BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 17, 2020)
[BINGHAM PODCAST]
SPECIAL EPISODE - ATX COVID-19 COMMUNITY UPDATES (4.10.2020): Housing & Human Rights (LINK TO SHOW)
SPECIAL EPISODE - ATX COVID-19 COMMUNITY UPDATES (4.8.2020): Public Health & Safety (LINK TO SHOW)
BG PODCAST EPISODE 82: Metro Discussion with Mayor Larry Wallace, City of Manor (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin blocks vehicular traffic along portion of Riverside Drive as social distancing measure (Community Impact)
Riverside Drive, along Auditorium Shores between South First Street and Lee Barton Drive, will be shut down to vehicular traffic beginning April 17 and be reserved for bikes, scooters and pedestrians, according to city transportation officials.
The move is to further social distancing measures meant to help mitigate the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. The decision follows the Austin Parks Department’s action to reduce congestion on trails and parks by limiting parking access at parks and turning the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trails along Lady Bird Lake into a one-way trail…
Grocery Delivery During COVID-19 Hasn’t Really Been An Option For Homeless Austinites – Until Now (KUT)
As COVID-19 narrowed the capacity of groups that feed Austin's homeless, many were going hungry or simply afraid to get food at places that typically offer meals because it meant risking close contact with others.
A new partnership between the city, Integral Care, the Central Texas Food Bank and The Other Ones Foundation hopes to change that by providing a more socially distanced option – meeting the most food-insecure Austinites where they are and providing a week's worth of groceries.
The seeds of the Eat Apart Together program, announced Thursday, were sown a few weeks ago. Max Moscoe, a coordinator with The Other Ones Foundation, and others had heard people concerned about food insecurity while standing in line for the nonprofit's mobile hygiene clinic, a shower-equipped trailer that's been wheeling around town since late March… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Booming Austin airport suddenly goes quiet; Traffic down 90% because of coronavirus (Austin Business Journal)
Travelers passing through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport these days find a facility deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passengers must wear face coverings in line with Austin's extended stay-at-home order. A dozen gates are closed. And there is only one security checkpoint still operating.
But the biggest difference may be what you don't see: other passengers.
Overall, passenger demand has fallen about 90% from normal levels, airport spokeswoman Mandy McClendon said.
It's easy to expect everything from parking fees to concessionaire revenue to take a big hit as leisure and business air travel grinds to a standstill because of efforts to contain COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Yet, thanks to years of passenger traffic growth, Austin's airport appeared to be on solid financial footing as the coronavirus pandemic hit. Ed Van Eenoo, the city's deputy chief financial officer, said enterprise departments like the convention center and the airport "have dedicated reserves that will help mitigate temporary revenue reductions."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Watch Gov. Greg Abbott discuss plans to reopen economy during coronavirus pandemic (Texas Tribune)
With state health officials reporting 16,455 cases of COVID-19 — the illness caused by the new coronavirus — and 393 deaths as of Thursday, the virus continues to spread. But Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials coordinating the response have struck a more optimistic tone in recent days, noting the declining rate at which the number of Texas cases is doubling.
On Friday, Abbott's expected to lay out at least some of his plans to begin reopening the Texas economy. But on Monday, he cautioned it will be a "slow process" guided by public health concerns. He also told reporters to expect an announcement this week on whether schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year. Abbott previously ordered them closed until May 4.
Watch Friday's news conference starting at noon Central Time, courtesy of KXAS-TV. The feed will not be live until the governor begins speaking. Viewers may see commercials or a black screen prior to the start… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas colleges staying flexible on fall admissions (San Antonio Express News)
When it comes to college admissions for the fall, the key word is flexibility. Some Texas colleges are extending pressing deadlines, hosting virtual tours and freshman orientation in lieu of in-person ones, and are reconsidering how they will accept admission applications and test scores as high school counselors face challenges in submitting documents. Others are making SAT and ACT exams optional, while still other universities are still figuring it out.
“I don’t know for how long, but this is an unprecedented event in our lives,” James Steen, vice president of enrollment at Houston Baptist University, says of the novel coronavirus pandemic. “It has caused us to do unprecedented things. … We come up with ideas and new ways of doing things every day.” College officials are being as accommodating as possible with current and prospective students as they navigate the many effects of the virus. Actual enrollment is another issue. Texas Higher Education Commissioner Harrison Keller said it’s hard to predict what will happen during and after the pandemic. Many institutions are expecting a 20 percent or 30 percent decline in summer enrollment projections. But as colleges shift from response to recovery mode and Texas residents attempt to gain new or more skills amid an economic downturn, enrollment for fall is expected to surge… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
In Texas a battle brews over voting by mail amid coronavirus (Wall Street Journal)
Republicans and Democrats in Texas are locking horns over coronavirus-related efforts to expand voting by mail, with Republicans arguing it can fuel voter fraud and Democrats warning that disallowing it could harm turnout and sway results. The Texas Democratic Party has filed two lawsuits against state election officials and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to extend the state’s limited mail-in eligibility. A state district judge Wednesday afternoon said he would grant Democrats an injunction to allow Texans to vote by mail; state Republicans are expected to appeal. At the same time, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a letter saying someone already ill with Covid-19 could vote by mail, but mere fear of contracting the illness wouldn’t qualify.
Election stakes are high in the country’s second-largest state. For years, hopeful Democrats have declared that this will be the year Texas turns blue, while Republicans have rolled their eyes and said Texas will always be a red state. Now, after former Rep. Beto O’Rourke came within a few percentage points of unseating Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, Texas is more widely considered a battleground. November’s election was expected to have unprecedented turnout, which Democrats were banking on and accuse Republicans of trying to stymie. “If everybody votes that wants to vote in 2020, the Republican party will probably lose,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democrats. Republicans say there isn’t enough time to roll out widespread mail-in voting this year; it would require millions of dollars and an organizational overhaul to elections managed independently in each of the state’s 254 counties. Moreover, they contend such ballots are more susceptible to fraud and other problems. “We will continue to vigorously oppose any intent by the Democrats to expose voters to increased error and fraud,” said James Dickey, chairman of the Texas GOP. It holds the governor and attorney general seats, as well as the majority of the legislature… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Dallas County to require people to wear masks at essential businesses, on public transportation (Dallas Morning News)
People in Dallas County will soon be required to wear face coverings when they work or shop at essential businesses and use public transit. The mandate goes into effect at 11:59 p.m. Friday, County Judge Clay Jenkins announced Thursday. Masks will be required for everyone older than 2, and homemade face coverings such as scarves and bandannas are acceptable alternatives, according to the county. Businesses may refuse entry to people who aren’t covering their faces, and people could face a $1,000 fine for failing to heed the order.
Jenkins said the county isn’t asking people to buy surgical masks — frontline workers need those, he said. In a pinch, a pillow case or a towel could work as a face covering, he said. People don’t need to wear a face covering to go for a walk or jog in their neighborhood, Jenkins said, or while they’re in the car on the way to the grocery store. Dallas County will likely see more cases and deaths as the coronavirus peak approaches, Jenkins said. But the need for face coverings isn’t because the spread of the virus is worsening, he said. “It’s not that things are getting worse — we’re actually flattening the curve,” he said. “But by doing this, we hopefully can get this over with faster and keep people safer while we’re getting it over with.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Trump gives governors 3-phase plan to reopen economy (Associated Press)
As Washington policymakers scramble to contain the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, the question of how quickly to reopen the economy has emerged as the latest political battleground dividing the two parties.
Behind President Trump, Republicans are increasingly eager to get businesses reopened and customers into their doors, warning that a prolonged economic shutdown — even in the name of protecting public health — will do more harm to the nation’s long-term viability than the coronavirus itself.
“It is time for Texans to go back to work,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told a local news station on Wednesday. “Because the consequences of this economic shutdown are serious and dire.”… (LINK TO FULL 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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