The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: Aug. 6-12

ICE Outside City Hall: As the Austin City Council was discussing the city’s FY 26-27 budget, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained four construction workers outside of City Hall on Thursday, Aug. 6. The encounter with ICE came after Texas Department of Public Safety troopers conducted a traffic stop because the vehicle was driving the wrong way on a one-way street. During the stop, DPS determined that all of the individuals in the vehicle were in the country illegally, holding them until ICE agents arrived. Following the incident, multiple Council members condemned ICE’s and DPS’s actions, calling to “abolish and prosecute ICE.”

Counties Consider Closing Polls: Last Tuesday, Aug. 4, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court heard a proposal that would eliminate about 140 polling places in the county ahead of November’s election, making it harder for residents of the county to exercise their right to vote. The commissioners ultimately decided to hold off on making a decision on the proposal until next month after hearing the concerns of voting rights advocates. Days after the Tarrant County hearing, a proposal to eliminate four polling locations in Caldwell County was brought forward at the Caldwell County Elections Board’s Aug. 6 meeting. Again, voting rights advocates have expressed concerns, stating that reducing the amount of available polling sites will only make it harder and more confusing for residents to place their votes in November. No decision was made, as county leaders are set to reconvene on Aug. 23 to continue the discussion. Texas counties must finalize the number and location of polling places by Sept. 4. 

Abbott Targets Austin Energy: Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he is proposing legislation that would end Austin Energy’s run as the only electric utility provider in the city “to end the monopoly control that cities like Austin and San Antonio have over electricity services.” The governor claims that allowing other energy providers to serve the city could potentially save residents in both Austin and San Antonio “more than 10% on their electricity bills.” Mayor Kirk Watson and Austin Energy’s Matt Mitchell have pushed back on Abbott’s proposal, stating that Austin Energy has “the lowest residential electric bills in ERCOT – $60 less per month than the statewide average – and our system also outperforms the statewide average in reliability.”

Travis County Burn Ban: The Travis County fire marshal issued a burn ban for unincorporated areas of Travis County on Tuesday, Aug. 11, effective through Tuesday, Sept. 29, unless lifted earlier by Travis County Judge Andy Brown or the Travis County fire marshal. The ban does not apply to prescribed burns with proper supervision or outdoor welding, cutting, grinding, or other hot work operations conducted in accordance with the fire marshal’s office’s guidelines. 

Travis County Democratic Party Chair Luke Warford Credit: traviscountydemocrats.org

Luke Warford Elected TCDP Chair: After the newly elected Travis County Democratic Party Chair Jessica Cohen suddenly announced that she was resigning from the position due to pressure from party insiders, the group quickly worked to find her replacement. On Aug. 8, the party announced that Luke Warford, who previously served as chief strategy officer and director of voter expansion for the Texas Democratic Party, had been elected to fill the position. With less than 90 days until the general election, the county party is hopeful that Warford will help lead them to a blue November.

Texas Classroom Commission Meets: In early July, Gov. Greg Abbott launched the Texas Classroom Commission – a group of public school educators who will provide recommendations to Abbott, the Texas Legislature, and the Texas Education Agency aimed at improving the state’s public school system. Led by Courtney Boswell MacDonald, chair of the State Board for Educator Certification, the commission had its first meeting at the Governor’s Mansion on Monday, Aug. 10. According to KVUE, Abbott has said that he wants the commission to establish potential solutions to improve math and reading skills among students throughout the state, hire and retain the best available teachers, and decrease screen time in the classroom. The commission is set to meet monthly throughout the fall before presenting its recommendations to lawmakers ahead of next year’s legislative session. 

Credit: Getty Images

School Bus Hubs, Not Bus Stops: When Austin ISD approved deep districtwide cuts in June, one was to get rid of traditional neighborhood bus stops in favor of bus hubs. Now, AISD high school students will need to gather at a central post office, fire station, AISD campus, or another location to get picked up and transported to their school. Middle school students were also originally looped into the plan, but pushback from parents led AISD to reverse course and restore middle school neighborhood bus routes. Hubs are located within an average of 2.5 to 3 miles of student residences and “have been carefully vetted to ensure safe loading, smooth drop-offs, and secure traffic flow.” AISD families can now find their hub locations and pickup times through the new Bus Stop Finder, and share feedback about the routes via the district’s Transportation Hub Stops Survey.

Man Booked For Threatening Abbott’s Office: A Houston resident is now facing criminal charges in Travis County for threatening Gov. Greg Abbott’s office after he was blocked from viewing an anime video due to state laws that require certain websites to verify their age before accessing content. Following his failed attempt to access videos online, the man called the governor’s office, leaving a voicemail in which he states that he will “stab every godd– one of you.” The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested the man, who now faces one third-degree felony count of terroristic threat against a public servant. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Austin Fire Chief Retires: Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker – the department’s first Black fire chief – is set to retire at the end of August, according to KXAN. Baker served as the city’s fire chief for eight years after joining the department in 2018, having served the Atlanta area for 30 years prior. Tom Vocke has stepped in as the department’s interim fire chief as the city launches a nationwide search for its next permanent chief.

ATU Local 1091 President Brent Payne Credit: Texas AFL-CIO

CapMetro Union Reaches Agreement: After threatening to go on strike, CapMetro transit workers, represented by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1091, have reached a “tentative” agreement with French-owned subcontractor Keolis. It includes wage increases, more time off, and other union priorities, pending a ratification vote from union members. The agreement comes after months of tension between the employees and the subcontractor, as the workers continued to reject Keolis’ proposed contracts. “Our members worked hard for this contract, and we believe it strikes the right balance between meeting their needs and maintaining the high standard of service that the residents of Austin deserve,” said the union’s president Brent Payne.

UT Center For Humanities: According to the Statesman, UT-Austin will launch its new Center for Humanities this school year during a time when departments focused on gender and ethnic studies are being shuttered and community members have expressed opposition to a perceived shift to the right. The new facility will be led by 14 new professors, more than a third of whom are coming from the University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education – UT Executive Vice President and Provost William Inboden’s former place of employment. At least half of the 14 are also co-appointed in the conservative-leaning think tank Civitas Institute as well. 

Hemp Legal Battles Continue: The Texas hemp industry can’t catch a break. At the end of July, new rules stemming from a legal battle that dates back to 2021 went into effect, making hemp products containing cannabinoids other than 0.3% Delta-9 THC illegal in Texas. Following the implementation of those new restrictions, the Texas Hemp Business Council and other industry members filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of State Health Services, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the Galveston County criminal district attorney and sheriff, claiming that the change violates the 2018 Farm Bill and will result in the closures of thousands of businesses. The industry members were seeking an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order that would allow the products to continue to be sold as the case continues, but U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown denied that TRO.

CapMetro Service Suspensions: Between Monday, Aug. 24, and Thursday, Aug. 27, CapMetro Rail service will be temporarily suspended for track work for the future North Burnet/Uptown Rail Station, the company announced. The project, which is expected to be complete in 2027, is set to become the second-busiest on the Red Line, featuring double-length platforms, over a half-mile of double track, enhanced pedestrian and bicycle access, bus connections, and other amenities. To continue serving community members in need of the public transportation, Route 454 will operate as a shuttle between Leander, Lakeline, and Howard stations into Downtown Austin. Alternative routes are available for those looking to get to the Downtown area. 

CapMetro Bikeshare Is Back: Back in May, CapMetro’s Bikeshare service charging station was damaged by a fire, resulting in the temporary closure of the public transportation method. Now, the bikes are coming back in phases, with about a third of the service’s fleet expected to be available to the public by next Tuesday, Aug. 18. According to CapMetro, the first bikes made available will be in areas with peak consumer demand as all stations reopen. Over the last two months, the company added new electrified stations, including two at UT-Austin’s campus. With the service expected to be fully reopened by the end of the year, CapMetro encourages customers to check its Bikeshare app for availability information.

Vaccinations Ahead of School Year: Austin Public Health is encouraging parents to vaccinate their children ahead of the start of the 2026-27 school year, as part of Immunization Awareness Month. While state-required vaccinations for students are widely available at doctors’ offices and pharmacies, Austin Public Health also offers access to the immunizations for uninsured children and adults, as well as children with Medicaid, through its Shots for Tots and Big Shots clinics. APH will also hold clinics at Gus Garcia Recreation Center, El Buen Samaritano, and Mexican Consulate throughout the month.

Free Meals at AISD: Austin ISD announced that it will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students at 69 schools in the district during the 2026-27 school year. The district is able to provide these meals through the federally funded Community Eligibility Provision program, a federal meal service that gives schools in qualifying low-income areas the ability to offer free food to all enrolled students. At schools that are not eligible for the program, students are set to receive meals based on their specific meal status – free, reduced-price, or paid. Students approved for reduced-price meals will have access to free breakfast and lunch this school year through funding from the Texas Legislature.

Austin Shelter-In-Place: The Austin Police Department ordered a shelter-in-place for some Northeast Austin residents on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 12, as law enforcement searched for a suspected shooter near I-35 and U.S. 290. After an individual reported being held at gunpoint, an officer arrived on the scene, where another individual began firing at them, prompting the officer to return fire, according to KXAN. A suspect was taken into custody and the involved officer has been placed on administrative leave. APD is expected to provide more information on the incident in a briefing later this week or early next week.

Trump on Abbott’s Data Center Moratorium: After Gov. Greg Abbott issued a moratorium, halting the approval of future data centers until regulators have the chance to audit the companies’ connection to the state’s electric grid, Donald Trump called the decision “a mistake.” Abbott’s moratorium will require regulators to determine how much power and water the data centers will use, whether they’re receiving tax breaks, what kind of cooling installations they will use, what efforts have been enacted to lessen the impact on surrounding communities, and who owns the facilities.

Musk’s College Station Chip Plant: Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla are set to build a 100-million-square-foot facility, called Terafab, focused on creating electric chips for autonomous vehicles, robots, and data centers near College Station in Grimes County, the Houston Chronicle reported. The news of the $16.8 billion facility comes after he broke ground on a new research facility at the Tesla headquarters in Austin that will design the chips back in April. With Terafab receiving incentives from local schools, the county, and the state, Grimes County officials have supported the build, hopeful that it will help create thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars for the county, though local advocates have pushed back on the project. 

Thornton Road Temporarily Closed: Austin Watershed Protection announced that Thornton Road in South Austin will be closed to through traffic from 7am to 7pm beginning Aug. 17 as city construction crews work on improving storm drains as part of the city’s Del Curto Flood Risk Reduction Project. For those looking to get to West Oltorf Street from the surrounding neighborhood, individuals can use Del Curto Road and Bluebonnet Lane to exit the neighborhood on South Lamar Boulevard. Those looking to enter the neighborhood can use Bluebonnet Lane from South Lamar Boulevard. The construction is expected to last up to four weeks.

Southern Burnet County Fire: First responders from multiple agencies were working to mitigate an 8.6-acre fire in southern Burnet County on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 11. According to officials, no structures were damaged, no injuries were reported, and no evacuations or road closures were needed. Spicewood Fire Rescue said that the fire was a result of burning debris. The Marble Falls Area Volunteer Department told CBS Austin that the fire was about 20% contained, with crews expected to stay on scene overnight.

Pools Are Closing: As summer comes to an end, a slew of Austin-area pools are set to close this upcoming weekend, with most’s final day of the season being Aug. 16. In Northwest Austin, Balcones, Brentwood, Dottie Jordan, Murchison, Ramsey, Shipe, Westenfield, Canyon Vista, and Reed are set to close their doors. In the Northeast area, Givens, Rosewood, Martin, Govalle, and Patterson will say goodbye for the year. In Southwest and Southeast Austin, Dick Nichols, Dittmar, Mabel Davis, Dove Springs, and Montopolis are set to close. Garrison, Sheffield Northwest, and Walnut Creek will remain open through Sept. 27, while all city splash pads remain accessible until the end of October. Of course, Bartholomew, Barton Springs, Big Stacy, Colony Park, Deep Eddy, and Springwoods will continue to serve Austinites year-round.

Credit: ccdptx.org QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Let’s call this what it is: voter suppression, plain and simple.”

Caldwell County Democratic Party Chair Kaily Stewart on the proposal to eliminate four Caldwell County polling locations

The post The Week’s Biggest News in Brief: Aug. 6-12 appeared first on The Austin Chronicle.