Stories by Caleb Pritchard
Filing deadline reveals twist in sheriff's race
Monday’s filing deadline for the Republican and Democratic primary elections in Texas has come and gone, and one name in particular is strikingly absent from the field seeking to replace Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton: Sheriff Hamilton himself. The incumbent…
Elections • By Caleb Pritchard • Dec 15, 2015
County nixes revenue to save inmates money
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to forgo a six-figure revenue stream in the name of letting jail inmates and their families save money on telecommunications services. The commissioners voted 3-1 to modify a contract with Securus Technologies…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Dec 9, 2015
Commissioners Court adds security screenings
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has announced that all visitors to weekly Commissioners Court meetings will be subject to security screening starting next week. A non-operational metal detector standing in front of the court chambers at the regular meeting Tuesday…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Dec 9, 2015
Questions pile up as Travis County tackles flood relief
Travis County has more questions than answers more than two weeks after heavy floods caused widespread damage in Central Texas. At its regular Tuesday voting session, the Commissioners Court charged staff with investigating several issues raised by affected residents who…
Public Safety • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 18, 2015
Zimmerman, Troxclair resurrect failed proposal for civil courthouse
Two Austin City Council members are renewing an effort to persuade Travis County to build a new civil courthouse in the so-called “Eastern Crescent.” The day after voters narrowly rejected the county’s $287 million bond to build the facility in downtown Austin,…
Austin • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 13, 2015
Daugherty seeks reelection
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty has announced that he will seek a fourth term in office. Breaking weeks of suspense, the only Republican on the Commissioners Court revealed his plans in an email blast sent out just after midnight on…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 12, 2015
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County shoots down Austin's no-kill request
Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday rejected a request from the city of Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission to enter into a partnership that would develop a no-kill management strategy for wild animals, including coyotes. David Lundstedt and Craig Nazor of…
Austin • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 11, 2015
County's mass-gathering rules now in judge's hands
Travis County and an outdoor music festival had their day in court on Monday, and now the future of controversial revisions in the mass-gathering permitting process rests in a district judge’s hands. The organizers of the Euphoria Music & Camping…
Courts • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 10, 2015
Still on fence, Daugherty draws primary challenger anyway
The number of declared candidates in the hunt for a Travis County Commissioner Precinct 3 chair doubled this week from one to two, but there’s still one important name absent from the field: incumbent Commissioner Gerald Daugherty. Daugherty, the lone…
Elections • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 6, 2015
Travis County voters reject civil courthouse bonds
It was a tight match all night long, but in the end, Travis County’s $287 million Civil & Family Courts Complex bond fell with a stiff punch in the gut. After several tense hours that at one extended point saw…
Elections • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 4, 2015
Confederate flag controversy rains on Veterans Day Parade
At Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, a controversy over the Confederate flag led to high drama replete with stirring statements and ultimately one official’s public resignation from an independent committee. County Veterans Services Officer Olie Pope told the commissioners…
Local Politics • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 4, 2015
Travis County committed to downtown courthouse
The downtown block at the center of Travis County’s proposed Civil & Family Courts Complex proposal won’t necessarily be freed up for private development if voters reject the $287 million bond today. Opposition to the proposal has sprouted from downtown…
