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ATX PULSE 7/10/24: Spectrum Service Restored // Broadnax Prepares First Proposed Budget // Fairmont Refinances with $430M Loan // Austin ER Crash Drive was Drunk //

ATX PULSE 7/10/24: Spectrum Service Restored // Broadnax Prepares First Proposed Budget // Fairmont Refinances with $430M Loan // Austin ER Crash Drive was Drunk //

Everything you NEED TO KNOW about Austin.

Matt Mackowiak
July 10, 2024

ATX Pulse

Everything YOU NEED TO KNOW about Austin.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

By Matt Mackowiak

TOP NEWS

~ “Spectrum services restored across Texas, spokesperson says,” KXAN’s Brianna Hollis — “Spectrum has restored an outage that impacted users across Texas for about seven hours Tuesday, according to a company spokesperson.

“As of 7:30 p.m. Spectrum services have been restored in parts of Texas that were affected by a third-party infrastructure issue caused by the impact of Hurricane Beryl. We apologize for the inconvenience,” a spokesperson said in the latest update KXAN received via email Tuesday evening.

KXAN has followed up with Spectrum, asking for more details about what exactly this piece of infrastructure is and if it has a backup or reinforcement element.

How the outage impacted people in Central Texas

Social media – and the KXAN inbox – was flooded with concerns, complaints and questions about Tuesday’s Spectrum outage.

“I feel like I’m barely connected to anyone,” John, who works as an IT administrator, told KXAN. “I feel cut off from being able to help the users in my company… The fact that this major outage cuts me off from any humans I know, whether it’s those I work with or who are my friends. It’s really scary.”

The Yarborough Branch of the Austin Public Library said people flocked there Tuesday afternoon to use the internet.

William Mioduszewski was one of those people.

“I’m like, it’s loading pretty slowly, what’s going on here?” he said, explaining how he found out his internet was out.

West of Austin, Jeff Fisher got a text alert from a company that manages his remote servers that his service was down.

“That all got interrupted, all of that’s shut down,” he said.” Fox 7 Austin

~ “Body found at Lady Bird Johnson Flower Center identified as missing Austin man: APD,” via Fox 7 Austin — “The Austin Police Department identified a body found at the Lady Bird Johnson Flower Center. Police said the body was confirmed to be a missing Austin man.

Austin-Travis County EMS said on June 20, around 3:34 p.m., a 911 caller reported seeing a person along the fence line near the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

When first responders arrived, they said the person was pronounced dead on the scene.

Family searches for missing south Austin man

The search is intensifying for a missing south Austin man. 58-year-old Jon Stamm was last seen around 9:30 a.m. on Monday morning.

On June 21, police said when officers found the body, there were signs of decomposition.

On July 8, police confirmed the identity was Stamm, who had been missing since June 11.

At this time, there is no foul play suspected and this is not being investigated as a homicide.

This is an active and ongoing death investigation, police said.” Fox 7 Austin

~ “City Manager will present his proposed budget,” Austin Chronicle’s Austin Sanders — “Next week, City Manager T.C. Broadnax will make his first major public appearance since starting his job as the city’s top leader in May, when he presents his proposed budget for the city’s next fiscal year.

It may not sound like a flashy event, but historically, the annual budget presentation is one of the venues where the city manager can speak directly with the public about how they think the city should invest in services and programs over the next year. For a position that is mostly behind-the-scenes, presenting the budget can be a rare moment in the spotlight for a city manager.

Unfortunately for Broadnax, he is not going to have much good news to report if the financial forecast city staff and consultants shared with City Council in April holds. Headlines coming out of Broadnax’s first-ever budget presentation, set for July 12, will likely focus on the budget deficit looming over the city, expected to hit $13.2 million with the next budget and grow to $59.9 million by fiscal year 2028-2029.

The projected deficit is primarily a result of constraints placed on local governments by the Texas Legislature. In 2019, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, championed a bill – which eventually became law – that caps the amount by which cities, counties, and school districts can increase their property tax rate without holding an election. Since property taxes account for the lion’s share of funding that makes up the city’s General Fund (the big pot of money that pays for stuff like public safety departments, libraries, and parks), the state-imposed constraints have meant that local governments aren’t able to generate as much money year-after-year to accommodate the increased demand for services caused by population growth.

And Austin has not stopped growing since the Lege acted in 2019. The financial impact has been delayed, though. Massive amounts of federal stimulus money funneled to local governments to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic combined with invigorated consumer spending which increased sales tax revenues helped insulate the city from feeling the full effects of property tax caps, but the stimulus lifeline is expiring and sales tax revenues are softening.

This situation, as staff wrote in an April 15 memo, “renews concerns about an underlying structural imbalance between the rising costs of providing the city’s core services and its ability to generate sufficient revenue to pay for them.” Council will need to engage in “serious policy discussions” about remedies, including “periodic” tax rate elections (like the kind Austin ISD and Travis County elected officials recently voted to place on the Nov. 5 ballot). Another partial fix is “bending the city’s cost curve” (i.e., cutting costs) if a tax rate election is not in the cards.” Austin Chronicle

~ “Austin inches closer to air conditioning mandates for residences,” Austin Business Journal’s Ben Thompson — “A new city mandate for air conditioning in all residences is moving closer to final approval, and residents can weigh in on the change in July.

The city is in the process of revising its technical codes, including its first proposed air conditioning mandate under the building code.

The update would require all residential property owners to keep rooms at least 15 degrees cooler than outdoor temperatures, and no hotter than 85 degrees Fahrenheit at most.

If implemented, the standards would apply for all existing properties and new construction in Austin.

Austinites can weigh in on the new building code items online until July 24. The revisions will also be discussed at the July 9 planning commission meeting before heading to City Council later this summer for final approval.

The provisions are proposed to go into effect in January, although council would finalize that timeline. If adopted, the city's development services department would enforce the cooling rule through its inspections team for new buildings and through code compliance teams in existing residences.” Community Impact ($)

THE BLOTTER

~ “Man facing double murder charges after deadly hit-and-run during SXSW,” Fox 7 Austin’s Tan Radford — “New details were released about a deadly hit-and-run crash during South by Southwest back in March.

The driver is accused of crashing into two people in downtown Austin. One victim died at the scene.

The suspect is now facing double murder charges. His attorney says the charges were upgraded after the death of the second victim weeks after the crash.

The second victim injured in the deadly hit-and-run during SXSW has died.

Court documents state, in March, Austin police attempted to pull 23-year-old Tyrone Thompson over after noticing a faulty headlight.

Thompson took off eastbound on East 7th Street running red lights where he crashed into two pedestrians at East 7th Street and Red River.

"Of course, he is presumed to be innocent, and it is a very complex and ongoing investigation. We plan on having a very vigorous defense on behalf of Mr. Thompson, but we will have to wait and see until all the investigation is complete before we know how that defense is going to go forward," said Travis County Criminal Defense Attorney Charlie Baird.

Cody Jordan Shelton, 26, died at the scene. A second victim, 34-year-old William Dunham, was taken to a local hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.

"The suspect vehicle did not remain on scene and continued traveling eastbound," says Austin police officer Jose Mendez.

Police say Thompson was later involved in another crash around 2 a.m. in Travis County, where he was arrested. Thompson was charged with DUI, murder, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

"On the date of the alleged offense, an individual died there at the scene and a second individual was injured but survived and as long as that individual survived, of course, you could not charge Mr. Thompson with murder. He was charged with aggravated assault, intoxication assault, and evading police in a motor vehicle," says Baird.

Baird says six weeks later, the second victim died from his injuries, and Thompson's charges were upgraded.

"I just don't have any words for the person who did this to my son," says Cody Shelton’s mother Ladonna Scallion Smith.” Fox 7 Austin

~ “Man accused of killing woman at Northeast Austin Waffle House: APD,” via Fox 7 Austin — “Police arrested a man in connection to a deadly shooting at a Waffle House in Northeast Austin.

According to Austin police, Irving Antunez-Sanchez, 18, is accused of murdering Tykeisha Lewis back in June.

Police said it started as an argument between two groups of people at the restaurant on Dessau Road at Parmer on June 8.

Woman killed outside Waffle House identified

Police have identified the woman shot and killed at a Waffle House in northeast Austin.

APD initially released surveillance images and said four suspects shot at the other group, killing Lewis and injuring another person.

According to arrest paperwork, a family member of the Antunez-Sanchez family saw the images, recognized their relative, and called the homicide tipline.

Investigators got a search warrant for his cell phone data and used his location settings, along with surveillance video, to place him at the scene.

This is still an active investigation, and police are still looking for other suspects in the case.” Fox 7 Austin

~ “Austin ER crash: Woman who drove through hospital was intoxicated, police say,” Fox 7 Austin’s Meredith Aldis — “The woman who drove into St. David’s North Austin Medical Center in February was intoxicated, Austin police said.

The driver died and at least five people were seriously injured. Now, city officials are calling for more safety precautions at local hospitals.

"It was such an intense experience, and it'll take a while to get the sounds of everyone's screams off my head," witness Michelle Cruz told FOX 7 back in February.

A car barreled into St. David’s North Austin Medical Center in February. Witnesses said the white Acura, driven by 57-year-old Michelle Holloway, whipped around in the parking lot, accelerated, went over the curb, through the flower bed, and into the crowded emergency room lobby, through the fish tank.

A family of four was standing by the fish tank and was hit by the car. The husband said everything went dark and when he was coming to his senses, he thought he had died. He then said he saw his son and wife on the ground. His other son was found in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Others were also reported to have been hurt.

A car plowed into the emergency room killing the driver and injuring five people Tuesday night. This was the City of Austin's seventh deadly crash this year.

"When this happened, there was a loud noise, the facility knew something was going on and people descended from all parts of the hospital to rally together and to jump into what was a very unknown and dangerous situation," St. David’s North Austin Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Peter DeYoung said.

The danger was the woman behind the wheel. The medical examiner toxicology testing revealed Holloway’s blood alcohol concentration was between .25 and .30, which is almost four times the legal limit for driving. The testing also showed the presence of cannabinoid in her system.

Holloway’s niece told police they came to the hospital to pick up her grandma. She said she parked in front of the ER drop off location and ran inside, leaving her aunt and her dog inside. She told police her aunt was asked to move the car because it was blocking the ER entrance and that is when she drove into the lobby.

"It's just one of those things that you never expect to happen," witness Stephen Hughes told FOX 7 back in February.

Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said it never should have happened.

"Had safety measures been in place, this incident wouldn't have occurred," Kelly said.” Fox 7 Austin

BUSINESS NEWS

~ “Fairmont Austin refinances with $430M loan,” Austin Business Journal’s Cody Baird — “One of the shining stars of Austin’s hotel industry has undergone a $430 million refinancing.

The owner of Fairmont Austin, San Diego-based Manchester Financial Group, secured the loan to replace a previous one and help enhance the hotel, according to a July 8 announcement.

Located in the Central Business District and opened in 2018, Fairmont Austin is one of the top hotels in the city and has more rooms than any other in the metro.

“This significant financing, facilitated by JLL (Capital Markets) and Goldman Sachs, underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional hospitality experiences through our 100% ownership of the hotel,” stated Manchester Financial Group Chairman Doug Manchester. “The funds will support the continued growth and enhancement of this premier property, ensuring it remains a top destination for visitors to Austin.”

JLL Capital Markets represented Manchester Financial in securing the five-year, interest-only fixed-rate loan, and Goldman Sachs is the lead manager and sole bookrunner, according to the announcement. JLL’s team was led by Senior Managing Director Tim Wright, Senior Managing Director Alden Cole and Director Olga Walsh.

The new financing replaced a $300 million senior loan and $125 million of mezzanine debt, according to the announcement.

For tax purposes, the hotel was appraised most recently at $415.5 million, according to Travis Central Appraisal District.

Fairmont Austin is one of the largest hotels in the city at 1.4 million square feet. Its 1,048 rooms surpasses every other hotel in the metro, according to ABJ's latest list of the largest hotels. Those rooms pull in a pretty penny, too, according to hotel industry consulting and research firm Source Strategies. Revenue per available room, or REVPAR, in first quarter 2024 for Fairmont Hotel was $231, a big step up from the metro average of $111.

“With an influx of recently completed and ongoing construction projects in the immediate area, Fairmont Austin is well-positioned to benefit from the momentum in all directions and capitalize on its position as the epicenter of Austin’s explosive growth,” stated JLL’s Wright.

Fairmont Austin, located across the street from the Austin Convention Center, launched the Red River Collection in April, a coalition of downtown hotels that includes Hotel Van Zandt and Hilton Austin. The coalition is intended to ensure a smooth booking experience for big events when the convention center will be closed for redevelopment from early 2025 to 2029.” ABJ ($)

~ “Here’s how tight the market for retail space is in Austin,” Austin Business Journal’s Sahar Chmais — “Austin’s retail real estate market reigns as king among other major Texas cities with an occupancy rate of nearly 97%.

According to a report from Weitzman, Austin has maintained that retail occupancy rate for more than a year. The tight market could cause difficulties for entrepreneurs seeking real estate. Layne’s Chicken Fingers, for instance, just announced it's searching for up to 25 locations in the area.

The metro has nearly 53 million square feet of inventory to serve its 2.5 million residents. Second-generation space is one of the most desirable categories, especially with “exceptionally low new construction,” according to Weitzman. For example, restaurateurs typically seek second generation space because it's easier to transition into and less costly to open.

The average class A small-tenant rates are from the low $40s per square foot up to the $60s or more for new space in Austin’s core areas, Weitzman said in the report. Class B small-tenant rates are from the high $20s to mid-$30s or more, and class C rates are ranging from the teens to the low $20s. Triple net charges are increasing due to rises in taxable property values.

Yet the market is still bringing in tenants.

“I’m as busy as I’ve ever been in my career,” said John Heffington of Shop Companies. “Activity is still strong. We still have a wide range of tenants who are looking to come and expand in Austin.”

Austin hasn’t had a lot of new development, a multiyear trend that is contributing to the tight market, according to Weitzman. In recent years, retail hasn't been as favored of an asset class as multifamily and office, yielding lower deliveries, Heffington said.

The last time Austin’s new deliveries of retail space reached or exceeded 1 million square feet was in 2016, and the city’s high point was in 2007 when developers added 4.2 million square feet, according to Weitzman.

As soon as retail space is available it’s scooped up. Some of the major projects backfilled this year and into 2025 include: Floor & Décor replacing a 60,000-square-foot H-E-B in Georgetown; Hobby Lobby's backfill of Randalls in North Austin; Austin Pickle Ranch in a 50,000-square-foot facility in North Austin; Copenhagen Imports moving into a 31,000-square-foot space in North Austin to replace Office Depot; Tesla going southwest into a 65,000-square-foot space previously occupied by H-E-B; and H Mart opening in a 23,000-square-foot space on Burnet Road to replace a Savers Thrift store.

While major companies move to backfill space, H-E-B has had a different strategy, dominating construction in 2024, according to Weitzman.

This year, Austin's market is on track to report about 572,000 square feet of construction in new and expanded retail projects — and H-E-B makes up nearly half of the new space.” ABJ ($)

~ “Temple lands South Korean specialty steel company for $110M project that will create 100 jobs,” Austin Business Journal’s Justin Sayers — “Gov. Greg Abbott announced in Seoul on July 9 that a big South Korean steel company will build a $110 million high-performance metal manufacturing facility in Temple, confirming the Austin Business Journal's reporting from last month.

SeAH Superalloy Technologies LLC — a new manufacturing corporation for special alloy that is a subsidiary of SeAh Changwon Integrated Special Steel and parent company SeAH Group — plans to build what is being described as the "first special alloy manufacturing facility built in the U.S. by a South Korean company."

It will be located on 45 acres in Temple's industrial park off Moores Mill Road. Construction is expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, with production scheduled to begin in 2026.

"Texas is the premier destination for business growth, which is why companies from across the globe continue to choose our state to expand their operations," Abbott said in a statement.

SeAH CSS, which has been a subsidiary of SeAH Group since 2015, is a manufacturer of high-tech industrial materials, including stainless steel, tool steel and carbon alloy steel, according to an announcement. The new facility will enable the company to produce 6,000 tons of special alloys for the aerospace, power generation, automotive and oil and gas sectors.

Earlier this week, Texas announced a major effort to subsidize more power plants.

SeAH is said to be a supplier to Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which is headquartered in Boca Chica in South Texas and has a presence in Bastrop just east of Austin, although it hasn't confirmed the relationship.

"This strategic location will enable us to better serve our North American customers and expand our global footprint. We look forward to becoming an integral part of the Temple community and contributing to its economic growth," Junghoon “Jay” Lee, CEO of SeAH Changwon Integrated Special Steel, said in a statement.

The announcement comes less than a month after the city of Temple approved a Chapter 380 agreement for what at the time was called Project Astro LLC. While officials did not disclose the company behind the project then, the Austin Business Journal was able to identify it as SeAH based on public records. SeAH had also publicly disclosed in regulatory filings in Korea it was considering opening a special alloy plant in the U.S.” ABJ ($)

OTHER NEWS

~ “State commission could give landmark status to historic UT-Austin building set to be demolished,” KXAN’s Taylor Girtman — “A state commission could take steps to delay the University of Texas at Austin’s plan to demolish a historic campus building.

The university plans to demolish the Steve Hicks School of Social Work building to make way for a football practice facility.

The Texas Historical Commission is expected to consider giving the social work building State Antiquities Landmark status during its July 25-26 commission meetings. This wouldn’t give the building full protection from demolition, but the status would require UT to consult with the state commission ahead of changes to the building, according to Preservation Austin.

The State Antiquities Landmark status is the highest level of historic destination from the state, according to the Texas Historical Commission. Properties with the status must have a permit from the Texas Historical Commission before they are removed, altered, damaged, salvaged or excavated.

The commission’s Antiquities Advisory Board recommended in April that the full commission give landmark status to the social work building.

Preservation Austin is working with grassroots group Save the Past for the Future to preserve the historic UT building.

Meghan King, the policy and outreach planner for Preservation Austin, said the organization is stepping in because of the story the building tells. The building was the first voluntarily integrated junior high school in Austin in 1957 before becoming a UT school. Most other Austin schools did not integrate until the 1970s.

“We are very interested in telling stories of Austin’s racial past, and we find the story of University Junior High to be a very hopeful racial story of Austin,” King said.

Kathy Armenta and Barbara Anderson, both retired professors from UT’s social work school, started a campaign called Save the Past for the Future to stop the Steve Hicks School demolition. They want to see UT reuse the building and preserve its cultural and historical significance.

In 2023, Texas Athletics shared more information about the new football facility, which will replace the Frank Denius Fields and “The Bubble.” The practice facility was slated to begin construction in 2024.

UT previously told KXAN the decision to move the school was part of a “significant long-term investment in a perennial Top 10 academic program that outgrew its current space more than a decade ago and requires a modernized facility.” The statement also said the building is “beyond its useful life.”

The social work school will temporarily move to Walter Webb Hall before a permanent move to the current McCombs School of Business building, according to UT.” KXAN

~ “Joshua Baer starts DC government relations firm to help startups get into defense tech,” Austin Business Journal’s Brent Wistrom — “Capital Factory has deep ties with the Department of Defense and defense tech companies. As part of its continued growth in that space, Capital Factory founder Joshua Baer has helped start a new government relations and strategy firm in Washington, D.C., called Washington Office.

The new firm is focused on what it calls "frontier tech that powers the national interest," and it aids startups working on everything from AI and autonomous systems to synthetic biology and quantum computing to make inroads with the D.C. crowd. It also is partnering with Capital Factory, a longtime business accelerator in Austin.

Baer co-founded Washington Office with Evan Burfield, who is the co-founder of The Future US and previously co-founded and led D.C.-based accelerator 1776. Burfield left his role at 1776 in 2019 to co-found startup community platform Union, which was later acquired by Capital Factory. Miles Taylor, who served in the United States Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019 and has a podcast called The Whistleblowers, is also a co-founder.

"Our clients will be championed by people who’ve been policymakers and technologists — who actually understand product and have built things – and who have worked at all levels in Democratic, Republican and nonpartisan leadership positions," Burfield stated.

The firm's Independence Day launch is part of a broader launch strategy that includes a "NATO of the Future" micro-summit in D.C. on July 9 where Washington Office plans to announce its pro-bono support of Station DC, a new tech hub in the nation's capital. That coincides with NATO’s 75th anniversary summit going on this week.

Washington Office's debut also came on the heels of a statement from Baer that says Capital Factory will continue to work closely with the military and defense industry despite the decision by South By Southwest to not allow the U.S. Army and weapons makers to be sponsors of the festival as they were in 2024.” ABJ ($)

SPORTS

~ TEXAS MEN’S BASKETBALL: “Former Texas basketball players Max Abmas, Dylan Disu, Timmy Allen part of NBA Summer League,” Austin American-Statesman’s Thomas Jones — “Three former Texas basketball players will compete in the NBA's Summer League, which tipped off this week.

Max Abmas plays for the Utah Jazz, Timmy Allen suits up for the Memphis Grizzlies and Dylan Disu joins the Toronto Raptors. Utah and Memphis are both participating in the Salt Lake City Summer League through Wednesday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Toronto and the rest of the teams will play in the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas from July 12-22.

Allen, a 6-foot-6 wing who finished his Texas career in the 2022-23 season, played five games for the Grizzlies organization this past season. He appeared in 46 games with 18 starts for the Memphis Hustle during the NBA G League Showcase Cup and regular season and averaged 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a steal in 26.4 minutes last year. As a fifth-year senior for UT's Elite Eight team in 2023, he earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors after averaging 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Abmas and Disu completed their Texas careers this past spring, leading the Longhorns to a 21-13 record and the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

During his lone season at Texas, the 6-foot Abmas played primarily at the point and started all 34 games. He led the team in scoring (16.8), assists (4.1) and minutes (35.1) and earned All-Big 12 first-team honors. The 6-8 Disu, a Hendrickson graduate in Pflugerville, played five collegiate seasons at Vanderbilt and Texas. Last season, the All-Big 12 forward ranked second on the team in scoring (15.5) and rebounding (5). He converted 45.1% from 3-point range and 81.2% from the free-throw line.” AAS ($)

~ TEXAS BASEBALL: “Texas adds additional arms as Jim Schlossnagle continues overhaul of pitching staff,” Austin American-Statesman’s Danny Davis — “The ongoing baseball offseason overhaul of the Texas pitching staff continued this week.

Ethan Walker took to social media on Tuesday to announce that he will transfer for Texas. The 6-foot, 185-pound left-handed pitcher was a redshirt freshman at Walters State Community College this spring. He went 1-2 and compiled a 4.80 ERA, but also registered 38 strikeouts over 30 innings.

His commitment came one day after reports surfaced that Texas had secured the services of McLennan College left-hander Kade Bing. As a freshman with a Highlanders team that reached the JUCO World Series, Bing was 9-2 with a 3.33 ERA and 75 strikeouts.

Since he was hired to coach the Longhorns last month, Jim Schlossnagle has made recruiting pitchers a clear priority. In addition to Bing and Walker, Texas plucked Arizona State's Thomas Burns and LSU's Aiden Moffett out of the transfer portal. Bryce Navarre, who was a senior at Montgomery in 2024, also flipped his commitment from Texas A&M.

Texas is coming off a season in which it posted a 4.91 ERA, which ranked 47th nationally and was the program's worst mark since 1999. Max Weiner will take over as UT's pitching coach after serving in the same role under Schlossnagle at A&M. This past season the Aggies posted a top-five ERA and recorded a nation-leading 12 shutouts.” AAS ($)

~ TEXAS WOMEN’S TENNIS: “How Texas ex Lulu Sun made Wimbledon quarterfinals — and why she ultimately lost to Vekic,” Austin American-Statesman’s Caleb Yum — “Former Texas standout Lulu Sun's run at Wimbledon came to an end Tuesday in the women's singles quarterfinals, capping one of the tournament's top storylines.

Sun, 23, playing on her biggest professional stage yet, won the opening set before falling to Croatia's Donna Vekic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. She clinched Texas' 2021 NCAA championship for the Longhorns as a freshman and gives UT coach Howard Joffe two promising Longhorns pros along with Peyton Stearns.

"I could tell before that they would be able to be right up there in the world," Joffe told the American-Statesman on Monday, the day after Sun's round-of-16 win over Emma Raducanu on Wimbledon's famed Centre Court. "Specific to Lulu ... she's incredibly resilient."

Sun, who turned pro in 2022, entered Wimbledon ranked No. 123 in the world with $313,832 in prize money during her short pro career. She moved up to 53rd after Sunday's win over Raducanu and won $474,000 for making it to the quarterfinals.

Along the way, she made the main draw as a qualifier and then knocked off No. 8-seeded Qinwen Zheng in the first round. In all, including qualifying rounds, Sun went 7-1 at Wimbledon with five three-set matches. But she finally hit a wall against Vekic, who was able to steal away the second set to force the decisive third.

"This has been an incredibly emotionally, exhausting Wimbledon," Joffe said before the match. "I worry that emotionally, it's going to catch up with her."“ AAS ($)

CULTURE

~ “James Beard award-winning chef Mashama Bailey closing her two Austin restaurants,” Austin American-Statesman’s Matthew Odam — “The Thompson hotel in downtown Austin brought in some heavy hitters to establish its food and beverage operations in the Austin market when it opened in 2022 at 506 San Jacinto Blvd. But two years later, those names are vanishing.

Savannah chef Mashama Bailey, who has won James Beard awards for Best Chef Southeast and Best Chef in the country, is closing her two restaurants (Diner Bar and Grey Market) at the hotel on July 15, Bailey and her partner, John Morisano, confirmed to the American-Statesman via email. The news was first reported by Eater Austin.

The news comes after just over two years of operation for the concepts and on the heels of the shutter of Wax Myrtle's the poolside bar on the fourth floor that was run by the esteemed Land and Sea Dept. out of Chicago.

"The Thompson Hotel’s ownership is continuing to internalize all F&B operations, a process they began in January of this year," Bailey and Morisano wrote. "Our Grey Spaces team has loved our time in Austin, the great folks with whom we have worked, and our collaboration with Thompson."

Well-reviewed Diner Bar struggled to find a local following

Big name outside chefs have not had great success opening restaurants in Austin, and Bailey's fine dining restaurant that served the Southern port food inspired by her Georgia roots never seemed to gain a strong local following. I mentioned my concern that Bailey may have trouble drawing locals to her downtown spaces when I reviewed Diner Bar very positively in 2022.

I ended that review with the following words: "It would be a shame if the restaurant is siloed in the “hotel restaurant” or “celebrity restaurant” categories. The Austin dining scene, like the city itself, will continue to attract outsiders, so luring and keeping the best of them seems like a smart way to cultivate a richer, more diverse future."

The restaurant attempted a minor rebrand earlier this year, as it pivoted to emphasize its oyster and sustainable seafood programs, with a new name: Diner Bar: A Seafood Bistro & Lounge.

When asked about the reasoning behind the closure, the partners, who are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Grey in Savannah and opening a restaurant in Paris this year, only pointed to the hotel's decision to take food-and-beverage operations in house.

Asked about Bailey's departure and reasons behind the move to take things in house, Nate Hardesty, managing director of Thompson Austin, wrote the following to the American-Statesman:

“We are thankful for our collaboration with chef Mashama Bailey and The Grey Group for our restaurant and bar concepts Diner Bar and The Grey Market,” said Nate Hardesty, managing director of Thompson Austin. “At this time, we can confirm ownership and The Grey Group have decided to part ways, and the restaurants will close on July 15. We are grateful for the Austin community and guests who have supported these culinary concepts, and we look forward to sharing more details on our new restaurant and bar concepts soon.”” AAS ($)

~ “Check out the best family friendly restaurants, breweries in Austin for eating with kids,” Austin American-Statesman’s Matthew Odam — “If you’re one of the lucky folks who has children and gets to spend your summer suffering under the hot Austin sun, you’re probably having more “what are we gonna do with the kids?” time on your hands than during the school year.

That includes figuring out a few more meals than in the fall, winter and spring, and finding ways to burn off some energy. Your needs probably vary depending on your kids, their ages, your budget and your tolerance for a small bit of social chaos (is it obvious I have two children under the age of 4?).

For the sake of this exercise, I focused on restaurants and breweries good for the one-to-12-year-old set. Though who doesn’t love a good swing? Not all places have playground equipment, but they do have a little extra room to roam. Asterisk represents critic's top picks.

The list:

Austin Beerworks (Sprinkle Valley) austinbeerworks.com

Aviator Pizza & Drafthouse aviatorpizza.com

Batch Beer & Kolaches batchatx.com

Bouldin Acres (South Austin) bouldinacres.com

Casa de Luz casadeluz.org

Cosmic Coffee & Beer (South Austin) cosmichospitalitygroup.com

Doc’s Backyard eatdrinkdocs.com

Fareground faregroundaustin.com

Flores Mexican Restaurant floresmexican.com

Fresa’s (South Austin) fresaschicken.com

Hat Creek Burger Company hatcreekburgers.com