BG Reads | News - July 14, 2022
[AUSTIN METRO]
Why the Austin American-Statesman chose to publish video from inside Robb Elementary (Austin American-Statesman)
The video that we obtained is one hour and 22 minutes long. It is tragic to listen to and watch. Our decision to publish, along with our news partner, KVUE, comes after long and thoughtful discussions.
The Statesman is publishing two versions of the video, one that we edited to just over four minutes and highlights critical moments: the ease of gunman entering the school, how he shot his way into the classroom, the repeated sound of gunfire, and then the delay by police to stop the killer for 77 minutes as dozens of heavily armed officers stage in the school hallway before a group finally storm the classroom and kill the gunman…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin Public Health: Monkeypox is now considered community spread (Austin Public Health)
Austin Public Health (APH) reports community spread of monkeypox in Austin-Travis County as additional cases are identified and confirmed. APH continues to provide key information to the public in an effort to prevent the spread of monkeypox within the community and educate the public on preventative steps they can take to avoid exposure and protect themselves.?
People should try to avoid skin-to-skin contact with strangers, especially those who have a rash or whose health history is unknown. The virus can also be spread through contaminated clothing or bed linens, and by sharing eating utensils or cups, cigarettes or vaping devices, kissing, and other activities where saliva might be exchanged with a person who has monkeypox.?
“We need to be safe and follow practices we’ve learned from COVID-19 to prevent the spread of monkeypox here in our community,” said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority. “Try to reduce close, intimate interactions with those whose health history you’re unaware of. Use hand sanitizer, and wear masks when in close quarters with others who have symptoms.”?
Monkeypox can be spread to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation and travel history. While the virus is known for causing patients to have a rash, symptoms can also include fever, muscle and body aches, headaches, chills and swollen lymph nodes.?
“Stigma and blame undermine trust and capacity to respond effectively during outbreaks like this one,” said APH Director Adrienne Sturrup. “We know from experience that stigmatizing rhetoric can disable an evidence-based response with fear, driving people away from health services and impeding case investigations…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Planning Commission forms housing policy working groups (Austin Monitor)
Amid a housing crisis some say is exacerbated by the city’s Land Development Code, Planning commissioners decided to take matters into their own hands by creating working groups tasked with studying and proposing changes that might help lower the cost of housing.
“(The Land Development Code) was bad 10 years ago, and now it’s just really, really bad,” Commissioner Greg Anderson said Tuesday. “So what can we do to make it a whole lot less bad? We’ll see.”
There is a general agreement among commissioners that the land use code, which governs what can be built where, needs fixing. But finding which fixes to send to City Council, which has the final say on code changes, may prove complicated.?
Cognizant of the unwieldy nature of the LDC and its tendency to stir controversy, commissioners over the past several weeks worked “to make the scope both realistic and something that’s actually productive and ultimately actionable,” Commissioner Robert Schneider said.?
To this end, the working groups will focus on separate parts of the development process. One group is tasked with site development standards, things like stormwater protection rules or tree preservation. “Think anything horizontal,” Commissioner James Shieh said…??(LINK TO FULL STORY)
West Sixth Street block could be transformed under mixed-use Clarksvillage development plans (Community Impact)
A stretch of West Sixth Street now home to a selection of shops, eateries and historic buildings could be in line for a vertical mixed-use makeover.
The Clarksvillage development from Riverside Resources would be located on the southern edge of the Clarksville neighborhood. Clarksvillage would stack a mix of offices, homes and a boutique hotel atop street-level retail space running between 1110 and 1204 W. Sixth St.?The plans?also include three stories of underground parking below the commercial and residential space.
Current tenants along the block—some of which could stay on through the proposed redevelopment—include Wally Workman Gallery, Clark's, Swedish Hill, Rapha, Z'Tejas and Woo Woo Burger.
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Development team members shared an initial overview of their plans for the new mixed-use district during a July 11 subcommittee meeting of the Austin Historic Landmark Commission. Given the potential project's location within the Castle Hill and West Line historic districts and its inclusion of historic buildings, final plans will have to clear review by the commission as Riverside Resources moves forward.
As currently laid out, Clarksvillage would feature several landscaped, five-story buildings along the 1100 block of West Sixth all based around an internal courtyard network. That main portion of the project would include around a dozen commercial spaces…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Eager for a statewide breakthrough, Texas Democrats will soon decide who will lead their party (Texas Tribune)
Texas Democratic Party chair Gilberto Hinojosa is facing two challengers for reelection at the party’s convention this weekend, a race that is serving as a referendum on Democrats’ pace of progress in a still-red state.
Hinojosa has held the job for a decade, but his opponents, Kim Olson and Carroll G. Robinson, argue it is a time for a change, especially after the disappointing 2020 election. Hinojosa says he has expanded the party immensely since he took over in 2012, placing it on the cusp of statewide victory in November.
“The margins that we have gone from when I took over to where we’re at now have got us in a trajectory of flipping the state within a very short period of time, including this election cycle,” Hinojosa said…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
New ranking says Texas is only 5th best state for business, citing weakness on inclusion (Dallas Morning News)
Texas is the fifth-best state in the country for business, lifted by its workforce, innovation and economy but pulled down by its regulatory environment, limited health insurance coverage among residents and lack of inclusive policies, according to CNBC’s 2022 ranking. Texas retains its record of always finishing in the top five of the ranking, which CNBC has compiled since 2007. North Carolina was the top state on this year’s list, released Wednesday. “Not only is the Texas workforce outstanding, but it is also growing fast as companies and people flock to the state,” CNBC special correspondent Scott Cohn wrote. “When they arrive, however, they are finding a growing set of issues.” Gov. Greg Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the CNBC ranking. Abbott regularly touts the state’s performance in business rankings. Texas has topped Chief Executive magazine’s ranking for 18 straight years and has earned Site Selection magazine’s Governor’s Cup award for 10 years.
The study uses data to compare states in 10 categories, which are weighted based on the way states market themselves to businesses. Texas had the second-strongest workforce and the eighth-strongest economy, the study found. It was the No. 4 state for technology and innovation. But the Lone Star State was second-worst in the nation for life, health and inclusion. Texas was No. 34 for business-friendliness, a measure of the burden a state’s regulations put on businesses. Texas has the highest percentage of residents without health insurance, and Texans have limited child-care options, Cohn wrote. What’s more, Texas is one of five states without an anti-discrimination law covering nondisabled people. A new election law also makes it one of the hardest states to vote in and a new abortion law is considered one of the nation’s most restrictive on reproductive rights. North Carolina didn’t fare especially well on life, health and inclusion, ranking 28th. It also doesn’t have a nondiscrimination law for nondisabled people. However, the study noted that North Carolina’s leaders have set aside political divisions to attract businesses and strengthen the economy…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Poll shows tight race for control of Congress as class divide widens (New York Times)
With President Biden’s approval rating mired in the 30s and with nearly 80 percent of voters saying the country is heading in the wrong direction, all the ingredients seem to be in place for a Republican sweep in the November midterm elections. But Democrats and Republicans begin the campaign in a surprisingly close race for control of Congress, according to the first New York Times/Siena College survey of the cycle. Overall among registered voters, 41 percent said they preferred Democrats to control Congress compared with 40 percent who preferred Republican control. Among likely voters, Republicans led by one percentage point, 44 percent to 43 percent, reflecting the tendency for the party out of power to enjoy a turnout advantage in midterms. The results suggest that the wave of mass shootings and the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade have at least temporarily insulated the Democrats from an otherwise hostile national political environment while energizing the party’s predominantly liberal activist base.
But the confluence of economic problems and resurgent cultural issues has helped turn the emerging class divide in the Democratic coalition into a chasm, as Republicans appear to be making new inroads among nonwhite and working-class voters — perhaps especially Hispanic voters — who remain more concerned about the economy and inflation than abortion rights and guns. For the first time in a Times/Siena national survey, Democrats had a larger share of support among white college graduates than among nonwhite voters — a striking indication of the shifting balance of political energy in the Democratic coalition. As recently as the 2016 congressional elections, Democrats won more than 70 percent of nonwhite voters while losing among white college graduates. With four months to go until the election, it is far too soon to say whether the campaign will remain focused on issues like abortion and gun control long enough for Democrats to avoid a long-expected midterm rout. If it does, a close national vote would probably translate to a close race for control of Congress, as neither party enjoys a clear structural advantage in the race. Partisan gerrymandering has slightly tilted the map toward Republicans in the House, but Democrats enjoy the advantages of incumbency and superior fund-raising in key districts…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[BG PODCAST]
Today's special weekend episode (160) features Kristin Marcum, owner and CEO of ECPR, Austin's preeminent public relations firm.
Kristin and Bingham Group CEO A.J. discuss her path into PR and her career leading to the C-suite and ownership of the firm.->?EPISODE LINK
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