Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and employing more than 10,000 people, Hendrick Automotive Group is now the largest privately held dealership group in the country.In Austin, the Group’s portfolio includes BMW of South Austin and Audi South Austin, located in Council District 2.Bingham Group will represent Hendrick at the municipal and state level in Texas.

📸: Hendrick Automotive Group Chairman and CEO Rick Hendrick with Bingham Group CEO A.J. Bingham.

[WEEKEND NEWS]

Austin to provide oversight of EMS in Pflugerville amid concerns about quality of care (Austin American-Statesman)

After hearing concerns about the medical care provided to Pflugerville residents by Allegiance Mobile Health, the City Council last week approved an agreement with the city of Austin to supervise the private ambulance company.

During the council meeting Tuesday night, officials from Travis County Emergency Services District No. 2, also known as the Pflugerville Fire Department, expressed concerns about the quality of care provided by Allegiance medics, saying the death of one patient in January was because of negligence.

ESD No. 2 Chief Nick Perkins said oversight is needed as Fire Department paramedics often have had to intervene to provide the high-level care that Allegiance medics have not… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

Austin moves step closer to creating tourism improvement district (Austin Business Journal)

The city of Austin is one step closer to creating a Tourism Public Improvement District to help bring in new revenue while the Austin Convention Center is under construction. City Council signed off on the service plan Sept. 14.

It will go before hotels within Austin’s city limits for approval before it’s brought back to the Council for final consideration later this fall.

Under the plan, Austin hotels with at least 100 rooms would be subject to a 2% assessment of gross taxable room revenue. Money generated would be used to try to attract new events to Austin and bring more tourism revenue into town, as well as fund improvements toward safety and homelessness issues… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

City of Austin, Austin EMS Association approve 4-year contract (KXAN)

After months of negotiation, a signing ceremony was held Thursday afternoon that celebrated the new four-year contract between the city of Austin and Austin Travis County EMS.

The deal included a 4% raise overall to start, and an increase in the entry-level pay rate.

According to Selena Xie, president of the Austin Emergency Medical Services Association, members voted 93% in favor of the contract with a majority (65%) of its members voting.

“Today, we can really start thinking about the future, and we’re already starting to do that,” Xie said Thursday. “We already starting to have meetings to think about immediately where we should be going tomorrow.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

What’s ahead at City Hall next week:

➡️ Austin Council Work Session (9.19.2023 Agenda)

➡️ Austin City Council Regular Meeting (9.21.2023 Agenda)

BG Media Group: A public strategy firm providing comprehensive communications and engagement services in the Austin Metro area.

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[TEXAS NEWS]

Paxton trial updates, Sept. 15: Senators leave Capitol without an impeachment verdict (Texas Tribune)

The impeachment case against suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton has gone to the jury. Texas Senators are deliberating 16 articles of impeachment. Paxton is accused of misusing the powers of the attorney general’s office to help his friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor who was under federal investigation. Senators began deliberations around noon Friday, but began leaving the Capitol without a verdict before 8 p.m.

The House impeachment managers insisted that they proved their claims of bribery and corruption, arguing that the jury of 30 senators had no choice but to convict. Paxton’s defense team said the case was full of holes, circumstantial evidence and misdirection.

If 21 of 30 eligible senators convict Paxton on any of the 16 articles of impeachment, he is automatically removed from office and there will be a subsequent vote on whether to permanently bar him from seeking state office. Sen. Angela Paxton, the attorney general’s wife, was prohibited from participating in deliberations or voting.

Deliberations are expected to resume at 9 a.m. Saturday… (LINK TO FULL STORY)

[NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS]

How the UAW strike could have ripple effects across the economy (NPR)

The United Auto Workers' strike against the Big Three automakers will have ripple effects across the economy — but it's hard to gauge how much.

It will depend in large part on how big the strike gets and how long it goes on. And what makes this walkout unusual is that the union is targeting all Big Three carmakers — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (Chrysler's parent company) — but it's not picketing all of their plants, at least for now.

Initially, the strike is limited to just three assembly plants — one for each company — with a total of about 13,000 workers.

Here are some of the potential effects of the strike on workers, companies, car buyers and the broader economy... (LINK TO FULL STORY)

OTHER NEWS:

➡️ ‘The military is being held hostage’: Republicans hit GOP hard-liners over defense spending bill (Associated Press) -> LINK TO FULL STORY

➡️ Oregon launches legal psilocybin access amid high demand and hopes for improved mental health care (Associated Press) -> LINK TO FULL STORY

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