The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: June 18-24

Roadway Art Removal: After the Texas Department of Transportation denied Austin’s request to keep some of the city’s iconic street art, the city submitted an action plan on Monday, June 22, for the removal of the roadway art that the state had deemed unacceptable on Monday, June 22 – the deadline given by TxDOT before Austin could potentially lose state funding. Artwork slated for removal includes the “Black Artists Matter” stretch of East 11th Street, the Pride crosswalks in the Downtown area, and the burnt orange “TEXAS” on Guadalupe. City leaders and advocates gathered Friday, June 19, to honor the East 11th Street art as part of the neighborhood’s Juneteenth celebration.  

City Employee Falls in Manhole: Austin public safety agencies recovered an Austin Water employee last Wednesday, June 17, from a manhole after the city worker fell in. The employee was performing routine maintenance on a wastewater line near the airport. First responders saved the individual and provided medical care before taking the employee to a local trauma center with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

SBOE Pushes Christian Curriculum: The Republican-majority Texas State Board of Education gave the first approval in mid-April to a new social studies curriculum that emphasizes the Bible and reduces topics regarding racial, geographic, and cultural diversity. On Tuesday, June 23, the SBOE pushed for even more Christian-based teachings, granting preliminary approval to a reading list that requires public school districts in the state to teach Christian stories. A final vote on the state’s social studies and reading curriculum will be held on Friday.

Camp Mystic Files for Bankruptcy: Almost a year since the July floods killed a total of 27 children and counselors at Camp Mystic, the summer camp has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the Statesman. Currently facing multiple lawsuits from parents of victims, the bankruptcy filing pauses those suits until the bankruptcy case concludes. Investigations into the camp’s procedures will continue, as the camp estimates more than $10 million in debt.

Austin Energy Employees’ Vehicle Misuse: A city auditor’s report that was released last Wednesday shows that seven Austin Energy employees used city-owned vehicles to commute between home and work for around a year without permission, costing Austin over $37,000. According to the Statesman, all of the employees worked in Austin Energy’s Electric System Field Operations division. After the audit found that these city workers totaled around 56,200 miles of personal commuting, an Austin Energy spokesperson said that the department “will take appropriate next steps in line with city policy.”

Credit: Getty Images

After the Flood Podcast: The Texas Newsroom and FRONTLINE launched After the Flood, a five-part podcast series that recounts last year’s July floods that killed over 130 people, on Wednesday, June 24. Following survivors, families, and communities around the area of the flood, the series tells the human impact stories of how these individuals have navigated life for the last year following the catastrophic event. Episodes will roll out each Wednesday for the next month, with the final episode releasing on July 22.

Texas GOP Continues to Push for Closed Primaries: After years of stalled attempts, the Texas GOP is pushing again for closed primaries. Texas has an open primary system, allowing voters to cast ballots for the party of their choosing. Gov. Greg Abbott spoke out in support of closed primaries at the Texas Republican Convention a couple of weeks ago, an endorsement that may spark change during the next legislative session, according to The Texas Tribune. Changing the voter registration system would be expensive and time-consuming, and may require Texas’ more than 18 million voters to re-register along party lines.

Barton Reopens, Deep Eddy Closes: After last week’s heavy rainfall closed Barton Springs Pool due to flooding, the city reopened the swimming spot on Tuesday, June 23. Austin Parks and Recreation worked to remove debris from the water, cleaned decks, and reinstalled the diving board and lifeguard stands over the last week. APR also announced last week that Deep Eddy Pool will be closed through Sunday, June 28, as employees work to repair a broken valve.

Big Bend National Park Credit: Getty Images

West TX Orgs Sue Over Big Bend Wall: As the Trump administration’s plans to build a border wall in Big Bend National Park continue to progress, Democracy Forward, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of the city of Presidio and Presidio County against the administration last Wednesday, June 17. The lawsuit claims that the administration did not receive permission from the Secretary of the Army to build along the Presidio Flood Control Project, a flood-protection system, and that doing so could potentially result in devastating floods. 

TX Rangers’ Cold Case Program Expands: Due to Senate Bill 1, which was passed in last year’s legislative session, The Texas Rangers’ Cold Case Program, which focuses on solving cold case murders and sexual assault cases, is being expanded by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The group will now have 17 rangers and three support staff, doubling the program’s size.

SpaceX Public Beach Lawsuit: Last week, Elon Musk took his company SpaceX public and became the world’s first-ever trillionaire. Now he has received support from the Texas Supreme Court in a case that has been ongoing since 2021. On Friday, June 19, in a unanimous ruling, the court dismissed a lawsuit brought forward from environmental advocacy groups that were suing the company for launching rockets at Boca Chica Beach, which was closed for the company. Ultimately, Justice Rebeca Huddle said that a 2009 amendment to the Texas Constitution that guarantees public access to state beaches states that no private entity has the right to sue to enforce access to the beach.

New World screwworm Credit: Getty Images

Governor’s Office Takes Action Against Screwworm: Texas has four new confirmed cases of New World screwworm, according to the USDA. Responding to the increasing threat, Gov. Greg Abbott launched a website on Friday aimed at increasing public awareness of the dangers of the parasite and providing information and resources that Texans need to report and respond to screwworm cases. Meanwhile, Texas animal shelters are worried about the potential casualties of more outbreaks, according to The Texas Tribune. Overcrowded shelters are being hit hard by quarantine orders, making it difficult to move healthy, uninfected animals out of shelters, which could lead to mass euthanasias. 

ERCOT Batch Zero Grid Data Centers: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ “Batch Zero” process, new framework that connects large electricity users – such as data centers – to quantities and locations that the grid can reliably support, was approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas last Thursday, June 18. With input from numerous developers, utilities, generators, consumer advocates, and industry experts, the new structure is aimed at expanding options for large users while also strengthening overall reliability. The final plan to cover the entire state is expected next fall, with most projects expected to be online by 2030.

San Marcos Data Center Ban: Earlier this year, San Marcos City Council voted to deny plans for a data center in the city after hundreds of residents initially stalled the project and continued to push back against the development, claiming that it would strain local resources. Now, San Marcos officials approved a ban on future data center developments in a 4-3 vote last week. An initial move to ban data centers in March failed, with city leaders stating that they weren’t ready to make that decision. The approved amendment now prohibits the development of data centers in all of the city’s zoning districts.

Body Found in Lake Pflugerville: A man was found dead in Lake Pflugerville on the morning of Friday, June 19, according to the Pflugerville Police Department. Officers arrived at the scene shortly before 9am, following a family’s report of what appeared to be a body in the water. The man, who has not yet been publicly identified by law enforcement, was in his 60s and was pronounced dead shortly after he was pulled to shore. Though the PPD said the death was not considered suspicious, an investigation remains ongoing.

Austinite Hit by Train: On Monday, June 22, an Austinite was hit by a train in Northwest Austin. The individual was near the 4200 block of Duval Road by a set of train tracks around 3:30am when they were hit. They have since been taken to the hospital, expected to recover from the incident. No Union Pacific Railroad crew members were injured, according to officials.

Housing Navigation Center Awardee: While the city continues to roll out sweeps of homeless camps throughout the city, Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations announced last week that it had found a tentative awardee to operate the South Austin Housing Navigation Center after searching for a qualified group since mid-April. The awardee is Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, which currently operates a navigation center in South Austin at Redd Street and Menchaca Road. The new city-owned facility, which is located at 2401 S. I-35 Service Road, will provide housing-focused services for those experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless. 

WilCo Solicitation of a Minor Investigation: According to Statesman reporting, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office arrested eight men accused of online solicitation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual contact. According to two arrest affidavits, law enforcement posed as teenage boys when the men contacted them, saying that they wanted to engage in sexual intercourse. After driving to a Georgetown home under the assumption that they were meeting the teenager, Williamson County law enforcement arrested the individuals. The investigation remains ongoing.

Family Sues Tesla: After a Houston-area woman, Martha Avila, died when a Tesla crashed into her home last Friday, June 19, her family has now filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing that the car had a design defect that resulted in the crash. According to KXAN, the driver, Michael Butler, told the Harris County Sheriff’s Office that the vehicle was in autopilot mode when the incident occurred. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are conducting ongoing investigations into the incident. 

Ted Cruz College Sports Bill: Sen. Ted Cruz’s Protect College Sports Act, which would create a national structure for college sports in the still-new era of Name, Image, and Likeness compensation, passed the Senate Commerce Committee in a 19-9 vote last Thursday, June 18, now eligible for a full vote on the Senate floor. The bill, which Cruz co-authored with Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington, has received endorsements from University of Alabama Coach Nick Saban, President Donald Trump, and major NCAA conferences. A full Senate vote has not yet been scheduled. 

Hays CISD Superintendent Announces Retirement: Eric Wright, who has served as the Hays Consolidated Independent School District’s superintendent since 2018, announced that he will retire in February. Some of the notable feats that the district achieved during his tenure include enrollment increasing by 22% and the district using $1.8 billion to build seven new schools and purchase new school buses with seat belts. Wright said that he will help the board of trustees identify a suitable replacement in the fall.

Credit: austintexas.gov QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The difficult truth is that we live in a time when extreme divisions seem to have transformed too many American institutions into forums primarily for delivering insults rather than results.”

Mayor Kirk Watson on the city being forced to remove street art

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