No this isn't a repost from January, or the multiple times in 2023...

Paxton’s deposition was scheduled for Thursday. But on Tuesday the all-Republican court issued an order putting the deposition on hold and giving the parties until Feb. 29 to respond. The high court’s ruling came hours after former President Donald Trump called on the justices to stop the whistleblower case. “Enough time and money has been wasted forcing Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, to defend himself, instead of defending our broken Southern border,” Trump posted Tuesday morning on Truth Social

The Texas Tribune reports that Dunn and Wilks have dropped $2 million into the new PAC, known as Texans United for a Conservative Majority. Money from the PAC is already being distributed to challengers seeking to unseat House Republicans who voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton last year. You will recall that until recently Dunn and Wilks had a perfectly functioning PAC for this kind of purpose called Defend Texas Liberty. But in October, Tribune reporter Robert Downen staked out the headquarters of Defend Texas Liberty and learned that its leader, Jonathan Stickland, had met for seven hours with Nick Fuentes, a fan of Adolf Hitler, a hater of Jews, and a denigrator of women. Stickland was demoted after Downen’s report on the meeting.

Voters overwhelmingly passed the Equity Action measure and soundly rejected the APA-backed alternative last spring. However, Austin held off on some updates given legal concerns about their implementation. That situation led City Council to formally call to cement the updates in September. But even after that vote, some say the adopted processes still aren't being fully observed.

I find it really sad that we are caving to the police. We voted and they ignored us, yet we are extending this deal, total BS

Acevedo said he would not accept the position because it had “become a distraction from the critical work ahead.” He said politics and power struggles had “hindered our efforts to create real positive improvements” in the city and police department.

So glad for the people who spoke out.

Former police chief Art Acevedo is returning to Austin to work for the City in a new role overseeing and advising the police department

Previous chief now in the oversight position after leaving Austin and failing at two other jobs. Fuck.

further reading https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-hires-art-acevedo-reaction-mixed-from-city-leaders/269-1144faeb-b67a-4f56-82ac-7c9da1a0d4bc

SpaceX wants even more land for its operations and rocket tests in South Texas and is eyeing Boca Chica State Park as the place to do it.

Over 30 years, but the last free music event is gone.

Gov. Greg Abbott received a $6 million campaign contribution last month, which his campaign is calling the “largest single donation in Texas history.” The check came from Jeff Yass, a national Republican megadonor whose priority issues include school vouchers. Abbott spent 2023 unsuccessfully pushing for a voucher program and is now targeting state House Republicans in the March primary who thwarted his agenda. Abbott accepted the $6 million donation — dated Dec. 18 — in a little-used account, suggesting he was setting it aside from funds raised for his reelection campaign. Yass is a billionaire from Pennsylvania who is co-founder and managing director of the Philadelphia-based investment firm Susquehanna International Group. He is also a top proponent of “school choice,” or programs that allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize private school costs.

When it comes to politics, Yass has also been a multimillion-dollar donor to the Club for Growth, the national anti-tax group that has boosted Texas Republicans like U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin.

Antill remains employed at the district attorney’s office, earning about $113,400 annually, despite claiming on his job application that his employment at the sheriff’s office ended due to “leadership changes.” Antill’s job application states that “any false, misleading, incomplete or omitted information” will result in “ineligibility for employment or termination of employment.”

When asked about Antill’s false statement on his job application, Stinebaker said “we did not feel like it barred his continued employment.”

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Residents at the Townhomes at Double Creek in Round Rock got a notice they would be without water, as freezing temperatures are expected throughout Central Texas come Sunday. Sandalwood Management oversees the property, it says the original notice wasn’t clear and said staff will only turn water off if it drops below 20 degrees. It added that would likely only be overnight. At least one other complex has taken this measure before, trying to prevent pipes from bursting, which KXAN reported on in 2022. KXAN reached out to the Texas Apartment Association. It said it doesn’t have a policy regarding shutting water off or preparing for winter weather. However, Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA), said it’s illegal unless there’s an emergency or repairs being made. “Leaving people without water just to prevent those busted pipes shouldn’t be happening,” Jazmin Rivera a tenant outreach specialist with BASTA said. “People should have the right to water and to feel safe and secure in their homes…we would definitely recommend for tenants to contact 311 to get a code inspector out on the property.”

Free Week 2024 returns on January 5 and 6, and with it comes an assortment of restaurant discounts in conjunction with the 20-year-old free music festival. The Red River Cultural District, which hosts the Downtown entertainment district's annual Free Week, established to help keep clubs and bars afloat during slow winter months, has secured some promotional discounts for folks who want to grab dinner before checking out a show during the first weekend of 2024.

Austin Energy customers to see a 5% rate increase starting next year

Nope, not a repost from a few weeks ago, another 5 percent increase in January too...

Good think Kyle can now get water from San Marcos.

Currently people who live within the city limits are able to obtain an Austin public library card for free, but that benefit does not extend to everyone with an Austin address. Those who live in a limited-purpose or extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) have to pay a non-resident fee to get a library card. "This nonresident fee creates an economic barrier to all individuals who may work in Austin and have been forced to relocate to surrounding areas due to gentrification and increased costs of housing that commute into Austin for work,” the commission’s letter to council read. During the last city council meeting of the year, council members approved the resolution to waive the nonresident fee.

"What would your response be to the people who believe that dismissing these charges is an injustice specifically for the people that were injured?" CBS Austin asked.

"I think that there's a lot of misunderstanding about the role of the police department and their training and what it is that they're doing. Of all the professions in the world, the only one that has as much criticism and scrutiny from non-professionals is law enforcement," said Muery.

Travis County Democrats said they should have had a finalized contract last week but Republicans are holding things up. They say Republicans don't want county-wide polling, which allows voters to cast their ballots anywhere in the county, instead of at a specific precinct location, and they say the Republicans want ballots to be hand-counted.