BG Reads | News You Need to Know (July 16, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
City Manager Spencer Cronk’s FY21 Proposed Budget Documents
TODAY, 10AM: Council will hold a Special Called meeting for a briefing on the proposed Tesla site. (AGENDA LINK)
BG Podcast Episode 100: Processing Austin with Virginia Cumberbatch, Co-Founder of Rosa Rebellion (SHOW LINK)
Note: Show also available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Sound Cloud, and Stitcher
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin sees ‘glimmer of hope’ as virus hospitalizations plateau (Austin American-Statesman)
After weeks of surges in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Austin and Travis County, local health officials say they have seen a “glimmer of hope” in the past few days as cases have plateaued.
However, whether the current lull will continue is anything but certain. New cases and hospitalizations remain sharply higher than when Gov. Greg Abbott began allowing businesses to reopen throughout the state in May.
“We have a little bit of glimmer of hope in this week’s numbers where we’ve seen a slight leveling off of the hospitalization numbers,” said Austin-Travis County Alternate Health Authority Jason Pickett. “Where we were on a rapid increase, we’ve seen that plateau slightly just over the last few days. It is difficult to say if that is going to remain, or if we are going to continue on this upward trend.”
New cases in Austin and Travis County are still rising. On Wednesday, Austin Public Health Chief Epidemiologist Janet Pichette said the area would top 16,000 total cases by the end of the day. Numbers from Tuesday night showed a total of 15,998 cases, including 12,382 recoveries and 179 deaths.
From the beginning of April through the end of May, the seven-day average for new coronavirus hospitalizations in the greater Austin area hovered around eight to 10 cases for the most part… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin Convention Center will be ready July 21 to accept patients, even as COVID-19 hospitalization numbers offer 'glimmer of hope' (Community Impact)
Daily COVID-19 hospitalization numbers in the Austin area have leveled off in the last week after steadily and consistently climbing through June and early July, according to the most recent data from Austin Public Health.
The rolling average of daily hospitalizations, a metric public health officials use to monitor hospital capacity and project hospital resources into the future, rose from the single digits in most of March, April and May to 46.6 on June 24 and eventually up to 75.1 on July 8. In the last week, that average has dipped slightly, to 69.6 average daily hospitalizations July 15.
Dr. Jason Pickett, the Austin-Travis County alternate health authority, said the plateau is "a glimmer of hope," but it's difficult to say if the trend will remain or if the hospitalization numbers will continue their upward trend. Meanwhile, he said local hospitals are approaching their maximum ability to care for patients with the space and staff they have available.
"The hospitals right now are stretched, and they are pulling staff in from hospitals and other areas and contract staffing [workers] to increase their capabilities," Pickett said…(LINK TO STORY)
Dart Bowl to close after 62 years (Austin Business Journal)
Longtime Austin bowling alley Dart Bowl will close for good Friday night, ending a 62-year streak that reminds many Austinites of sharing greasy enchiladas, multi-colored shoes and the camaraderie that comes with knocking down a few pins in an old-school setting.
The bowling alley at 5700 Grover Ave. in North Austin made the announcement on Facebook and shared this article from the Austin American-Statesman that details the history of the business and its owners. Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are blamed.
Dart Bowl's property was valued most recently for tax purposes at $6.3 million, according to Travis Central Appraisal District. The landowner, or its representative, is listed as CPA Ronald Miller of Family Sports Inc.
Harry Peterson founded Dart Bowl in 1958 and it has made multiple pop culture appearances over the years, from Richard Linklater's movie "Boyhood" to the Friday Night Lights TV series. Jerry and Betty Ray became partners in the business about 10 years after it was founded, according to an announcement on the closure. Betty and her son, King Ray, remain involved in ownership and management along with John Donovan and his wife, Jacy Donovan… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas classrooms can stay closed this fall without losing state funding if local health officials order it (Texas Tribune)
Local public health officials will be able to keep Texas schools closed for in-person instruction this fall without risking state education funding, a Texas Education Agency spokesperson confirmed to The Texas Tribune on Wednesday.
Last week, the state's education agency released an order requiring schools to open their buildings to in-person instruction five days a week for all students who want it. The order gives districts a transition period of just three weeks at the start of the year to hold classes virtually and get their safety plans in place before allowing students back on campuses. After the three-week transition, districts that stay entirely virtual would risk losing funding.
But TEA officials confirmed Wednesday they would continue to fund school districts if local health officials order them to stay closed, as long as they offer remote instruction for all students.
Gov. Greg Abbott told a Houston television station this week that the state would ease up on stringent reopening requirements, as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations skyrocket across Texas, and would give school districts more flexibility to stay virtual for longer than three weeks. Public health officials warn that reopening school buildings in areas with a lot of community spread will exacerbate the virus’ impact on those communities… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Gov. Greg Abbott addresses top COVID-19 concerns after saying lockdown may be next (ABC 13 - Houston)
With city and county leaders, along with health officials and Houston-area school districts, urging for a shutdown, Gov. Greg Abbott took time to address their concerns in an interview with 13 Investigates' Ted Oberg.
The interview comes just four days after Abbott reiterated Friday afternoon that things will continue to get worse. And if people keep flouting his new statewide mask mandate, he said, the next step could be another economic lockdown… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
White House strips CDC Of data collection role for COVID-19 hospitalizations (NPR)
The Trump Administration has mandated that hospitals sidestep the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send critical information about COVID-19 hospitalizations and equipment to a different federal database. From the start of the pandemic, the CDC has collected data on COVID-19 hospitalizations, availability of intensive care beds and personal protective equipment. But hospitals must now report that information to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC.
The change sparked concerns among infectious disease and health care experts that the administration was hobbling the ability of the nation's public health agency to gather and analyze crucial data in the midst of a pandemic. Michael Caputo, HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, defended the administration's decision and said that CDC's system was too slow. "The CDC's old data gathering operation once worked well monitoring hospital information across the country, but it's an inadequate system today," Caputo said in a statement shared with reporters. "The President's Coronavirus Task Force has urged improvements for months, but they just cannot keep up with this pandemic." Public health experts expressed dismay and confusion over the reporting change because of how it could disrupt public access to the data. It also comes at a time when the Trump White House has openly sparred with CDC Director Robert Redfield and other federal scientists about the pandemic response. "It's really hard not to see this as some kind of interference or snub [to] the CDC," says University of Arizona epidemiologist Saskia Popescu. "With so many concerns over the politicization of data right now, this is concerning."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Georgia governor overrides all local mask orders in the state (The Hill)
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) is prohibiting local municipalities across the state from mandating that masks be worn in public to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Kemp’s executive order issued Wednesday prevents local governments from enforcing mandatory face covering orders that are more restrictive than the current statewide order. The move effectively voided orders issued by at least 15 local governments across the state, according to The Associated Press.
Rather than imposing a mandatory requirement, Kemp’s order states that residents and visitors in the state are “strongly encouraged to wear face coverings as practicable” when in public except when eating, drinking or exercising outdoors… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Pelosi and McConnell hurtling toward coronavirus relief showdown (Politico)
The number of coronavirus cases is surging, and congressional leaders are squabbling. It’s an ominous foreshadowing of the coming partisan clash over the next relief package.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are straddling opposite sides of a multi-trillion dollar divide, with neither currently willing to budge.
Congressional leaders from both parties privately believe they’ll reach a deal at some point: the stakes are too high for the nation’s health and economic well-being, not to mention Election Day is quickly approaching. But it may take several weeks of difficult negotiations — and public posturing — to strike an accord.
Senate Republicans are expected to unveil their own roughly $1 trillion proposal next week, a plan far narrower than the $3 trillion-plus bill pushed through the House by Democrats two months ago. Apart from cost, the parties are still far apart on key issues, including whether or how to extend a boost in unemployment insurance benefits set to expire in the coming days… (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.
PLEASE RESHARE and FOLLOW:
Twitter #binghamgp
Instagram #binghamgp