#NEWS // BG Reads | January 9, 2023
[AUSTIN CITY HALL]
NEW 2023 Council Staff Picks
Mayor Kirk Watson
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes - District 2
Council Member José Velásquez - District 3
Council Member Ryan Alter - District 5
Council Member Zohaib "Zo" Qadri - District 9
[AUSTIN METRO]
New Council begins tenure with challenges (Austin Monitor)
Addressing a standing-room-only crowd at City Hall Friday night, newly installed Mayor Kirk Watson pledged to pursue unity, in contrast to the national picture depicted by the Trump insurrection of Jan. 6.
Even as Watson was speaking, members of the U.S. House of Representatives were trying, and failing, to decide on the most basic of questions: electing a leader. Hours after Austin’s new City Council adjourned, the new House speaker was selected. But Watson, returning to a position he held nearly 20 years ago, expressed optimism about Austin’s future as well as his colleagues’ ability to “find common ground and ultimately to pursue a shared vision of our future together.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Austin Public Health detects highly transmissible COVID-19 subvariant in Travis County (Community Impact)
New omicron subvariant XBB.1 has been reported in different surveillance samples from the Travis County area, according to a?press release?from the Austin Public Health Department.
Due to the subvariant’s outbreak, along with a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the city has?elevated the community’s risk to medium, and recommends individuals wear a mask when social distancing is not possible.
"This new subvariant is making its way into our community right as many people were indoors gathering with others during the cold and over the holidays. When mixed with a flu infection, the combination can cause serious illness for those at-risk such as children and seniors," said Dr. Desmar Walkes, Austin-Travis County Health Authority. "It’s important that we do what we know works to minimize spread.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Apple to build even more at Austin campus (Austin Business Journal)
The second phase of construction at Apple Inc.’s Northwest Austin campus shows no sign of slowing down as the tech titan files to raise yet another building on the property.
It's welcome news for a city — and real estate sector — that has been put at risk by big tech employers lately as recession fears loom and the work-from-home model prevails. Facebook (Nasdaq: META) is slimming down in Austin, backing out of space it was to take in Austin's next tallest skyscraper. News of?coming layoffs?at Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG) has left many real estate pros on pins and needles.
But Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) appears to be bucking that trend. Executives did not respond to requests for comment about their new Parmer Lane Campus, but according to a Jan. 6 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the company plans to begin construction on another large building at the property this year…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Blue Cross, Ascension dispute could leave thousands paying out of pocket for care in Austin (KUT)
An impasse in negotiations between one of the largest insurers in Texas and one of the largest hospital systems in Austin could mean gaps in coverage for thousands of Central Texans.
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Blue Cross Blue Shield and Ascension Hospitals are renegotiating rates for health care costs paid by the insurer ahead of a Jan. 31 deadline. Ascension says Blue Cross’s proposal is too low; Blue Cross says Ascension is asking too much.
If a deal isn’t reached by the end of the month, services for Blue Cross customers at nearly?60 hospitals and surgical centers?will be considered "out of network" come Feb. 1 and patients will have to pay out of pocket…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Joe Biden tours El Paso for first border visit of his presidency (Texas Tribune)
President Joe Biden toured El Paso for about four hours on Sunday, visiting the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since taking office in the White House.
He was greeted by Gov.?Greg Abbott?upon arrival at the El Paso airport. Abbott has been a chief critic of Biden’s immigration policies and has frequently called on him to visit the border over the past year as the number of migrant arrests has broken records.
“The president who caused the chaos at the border needed to be here. It just so happens he’s two years and about $20 billion too late,” Abbott told reporters at the airport. “He needs to step up and take swift action, including reimbursing the state of Texas toward the money we spent but providing more resources for federal government to do its job. Also this is nothing but for show unless he begins to enforce the immigration laws that already exist.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas House Democrats enter session with bipartisan hopes — and a new leader who’s prepared to fight (Texas Tribune)
This legislative session, which starts Jan. 10, the House Democratic Caucus has a new chair, state Rep.?Trey Martinez Fischer, who was a key player in the quorum break and is well known as a savvy floor fighter who has used his encyclopedic knowledge of legislative processes to kill Republican bills. At the same time, Democrats are sizing up how contentious the session could be, given that it starts Tuesday with a focus driven by the massive budget surplus…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
McCarthy's struggles point to troubles ahead for his office, his party and Congress (NPR)
As the House of Representatives began grinding through what would be 15 roll-call votes for a speaker this week, Republican nominee Kevin McCarthy of California said he did not "have a problem" with setting a record for such votes. That may have been simply an appeal for patience. McCarthy could not have been serious about breaking the actual record, which remains the 133 ballots needed in 1855. He may have been thinking of the highest number needed since that record, which was a relatively modest nine rounds of votes in 1923. And one suspects he also knows that needing several days and multiple votes to become speaker means he does indeed have a problem. If the first week of the 118th Congress has been any indication, Speaker McCarthy is going to have many adventures at the helm of the House's new Republican majority…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Biden readies ’24 campaign launch (The Hill)
President Biden’s reelection campaign is preparing to launch. After months of “will he or won’t he,” Biden and his senior aides are readying the details around his 2024 campaign. Multiple sources tell The Hill the president is planning to make his intentions to run for a second White House term public in the coming weeks, likely in February, around the State of the Union. One source close to Biden’s 2020 campaign with knowledge of the president’s plans said a more formal announcement is expected to come in April. Behind the scenes, his advisers are meeting with key allies and are putting together an expansive and revamped digital presence. Biden is moving closer to the official reelection announcement after spending time with his family in St. Croix over the holidays discussing his next steps for another bid, said the source familiar…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[MEETINGS THIS WEEK]
TODAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
[BG PODCAST]
For the first show of 2023, Bingham Group Associate Hannah Garcia and CEO A.J. discuss Austin Council staff picks and Friday’s swearing-in ceremony.
Episode 179
The BG Podcast is also available on?Apple Podcasts,?Soundcloud, and?Spotify
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