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“Austinites can apply for between $5,000 and $250,000 depending on the program. Money for the grants comes from hotel occupancy taxes.”
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“State law does not allow a city to enact or change its zoning by popular vote.” — City of Taylor, rejecting a citizen petition to put a data center ban on the ballot
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Reports circulating suggest Delta is launching an Austin to Paris nonstop, but there's been no announcement.
Delta spokesperson: "Delta is always evaluating opportunities to grow our network and better serve our customers, but we don't have anything to announce at this time." https://t.co/9m64HCDy96
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Austin City Council has been voting in secret for years on Austin Energy matters and no one knew because there’s no public record.
@MoseBuchele and I only found out by reviewing over 1,000 council meetings and challenging Austin Energy’s false claims.
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EXCLUSIVE: Austin Energy says Austin City Council members have taken secret votes for years on matters involving the publicly owned utility, and that those votes don’t appear in any public record.
My first collab with KUT’s @MoseBuchele:
The disclosure only came after KUT News reviewed more than 1,000 City Council meetings and challenged the utility’s claim that such votes “ARE indicated in council minutes.”
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I-35 expansion forces P. Terry's to close flagship location at Capital Plaza
KUT
Reported story
I-35 expansion forces P. Terry's to close flagship location at Capital Plaza
The attention-grabbing burger restaurant at 5701 North I-35 will close June 28, almost ten years to the day after it opened.
Read the story at KUT
KUT
Reported story
Austin tech leader Joshua Baer, founder of Capital Factory, dies in plane crash in Laredo
The plane crashed on Loop 20 in Laredo on its way to Austin from Los Cabos, Mexico. Six people were inside the plane, according to police.
Read the story at KUT
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Smokable hemp technically is banned for sale in Texas again, after an appeals court ruling that lifted a lower court's injunction of new state rules.
The legal fight is far from over. Another court ruling could change things again.
Didn't make it in the story, but @lukasgilkey said the DSHS "Total THC" rule is pushing hemp manufacturing out of Texas.
"In a weird way, it sort of allows companies to operate outside the state without having to play by the same rules that companies in the state," Gilkey said. https://t.co/ziBrLijqDQ
@lukasgilkey
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Even though some new Texas hemp regulations are not blocked by court order, the state health department doesn’t appear to be enforcing them at the moment.
“DSHS is still determining how to proceed given that there is not a final disposition yet," spokesperson Lara Anton said.
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Even though Texas hemp regulations are not legally blocked by court order, the state health department doesn’t appear to be enforcing them at the moment.
“DSHS is still determining how to proceed given that there is not a final disposition yet," spokesperson Lara Anton said.
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Austin's airport is heading into summer with more flights going to more nonstop destinations than this time last year.
But rising fuel costs are causing some airlines to pull back.
Meanwhile, ABIA's expansion is full speed ahead.
Lots o' updates:
KUT
Reported story
Texas rule targeting smokable hemp is back in effect, but enforcement is unclear
The Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals has cleared the way for new Department of State Health Services rules governing hemp products to take effect again, including higher fees for businesses and limits on the sale of THCA flower and concentrates. But DSHS says they're still considering how to proceed.
Read the story at KUT
KUT
Reported story
Austin airport adds summer flights but high fuel costs squeeze some routes
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is busier than last summer as a $5 billion expansion moves ahead and high oil prices prompt some airlines to trim prices.
Read the story at KUT
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CapMetro is shutting down Bikeshare service citywide after a fire at their Bikeshare facility (5315 E. Ben White Blvd) damaged batteries and charging infrastructure.
Statement from CapMetro: https://t.co/4moW0u8OXf
Update:
Audio version of the update:
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Austin's Bikeshare service has been shut down since a May 23 fire inside a battery charging room at a CapMetro facility on Ben White.
The same day, a Bikeshare bike caught fire on South Congress.
The role of batteries is being investigated in both.
For those tired of reading, the audio version of the story includes Austin Fire Department radio communications from the night of the fire. https://t.co/qr9jkfkitb
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I learned more about this fire. After it happened, people assumed it was arson. AFD doesn't think so.
AFD radio communications and the fire incident report point to the fire starting in a battery charging room.
CapMetro hired a forensic investigator.
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I learned more about this fire. After it happened, people assumed it was arson. AFD doesn't think so.
AFD radio communications and the fire incident report point to the fire starting in a battery charging room.
CapMetro hired a forensic investigator.
KUT
Reported story
Investigators examine whether batteries sparked fire that shut down Austin's Bikeshare
Almost 500 electric bikes have been pulled from Austin streets since Memorial Day weekend, with no timeline for their return.
Read the story at KUT
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A 2021 court order that had allowed for the sale of Delta-8 THC products across Texas expires today at 5 p.m.
The state says it won't be taking any immediate action, but it's unclear what this means longer term for Delta-8.
KUT
Reported story
Court protection for Delta-8 sales in Texas expired Thursday
A Texas Supreme Court order took effect May 28 that allows state health officials to again treat manufactured Delta-8 THC as a Schedule I controlled substance, a legal category that includes peyote and Ecstasy.
Read the story at KUT
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Whataburger is bringing back the A-frame design, @QSRmagazine reports.
https://t.co/5hSMoDWtvk
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NEW: TxDOT denies Austin request to keep certain street art including:
• Black Artists Matter mural on 11th • Pride crosswalk at 4th and Colorado • TEXAS mural on Guadalupe • "River" crosswalk on Lake Austin Boulevard
Pics in thread below.
Here's the letter TxDOT sent Austin Transportation and Public Works on Monday, May 18.
A TPW spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter, but wouldn't release it until staff finished drafting a memo to the Mayor and City Council, expected by Thursday.
https://t.co/P3OcjwhAb0 https://t.co/J7hghYsrue
The Black Artists Matter mural was installed on 11th Street on June 18, 2020 by the city, Capitol View Arts and the Austin Justice Coalition. It was last touched up by the city in 2024.
📷 by KUT's Gabriel C. Pérez https://t.co/c2vqmJ88Ra
The Pride crosswalks at 4th and Colorado streets were installed in late 2021 to commemorate National Coming Out Day.
📷 by KUT's Gabriel C. Pérez https://t.co/m9uJa28q1H
UT Austin's "TEXAS" mural along Guadalupe Street was installed in August 2024 as the Texas Longhorns prepared for their debut in the Southeastern Conference. https://t.co/ttbZIXMjwx
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CapMetro says Rapid Routes 800 and 837 will arrive every 10 minutes starting June 7.
They've been on 20 minute frequencies since launching in Feb. 2025, a couple years late.
Also June 7: park-and-rides finally open at the end of each line at Goodnight Ranch and Expo Center. https://t.co/KvXqxRdhxo
The Goodnight Ranch Park-and-Ride on Slaughter Lane will have 64 parking spaces.
The Expo Center Park-and-Ride on Decker Lane will have 159 parking spaces.
Routes 18, 233, and 337 will also end at the Expo Center starting June 7.
Routes 318 and 333 will end at the Goodnight Ranch Park-and-Ride starting June 7.
KUT
Reported story
TxDOT denies Austin request to keep 'Black Artists Matter' mural, Pride crosswalk
The state also rejected Austin's request to keep the giant "TEXAS" street painting near the University of Texas at Austin campus and gave the city until June 22 to submit a plan.
Read the story at KUT
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Lady Bird Lake under I-35 has been narrowed to a 75-foot-wide passage until about 2033.
The Austin Rowing Club says "keep out" buoys don't make clear where to go. The club requested more lighting and signs. TxDOT says they have no plans to add those.
KUT
Reported story
Austin boaters concerned over narrow pass on Lady Bird Lake created by I-35 construction
TxDOT says the 75-foot-wide passage is needed to keep boaters away from construction equipment. Some daily lake users say the setup can be confusing from the water.
Read the story at KUT
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CAMPO’s executive director Ashby Johnson is retiring effective June 30. Here’s the press release that just went out.
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After a dizzying set of court developments this week, smokable hemp is still legal to sell in Texas at least till next Thursday, May 14, reports @Steve55Simpson.
@Steve55Simpson I learned more about this situation today and posted it in a thread here.
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A lot of confusion this week around the sale of smokable hemp in Texas. Basically, it remains legal for now, but there's no way to know for how long.
Here’s my best understanding after speaking with Amanda Taylor, an attorney for plaintiffs who specializes in appeals. 🧵 https://t.co/WdKxM5ivIV
First, the obligatory background.
Cannabis is the plant.
"Hemp" is a legal category of cannabis with no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, the main psychoactive ingredient. "Marijuana" has more than 0.3%.
APD says they can't tell the difference.
But cannabis contains THCA, which converts to Delta-9 when heated or smoked.
That's why last week's temporary injunction suspending a new state rule that counts THCA as 88% Delta-9 for the purposes of sales was so important to the industry.
Thursday, May 7: The 15th Court of Appeals restored the injunction, but only until it has more time to consider the issue.
The court asked the state to respond to the emergency motion by May 15. Then court will have to decide whether to leave the temporary injunction in place. https://t.co/ckE7Y0tuDW
How long will it take the 15th Court of Appeals to decide on the temporary injunction on the hemp case?
"Typically within the first couple weeks of an appeal being perfected," Taylor said. Perfecting an appeal means all the required docs are properly filed.
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When will Delta-8 gummies be banned in Texas now that SCOTX reversed a 2021 temporary injunction that had allowed for their sale?
I asked the Department of State Health Services.
The response I got 40 minutes ago was they're still reviewing the ruling.
I also asked if DSHS would order other products containing cannabinoids converted from CBD — such as THCP and HHC — be pulled from shelves. Apparently, that's also still under review.
Based on the Texas Supreme Court ruling from Friday, it seems plausible that DSHS could move to force hemp retailers to pull anything "manufactured" from CBD.
https://t.co/AC6Le1Gjy6 https://t.co/tbSNcxFHLC
@DIguanadon As I recall, DSHS is arguing Delta-8 converted from CBD is a “synthetic cannabinoid.” Other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin and fentanyl.
https://t.co/Q31IB7beRu https://t.co/5BrN4DDZ73
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if my close personal friends skrillex and charli insist on playing in the park, then i will go to the park
KUT
Reported story
Council Member José 'Chito' Vela backs off more city money for building parks over I-35
The remarks are a notable shift from one of the council's more prominent supporters of the project to build parks over I-35 after TxDOT widens and sinks the mainlanes.
Read the story at KUT
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"What is he thinking?!" Mayor Kirk Watson texted a staffer as ATP pursued a $32 million office lease at 100 Congress Ave.
AT KUT Fest, CM Paige Ellis agreed the plan was "tone-deaf," but said the dispute showed Project Connect oversight is working.
This is a valid point. I didn't realize it until now, because the image was so blurry, but Mayor Watson's senior policy strategist Max Lars sent Watson a copy of the @atx_data tweet below in a text message on April 11. https://t.co/7hVOwgOxNj
@ATX_Data The story has been updated to include that Watson reacted after being sent the @data_atx post.
KUT
Reported story
$32 million office lease proposal for Austin light-rail project was wrong move, council member says
At KUT Fest, Paige Ellis — who's on Austin's city council and CapMetro's board — agreed with Mayor Kirk Watson that ATP's office lease plan was wrong, but said the dispute showed oversight is working.
Read the story at KUT![Thumbnail for [AUDIO] Texas Hemp Temporary Injunction Hearing | Day Three](https://i2.ytimg.com/vi/Y1IFYbdGCfQ/hqdefault.jpg)