The White House announced yesterday that President Biden will visit Austin next week, two weeks after he was originally scheduled to be here, for a commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The event had been due to take place on July 15 at the LBJ Library but was postponed in the wake of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump two days prior.
Biden then contracted COVID-19 and then eventually dropped out of the presidential election race.
President Biden and other dignitaries will participate in a program at the LBJ Auditorium that will be livestreamed for free to the nation at: www.youtube.com/TheLBJLibrary/live. Participating in the program will be Ambassador Andrew Young and award-winning actor Bryan Cranston among others. Cranston portrayed former president Lyndon Baines Johnson in the 2016 film All The Way.
“We’re honored to have President Biden at the LBJ Library to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, a law that was a giant step toward fulfilling our nation’s most sacred promise of ‘all men are created equal’” said Mark K. Updegrove, President & CEO of the LBJ Foundation and a presidential historian. “Last year, President Biden said civil rights are ‘the unfinished fight of America.’ We look forward to commemorating this milestone with the President and hearing his vision for how we can continue to make real the promise of America for all of its citizens.”
The start time for next week’s event has not been announced but will be in the afternoon. The event is not open to the public.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive nominee for president for the Democratic Party, will visit Houston tomorrow to address the American Federation of Teachers Union. (Houston Chronicle)
The two finalists vying to become the next permanent chief of the Austin Police Department attended a meet-and-greet with community members Tuesday at the Palmer Events Center. Community members had mixed reactions.
Due to recent rainfall, the Lower Colorado River Authority has issued the following update:
One floodgate at Wirtz Dam is open and three floodgates at Starcke Dam are open to release storm runoff flowing into Lake LBJ from the Llano River. The runoff is flowing from Lake LBJ into Lake Marble Falls through Wirtz Dam, and from Lake Marble Falls into Lake Travis through Starcke Dam. Flows are faster and water levels are higher than usual downstream of the dams. Please take action to protect people and property that may be affected.
What is the wettest July on record for Austin? (KXAN-TV)
A 4.9 magnitude earthquake in West Texas Monday evening was felt as far north as the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Two aftershocks, one 4.4 and the other 3.1, were also felt. (Times Now)
Frustration mounts as Delta Airlines continues to cancel flights in the wake of last weekend’s CrowdStrike software glitch caused by a faulty update.
The University of Texas at Austin Police Department is asking the public for help identifying a suspect who reportedly fired shots on the UT campus back on July 13.
No injuries were reported, and no additional shots were reported after the initial incident. Authorities immediately searched the area near the Moody Center but were unable to locate a suspect. (Fox7 Austin)
Two people were injured in what the Austin Fire Department called a “major accident” on Interstate 35 in south Austin Tuesday. (KXAN-TV)
One person died in an auto-pedestrian collision off Interstate 35 in North Austin Tuesday night. (KEYE-TV)
The Austin Police Department identified the victim from a homicide in southeast Austin back on July 18 when officers responded to an incident on Burton Drive and found Jose Ramon Lizarraga Boca Negra, 39, with “an apparent gunshot wound.” He was pronounced dead on the scene. Negra was shot inside a home and the suspect ran from the area. Anyone with any information can contact APD at 512-974-TIPS. This was Austin’s 34th homicide of 2024. (KXAN-TV)
A woman has been arrested and charged with first-degree felony arson for allegedly starting a fire at Ascension Seton Shoal Creek Medical Center in central Austin early Sunday morning, causing over $50,000 in damage and injuring a staff member.
A witness reported seeing the suspect, identified as Carmel Esther Norris, 44, setting a bed and pillow on fire using a lighter she had smuggled into the facility. She is facing a charge of arson, a first-degree felony. Her bond is set at $50,000. (KEYE-TV)
The Williamson County District Attorney says more arrests and more charges could be coming for those involved in the shooting at a Round Rock Juneteenth celebration in June that killed two bystanders and injured 14 others. Ricky Thompson III, 17, was arrested for his alleged role in the shooting. (Fox7 Austin)
Thompson, meanwhile, was in court yesterday. (KXAN-TV)
A Texas woman, a former Army civilian employee, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for stealing over $108 million from a grant program intended to provide services to military dependents and their families. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin Independent School District board members gathered last night to discuss possible ways to reduce the overall budget deficit. (KVUE-TV)
A new report looks at progress made on previous homelessness response audits.
Austin’s CapMetro is expected to have its newly branded bikeshare program ready to roll by September. (Community Impact)
Meanwhile, CapMetro announced the official appointment of Eric Robins as its chief of police during a board meeting Monday. The transit authority’s police department is set to roll out in 2025. (Austin American-Statesman)
The City of Austin Housing Department updated its Displacement Risk Area Map and Dashboard for the first time since 2020, identifying city areas where displacement increased. (Daily Texan)
Elon Musk is reportedly looking for office space in Austin after announcing his intention to relocate the headquarters for his social media platform X from California to Texas. (Austin Business Journal)
Ascension Health has been hit with a $2 million defamation judgement. (Austin Chronicle)
Rent prices in the Austin area are coming down.
Meanwhile, home prices in Austin dropped by -0.1 percent from May to June. (Newsweek)
Texas is the third-best state for business, according to a 2024 study. (Austin American-Statesman)
Austin’s Parks and Recreation Board voted Monday to recommend that City Council allocate an additional $2.62 million to the Parks and Recreation Department budget for the new fiscal year. (Austin Monitor)
A miniature golf course/restaurant/bar chain co-owned by professional golfer Tiger Woods is making its way into Austin this year. (Austin Eater)
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Major League Soccer stops for a month so that Leagues Cup can take place in the summer, something that does not please the franchises.
The 2024 Leagues Cup will be played in different US and Canada stadiums including Austin’s Q2 Stadium. (Austin FC)
In Major League Baseball last night the Texas Rangers extended their win streak to three with a 3-2 win against the Chicago White Sox at home. (Yahoo! Sports)
In Oakland, the Houston Astros dropped their third straight, losing to the A’s, 8-2. (Yahoo! Sports)
The key to success for the Texas Longhorns in the SEC this upcoming season? The growth and health of third-year starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. (USA Today via MSN)
The preseason SEC media poll placed Texas to finish second in the SEC. (Longhorns Country)
This week’s rainfall in Central Texas is a welcome sight for many. But back in 1981, the area saw devastating flooding. Let’s look back…
