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Whispers
Friday, March 29, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Save Austin … someday
The Save Austin Now Political Action Committee has filed a “motion to expedite ruling” this week, in an attempt to speed up its lawsuit against the city for what they say is a refusal to enforce the camping ban. In the May 2021 election, 58 percent of voters approved the ban, resulting in its reinstatement. However, in August 2021, the PAC filed a suit about the perceived lack of enforcement, which was dismissed in November 2022. In August 2023, Save Austin Now appealed that decision to the 3rd Court of Appeals, which has yet to issue a ruling. “This case has been ready for the Court of Appeals to decide for nearly 8 months, so today we filed a motion asking the court to render its decision soon,” Michael Lovins of the Lovins Law Firm, lead attorney for the Save Austin Now Prop B lawsuit, said in a statement to the press. “Regardless of the decision, we expect this case to go to the Texas Supreme Court. We are eager to get to the merits of this case and have the voters’ will enforced.”
Friday, March 29, 2024 by Jo Clifton
Former officer wins suit against city over retaliation
A Travis County jury has awarded $1.5 million to former Austin Police Lt. Johnny McMiller for retaliation during the tenure of former Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. McMiller’s attorneys, Gary Bledsoe and Nadia Stewart, announced the decision in a news release this week. McMiller was forced to retire in 2015 after trying to “prevent discrimination against an African-American sergeant and an African-American Assistant Chief,” according to their statement. Although the jury found that the department had retaliated against McMiller, the court “threw out any claims of the race discrimination before trial,” the city said.
Bledsoe described McMiller as a rising star in the department whose advancement was stymied by Acevedo.
Bledsoe explained that McMiller was trying to help two other officers in a dispute related to their off-duty employment at Capital Metro. Under the “meet and confer” agreement the city had with the Austin Police Association, Bledsoe said APD should not have been allowed to consider the officers’ actions at their secondary employment.
Meghan Riley, city of Austin division chief in the Law Department, released the following statement: “While we very much appreciate the jury’s time and attention to this employment retaliation lawsuit stemming from a 2015 disciplinary decision, we were surprised and disappointed with the result. We continue to review the jury findings and will work with our client to determine the necessary post-verdict steps to take.”
Bledsoe responded: “If the City of Austin is truly serious about addressing the problems raised by this case (they should) follow the jury’s verdict and make McMiller whole … and adhere to the advice the jurors gave us, that APD brass follow the policies and procedures of the department and stop meting out discipline willy nilly.”
Friday, March 29, 2024 by Beth Bond
Easter is one of the busiest days for local parks
Easter Sunday – which this year falls on March 31 – is one of the busiest days for the entire Travis County Parks system, so residents are encouraged to plan ahead and arrive early for their festivities. The parks will be open as usual, and Travis County will monitor capacity. If a park reaches maximum capacity, it will close. A closure notice would be posted to that specific park’s web page, and additional visitors would not be allowed in for the day. Visitors would not be allowed to park elsewhere and walk in, and those who leave the park while it’s at capacity would not be able to reenter. Additionally, to help protect the environment, visitors are asked to not bring confetti eggs (cascarones) that contain plastic confetti. For more information, visit each park’s web page and review the “Know Before You Go” sections.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 by Chad Swiatecki
Disability committee requests city conduct first census of local disabled community
The city may move forward with conducting its first comprehensive census of the local disabled population, a move that disability advocates say will help to properly gauge the need for services and other resources for that community. At a special meeting held last week, the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities passed a recommendation for City Council to approve and carry out a point-in-time count of Austin’s disabled community. Committee Member Pete Salazar, who had requested the census in a recent meeting and helped to draft the language, said Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool has indicated support for the count.
¡Sí Se Puede! this Saturday
The 23rd annual ¡Sí Se Puede! César Chávez March & Celebration will take place this Saturday, March 30, to honor the life and legacy of César Chávez on his birthday. The celebration will take place at Parque Zaragoza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with sign-making and gathering for the march to start at 9 a.m. The march itself is a short one around the park. The celebration will feature speakers, community vendors, artists and nonprofits, and performances from Ballet Folklorico, high school drumlines and music from DJ Chris “Tejano Man” Tristan and Mariachi Sin Fronteras. The event is hosted by the United by Our Roots coalition of: HABLA; Amigos de Parque Zaragoza; PODER; East Austin Conservancy; Council Member José Velásquez, Austin City Council, District 3; George Morales, Travis Co. Constable Pct. 4; Del Valle Community Coalition; Fiesta Austin; HABLA y VOTA Action Fund; Muertos Clothing Co.; Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, Austin City Council, District 2; Austin Latino Coalition; LULAC 4221 & 650; Mexicanos 2070; MAS Cultura; La Voz Newspaper; HOT Tejano; Council Member Chito Vela, Austin City Council, District 4; Latino HealthCare Forum; and AFSCME Local 1624.
Bullock offers discussions, workshops on April 8 solar eclipse
As the April 8 total solar eclipse draws closer, the Bullock Museum will host two programs exploring the science of eclipses and how to view them safely. Next Wednesday at noon, the museum will hold a discussion about the nature of eclipses and how to properly photograph them, featuring Rob Pettengill, NASA JPL solar system ambassador and Astronomy in Chile education ambassador. A similar program will take place beginning at 10 a.m. April 7, with NASA ambassador Sophie Gairo and representatives from the McDonald Observatory talking about the solar eclipse. Families may also participate in science, technology and engineering demonstrations with Girlstart. More information on museum programming is available at www.thestoryoftexas.com.
Tell the city how to invest in our environment
The Joint Sustainability Committee will hold a public hearing today to help develop a new Environmental Investment Plan. In February, City Council approved a resolution asking city staff to look at a number of climate initiatives already approved in order to help prioritize and fund those that reduce carbon emissions, decrease water use, advance sustainability and improve community resilience. Today’s hearing, which will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at City Hall, seeks public help in identifying what should be prioritized moving forward. Those unable to attend tonight’s meeting can fill out this online form with ideas and suggestions: bit.ly/JSCPublicForm.
Total eclipse, from the bus
Capital Metro is (kind of) joining in on the solar eclipse fun. First, the fun part: The transportation authority is hosting an eclipse viewing picnic from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Leander Station Park & Ride. On the less-fun side of things, Capital Metro is anticipating severe delays in the time surrounding the eclipse, due to an excess of traffic. In addition, the agency warns that its operators may choose to pull over vehicles during the two or so minutes of the full eclipse, due to total darkness and possible cosmic weirdness. Nonetheless, regular bus service and special rail service will remain up and running on April 8.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 by Beth Bond
LCRA is replacing Burnet County floodgates to keep dam ready to respond to flooding
The first of 10 new floodgates was installed on Burnet County’s Wirtz Dam, which forms Lake LBJ. It is part of Lower Colorado River Authority’s $76 million, three-year project to remove and replace each of the dam’s original floodgates with new, custom-built floodgates made to today’s engineering standards. The dam was completed in 1951 with nine floodgates, and a 10th was added when a power plant was constructed in 1974. “Most of the floodgates have been in place for 73 years, so it’s time for them to be updated,” said Kelly Payne, LCRA vice president of water operations. “We’re in a drought now, but we’re in Flash Flood Alley, and we know the next flood could be right around the corner.” LCRA is replacing the floodgates one at a time so the dam remains operational and ready to pass floodwaters downstream, if needed. The project is expected to be completed in 2025. Throughout the project, the area up to about 300 feet upstream of the dam on Lake LBJ will remain off-limits to boaters.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Celebrate spring with safety
Instead of enjoying the spring weather (through a haze of pollen), the city’s Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management has seized the opportunity to remind Austinites that one of our prettiest seasons is also a time for severe weather. In a Monday press conference, officials urged residents to prepare for hail, thunderstorms and flash flooding, all of which are at high risk in the springtime. This week, in fact, is Flooding Preparedness Week, which is typically marked by preparing for flooding. An extensive list of tips, best practices and resources can be found here or heard by watching Monday’s press conference here.
2024 Warrant Amnesty Program now underway
Today through April 19, people with active warrants can have fees waived if they take part in the 2024 Warrant Amnesty Program. During this period, no officers will be sent to take defendants into custody, and those who voluntarily go to an Austin municipal or community court location will not face arrest. Instead, the Austin Municipal Court and Downtown Austin Community Court are offering options to those who can’t pay right away. Those options include payment plans, community service and waivers for people experiencing financial hardship. During a series of walk-in dockets (listed here) no appointments are necessary. Under last year’s Warrant Amnesty Program, more than 2,300 outstanding warrants and delinquent citations were cleared.
Monday, March 25, 2024 by Elizabeth Pagano
Arrests made over ‘no refusal’ spring break
The stats from Austin Police Department’s spring break DWI enforcement and “No Refusal” initiative are in. The operation totaled 55 DWI arrests. Of those, 19 were made via blood search warrants, 24 via consent breath samples and 14 via nonconsent breath samples. In addition, enhanced charges were issued for 11 consent breath samples with a blood alcohol level of over 0.15, one felony DWI with a child passenger and one intoxication manslaughter. “No refusal” is an enforcement strategy that enables jurisdictions to obtain search warrants for blood samples from drivers who refuse breath or blood tests.