🟪 Court sides with Austin in convention center petition dispute; PAC to push for November election (Community Impact)

🟪 As expected, Austin's housing market fell flat in January (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 South Austin's MoPac South Project moves forward with $825M plan to add more express lanes (KVUE)

🟪 Seven candidates file for two Hutto City Council seats (Community Impact)

🟪 Incumbent Craig Morgan, challenger Kelly Hall file for Round Rock mayor (Community Impact)

🟪 Abbott steps into Texas GOP primaries as poll shows his picks trailing (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses Dallas of spending too little on police (Texas Tribune)

🟪 Democrats’ struggles could be partly because they’re just too old, says Obama (Politico)

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🏛️ Meetings:

✅ Court sides with Austin in convention center petition dispute; PAC to push for November election (Community Impact)

City voters won't consider a measure aimed at stopping the Austin Convention Center redevelopment and reallocating associated tourism tax revenue this spring, although the group behind the proposal is now seeking to call an election on the issue this fall.

After years of planning, the $1.6 billion convention center expansion project was formally detailed in early 2025. The facility was then closed for what's expected to be a four-year demolition and redevelopment; ground broke last spring, and the old convention center was torn down by the fall.

The new complex will be open for business by late 2028 with about 620,000 square feet of rentable space, a roughly 70% increase over the old convention center, and room for a future expansion of 140,000 square feet. Exposition space will also move underground, and portions of the property at 500 E. Cesar Chavez St. will reopen to vehicle traffic and as public gathering areas.

The project has advanced with support from City Council, and local hoteliers and other tourism officials have said it's critical both for their operations and drawing major events in Austin. The redevelopment also received pushback from a group seeking to halt construction, but its effort to have city voters weigh in for or against the project stalled out in court this year… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ As expected, Austin's housing market fell flat in January (Austin Business Journal)

January results are in for the local housing market, and the data is a mixed bag. Despite a fall in finished sales, leases and dollar volume last month, Unlock MLS’s January report points to more pending sales as a positive sign for buyer momentum. Year-over-year sales and leases were down 14.8% and 4.1% respectively, but there were 2,349 in-progress sales for the month – 10.1% more than January 2025.

“Deals are still happening across Central Texas, but they’re taking more time and strategy to get across the finish line,” said John Crowe, president of Unlock MLS and Austin Board of Realtors, in a statement. Austin’s current buyers are some of the most intentional in the nation. Redfin’s December housing report shows the average home took 106 days to go under contract – the longest of the nation’s 50 biggest metros.

The January data isn’t a shocker. Housing experts went into 2026 expecting a flat year for home builds and sales as buyers remain slow to jump into the market. Despite stabilizing interest rates and pricing falls, data shows many people are holding out for sub-five interest rates and better pricing. Dollar volume for home sales also sank at an average 14.3% across the metro. Bastrop County tumbled the furthest with $27,279,673 worth of sales last month – a 28.8% decrease from January 2025. Unlock MLS market research advisor Vaike O'Grady previously said the market requires a level-out after the highs of the pandemic. The January market only reinforces that, she said, showing signs of a "sustainable foundation" for the area… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ South Austin's MoPac South Project moves forward with $825M plan to add more express lanes (KVUE)

A major construction project set for South Austin has cleared a major hurdle.

The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) has released the results of an environmental study tied to the MoPac South Project, which would add express lanes to an 8-mile stretch of MoPac Expressway from Cesar Chavez Street to Slaughter Lane.

Similar to the express lane that runs up the middle of MoPac going north from Downtown Austin, the project would also widen shoulders and add a path for pedestrians and cyclists from Lady Bird Lake to Slaughter Lane.

The price tag currently sits at about $825 million.

CTRMA released a 220-page report on Friday saying the current conditions along that stretch of highway create unreliable travel times and delays.

The population of Travis and Hays counties is set to grow by 85% in the next 20 years, so the study found doing nothing to expand that stretch of highway will lead to more congestion.

“Public involvement has significantly shaped the MoPac South Environmental Study and Build Alternative to create a project intended to provide benefits for all types of users,” said James Bass, executive director for the mobility authority. “The 8-mile corridor continues to see growth and traffic congestion is expected to worsen over time if nothing is done.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Seven candidates file for two Hutto City Council seats (Community Impact)

The filing period has closed for Hutto’s upcoming City Council election, with multiple candidates entering the races for two seats that will appear on the May ballot.

Place 1 and Place 4 on City Council will be up for election May 2… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Incumbent Craig Morgan, challenger Kelly Hall file for Round Rock mayor (Community Impact)

The Round Rock mayor seat will be up for election this May, as the filing period for candidates to enter the race ended Feb. 13.

Incumbent Craig Morgan and challenger Kelly Hall each filed for the open mayoral seat.

Round Rock City Council Place 1 member Michelle Ly filed for re-election and will run unopposed. Similarly, Place 4 council member Frank Ortega will also run unopposed.

Each member elected to council will serve a three-year term, from May 2026-2029. All places on the council are at-large and can be held by any qualified candidate… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Early voting for the Texas 2026 primaries begins Tuesday. Here’s what to know. (Texas Tribune)

Voting for the 2026 primaries starts Tuesday. Texas Republican and Democrat voters will pick which candidate they want to represent their interests and their party on the ballot for the November general election.

Before you head to the polls, you should know you have rights as a voter and there are certain rules in place at voting locations about what you can bring and wear. You also need an approved photo ID to vote in person… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Abbott steps into Texas GOP primaries as poll shows his picks trailing (Austin American-Statesman)

Fans of the 1942 classic movie "Casablanca" may remember Humphrey Bogart's character declaring, "I stick my neck out for nobody." For much of his 11 years as governor, Greg Abbott has lived by the same motto in election years when his name was on the ballot. In Texas, all candidates for statewide office are on their own. Each party's candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run independently. And Texas governors do not have a cabinet in the traditional sense, so agencies such as the Agriculture Department, the Comptroller's Office and the Attorney General's Office are run by people elected by voters and not necessarily by whomever the governor might prefer.

Abbott, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term, is hoping to change that dynamic this cycle — a gamble that early polling suggests could backfire. A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs poll released Tuesday shows Abbott’s preferred candidates trailing in two key Republican primaries. The governor was quick to endorse Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock in the March 3 Republican primary. Hancock, a former state senator, took over the duties of comptroller with Abbott's blessing in July 2025 after Glenn Hegar vacated his office to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System.

In January, the governor took the unusual step of snubbing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a fellow Republican state officeholder, and throwing his support behind political newcomer Nate Sheets in the primary. And Abbott is sticking his neck out for Hancock and Sheets. There's little downside for political candidates struggling to become known to lean into their ties with a proven vote-getter like Abbott. The risk for the governor is that one or both candidates could come up short with voters — potentially undercutting his influence during the remainder of the election year and into next year’s legislative session… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Attorney General Paxton launches investigations into three Texas school districts over students protesting ICE (Texas Tribune)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched investigations into three school districts over student protests against immigration enforcement, alleging that school officials failed to ensure student safety and minimize classroom disruptions.

The move, announced Monday, targets North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Dallas Independent School District and Manor Independent School District, following a similar inquiry into the Austin Independent School District. Paxton said his office is also examining claims that administrators and faculty helped organize the demonstrations.

“I will not allow Texas schools to become breeding grounds for the radical Left’s open borders agenda,” Paxton said in a statement. “Let this serve as a warning to any public school official or employee who unlawfully facilitates student participation in protests targeting our heroic law enforcement officers: my office will use every legal tool available to hold you accountable.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses Dallas of spending too little on police (Texas Tribune)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a new lawsuit accuses Dallas officials of violating a voter-approved measure aimed at significantly beefing up the city’s police force.

The background: With a ballot initiative known as Proposition U, Dallas voters in 2024 amended the city charter to require hundreds more police officers and additional tax dollars for policing and public safety pensions. Supporters of the ballot measure portrayed the city as experiencing high crime and public disorder — though crime in Dallas has fallen from pandemic-era highs, and the city gained national attention for anti-crime efforts that drove that decrease… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Democrats’ struggles could be partly because they’re just too old, says Obama (Politico)

Former President Barack Obama is urging the Democratic Party to invest in younger candidates if it wants to come out victorious in the 2026 midterm elections and, eventually, the 2028 presidential election. In an interview with YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen that was published Saturday, the 64-year-old said part of the reason his own elections were so successful was because he was young at the time. “I’m a pretty healthy 64, feel great, but the truth is, half of the references that my daughters make about social media, TikTok and such, I don’t know who they’re talking about,” he said. “There is an element of, at some point, you age out. You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”

Former President Joe Biden, who was Obama’s vice president, was the oldest man to assume the presidency at the age of 78 in 2021. His decision to seek reelection in 2024 repeatedly drew concerns from voters who wondered how the octogenarian would be able to handle a second term in the White House. The fears were only amplified after a disastrous debate performance full of gaffes and losing his trains of thought. Obama, who had originally supported Biden in the election, went on to campaign for Biden’s younger replacement atop the ticket, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, after Biden ended his campaign. Congressional leaders have long faced criticism for the advanced age of members.

A 2023 Pew Research poll found that nearly 80 percent of adults favor maximum age limits for elected officials. The idea extends to public attitudes toward Supreme Court justices, with 74 percent of adults favoring a maximum age limit for the nation’s highest court. “I’m not making a hard and fast rule here, but I do think that Democrats do well when we have candidates who are plugged into the moment, to the zeitgeist, to the times and the particular struggles that folks are thinking about as they look towards the future, rather than look backward toward the past,” Obama told Cohen. Obama also said he hopes to “reinvigorate” the “civic muscles” of Americans through his presidential center, particularly of young Americans… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ The break is over. Companies are jacking up prices again. (Wall Street Journal)

After holding the line on prices for several months, companies—big and small—have begun a new round of increases, in some cases by high-single-digit percentage points. Companies had raised prices last year after tariffs hoisted costs. Yet starting in the fall, many firms held off on increases and sometimes offered discounts to capture holiday shoppers. The pricing break is over. Many companies typically raise prices at the start of the new year. Yet increases appeared to be stronger than normal for January for electronics, appliances and other durable goods, said UBS economist Alan Detmeister. Some companies have pointed a finger at tariffs for their increases, while others, especially small businesses, also blame higher wages and hefty health-insurance costs that firms said they can’t absorb or share with suppliers.

Prices on the most affordable imported goods are up by 2.3% since dipping at the end of November, according to data through Feb. 10 collected by Alberto Cavallo, a Harvard Business School professor who tracks daily online prices at major U.S. retailers. The Adobe Digital Price Index found that online prices posted their largest monthly increase in a dozen years in January, driven by higher prices for electronics, computers, appliances, furniture and bedding. Columbia Sportswear said it is upping prices of spring and fall merchandise by, on average, a high single-digit percent after mostly avoiding increases for fall and winter goods.

The company said it has also renegotiated prices with its factories and taken other steps to reduce costs. “When combined with our other mitigation tactics, our goal in ’26 is to offset the dollar impact of high tariffs,” Chief Executive Tim Boyle said in an earnings call earlier this month. Such new price increases follow last year’s wave of tariff-driven price hikes. Retail prices started falling beginning in October, with the biggest drops before Black Friday, Harvard’s Cavallo said. But they then started rising again, particularly after Christmas, in what looks like a postholiday reset… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Longtime civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84 (NPR)

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights leader, minister, and politician, who was a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr. and in the 1980s reshaped Democratic politics with two galvanizing presidential campaigns, died Tuesday at the age of 84.

"Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world," the Jackson family said in a statement. "We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family."

According to the Jackson family, public commemorations will take place in Chicago… 🟪 (READ MORE)