The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: June 4-10

Austin Logo Battle Continues: Late last year, Republican PAC Save Austin Now filed a lawsuit against City Manager T.C. Broadnax. The suit came after the city sent a cease-and-desist letter to the group after it parodized the blue and green logo, replacing “Austin” with “Audit,” having pushed for a third-party audit of city spending since last fall. In the lawsuit, which the city asked to be moved to federal court, the group asked for a permanent injunction against Broadnax. On Wednesday, June 3, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Howell denied the city’s request to remove the case. In early June, Save Austin Now said that it had submitted over 20,000 petition signatures that push for the audit to the city clerk.

House Passes $70 Billion for ICE: On Tuesday, June 9, in a vote of 214 to 212, the U.S. House passed a bill that will allocate about $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. The passing of the bill, which will fund ICE’s continuous efforts to deport any and all immigrants until the end of Trump’s term, marks the conclusion of a 115-day deadlock between lawmakers over immigration policy. It comes after Republicans went forward with a reconciliation package – which Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to block – that allowed them to fund the department without meeting the requests of the Democrats, all of whom voted no. “We’ve already seen how that money is being spent,” U.S. House Rep. Veronica Escobar said, “on massive detention facilities, no-bid contracts, and warehouses being converted into immigrant detention centers while serious concerns about oversight, conditions, and accountability remain.” 

Texas Hemp Banned (Again): The Texas hemp industry has been in a battle against state lawmakers this year, as Republicans have pushed for a de facto ban on the sale of smokable products. After new regulations were introduced at the end of March that would eliminate the sale of smokable products, drastically raise licensing fees, and tighten testing, packaging, and labeling standards, members of the hemp industry filed a lawsuit, calling for a temporary injunction. That injunction was granted in April, allowing for retailers to continue selling the products. But just last Friday, June 5, the Texas 15th Court of Appeals allowed the ban to go back into effect until the legal battle officially concludes. The next trial date is scheduled for July 27.

Screwworm fly Credit: Getty Images

Screwworm in Southwest Texas: According to Texas Tribune reporting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed last Wednesday, June 3, the first case of New World screwworm in the country. The confirmation has been raising concerns across the nation, as the parasitic fly is known for targeting the flesh of live mammals, including humans, pets, wildlife, and especially cattle. With three more cases confirmed in the state since last week, agriculture leaders worry that the screwworm could end up costing the Texas cattle economy over $1.8 billion due to the impacts on the animals. On Wednesday, June 10, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham granted the United States Department of Agriculture access to state land to help respond to the threat. The parasite has since spread beyond Texas, now also in New Mexico. “South Texas ranchers are the front line of this battle against screwworm,” said Brooke Rollins, U.S. agriculture secretary.

P. Terry’s Goes Employee-Owned: Popular fast-food burger chain P. Terry’s announced on Tuesday, June 9, that the local business is shifting to an Employee Ownership Trust program and will now offer profit-sharing opportunities for its employees. Employees with at least two years of tenure with the company will receive the profit-sharing benefits. According to the company’s social media post, 5% of the business’ operation income will be distributed among those employees, with a goal of eventually increasing that amount to 20%. “P. Terry’s has always been about the people who show up every day,” said Patrick Terry, one of the business’ co-owners. “And today, it’s official.”

AISD Police Chief Motorcycle Crash: AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed was involved in a motorcycle collision with another AISD police officer last Thursday, June 4, as he was escorting district Superintendent Matias Segura from a graduation ceremony. Sneed was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the crash occurred around 8:30pm. 

Data center in Hutto, Texas Credit: Getty Images

Abbott Recommends Data Center Regulations: On Tuesday, June 9, Gov. Greg Abbott released new recommendations to tighten regulations on data centers, aiming to pass the bill in next year’s legislative session. As the presence of data centers continues to grow across the state, Abbott said that he is prioritizing requiring data centers to generate their own power to the state’s power grid; requiring them to pay for grid interconnection and infrastructure costs, mandating closed-loop water systems that reuse water over years; requiring annual reporting on electricity and water use; establishing best-practice standards; and repealing sales tax exemptions and other incentives for data centers.

100,000 Private School Vouchers Awarded: Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced on Wednesday, June 10, that over 102,000 students have been awarded Texas Education Freedom Accounts for the upcoming school year. This comes after over 42,600 students from the Tier 1 bracket – students with a disability and their siblings – and more than 53,000 students in Tier 2 – students from homes with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level – were granted private school vouchers in the last month and a half. According to the comptroller’s press release, around 2,000 awarded students have opted out of the program. 

UT Removes Cesar Chavez Statue: Last Thursday, June 4, the University of Texas removed a statue of late farmworker organizer Cesar Chavez. Installed in 2007, the statue was created by Bolivian artist Pablo Eduardo and has been housed near Battle Hall ever since. The removal of the bronze figure comes after a New York Times investigation revealed that Chavez had abused young girls. Austin has also been working to rename one of the city’s busiest streets since the news broke.

Gina Hinojosa and supporters at the former Pease Elementary Credit: Brant Bingamon

Hinojosa Launches Public Schools Program: Gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa held a rally at the former Pease Elementary School on Monday, June 8, to announce the launch of Team Texas Public Schools, a nonpartisan organizing program that is aimed at encouraging parents, teachers, and administrators to combat school closures around the state. Putting political parties aside, Hinojosa emphasized the cruciality of supporting local public education to ensure that the state does not take over districts. Part of the candidate’s plans involved firing Mike Morath, as well as pausing the A-F accountability system and STAAR test.

Student Graduates After ICE Detainment: After being detained and held within an ICE detention center since early May, Luis Fernando Cabrera has been released. The release of the 18-year-old comes after multiple city and state leaders voiced their opposition to his detainment, which came just weeks before he was set to graduate from Northeast Early College High School. Cabrera was able to complete certain coursework while in ICE custody, allowing him to walk alongside his classmates at last week’s graduation ceremony.

Austin Energy Theft: Late last year, an Austin City Auditor’s Office report found that former Austin Energy employee Mark Ybarra had used city credit cards to make fraudulent payments to himself and family members over a six-year period, totaling $980,000 in city money. The former employee was indicted last August on first-degree felony theft charges. Now, the Statesman has reported that Ambrosia Ybarra, Mark’s wife, and Yolanda Aldaco were also indicted last year on second-degree felony theft charges, both accused of stealing between $150,000 and $300,000 from the city utility. Ambrosia’s pretrial hearing took place on Tuesday, June 9. Mark and Aldaco’s pretrial hearings are both scheduled for June 30. 

Christopher Taylor Sues Lisa Davis: Former Austin Police Department Officer Christopher Taylor has sued Police Chief Lisa Davis after the chief did not reinstate him to the department following a Texas appeals court’s decision to overturn his 2024 conviction. Taylor was convicted by a Travis County jury in October 2024 for shooting and killing Mauris DeSilva in 2019. In Taylor’s lawsuit against Davis, he alleges that his firing was based solely on the fact that he lost his license after his conviction, which was reinstated after his conviction was overturned. The suit states that Davis is legally obligated to allow Taylor to return to the department.

Cause of CapMetro’s Bikeshare Fire: After a fire at a CapMetro location on May 23, the transportation authority’s bikeshare system has been shut down. According to KUT, a forensic investigator has since begun examining the cause of the fire, and CapMetro has yet to provide an estimated date for the restoration of the service. While Austin firefighters believe that a room full of batteries is likely to have caused the incident, CapMetro officials have yet to say what led to the fire.

Free Pet Vaccines and Microchips: Austin Animal Services is overcrowded with dogs, currently caring for over 70 more than capacity, nearing the limit of emergency overflow. Accommodating the maxed capacity, Austin Animal Services said that it has had to place temporary kennels in offices, hallways, and other converted spaces. To combat the current overflow of dogs, Austin Animal Services will offer discounted adoption fees – just $19 – throughout the month of June. Both Austin Animal Services and Austin Humane Society also held free drive-thru pet vaccination and microchip clinics on Wednesday, June 10. 

UT Softball Runs It Back: The University of Texas women’s softball team overcame Texas Tech last Thursday, June 4, winning the series in two games to be crowned 2026 NCAA Women’s College World Series national champions in Oklahoma City. Led by head coach Mike White, the win marks a historic feat for the program, now just the fifth team in history to win back-to-back Women’s College World Series. UT also defeated Texas Tech in last year’s tournament, that series stretching to all three games.

Algae at Red Bud Isle: Austin Watershed Protection announced that it has observed “thick mats of blue-green algae” near Red Bud Isle and Walsh Boat Landing on Lady Bird Lake. City staff is urging community members to be aware of the toxic algae, avoiding any contact with the water and keeping pets away. As the warmer weather continues, Austin Watershed Protection expects the algae, which looks like floating dark blobs, to become more widespread in waterways.

City Searches for Shelter Operators: Austin Homeless Strategies & Operations announced that it has released a request for applications, searching for a qualified provider to operate and staff the city’s Cold Weather Shelter program, months from now when the temperature begins to drop. The accepted applicant will be responsible for overseeing management of three city-owned facilities, staffing, client support, and emergency response activities. The city’s deadline for applications is July 7, with the contract expected to begin on Oct. 1. Providers can apply on the HSO’s website.

First Responders Visit Red River: According to the Statesman, Austin’s Public Assembly Code Enforcement Team – composed of the Austin Fire Department, the Austin Police Department, and the city’s code compliance squad – paid at least 12 venues within the Red River district a visit last Friday, June 5, for safety and licensing evaluations, city officials said. Nicole Klepadlo, executive director for the Red River Cultural District, said that the city’s check-in felt targeted, as the team showed up late over the weekend, a popular time for these venues, and threatened to cite or shut down businesses if requests were not granted. 

APL Delays Branch Openings and Closures: The Austin Public Library announced on Wednesday, June 10, that it has delayed the reopening of the renovated Old Quarry Branch Library, originally scheduled for June 22. The Menchaca Road Branch Library, which was set to close for improvements following the Old Quarry Branch’s reopening, will no longer close on June 14, and instead remain open until closer to the reopening of the Old Quarry Branch. APL is working to reschedule the reopening celebration that was originally planned for June 27 to later this summer.

Travis County Celebrates Pride Month: Travis County Judge Andy Brown hosted the county’s 6th Annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony at the Travis County Administrative Building on Tuesday, June 9. Alongside Brown were the Travis County commissioners, Judge Denise Hernández, Ash Hall of the ACLU, Texas Health Action CEO Christopher Hamilton, and other LGBTQ+ advocates. “Pride is about joy, it’s about community, it’s about showing up for one another, and reminding us that no one stands alone,” Brown said.

Talarico Watches Spurs at Austin Bar: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico was seen alongside San Antonio Spurs fans at Chalmers, an East Austin Bar, watching game three of the NBA Finals. At the same time that Talarico and Austinites were cheering on the Spurs, Donald Trump had just been booed during the playing of the national anthem at Madison Square Garden. The public appearance from Talarico comes during the early stages of a heated competition between himself and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has most recently accused Talarico of going back and forth on his stance on gender-reassignment surgery for minors, after the House rep said that he opposed the procedure on a podcast with one of Paxton’s former lawyers.

Morales Appointed to Travis County Commission: Today, former Travis County Precinct 4 Constable George Morales will be appointed by Travis County Judge Andy Brown as the next commissioner of Precinct 4. This comes after former Commissioner Margaret Gómez, who served as a county commissioner for over 30 years, celebrated her retirement last week. Morales beat out Del Valle ISD Trustee Susanna Ledesma-Woody for the position in a May runoff and now takes office sooner than he originally anticipated. “I know there are challenges ahead of us and I look forward to getting started immediately and finding solutions that will help our community.”

Credit: castro.house.gov QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“As a country, we will look back on this era with shame. Instead of giving billions of dollars more to what has become an abusive and rogue agency, Congress should work to lower the cost of healthcare, childcare, gas, and groceries.”

U.S. House Rep. Joaquin Castro on the passing of the reconciliation bill

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