BG Reads // June 16, 2025

Author

A.J. Bingham
June 16, 2025

Presented By

✅ Today's BG Reads include:

🟪 ‘No Kings’ protest draws up to 20,000 in Austin despite ‘credible threat’ to Texas lawmakers (Austin American-Statesman)

🟪 Delta overtakes American to become second-largest airline at Austin’s airport (KXAN)

🟪 Round Rock expands license plate reader network with Flock contract (Community Impact)

🟪 Democrats focus on 2026 elections after tough legislative session (Dallas Morning News)

🟪 The man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after surrendering to the police (Associated Press)

🟪 U.S. could lose more immigrants than it gains for first time in 50 years (Washington Post)

[CITY OF AUSTIN]

🏛️ City Memos:

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

✅ ‘No Kings’ protest draws up to 20,000 in Austin despite ‘credible threat’ to Texas lawmakers (Austin American-Statesman)

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Texas Capitol on Saturday for a planned protest and an impromptu march through downtown Austin, where demonstrators loudly decried President Donald Trump and his administration's policies.

The demonstrations — which organizers estimate drew up to 20,000 people — concluded mostly peacefully just hours after a death threat made against state lawmakers scheduled to attend the protest prompted a brief evacuation of the Capitol complex.

Austin’s “No Kings” rally coincided with similar protests across the United States that were scheduled as counterprogramming to a planned military parade in the nation’s capital. It was the first major demonstration in Austin since an anti-Trump immigration crackdown protest Monday resulted in 13 arrests and multiple injuries to rallygoers and police officers when demonstrators clashed with law enforcement downtown… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ City eyes fund to preserve affordable housing, capitalize on overbuilt apartment market (Austin Monitor)

In talking about the possibility of establishing a city fund specifically for preserving existing affordable housing stock, Council Member Marc Duchen said part of the motivation is to give the city more tools to step in before property owners decide to rebuild aging multifamily properties at higher price points. Using the recent, controversial redevelopment of the Acacia Cliffs complex as an example, Duchen said that, currently, the city has limited options once a zoning request has advanced to a Council agenda.

“How do we make sure that essential workers can stay in Austin?” he said. “It’s better that we’ve got system-wide and citywide tools that we’re accessing well before something comes to a zoning case at Council to address this issue.”

In addition to the recent Council action calling for staff to develop options for revamping density bonus programs — and including one-for-one replacement of affordable units — Duchen has taken a policy page from Dallas, Texas, which launched the Dallas Housing Opportunity Fund in 2021 with a $6 million city grant intended to attract investment partners and preserve 5,000 affordable units. He intends to bring a resolution when Council reconvenes in July… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Delta overtakes American to become second-largest airline at Austin’s airport (KXAN)

Delta Air Lines overtook American Airlines to become the second-largest airline at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in April, passenger data shows.

Monthly passenger statistics for AUS are publicly available since January 2019. An airport spokesperson couldn’t confirm if Delta had carried more passengers than American in a month prior to 2019, but told KXAN this was “likely” the first time it happened in airport history, as Delta currently has its busiest schedule ever from AUS.

Delta flew 302,647 passengers in and out of Austin in April, while American carried 298,579 passengers. Southwest Airlines remains the largest airline by far, carrying more than 735,000 passengers in April alone… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Round Rock expands license plate reader network with Flock contract (Community Impact)

Round Rock City Council unanimously approved a contract with Flock Safety, a security hardware and software manufacturer, to increase the number of automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs, in the city at its meeting June 12.

Totaling $181,250, the contract provides an additional 40 cameras through the assistance of a Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant.

Right now, Round Rock utilizes 30 fixed cameras through Flock. The city has used license plate readers for crime prevention for 15 years, Police Chief Allen Banks said, and the department has contracted with Flock since 2022.

However, recent local legislation in Austin has brought up concerns about the uses of the surveillance technology. The city recently decided to halt the use of ALPRs in response to negative public reactions.

“In some of these other cities there’s been some controversy about what those Flock cameras do,” Banks said. “Our Flock cameras are only giving images. It will not tell me who’s driving that vehicle.”

Despite criticisms of the technology, Banks said the license plate readers have helped in "high-profile cases" such as a shooting at Round Rock's Juneteenth celebration in 2024.

“Those cameras have been a tremendous tool for us in the investigative portion of any criminal activity for our department,” Banks said. “They’ve helped us put folks in jail that deserve to go to jail.”….🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce announces new president, CEO (Community Impact)

The Kyle Area Chamber of Commerce will soon have a new leader, as the executive committee—on behalf of the board of directors—announced in a news release that Becca Hancock will assume the role of president and CEO on July 28.

Hancock most recently served nearly three years as executive director of the Wimberley Valley Chamber of Commerce, where she led initiatives that, according to the release, strengthened business partnerships, expanded community outreach, launched successful programs and laid the groundwork for long-term organizational growth.

“The chamber, much like the Kyle business community, has undergone significant changes and evolutions in the past several years, and Becca has the background and skills to build upon those,” said Dee Crisp, chair of the board, in a news release. “We are excited to see how the future unfolds under her direction.”

During her tenure in Wimberley, Hancock also graduated from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management. Prior to that, she served as president of the Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce, where the chamber doubled its membership… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Tenants lining up for $1B data center project in Taylor (Austin Business Journal)

Blueprint Projects has scored a recommendation to rezone what could ultimately be a $1 billion data center campus northeast of Austin, and new details came to light about water use, occupancy and more.

That comes nearly a year after the Austin-based company — which has another project in Georgetown — received incentives from the Taylor City Council for the project on a 52-acre tract of land it acquired in April from the Taylor Economic Development Corp. at 1601 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the rezoning on June 11, and it still needs Council approval.

Blueprint founder and CEO Yaerid Jacob said during the meeting that they have letters of intent with tenants for full capacity and are working on pre-leasing agreements. They expect to make an investment of $360 million by the start of 2027. He said they have secured power for 30 megawatts from Oncor Electric Delivery Co… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Kyle City Council approves updated voting district map (Community Impact)

Kyle City Council approved a new voting district map at its June 3 meeting, completing a redistricting process that began in 2023 in response to continued population growth and updated U.S. Census data, according to a news release.

The City of Kyle is divided into three single-member City Council districts, including Districts 2, 4, and 6, and four at-large seats, including Mayor, and Districts 1, 3, and 5.

The new district boundaries go into effect immediately, and city officials encourage voters to review the changes ahead of the November 2025 City Council election… 🟪 (READ MORE)

[TEXAS/US NEWS]

✅ Democrats focus on 2026 elections after tough legislative session (Dallas Morning News)

Firmly in the minority and stripped of committee chairperson posts, Democrats were powerless to stop the onslaught of conservative legislation that ran counter to their agenda. Democrats were mostly on the defensive, with the goal of blocking or mitigating the impact of what they felt were bad bills. A bright spot, they say, is local Democrats managed to get individual wins for their districts. With Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows largely unified, Republicans were able to pass almost everything on their legislative wish list, including a private school voucher plan that Democrats and rural Republicans blocked for decades.

As they heal from the 140-day Austin beatdown, Democrats are preparing to trek the 2026 campaign trail, where their goal is to make gains in the Legislature and mount credible challenges to Abbott, Patrick and other statewide Republican candidates. They’ll use the 89th session as a battle hymn for the 2026 elections and the legislative politics that will follow. Anyway you slice it, making Lone Star gains will be tough for Democrats. “What Democrats spent most of our time doing is just defending against the truly horrific crap that Republicans have filed,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston and leader of the House Democratic Caucus. “We were somewhat successful in pushing back on some items. We fought the good fight, and we tried to do what the people wanted on vouchers, on a lot of other things. This has been a really rough session.” Wu said many Texans were feeling the same frustration as Democrats… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ One transit agency for all of North Texas? Leaders discuss future of transportation (KERA News)

Some local elected officials say they want to see a regional authority that can manage transit across North Texas’ most populated counties.

During a meeting of the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) on Thursday, leaders discussed a proposal by transportation director Michael Morris that’s meant to bring together transit agencies, city officials and other stakeholders, including the general public, to "lay out a path forward."

“Where the RTC takes a leadership position, tries to pull together a new vision for transit, probably expansion of boundaries," Morris said.

Morris’ recommendation, called Policy 25-01, comes after a “heated” months-long process at the state legislature over funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit that left cities divided on the best path forward for public transportation in North Texas.

Policy 25-01 proposes a comprehensive process ahead of the next legislative session for reviewing how to best deliver transit to North Texans over the next 25 years, potentially pulling in state funding to do so. It asks local cities and counties to implement findings from Transit 2.0, a study by the RTC that includes recommendations and a final report on what the region needs to keep up with rapid population growth… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas is suing genetic-testing company 23andMe. Here's what that means. (Houston Chronicle)

Texas is suing 23andMe to prevent the genetic testing firm from selling personal data of state residents as the company's bankruptcy case moves forward. In the lawsuit, state Attorney General Paxton said his goal is to force the company to adhere to Texas’ data privacy laws, which prohibit the unauthorized sale of genetic information without an individual's consent.

“Texas’s strong data privacy laws grant consumers property rights to their genetic information and require companies to obtain user consent before sharing any of this highly confidential data,” Paxton said in a statement. 23andMe in March filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while it attempts to sell the business. According to Paxton, that includes customers' private genetic and health information, as well as personally identifiable information.

23andMe allows customers to decline to make their genetic data and other personal information available for medical research. They can also ask the company to delete all of their data and direct them to destroy their saliva sample. Paxton asserted that if the company tries to change that at any time during the sale of the company, state law allows Texans to ask for their data to be deleted and genetic samples to be destroyed. On Monday, 27 states jointly sued 23andMe to similarly block it from selling their residents' data without consent. On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jan Schakowsky sent letters to potential buyers of 23andMe to demand details of their consumer privacy policies, should one of them acquire it.

In May, biotech company Regeneron announced it was the successful bidder for 23andMe in its bankruptcy auction after offering $256 million for the company. However, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki offered $305 million for the company after the auction closed through newly formed nonprofit TTAM Research Institute. The new offer caused a federal judge to reopen the sale process, giving Regeneron and TTAM a chance to make a final bid… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ The man suspected of shooting 2 Minnesota lawmakers is in custody after surrendering to the police (Associated Press)

The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender Sunday after they located him in the woods near his home, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge.

Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two of attempted murder. He is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.

Authorities say he also shot Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) away.

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference after Boelter’s arrest… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ U.S. could lose more immigrants than it gains for first time in 50 years (Washington Post)

For the first time in at least half a century, more people may leave the United States than arrive this year, an abrupt shift in immigration patterns with potentially significant implications for the U.S. economy. Economists at two Washington think tanks expect President Donald Trump’s immigration policies to drive this reversal: from the near-total shutdown of the southern border to threats to international students and the loss of legal status for many new arrivals, according to a forthcoming paper. A rise in deportations — the aim of recent workplace raids that triggered protests in Los Angeles and other cities — also plays a role. A net outflow of immigrants could stoke inflation, a risk economists already expect from Trump’s tariff policies. It also could renew the type of labor shortages the country experienced during the pandemic. Longer term, it could even have implications for fiscal policy, with fewer immigrants paying taxes and supporting entitlement programs such as Social Security, said one of the economists, Wendy Edelberg.

“For the year as a whole, we think it’s likely [immigration] will be negative,” Edelberg said. “It certainly would be the first time in more than 50 years.” Edelberg and her colleague Tara Watson at the center-left Brookings Institution are working with Stan Veuger of the conservative American Enterprise Institute on the paper, which is due out later this month. Their projections point to an increased likelihood of negative immigration in 2025, compared with the economists’ last projections published in December.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment, but spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Washington Post last week: “If you are present in the United States illegally, you will be deported. This is the promise President Trump made to the American people and the Administration is committed to keeping it.” On the campaign trail, Trump and Vice President JD Vance pointed to mass deportations as a solution for reducing competition for jobs and housing. Economists across the political spectrum expect the United States this year will experience the lowest immigration levels in decades, and some agree there’s a real possibility that migrant outflows will eclipse inflows.

Migration levels last reached a longtime low during the 2008 financial crisis, which sparked a mass departure of Mexican immigrants. “It’s not about deportations so much,” Veuger said. “It’s really just that inflows are down so much; not just at the southern border, but also through various legal programs.” Already, the foreign-born workforce has shrunk by more than 1 million people since March, Labor Department data shows. (The figures are not adjusted for seasonal trends.)… 🟪 (READ MORE)

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