ATX PULSE 9/19/24: Barton Springs Pool Re-Opens // Hartzell Gives State of the University Address // APD: No Foul Play with Latest Lady Bird Lake Dead Body // LCRA to Raise Water Rates?

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Compiled by Matt Mackowiak

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TODAY’S WEATHER

H: 99° / L: 76°. Another hot one. Latest forecast from Fox 7 Austin’s Zack Shields here.

TOP NEWS

“Barton Springs Pool reopens, but some areas still off limits,” CBS Austin’s Fred Cantu — “Austin's historic Barton Springs Pool is back in business after being sidelined for two weeks for some unexpected repairs. The city's favorite swimming hole reopened to swimmers at 5:00 a.m., their normal opening time.

The city was forced to close Barton Springs Pool earlier this month after it discovered an old skimmer pipe dating back to the 1940s had developed a couple of holes and those holes were causing an unsafe suction force in one area of the pool.

The City of Austin first reported us the pool might be shut down for several weeks, but a number of considerations may have gone into that conservative early estimate. The pool is fed by natural springs and parts of the facility are about 100 years old. Plus there are environmental issues with a natural swimming hole.

In just two weeks time, a team of city departments was able to fill the holes in the pipe with gravel, and use concrete to fill a segment of the pipe just downstream of the dam that forms the pool. And all of this had to be done very carefully to protect the endangered Barton Springs Salamander that gets its name from this historic site.

Ramesh Swaminathan with Austin Watershed Protection says of the site, “This is really one of our most precious assets that we have, so we take anything that happens to Barton Springs Pool very, very seriously."

The water from Barton Springs is a constant 68-70 degrees year round so for some diehards the weather is never too hot or too cold to go for a swim. And the 5:00 AM opening time is to accommodate the regulars who make an early morning swim their daily ritual.” CBS Austin

“UT Austin president gives State of the University address,” KXAN’s Jaclyn Ramkisson and Esmerelda Zamora — “The University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell delivered the annual State of the University address Wednesday afternoon.

He focused on how the university continues “to advance excellence and innovation and create the most comprehensive and impactful academic experience” for students.

The address came after an eventful 2023-24 academic year for the university. In late April, pro-Palestinian protests broke out across campus that ended in dozens of arrests.

Just this week, the university announced it had created a new unit dedicated to free speech on campus.

A new webpage provides ways students can protest while staying within the bounds of what the university finds acceptable.

Hartzell also touched on the topic of mental health and wellness. Within this past year, the university has launched what they call “TimelyCare.” A 24-hour mental health counseling service, TimelyCare joined the launch of another program, “Longhorn Listens,” to help open the conversation around mental health to make all students feel safe and heard.

Also this week, the university announced changes to its admissions process. UT Austin said it will cut down on the number of top Texas high school students automatically admitted to the university, dropping the threshold from 6% to 5%.

This will affect admissions for fall 2026 and help the university achieve its goal of “focusing on extremely talented people,” officials said.

“Our goal for 2025 is attracting more elite talent, faculty, students and staff,” Hartzell said.

University officials added they hope to focus on their students’ careers and professional development. Hartzell said it is the university’s top priority to ensure that 90% of its students leave knowing what they will be doing and where they will be working upon graduation.

“We want to help students figure out exactly what they really want to do,” he added.” KXAN

THE BLOTTER

“APD: No foul play suspected after body found along trail near Lady Bird Lake,” KVUE’s John Diaz — “An investigation is underway after a deceased person was found near Lady Bird Lake in southeast Austin.

Police said they were called out to a welfare check and found an "obviously deceased" person on Canterbury Street just before 3 p.m. Wednesday.

A preliminary investigation by homicide detectives determined there were no signs of trauma, no foul play and that the death was not a homicide. Police also clarified that the body was not retrieved from the water and have no indication that it was ever in the water.

Police did not identify the body and said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.” KVUE

“Man charged with arson after setting fire to N Austin apartment, injuring two,” CBS Austin’s Tara Brolley — “A man faces felony arson and aggravated assault charges after allegedly setting fire to a north Austin apartment building, critically injuring two residents, according to an arrest affidavit.

Pavel Nikolayevich Sapronov, 37, is accused of starting the blaze at the 502 North Apartments in Austin on Sept. 3. The fire broke out around 5:38 a.m., prompting a two-alarm response from the Austin Fire Department.

Firefighters rescued a man and woman from a third-floor apartment. The woman suffered a severe laceration to her arm requiring surgery, while the man sustained second- and third-degree burns over 65% of his body, fire officials said.

Investigators determined the fire was intentionally set, based on burn patterns and witness statements.

According to the affidavit, Sapronov allegedly met one of the victims' neighbors through Grindr, a dating app. After a confrontational encounter at the apartment, witnesses reported seeing a dark-colored vehicle circling the parking lot before the fire started.

The neighbor who knew Sapronov through the app told police that she knew of"no other person who would have done this."“ CBS Austin

“Police looking for suspects in break-in turned shooting in southeast Austin,” KXAN’s Abigail Jones — “The Austin Police Department is searching for suspects who were allegedly involved in a break-in that resulted in a shooting at a southeast Austin apartment last week.

APD responded to a shots fired call in the 5300 block of Jimmy Clay Drive shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9.

Police officers and Austin-Travis County EMS medics found a victim with a gunshot wound when they arrived on the scene. The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to APD.

APD said detectives learned through their investigation that a suspect had knocked on the victim’s door Monday night, and a second suspect later broke into the apartment. As he entered, the victim fired several shots toward the second suspect, who was also armed and fired back, injuring the victim.

That suspect then left the scene, possibly in a white car, APD said.

APD released doorbell video footage from the incident.

APD described the suspect as a Hispanic man. During the incident, he was wearing a hat, short sleeve t-shirt and pants. He has a distinct tattoo on his left elbow, pictured below.

Anyone with any information may submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.” KXAN

“Woman accused of seriously hurting 11-year-old with her car while intoxicated in Pflugerville,” KVUE’s John Diaz — “A woman faces a felony charge following a crash that left an 11-year-old seriously injured.

The crash happened on Friday, Sept. 6 at an intersection near Kelly Lane Park in Pflugerville.

According to an affidavit obtained by KVUE, emergency crews were treating an 11-year-old girl who had minor cuts to her face, body and both legs. She also suffered a laceration to the left side of her head.

During an investigation into the crash, authorities learned the driver of the vehicle nearly ran a red light a few minutes before the crash. Authorities spotted significant damage to the hood and windshield consistent with the vehicle striking an object. There was also human hair embedded in the windshield.

Witnesses told police the driver of the vehicle, identified as Braydin Garcia, was driving on Kelly Lane when she hit a child walking in the crosswalk, which caused the child to land on the hood and windshield.

However, according to the affidavit, Garcia told police she was driving home from work when a "kid just came out of nowhere." Garcia also claimed a school bus was blocking her view of the child before the crash. Video footage showed Garcia hit the child without slowing down before, which led to the child riding the hood of the car before rolling off the passenger side.

When police interviewed Garcia, authorities noticed she was pale and slow to talk. Despite blowing a 0.00 during a breathalyzer test, Garcia allegedly failed a field sobriety test, which led them to believe she was under the influence of drugs. After searching her vehicle, vape pens containing Delta-8 were located.

Garcia has been charged with felony intoxicated assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury.

Meanwhile, the 11-year-old's mother said her daughter suffered a broken femur, fibula, tibia and a dislocated knee. She also suffered a tear that would require a surgical fix. The mother said her daughter could not remember the crash since she lost consciousness.” KVUE

“Pflugerville ISD alerts parents of non-credible shooting threat at Weiss High School,” CBS Austin’s Stephanie Becerra — “Pflugerville Independent School District (PfISD) officials say a new school threat that circulated among students at Weiss High School via AirDrop on Wednesday is not believed to be credible.

In a letter to families Wednesday, the district said the message warned of a potential school shooting scheduled for Thursday, September 19. District officials say the threat mirrors similar messages reported in Austin ISD and Del Valle ISD.

According to the communication, students at Cele Middle School and other PfISD schools have also encountered copies of this threat.

The letter reassured parents that the PfISD Police Department is actively collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to investigate the situation. At this time, officials do not believe the threat to be credible. Officers and campus administrators will remain vigilant throughout the district to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

PfISD officials encouraged families to discuss the seriousness of making threats, particularly in digital and social media formats. They urged parents to talk to their children about refraining from sharing the threat on social media and through texting, and instead report any concerning behavior or messages to a teacher or campus administrator.” CBS Austin

“Bomb threat called in to Lake Travis ISD middle school,” KXAN’s Nabil Remadna — “A Hudson Bend Middle School was placed on a hold Wednesday after someone called in a bomb threat, according to Lake Travis ISD.

A district spokesperson told KXAN they believe the threat was a hoax, but the case is still under investigation.

The call came in around 11 a.m. and students and staff were on hold for about an hour before the all-clear was given.

The district told KXAN first responders and emergency crews arrived on the scene to check the school.

There have been no arrests made at this time.

A district spokesperson told KXAN this is the third school threat they have had in the last four school days.

This is also the second school threat at Hudson Bend Middle in one week. The other took place on Monday, Sept. 16.

The other threat took place on Sept. 13 at Rough Hollow Elementary School.

If you have any information about these threats, contact local law enforcement or Lake Travis ISD.

Lake Travis ISD is not the only school seeing an uptick in school threats, other districts in Central Texas are seeing arrests and more threats as well.” KXAN

“Pflugerville ISD teacher accused of breaking kindergartner’s fingers,” Fox 7 Austin’s Angela Shen — “The Pflugerville ISD teacher accused of breaking a kindergartner's fingers was arrested on September 18.

Court records show McKinzie Merrell, 31, was arrested and released the same day.

She is charged with injuring a child. 

The arrest affidavit says surveillance footage from the day of the injury showed Merrell had her left arm around the child's shoulders and led him outside by his right hand.

It reads: "Merrell looks to be upset. Merrell releases the child victim, and he solemnly walks along the fence."

The paperwork says two teachers say Merrell told them the child hit her and kicked her shins, but this was not seen on surveillance video.

The affidavit says in statements, Merrell said the child was trying to pull away, but she wasn't pulling too hard, and she didn't recall him saying anything hurt.” Fox 7 Austin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

“LCRA could raise water rates for Central Texas cities and utilities,” KVUE’s Jenni Lee — “Water rates will likely go up for some Central Texas cities and utilities.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) discussed a proposal to increase water rates from $155 per acre-foot to $165 on Wednesday. An acre-foot of water is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land; one foot deep. 

If the proposal is approved, cities and utilities could pay $10 more per acre-foot of water.

The LCRA said it needs to raise water rates to pay for new water supply projects, to offset overall cost increases, and fund ongoing dam upgrades.

“Between the rehab project, the new gates, taking care of the rebar issues ... These are old houses. Y'all heard me say that for years, but these are old houses ... You got to put stuff in there to keep them operational because we can't rebuild them. We don’t have a chance to get a do-over,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said.

The proposal will be on next month's board agenda. If approved, the new water rates go into effect in January 2025.” KVUE

Earlier this year, the LCRA said they notified cities and utilities about the possible water rate hike. Cedar Park is one of the affected cities.

According to Cedar Park's Community Affairs Assistant Director, Daniel Sousa, the city implemented a water rate adjustment on February 1, 2024, before the LCRA's rate hike proposal. But Sousa said they anticipated and accounted for the potential LCRA rate increase.

Sousa explained the city's need for a rate increase.

"A rate adjustment was necessary due to several factors: a 15% increase in operation and maintenance costs from 2021 to 2023, rising project costs for materials, equipment, and fuel, recent large-scale emergency repairs in Lake Travis and Cypress Creek Road, and the emergence of unanticipated projects," Sousa said.

In March, Cedar Park’s average water bill increased from $84.42 to $92.28, a 9.3% rise.

While Austin is the LCRA’s largest customer, a previous agreement excludes the city from the rate increase proposal.

According to LCRA spokesperson, Clara Tuma, Austin has a long-term water supply contract with LCRA that supplements Austin’s water rights.

Details of the agreement include Austin's prepayment of $100 million in 1999; Austin has access to up to 325,000 acre-feet of water a year; Austin will have to pay for additional water when it uses more than 201,000 acre-feet for two years in a row (excluding water for power plants;) and Austin will pay the firm water rate if it goes over 150,000 acre-feet a year.

“Fuentes airs budget concerns over move to keep Marshalling Yard shelter open indefinitely,” Austin Monitor’s Chad Swiatecki — “City Council Member Vanessa Fuentes has signaled her concerns with a resolution scheduled for next week’s meeting that could result in keeping a 300-bed emergency shelter open far longer than it was originally budgeted for.

The resolution directs the city manager to find the estimated $9 million it would cost to keep the Marshalling Yard Emergency Shelter open for another year, with the possibility of further extensions until a site can be found for a comparable emergency shelter facility. Located in District 3 near one of the borders of Fuentes’ District 2, the Marshalling Yard was originally intended as a short-term solution to provide emergency shelter and other resources while the city and partner groups continue to add permanent supportive housing units.

Council approved a budget amendment to extend the facility’s closing date until March 2025, with the city’s Homeless Strategy Office already taking steps to decrease intake there as well as at other emergency shelters that would eventually have to absorb hundreds of clients who have been living at the Marshalling Yard.

Fuentes said the city’s recently approved budget already required a drawdown from reserves to cover some of the identified needs related to homelessness, with no consideration given toward covering the $9 million cost for the Marshalling Yard. She first shared her views on the resolution via a posting on the City Council Message Board.

“Nowhere as part of those conversations did it come up about this need to continue to operate the Marshalling Yard, and the funding gap that is apparent to do so. The previously provided direction from Council to the city manager was to wind down operations at the Marshalling Yard,” she told the Austin Monitor. “Having emergency shelters is important, and we have to have that as part of our overall homelessness response system, but we also know that we have limited public dollars available. If we’re potentially being asked to reauthor to prioritize a $9 million operation or to find $9 million, it needs to be well thought out, and we need to have a robust policy conversation.”

Fuentes said she is in favor of the resolution’s call to find an alternative site for a large-scale emergency shelter and to look for ways to improve the rate of successful exits into stable housing for those who enter the facility, which was constructed as a storage and supply facility for the Austin Convention Center. Her primary concern is the possibility that other city services such as parks or libraries could have their budgets reduced in the process of identifying the needed $9 million.

David Gray, the city’s homeless strategy officer, said the Marshalling Yard will continue toward its planned spring closure unless the needed money is found and the city can agree to an extension of its contract with Family Endeavors, the vendor that manages the facility. While the city has added capacity to four other emergency shelters over the past year, Gray said it would be a challenge to lose 300 beds from a homeless system that is dealing with a high rate of chronic homelessness, according to a recent report from Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO).

With a substantial decrease in emergency shelter capacity, Gray said the city would not be able to move inhabitants of dispersed homeless encampments into a stable shelter.

“We know once the Marshalling Yard goes away, we’re no longer going to have capacity in our system to bring any new people in (from encampments),” he said. “It doesn’t mean that we stop encampment cleanups. If an encampment is in a place where people’s lives are at risk, we will move to close the encampment. But that being said, the central tenet (of the Housing-focused Encampment Assistance Link program) is bringing people from the encampment into shelter. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to do that as we plan for the Marshalling Yard ramp-down.”” Austin Monitor

BUSINESS NEWS

“High-tech advanced manufacturing center setting up in east Austin,” KXAN’s Sarah Al-Shaikh — “A new high-tech manufacturing center broke ground in east Austin. The Hayes Innovation Center for Advanced Manufacturing (HICAM) will be a 50,000-square-foot facility dedicated to fostering modern innovation and increasing workforce development in manufacturing.

HICAM is the economic and workforce development nonprofit behind the project.

Goals for the center include:

• Creating a hub for groundbreaking manufacturing

• Fostering economic growth

• Building a skilled workforce

The facility will serve as a co-working space for startups. HICAM Executive Director Marcus Metzger said they’ll provide companies with the equipment to develop their technology in its early stages.” KXAN

SPORTS

~ TEXAS VOLLEYBALL: “Longhorns volleyball continues mastery of Baylor with road win Wednesday,” Austin American-Statesman’s Thomas Jones — “It's no longer a conference game, but Texas volleyball continued its mastery of Baylor with a 3-0 win Wednesday in Waco.

The No. 8 Longhorns (4-3) improved to 94-4 all-time against No. 20 Baylor (7-3) with a 25-17, 25-23, 26-24 victory. The match marked the first time the former Big 12 and Southwest Conference rivals met in a nonconference match since 1979. Texas, along with Oklahoma, officially left the Big 12 on July 1 to join the Southeastern Conference.

Led by a career-high nine total blocks from Marianna Singletary, the Longhorns tallied a season-high 12 blocks to stifle the Bears’ offense all night while holding them to a .143 hitting percentage.

Madisen Skinner led Texas with 14 kills while hitting a season-best .417. She also added six digs and five blocks. Reagan Rutherford finished with 11 kills and hit .529 in the match.

Ella Swindle (19 assists, five digs) and former Baylor player Averi Carlson (17 assists, 12 digs) split the setter duties while guiding the Texas offense.

The Longhorns return to Gregory Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. Friday to face Hawaii.” AAS ($)

~ ALEX OKAFOR: “After 9 NFL seasons, Alex Okafor creating space in the Texas Longhorns media landscape,” Austin American-Statesman’s Danny Davis — “Near the end of Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian's weekly press conference Sept. 9, there was time for one more question.

"On the far back left, Alex," instructed UT senior associate athletics director John Bianco.

Before Alex Okafor could ask about if the play-calling at Texas had been impacted by injuries at the running back position, he was interrupted by Sarkisian.

"Have you guys welcomed Alex to the media yet?" Sarkisian asked the room before ribbing Okafor for where he was seated. "You can sit in the front. They won't bite you up here, man."

Over the years, Okafor has been called many things on the Forty Acres. An All-American and all-Big 12 honoree. The Defensive MVP of the Alamo Bowl. Team captain. NFL draft pick and, eventually, Super Bowl champion. This weekend, he'll be called an inductee into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor.

Being thought of as a member of the media is something new, though.

Two years after he last appeared in an NFL game, that is what Okafor now is — even if the former Pflugerville high star isn't sure if he should be referred to as a journalist or media personality. But Okafor has started to carve out a new space through his "Behind the Facemask" and "3rd & Longhorn" projects as well as analyst gigs with local TV stations.

"Media is a good option for me to dive into," Okafor recently told the American-Statesman. "It allows me to stay close to the sport, and it allows me to have fun working."“ AAS ($)

QUICK LINKS

~ Concerns after Progressive becomes latest insurance company to limit coverage in Texas - KVUE

~ Kairoi's Mike Lynd weighs in on the future of apartments and Texas' next tallest building - ABJ

~ Austin Police warn of ‘targeted burglaries’ aimed at Indian and South Asian communities - KXAN

~ From bridal shop to mulch empire: How Austin Wood Recycling became one of America’s largest organics recyclers - ABJ

~ More apartments deemed affordable headed to Southeast Austin - ABJ

~ Wave of violent threats hit Texas schools - KXAN

~ Austin resident $1M richer after Texas Lottery win - KXAN

~ ‘Passport’ helps Austin celebrate ‘Legacy Business Month’ - KXAN

~ Travis County commissioners postpone tax rate increase for Central Health amid financial transparency concerns - Austin Monitor

~ Barton Springs Pool reopens following 3-week closure - Community Impact

~ Bastrop officials to offer resources at emergency preparedness fair Sept. 28 - Community Impact

~ Hays County adopts $356M FY 2024-25 budget, increases tax rate - Community Impact

~ Q&A: Get to know the candidates for Round Rock ISD board of trustees Place 1 - Community Impact

~ Austin said a report on water utility leaks would be final months ago. It’s still not public. - Austin Monitor

AUSTIN CULTURE

~ BAR SCENE: ”A guide to 40 of the best bars in Austin that capture the spirit of Texas' capital city” AAS ($)

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

~ LIVE MUSIC: Ray LaMontagne with The Secret Sisters. ACL Live. 7pm. Tickets $39 and up here.

** Strongly recommend seeing Ray live. His talent is incredible.

COOL JOB ALERT

~ Director of TEXPAC and Political Education: Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee. Info / apply here.