BG Reads | News You Need to Know (October 30, 2019)
[BG PODCAST]
NEW -> Episode 59: Land Development Code Draft 1 with Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Court approves Palm School protections but future of property uncertain (Austin Monitor)
The Travis County Commissioners Court easily approved a set of restrictive covenants aimed at preserving the Palm School building if the county sells the property that is home to the historic structure.
The court voted 4-1 in favor of a set of restrictions drawn up by county staff several months ago that commit any future owner of the land not only to preserve most of the structure, but to invest in significant restoration work expected to cost millions of dollars.
The required restoration work will include any repairs or replacements of masonry, windows, doors, the roof and trim with materials that are in line with the original design of the Palm School. The owner will also be required to “fully landscape the premises in a manner compatible with the style and period of the structure.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Abbott says TxDOT will start cleaning up homeless camps under highways in Austin starting Monday (KUT)
Gov. Greg Abbott's office says it's forging ahead with cleanups of homeless encampments under overpasses in Austin.
Ahead of a Nov. 1 deadline for state intervention, Abbott's spokesperson John Wittman confirmed that the Texas Department of Transportation will clear underpasses of encampments and direct people to city and county resources for people experiencing homelessness.
The decision comes after months of criticism from the governor on the Austin City Council's June decision to effectively legalize camping and resting in public. The Council voted to reinstate some of those restrictions on Oct. 17, and those rules went into effect yesterday…. (LINK TO STORY)
Auditor finds ballot petitioners in Austin have it easier than most other cities (Austin Monitor)
A statewide analysis of election regulations finds that Austin is one of the easiest cities in Texas to place a ballot measure in front of voters, with the city’s growing population making it easier every year.
A report released earlier this month by the Office of the City Auditor found that every major city in Texas, other than El Paso, requires a higher number of petition signatures from registered voters than Austin does.
In Austin’s rules for ballot measures, which were last updated in 2012, petitioners for three of the four types of eligible questions – initiatives to enact an ordinance, referendums to block an ordinance and charter amendments – must collect the lesser of either 20,000 voters or 5 percent of the total registered voter population. For a citywide mayoral recall, the number is 10 percent of total voters, while for individual City Council members it is 10 percent of the registered voters in the applicable Council district.… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Beto O'Rourke claims he hasn't talked about confiscating guns (Houston Chronicle)
The claim: “I’m not talking about confiscating anybody’s guns.” — Beto O’Rourke, Democratic presidential contender.
O’Rourke made the statement on Oct. 16 on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," responding to the opening question from co-host Joe Scarborough…. (LINK TO STORY)
Report ranks San Antonio low on list of safest cities in Texas (My San Antonio)
San Antonio's crime rate ranked high among Texas cities, according to a recent analysis of FBI data.
SafeWise released its fifth annual "Safest Cities" report earlier this month, based on the data. The rankings were based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes committed per 1,000 people.
Kermit, with a population of fewer than 7,000 residents, was named the safest city in Texas — the town reported zero crimes in 2017. Out of the 287 cities listed, San Antonio landed at 269…. (LINK TO STORY)
National Democrats spend heavily in Fort Bend state House District 28 race (Houston Chronicle)
Democrat Eliz Markowitz outraised her Republican opponents in the Texas House race for state Rep. John Zerwas' seat, pulling in more than four times as much in donations as the next-highest fundraiser, new filings show.
The reports, which cover the period from Sep. 27 to Oct. 26, show the Katy teacher and sole Democrat in the race has raised about $294,000. Markowitz faces six Republicans, including Rosenberg business owner Gary Gates, who has loaned himself $445,000 for the campaign…. (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
NCAA to allow college athletes to be paid for their names, images and likenesses (Axios)
The NCAA's Board of Governors voted Tuesday to allow college athletes to receive compensation for their names, images and likenesses.
Why it matters: In the end, California won. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into in September that allows the state's college athletes to accept endorsement deals by 2023, upending the decades-long precedent set by the NCAA to prevent collegiate athletes from being paid…. (LINK TO STORY)
23 Senators Demand Investigation Into Mismanagement Of Student Loan Program (NPR)
Twenty-three U.S. senators are calling on the nation's top consumer protection agency to investigate a loan servicer for its role in a troubled student loan forgiveness program. The program is designed to help public service workers like teachers and police officers.
The loan servicer, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, better known as FedLoan and PHEAA, is one of the entities that handles the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
"For several years now, government watchdogs have repeatedly found that PHEAA's missteps, errors, and mismanagement of the PSLF program caused public service workers to be denied the loan forgiveness that they had earned," the senators said in a letter to Kathleen Kraninger, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau…. (LINK TO STORY)
House Democrats Unveil Impeachment Process Resolution; White House Remains Defiant (NPR)
House Democrats unveiled a resolution Tuesday reaffirming their impeachment inquiry and setting out the process for it to continue examining whether the president improperly tried to pressure Ukraine into launching an investigation into a potential political rival.
The measure will enable public hearings and a release of the witness interviews already taken by House committees and will allow the president and his attorneys to cross-examine witnesses.
The move comes after congressional Republicans and President Trump complained that the inquiry underway is unfair and lacks due process…. (LINK TO STORY)