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- BG Reads 12.4.2024
BG Reads 12.4.2024
🟪 BG Reads - December 4, 2024
Bingham Group Reads
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December 4, 2024
➡️ Today's BG Reads include:
🟪 Here's a look at changes Austin made to development regulations in 2024 (Austin Business Journal)
🟪 Overdose deaths in Travis County are declining for the first time in 3 years (KUT)
🟪 Grid operator says Texas is better prepared for extreme cold this winter (Texas Tribune)
🟪 Fed Governor Waller says he is ‘leaning toward’ a December rate cut, but worries about inflation (NBC News)
🟪 South Korea's president faces calls to resign or be impeached (NPR)
Read On!
[CITY OF AUSTIN]
🟪 The Austin Council has one (1) regular meeting left in 2024:
🟪 MEMO: City of Austin Executive Leadership Team and Organizational Announced (Effective November 4, 2024)
In an October 30 memo, City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced several key additions to the city leadership team, effective November 4.
You can view the memo here: CITY OF AUSTIN MEMO: Executive Leadership Team and Organizational Announcements. An org chart is included on page 3.
We particularly wanted to flag the creation of a Grants Division within the Intergovernmental Relations Office to focus on creating a centralized grant funding strategy and governance for the City that advances City Council’s strategic priorities, leverages local resources, and targets investments for Austin.
The memo notes “the City lacks a centralized grants function causing us to potentially leave federal and state funding on the table. Staff from across the organization are currently being identified for potential reassignment to the Grants Division.”
[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]
➡️ Here's a look at changes Austin made to development regulations in 2024 (Austin Business Journal)
It has been a year of change in Austin for regulations around homebuilding, with many new policies enacted that are meant to boost the supply of residences.
They include new density bonus programs that enable developers to build taller buildings if they include affordable units, as well as modifications to rules governing lot sizes and how many homes can be built on them
Here is a look at some of the changes enacted in Austin in 2024, in addition to proposals that the City Council may consider soon.
One of the most debated undertakings was the implementation of the HOME Initiative, which altered the rules regarding how many homes can be built on single-family lots and also reduced the minimum required lot size. HOME stands for Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment.
The first phase of the HOME Initiative, approved in late 2023, allows for the construction of up to three homes on single-family lots.
Developers have been able to apply to create smaller lot sizes under HOME Phase 1 since February. As of Dec. 2, 237 applications have been received — proposing to build 448 new housing units — and 180 of those applications have been approved, according to the city's website… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Travis County awarded $1.6 million federal grant to combat overdose crisis (Austin Monitor)
On Monday, Travis County Judge Andy Brown announced a new resource for combating the opioid overdose crisis in the county – and reported new numbers that suggest current public health strategies are working.
The county was awarded a $1.6 million federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Site-Based Program, to go toward the launch of a jail-based substance use intake program, which aims to “provide holistic support for those transitioning back into our community,” Brown said in a press conference Monday.
“The program is more than just about treatment – it’s also about creating a pathway to recovery and ensuring a continuum of care that will help break the cycle of substance use and incarceration.”
According to a county report released last year, people exiting the carceral system are eight times more likely to die of an overdose within the first six months. That’s why a jail-based program will target those most vulnerable to overdose, CommUnityCare’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nick Yagoda said.
“The transition out of incarceration is one of the most vulnerable and dangerous times for individuals with substance use disorders,” Yagoda said.
“When people are in jail, especially if they’re in jail for a longer period of time and they don’t have access to medically assisted treatment, their tolerance can change quite a bit. So they get out of jail, they don’t have support – during this transition, the risk of a relapse and fatal overdose skyrockets. Yet, patients on medications for opioid use disorders have half the risk of dying.”… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Overdose deaths in Travis County are declining for the first time in 3 years (KUT)
For the first time in three years, Travis County is seeing a slight decline in accidental drug deaths.
In 2023, there were 314 drug deaths from January to July. In that same time frame this year, there were 255 drug deaths, according to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.
Fentanyl-related deaths are also down. There were 134 fentanyl-related deaths from January to July this year compared to 180 in 2023.
Data for the second half of 2024 isn't available yet, but Robert Luckritz, the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services chief, said overdoses appear to be trending downward, despite a surge in early May… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Looking to bolster public safety, APD discussing reopening 6th street to car traffic (Austin American-Statesman)
The Austin Police Department is considering re-opening the downtown portion of East Sixth Street to vehicular traffic for the first time in decades in an attempt to combat crime – a move the department deemed unfeasible just a few years ago.
The bar-lined stretch of street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35 typically features a heavy police presence and is usually closed to cars from Thursday night to Saturday night and during special events.
APD spokesperson Anna Sabana said in a written statement the department is in talks with several city departments about the possible re-opening and that options are being explored.
She declined to answer questions about timing or why the department believes reopening the street would help bolster public safety… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Ex-hoops star Fran Harris talks about the effort to bring a WNBA team to Austin (Austin Business Journal)
The WNBA is aiming to continue to ride that wave with its most aggressive expansion plan in more than a decade. Set to join the 14-team league next year are the Golden State Valkyries. Toronto and Portland are scheduled to follow with teams the year after that.
One spot is remaining, and WNBA stakeholders have whittled the potential destination down to a dozen cities. A full-court press is on, whether it's Patrick Mahomes aiming to bring a team to Kansas City, Celtics star Jayson Tatum propping up his hometown of St. Louis, or the city of Philadelphia trying to get a piece of the action.
Fran Harris, a former University of Texas women's basketball star, TV personality and entrepreneur, has an opinion of where that next team should be: Austin. She's been working for more than a year to drum up support to bring a team to the Capital City.
It's a tall task, no doubt. Austin is believed to be farther down the list compared to other cities. But it has a good corporate base and population growth that might be attractive to the league… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Newly remodeled H-E-B now open on South Congress Avenue (Community Impact)
After nearly three years of construction and renovations, grocer H-E-B's longest-standing Austin store reopened with a new look and new amenities on Dec. 4.
Located on the corner of South Congress Avenue and Oltorf Street, the H-E-B opened in 1957 with 25,000 square feet and later expanded to 69,000 square feet.
The store was demolished in February 2022 to begin reconstruction, and a temporary H-E-B opened up across the street at 2301 S. Congress Ave., Austin."H-E-B at Congress and Oltorf, Austin number eight as I've known it, has been an important location for H-E-B over many many years," said Stephen Butt, H-E-B president. "Please know this. The exciting new facility being unveiled today is the product of at least 10 years of planning, real estate negotiating, designing, building and extensive preparation in order to bring you this important day."… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
➡️ Grid operator says Texas is better prepared for extreme cold this winter (Texas Tribune)
Texas’ grid operator warned that the state should prepare for extreme cold this winter but said the state’s main power grid is better equipped than in previous years to withstand a powerful winter storm.
At a board meeting on Tuesday, officials from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said that while winter presented a greater risk of outages, new power generation added to the grid in the past year has lowered the probability that extreme cold will trigger emergency conditions.
ERCOT meteorologist Chris Coleman’s forecast predicted above normal temperatures this winter, but a “greater-than-average” chance of extreme cold events.
Extreme cold events have occurred more frequently in recent years, he said, despite abnormally warm temperatures overall in Texas… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Texas’ push to meet soaring power demand with nuclear energy could spark uranium mining revival (Texas Tribune)
In the old ranchlands of South Texas, dormant uranium mines are coming back online. A collection of new ones hope to start production soon, extracting radioactive fuel from the region’s shallow aquifers. Many more may follow.
These mines are the leading edge of what government and industry leaders in Texas hope will be a nuclear renaissance, as America’s latent nuclear sector begins to stir again.
Texas is currently developing a host of high-tech industries that require enormous amounts of electricity, from crypto-currency mines and artificial intelligence to hydrogen production and seawater desalination. Now, powerful interests in the state are pushing to power it with next-generation nuclear reactors… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[US and World News]
➡️ Fed Governor Waller says he is ‘leaning toward’ a December rate cut, but worries about inflation (NBC News)
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Monday he is anticipating an interest rate cut in December but is concerned about recent trends on inflation that could change his mind. (LINK TO FULL SPEECH - Federal Reserve)
“Based on the economic data in hand today and forecasts that show that inflation will continue on its downward path to 2 percent over the medium term, at present I lean toward supporting a cut to the policy rate at our December meeting,” Waller said in remarks before a monetary policy forum in Washington.
However, he noted the “decision will depend on whether data that we will receive before then surprises to the upside and alters my forecast for the path of inflation.”
Waller cited recent data indicating that progress on inflation may be “stalling.”
In October, the Fed’s preferred inflation indicator, the personal consumption expenditures price index, showed headline inflation moving up to 2.3% annually, and core prices, which exclude the cost of food and energy, moving up to 2.8%. The Fed targets a 2% rate… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ South Korea's president faces calls to resign or be impeached (NPR)
Calls are growing for South Korea's president to resign or face impeachment, after he briefly imposed martial law over the country.
Opposition parties filed a motion on Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, signed by every one of their lawmakers.
Civic groups in most major cities are planning to hold large-scale rallies urging Yoon's ouster.
President Yoon lifted emergency martial law at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, just six hours after he declared it in a surprise televised address.
In the speech, he accused the opposition-controlled parliament of "paralyzing" and "attempting to overthrow the liberal democratic system through legislative dictatorship." Yoon said that by imposing martial law, his aim was "to crush North Korea-sympathizing anti-state forces and to preserve the free constitutional order."…
➡️ The cities where people are still working from home (AXIOS)
More than 1 in 5 workers in some U.S. cities were still clocking in from home as of 2023, per the latest census data.
Why it matters: Remote and hybrid schedules have made work versus life an easier equation for many Americans, like busy working parents — but they were never enjoyed equally nationwide.
By the numbers: Nearly or more than a quarter of workers in Boulder, Colorado; Austin, Texas; and Raleigh, North Carolina, were working from home as of 2023, per Census Bureau data… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
➡️ Trump mulls replacing Pete Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Wall Street Journal)
President-elect Donald Trump is considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a possible replacement for Pete Hegseth, his pick to run the Pentagon, according to people familiar with the discussions, amid Republican senators’ concerns over mounting allegations about the former Fox News host’s personal life.
Picking DeSantis, a 2024 GOP primary rival for the presidency, would amount to a stunning turn for Trump. But he would also find in the governor a well-known conservative with a service record who shares Trump’s—and Hegseth’s—view on culling what they see as “woke” policies in the military.
Trump allies increasingly think Hegseth might not survive further scrutiny, according to people close to the president-elect’s team, which considers the next 48 hours to be crucial to his fate. DeSantis, who served as a Navy lawyer in Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, was on an earlier list of potential defense-secretary candidates that transition officials presented to the president.
Trump ultimately went with Hegseth. But as Hegseth’s nomination has faltered, that list has been revived and DeSantis is again among the choices Trump is considering, the people said. The discussions are in their early stages, one of the people said, adding that Trump has floated DeSantis’s name in casual conversations with guests at Mar-a-Lago, his private Florida club.
Trump could decide not to choose DeSantis and select another replacement, if Hegseth’s nomination falls apart, the people said. Another potential defense-secretary candidate who has been discussed by Trump allies, according to people familiar with the matter, is Elbridge Colby, a former Pentagon official and ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Trump is also considering Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) for the job, some of the people said. DeSantis was once seen as an acolyte of Trump but his decision to challenge the former president in the 2024 GOP primary began a conflict between them, with Trump casting DeSantis as disloyal. Trump easily prevailed in the primary and friends of the two have worked to repair the relationship… 🟪 (LINK TO FULL STORY)
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