ATX PULSE 7/31/24: Dell Seton Medical Center Doubles Unit for Critical Brain Injuries // KXAN, KVUE Cover ATX MLB Effort // City Weights Development Staffing Cuts // Gas Bill Hike Ahead? // Police Training Exercise Today at McNeil H.S.

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Today’s Weather: H: 96° / L: 75°. Sunny and hazy. Latest forecast from Fox 7 Austin’s Zack Shields here. Low air quality as dust infiltrates, per KXAN.

TOP NEWS

~ “Dell Seton Medical Center doubles neurocritical care unit for most critical brain injuries,” Austin American-Statesman’s Nicole Villalpando – “Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas celebrated the expansion of its neurocritical care unit last week.

The unit, which takes care of people with any neurological disorder, including strokes, opened in May 2023 with 15 beds and a staff of specialists such as neurointensivists, neurosurgeons, neurovascular specialists, stroke experts and specialized nursing staff and therapists.

Last week, it opened 15 additional patient rooms on the fifth floor across from its original unit. The new rooms are equipped in the same manner as the original unit: bed-side physiological monitors, in-room computers and a headwall with the same built-in equipment as an intensive care unit, and built-in lifts for transferring patients from bed to chair.

This unit is intended to take patients who are not in as serious condition as the original unit, but it can be used in the same manner as the original unit as well as become an ICU depending on patient and hospital needs. 

"The neurocritical care unit has expanded access to Ascension Seton's comprehensive neuroscience services here in Central Texas, including neurosurgery, spine surgery, stroke care and treatments for other complex neurological disorders," said Adam Messer, president of Dell Seton.

Dell Seton is one of three comprehensive stroke centers in Austin. Ascension Seton Medical Center and St. David's Medical Center are the other two. Dell Seton was recognized in U.S. News & World Report this year for having high performance in stroke care. The critical care unit, though, is the first of its kind in Central Texas, said Dr. Shahed Toossi, medical director of the neurocritical care unit. It is unusual because of the level of specialists, who are staffed around the clock and not just on call, she said. Dell Seton is also the area's only Level 1 trauma center, meaning it receives the most complicated, emergency cases.

The unit is part of a $280 million expansion at Dell Seton that is expected to be completed in fall 2026. The overall expansion includes four new stories, 150 more patient beds, six more operating rooms and space for orthopedics, an abdominal organ transplant center, and wound and burn care.” AAS ($)

~ “Major League Baseball to Austin? A new group is trying to make it a reality,” KVUE’s Adam Bennett – “A newly formed group is trying to bring a Major League Baseball team to Austin.

Derrik Fox, an Austin sales executive, and Matt Mackowiak, an Austin public relations and political consultant who chairs the Travis County Republican Party, founded Austin Baseball Commission LLC in early July.

“We want to build the largest, broadest community effort in the history of this city,” said Mackowiak.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said he expects an expansion process by 2029. Reports state the league could expand from 30 teams to 32 teams.

“Salt Lake City’s further along, Portland’s further along, Nashville’s further along,” said Mackowiak.

Mackowiak and Fox tout the region’s growth, economy and fan support of Austin FC and the University of Texas.

“Austin is a market that is maturing literally on a daily basis and becoming not just a major national market but a global market with global events,” said Mackowiak.

“Between us and San Antonio, you’re going to have a top 20 TV market,” said Fox.

Austin FC of Major League Soccer became the city’s first major professional sports team in 2021. But Austin is still the largest city in the U.S. without a team in the “big four” major leagues: National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.

Mackowiak and Fox said they’ve started speaking with people in the baseball world and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson’s team.

“We’ll be speaking to city council members,” said Mackowiak. “We’ll be speaking to county officials. We already have in Williamson County. We will be in Travis and Hays very soon.”

They’ll also look for an investor group to put up the funding, which Mackowiak estimates as “a $4 billion enterprise … roughly”.

Another big question: Where to build a domed stadium from a starter list of seven sites spread across the region?

“These are the kind of things we’re going to explore: What are the incentives Hays County can offer? Travis County, Williamson County, city of Austin, state of Texas, understand what all those pieces are, and in the end [we'll] try to put together the absolute strongest bid to give us the absolute best chance,” said Mackowiak.

He added that access to mass transit and environmental issues will also be factored in.

But could the MLB’s two Texas teams, Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, intervene?

“This idea that we have to ask Dallas’s permission if we can have nice things is ridiculous,” said Mackowiak, noting it’s the owners of the current 30 MLB teams who will have the final say.

“It’s going to create more rivalries, more interest, and therefore more revenue for all,” said Fox.

On Tuesday, officials with Round Rock Express, the minor league affiliate for the Texas Rangers, referred KVUE to remarks CEO Reid Ryan recently made to the Austin Business Journal in a July 17 article. Those include, "If baseball was to expand and they were wanting to come to Central Texas, without a doubt we would want to be a part of it."

All sides say they’re still very early in the process.

KVUE also reached out to Major League Baseball, the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros for reaction on Tuesday but did not hear back.” KVUE

~ “Effort underway to bring Major League Baseball team to Austin — is it possible?” KXAN’s Grace Reader – “On a muggy Texas Tuesday afternoon, one where most people found refuge in air conditioning, I found myself standing in the sun near first base at Krieg Fields talking to Carlos Valdez, one of Austin’s parks workers who was painting the first base line.

Saying Valdez likes sports would be a tragic understatement. Within five minutes of knowing him, I found out he had been on the news before: he was once a professional boxer.

But before he tells you about that, he’ll tell you about his granddaughter who plays baseball (that conversation is accompanied by Facebook photos). Baseball runs in the family.

So when I told Valdez the story I was working on Tuesday — about two Austinites who were creating a commission with the end goal of bringing an MLB expansion team to Austin — Valdez was eager to share his thoughts.

“I hope we do get a team here for baseball because it’s just growing and Austin is growing,” Valdez said. “It would be good for the economy, too.”

The two men behind that movement to get a team to Austin — Derrik Fox, a tech salesman, and Matt Mackowiak, a political figure who also co-founded Save Austin Now, a PAC responsible for successfully getting Austin’s camping ban on the ballot.

Together, they’ve created the Austin Baseball Commission, which is working to get Austin on the short list of cities that should be on the MLB’s radar as the league looks to expand to 32 teams.

In our interview with them Tuesday, the two didn’t need to be prompted to talk about the challenges this endeavor could face, the most obvious being the cost and the second being locating a spot for the stadium.

“There is the financial element which is significant, it’s a $3-4 billion enterprise. There’s a need to have a suitable site for the stadium — 80-100 acres with mixed-use, with mass transit, with affordable housing in an area that works for the city,” Mackowiak said.

As for the first steps toward getting there, the commission is gathering committee members now, which will be announced in the next few weeks. Those will include leadership, investor recruitment, business, government and baseball advisory committees.

While waiting for the MLB to announce its process for expansion — which could happen over the next couple years — the group would like to have the following achieved:

• Show there is “immense” community support for a team

• Identify workable sites for a ballpark

• Recruit “a very serious and very credible, local investor group”

• Garner the backing of local and state government.

“We want to be in a substantially more advanced position in all of those areas by the end of this year,” Mackowiak said. …

How much would it cost?

According to the Associated Press, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in 2021 that the MLB would consider expansion fees in the $2.2 billion range for new franchises.

“If in fact these assets are worth an average of $2.2 billion, I think that’s kind of a lodestar in terms of where you would start in terms of evaluating expansion opportunity,” Manfred said, according to AP. “Expansion is not purely additive, right, from the perspective of the existing owners. There are huge shared revenue streams that are diluted as a result of having 32 as opposed to 30 as your denominator, and if that was in fact the expansion number, and that has to be taken into account, as well.”

That doesn’t include the amount of money it would take to build a ballpark. In Texas, stadiums have taken the retractable roof approach. Arlington’s Globe Life Stadium, where the Rangers play, cost $1.2 billion, according to the MLB.

In Arlington, the city’s investment into the ballpark was capped at $500 million, which it collected through sales, hotel and car rental taxes.

Wait, the MLB is expanding?

Manfred has repeatedly said that he would like to expand the MLB from 30 to 32 teams, but said he would not consider that shift until after the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays secured new ballparks.

With Tampa Bay on its way to getting a fully redeveloped ballpark and the Oakland Athletics shuffling their attention to Las Vegas, the conversation around a possible expansion is once again gaining traction.

According to the Associated Press, the very soonest this could all happen, “would probably be around 2028 at least.” But again, no official expansion announcement has been made. …

“If Austin loses because it’s a fair fight and the owners decide two other markets are better than Austin, we’ll accept that. What we’re unwilling to accept is to lose a game we don’t even try to win,” Mackowiak said.” KXAN

THE BLOTTER

~ “1 injured in shooting at northeast Austin apartment complex,” KVUE’s Morgan McGrath – “The Austin Police Department (APD) is investigating after a person was shot early Wednesday morning in northeast Austin. 

Officers arrived before 3:30 a.m. to an apartment complex on Clayton Lane, located off Interstate 35 and East Highway 290. 

APD confirmed one person was shot on scene, but the severity of their injuries is unknown. 

No deaths were reported, and an investigation is currently ongoing. 

No additional details are available at this time.” KVUE

~ “AFD: Man arrested after intentionally starting fire at southeast Austin apartment,” KVUE’s Morgan McGrath – “A 28-year-old man was arrested after he purposefully lit a fire inside a southeast Austin apartment complex, the Austin Fire Department (AFD) said Tuesday.

According to the AFD, Austin Police Department (APD) officers arrived at the 1700 block of Burton Drive just before 4 p.m. on Friday, July 26. There, officers noticed a burnt smell and found singed paper.

Officers spoke with a witness, who confirmed the initial report that a man had intentionally lit a fire inside the residence. Officers detained Carlos Humberto Herrera-Anariba and notified AFD's Arson Division.

AFD investigators responded and noticed a growing burning smell at the apartment, so they removed portions of the drywall. During that search, fire crews found burnt toilet paper inside the wall, which AFD said was enough evidence to move forward and arrest Herrera-Anariba.

Herrera-Anariba has booked into the Travis County Jail, charged with arson of habitation. His bond has been set at $15,000.

AFD said the fire caused approximately $500 in damages to the apartment complex. No injuries were reported.” KVUE

CITY HALL

~ “Austin weighs development staffing cuts as local construction slows,” Community Impact Austin’s Ben Thompson – “After years of heightened activity amid a local building boom, Austin's Development Services Department could be ramping down its staffing levels in response to a construction slowdown.

What's happening

DSD staffing was one of several topics addressed July 30 as City Council members continue to review Austin's proposed fiscal year 2024-25 budget. DSD, based out of the city Permitting and Development Center in Highland, handles all aspects of city building reviews and permitting.

The department now has hundreds of staffers and recently grew its workforce by dozens of positions in 2018 and 2020. Since a department merge last March, DSD has also included city code compliance work.

DSD's proposed budget for FY 2024-25 calls to remove about two dozen full-time development staff positions—many of which were sitting vacant—due largely to "contraction in development activity" in Austin, according to the budget. At the same time, some code enforcement positions would be added.

Looking ahead, the city's FY 2025-26 budget plan would cut a further 55 DSD employees. Budget Officer Kerri Lang said the changes were proposed in an attempt to "right-size" the department the face of a potentially lower workload following its recent growth.

DSD Director José Roig said the department would plan to use more temporary or contracted staff for support if development activity ramps back up, rather than budgeting for additional full-time employees.

If the adjustments are approved, council member Ryan Alter said the department should still make sure it's ready for a return to increased construction levels in the future.

"My concern is that it feels like we’re always not only reactive, but just behind," Alter said. "When we got to the surge in development, we were behind. And then we had to take time to staff up, and by the time we staffed up there was a big backlog. And now we have those individuals and we’re trying to clear some of that backlog, and now we’re going to get rid of a bunch of people and it feels like we’re going to end up right back there again."

The city also anticipates DSD's spending and revenues will fall by millions of dollars amid the contraction. Given that outlook, some development fees could increase by over 10% in FY 2024-25 to keep up city collections.

Also of note

The staffing changes would come as DSD continues working on fixes to Austin's permitting process, which local builders and residents had asked to correct for years.

City officials hired a consultant last year to dig into city development services and find ways to improve some processes. Out of almost four dozen recommendations, 23 have been completed while 19 are still in the works.

DSD officials said the changes have led to a dramatic decrease in the timeline for commercial site plan reviews so far.

The city aims to complete such reviews in 28 days on average, but as of last March it was typically taking closer to 100. Assistant DSD Director Keith Mars said that timeline was trimmed to about 32 days by the end of 2023, in part because of some recent changes.

Alter called that update an "encouraging" sign, especially looking ahead to a time when more construction starts getting underway.

"I think that’s the most important thing right now, is to get the process really fundamentally strong," he said. "We know development is going to happen again in this city. And if we don’t have the process right we’re going to end up right back where we were.”” Community Impact ($)

~ “Major gas bill hike to be contested by city this fall,” Austin Monitor’s Lina Fisher – “You might have a much higher gas bill next year, pending an upcoming decision this fall by the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry.

Texas Gas Service proposed a rate hike this year that could raise some Austin-area residents’ bills by up to $10 a month next year. It was supposed to go into effect July 8, but Austin, West Lake Hills, Bee Cave and Pflugerville, among other cities, have all passed resolutions to suspend the increase for 90 days. This fall or winter, a coalition of cities plan to appeal the rate to the Railroad Commission on behalf of ratepayers, with Austin as the city with the most customers.

TGS attributes the rate hike to $25.7 million in revenue lost during the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2021 Winter Storm Uri, it noted in a June 3 statement announcing the increases. On its website, TGS adds that “demand has grown faster than supply can keep up with, coupled with the general state of the economy, war in Ukraine and extreme weather events, we see higher prices across the globe. In fact, natural gas prices are nearly 100% higher than a year ago.” However, the 2021 Texas Legislature paved the way for gas companies to recoup winter-storm-related debt by charging residential consumers higher rates for the next 30 years, the Austin Monitor reported at the time.

Under TGS’s proposal, the increases will vary depending on the size of a residential property: Small properties (those that use 17 Ccf, a unit that measures the volume of 100 cubic feet of natural gas) can expect a $6.26 monthly increase while a larger home (that uses 43 Ccf) could add on up to $9.53. Paul Robbins, a longtime consumer advocate, said offering two different rates for consumers to choose from is unnecessarily confusing. Robbins also calls into question why TGS needs to recoup all those costs now: “In 2020, they had a rate case, and the basis for that rate was set, but they could do interim annual adjustments to that. So if there was an unexpected Winter Storm Uri or Covid problem that caused rates to go up, then that would presumably have happened in the year that it happened.”

Consumer charges have already gone up every year, due to Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program increases. To Robbins, the rate increase proposal is much higher than would make sense for those years from which TGS claims the increase needs to be recouped. Using TGS data, Robbins has calculated the average customer’s bill increase since 2019, using the small and large consumers’ average usage of about 30 Ccf. Between 2019 and 2024, bills went up by 57 percent due to regular GRIP increases; this most recent proposed rate would increase the monthly bill for 2025 by 106 percent over the 2019 rate and around 31 percent compared to this year’s rate. 

Additionally, the new rates would actually decrease for all the commercial and industrial customers as they increase for residential consumers. Small and large commercial customers would see a 9 percent and 7 percent decrease, respectively. Industrial consumers would see a whopping 34 percent decrease. 

Meanwhile, as the Monitor recently reported, the city’s Resource Management Commission has been asking that City Council authorize changing its ordinance to allow it to comment on TGS rate-setting as well as environmental concerns, at Robbins’ urging. Council’s Audit & Finance Committee heard arguments about the changes on Tuesday, and Council Member Alison Alter called into question why city finance staff members seem to be resisting the city commission’s involvement in the rate-setting process, even sending a memo to the committee on July 18 discouraging them from passing the resolution. 

Shane Johnson, clean energy organizer for the Sierra Club’s Lone Star chapter, who served on the city’s Resource Management Commission from 2018 until this June, told the Monitor in an email that Sierra Club could become an intervenor in the case: “We are considering the rate hike and exploring our options to engage, but in the meantime we call on all Austinites to write their City Council member and raise your concerns about paying even more in utility costs.”

“We heard from thousands of Austinites during Austin Energy’s rate increase in 2022,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately City Finance and Legal staff have been working in bad faith seemingly to undermine this effort to simply provide additional community input and a further advisory role on this matter to City Council.”

For now, Sierra Club’s position is that “renters, working people, and the folks who keep Austin moving shouldn’t have to bear increased costs from a climate disaster like Winter Storm Uri, especially when several gas companies in Texas made massive profits during the storm.” However, they also note that “even if we mobilize to Austin City Council and they are convinced this rate hike is inequitable and unnecessary, Texas Gas Service will appeal the vote and likely have it overruled by the RRC (Railroad Commission).”” Austin Monitor

~ “Police to conduct training exercise at RRISD high school,” KXAN’s Anthony Torres – “Round Rock ISD said there will be a large police vehicle presence at McNeil High School on Wednesday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while law enforcement conducts training exercises, according to a social media post.

McNeil High School is located at 5720 McNeil Drive near the intersection of W Parmer Lane.

Round Rock ISD did not specify what kind of training police will be conducting.

This exercise comes after various agencies in Hays County conducted an active shooter response exercise at Cypress Springs Elementary in Dripping Springs Independent School District last Friday.” KXAN

BUSINESS NEWS

~ “Here’s why some airlines are cutting nonstop flights at ABIA,” Austin Business Journal’s Bob Sechler – “Passenger traffic has been near all-time highs at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, but that hasn’t stopped some airlines — such as American Airlines — from cutting back on direct flights to and from the facility.

The trend isn’t as contradictory as it may seem, however. Travel has been way up nationwide amid a post-pandemic boom, but experts said the airline industry managed to overestimate it, prompting ongoing route adjustments and other measures to lower costs.

“The simple truth is (the airline industry) probably dumped too much capacity onto the market" in the wake of the pandemic, said David Vernon, an airlines analyst with Bernstein. "The industry certainly has some capacity that it needs to trim."

The number of travelers has soared at ABIA, reaching a record of more than 22 million in 2023, up nearly 28% from 17.3 million in 2019 just prior to the pandemic. It's unclear if the airport will set a new record for passenger traffic in 2024, although five of the top 10 busiest days in its history have occurred so far this year, according to ABIA. Four of the others were in 2023, and one was in 2022.

Still, ABIA has been making headlines in recent months for announcements regarding airline route cuts and for its ongoing multibillion-dollar expansion.

The latest came July 29, when American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL) said it was cutting five more nonstop routes from ABIA, on top of 21 route cuts it announced in November and one it announced July 18. In addition, low-cost carrier Allegiant Travel Co. (Nasdaq: ALGT), known as Allegiant Air, said earlier this month it was cutting seven nonstop routes out of ABIA. And, Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) said in April that it planned to cut a direct flight to Cozumel, Mexico, as part of a network adjustment.

At least one airline — Virgin Atlantic — blamed a soft tech sector for pulling its nonstop flight between Austin and Heathrow Airport in London.

Representatives of American Airlines didn't immediately respond to requests for comment regarding its latest cuts. In a statement to KXAN News, however, the airline said the move is being made "as part of the continuous evaluation of our network." It added that Austin customers still will have access "to our comprehensive global network of more than 350 destinations with one-stop connections,” and it said it intends to increase seat capacity this winter from Austin to several of its hubs.

What it didn't say is that nonstop routes being cut either weren't profitable or were only marginally so, but Vernon said that's a primary culprit behind the ongoing adjustments to airline networks industrywide amid a glut of capacity.

“The only reason these airlines are cutting these flights is because they’re not making money right now," he said.

Several airlines — ranging from American to Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Southwest Airlines — have recently reported disappointing second-quarter financial results, with industry overcapacity partly to blame.

“We see the industry already taking pretty significant corrective action by pulling capacity down,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. “And we expect by the end of August, we’ll have that back in balance.”

Sam Haynes, ABIA's deputy chief of communications and marketing, said passenger traffic at the Austin airport has "stabilized" recently — meaning its growth rate has slowed from its post-pandemic boom — but remains extremely high. The airport isn't forecasting a full-year figure for 2024, but she said it likely will be near 2023's record.” ABJ ($)

OTHER NEWS

~ “Austin, Texas ranks as best city in the US to start a business,” Austin American-Statesman’s Marley Malenfant – “Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit, or are you thinking about starting your own business? Maybe you have a great idea, but you are not sure what city you want to start it in. 

According to a study by USA TODAY, Texas has cities that are great for pursuing a business. The article pulls studies from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

And with a city like Austin home to businesses such as YETI, IBM, Dell Technologies, and Oracle, there could be optimism that others will do the same. 

Here’s a look at how well Texas cities do when starting a business. 

The top 10 cities to start a business in the U.S.

According to USA TODAY's research, here is the list of the top 10 cities in the U.S. to start a business.

1. Austin, Texas.

2. Miami, Florida. 

3. Nashville, Tennessee. 

4. Dallas, Texas.

5. Atlanta, Georgia. 

6. Phoenix, Arizona.

7. Jacksonville, Florida.

8. Raleigh, North Carolina.

9. Houston, Texas.

10. Tampa, Florida.

What Texas cities have the most entreprenurs?

USA TODAY examined metrics of 15 of the most popular cities in the U.S. 

According to their list, here a list of cities with the most entrepreneurs:

1. Los Angeles 

2. Nashville 

3. San Francisco 

4. San Diego 

5. Miami 

6. Austin 

7. Sacramento 

8. Portland 

9. Dallas 

10. Denver 

11. Houston 

12. Washington 

13. Atlanta 

14. Oklahoma City 

15. San Antonio” AAS ($)

~ “Food, job assistance easier to access in new nonprofit partnership,” KXAN’s Dylan McKim — “The Central Texas Food Bank is partnering with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to create a one-stop shop for community members to receive food and job assistance services.

Both services will now be provided under one roof at the Central Texas Food Bank headquarters on Metropolis Drive. This comes as Travis County sees an increase in demand for these types of services.

Sari Vatske, the CEO and President of the Central Texas Food Bank, said last year the food bank nearly saw 178,000 food insecure individuals and is anticipating about 208,000 people to go through their doors this year. That demand can be attributed to population growth and the high cost of living.

“Anytime we can provide co-located services for the increased need is a win-win for both organizations, but most importantly for those we are trying to serve,” Vatske explained.

The food bank sees between 30 and 40 people come through their doors daily, and expects that number to swell after the partnership. Vatske said the organization is ready to accommodate the increased traffic.

Career counselors from Workforce Solutions Capital Area will be able to connect people to in-demand jobs and career training. The new partnership begins on Wednesday.” KXAN

~ “Hamilton Pool visitors frustrated with closed swimming areas,” Fox 7 Austin’s John Krinjak — “Visitors to Travis County's Hamilton Pool Preserve are growing frustrated over the often-closed swimming area. 

Swimming was allowed on Tuesday, July 30, but, so far in 2024, that's only been the case about half the time. In fact, much of the pool itself has been shut down indefinitely since the 2021 winter storm.

When it comes to the closures, Travis County officials say there are two main culprits: high bacteria levels and falling rocks. 

"We checked the website this morning, and we saw that there was no swimming, so we were a little upset, because we had made our reservation a couple of months ago," said Ken Morton, a Hamilton Pool visitor from Austin. 

"We were kind of sad because we wanted to swim," said Mika Morton of Austin. 

In fact, from Jan. 1 through July 17 of this year, swimming was allowed on 104 days, but there was no swimming on 95 days. 

Travis County officials say bacteria levels have been elevated lately, leading to the pool's closure for much of the summer. Experts say poor water quality is the downside to the heavy rainfall we've seen in recent weeks. 

"That's always happened since the existence of the pool itself," said Hector Nieto, director of Travis County's public information office. 

2 Central Texas pools shut down due to high levels of bacteria

Travis County Parks announced Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs has to temporarily shut down for swimming due to recent rain and the threat of high bacteria levels.

"Runoff levels that pour into the pool do cause increased bacteria levels," said Nieto. "And so, out of the abundance of caution, we close the pool to let those bacteria levels go back to normal before we allow swimmers to go back."

But Nieto says too little rain can also lead the pool to close. That's been a problem given the ongoing drought in recent years. 

"Obviously, then that means our water levels are going to be low. And so we have to be mindful of the ecological impacts and what may also occur when more people start visiting the pool," said Nieto.” Fox 7 Austin

SPORTS

~ TEXAS FOOTBALL: “Experienced offensive line, deep defensive line lead Texas Longhorns into SEC,” KXAN’s Billy Gates — “Great football teams have a great offensive line, and as far as Texas Longhorns co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood is concerned, his squad fits the bill perfectly.

With training camp set to begin Wednesday for the Longhorns, Flood and other assistant coaches spoke with media members as an unofficial kick-off to the preseason. Texas, picked by media members to finish second in its first Southeastern Conference season, returns almost the entire offensive line from last year’s College Football Playoff team. Only Christian Jones left for the NFL, and Flood said the unit’s high expectations should be viewed as a privilege.

“It raises the bar and raises expectations to play at a high level,” Flood said. “You have to earn those expectations.”

Led by center Jake Majors who returns with 41 career starts, the Longhorns offensive line is experienced and deep. Flood said he anticipates up to eight guys, potentially more, to contribute in a significant way this season. Left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. has started in all 27 games he’s played in and was a first-team All-SEC preseason selection after his second-team All-America honor last season. DJ Campbell, Cole Hutson, Cam Williams and Hayden Conner have combined to play in 100 games throughout their careers and 5-star freshman recruit Brandon Baker joins the fray, so the Longhorns are set up for success up front.

“This is a rare year. I’ve only had this situation a couple of times,” he said. “Going into my fourth year here, working with these players and having this number of starts returning. We have high standards in the room and we’re looking forward to the next month to do everything we need to do.”

Texas ranked No. 9 in the country in total offense last season, averaging 477.5 yards per game, and a lot of that starts with the big guys up front.

On the defensive side, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said he likes the depth along the defensive line. That’s what made them so good last season, especially against the run, so now the focus turns to becoming perfect when it comes to fundamentals.

“Block destruction, across the board,” he said. “We’ve got to create turnovers, create fumbles … we’d love to get more production punching the ball out, and tackling.”

He said the Longhorns had an 80% tackle rate, meaning they missed 20% of their attempted takedowns, and he’d love for that to be closer to 85% or 90%. He said a lot of the passing yards they allowed last season would go down because a lot of the missed tackles were in the secondary.

“Every year, you’re always trying to find that edge to get you over the hump,” he said.” KXAN

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

~ LIVE MUSIC: Howie Day at The 04 Center (2701 S. Lamar Blvd). Doors at 7p. Show at 8p. Tickets $25-$40. Info here.

~ COCKTAILS: “Top Austin cocktail bar’s sister space expands service after renovations” Culture Map

~ STAY COOL: “Keep Yourself Cool at These Austin Bars with Pools” Austin Chronicle

~ PICKLEBALL: “Where to Play Pickleball While Eating and Drinking in the Austin Area” Austin Eater

~ DINING: “12 Austin Restaurant Closings to Know Right Now” Austin Eater

COOL JOB ALERT

~TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BUILDERS: Communications Manager (Austin, TX). Salary commensurate with experience. Info / apply here.