BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 26, 2023)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Planning Commission delay pushes Council action on Palm District until July (Austin monitor)
After a series of delays stretching back to November, the Planning Commission is now expected to consider and possibly approve the Palm District Plan at a special called meeting May 30.
As a result of the new meeting time, City Council is not expected to hold a public hearing on the plan until its July 20 meeting, according to a memo published last week.
The plan, which was commissioned by Council in 2019, spells out the possible scenarios for future residential, commercial and public spaces for the downtown district that begins at the southern edge of Rainey Street and extends north to the blocks just east of the state Capitol… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
CapMetro hits highest ridership levels in 3 years (KXAN)
With more than 2.2 million trips taken via CapMetro services in March, the transit authority reported its highest ridership since pre-pandemic levels recorded back in February 2020.
Ridership volumes increased by more than 25% year over year from March 2022 to March 2023. Last March, the transit agency recorded nearly 1.8 million trips, compared to just over 2.2 million taken last month.
Service levels increased across all CapMetro offerings, with the largest spikes noted in CapMetro Pickup and CapMetro Express services. Pickup ridership increased by more than 71% year over year, while Express routes saw a 33% increase in trips taken… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
JSX expands service in Austin, adding a route to Las Vegas (The Points guy)
Semiprivate air carrier JSX is adding another route to its expanding map.
The carrier announced Monday that it will start flying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) on May 11. One-way fares start at $299 and include two checked bags, onboard cocktails and snacks.
The new route builds on JSX's growth. The carrier has expanded its reach in states like Colorado, California and Texas. The flights to LAS will be JSX's third route from AUS — the carrier already flies to Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC) in Colorado.
“Our expansion across Texas and the entire United States is just getting started and this summer is primed to be our busiest and best one yet," JSX CEO Alex Wilcox said in a statement.
Recently, JSX also added Starlink Wi-Fi — operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX — to its flights, giving customers the option to stream TV shows or take meetings on their laptops while 36,000 feet in the air… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
After Uvalde, Texas lawmakers advance bills for more armed staff, money for security (Dallas morning News)
The Texas House gave initial approval to school safety bills that aim to provide schools with more armed personnel, mental health training and money for campus security. The state currently gives schools about $10 per student for safety needs. Under legislation the House moved forward, that would increase to about $100 per student plus additional funds per campus. Teachers or other campus personnel could also earn an additional $25,000 annually if they became school guardians under one proposal. These bills come nearly a year after the Uvalde school shooting, when a gunman took the lives of 19 students and two teachers. Many of the families of the victims have been to the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass legislation, namely by reforming state gun laws, that would prevent similar shootings from happening in the future. Under a sweeping House school safety bill, every public school campus in Texas would need at least one armed security officer present during regular hours under one of the proposals.
This bill, which passed 122-19, also would require on-site audits annually that must include a determination of whether an intruder could gain unauthorized access to a campus. “We don’t get what we expect. We get what we inspect,” Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, the bill’s author, said during the debate. “Schools deserve the right tools to protect themselves and the best technology available.” Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, expressed concern that the bill would bring more guns to school campuses, mentioning instances where school personnel have left guns unattended, which could lead to accidents and tragedies. Goodwin proposed amendments that would require guns to have security locks, also known as trigger locks. These tools would make it so only the owner of the gun would be able to use it. Her amendments failed. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson, who opposes the bill, cited an American Federation of Teachers survey that found that 77% of Texas school employees do not want to be armed. “Teachers themselves don’t want to be armed,” Ramos said. She noted that many schools are already short-staffed, which could force teachers to be armed as opposed to officers. Ramos pointed to a passage of the bill that states any school district employee could be trained to be armed. Ramos proposed an amendment that would eliminate the passage stating that any employee could be armed to limit it to school security officers and others who already have some kind of safety training. That amendment failed. Burrows countered Ramos saying, “This is a false narrative that this bill arms teachers. It’s absolutely false” However, another bill that advanced Monday would give teachers and other school personnel an incentive to carry a gun on campus through the state’s guardian provision… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
House-Senate animosity bubbles over with clashes on property taxes, education (Texas tribune)
Feuding between the House and the Senate is nothing new, particularly as the legislative session enters the homestretch and the future of each chamber’s legislative priorities hangs in the balance.
This session, however, the bad blood has started early with Patrick attacking House Speaker Dade Phelan by name, deriding the Beaumont Republican as “California Dade” and mocking the House’s property tax plan as “bad math” to put public pressure on the House to pass the Senate’s version of the bill.
During his prop-aided media blitz, Patrick also dropped the atom bomb of political threats, emphasizing that he can force a special legislative session if action stalls on some of his priority bills, including incentivizing the building of more natural gas plants and allowing the use of state dollars to send Texas kids to private schools.
“I can’t call a special session,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told Spectrum TV host Karina Kling in mid-April, noting that power rests solely with Gov Greg Abbott. “But I can create one by not passing a key bill that has to pass. That’s what I did in ‘17.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Ex-Proud Boys leader argues Trump is to blame for Jan. 6 attack (Washington post)
Facing the possibility of years in prison on felony convictions, the longtime leader of the far-right Proud Boys sought Tuesday to deflect blame for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack onto former president Donald Trump.
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio is accused of organizing a small group of loyal Proud Boys to lead the pro-Trump mob in storming the U.S. Capitol building. Four members of that “Ministry of Self Defense” have been on trial for the past four months with Tarrio, all accused of a seditious plot to prevent Joe Biden from taking office. While other defendants have pointed at Trump’s role in fomenting the violence at the Capitol, Tarrio’s attorney Nayib Hassan was far more direct. Early in his closing argument Tuesday, he quoted Trump telling supporters to “fight like hell” on Jan. 6.
“It was Donald Trump’s words, it was his motivation, it was his anger that caused what occurred on January 6 in your amazing and beautiful city,” Hassan said. “They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald Trump and those in power.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Florida GOP lawmakers ready move allowing DeSantis to run for president without resigning (politico)
Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature will clear the way for Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president in 2024 by changing state law to make it clear he would not have to resign his current position if he became the GOP nominee.
With time running out on this year’s annual session, Senate Republicans will add the provision to a sweeping elections bill that will go before the full Senate on Wednesday. The elections bill is a top priority for DeSantis and Republicans and is expected to go to the governor’s desk between now and May 5… (LINK TO FULL STORY)