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Trump caravan ambush on Biden campaign bus used in impeachment trial

(Bob Daemmrich)
A few months prior to the insurrection of the Capitol, a pack of trucks waving Trump-related flags harassed the Biden-Harris campaign bus on I-35 in Hays County.
Now, the act could play a role in former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.
The incident occurred in November prior to the 2020 election, inciting outrage from Texas Democrats. Trump himself appeared to defend the act and tweeted "I LOVE TEXAS!" soon after.
I flew down to Texas to help with the Biden/Harris bus tour, intended to drum up enthusiasm at polling locations. I… https://t.co/po6DHZwvts— Dr. Eric Cervini (@Dr. Eric Cervini) 1604104498.0
In Trump's second impeachment trial, which began on Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives will be using the incident to help argue that Trump incited violence among his followers.
In the memorandum, the House wrote:
"On October 30, when a caravan of his supporters in Texas attacked a bus full of Biden campaign workers, nearly running it off the road, President Trump tweeted a stylized video of the caravan and captioned it, 'I LOVE TEXAS!' 49 Days later, he declared that "these patriots"—who could easily have killed a busload of innocent campaign staff—'did nothing wrong.'"
Among those on the bus at the time of the incident was congressional candidate Wendy Davis, who was one of a few candidates who subsequently canceled campaign events due to security concerns.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who received backlash after encouraging voter fraud claims prior to the riot, called House Democrats "hypocrites" for supporting BLM and Antifa but condemning the storming of the White House. Cruz also claims that Trump is solely to blame for the Jan. 6 incident.
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Popular
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
The original Z’Tejas location on West 6th Street is closing its doors after more than 30 years on the lot to make way for new development.
Z'Tejas owner Randy Cohen told Austonia the restaurant will be open at least through the end of 2022, possibly through March 2023.
Cohen said the owners—Larry McGuire of McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality—of the land have something new planned, though he’s not exactly sure what. Additionally, Cohen said maintenance costs for the old building were becoming prohibitively expensive.
“I think the people who own the dirt will tear it all down and build condos or some other development,” Cohen said. “I mean, it's a 60-year-old building, Z'Tejas has been here for 33 years and before that, it was something else. So it's just progress, that's all."
The restaurant isn’t going away though—Cohen said Z’Tejas is already looking for a new spot in the downtown area to move into. Z’Tejas also has a location in Avery Ranch, another in the works for Kyle and two in Arizona.
“We have all our ducks in a row right now and the management team is all rowing in the right direction,” Cohen said. “We're just excited, we're excited to build this iconic brand back.”
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Once he finds a new place, Cohen plans to bring along its mural, “The Last Zupper,” which features Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey and Barbara Jordan. Cohen also plans for the adjoining ghost kitchen, Woo Woo Burgers, to follow to the new downtown location.
“We're still booking events through the end of December,” Cohen said. “Come ‘Z' me at Z’Tejas, we'd love to see you before we’re gone.”
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(Google Street View)
Two towers could be coming just south of the Austin American-Statesman’s former headquarters in the South Central Waterfront district.
According to city filings, the proposed planned unit development agreement is set for 200 East Riverside Drive, an area Project Connect’s Blue Line is slated to pass by someday.
Carrying this out involves removing the existing building, which is a state office complex and surface parking.
The new towers in place would reach just over 400 feet at their maximum and include office space and space for retail on the ground level. The mix of office and retail is a trend that’s been cropping up in downtown sites like the Perennial and the Meta tower.
The proposal on a plot of about four acres aims to incorporate green infrastructure and create a lively environment for pedestrians. It’d also be adjacent to the 118-acres of the South Central Waterfront Initiative, which is aimed at enhancing connections to and along the waterfront over the next couple of decades.
The filing lists architects STG Design, a group involved with work on the sailboat-like Google tower.
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