BREAKING NEWS: Shooting confirmed on Mill Steet, across from The Thompson student apartments. Several SMPD units present and have sectioned off the area. More information will be released tonight according to SMPD.
#txst
#smtx
@UniversityStar
I’m
@UTAustin
as well for
@statesman
: Here’s more visuals. The group brought foldable picnic tables to make a circular barrier around the camp. Chants include “Free Palestine,” ones targeting
@GregAbbott_TX
and
@JCHartzell
, and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
BREAKING: Hays County issues "Stay at Home, Work Safe" order. Effective March 26 at 11 p.m. through April 10 at 4 a.m., all individuals living within the county are ordered to stay at their place of residence with a few exceptions. A thread.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
Personal news, part 2?!?
Today was my last day
@HEB
, where I worked before & all through college. There’s 100% no way I would’ve graduated in 2020 without this job. I couldn’t be more thankful. (I started picking up weekend shifts a while back because Austin is expense, y’all).
BREAKING: Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler, in a letter to County Judge Ruben Becerra, stated law enforcement within the county should utilize cite-and-release as "much as possible" amid growing COVID-19 cases, only arresting for "severe" cases. A thread.
@UniversityStar
#txst
Hey, I get to do one of those ✨personal news✨ tweets.
Very excited to announce I will be moving to Corpus Christi to join
@callerdotcom
as an enterprise reporter. Expect some in-depth coverage of the Coastal Bend and a beach-side pic or two from this feed. 🏝
Update:
@lilykepner
and I have confirmed a few arrests. Police brought bolt cutters. It appears some of the picnic tables are chained together. Video here of police attempts to cut the chain and wrestling tables from the circle.
@statesman
@jlauren77
@wartwatch
Hi
@jlauren77
. I am a reporter with the
@dallasnews
. I am working on a number of stories about this and came across this thread. I would like to speak with you about this. Can you give me a call/send me an email? You can reach me at chase.rogers
@dallasnews
.com or 361-239-6527.
Inbox: Travis County Judge
@AndyBrownATX
and Bexar County
@JudgePeterSakai
met with Union Pacific today in D.C. to discuss bringing more rail to Central Texas, South Texas and Mexico.
@statesman
BREAKING: Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra signed a county-wide ban on gatherings of 10 or more people. San Marcos, who issued a ban yesterday, will follow its own rules, per the order. Exceptions: restaurants, malls and grocery stores.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
Some personal news, as they say.
Today is my last day at
@callerdotcom
. Over the last year and a half, I've fallen in love with this city and its people. To fill the Caller-Times' pages with their stories, the good and the bad, has been a privilege.
#VivaCC
BREAKING: The Hays County Local Health Department has reported two additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total cases in Hays County to nine. Story to come.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
Here’s how I heard about this: A friend of a friend reached out to me this afternoon about one of these positions, asking whether they should apply and whether I recommended working for
@statesman
.
It’s sad that I had to say no when I otherwise would’ve said yes.
.
@gannett
is trying to hire temporary workers to fill the jobs of striking Austin American-Statesman employees. Please stand in solidarity with
@statesman
journalists and don’t take these jobs.
You can support us by not clicking on
@statesman
sites or donating to our strike
I won two
@SPJFW
First Amendment Awards on Friday for my work at
@callerdotcom
last year 🎉
Firstly,
@_oliviagarrett
and my two-part series on local efforts to repatriate Native American remains won in the “defending the disadvantaged” category. Here’s my 🧵 on that project.
Nueces County has the highest number of Native American human remains removed from cemeteries in any Texas county and kept by institutions. Only a fraction of the remains have been made available for return.
@callerdotcom
aimed to find out why.
First
@statesman
byline 👀
@CapMetroATX
’s board of directors unanimously moved to purchase a new East Austin facility for $87 million. Officials say the new facility will cut down leasing costs for CapMetro and position it for future growth.
Had two 1st placings from
@TexasEditors
for star online package and freedom of information. 🎉
Wish I was in Corpus Christi to have a beer with
@angelalpiazza
and
@_oliviagarrett
. Happy to see our reporting on local repatriation efforts highlighted here.
Next week, I will join the
@statesman
as the paper's transportation reporter. To only say I am excited to take on such a colossal beat in Austin would be an understatement. 🦇
In the meantime, DM me or email cdrogers
@gannett
.com with tips/ideas/recs. Would love to chat!
BREAKING: Texas State will soon announce that all Summer I courses will be moving to remote delivery. Additionally, the electronic course fee will be waived for enrolled students. Story to come.
The city of Austin netted $105.2M in federal grant funding to build a 5.3-acre deck over I-35 between Cesar Chavez and 4th St., firming up a chunk of funding for its "cap and stitch" initiative for the first time ahead of a Dec. 2024 deadline.
@statesman
INBOX: San Marcos is closing the Children’s Park Playscape, City Park Playscape, dog park, skate park and all other neighborhood park playscapes in response to COVID-19 concerns, effective March 23 at 11 p.m.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
Over the weekend,
@CapMetroATX
unveiled a new mural as part of McKalla Station outside
@AustinFC
's
@Q2Stadium
. Titled "The Heartbeat of Austin," the roughly 600 square-foot mural is made up of more than 130,000 glass pieces.
@statesman
@LaMurgaATX
I’m
@UTAustin
as well for
@statesman
: Here’s more visuals. The group brought foldable picnic tables to make a circular barrier around the camp. Chants include “Free Palestine,” ones targeting
@GregAbbott_TX
and
@JCHartzell
, and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Update at two hours since law enforcement moved on the
@UTAustin
South Mall: It appears the majority of people in the circle have been removed.
@statesman
With the press closing this week,
@Gannett
has placed the Caller-Times newsroom in downtown Corpus Christi on the market for $3.1 million, according to the listing.
Some personal news:
I will be leaving the
@HaysFreePress
for Victoria to cover breaking news and public safety for the
@Vicadvocate
-- I am ecstatic for this opportunity to serve the communities of the Crossroads. Ready to get to work!
Excited to share my senior capstone project with you all!
For the last 4 months, I wrote on the performance of the LBJ Student Center polling location on
@txst
's campus, its history over the last three elections and unique traits of Hays County's electorate. A thread.
@sjmctxst
I’m at
@Q2Stadium
this afternoon.
@CapMetroATX
is providing media with a tour of the McKalla Station, a new stop on the MetroRail Red Line.
@AustinFC
President Andy Loughnane says the new stop with be a “game changer.”
@statesman
BREAKING: Mayor Jane Hughson signed an order limiting gatherings to 10 or more persons. This new order adds closures to common dining areas at food establishments, including bars, effective today through Wednesday, April 1. A thread.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
U.S.
@RepLloydDoggett
is calling for the
@FAANews
to take "swift and forceful action" to address conditions after a string of near-misses at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. For
@statesman
.
#ATX
BREAKING: Hays County Local Health Department reported ten new confirmed cases of
#COVID19
, also citing four more recoveries. Attached chart shows total cases with their status. Story to come.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
As the Caller-Times pressroom goes quiet for the last time next week, a close-knit family forged by long hours, tight deadlines and ink-stained hands will mark the end of an era. For
@callerdotcom
with photos by
@angelalpiazza
.
BREAKING: Overturned tractor trailer on I-35 northbound, heading towards Kyle and Austin, has created standstill traffic going back as far as the Tanger Outlets. Seek alternative route.
#txst
#smtx
I’m near the scene. Austin police have closed off streets leading to the area. Media are being directed to a staging area at Cowan Elementary School.
@statesman
#atx
BREAKING: Two Austin police officers have been shot an in an unfolding situation in South Austin that may involve other injuries and has prompted a SWAT call-out and evacuation, according to preliminary information.
Residents are being asked to go nearby school for safety.
I blinked and completely missed my first month with the
@Vicadvocate
, so here is a ✨thread✨ of a couple of the stories I had the opportunity to tell this last month!
The man accused of carrying out last week's shooting tear had multiple encounters with police, a history of mental health problems and active warrants from a family assault arrest months prior.
He was able to buy a gun anyway.
A 🧵 for
@statesman
.
For more than an hour, emergency responders fought to pull Angela Chao out of a vehicle submerged in a pond on a Central Texas ranch, a picturesque location that complicated the rescue attempt, according to a report obtained by
@statesman
.
At Dirty Martin’s Place for a press conference. The plaintiffs for a lawsuit against Austin city leaders over changes to Project Connect’s planned light rail system. For
@statesman
.
#atx
HAYS: The emergency Hays County Commissioner Court meeting was just called into order, quickly going into executive session to discuss extending the Local Disaster Declaration executed by County Judge Ruben Becerra yesterday, Mar. 15. Updates to come.
#txst
#smtx
@UniversityStar
Austin's light-rail planners will forgo seizing some private property they previously said would be needed for the proposed line, including a burger restaurant suing over the project, in an effort to cut down on land acquisition costs. A 🧵for
@statesman
.
We're backkkkkk! It's a new semester. And you should
#StartwiththeStar
!!! Pick up our Health and Wellness issue to read about about the Counseling Center's exhausted resources, Nijal Pearson becoming the all-time scoring leader, vaping products 'taking a hit' and more!
I’m in Texarkana, where a federal jury will hear testimony this morning in a countersuit from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones against a woman who claims the billionaire is her biological father. Story TK for
@dallasnews
.
Here’s a primer by
@TheLanaBanana
.
ICYMI: The Texas Rangers are investigating a report that Woodsboro ISD students wearing KKK attire used a stun gun or Taser on a Black student Halloween night.
@Vicadvocate
I rode trains on
@CapMetroATX
's Red Line for more than three hours of total ride time on Saturday to see how the rail service fares both before and after an
@AustinFC
game. Here's a ✨2000-word POV story✨ about what I saw.
#atx
@statesman
A short 🧵: The flight chartered by
@TDEM
last month to fly more than 120 migrants to Chicago cost at least $135,000, records obtained by
@statesman
show. Based on the records, that would cost about $1,100 per person.
Professionally and outside of work, Lori's insight and advice were invaluable as a young reporter still learning to navigate Austin. I know we're all better for it. While I was already grateful to work with her on the biz team, this loss makes me more so.
I found a gem from the Caller-Times archives while looking up info on the Harbor Bridge: the incredible story of "Thud," a domestic shorthair that survived a death-defying jump from the bridge. Big fan.
UPDATE: The Hays County Local Health Department has confirmed 4 additional cases of
#COVID19
in Hays County, bringing total cases to 42 as of 4 p.m. today. There are currently 32 active cases, 10 having recovered. Story to come.
@UniversityStar
#txst
#smtx
Breaking: Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales has conceded to Republican challenger Connie Scott.
Scott has maintained an 8-point lead since early voting returns came in. 54/65 polling locations are currently reporting.
@callerdotcom
@barbara4nueces
@VoteConnieScott
New:
@CapMetroCEO
published a thread this afternoon, apologizing to
@AustinFC
fans impacted by the Red Line delays. Last night, a record 4,000 passengers used the line — nearly double than at previous Austin FC matches, she says.
#ATX
@statesman
We’re going to try this again, but first— on behalf of all CapMetro, I want to apologize to our rail customers whose experience was impacted by last night's service. We are committed to getting this right and we will do better.
Driven by these hundreds of times at Six Points and always wanted to stop to check them out. Got up close today. Not in use anymore, but once had the NY Times, WSJ and SA Express-News (and probably the Caller-Times until not too long ago) 👀
Not to gush, but I'm lucky to work/have worked alongside my friends
@angelalpiazza
and
@lucas_boland
, two hardworking journalists who rightly had great showings for the TME awards. Trying to keep up with them has made me a better reporter.
@callerdotcom
.
INBOX: Gov. Abbott has directed the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to close all state parks and historic sites until further direction as part of the state’s effort to strengthen
#COVID19
social distancing guidelines.
@UniversityStar
#txst
Went on
@TexasStandard
yesterday to talk about my reporting and how President Biden earmarked more than $157 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to finish the Port of Corpus Christi’s ship channel improvement project. Give it a listen!
At
@UTAustin
: A separate group with Israel flags are leading their own chants, saying “bring them home” — a reference to hostages held by Hamas after Oct. 7.
@statesman
Current crowd in front of Tower. One large sign says “Hartzell Out Now.” Others are holding Palestinian flags. Hundreds are gathered. Only a few UT police are present, bordering tower.
The wreckage of a storied U.S. Navy submarine, which sank the most Japanese warships during World War II under the stewardship of a famed Dallas-born naval commander, has been found more than 3,000 feet below the South China Sea.
@dallasnews
INBOX: Portable restrooms, sinks and hand sanitizer stations will be installed at the Southside Community Center, 518 S. Guadalupe St., and in the lot adjacent to the Dog Park at 250 Charles Austin St. as part of the public health response to
#COVID19
by the city.
@UniversityStar
A 🧵: Shane James Jr., a former Army officer accused of killing six people in a San Antonio-Austin shooting rampage in Dec., got a written reprimand after an on-base domestic violence investigation nearly a decade ago, records obtained by
@statesman
show.
Inbox:
@Tesla
is no longer seeking tax breaks from Nueces County for its proposed $375 million lithium refinery. County Judge Connie Scott, who was sworn in on Sunday, said the automaker decided it did not need them to move forward with the proposed plant.
@callerdotcom
Blanco County authorities investigating the death of Angela Chao, the Foremost Group CEO who died last week at a private ranch, have repeatedly declined to provide basic information or records in days since the incident.
@statesman
@TxFOIFT
City officials unveiled plans for a new, stand-alone department — called the Homeless Strategy Office — aimed at addressing Austin's growing unhoused population. Estimates show the unhoused pop. has more than doubled since spring of last year.
@statesman
Hays County confirmed 155 new
#COVID19
cases yesterday, the highest single-day total for the county so far. There are now 776 active cases within the county.
Cases in the county have begun rising sharply since the beginning of June.
@haysfreepress
Inbox:
@GregAbbott_TX
will share a stage with
@Tesla
CEO Elon Musk in Nueces County tomorrow during a groundbreaking ceremony for the electric automaker’s $375 million proposed lithium refinery.
@callerdotcom
.
New from
@skyesighp
: The Travis County Attorney’s Office dropped charges against all 57 pro-Palestine protesters arrested earlier this week at
@UTAustin
, citing lack of probable cause.
@statesman
Education transparency panel is under way
@TxFOIFT
conference with reporters who cover higher ed, K-12, charter schools -
@McGeeReports
,
@HeathKeri
&
@dmhj
. Lots of real-world examples of tracking government records and dealing with roadblocks to information.
#txfoi
I’m grateful for the time I had in Austin. I'll continue being a
@statesman
fan from afar.
Though leaving is bittersweet, I’m also beyond excited to move back to the Metroplex and join the
@dallasnews
team. Stayed tuned. 🫡
I’m in downtown Austin this morning for a presser by
@rethink35
. The group, alongside a number of other plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday seeking to halt the upcoming I-35 expansion by
@TxDOT
. For
@statesman
.
All should watch "A Town Called Victoria," which explores the 2017 arson of the city's mosque. Years later, when I joined
@Vicadvocate
, I found a community still grappling with this act of hate. The doc vividly captures the good, bad and very, very ugly of what that looked like.
A mosque in South Texas erupts in flames. Now, a quiet community reckons with what
drove a man to hate.
@independentlens
"A Town Called Victoria" premieres tonight at 8pm CT, on Austin PBS!
--
Stream
#TownCalledVictoriaPBS
now at or on the PBS APP📲 💻
I was fortunate to work for Anita as an intern at the
@haysfreepress
. She was thoughtful, funny and a relentless journalist, and her dedication to San Marcos and Hays County was - and still is - inspiring as a young reporter. She will be missed.
"Award-winning journalist Anita Miller Byley, who dedicated more than four decades to telling the stories of the people of Hays County, died October 26..."
Tonight: Covering this public hearing. Almost a full house. A number of environmental advocates entered the chamber while chanting and displaying signs voicing opposition to desalination. For
@callerdotcom
.
.
@TCEQ
will host a public hearing on Corpus Christi Polymers' proposed desalination plans before considering whether to renew the plastic plant’s wastewater discharge permit. For
@callerdotcom
.
NEWS: SMPD are currently searching for a suspect responsible for shooting two people on the square near Harper's bar. The shooter is not in custody at this time.
#txst
#smtx
@UniversityStar
Covering the
@Tesla
tax abatement hearing in Robstown. Now, Senior Global Director Rohan Patel is giving a presentation on the proposed facility. This is the first time the public and elected officials are hearing form Tesla on its plans.
Story to come for
@callerdotcom
.
Nueces County has the highest number of Native American human remains removed from cemeteries in any Texas county and kept by institutions. Only a fraction of the remains have been made available for return.
@callerdotcom
aimed to find out why.
Residents of New Sweden, a rural haven for cyclists and farmers in northeastern Travis County, are worried two planned concrete batch plants — a type of facility popping up across Texas in urban and rural areas alike — could upend the community.
@statesman
SUPER TUESDAY: 1/ Polling location check-in data is now available for Hays County and it shows some interesting things concerning the LBJ Student Center location. A thread.
#txst
#smtx
@UniversityStar
Update at two hours since law enforcement moved on the
@UTAustin
South Mall: It appears the majority of people in the circle have been removed.
@statesman
Coming up on one hour in law enforcement circled the group. Police are allowing medics into the circle to pass out bottled water/splash some with water. It’s 86 degrees and humid out here.
@statesman
After emotional appeals from more than a dozen parents,
@CapMetroATX
’s board voted 4-2 to approve a one-year contract renewal with a childcare provider running an East Austin facility the transit agency has subsidized for nearly 17 years.
@statesman
BREAKING: An arrest has been made in connection to the December shooting in front of Harper’s on the square. Vincent Favata, 44, is currently in custody in Hays County jail on a $300,000 bond.
@UniversityStar
#smtx
#txst
In an email to Gateway Church members obtained by
@dallasnews
, church leaders called for prayer and characterized the allegations against founding pastor Robert Morris as "deeply disturbing." Morris resigned earlier this week. W/
@MattKyleDMN