Austin Journal

News from January 2023


Spurs relish return to Alamodome despite loss to Warriors: 'With the turnout, how can you be mad?'

Drawing more than 65,000 people to a National Basketball Association (NBA) game is rare, but the San Antonio Spurs pulled off the feat when it hosted the incumbent champion Golden State Warriors at the Alamodome on Friday.


NAPE Expo organizer: Abbott, governors part of 'one of the best speaker lineups we’ve ever assembled'

Gov. Greg Abbott is slated to participate in a panel discussion with his counterparts, Govs. J. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) and Mark Gordon (R-WY), at the NAPE Summit Energy Business Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) in Houston, according to a press release.


City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee met Dec. 13

City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee met Tuesday, Dec. 13


City of Austin Mobility Committee met Nov. 10

City of Austin Mobility Committee met Thursday, Nov. 10


City of Austin Public Safety Committee met Sept. 19

City of Austin Public Safety Committee met Monday, Sept. 19



City of Austin Mobility Committee will meet Jan. 19

City of Austin Mobility Committee will meet at 1 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19


Austin Water's Roalson on UT external audit: 'We welcome an outside perspective to help us evaluate where we can continue to improve'

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) has released an external audit it conducted on Austin Water as a result of a trio of water boil notices the City of Austin has imposed in recent years, Austin-based media outlets reported.


City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee will meet Jan. 18

City of Austin Audit and Finance Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 18


Major FAA computer failure grounds flights at AUS, across nation: 'We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem'

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) was among the many airports nationwide that were impacted by a major Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) computer failure.


City of Austin Public Safety Committee met Jan. 10

City of Austin Public Safety Committee met Tuesday, Jan. 10


Phelan: 'I see 149 people, ordinary Texans, who are eager to get to work on extraordinary things'

The 88th session of the Texas Legislature marks State Rep. Dade Phelan’s (R-Beaumont) second term as speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.



Texas First Lady invites 'Texans of all faiths to join us in prayer and action to eradicate human trafficking'

The Governor's Response Against Child Exploitation (GRACE) will launch the third annual Week of Prayer to End Human Trafficking through a virtual Facebook event at 7 p.m. on Monday.


Watson takes oath as Austin mayor a second time: 'I am committed to working together with a new sense of urgency'

Former state lawmaker Kirk Watson was inaugurated as Austin mayor on Friday, more than 20 years after he last held the office.


Abbott meets Biden, delivers note to president: 'This chaos is the direct result of your failure to enforce the immigration laws that Congress enacted'

President Joe Biden and Gov. Greg Abbott met in El Paso on Sunday, with the interaction marked by the latter hand-delivering a note to the former.



Del Conte: 'I informed Mr. Beard of our decision to terminate him effective immediately'

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) terminated Chris Beard as head coach of its men’s basketball team on Thursday, Austin-based media outlets reported.


Paxton on $43 million settlement against e-cig company: 'It’s clear that JUUL violated the law'

Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton announced on Wednesday that the state has entered into a $43 million settlement with Washington, D.C.-based electronic cigarette company JUUL Labs, per a press release issued by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG).


Ex-Westlake player recalls experience similar to Hamlin's: '[I] started to lose consciousness, and I kind of slumped off the back of the bench'

Damar Hamlin’s medical episode during Monday night’s game between his Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals proved a little too close to home for ex-Austin Westlake football player Matt Nader.