BG Reads | News - October 10, 2022
[AUSTIN METRO]
Travis County owes Austin millions. City is losing patience. (Austin American-Statesman)
A recent Austin City Council meeting revealed a growing sense of frustration for two council members, who say they are tired of waiting for Travis County to pay the city what is believed to be about $20 million in federal COVID-19 relief money.
"I know our staff are working diligently to secure that funding," Council Member Alison Alter said. "This has been going on for more than a year now, and we still do not have a resolution."
Leslie Pool also weighed in. She noted that Travis County commissioners recently passed the county's fiscal year budget without including a payment to the city…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
City, Central Health eye partnership for homeless respite care facility (Austin Monitor)
The city may soon begin talks with Central Health and homelessness service providers focused on creating a permanent health care facility to aid those experiencing homelessness in recovering from significant illnesses and injuries.
The state of respite care for the homeless was the only agenda item for last week’s meeting of the Public Health Committee, which has heavily addressed the issue of homelessness over its last several sessions. The?presentation?from Central Health officials, who provide health care and related services to vulnerable populations in Travis County, addressed how the organization is planning its service delivery priorities for the next seven to 10 years…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin FC to host first-ever MLS playoff game Oct. 16 (KXAN)
Austin FC will play Real Salt Lake, who earned the No. 7 seed in the conference behind a 3-1 win over Portland, at Q2 Stadium in the first round of the MLS playoffs.?MLS announced the game will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 16…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Tension continues to brew ahead of Round Rock ISD school board elections (KXAN)
A video by a political action committee backing challengers to Round Rock ISD incumbents is being accused of spreading misinformation. Candidates supported by the PAC say the video is just reminding voters of the board’s shortcomings. The video was made by the group Round Rock One Family. Along the course of the four-minute video, title slates list the frequent talking points of the five conservative candidates trying to unseat places 1,3,4,5 and 6. Access Round Rock is the PAC supporting incumbents running for re-election in November. When asked for comment on the video, an official statement from the PAC “condemned the misinformation through this video.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Alexandria Real Estate Equities was buyer of Teacher Retirement System HQ in Austin, county records show (Austin Business Journal)
Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. looks to be making a big splash in Austin.
The Pasadena, California-based real estate investment trust is the buyer that?paid $108 million?for the downtown Austin headquarters of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, according to Travis County real estate records.
The site encompasses 3.8 acres and currently has about 198,972 square feet of space. It’s located at 1000 Red River St., in the heart of an increasingly hot corridor sandwiched between central downtown, the University of Texas' Dell Medical School and I-35…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Lt. Gen. Rainey takes reins of Army Futures Command (Austin Business Journal)
The Austin-based U.S. Army Futures Command is under new leadership.
Following an Oct. 4 ceremony, Lt. Gen.?James Rainey?is now the commanding general of the organization tasked with helping to modernize the Army.
Rainey replaces interim leader Lt. Gen.?James Richardson, who took over after the?December 2021 retirement?of Gen.?John Murray, the command's original top officer.
Rainey was?nominated in September.
Army Futures Command employs more than 26,000 personnel worldwide, working on integrating more technology into the military branch. The command, based in the University of Texas System tower in downtown Austin, partners with entrepreneurs, scientists, academics and business leaders to better the nation's armed forces…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
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[TEXAS]
Houston's lack of zoning fueled its growth and should be copied elsewhere, city planning expert says (Houston Chronicle)
Houstonians defeated their first referendum for citywide zoning more than 75 years ago, and it's been a topic of heavy debate ever since. Now, one author makes the case that Houston's lack of zoning is not only a good thing, but has contributed to a supernova of growth. In his new book "Arbitrary Lines," M. Nolan Gray dedicates an entire chapter to Houston, which he calls "The Great Unzoned City." He posits that Houston should be looked at as an imperfect model for how cities can reinvent themselves without getting caught in the straight jacket that zoning laws create. "Houston is an interesting case study for the possibilities and limitations of a post-zoning future," Gray told the Chronicle...?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Nearly half of U.S. abortion clinic closures are in Texas since Roe v. Wade was overturned (Houston Chronicle)
More than half of the 23 abortion clinics in Texas have closed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, according to a new report. Twelve clinics have shuttered their operations entirely in the state, and the rest have focused on other services, which could include cancer screenings, STI treatments and contraception, according to the review by the Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health access. The count did not include a list of clinics that have closed. Nearly half of the 26 abortion clinics that have closed nationally since the court's decision were in Texas, according to the report. Texas is one of 15 states to have banned the procedure in nearly all instances, including rape and incest. Georgia is the only one of those states still offering abortions for patients through six weeks of pregnancy…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Once far-flung Dallas-Fort Worth communities are the region’s next boomtowns (Dallas Morning News)
If you ask homebuilders where they think the growth of Dallas-Fort Worth is headed, they’ll start listing off towns almost as far away as Oklahoma. “Even in my nine years of being in Dallas, it seems like we’ve reached out further east, west, south and north to find opportunities and to go where the growth has gone,” said Ken McDonald, Dallas-Fort Worth-area president of David Weekley Homes. His company is planning to build as far south as Waxahachie and has looked all the way north to Sherman. We explored many of the cities on the edges of Dallas-Fort Worth that have experienced rapid development or are anticipating big changes on the horizon, talking to city leaders, small-business owners and residents about what growth means for their communities…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
BlackRock walks a political tightrope on climate issues (Wall Street Journal)
BlackRock Inc.’s ESG balancing act is getting harder. The world’s largest investor is taking heat from government officials on both sides of the climate debate—and the talk is turning into action. Louisiana’s treasurer last week said the state would pull nearly $800 million from BlackRock funds by the end of the year, citing the asset manager’s support for environmental, social and governance investing. The move came just a few weeks after BlackRock got a flurry of letters calling out its stance on climate issues. In August, attorneys general from 19 states accused BlackRock of actively pressuring companies to phase out fossil fuels to the detriment of the states that depend on the oil-and-gas industry…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
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[BG PODCAST]
Today's episode (168) features a discussion on entrepreneurship and lobbying with Mustafa Rashed, Founder and President, of Philadelphia-based Bellevue Strategies.
He and Bingham Group CEO A.J. also discuss current municipal issues in the Philadelphia market.
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