Many folks probably already know most of the primary election results from Tuesday, but let’s dive in and add a little analysis. We’ll go roughly in ballot order. At the top of the ballot, Lloyd Doggett vanquished his upstart challengers in the Congressman’s return to...
Our City just entered a very serious period with the indictment of 19 Austin Police Department (APD) officers for their conduct at protests following the May 2020 police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These indictments have understandably sparked strong...
In a story published last week on an Eddie Rodriguez for Congress mailer, and the response from Greg Casar supporters, I worked really hard to play it down the middle and just analyze the controversy. There was one line in the letter from “Democratic officials and...
For the last several articles the Independent has concentrated on Prop A. That was a critical issue for the City and deserved the attention. This week let’s catch up on a number of other events which we didn’t mention in the meantime. (If anyone missed our Prop A...
In my last column I discussed the Civil War and the removal of the Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson statues in Richmond, Virginia — the former Capital of the Confederacy. This time I’m going to continue on the Civil War thread, but with a much less happy theme. The...
Texas has really been in the national news since the Independent went on vacation. Among other things, the nation is getting to witness the intensity with which Governor Greg Abbott panders to his right wing base. National headlines about Texas have spanned a wide...
I want to begin today’s column with a few words about my friend Arnold Garcia, former Editorial Board Chairman at the Austin American-Statesman. Arnold passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 12. The Statesman did a superb job of giving him his due, in a story...
Let’s begin with an update on last week’s column where we talked about Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza and County Attorney Delia Garza each sending letters to Interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacón charging that some “rogue” Austin Police Department...
Can’t a reporter even take a few weeks off during the Texas summer? It’s always been my opinion that Texans shouldn’t be making big public policy decisions during the summer because it’s just too mind numbingly hot. On the other hand it hasn’t really been that hot...
I’m originally from Virginia. Over the fifty years that I’ve been in Texas, when I tell people that I’m originally from Virginia, at least half of them reflexively repeat back to me, “West Virginia.” Sometimes it’s in the form of a question; other times it’s not. I...
