BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 17, 2023)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson reflects on 100 days in office (KXAN)
Sunday marks the 100th day Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has been in office.
“Some days I think, ‘Wow, this is the fastest 100 days I’ve ever experienced,'” Watson said.
KXAN sat down with him in a one-on-one interview to dive into a variety of issues from affordability to public safety.
Watson described the nearly four months he’s been in office as “fast and furious.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Police chief says Austin has seen a big drop in violent crime since state troopers started helping out (KUT)
Austin's police chief says the department has seen a 25% drop in violent crime since the partnership with Department of Public Safety troopers began late last month.
At a news conference Friday, APD Chief Joseph Chacon said the partnership so far hasn't resulted in a spike in arrests by state troopers, but that their increased presence is an effective "deterrent."
"I certainly, as I'm driving around Austin, you see more of a law enforcement presence kind of everywhere you go," he said. "And when you have that, it is a deterrent. ... I think that's why, to some degree, we're seeing some of the downward trend in overall number of crimes — violent crimes, particularly."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Planning Commission proposes changes to compatibilitY (Austin monitor)
The Planning Commission Tuesday launched a proposal that would let single-family homeowners decide to allow taller buildings near them.
The change to city code would let individual owners waive compatibility, a rule that limits the height of buildings near single-family homes and, critics say, acts as a barrier to building more housing in the city.
The commission suggested two types of compatibility waivers:
A property owner could ask the Planning Commission and City Council to not trigger compatibility on neighboring properties
One or more property owners could agree to not trigger compatibility on a specific property, and city staff could approve the waiver if a certain percentage of owners near that property sign on
In each case, property owners would likely request a waiver in the context of a nearby development proposal… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Deadline approaches for Austin ISD to appeal TEA conservatorship (FOX 7)
Monday, April 17 is the deadline for Austin ISD to appeal a state conservatorship.
In late March, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced it planned to impose a conservatorship on the district, specifically for special education. The TEA released a final investigative report in which it concluded the AISD had "systemic issues" within special education.
The conservatorship aims to tackle a backlog of hundreds of Austin ISD students who have not been evaluated for special ed services… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Staffer alleged in complaint that state Rep. Bryan Slaton had sex with Capitol intern (Texas Tribune)
A Capitol staffer alleged in an internal complaint that state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, had “sexual relations” with an intern two weeks ago.
The new details of the allegation come from the complaint filed by a legislative staffer to the House General Investigating Committee. Earlier this week, The Texas Tribune reviewed excerpts of the complaint, which alleged that Slaton, 45, was having an “inappropriate relationship” with an intern who is under the age of 21. The complaint said Slaton called her after 10 p.m. on March 31 and invited her to his Austin apartment.
A full version of the complaint, first posted on The Quorum Report, states the intern disclosed that she had sexual relations with Slaton that night… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee launches Houston mayoral bid with pledge to tackle wastewater woes, crime (Houston Chronicle)
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee kicked off her campaign for mayor Friday night with a rally on the rooftop of Post Houston, promising to “unlock City Hall” for all residents and embrace their diversity while outlining a municipal agenda to tackle issues like housing, the wastewater system, crime and neighborhood lighting. The rally came nearly three weeks after Jackson Lee first shared news of her candidacy with churchgoers. On Friday, the congresswoman made her case publicly for the first time. "I want you to see in this campaign — no matter what stage of life you're in, what age you are, there is hope in this city, and in this city there are results," Jackson Lee said. "This is an international city. I proclaim this is a city for all people."
Jackson Lee laid out her vision for city government, pledging to build on progress she said has been made under Mayor Sylvester Turner's administration. She vowed to use the political capital she has amassed in Washington, D.C., to continue bringing federal funds to Houston. The congresswoman said she would use "public and private financing" to create a top-of-the-line water and wastewater system. Houston has struggled for years with sewer overflows and recently agreed with the federal government to spend $2 billion upgrading that infrastructure. "I know where the money is, I know where the folk are, I know we can get this done," Jackson Lee said. Jackson Lee said the city and Metro would continue building out its rail system, including a promise to bring rail to both Hobby and Bush Intercontinental airports. She said she would use federal money to bring more neighborhood lighting to communities, and she promised to tackle street repairs and crime by sector, dividing the city into smaller parts to focus on more localized needs. "We have got to get in front of crime. We cannot ignore it," Jackson Lee said. "We cannot ignore Houstonians who don't feel safe."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Republican money flows into Fort Worth City Council elections (Fort Worth Star-TeLegram)
Conservative Republicans took Tarrant County away from moderate leadership last fall, and now, they want to do the same with Fort Worth. A Colleyville-based political committee led by donors to Florida Republican Donald Trump and Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare is raising money to challenge two Fort Worth City Council incumbents in the municipal elections beginning April 24. Conservative backers want to flip two seats away from Democrats, and maybe from moderate Republicans. In 2021, Tarrant County Democrats celebrated when Jared Williams ousted a 16-year Republican incumbent in District 6, flipping the council Democratic by a 5-4 edge after 10 years with a majority-GOP council running a solidly Democratic city. Even that one-vote margin now appears in doubt.
City voters expanded the council to 11 seats this year, A conservative Republican will win at least one open seat, and conservatives are in contention for several others. By the June 10 runoff election, conservatives who supported Trump and O’Hare might vote with moderate Republicans to give GOP as much as a two-seat edge. (Council elections are nonpartisan, but candidates’ party identities are increasingly clear.) The new “Fort Worth Excellence PAC” based in Colleyville already reported raising $30,000 beginning March 22 for challenger Pamela Boggess against District 9 council incumbent Elizabeth Beck, a former Democratic Texas House candidate. The PAC also supports challenger Italia De La Cruz against Williams in District 6. Among the first donations was $10,000 from Don Woodard Jr., who donated nearly $300,000 last year to O’Hare’s winning campaigns against moderate Republican Betsy Price of Fort Worth and then against Democrat Deborah Peoples. Neither Boggess nor De La Cruz disclosed the PAC support on April 6 reports. The next report is due a week before the election. Donation lists are posted online at the Fort Worth city secretary’s website… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Economists Turn More Pessimistic on Inflation (The Wall Street Journal)
The economy is proving more resilient and inflation more stubborn than economists expected a few months ago, and as a result the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high for longer, according to The Wall Street Journal’s latest survey of economists.
On average, economists expect inflation, as measured by the annual increase in the consumer-price index, to end this year at 3.53%, up from 3.1% in the January survey. Inflation in March was 5%, the Labor Department reported this past week, the lowest in two years.
The midpoint of the Federal Reserve’s current target range for the fed-funds rate now stands at 4.9%, and most economists see that midpoint rising to 5.125% by the end of June, implying one more quarter-point increase in May or June. But whereas markets expect the Fed to then cut rates by year-end, only 39% of economists surveyed agree; most see no rate cut before 2024. That’s a change from January, when a slim majority did expect a cut by the end of the year… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Senators praise Feinstein’s decision to step away from Judiciary Committee (Politico)
Multiple senators on Sunday commended Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) for her plan to step down from her position on the Judiciary Committee, but also supported her decision to remain in the Senate.
The 89-year-old made the announcement last week after facing some calls from members of her own party to retire amid a weeks-long absence from the Senate after a shingles diagnosis sent her to the hospital in early March… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
The $1.6 billion Dominion v. Fox News trial starts Tuesday. Catch up here (NPR)
A 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Jack Teixeira, was arrested as a suspect in the recent leak of classified U.S. intelligence documents, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
"FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident," Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters at a briefing in Washington, D.C. "He will have an initial appearance at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)