Brian Manley retires
The Austin City Council clears the path for a new era of leadership at the police Department. Chief Brian Manley will retire Sunday after leading APD through arguably one of the most tumultuous times the department’s ever known. But he says he has full faith that APD will be in good hands in his absence.
“You have a dedicated group of men and women that every single day show up and give it their all and do their best in very difficult times,” says Manley.
The City Council has confirmed Manley’s replacement, 22 year veteran of APD Joseph Chacon will go from assistant chief to interim chief. A nationwide search will get underway for a permanent replacement, with a decision expected on that in August.
Lawsuit against City of Austin
Former Austin City Council candidate Jennifer Verdin has filed a lawsuit against the City of Austin, claiming the city’s fundraising limitations for candidates violates the Constitution. The city doesn’t allow a candidate to do any fundraising until 365 days before an election, Verdin argues that’s a violation of the First Amendment
While Governor Abbott ended the statewide mask mandate, the City of Austin kept its mandate going. That caused Attorney General Ken Paxton to sue the city to end the mandate, and today we could find out if that mandate will continue. A court trial is scheduled to begin today on whether the states into the mandate will override the city’s order keeping it in place.
Winter storm energy reforms
Energy reforms established after last month’s winter storm are now headed to the full state Senate for a vote. It’s Senate Bill 3. State Senator Charles Schwertner’s bill would establish an emergency alert system for future outages. It would also force energy companies to winterize.
“SB 3 also protects consumers by prohibiting variable rate plans and ensuring bills or bills are deferred during an emergency,” says Schwerter.
The bill would also give teeth to the public utility and railroad commissions, allowing them to find the bad acting energy companies up to a million dollars a day.
“This is an important issue to get right for the people of Texas. For the future of Texas, the economy of Texas, we need a reliable energy grid.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, meanwhile, says we should have enough power to make it through even the hottest days this summer without the need for more rolling blackouts. Of course, that’s the same thing, ERCOT officials said before the blackout caused by the historic winter storm that shut down most of the state last month. ERCOT officials say we’re actually in better shape heading into this summer than we were last summer.
Outdoor graduations for AISD
Austin School District Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde says AISD high school seniors will have an in person graduation ceremony this year. The plan is for those ceremonies to be held outdoors to provide for social distancing and for graduates to be limited to four guests. Elizalde says she’s still waiting on new guidelines from the CDC to know whether masks will be required for those ceremonies.
Vaccine availability to all adults
Governor Greg Abbott addresses the controversy that’s come with his decision to open up vaccine availability to anyone aged 16 and older. Abbott says all vaccine hubs and providers should continue to prioritize the elderly above all else.
“Anybody who is aged 80 and over, they get to go to the front of the line of any vaccination center anywhere in the state of Texas,” says Abbott.
Abbott says the state has the capability to administer up to five times the amount of vaccines it has been but limited supply has remained the challenge. He says the White House has told us to expect an increased volume of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-3-26-21
