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Part 2 – You Had To Be There – Statesman Coverage of DPS Hearing
(Wednesday I posted a story about the Statesman’s coverage, or lack thereof, of the May 22 public hearing on the partnership between the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety. I recommend reading that one before reading Part 2 below, but...
Statesman Report on DPS Hearing: You Had To Be There
It has been a few weeks since the Independent published and so there’s a lot of catching up to do. One thing that happened is that the Austin Police Department (APD) partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is back on, as of July 2. The initial...
Legislature Aims “Death Star” at Local Governance, But Policies Backed by Unofficial Republican-Austin Progressive Alliance Fail
Developer backed bills aimed at Austin neighborhoods fail at Capitol, but a legally wobbly “Death Star” bill targeting local governance passes
Police Oversight Propositions, Lawsuit Related To Statesman PUD, Possible Replay Election on Rail
Short reports on the May 6 police oversight election, a lawsuit filed in relation to the Statesman PUD and a possible redo election on rail
Bloomberg Article Details Failures of “Yimby” Ideology With a Focus on Austin
Austin leads the nation in apartment building while being above the national average in rent increases. Bloomberg article focuses on Austin in detailing failed New Urbanist policies.
Violent Crime, Response Times and 911 Call Volume Drop During First Week of APD-DPS Partnership
A City of Austin memo maintains that the APD-DPS partnership is off to a solid start, with drops in violent crime, response times and 911 calls.
True Stories
Eckhardt Cleared in “Judicial Conduct” Complaint, But The Right to Disparage City Council Is Under Attack
A panel of Republican judges clears Sarah Eckhardt, and displays a sense of humor. But, a few local Democrats want to stop disparagement of the Austin City Council.
JFK Jr. a No-Show; Doggett Announces for New Austin Seat; Casar vs Rodriguez in District 35; and More
Observing emergent Texas Fascism. JFK Jr. a no show in Dallas. Lloyd Doggett announces for new Austin seat. Rodriguez vs Casar.
COVID Deaths Reach Civil War Levels – Do General Grant’s Words Fit Today?
As COVID deaths near Civil War levels we ponder whether the words of General Grant can apply today. Plus an examination of the dominant media narrative on national Democrats.
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