texas Tribune)
A large majority of the country’s governors have told the Trump administration that their states will continue accepting refugees, but with less than three weeks left to make up his mind, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hasn’t made clear if he’ll add his name to that list.
Governors, mayors, county judges and other elected officials have until Jan. 21 to notify the U.S. State Department if they will continue participating in the refugee resettlement program. The deadline comes after a September executive order that requires resettlement agencies to have written consent from states and local entities before they resettle refugees within their boundaries… (LINK TO STORY)
As DACA decision looms, Texas college students worry about their future (Austin American-Statesman)
Martha Paz left Mexico with her family when she was 3 months old. For most of her life, Paz lived in a small town outside of Dallas with her parents and younger siblings. She worked hard to get good grades in school, eventually graduating high school as one of the top 10 students in her class. When she was 16, Paz was among the more than 124,000 Texans to receive initial approval under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program, or DACA, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
Under the designation, Paz was temporarily protected from deportation: She got a driver’s license, a work permit and, with her black belt in karate, began teaching self-defense classes to young kids. Now a student at the University of Texas, Paz is working toward a degree in management information systems. But as early as this month, the U.S. Supreme Court could issue a decision that would mean the end of deferred action for Paz and hundreds of thousands of other young immigrants. “It does scare me,” she said. “It’s scary that I won’t be able to use my degree for whatever I’m going to work for.” Dr. Octavio Martinez, director of UT’s Hogg Center for Mental Health, has written about the need to support DACA students at universities in Texas. The disruptions from worrying about how they’ll be able to complete their studies if DACA is revoked can lead to severe distress, depression and anxiety… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
US-led coalition halts ISIS fight as it steels for Iranian attacks (New York Times)
The American-led coalition in Iraq and Syria halted its yearslong campaign against the Islamic State on Sunday as United States forces braced for retaliation from Iran over a strike that killed a powerful Iranian commander, military officials said. In a statement, the American command said that after repeated attacks on Iraqi and American bases in recent weeks, one of which killed an American contractor on Dec. 27, “we have therefore paused these activities, subject to continuous review.”
“We remain resolute as partners of the government of Iraq and the Iraqi people that have welcomed us into their country to help defeat ISIS,” the statement said. Using the Arabic name for the Islamic State, it added, “We remain ready to return our full attention and efforts back to our shared goal of ensuring the lasting defeat of Daesh.” The move comes after the deaths last week of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, an Iranian security and intelligence commander responsible for the deaths of hundreds of troops over the years, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia commander and government official, in an American drone strike outside the Baghdad airport. About 5,200 troops in Iraq and several hundred in Syria are now focused on fortifying their outposts instead of pursuing remnants of the Islamic State and training local forces… (LINK TO STORY)
Iran announces it is suspending all commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal (Washington Post)
Iran said Sunday that it is suspending its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal it had struck with world powers and will abandon the accord's "final restrictions" on uranium enrichment and other activities unless U.S. sanctions are lifted.
The government announced the move in a statement carried by state news agencies.
"Iran's nuclear program will now be based solely on its technical needs," the statement said. The move includes breaching the deal's caps on uranium production and enrichment capacity, as well as nuclear research and development.
"If the sanctions are lifted . . . the Islamic Republic is ready to return to its obligations," the statement said. It added that Iran will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog… (LINK TO STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
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