BG Note | News - What We're Reading (August 1, 2017)
DA will drop corruption charges if Dawnna Dukes resigns [TODAY] (Austin American-Statesman) LINK TO STORY
"Beleaguered state Rep. Dawnna Dukes has until the end of the day Tuesday to resign from office — and submit to a drug and alcohol assessment — as part of an offer to settle her criminal corruption case. The offer is similar to one Dukes rejected last year prior to the Texas Rangers launching an investigation that led to a Travis County grand jury indicting Dukes on 13 felony charges and two misdemeanors."
Capital Metro to lose its head (Austin Monitor) LINK TO STORY
"Linda Watson, the president and chief executive officer of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will step down at the end of 2017. The agency made the announcement through a press release sent out just before 5 p.m. on Monday, just hours after the board of directors wrapped up its monthly meeting by awarding Watson with a retroactive raise and bonus."
Commissioners spar on definition of family-friendly housing (Austin Monitor) LINK TO STORY
"With a school district facing cases of severe under-enrollment, it has become clear that the city needs to do more to cater to younger families and especially to provide housing that suits their needs. CodeNEXT, currently being mulled over by the land use commissions, offers a unique opportunity to change direction and ensure that Austin doesn’t turn into a city without a future generation. The only problem is that no one seems able to agree on what makes housing family-friendly."
Capital Metro blames cheap parking for one sector of ridership declines (Austin Monitor) LINK TO STORY
"The University of Texas isn’t the only institution of higher education whose students are turning cold on public transit. On Monday, the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors learned that a partnership with Austin Community College has seen dwindling fortunes since its launch at the beginning of the decade."
Here are 5 takeaways from the first half of the special session (Texas Tribune) LINK TO STORY
"Gov. Greg Abbott kicked off his first special session two weeks ago. That puts the Legislature at the halfway point if they choose to take the maximum 30 days they are permitted to meet — and given Abbott's ambitious agenda, it's looking like they may need all the time they can get. So far, the special session hasn't been too different from the 140-day regular session that ended in May. The Senate has rushed to pass nearly all of Abbott's priorities. The lower chamber has taken its time and even taken some pride in its slower approach."