ATX PULSE 8/23/24: Sensor Blamed for Turning off 7K Air Conditioners on Hottest Day of Year // SW ATX Residents Asked to Conserve Today // Fmr. AISD Exec Accused of Stealing Up to $150k // E. ATX Homicide is Year's 40th

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TOP NEWS

“Protective sensor blamed for turning off 7,000 air conditioners on Austin’s hottest day,” CBS Austin’s Bettie Cross — “Austin Energy says a sensor is to blame for knocking out power to about 7,000 customers on what was likely the hottest day of the year.

East Austin customers lost power for four hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening.

The temperature peaked at a record-setting 109 degrees at the same time a protective sensor shut down thousands of air conditioners. Austin Energy says the system worked the way it’s designed to work and protected against “catastrophic damage” to a substation.

“Substation transformers are equipped with protective systems and they work like electrical system protection works in your house, for instance, a fuse or a breaker box. So, when high amounts of current are being pulled into that substation and into that transformer if it gets overused or overheated it shuts down. It’s a safety mechanism,” said Matt Mitchell with Austin Energy. “One of the benefits of that is if we didn’t have those protective systems in place it would continue pulling so much power that you’re in danger of a catastrophic system failure.”

Austin Energy has 85 substations scattered throughout the Austin area. It only takes a problem at one to knock out power to more than 7,000 homes.

“Power went out! We’re like what happened,” said Castro. “It was hot.”

It’s ironic that Castro lost electricity since he lives next door to an Austin Energy substation. His first thought was that East Austin’s fast-paced growth had something to do with the outage.

“Bigger homes, higher energy plus a lot more apartments and businesses going up,” said Castro.

It turns out Castro was right. Austin Energy says so much power was being used the usually high demand tripped a breaker. CBS Austin asked Mitchell if the 7,000 customers who lost power on Wednesday might see a repeat on Thursday when temperatures hit 107 degrees.

“We went back and recalibrated those sensors and those settings so they could accommodate higher usage into that substation and on that particular transformer,” said Mitchell.” CBS Austin

“Southwest Austin residents asked to conserve power Friday after outage,” KVUE’s Morgan McGrath — “Austin Energy is asking some residents to conserve power Friday afternoon after an outage impacted thousands of residents Thursday night. 

At approximately 8:20 p.m. Thursday, crews responded to an outage after a transformer went offline in southwest Austin, which affected at least 6,400 customers in the area. 

An hour later, roughly 4,000 users had their power back on, while about 2,000 were still left in the dark. 

Around 2 a.m. Friday morning, those still without power were "switched to other circuits" as "a temporary solution."

Austin Energy is still trying to find a permanent fix as crews continue to address the issue. The company said it's testing the current transformer in an attempt to return service Friday, but that could take at least a day. 

During this time, a temporary transformer is in use, and some customers could lose power. 

Austin Energy said the outage is a local concern and is not impacted by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT. 

The company plans to host a press conference at 10 a.m. Friday at Austin City Hall to update residents on a potential outage.

Southwest Austin residents are being asked to use limited energy between 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Friday afternoon. 

Austin Energy said customers should increase their thermostats slightly and avoid using vents in rooms that are not in use. Window units in unused rooms should also be turned off. 

Customers should also close blinds facing the sun, unplug all devices not being used, and they should also avoid using their ovens during the peak heat of the day.” KVUE

“Austin ISD central office remains closed Friday due to power outage,” CBS Austin’s Stephanie Becerra — “Austin ISD says their central office will remain closed on Friday, August 23 after an overnight power outage.

The center is located at 4000 S Interstate 35 Frontage Road.

If families are looking for enrollment assistance, they're asked to go to their campus until the power gets turned back on.” CBS Austin

“Former Austin ISD executive accused of stealing thousands from district,” KXAN’s Kelly Wiley — “A former public school official is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the Austin Independent School District for nearly a year.

A grand jury on Friday indicted Lynn Brennan, 45, who used to be AISD’s Executive Director of Compensation and Benefits, with stealing between $30,000 and $150,000 from the district using gift cards. Austin ISD and police haven’t specified the exact amount believed to be stolen.

The indictment alleges Brennan stole the district’s funds beginning in May 2022 and continuing until March 2023. However, according to district officials, Brennan resigned from the district in July 2022 and began working for the city that same month.

Bond records list Angelica Williams, another former AISD employee who worked in her department, as Brennan’s co-defendant. City of Austin officials said in a statement to KXAN that Williams was also recently indicted in connection with her previous employment with AISD.

Williams also resigned on Sept. 1 before being hired at the same city department as Brennan.

KXAN contacted Brennan and her attorney for comment. We will update this story when we receive a response. As of Thursday afternoon, attorney information for Williams wasn’t available in court records.” KXAN

THE BLOTTER

~ “East Austin homicide is city’s 40th this year; police investigating,” via Fox 7 Austin – “The Austin Police Department is investigating a homicide in East Austin. It's the city's 40th homicide of the year.

APD responded to a call at around 8:30 p.m. to the 6300 block of Thurgood Avenue, between Arthur Stiles Road and Boggy Creek.

When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Officers attempted life-saving measures, but they were unsuccessful, and the man died at the scene.

There is no suspect information at this time.

APD says there is no danger to the public.

If anybody has any information regarding this incident, you're asked to reach out to investigators using the Homicide Tip Line at (512) 477-3588.

Or you can call Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-TIPS (8477).” Fox 7 Austin

~ “Community on alert after attempted abduction of 16-year-old girl in north Austin,” CBS Austin’s Monique Lopez – “We're learning new details about the attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl from a bus stop in north Austin.

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office says this happened early Wednesday morning in the 16000 block of FM 1325.

“She had her head on her shoulders and knew this isn’t right,” said Lt. Russell Travis with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigations division.

Frightening moments for a 16-year-old girl Wednesday morning when she was nearly kidnapped while waiting for her school bus outside an apartment complex in Williamson County.

The sheriff's office says around 6 a.m., while she waited near FM 1325 and Northridge Dr. in north Austin, she was grabbed from behind.

“She was approached by a tall, heavyset Black male that was bald and had one eye; she said he had an empty eye socket,” Russell said. “He came up and grabbed her from behind and said, ‘Come with me.’”

The sheriff’s office says they believed the suspect wasn't armed when this happened, and the teen managed to get away from the man and return home unharmed.

News of the attempted kidnapping happening so early in the morning is shocking for some. …

The attacker in this case has not yet been identified.

Anyone with any information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at512-943-1311 [email protected].” CBS Austin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

~ “Downtown Commission gets preview of next chapter for John Henry Faulk building and Austin History Center,” Austin Monitor’s Amy Smith – “With the Austin History Center “busting at the seams” with, well, history, city library officials have been preparing the John Henry Faulk Building next door to house the History Center’s vast collection of archives.

Both the History Center and the Faulk Building, formerly Austin’s Central Library, are undergoing a rebranding of sorts as the two Guadalupe Street sites evolve into a more cohesive campus with a public plaza and other welcoming features, plus expanded programming at the two facilities.

On Wednesday, Library Director Roosevelt Weeks and Cody Scott, facilities manager for the city’s libraries, briefed the Downtown Commission on this endeavor, made possible with funding from the city’s 2018 bond program and other bond projects. Additional financing for phase two of this undertaking is expected to be drawn from a future bond program.

For now, the Faulk Building is nearing completion of substantial renovations of the second and third floors for archival storage, with enough space to continue growing the collection. The project required asbestos and lead abatement, extensive electrical and plumbing upgrades, and improvements to the first-floor lobby. Several unmet needs remain, including a new chiller and other infrastructure improvements.

“All of this was really focused in on what we needed infrastructure-wise in order to support the archives moving over (to Faulk),” Scott said, noting the significant fire-suppression improvements required to secure the archives. Much of the work in this first phase will be completed by mid-September, Scott added.

“We still have a lot to do. … We haven’t operated in that building in five or six years on a regular basis, so that’s going to take us a little bit of time to get ready, but we are going to expedite getting the public space ready, which will include part of the first-floor entrance and up the grand staircase to the second floor,” Scott told commissioners.” Austin Monitor

BUSINESS NEWS

~ “Southwest adding two non-stops from Austin,” via KXAN – “Southwest Airlines is expanding its network from Austin with plans to launch two new nonstop routes in March.

Flights from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Reno, Nevada, will take off March 6. The Milwaukee route will operate year-round each weekday, while the Reno route will be seasonal and “less than daily.”

The Austin-Reno route is currently served by American Airlines, while the Milwaukee route is brand new for the airport. Southwest will also resume seasonal service to Panama City, Florida; Montrose, Colorado and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March.” KXAN

~ “Freebirds World Burrito CEO is out following acquisition of the burrito chain,” Austin Business Journal’s Sahar Chmais – “Freebirds World Burrito's longtime leader is out as a result of a Dallas-area restaurant group buying the burrito chain.

Alex Eagle, the Austin-based chain's CEO, confirmed his last day was Aug. 5. The former executive started working at Freebirds in 2011, became interim CEO in 2017 and officially took the helm in 2018.

Sun Holdings LLC, a powerhouse in restaurant franchising out of Farmers Branch in North Texas, recently acquired the burrito chain for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition included Freebirds' 64 stores across Texas.

Eagle said the decision to put the business on the market was made by former owner Tavistock Group. Tavistock declined to comment on the sale.

Representatives of Sun Holdings did not respond to a request for comment.” ABJ ($)

OTHER NEWS

~ “As students rush sororities, UTPD reports more incidents involving unhoused population,” KVUE’s Melia Masumoto – “More students are returning to Austin for the start of the school year at the University of Texas. But that return also means more encounters with the unhoused population in West Campus.

On Wednesday, the UT Austin Police Department (UTPD) sent out an advisory saying that with sorority and fraternity recruitment underway, the department has been seeing an increase in incidents with the unhoused population acting inappropriately or suspiciously.

SafeHorns, an organization dedicated to advocating for safety in West Campus, also said every year, sorority recruitment tends to bring a lot more unhoused people to the area.

“Unfortunately, now that we have a lot of female students coming to participate in recruitment for Greek life, they know and they see the girls walking about,” said Joell McNew, the president of SafeHorns.

This year, SafeHorns said starting on Wednesday, they have already been hearing from potential new sorority members – also called PNMs – who say they have witnessed lewd behavior, been harassed and even been chased by unhoused people as they were walking to the sorority houses.

“It’s disgusting," McNew said. "It shouldn’t be the norm, and we shouldn’t be desensitized to that." …

In its advisory, UTPD said it has added extra officers and West Campus Ambassadors to patrol the area during this time.

When students call the West Campus Ambassadors, two ambassadors will meet the students and escort them to safety, anytime from 7 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. The group's phone number is 512-429-3278, and SafeHorns recommends that every student save that number in their phone.

UTPD also has an app called LiveSafe, where students can text officers, receive safety alerts, call 911 and even have anyone from their contacts track their location while they're walking. The app also allows students to report suspicious activity and incidents.

“They need to be situationally aware that they need to report and not assume someone else has reported,” McNew said.” CBS Austin

~ “UT System bars institutions from making statements ‘based on political or social passions’,” Austin American-Statesman’s Lily Kepner – “The UT System Board of Regents approved a new measure in its free speech policy Thursday barring the system and its institutions, including the University of Texas, from taking political stances or making statements on matters not immediately pertinent to their campuses or operations.

It is not “the role of the UT System or UT institutions to adopt positions based on political or social passions or pressures," the new rule states.

"Institutions should not, in their official capacity, issue or express positions on issues of the day, however appealing they may be to some members of the university community," the guideline continues.

Though the regents' new order does not affect individuals at the institutions, it applies to official system and university functions, ceremonies, publications and statements.

UT System spokesperson Paul Corliss said the change was inspired by the University of Chicago's 1967 Kalven report that insists on the importance of institutional neutrality except for instances that directly threaten the university. The spokesperson said the change is intended to foster a climate in which students, faculty and staff members are freer to express their positions and beliefs.

"The University of Texas System’s commitment to free speech and open inquiry is unequivocal and demonstrated by its earlier adoption of the principles set forth in the Chicago Statement on Free Speech," Corliss' statement said. "Similarly, today the Board of Regents endorsed an addition to UT System policy that further ensures that all members of its university communities are free to express their views.

"Rooted in the Kalven Report from the University of Chicago, the policy reflects the principle that the institution's role is not to take positions on political, social, or other matters unrelated to its operation but to uphold a community where students, faculty, and staff have the freedom to do so."“ AAS ($)

SPORTS

~ TEXAS FOOTBALL: Cedric Golden column: “Retired Texas football legend Colt McCoy did it the right way,” via Austin American-Statesman — “Wouldn’t we all love to be Colt McCoy?

The Longhorn legend squeezed every drop of potential out of his 6-foot-2-inch frame and parlayed a record-breaking college career into a rewarding 14-year journey in the NFL.

“Football is awesome,” McCoy said in a video posted Tuesday on X. “It’s done so much for me, and for my family and my wife. I’m sad it’s over but I’m also really excited about the opportunities with NBC and all the other exciting things that are on the horizon.”

Honestly, McCoy, a third-round pick in 2010 who played for five different teams before announcing his retirement, would have played until the wheels fell completely off, but it was time to go. He told me last year after the Arizona Cardinals released him in a surprise move that the right offer would get him off the couch and back on to the field. 

Sure, the phone rang, but the lowball offers that followed weren’t enough to get him back out there, not at an advanced age (of 37) with a wife and four kiddos.

So the latest recent inductee into the Texas Hall of Honor is officially hanging up the cleats.

Job well done.

McCoy just signed on to become a Big Ten college football color commentator and will make his debut Sept. 7, when Colorado visits Nebraska.

“In a standout career at Texas, Colt McCoy starred in many of college football’s biggest games and fiercest rivalries,” NBC executive producer Sam Flood said. “What a way to kick it off with Colorado-Nebraska.”” AAS ($)

~ CEN TEX HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: “No. 1 Westlake enters 2024 season as Central Texas’ top football teams,” Austin American-Statesman’s Rick Cantu — “Here are the top Central Texas high school football teams:

No. 1 Westlake

A closer look at the Westlake Chaparrals, the No. 1 team in our Central Texas preseason countdown:

2023: The Chaparrals went 14-1 overall and 10-0 in the regular season for the second straight year. They took the District 26-6A crown with a 7-0 record. They defeated Round Rock, San Antonio Reagan, Laredo United and Lake Travis before losing in the Division I state semifinals to North Shore for the second straight season.

2024: The preseason schedule is tough: Prosper, San Benito, Atascocita and Cibolo Steele had a combined record of 46-9. Yet there is optimism with the return of QB Rees Wise and receivers Brody Wilhelm and Cal Livengood. The defense will be the team's strength with veteran linemen Maddox Flynt and Connor Vasek, linebacker Elliott Schaper and defensive backs Payton Luther and Thompson Bennett. Starters returning — 7 offense, 5 defense.

Notable losses: RB Jack Kayser (Army), OL Tyler Knape (Cal), ), PK Spencer Barnett (Texas), CB Judson Crockett (TCU) and CB Denim Collins.

About the Chaparrals: With 58 seniors on the roster, depth will be critical for a team that lost some key starters. Wise has shown more strength and versatility in his second season as the starting quarterback. The Chaps have a history of outstanding offensive linemen, and this team will be no different with Jared Risinger and William Twardowski back in the fold.

After winning state three straight years, the Chaps lost in the semifinals the past two years. As Tony Salazar prepares for his third year as head coach, Westlake is ranked No. 4 in the state by Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine.

Betcha didn't know: Payton Luther has carved out a nice career at Westlake, but he has two older siblings who have done quite nicely too. Brother Sage Luther, a defensive back, is entering his senior year at Illinois after transferring from Colgate. Sister Dakota Luther swam competitively at Georgia and Texas. She earned All-American status in the 200 butterfly in 2023. She recently announced her retirement after the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Key game: Lake Travis, Oct. 25 — So what else is new? Westlake is ranked as the No. 1 team in Central Texas in the American-Statesman's Top 10 poll. Lake Travis is No. 2. In their last meeting, the Chaparrals edged the Cavaliers 21-14 in the fourth round of the Class 6A DI state playoffs. This year's game is at Lake Travis.

Central Texas top 10 countdown

No. 10 Georgetown

No. 9 Cedar Park

No. 8 Dripping Springs

No. 7 Liberty Hill

No. 6 LBJ

No. 5 Vandegrift

No. 4 Weiss

No. 3 Wimberley

No. 2 Lake Travis” AAS ($)

~ CEN TEX HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: “Former SMU running back Velton Gardner plans on joining Texas football team,” A

AUSTIN CULTURE

~ MUSEUM: ”The UMLAUF’s Getting Way Bigger” Austin Chronicle

~ DINING: ”Austin eatery Aviary Wine & Kitchen closes” Fox 7 Austin

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND

~ LIVE MUSIC: Miranda Lambert free pop up show today at Stubb’s at 6pm. Wristbands (1/pp) today at noon. Max capacity is 150. AAS ($)

~ ACTIVITIES: “Here are the top 7 things to do in Austin this weekend” Culture Map Austin

~ NEXT WEEKEND: “Where to Celebrate Labor Day Weekend in Austin with Food, Drinks and Parties” Austin Eater

COOL JOB ALERT

~ Policy Analyst / Senior Policy Analyst: State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney). Salary: Policy Analyst Position: $50,000-$65,000 / Senior Policy Analyst Position: $65,000-$90,000. Info / apply here.