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Whispers
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Kitchen could not lose
Even though Council colleagues Pio Renteria and Mayor Steve Adler faced a number of opponents in their respective campaigns for re-election, and there was a spirited fight in Districts 1 and 8, where the incumbents are retiring, District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election. She told the Austin Monitor she was excited to start her second term. “It’s really been an honor to represent District 5 and so I’m looking forward to continuing to work with all the wonderful people in District 5 and continue the work we’ve been doing on affordability and transportation and health care,” she said. Kitchen was first elected to Council in 2014. In 2016, supporters of transportation networking companies, angry about Austin’s regulations and Kitchen’s role in writing those regulations, gathered signatures on petitions to recall her. However, the city clerk deemed the petitions “insufficient” because the political action committee behind the recall effort failed to get the petitions notarized. This year, an inept, would-be opponent gathered signatures on a petition to have his name placed on the ballot, but some of those signatures came from people outside of Austin and some were duplicates. In the end, he did not have enough signatures to get his name on the ballot and no one else in District 5 wanted to run against Kitchen.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 by Jessi Devenyns
Austin EMS launches new electronic patient care records system
Nov. 5 was the day Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services launched its new patient record software, which is intended to provide quicker and easier data access and streamline communications between EMS medics who take notes on the scene and medical professionals in the hospitals. “Hopefully this will (be) an avenue to look at those patient records more easily,” said ATCEMS Chief of Staff Jasper Brown at the Nov. 5 Public Safety Commission meeting. From now until Feb. 4, the ATCEMS department will authorize 35 “super users” on the system to explore the software and test it for any issues. After this soft launch period, the new system, which includes brand-new tablets, will be rolled out to all medics on staff. The system, according to Brown, will be completely new and will not have any imported records from the software the department is currently using. Medics will still be able to read the old records, but the two systems will not be merged together. Commissioner Daniela Nuñez expressed her concern about potential data breaches in light of growing awareness of the issue nationwide. Brown assured her that the department is using the latest encryption code and that only a “super sleuth” could access the records without authorization. Eventually, the EMS department hopes to share the same system as the Fire Department, since firefighters are often the first responders on the scene. However, at this point, a software migration for the Fire Department is not approved in the budget. Still, “It certainly seems that you should have the same system,” said Chair Rebecca Webber.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 by Jo Clifton
Election Day is finally here!
For football fanatics, the Super Bowl is the best day of the year; for political junkies, it’s election day. According to Travis County Clerk Dana De Beauvoir, more than 47 percent of the county’s registered voters cast ballots during the early voting period. So one of the big questions to be answered tonight is, how many of those other registered voters will come out to vote on election day? The clerk’s office has promised to release the results of early voting at 7 p.m. or just a few minutes after. Those results should give everyone a clear indication of how the rest of the evening will go. The races most likely to result in runoffs are in District 1 and District 8, on opposite ends of the city, and maybe in District 9. Council Member Ora Houston is retiring after one term representing that part of East Austin and Council Member Ellen Troxclair is stepping down after one term representing Southwest Austin. Houston endorsed Vincent Harding and the smart money says Harding will be in a runoff. People who have been following that race say the most likely candidates to be in the December 11 runoff appear to be Mariana Salazar and Natasha Harper-Madison. District 8 is much harder to predict, although since Republican Frank Ward entered the race there has been an assumption that he would make it into a runoff. Bobby Levinski and Rich DePalma each have won numerous endorsements, but this year more voters may choose the third Democrat in the race, Paige Ellis, because they want a woman to represent them. In District 3, incumbent Council Member Pio Renteria has run a strong race and could win outright. If not, he could face either his sister, Susana Almanza, or James Valadez in a runoff. District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen is the only Council member on the ballot who faces no opposition, so the Austin Monitor can predict with great confidence that she will be re-elected. Mayor Steve Adler has run a strong race, garnering both paid and free publicity far outweighing any publicity his chief rival, former Council Member Laura Morrison, has received. The other candidates in the race have gotten no traction, including the lone Republican, Todd Phelps. In District 9, Council Member Kathie Tovo, who serves as mayor pro tem, is facing a strong challenge from engineer Danielle Skidmore. Tovo has strong support from single-family neighborhoods while Skidmore has strong support from pro-density, new urbanist groups. Tovo defeated Council Member Randi Shade in 2011 and Council Member Chris Riley in 2014, but it’s hard to know what mood District 9 is in now. And it’s anyone’s guess how voters will react to Propositions J and K.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 by Ryan Thornton
Austin B-cycle launches e-bike pilot
In response to increasing demand for assisted mobility options, Austin’s public bike-share operator, Austin B-cycle, began a three-month e-bike pilot program today to test the idea with the public ahead of production models set to launch in spring 2019. The e-bikes are also being tested in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Madison and Fort Lauderdale through January 2019. For now, riders can find the docked e-bikes online at AustinBcycle.com by looking for the lightning bolt symbol on the map, and they will be able to see the locations on the B-cycle app as early as next week. Austin B-cycle is a city-owned system that purchases its bikes from BCycle LLC, which is making the e-bikes using Bosch pedal-assist technology. The e-bikes will add to the 550 bikes now available at 76 B-cycle stations in the downtown area.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
The future of Brush Square could be in your hands
It’s arrived: The final online survey for the Brush Square Master Plan is here, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is looking for input from Austin residents. If you or someone you love has an opinion on Brush Square’s future, head over to the online survey before Dec. 2, 2018, when the survey will close.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
LCRA to lower lakes in 2019
The Lower Colorado River Authority will lower lakes early next year in an ongoing effort to help those recovering from flooding along the Colorado and Llano rivers. According to an LCRA press release, the organization will draw down lakes LBJ and Marble Falls for eight weeks, from Dec. 30 to Feb. 23, making it easier for lakeside residents “to remove debris and maintain or repair docks, retaining walls and other infrastructure.” As for the specifics: “LCRA will lower Lake LBJ about 4 feet, from its normal operating range of 824.4 to 825 feet above mean sea level (feet msl) to a range of 820.2 to 820.8 feet msl. The lake will be lowered about 1 foot a day for four days beginning Dec. 30 … Lake Marble Falls will be lowered about 7 feet, from its normal operating range of 736.2 to 737 feet msl to a range of 729 to 730 feet msl. The lake will be lowered about 1 foot a day for seven days beginning Dec. 30.” More information, including details on what work is allowed during the drawdown, can be found online or by calling LCRA Water Quality Protection at 512-578-2324.
Monday, November 5, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
New fire chief named
On Friday, Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk selected the new fire chief for the Austin Fire Department. Joel Baker comes to Austin from Atlanta, where he was chief of the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. According to a press release about the potential hire, “Baker began his fire career with the East Point, Ga. Fire Department, an Atlanta suburb, in 1986. Two years later, he joined the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. During his career in Atlanta he served as Lieutenant in the Field Operations division and the fire training academy, Captain of the department’s Hazardous Material/Technical Rescue Unit, Deputy Fire Chief for Airport Operations, Assistant Chief to the Office of Support Services, and finally as fire chief. Baker served as a Marine before beginning his firefighting career. Additionally, he served for 10 years in the Navy Reserve. Baker has an Associate Degree in Applied Fire Science, Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Development, and Master of Public Administration.” Baker will be considered by City Council at its Nov. 15 meeting, and if confirmed, will begin work Dec. 10.
Monday, November 5, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
In remembrance of an ordinance passed
Austin’s Single-Use Bag Ordinance is no more, but city staff members press on. In a Friday memo, Austin Resource Recovery Interim Director Sam Angoori detailed the myriad ways that the city would continue to “honor the intent” of the ordinance. To that end, city staffers will: promote businesses that have (voluntarily) prohibited single-use plastics on city media; distribute a public survey on the topic; distribute reusable bags; launch an educational campaign; and offer a zero-waste business rebate. In addition, the city recently joined the “New Plastics Economy Global Commitment,” an initiative that strives to “eliminate plastic pollution at its source.”
Monday, November 5, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Zilker Great Lawn opens today
Here’s some good – if temporarily good – news: Zilker Park’s Great Lawn is once again open to the public today. The lawn has been closed longer than usual, after the Austin City Limits Festival and rain (and rain and more rain) delayed park maintenance. The maintenance is still ongoing, but the lawn and the volleyball courts will be open for just over a week. On Nov. 15, the volleyball court area will close again for the Trail of Lights.
Friday, November 2, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Día de los Muertos
Today begins the two-day celebration of Día de los Muertos at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center. On Friday evening, altars on the grounds of the center will be illuminated, as the community is invited to remember loved ones, decorate sugar skulls, see musical performances and see work from local artisans. On Saturday, the celebration continues, with a focus on families and youth. There will be presentations on the history of Día de los Muertos as well as face painting, piñatas, music, and sugar skull decorating. The celebration runs Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. and Saturday from 1 until 4 p.m. More information is online here.
Friday, November 2, 2018 by Elizabeth Pagano
Early voters continue to turn out
Voter turnout remained extremely strong yesterday. As of Thursday, 42.05 percent of registered voters in Travis County had cast 333,190 ballots in early voting for the November 6 general election. Yesterday, it was the Randalls at Brodie and Slaughter that saw the most voters – 1,729, making it the most popular location overall so far, with 18,821 ballots cast at the supermarket. Today is the last day of early voting, and election day is November 6. The Travis County Clerk’s Office has info on polling locations, wait times and other useful information online here.
Friday, November 2, 2018 by Jack Craver
Planned Parenthood lease prompts tense back-and-forth
On Thursday City Council voted to grant Planned Parenthood another 20 years on the city-owned parcel at 1823 E. Seventh St. The city will charge $1 a year in rent. The item was passed on the consent agenda, but not before Nicole Hudgens of Texas Values, a socially conservative advocacy group, voiced her objections. Hudgens said that the deal was “not fair to East Austin” due to the revenue the city was forgoing by providing the property for free. She noted that Austin LifeCare, a conservative crisis pregnancy center that seeks to discourage women from having abortions, had offered to pay the fair market value for the land. That group provides many of the same services as Planned Parenthood, she explained, “but without killing unborn children.” After she concluded her remarks Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who had left the dais during her remarks, explained his brief absence: “I will continue to refuse to sit on this dais and hear testimony from organizations that would seek to remove my personal civil rights,” he said, referencing the organization’s opposition to LGBT rights. Afterward, Council Member Ellen Troxclair, the lone conservative left on the dais, thanked Hudgens for speaking to a crowd that she knew would not be receptive. “It’s brave and it’s hard,” said Troxclair. Flannigan responded: “There is a difference between disagreeing with the Council and seeking to eliminate people’s civil rights. We should not and cannot in this moment in this nation equivocate those two things,” he said. This was not about somebody who disagreed with him about land use or taxation, but a group that “sees some of us on this dais as less than human.” Troxclair issued one final defense, saying that she didn’t hear Hudgens say anything about “those things” that Flannigan was referencing. “She was talking about abortion, about the killing of unborn children. I think that’s a very legitimate debate that we have in this city, in this state, in this country.” The item passed 10-1, with only Troxclair in dissent.