Controversial job posting
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office is coming under fire over a job posting for a post in the Civil Rights Unit. Posted by Assistant DA Trudy Strassburger makes specific mention of looking for people who want to prosecute police officers. Charley Wilkinson with the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas says there’s extreme bias there.
“This kind of didactic language is for activists and not for the benign prosecutorial powers that reside inside the law,” says Wilkinson.
The postings also caught the fire of some state lawmakers. Lakeway Senator Dawn Buckingham says Austin cops are being put in harm’s way out of “pure political opportunism”.
For 12 minutes, no units were available to respond to a shooting in North East Austin. That’s according to Police Association President Ken Casaday who says this all unfolded just before sunrise. Yesterday morning, a man was shot in the head and Casaday says the impact of the dwindling number of officers on patrol was on full display. No arrests have been made in that shooting.
Carry without a license bill
A conference committee hashes out differing amendments between the House and Senate version of HB 1927 and it’s just about ready to head to Governor Abbott for a signature. This bill would let anyone 21 or older and in good standing with the law, carry a gun without a license. Final votes will be taken this week and it’s widely expected to be passed into law.
Tunnel under Republic Square
A Texas House Bill that would allow Capital Metro to tunnel under Republican and Brush Square parks in downtown Austin has just one more week to pass. The bill is in the state Senate and some transportation advocates are optimistic it could still pass. Roger Falk with Our Mobility Our Future PAC says if lawmakers listen to him, it won’t have a prayer.
“It lacks a lot of the important safeguards that should be in it, that protects the public’s interest and the State of Texas’ governmental interest,” says Falk.
Falk says the state should require Cap Metro to secure federal funds and a feasibility study for the tunnel prior to the states signing a lease with the transit agency.
Weatherization bill
The Texas House approves Senate Bill three on that bill’s second reading and it seeks to require that all electric and gas providers weatherize their facilities and prepare for future storms. Facilities that are in violation could be fined a million dollars a day. The House will vote on a third reading today and if approved, it will then head back to the Senate.
COVID-19 update
Today is the beginning of the first full week that Austin and Travis County will be without a mask mandate in more than 13 months. Austin Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Escott says it’s just not worth fighting the state anymore, especially as case numbers plummet.
“I think by avoiding a prolonged legal battle, we can focus our efforts on the battle in front of us, which is ensuring that folks are vaccinated and ensuring that the message is heard,” says Escott.
Austin’s Mayor and the Travis County judge remain highly critical of Governor Greg Abbott for issuing that executive order that has effectively banned local governments from forcing masks to be worn.
Updated numbers will come later today, but as of the last official count, the COVID numbers still look really good for Austin Travis County. Austin Public Health says last week ended with 454 active cases and 91 hospitalizations. More than 82,200 people have recovered from the 83,500 confirmed cases overall.
Designated campgrounds for homeless
A couple of Austin’s proposed designated campgrounds for the homeless are a bit too close for comfort for some Cedar Park residents. One of the sites is the Lake Line neighborhood park and this woman tells FOX 7, she’s worried Austin’s problem will soon become Cedar Park’s problem.
“The people that live here in Cedar Park, we don’t have a voice in that decision. We can’t vote, and no one asked us for our input into doing something like that,” she says.
The park is directly adjacent to both Austin and Cedar Park. The City of Cedar Park says in a statement, it’s not equipped to deal with the services needed for Austin’s homeless population.
This news and more on News Radio KLBJ:
https://omny.fm/shows/klbjam-flash-briefing-1/am-newscast-5-24-21
