BG Reads | News You Need to Know (March 4, 2021)

News
Written By AJ Bingham
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[BINGHAM GROUP]

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

[THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE]

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

Austin-Travis County leaders consider legal options after Governor lifts COVID-19 safety protocols (KUT)

Austin and Travis County leaders are urging people to continue wearing face coverings after Gov. Greg Abbott announced he's lifting the statewide mask mandate.

During a news conference Wednesday morning, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said the governor has gone back on the promise he made at the start of the pandemic to follow science and COVID-19 data.

“Masking is the best tool we have to stop this virus, to open up schools to all kids in person, to keep businesses open," Adler said. “And now the governor’s action has put those priorities at risk.”

Travis County Judge Andy Brown said he's working with the County Attorney's Office to determine what legal options they have to mandate mask wearing locally.

When asked about bars, Brown said he would consider safety measures like potentially adjusting the hours of alcohol sales if the county sees unsafe practices, like packed bars with no social distancing or mask wearing.

On Tuesday, Abbott announced he would be rescinding orders that capped occupancy for businesses and required Texans to wear masks in public. Starting next Wednesday, the mask requirement will no longer be in effect and all businesses will be able to operate at 100% capacity.

Adler said this creates ambiguity where none should exist. He asked that everyone keep wearing masks to protect each other.

“Just because the governor says it can’t be mandated, doesn’t mean we don’t need to wear our masks," he said.

Abbott's order allows businesses to set their own capacity limits and require face masks if they choose.

Adler expressed concern for front-line workers who don’t fall under the 1A or 1B vaccine priority groups. Brown said Central Texas leaders are working as quickly as possible to scale up vaccine distribution, mentioning another mass vaccine event at Circuit of the Americas this weekend. He expects to ramp up vaccine distribution from 3,000 doses last week to 10,000 this week.

“With just over 5% of our community vaccinated, this is no time to be lifting the mask ordinance,” Brown said. “We are not declaring victory on the pandemic; we are not over the pandemic. We need to keep working together to vaccinate our entire population.”

Brown said the area will not reach herd immunity until 80% of the community is fully vaccinated. He said people should continue wearing masks until the area reaches that goal.

"The last thing any of us want is a third surge — and that would make it harder to vaccinate people. That would make it harder for businesses to survive," Brown said.

While coronavirus cases and hospital admissions are down, Dr. Jose Ayala from St. David’s Hospital said the risk of catching COVID-19 remains high. He said another threat the community faces is having new variants pop up and then spreading among the population.

Ayala called continuing to wear masks “a small price to pay” in order to get ahead of the virus… (LINK TO STORY)

Council makes Planning Commission appointments this week (Austin Monitor)

City Council is making clear to those concerned – including Attorney General Ken Paxton – that it will absolutely abide by a city charter provision that requires two-thirds of all planning commissioners to be lay members.

Paxton has sued previous members of the commission on two separate occasions, charging that their presence on the 13-member commission was an apparent violation of the 1994 amendment to the city charter requiring that “a minimum of two-thirds of the (commission) shall be lay members and not directly or indirectly connected with real estate and land development.”

At Tuesday’s work session, Council Member Mackenzie Kelly affirmed that she would be appointing Jennifer Mushtaler, a doctor, to replace Greg Anderson, who works for Habitat for Humanity. Council Member Alison Alter said she would be appointing Grayson Cox, a project manager at engineering firm KSA, to the seat currently held by Patricia Seeger. And Council Member Vanessa Fuentes indicated that she would be appointing Solveji Praxis, described on the city’s website as a housing advocate.

Mushtaler, Praxis and Cox, as well as every member of the commission currently serving, answered no in response to the city’s question: “Are you actively developing or financing the development of property within the city of Austin’s planning jurisdiction in a manner that requires changes to applicable regulations or entitlements, including zoning or rezoning, or which requires approval of a final subdivision plat?”

Mayor Steve Adler’s appointees include Awais Ashar, a graduate research assistant; Yvette Flores, who works at the Texas Department of Transportation; and Realtor James Shieh. Mayor Pro Tem Natasha Harper-Madison and other members of Council indicated that they would be reappointing their current members. These include Patrick Howard (Harper-Madison’s appointee); Jeffrey Thompson (Council Member Pio Renteria); João Paulo Connolly (Council Member Greg Casar); Robert Schneider (Council Member Ann Kitchen); Todd Shaw (Council Member Leslie Pool); Claire Hempel (Council Member Paige Ellis); and Carmen Llanes Pulido (Council Member Kathie Tovo). There are also two ex officio members, Ann Teich and Don Leighton-Burwell, from the Austin Independent School District and the Board of Adjustment, respectively… (LINK TO STORY)

Despite end of Texas mask order, most Austin-area schools plan to keep pandemic rules in place (Austin American-Statesman)

Most Austin-area school officials say they will continue to require students and staff to wear masks in their facilities despite Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order Tuesday lifting state-mandated rules for face coverings. 

The Texas Education Agency on Wednesday updated its pandemic-related guidance for school districts but kept its regulations on masks in place. According to the guidance, a school board has the ability to "modify or eliminate" the agency's mask requirements at their respective districts. 

Shortly after Abbott announced the order ending the statewide mandate, which will come into effect March 10, Austin school officials said t it plans to keep its rules related to masks in place.

"Our decisions have been and will continue to be based on guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics," Austin school officials said in a statement on Tuesday. "We appreciate everyone's efforts to keep safe by wearing masks, maintaining social distancing when possible and washing hands frequently."… (LINK TO STORY)

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, cites effects of coronavirus pandemic (Austin American-Statesman)

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema announced Wednesday that it has voluntarily filed for bankruptcy as the coronavirus pandemic continues to have an effect on its business.

The Austin-based company also announced it entered into an purchase agreement for the sale of its assets to a senior lender group. The group includes  Altamont Capital Partners, which was already an investor in the company, along with new investor Fortress Investment Group. Alamo Drafthouse co-founder Tim League, who is currently the company's executive chairman, is also part of the investor group. 

The Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in downtown Austin, as well as locations in New Braunfels and Kansas City, Missouri, will be permanently closed. All other theaters that are currently open will continue to be open in accordance with local pandemic guidelines, the company said.

"The transaction will provide the company with much-needed incremental financing to stabilize the business during the pandemic, which has had an unprecedented and outsized impact upon the movie theater and dining industries," the company said in a written statement.

"More importantly, it will position Alamo Drafthouse to return to growth and continue executing on its long-term strategic vision," the statement continued.

Alamo said it will continue to evaluate all its leases during the bankruptcy process to determine additional lease terminations and to decide which locations will be part of the future business.

“Because of the increase in vaccination availability, a very exciting slate of new releases, and pent-up audience demand, we're extremely confident that by the end of 2021, the cinema industry – and our theaters specifically – will be thriving,” League said in a written statement… (LINK TO STORY)

UT-Austin football players say they were forced to stay on field for “The Eyes of Texas” to appease angry donors and fans (Texas Tribune)

University of Texas athletic officials in October told Longhorn football players they had to remain on the field postgame for “The Eyes of Texas” singalong with fans because donors were upset by athletes protesting the game day tradition, two Longhorn football players told The Texas Tribune.

Previously, some student athletes had chosen not to participate after multiple games, as the song had become a flashpoint over the summer — especially for Black student athletes — given the alma mater song’s historical ties to campus minstrel shows.

The football players said athletics officials, in a meeting with the players after the Oklahoma game, referenced emails from donors who said the protests could impact their job prospects after graduating. At least one other player, former defensive back Caden Sterns, made a similar claim in a tweet on Monday but declined to be interviewed.

“They said y'all don't have to sing it. But y’all have to stay on the field. Y’all have to go over there and at least show fans appreciation for coming out and watching you guys play,” said junior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in a Tuesday phone interview.

Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said Wednesday he had not heard donors or alumni had threatened job opportunities, adding that he was concerned that players had that impression. He denied players were forced to stay on the field.

“We simply asked for their help — no one was forced or required to do so,” he said in a statement.

But the players said the mandate showed them that university officials prioritized donor wishes over the members of the team, some of whom had been vocal in the opposition over the summer and fall about their rejection of the song… (LINK TO STORY)

31-story Austin Marriott Downtown opens March 4 (Community Impact)

Three years after it broke ground, the 613-room Austin Marriott Downtown is officially opening March 4 at 304 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin.

The 31-story hotel started construction in January 2018. It includes 60,000 square feet of meeting space as well as four food and beverage concepts.

Zanzibar is an outdoor rooftop terrace bar and pool seven stories up that has been open since September. Another bar, The Lobbyist, has two stories with a mezzanine that overlooks the lobby.

The hotel features a grocer, Loaf + Vine, with options including grab-and-go options, baked goods, coffee, beer and wine.

Corinne Restaurant is also opening within the hotel. This is the second location for the neighborhood dining and cocktail restaurant after its first opened in Denver in 2017… (LINK TO STORY)

[TEXAS NEWS]

Texas businesses must decide whether to require face masks. Some worry they could lose customers either way. (Texas Tribune)

As small-business owners and managers across Texas went to work Wednesday morning, they faced yet another 2021 headache: deal with losing business from customers who don’t want to wear face masks during the pandemic or from patrons who will only frequent places that require them.

The dilemma was abruptly thrust upon them after Gov. Greg Abbott announced yesterday afternoon that the state will lift its mask mandate and allow all businesses to operate at 100% capacity starting March 10.

Some businesses barely had an opportunity to reopen after last month’s deadly winter storm and power outage crisis before hearing about this massive change to the state’s COVID-19 safety protocols.

“I do feel that we’ll probably lose guests based on whatever decision we do make, but I guess that’s just part of the environment that we are in now,” said Jessica Johnson, general manager of Sichuan House in San Antonio. “It’s either you wear masks and piss a couple people off, or you don’t wear masks and you piss a couple people off.”

At least one business owner, Macy Moore of HopFusion Ale Works in Fort Worth, said Wednesday on CNN that he had not slept since Abbott’s announcement because he’s so worried about the health and safety of his staff. Others, like Anne Ng of Bakery Lorraine in San Antonio, have decided to keep mask requirements in place for staff and customers regardless of what Abbott and the state government say.

“By repealing the mandate, the government is putting everyone at risk, and foodservice workers are sadly at the front lines in facing potential hostility from folks who will refuse to respect our mask policy,” Ng said. “We don’t deserve that.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, filed legislation last week that would prevent any business entities from being held liable for exposing people to pandemic illnesses. That provision in House Bill 3 is one of Abbott’s top priorities for this year’s legislative session. The governor was joined by Burrows in Lubbock on Tuesday when announcing plans to rescind many coronavirus restrictions against the advice of federal and local health officials… (LINK TO STORY)

Biden blasts Abbott for ‘big mistake’ and ‘Neanderthal thinking’ in lifting Texas’ COVID restrictions (Dallas Morning News)

A day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced an end to all pandemic-related precautions in Texas, President Joe Biden slammed him Wednesday for putting lives at risk by clinging to “Neanderthal thinking” rather than heeding advice from the nation’s top scientists. “I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers. “We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way in which we’re able to get vaccines in people’s arms....The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything’s fine, take off your mask. Forget it. It still matters.”

He noted the death toll, 511,874 Americans at last count. “We’re going to lose thousands more.... We’ll not have everybody vaccinated until sometime in the summer,” Biden said. “It’s critical, critical, critical, critical that they follow the science. Wash your hands, hot water. Do it frequently, wear a mask and stay socially distanced. And I know you all know that I wish the heck some of our elected officials knew it.” The nation’s top infectious disease experts have expressed disappointment at Abbott’s decision to end all restrictions starting next Wednesday, calling the move premature and warning it could lead to a resurgence of the outbreak that has cost 43,266 lives in Texas.

“We at the CDC have been very clear that now is not the time to release all restrictions,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asked about Texas’ change of policy during a White House briefing. Abbott announced the move on Tuesday, boasting that Texas would be “100% open” as of March 10. Under his order, Texans will no longer be required to wear face masks, and all businesses will be allowed to operate at full capacity. Mississippi made a similar announcement… (LINK TO STORY)

Hurricane outlooks to start earlier this year after recent uptick in storm activity (Houston Chronicle)

The National Hurricane Center will start releasing regular tropical weather updates earlier than usual this year, warning of any potentially dangerous storm systems that could be forming in the Atlantic. The agency announced it will issue what are known as “tropical weather outlooks” every six hours starting the morning of May 15. These include written updates and those all-too-familiar maps showing disturbance locations. Meteorologists typically issue these only when needed prior to storm season’s official June 1 start. But there has been “recent increased tropical cyclone activity” in late May, the agency noted in a statement.

Storms formed prior to hurricane season in each of the past six years, said Dennis Feltgen, the National Hurricane Center’s spokesman. Last year, ahead of what would be the busiest season on record, they issued 36 early tropical weather outlooks. Feltgen said many of those May systems were identified because of better monitoring and a change in 2002 that required “subtropical” cyclones be named along with tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. Whether hurricane season should start earlier because of global warming is “a bit tricky,” said Jim Kossin, a NOAA atmospheric scientist, in an interview posted on the agency’s website. Kossin noted there is not yet strong agreement on how climate change affects storm frequency. “If there is no clear expectation that global warming increases tropical storm frequency, then there should be no clear expectation that the season will lengthen under global warming,” he said... (LINK TO STORY)

CEO of Texas power grid operator "terminated" in aftermath of winter storm (Texas Tribune)

The board overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the independent nonprofit entity that operates and manages the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, fired ERCOT CEO Bill Magness Wednesday night.

The move by the board to vote in favor of a "60-day termination notice" came after they convened in a private executive session for more than three hours. The board barely discussed its decision once returning to the public session.

The decision is the latest of several recently announced departures from the ERCOT board, which also included Magness. Seven board members resigned after public criticism that many board members did not reside in Texas… (LINK TO STORY)

[NATIONAL NEWS]

House passes sweeping voting rights bill over GOP opposition (Associated Press)

House Democrats passed sweeping voting and ethics legislation over unanimous Republican opposition, advancing to the Senate what would be the largest overhaul of the U.S. election law in at least a generation. House Resolution 1, which touches on virtually every aspect of the electoral process, was approved Wednesday night on a near party-line 220-210 vote. It would restrict partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, strike down hurdles to voting and bring transparency to a murky campaign finance system that allows wealthy donors to anonymously bankroll political causes. The bill is a powerful counterweight to voting rights restrictions advancing in Republican-controlled statehouses across the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s repeated false claims of a stolen 2020 election. Yet it faces an uncertain fate in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it has little chance of passing without changes to procedural rules that currently allow Republicans to block it.

The stakes in the outcome are monumental, cutting to the foundational idea that one person equals one vote, and carrying with it the potential to shape election outcomes for years to come. It also offers a test of how hard President Joe Biden and his party are willing to fight for their priorities, as well as those of their voters. This bill “will put a stop at the voter suppression that we’re seeing debated right now,” said Rep. Nikema Williams, a new congresswoman who represents the Georgia district that deceased voting rights champion John Lewis held for years.

“This bill is the ‘Good Trouble’ he fought for his entire life.” To Republicans, however, it would give license to unwanted federal interference in states’ authority to conduct their own elections — ultimately benefiting Democrats through higher turnout, most notably among minorities.

“Democrats want to use their razor-thin majority not to pass bills to earn voters’ trust, but to ensure they don’t lose more seats in the next election,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said from the House floor Tuesday. The measure has been a priority for Democrats since they won their House majority in 2018. But it has taken on added urgency in the wake of Trump’s false claims, which incited the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol in January… (LINK TO STORY)

DOD took hours to approve National Guard request during Capitol Riot, Commander Says (NPR)

It took more than three hours for former President Donald Trump's Defense Department to approve a request for the D.C. National Guard to intervene in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, the commanding general of the outfit told senators on Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. William Walker testified that he had National Guard troops at the ready and sitting idly for hours before he was finally given authorization to send them into the field. Walker said that the delay was caused at least in part over concerns of the optics of sending uniformed troops to the scene.

His testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Rules committees comes as Congress holds a series of hearings about security preparations for and the response to the violence at the Capitol this year… (LINK TO STORY)

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AJ Bingham
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