The Week’s Biggest News in Brief May 28 – June 3

Texas Secretary of State Resigns: Jane Nelson announced on Tuesday, June 2, that she is stepping down from her position as Texas secretary of state, the state’s chief elections officer, after three and a half years serving in the position. By law, Gov. Greg Abbott is now tasked with nominating an individual to fill the vacancy “without delay”; at press time, he had not offered public comment. Nelson served in the state Senate for 30 years – the longest tenure for a Republican woman in Senate history – prior to becoming the secretary of state in 2023, according to the Tribune.

Yogurt Shop Settlement Made Official: The four men – Maurice Pierce, Mike Scott, Robert Springsteen, and Forrest Welborn – that were previously accused of the 1991 yogurt shop murders and have since had their lives upended were officially exonerated in February, and it was later announced that they would receive a $35 million settlement from the city. At City Council’s last meeting before breaking for the summer, the dais approved the record-setting $35 million settlement for Scott, Springsteen, Wellborn, and the family of Pierce, who was fatally shot by an Austin Police officer in 2010.

SB 4 Goes Into Effect: Senate Bill 4, a law that grants state and local law enforcement the ability to detain and deport individuals based on immigration status, was passed in the 2023 legislative session. Since it was signed into law by Gov. Abbott in late 2023, the controversial bill has been in a legal battle for over two years after lawsuits have been filed, claiming that immigration enforcement is a federal duty. Last Friday, May 29, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a block on the bill, allowing the law to be enforced. 

Margaret Gómez Officially Retires: After serving as the Travis County commissioner for Precinct 4 since 1995, Margaret Gómez has officially retired. Prior to her 30-plus-year run as county commissioner, Gómez began working in Travis County in 1973 as an assistant to then-commissioner Richard Moya. She then went on to become the county’s first elected female constable in 1980, serving in that position until she was elected to be commissioner of the county. Before she walks out the door leaving more than 50 years of service in Travis County behind, Gómez will serve in a holdover position until a new commissioner is appointed. George Morales is set to step into the position after November’s election.

Part-Time Librarians at AISD: As Austin ISD continues to grapple with its $181 million budget deficit, the district proposed cutting over 200 full-time positions a few weeks ago. That proposal mentioned that it would avoid eliminating librarian or counselor positions; however, the Austin Current has reported that some schools within the district will only have part-time librarians. AISD principals were told last Wednesday, May 27, just a day before school broke for summer, that schools with less than 400 students that are not currently undergoing improvement plans will no longer have a full-time librarian, but rather a shared librarian between two campuses.

AISD headquarters Credit: Jana Birchum

Final Goodbye for Some AISD Schools: Austin ISD’s last day of school before summer break was last Wednesday, May 27. For 10 campuses in the district, it was the last day of school forever, as the district approved closures for these schools that have received three unacceptable ratings from the Texas Education Agency. With that in mind, some schools within the district took steps to make the last few days of the school year special for their students.

Aquifer Storage and Recovery: After residents from Bastrop County showed resistance to Austin Energy’s Aquifer Storage and Recovery program, which would have supplied treated water to an aquifer beneath the county, the city is now considering sites in eastern Travis County, according to KXAN. Brought forward as a potential way to access safe drinking water during droughts, officials have said that it could help preserve water supplies that the city currently receives from the Colorado River and Highland Lakes. At last week’s Council meeting, Council members approved a $15.7 million contract with HDR Engineering to help conduct a study for the program.

Emo’s to Move Again: Emo’s, the Austin venue located on East Riverside Drive, will be moving Downtown after AEG Presents, a California-based entertainment company, announced that it will be stepping into the space. AEG is set to take over in January 2027, as Emo’s works on securing a new home Downtown. This will be the second time that Emo’s has moved after opening, originally located on Red River Street in the Downtown area before closing in 2011 and reopening years later on Riverside.

City Council Member Paige Ellis Credit: John Anderson

City Addresses E-Motorcycles: At last week’s Council meeting, Council members voted to direct City Manager T.C. Broadnax to compose a plan to curtail e-dirt bikes and e-motorcycles on city streets, trails, and public spaces. Brought forward by Council Member Paige Ellis, the plan calls for a public awareness campaign, updated regulations that would tighten the current code, APD enforcement training, and a study to establish a space where these riders can safely use the vehicles.

Save Austin Now Audit Petition: After heavily opposing last year’s Prop Q and announcing that it was in the process of collecting petition signatures to push for an external city audit last November, Save Austin Now said that it submitted over 20,000 signatures to the city clerk on Tuesday, June 2, according to the Statesman. Led by Matt Mackowiak, the Republican PAC’s proposal would require an external audit every five years to track city spending and identify cost saving measures. Shortly after news broke last year that the organization was pushing for the audit, Mayor Kirk Watson began working toward an independent city audit himself, which was approved by Council in February. After missing the deadline to place the measure on the May ballot, stating that the city’s audit initiative isn’t adequate, Save Austin Now hopes to push its proposal onto the November ballot.

Gravel on Texas 71: Last Thursday, May 28, the Texas 71 eastbound lanes closed at Montopolis Drive after gravel poured out onto the highway, according to reporting from the Statesman. All eastbound lanes closed late Thursday afternoon, as the Texas Department of Transportation worked to remove the gravel from the highway. TxDOT officials have not disclosed what caused the incident or if any injuries or crashes occurred.

Credit: Getty Images

Bitcoin Reserve Advisory Committee: During last year’s legislative session, Senate Bill 21 was approved. The bill created the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which allows the state to invest in cryptocurrency “with strategic potential for enhancing the state’s fiscal resilience.” On Thursday, May 28, Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that he has appointed four individuals with vast experience in the finance industry – Laurie Dotter, Jamie McAvity, Carla Reyes, and Gary A. Vecchiarelli – to the committee. 

App Store Accountability Act: Late last year, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman blocked the Texas App Store Accountability Act, which would require all Texans to verify their age when creating accounts on app stores and mandates parent permission for app downloads and purchases made by minors, from going into effect. Pitman said that the act was probably a violation of the First Amendment. But on May 28, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to block Pitman’s temporary injunction, allowing the law to take effect. Those in favor of the law lean on child safety as the key motive, while those opposed insist that it is a violation of free speech.

Waterloo Greenway Phase 2 Complete: Waller Creek is one step closer to an ultimate face-lift. As part of the Waterloo Greenway Conservation’s plans to connect the community from 15th Street down to Lady Bird Lake, the conservancy has completed its second phase, known as The Confluence, which saw massive improvements to Waller Creek between Lady Bird Lake and Fourth Street. Costing just over $90 million, this portion of the project resulted in the addition of a boardwalk over the lake and three new bridges, as well as bike and pedestrian trails. A ribbon-cutting for the second phase will take place this Saturday, June 6, between 10am and 2pm. 

Family Wants Answers Following Fire: Two months after three children – 10-year-old Aniyah, 7-year-old Athena, and 5-year-old Jeremy – died in a March apartment fire, their family members are calling for answers. Their parents, Samantha Noriega and Jeremy Lucero, along with other extended family, attorneys, and activists, gathered outside of City Hall on Thursday, May 28, to call for a larger investigation into the tragedy’s cause. According to Statesman reporting, the family plans to bring forward legal action against the apartment complex, Burl North, and its property management company following the Austin Fire Department’s investigation. The parents were able to escape the apartment with their 3-year-old daughter. 

Ayn Rand Center: The history of Russian American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand will soon touch Austin, as a $30 million center is set to be built near UT-Austin’s campus at 1000 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. According to the Statesman, the project has been brought forward by the California-based Ayn Rand Museum and Archives Foundation, and is estimated to be 27,144 square feet and two-stories tall. Filings indicated that construction will begin on July 1, expected to conclude in October 2028. A proponent of free markets and “the virtue of selfishness,” Rand, who died in 1982, has become a favorite of Libertarians and Republicans, including Trump. 

Commercial Driver’s License Ban Lifted: Last September, Texas made changes to commercial driver’s license (CDL) guidelines, restricting immigrants from obtaining or renewing licenses. On Monday, June 1, the Texas Department of Public Safety lifted that restriction, allowing individuals with H-2A visas, a program that grants U.S. agriculture companies the ability to temporarily employ immigrants when needed, to hold CDLs. The change came shortly after DPS announced that it would no longer offer the test required to obtain the license in Spanish.

Lime Assist in Austin: Lime – the e-bike and e-scooter company with a heavy presence in Austin – announced that it has launched Lime Assist in the city, a program intended to provide “adapted electric vehicles” to riders with limited mobility. According to the company, the e-vehicles can be reserved through the app or website, and Lime staff will deliver and retrieve the e-vehicles after use for no cost. The company will also be holding “First Ride Academy” sessions every first Saturday of each month at the Sustainable Food Center Farmers’ Market Downtown at Republic Square throughout the rest of the year.

Storms Bring Outages: Severe thunderstorms passed through the region on Tuesday, June 2, leaving over 20,000 Austin Energy customers without power late into the night. City crews worked throughout the night to restore power to Austin residents, bringing electricity in most homes back to normal operations by Wednesday morning. There were 33 remaining outages affecting nearly 800 residents by around 7am Wednesday morning with six hazards across the area, according to Austin Energy.

Credit: John Anderson QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“There’s nothing that we, or I, can say to undo past wrongs. We can only mitigate our mistakes with action.”

Mayor Kirk Watson on the yogurt shop settlement

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