News from March 2022



Texas Public Policy Foundation: "The laws and systems surrounding Texas' property tax are notoriously complicated"

Property Taxes are controversial issue in the state of Texas, and draw bipartisan support for decreasing the tax burden on citizens in Texas. A report published by the Texas Public Policy Foundation in February of 2022 reveals property tax increases for Texas' most populous counties compared to the tax's preferred growth rate, which is a combination of inflation plus population growth.


City of Austin City Council met Feb. 8

City of Austin City Council met Tuesday, Feb. 8.


Candidate O'Rourke: Abbott could not 'keep the lights on in the energy capital of the planet'

Over a year after the fatal winter storm that hit Texas last February, leaving hundreds of people dead, the question of accountability over the circumstances surrounding the failure of the state's power grid remains open. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke recently commented on the issue, alleging the blame lies with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.


ASU scientists use satellites in space to measure coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef

Off the coast of Australia, the sixth wonder of the world sits below the waves, both beautiful and critical to our planet.


Abbott on wildfires: 'I commend the hard work and selfless acts of thousands of first responders and firefighters'

Gov. Greg Abbott commended first responders and firefighters on Friday (March 18) who responded to the wildfires in west central Texas, as well as mourned an Eastland County Sheriff’s deputy who lost her life attempting to help others during the incident.


City of Austin City Council will meet March 22

City of Austin City Council will meet at 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 22.


City of Austin City Council met Feb. 3

City of Austin City Council met Thursday, Feb. 3.


City of Austin City Council met Feb. 3

City of Austin City Council met Thursday, Feb. 3.


Kilroy purchases acres near The Domain for high-rise

AUSTIN – Kilroy Realty Corp. has purchased a 2.9 acres at 10615 Burnet Road in the Domain submarket for $40 million.


Ellis: 'If we can’t hire enough lifeguards, Austinites will not have access to our local pools'

With summer around the corner, Austin City Councilwoman Paige Ellis wants to solve the city’s lifeguard shortage, according to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE.


Abbott on California drink company relocation: 'Great news for the people of Central Texas'

The Austin suburb of Kyle will be the new home of California beverage company Sovereign Flavors, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday (March 18). According to a press release issued by the governor's office, Sovereign Flavors will relocate its base of operations from Santa Ana, California to the Texas Hill Country.


Skybox developing data center in Pflugerville

PFLUGERVILLE – Skybox Datacenters LLC is developing Skybox Austin 1, a 141,000-sf, 30-megawatt data center.


New responsible data sharing technique will enable better understanding of disease-causing genetic variants

Using federated analysis on protected health data sets can lead scientists to a more nuanced understanding of heritable disease



NTSB's Landsberg on West Texas crash: 'There's no question about the force of impact'

Preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) shows that a teenage boy was in the driver's seat of a pickup truck that was involved in a fatal collision with a van carrying members of the University of the Southwest (USW) men's and women's golf teams in Andrews County earlier this week, according to Permian Basin-based media reports.



Federal funds rate increase could affect low-income, first-time buyers most

Higher mortgage interest rates are the potential byproduct of this week's announcement by the Federal Reserve that it’s raising the federal funds rate, which previously hovered near 0 percent, by a quarter point (i.e., 25 basis points).


Abbott at Houston roundtable: 'Our business owners, entrepreneurs and workforce are who make Texas exceptional'

Gov. Greg Abbott visited Houston on Thursday (March 17) to hold a business roundtable discussion. According to a press release issued by his office, Abbott hosted the roundtable at Pieper-Houston Electric to talk about Texas' business climate and growth.


City of Austin City Council met Feb. 1

City of Austin City Council met Tuesday, Feb. 1.