ATX PULSE 8/5/24: 911 System 'Normalizing' After Technical Issues Sunday // Teen Placed on Bond for Murder by DA Garza Charged with Felonies in Hays County // Ethics Complaints Filed Against Watson, Greco // Kelly AAS Column: Budget Misses Opportunity to Cut Costs // Rain Causes Temporary Closure of Barton Springs Pool

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FROM THE AUSTIN BASEBALL COMMISSION: Join a Committee!

We are creating a leadership team, as well as five other committees:

• Leadership Committee

• Baseball Advisory Committee

• Business Advisory Committee

• Community Advisory Committee

• Local Politics / Government Committee

• Investor Recruitment Committee

We aim to build the broadest and strongest community effort in city history.

>> Fill out the volunteer interest form here.

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Today’s Weather: H: 98° / L: 75°. Sunny and partly cloudy. Latest forecast from Fox 7 Austin’s Leslie London here. Showers, strong storms bring heat relief, per KXAN.

TOP NEWS

~ “Austin-area 9-1-1 systems ‘normalizing’ after technical issues Sunday,” KXAN’s Billy Gates – “The city of Austin said the capital area 9-1-1 systems are “normalizing” after hours of technical issues Sunday.

The city sent an email at 4:55 p.m. that gave some details about the difficulties. Some problems include callers and dispatchers having difficulty hearing each other, automatic location not populating and calls being answered by neighboring jurisdictions.

An email at 10:09 p.m. from the city said the systems were returning to normal but an all-clear hasn’t been issued. If anyone is having trouble making or completing a call in a life-threatening emergency in Austin, dial 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 instead.

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office posted around noon on Facebook that the county was experiencing issues with its 9-1-1 system. Callers serviced by Hays County should dial 512-393-7896 if they’re having trouble getting through, the post said.” KXAN

~ “Could Austin be the next MLB city?” Fox 7 Austin’s Julia Martinez and Clif Thornton – “Could Austin become the next MLB city? Well, that's the question we're here to answer.

FOX 7 Austin's Julian Martinez and Clif Thornton were joined by Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of the Austin Baseball Commission. 

Julian Martinez: Now, this is exciting. Obviously, as a sports fan, the idea of having potentially a pro sports team that kind of gets, you know, the blood flowing a little bit. But let me ask why now? Like what? Why is this a perfect time for Austin? Really push for MLB team. 

Matt Mackowiak: Yeah. Look, I mean, I grew up in Austin. I've been here since 1984 to 10 years in D.C. after college at UT, but came back 15 years ago. I mean, I remember when I was a kid wanting a major league sports team to be in Austin and dreaming about it and hoping it would happen and knowing it would eventually happen. I'm shocked, honestly. That kid, when I moved here when I was four years old, that we would be almost 40 years later or 40 years later, Exactly. We still don't have one. What's changed is Austin is now the largest city in the country that doesn't have a top four sports franchise. And, what's also changed is that baseball has indicated that they intend to increase the makeup of the league from 30 to 32 teams, expanding by two teams, around the 2029 timeframe, the last year of commissioner, Rob Manfred's contract. If you look at the cities that are rumored, speculated about on lists in places like ESPN and other places, Austin's the largest city on that list, and it's actually really not even close. My friend Derrick Fox, our wives are friends. We've known each other three years, we've attended both of our weddings, approached me in March and said, did you know that baseball is considering expanding? And I said, I did not. And he said, did you know that Austin appears to have nothing organized? And I said, well, that doesn't surprise me. And he said, well, did you know that Nashville and Salt Lake City and Portland and, to a lesser extent, Orlando and Charlotte are very, very well organized. And I said, no, I didn't. I said, that's a problem. And so his idea was to start a fan support website to show that there's immense community support for this expansion team. We've spent four months quietly working on this, talking to lots of people, putting the pieces in place. And so, the Friday of All-Star weekend, we decided to launch the Austin Baseball Commission. And this has grown beyond just a fan-support effort. That is the core of what we have ATXMLB.com.

But what this is now is we're trying to move forward aggressively on four separate tracks in parallel, so that by the end of this year, Austin is very well organized. Doesn't mean it's all over or completely done with the work, but we are far past where we are right now. First is yes, we want to demonstrate significant community support. Second, we need to narrow to a list of potential stadium sites that are large enough, at least 80 acres. And that could work for the stadium if we were to be an expansion city. Third, and most importantly, we need to put a serious investor group together. This is a 3 to $4 billion enterprise. It's the largest economic development project in the history of Austin, with the possible exception of Samsung, which is in Taylor. But, it's a significant effort. And then fourth is we've got to bring this community together, not just the city of Austin, but Williamson County, Travis County, Hays County, the state of Texas, the city of Austin, all the municipalities together, so that even only maybe one location will actually get the stadium. The entire region is going to benefit from everything associated with this.

And so, Derrik and I started this as volunteers. This is a volunteer effort at this point. We're building out our team now our leadership committee or Baseball advisory committee, our government, business and community committees. And, the response we've seen organically the first three weeks has been extraordinary. More than 500 people expressing if they want season tickets. And this is with no paid advertising or paid promotion. We have more than 100,000 email addresses in three weeks, and with help of people like you we've been able to get our message out through our media Austin Business Journal, Community Impact, the Statesman in other places. So we're excited about what we're building. We're excited about the opportunity. It is time, guys, for Austin to join the big leagues.

Clif Thornton: You said you grew up in Austin. You've been a baseball fan for a while. You'd love to see a team here. You mentioned 4 or 5 locations in this area as to where a stadium could be. Where would you like to see a stadium? Yeah. What do you have in mind? 

Matt Mackowiak: Yeah. So look, in our mind, we think the thing that would be the single strongest economic multiplier would be downtown. It's no secret and no mystery that the image we use on our website, which was AI generated, has a stadium that envisions the skyline in the outfield, much like what you see at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and Coors Field in Denver, which are truly iconic stadiums. Whether there will be a site that's large enough and that's available and that will be. That isn't cost prohibitive. Downtown is a huge question mark. If it can't be downtown, we would love to see the central core. But look, there are going to be options in North Austin, and there are going to be options in South Austin. And when I say that it could be just outside the county line potentially. And look there will be options east. If you think about the Austin, our growth for the next 100 years is going to be east. The West is pretty built up. The north is pretty built up, the south is pretty built up. It's going to be east. So we're going to explore all those locations, whether it's county land, whether it's private land, whether it's City of Austin land, whether it's state of Texas land. So that when the investor group does come together, they're not starting from a standing stop. They're starting with an enormous amount of work being done. And we think that by doing this work, we're going to make an investor group more confident about the prospects of Austin not just winning the bid, but being able to put a serious bid together and operate a franchise that can compete. 

Clif Thornton: All right. So on one hand, we've seen on the NBA side that obviously, three franchises in Texas are the Mavericks, the Rockets and the Spurs, but then we always hear on the NFL side who knows how much of this is true. I'd imagine that maybe some of it is, that any attempt for the NFL to expand in Texas would be in San Antonio. And that would be immediately thwarted by the Jones family and the Cowboys because of their obvious stamp and hold on that particular market. Would there be some kind of pushback that you might anticipate, from the Rangers and the Astros? Or do you see this to be more of a, one more would definitely work, as we've seen with the NBA. 

Matt Mackowiak: Yeah. So on the NFL. So let me answer that first. I mean it's funny, I've actually heard some pretty credible chatter just in the last couple of weeks that the San Antonio effort has made progress. You know I'm talking about NFL. I'm not talking about anything else. Sure. Of course, they're trying to finalize their downtown stadium for NBA. The mayor of San Antonio just got on board a downtown stadium option for the minor league team, the San Antonio Missions. The advantage San Antonio has is, yes, it's further from Dallas and Houston than Austin is. And that's an advantage that's closer to Mexico, which the NFL would like. But even more than that, it's that they already have a building. Now the Alamodome is ready. It's sitting there. It's not being used 340 days out of the year, maybe more. So they have those advantages.

Now look on baseball. I wish I could tell you that the Rangers and Astros could be persuaded to support a team in Austin. I think that economically, that's impossible. That said, there are 30 owners, not two. 28 of them don't have teams in Texas. If Austin has to ask Dallas and Houston's permission for nice things, then we're not a serious city.

California has 44 million people. They have five baseball teams. We have 33 million people. We have two. Dallas is the fifth-largest television market in the country. Houston is the sixth-largest television market in the country. If those markets aren't big enough to sustain a Major League Baseball team, then baseball has a much bigger problem. Yeah. Yeah. In the end, I suspect the Rangers and Astros are going to oppose this from beginning to end. And that's and that's regrettable. That's unfortunate. They can carve up the regions they have, and that's more than enough. Austin, as the 10th largest city in the country, the largest in the country, doesn't have a major league sports team. The fastest growing large TV market in the country. We're 35th right now. When you add San Antonio, in which we would have an opportunity to do with a TV deal, we go to 20. I think it's like 27th or 25th, I think. I'm sorry. It's actually 20th. I think if you combine them.

So, look, this is a vote of all 30 owners. If we have to win 28 to 2. And that's the best we can do, that is what we're going to aim for. We would love to see if we could find accommodation that works with the Rangers and the Astros. I watch their games. I root for both teams. I've been to baseball games in both places. Most Austinites root for one team or the other or both in the playoffs, and that's a wonderful thing. But guys, come on, are we never going to get a baseball team because Dallas and Houston won't let us? It's ridiculous. 

Julian Martinez: True. But one thing I'm kind of like thinking of if this is a playoff push, right? You mentioned it earlier. Where maybe a little bit behind in the standings. We got some big bats, some nice shining tools on this team. But you know we still got to chase for it. You mentioned some of the other major markets there in Salt Lake, Nashville, Portland. It feels like Nashville is not an "if," it's "when" at this point. What do we need to do to kind of catch up because we're playing from behind a little bit? 

Matt Mackowiak: Yeah, it's a great point. And look, I actually do think Nashville is the strongest candidate of all the teams. They have an ownership group. They have a site downtown. They've had success with every major league sports franchise that they have. There I've been there. Hockey, I've been to a playoff hockey game in Nashville. Downtown's a fantastic environment. They're renovating and upgrading their football stadium, which is on the river right on Broadway, right off Broadway, right at the end of Broadway, where all the bars and country music venues are. Nashville is a city that's very similar to Austin, very similar in a lot of ways. State capital, similar size, a hot city, lots of investment, young people, you name it.

When you look at all the other cities, Austin is better than them in every meaningful way to measure it. It's just that we're two years behind when they started getting their act together and getting organized. We're just getting organized now. And so the good news is, baseball has to do two things before they can do expansion.

The first is they have to get a labor agreement. The labor agreement expires in 2026 and that's going to be a big fight. There could be a lockout. There could be a strike. There could be any number of things. I hope there isn't as a baseball fan, but they've got to figure that out first.

Second is, they have to extend their TV deal, which expires in 2028. And in fact, I should have said there was something before that, although they've really kind of, addressed about half of it. They have to get the Rays Tampa Bay Stadium situation figured out, and they actually just got figured out two days ago. And then Oakland, they have to figure out if it's moving to Vegas or not. And neither of those markets have been able to figure out a suitable, acceptable, serious stadium solution. I think Vegas will ultimately get that team. Baseball wants to be in Vegas. They should be there. It's a major market.

But so let's presume that they move to Vegas and Tampa goes through, and they get a labor contract, and they get the TV deal 2027, 2028. They should announce a process and a timeline. And by then, we want to be the strongest. Right. Look, guys, there are two gold medals here, right? There are two teams. If Nashville finishes first, whatever that means, fine. We want to finish first or second. We want to be one of the two markets that gets this team. The benefits for this region are going to be enormous. And one of the other reasons downtown is so exciting is what it would mean for tourism and for hotel rooms and for bars and restaurants. Again, it doesn't have to be downtown. It could be central core. There are a lot of options. We're not at that stage yet. Right?

But, to answer your question, we've got to get far more organized than we've been. And there have been some people doing some quiet work, some quiet meetings, some quiet conversations. The problem is, the perception is Austin's doing nothing. There was no website. There was no fan support or community. There was no social media. There was no earned media. We were just listed as a city on a list somewhere that might be a good market. So what we want to show is that there is an effort, that it is serious, it's broad base, that there's massive community support and that this market is strong enough to sustain its first major sports franchise, which it is.

And let me add to that. Sorry. We've tested this with Major League Soccer. Okay. We're in our third season. There are 10,000 seats at that stadium. Our second season, we finished second in the West and had a nice playoff run. There are 25,000 people on the waiting list for season tickets. They played, I think, 16 or 18 home games. This is different. This is 35 to 40,000 people, 81 home games a year, including 1:00 games on Tuesdays, okay. Or weeknights, school nights. Right. So it's a much bigger endeavor. There's more it's more involved. But, to me, I think what we've shown with Austin FC is that this city is hungry for major sports. UT baseball is one of the premier programs in the country. So we've already been a hotbed for baseball. We've shown that with big leaguers and Hall of Famers and national championships and most visits to Omaha of any program. We're ready. And and all that was missing was someone kind of bringing this together. And so Derek and I wanted to spark that effort and that's what we've done.

Julian Martinez: Well, Matt, I know you're obviously well-connected and everything. I just got to ask like, you know, we're ready. We're ready as fans, citizens and everything like that, it's ultimately going to come down to like, city leadership. Like, have you talked to some people higher up, maybe some with deeper pockets that may be interested in this? Because that's really what's going to spark this. I mean, you work with you mentioned the A's. What's going on in Nevada, obviously a little bit of back and forth there. But it came down to, you know, some pushback from city council. You got to get taxpayer money. It's not cheap to bring a team here. So what have you been hearing from people in charge?

Matt Mackowiak: Yeah. So, again, we're really early in this, but we have had conversations with the mayor's office. They're very excited about this prospect. Want to be kept up to date? We've talked to the economic developer corporation for us and Opportunity Austin. They very excited about this for the region. We've talked to Williamson County Judge Bill Gravel, who's very interested in the team in Williamson County Stadium, site in Williamson County. I will be talking to the county judge here in Travis County, and the county judge in Harris County as well. And in the state of Texas, but we wanted to be kind of almost, you know, fully organized before we started having all the really high-level government conversations. We're going to have a broad leadership team. We're going to have a baseball advisory committee of serious guys who play baseball, have been the big leagues and know it well. And so when we go talk to you, whether it's the governor's office, whether it's TXDOT, whether it's a county judge, whether it's a regional chamber, you know, we want to have a broad leadership group that goes in there so we can understand what the options are, how, what the incentives can be, what their level of interest is. So we can put the single best bid together possible. And that's what we have to do.

We have to put our best foot forward as a city and, and let me just say, guys, Samsung should have been in Austin and Dell should have been in Austin, and those things are bookends. So that was 30 years ago and two years ago. They're not in Austin. There are reasons for that. I can tell you, as someone who cares about Austin, who's involved civically and politically, I was unwilling to allow us to drop the ball again on a major economic development project for the city. It doesn't mean that I'm going to be the only one leading this thing. We're going to have a broad team. We wanted to start this process. Eventually, the investor group is going to take this thing and run with it, but it's not going to come together of its own. It's going to be put together and brought together, and you have to have a strong foundation for those pieces to come together. So we want to build in all these directions between now and the end of the year and be in a much, much, much stronger organizational position. And I'm confident we will be. 

Clif Thornton: As a lifelong Austinite, I got to ask you if this thing comes to fruition, and it happened, and Matt Mackowiak has his vote on what the nickname would be. What do you what do you got? And first, or are we calling it Austin? 

Matt Mackowiak: The brand around Austin is so, so strong, and it's going to be so strong as it goes forward. I think it makes all the sense in the world to call it Austin, even if it's in Round Rock or San Marcos or somewhere between, and of course, the Texas Rangers are Texas, right? They're not the Dallas Rangers, not the the Arlington Texas Rangers. You know, I had the most obvious, but I think clever idea for a nickname that we created an amazing logo for without realizing a minor league team has that name. And so, we would be prohibited unless we literally purchased the name from them. I'll let your imagination run wild. My friend Lynn Wooley, who hosts a show on 1370, who I was on the air with him a couple of days ago, suggested the mockingbirds. I thought that was a good idea. There will be all kinds of ideas. Bluebonnets might be another. I haven't gotten too far down the road on nicknames, but, we want to do a logo contest. We want to do nickname contests, mascot contests. We'll do all those things down the road, right? 

Clif Thornton: Yeah. Mockingbird sounds a little awkward, but I'm sure the Orioles and Blue Jays also. 

Matt Mackowiak: At one time.

Clif Thornton: Right at one time or another

Matt Mackowiak: Become part of the vernacular?

Julian Martinez: Yeah. That's usually when the nickname, you know, picks up steam. But all right guys. Well Matt, appreciate you dropping by.

Matt Mackowiak: The website is ATXMLB.com.” Fox 7 Austin

THE BLOTTER

~ “Teen who posted bond on 2023 murder charge is back behind bars in Hays County,” Fox 7 Austin’s Meredith Aldis – “A 19-year-old man was shot to death in Austin last year. The teen charged with his murder was out on bond, but he is back behind bars charged with multiple felonies in Hays County. 

The mother of the victim said the system has failed.

"He was a very loving, caring person, hardworking," Julieta Serrano, the mother of the murder victim, said.

On May 15, 2023, Serrano’s son, 19-year-old Brian Serrano, was killed in Southeast Austin.

"I was in shock. I was in shock," Serrano said.

Court documents said at around 3 a.m., Serrano was found shot dead in a car near the park on Springfield Drive. The passenger survived and told police multiple men got out of a car, and she believed she was being robbed. She said she tried to wake Serrano so they could drive away, but the gunfire started before they could leave.

1 dead after robbery escalates into shooting

Austin police said a man is dead after a robbery escalated into a murder in Southeast Austin on May 15.

A witness told police the then 17-year-old Ervin Coronado-Palacio shot Serrano 30 times with an AR.

Coronado-Palacio was originally charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. A grand jury indictment reduced the charges to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and murder, making him eligible for bond.

On August 30, 2023, a visiting judge, retired Travis County Judge Jon Wisser, set the bond at $150,000.

"So $15,000 is what a life meant to Travis County. I was not agreeing to that," Serrano said.

The Travis County District Attorney claims they didn’t agree either and raised an objection to the bond amount in court, but as of Thursday afternoon, a formal motion was never filed with the clerk’s office.

"He doesn't deserve a second chance to be out in the community. He's a threat to the community, to society," Serrano said. "He took a life. He did it once, he can do it again."

In December, Coronado-Palacio posted bond and was released.

"It has been difficult waiting and not knowing and not knowing what he's up to. Like, what could he do next? Well, the worst happened. The worst happened," Serrano said.

On Tuesday, Coronado-Palacio was arrested in Hays County and charged with trafficking a person and two counts of sexual assault of a child.

"I told you so," Serrano said. "Now there's more people ruined because of him, because he was released out on such a low bond."

Punk rocker murdered in Austin

A prominent Rhode Island punk rocker of the 1990s was stabbed to death in Austin earlier this year. Friends said they’re devastated and want the woman police said is responsible for his death to go to prison for the rest of her life.

Retired Judge Wisser told FOX 7 Thursday he thought the bond was high enough. He said he was surprised someone was able to get out on a bond that high and if the attorney didn’t think it was high enough, they could have easily increased it. 

He said almost a year has gone by and, in his humble opinion, he thinks the case should have been resolved by now.

The Travis County District Attorney’s Office didn’t respond to FOX 7 Austin’s request for comment on Thursday.

"I think they should have advocated more strongly that he not be released. There are good reasons that he should not be released. It did not use to be the norm that murderers got released into our community," Serrano’s attorney Daniel Betts said.

"Travis County has failed Brian and the rest of the victims," Serrano said.

Coronado-Palacio is being held in the Hays County Jail on a $2 million bond.

He has a hearing in Travis County set for August 14.” Fox 7 Austin

~ “Suspect in NE Austin fatal hit-and-run was fleeing another crime, police say,” CBS Austin’s Tara Brolley – “A 23-year-old man has been identified as the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred in northeast Austin in June, according to an arrest affidavit.

Larry Romell Mason is accused of striking and killing a pedestrian on June 24 in the 9200 block of Cameron Road. The victim, identified as Corey Green, 42, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the affidavit, Mason allegedly fled the scene without stopping to render aid. The vehicle was found abandoned about 1.2 miles from the crash site.

A driveway security showed Mason exiting the car and getting into a second "getaway" vehicle. The driver was approximately 6 feet tall with a slender to medium build. The vehicle was a white, newer-model Lexus ES.

Investigators say Mason had rented the car involved in the fatal crash through a peer-to-peer car sharing service. Security footage and witness statements linked Mason to the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Police also believe Mason may be connected to an aggravated robbery that occurred just 15-20 minutes before the fatal crash in a nearby area.

Mason was already in custody on unrelated charges when he was identified as a suspect in the hit-and-run. He now faces additional charges for leaving the scene of an accident involving death. According to online records, he remains in the Travis County Jail on a cumulative $330,000 bond.

The investigation is ongoing, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.” CBS Austin

2024

~ “Two mayoral candidates hit with ethics complaints,” The Austin Bulldog’s Ken Martin – “Betsy Greenberg, a former member of the City’s Ethics Review Commission, is nevertheless still concerned with whether mayor and council candidates comply with rules for campaign finance reporting. (She currently serves as Council Member Mackenzie Kelly’s appointee to the Zoning and Platting Commission, where she is vice chair.)

Earlier today, she filed sworn complaints against incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson and Doug Greco, one of three challengers who want to replace Watson on the dais in 2025. Her complaints will be forwarded to the Ethics Review Commission for appropriate action.

The Bulldog forwarded copies of the complaints to both candidates.”

» Read the full story: The Austin Bulldog

CITY HALL

~ Mackenzie Kelly guest column: “Proposed Austin budget is a missed opportunity to reduce costs,” via Austin American-Statesman – “Austin’s proposed $5.9 billion budget is a glaring example of fiscal excess at a time when residents are grappling with significant financial pressures. The budget, nearly $2 billion dollars more than it was 4 years ago, asks residents to pay an 8.2% increase in city property taxes, utility bills, and fees from what the city council approved last year.

With recent inflation and the cost of living climbing, it is imperative for us to take a step back, reassess our priorities, and cut spending, or, at least, not add so much new spending.  

Over the past few years, inflation has hit everyone hard, but it has been particularly punishing for middle- and low-income residents. Overall inflation over the past three years has reached approximately 19%.  

Over the same time, the City of Austin has raised property taxes and utility bills by 18.6%, and this year’s budget proposes a 5.7% property tax hike and higher energy and water bills, as well. These increases are felt by all, but most acutely by renters and small businesses, further straining their finances in an already challenging economic environment. 

Inflation has been unprecedentedly high, with specific sectors experiencing even steeper increases: childcare costs have jumped by 32% from 2019 to 2023, according to Axios, and grocery prices have surged by 25%, as reported by the USDA. Furthermore, interest rates have surged, and rents have escalated, increasing by more than 50% since 2019. These figures illustrate a financial landscape where the cost of living is rapidly becoming untenable for many residents. 

The impact of property tax increases and utility bills is particularly severe for renters, who do not benefit from homestead exemptions. When the city raises property taxes, landlords must pass these costs on to tenants through higher rents. This means that renters, already facing skyrocketing rental costs, bear a disproportionate share of the burden.  

The proposed budget does little to acknowledge our affordability crisis. Instead, it continues to increase costs for residents, perpetuating a cycle that hits those already struggling the hardest. To quote Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, “the burdens of high inflation fall heaviest on those who are least able to bear them.”  

It is time for city officials to take a serious look at more limited increases in spending and pass a budget that does not require further increases in property taxes and utility bills. That is exactly what I will propose to my colleagues. 

My proposal will identify areas where spending can be reduced, efficiencies can be found, and we maximize our tax dollars to the greatest benefit of the city, without putting additional cost pressure on residents. Through the work my office has done, we have identified more than $40 million in potential cost savings. And I am confident my colleagues and the great city staff can roll their sleeves up and find more, too.  

The proposed budget is a missed opportunity for the City of Austin to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and our commitment to addressing affordability. Instead of continuing to raise costs for residents, city officials should take decisive action to reduce them. A budget that includes no increases in property taxes and utility bills is not only possible but necessary to ensure that Austin remains a livable and vibrant city for all its residents. 

We must recognize our contribution to the financial strain that its current spending trajectory places on its residents, especially low income families and those on fixed incomes. By reining in excesses and passing a budget that does not increase property taxes and utility bills, the city can take a significant step toward addressing the affordability crisis. It is time for city officials to not only tell us they care about the affordability crisis, but act like it, too.”

Kelly represents District 6 on the Austin City Council. AAS ($)

~ “City of Austin launches new website for sexual assault survivors,” KVUE’s Melia Masumoto – “A new website for survivors and victims of sexual assault has just been launched.

The Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (A/TC SARRT) has been working on this site called ATX Believes for about a year now.

“This experience is traumatic, and you feel lost and overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start,” said Marcy Alonzo, the Coordinator for the Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team.

The site has links to a wide range of resources; everything from how to seek justice in court, to counseling services, to even housing for those who still live with their perpetrator. Alonzo calls it a one-stop-shop for victims and survivors.

“A survivor is able to start their journey towards healing or justice wherever they want,” Alonzo said. “They are in control.”

Alonzo has worked with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence for many years, and the recurring theme she has observed is that victims didn’t feel like they’d be believed. Hence why they decided to name the site ATX Believes.

“Over and over, I heard, ‘Who is going to believe me? Nobody is going to believe me, they think I’m lying,’” Alonzo said. “Maybe I was the first person or maybe that advocate was the first person to tell that survivor, ‘I believe you, I hear you.’”

Hanna Senko was a survivor of sexual assault, and the lead plaintiff to bring a lawsuit against the City of Austin and Travis County in 2018 for how they handled survivors.

“I think it’s incredibly important, for the survivors in our community, for the city to take seriously,” Senko said. “Us taking this seriously and investing in this space has the opportunity to impact, you know, literally thousands of lives right here in our community.”

That lawsuit was settled, and in 2022 the city created the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) project. Senko is now the project manager of the CSCRM project and works to ensure more justice for victims and improve their experience of reporting a crime to law enforcement.

One part of the CSCRM project includes educating the public about resources available to victims and survivors. ATX Believes officially launched on Aug. 1, and both Alonzo and Senko say it’s something that the community has needed for a long time.

“We’re here, we believe you, you are not alone,” Alonzo said.” KVUE

OTHER NEWS

~ “Death reported at Tesla facility in Austin leads to OSHA investigation,” KVUE’s John Diaz – “Authorities are investigating following reports of a death at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin.

Officials with Austin-Travis County EMS said they were called out to the Tesla facility Thursday morning for what they described as an adult patient in cardiac arrest. The person was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

At that same time, the Travis County Sheriff's Office said its deputies were also called out to the Tesla facility regarding a "deceased person."

Details on the incident are limited, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed that it has opened an investigation into the incident and will not release any more information until the investigation is complete.

Currently, there is no known cause of death and it's unclear if the person was an employee or a contractor at the facility.

KVUE reached out to Tesla multiple times for more information on the incident, but we have not yet heard back.” KVUE

~ “Barton Springs Pool to remain closed until visibility improves for lifeguards,” CBS Austin’s Monique Lopez – “Sunday’s rainstorm is impacting one popular Austin pool. Barton Springs Pool is temporarily closed due to reduced visibility.

The city of Austin Parks and Recreation Department says minor erosion from the rainstorm resulted in cloudy water conditions which limited lifeguard operations. The pool will reopen when visibility allows lifeguards to effectively monitor swimmers.” CBS Austin

SPORTS

~ AUSTIN FC: “Austin FC to face LAFC in Leagues Cup round of 32,” Austin American-Statesman’s Colby Gordon — “If Austin FC wants to make a run in the knockout stage of the Leagues Cup it will have to do so on the road. 

The Verde & Black face LAFC in the round of 32 on Wednesday at BMO Stadium for their first away match in the competition.

Following home wins over Pumas UNAM and FC Monterrey to win its group, Austin FC drew LAFC after it finished runner-up in its group thanks to Vancouver defeating Club Tijuana on Saturday night. 

For the knockout stage, hosting depends on a club’s seed entering the tournament and not whether it won its group. Austin FC is the 35th seed in the tournament as seeding is based on last year’s standings. Its only chance to host would have come with Club Tijuana finishing runner-up. 

The Verde & Black have played all four of their Leagues Cup games the past two years at Q2 Stadium.

It also marks the first time Austin FC will face an MLS opponent in the competition.

Time for the match has yet to be announced.” AAS ($)

~ OLYMPICS / TEXAS GOLF: “Scottie Scheffler’s late charge wins golf Olympic gold for Team USA,” USA Today’s Gentry Estes — “The legend of Scottie Scheffler keeps growing, and the latest addition is golden.

World No. 1 Scheffler caught fire on the back nine at Le Golf National, coming from off the pace to swipe the gold medal for Team USA from a group of elite contenders in the final holes of a enthralling Paris Olympics competition.

Opening the final round four shots back of the leaders, Scheffler tied a course record by firing a 9-under-par 62 on Sunday. He birdied his first three holes of the afternoon and then six of nine after the turn, including a pivotal run of four in a row to seize a place atop the leaderboard that he wouldn't lose.

Scheffler's tournament total of 19 under beat silver-medalist Tommy Fleetwood of Great Britain by one shot. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (17 under) won the bronze medal.

In his first Olympics, Scheffler, 28, hadn't been thrilled with how he'd played the first three rounds, but he'd played well enough to stay without shouting distance. Eventually, he stepped up while other top players stumbled down the stretch. Spain's Jon Rahm – who led by four strokes at one point Sunday – played holes No. 11 through No. 14 at 4 over, making a costly double bogey on 14.

Ireland's Rory McIlroy hit it into the water on No. 15. That was a costly double bogey for him.

Meanwhile, Scheffler took the solo lead with a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 17, one stroke ahead of Fleetwood, who still had three holes remaining. After a birdie on the par-3 16th to catch Scheffler, Fleetwood drove it into the deep rough on No. 17. From off the green, he chipped a poor third shot too far past the hole and bogeyed to slip to 18 under. Scheffler was on the driving range, preparing for a possible playoff, as Fleetwood missed the green on No. 18 and couldn't chip in for a birdie.

It was the second Olympic golf gold medal in a row for the U.S. men, with Scheffler matching teammate Xander Schauffele's gold from Tokyo.” AAS ($)

~ OLYMPICS / TEXAS TRACK & FIELD: “Texas-ex Julien Alfred beats Sha’Carri Richardson for spot in Olympics 100m women’s finals,” Austin American-Statesman’s Caleb Yum — “Former Texas sprinter Julien Alfred proved herself as the fastest in college track and field while on the 40-acres. Now, she's on her way to grabbing the title of fastest in the world at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Saint Lucia representative beat out viral United States runner Sha'Carri Richardson in the semifinals of the 100 meter heat with a 10.84 second sprint, showing that the Dallas native might be in for a fight in the finals. Richardson finished with a 10.89 time.

It is worth noting that Richardson's personal best is a 10.65 at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, meaning that there's probably more left in her tank. In order for Alfred to beat that, she'll have to break her own personal best of 10.78 in the finals.

Alfred's 2022-23 season with Texas cemented her as not only one of the best athletes in Texas history, but as one of the best in NCAA history. She completed the short sprints double-double at both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships, becoming the first Big 12 woman to ever accomplish that feat and the first to do it nationally since 1993. She also led the way as the Longhorns won their fifth outdoor track title in 2023, their first since 2004.

The 100 meter finals will begin at 2:20 p.m. central time, with Alfred, Richardson, Tia Clayton, Daryll Neita, Mellisa Jefferson, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, Mujinga Kambundji and Twanisha Terry competing for a spot on the podium.” AAS ($)

AUSTIN CULTURE

~ DINING: “A look inside Aaron Franklin’s latest venture — and it’s not barbecue” ABJ ($)

~ DINING: “East Austin Cafe Cenote will close and prepare to Move Eventually”. Eater Austin

~ DINING: ”The 7 hottest new brunches in Austin right now”. Eater Austin

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

~ LIVE MUSIC: Blue Monday with Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers. Antones. Doors 7pm. Show 8pm. Tix $10 and up. Tickets here.

COOL JOB ALERT

~CORP. VP, CEO COMMUNICATIONS: AMD (Austin, TX). Salary: $237,520 - $356,280 / annually. Apply here.