Reporters’ Notebook
Reporter's Notebook: That's not a dog. THIS is a dog.
Waterfall of Chihuahuas… If Robert “Crocodile” Corbin’s multiple accounts of abuse by dogs and “arrogant dog owners” are to be taken at face value, it’s no wonder he regularly pleads with city leaders to scrap Austin’s “no-kill” policy. Before urging…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Oct 31, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Devolution and exclusion
Mistakesman… As early voting starts on Monday morning, one candidate is facing an uphill battle reaching out to voters thanks to the Austin American-Statesman. David Holmes, the Democrat running for Travis County Commissioners Court Precinct 3, says the Statesman cut…
Reporters' Notebook • By Elizabeth Pagano • Oct 24, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Campaigns, opinions, etc.
Locals vs. State Legislators… In case you missed it, The Texas Tribune has posted audio from most of its 2016 Texas Tribune Festival panels. Mayor Steve Adler managed to score a seat on one of the panels, “Rideshare’s Road Forward,” talking…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Oct 10, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Butterflies but not rainbows
Hersh the homeowner… Pay enough attention to local politics, and you’ll eventually notice a collection of commonly repeated phrases and cliches: “There are many tools in the toolbox,” “We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” “That…
Reporters' Notebook • By Caleb Pritchard • Oct 3, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: What has hot dogs, great views and live music? It's a roundup festival!
Hot dogs at Town Lake Animal Center… Things got heated during the Animal Advisory Commission’s recent discussion of the temperature of the Town Lake Animal Center. There has been increasing public concern over ineffectual swamp coolers where the outdoor kennels…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Sep 19, 2016
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Reporter's Notebook: Cash rules everything around us
In for a penny… This week, City Council will OK the city’s budget. So, it’s understandable that the conversation last week was dominated by budget discussions – particularly given the $1.6 million or so that City Council is left looking…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Sep 12, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Same as it ever was
Remember your dais voice… City Council members and city management are increasingly pushing back on Council Member Don Zimmerman’s tirades against city staff. It started at a Council budget work session Wednesday, when the cantankerous conservative expressed outrage that a…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Sep 6, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Vultures everywhere
Reply all … Over the weekend, Public Safety Commissioner Mike Levy put Austin Neighborhoods Council President Mary Ingle on blast over the upcoming transportation bond election. It all started last week, when ANC held a panel on the upcoming bonds.…
Reporters' Notebook • By Austin Monitor • Aug 29, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Zimmerman and more Zimmerman
The dull bits cut out… After the frenetic fun of the It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World-style campaign season of 2014, it’s forgivable to survey 2016 and presume that electoral politics in Austin have gone into extended hibernation. Luckily,…
Reporters' Notebook • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 22, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Reach for the czars
It’s a dog-eat-chicken world… In comments to City Council during citizens communication Thursday, the city’s top anti-dog demagogue, Robert “Crocodile” Corbin, described the Austin Animal Center’s “no kill” policy as “destructive to humans, animals, the environment and our finances.” He…
Reporters' Notebook • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 15, 2016
Reporter's Notebook: Resignations and resignation
“Sent using OWA for iPhone”… On Friday, the Austin Monitor reported that Neighborhood Housing and Community Development department executive Steve Ritchie had quit, following the sudden retirement of Director Betsy Spencer over the public release of allegations of harassment and…
