News from July 2022


Gitt: 'Only 3% of wind power capacity was available when Texas needed it most'

In a recent tweet, Brian Gitt noted that wind energy is not a major contributor to Texas' grid, despite calls for increased resources for wind energy. He added these thoughts to a quote from Robert Bryce and supplied data for his claims.


City of Austin Mobility Committee met May 12

City of Austin Mobility Committee met Thursday, May 12.


Austin among top-10 U.S. metro areas ranked the most educated, study finds

Austin ranked in the top 10 of 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) analyzed in a new WalletHub study which examines the places with the most educated residents based on criteria such bachelor’s-degree prevalence and educational system quality.


Energy watchdog says electricity provider's profits are 'costing Texans billions'

The big payday for one of the largest energy providers in Texas amid the ongoing heat wave and calls for energy conservation is far from market driven, a business energy watchdog told the Austin Journal


City of Austin Mobility Committee will meet Aug. 4

City of Austin Mobility Committee will meet at 1 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 4.


Residents lodge complaints against UT luxury housing complex: 'There was rat feces everywhere'

University of Texas at Austin (UT) students who reside at The Standard claim the new luxury housing complex is rife with various problems, per a report from Austin CBS affiliate KEYE.



Austin among large U.S. cities with least amount of stress, study finds

Austin ranked 162nd out of more than 180 U.S. cities analyzed in a new WalletHub study that examines which places have the most stressful environments based on criteria such as weekly work hours, jobless rates, divorce rates and suicides per capita.


Bastrop County Animal Shelter coordinator after National Adoption Week: ‘We are still at capacity and need more adopters’

Austin-based New Hope Animal Rescue and Bastrop County Animal Shelter connected many pets with loving families during a PetSmart Charities event held July 15-17 as part of National Adoption Week.


National park visitors in Texas spent $370.5 million in 2021, study finds

Texas ranked 18th among 49 states and the District of Columbia in a new ranking by the National Park Service of park visitors’ overall spending and economic contributions to state economies last year


Gamblers team member on upcoming Moody Center debut: 'We’re looking to bring a win here in the home city'

Thirty-one days remain until the home debut of the Austin Gamblers, the state capital’s newest professional sports franchise, at the new Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.


Abbott: Bill 'will help Texas leverage our investments in the semiconductor industry'

Gov. Greg Abbott urged lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to approve a bill on Thursday that intends to promote the research, development and fabrication of semiconductors within Texas and the U.S., per the Office of the Texas Governor, Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported.


City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors met June 16

City of Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors met Thursday, June 16.


City of Austin Public Safety Committee met March 28

City of Austin Public Safety Committee met Monday, March 28.


'Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition'

Rome comes to Austin! Unlike the long lines and 60-foot ceilings, patrons can see world-renowned work of Michelangelo close enough to touch God's finger in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel:


'We need to return as much of that as possible': Abbott endorses tax breaks

With the news that Texas is expecting one of the biggest budget surpluses in its history, state leaders are calling for the use of the surplus to give financial breaks to taxpayers, such as a reduction in property taxes.


Austin Events July 25-31

July 26: Shark Week at the Science Mill


City of Austin City Council will meet July 28

City of Austin City Council will meet Tuesday, July 28.


Energy Alliance policy director: 'All Texas has to do is let the market work'

Bill Peacock, policy director of the Energy Alliance, is criticizing the recent restructuring of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).


Evidence mounts that lithium producers for EVs plan to explore 'in a Chinese region tied to slave labor'

In a July 18 tweet, Brian Gitt called attention to the link between lithium batteries for electric vehicles and Chinese slave labor.