Katharine Jose
Katharine Jose, managing editor for Austonia, is an editor, writer and reporter with 15 years of experience in both traditional print and digital media as well as a masters degree in urban planning from the University of Texas-Austin. She started her career in New York, working for a young Huffington Post before moving to several positions at the Peter Kaplan-era New York Observer. Katharine has written about politics, infrastructure, environment, development, natural disasters, and a variety of other mostly nerdy topics for Planetizen, SOMA, Popmatters, Community Impact Newspaper, The New York Observer, Capital New York, and The New York Times, among other publications. Twitter: @kpjose
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- Reopening today: the zoo (masks required), water parks (advanced tickets required), driver's license offices (appointments required).
- As protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis spread to cities around the county, a demonstration drawing attention to both Floyd and Mike Ramos is planned for Austin this weekend.
- With local businesses concerned they can't make a profit at limited capacity, the city council may soon allow the use of sidewalks and parking lots to increase it, CBS Austin reports.
- KUT notes that, ultimately, it's up to voters to decide who votes by mail.
- Aaron Franklin will be inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame, writes Daniel Vaughn at Texas Monthly, just as his restaurant faces its biggest challenge yet.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a new proclamation today that will permit fans to attend outdoor professional sports games starting Friday, the Texas Tribune reports.
<p>Capacity must be kept to 25%, and the revised rule does not apply to indoor games, nor to high school and college sports.</p>
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- Austin Public Health aims to vastly increase coronavirus testing by July, the Statesman reports.
- Big buildings are planned for Parmer Austin, the property next to the Austin FC training facility, according to the ABJ. ($)
- Vince Young Steakhouse is unhappy with the mayor, Eater notes, but has now deleted the tweet that said so and apologized.
- If it reopens, the owner of Beerland tells the Austin Chronicle, the longstanding Red River bar and venue will get a new name.
- KXAN has photos of some very large hail stones that came down in Georgetown last night.
Texas Supreme Court: lack of immunity to coronavirus does not qualify voters for mail-in ballot
28 May
The Texas Supreme Court ruled today that not being immune to coronavirus does not qualify voters for a mail-in ballot, The Texas Tribune reports:
<p style="margin-left: 20px;">In the latest twist in the legal fight over voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, the court agreed with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that the risk of contracting the virus alone does not meet the state's qualifications for voting by mail.</p><p>To qualify for an absentee ballot in Texas voters must be over 65 years of age, have a a disability or illness, be out of the country, or be in jail.</p>
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- TABC is meeting with bar owners "to address potential violations" of the state's guidelines for distancing last weekend, KXAN reports.
- KVUE warns that we may see (more) strong or severe storms today.
- In election news, the state is recommending voters bring their own hand sanitizer to the polls, while KUT reports efforts underway to recruit a new set of poll workers.
- "The film feels as close to the unvarnished truth as we are likely to get from a man as complicated as Armstrong," CultureMap writes of the new ESPN documentary "Lance."
Gov. Greg Abbott announced today that he would allow several additional types of business to start back up under Phase II of his plan to reopen the Texas economy.
<p><span></span>Immediately: </p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>driver's education</li><li>food courts at malls</li></ul><div>May 29</div><ul class="ee-ul"><li>water parks at 25% occupancy</li></ul><p>May 31</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>recreational sports for adults (no games until June 15)</li></ul><div><a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/DISASTER_Adding_Covered_Services_to_GA-23_No_2_COVID-19.pdf" target="_blank">Read the whole proclamation</a>.</div>
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- Mayor Steve Adler was unhappy about photos and videos of packed bars over the weekend.
- Parks were also crowded, and some closed as a result, according to Fox 7.
- In other outdoor-crowding news, KXAN spoke to residents near the greenbelt who are seeing a "path of destruction" in the wake of a wave of visitors.
- The $275 million deal to buy the complex that includes the W Hotel and ACL theater is off, KUT reports.
- The vice president said on Fox News that the Republican Party is considering Texas as an alternative location for its August convention.
- Some of the COVID-19 tests the state has been reporting were antibody tests, not viral tests, the Texas Tribune reports.
- Bars can open again today (some already did), at partial capacity—customers are discouraged from dancing, which doesn't make sense to all the people that run them.
- Most boat ramps are also opening, but the usual personal watercraft ban is in place for Memorial Day weekend.
- A map of the Austin roadways that are now closed for the "Healthy Streets" program, courtesy of Community Impact Newspaper.
- One plan under consideration by Austin ISD, according to KXAN: only 25% of students go back to classrooms in the fall.
