Waylon Cunningham
Waylon Cunningham has worked previously for the Daily Times, the Austin Chronicle, the Texas Observer and the Texas Tribune. In 2018 he won the Malcolm Law Award for Investigative Reporting from the Associated Press in Tennessee.
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(Pexels)
A North Austin nightclub's grand reopening went off without a hitch Friday. Videos shared by the club showed dozens of patrons dancing in tight packs into the wee hours of the night, with hardly a mask to be seen.
<p>This is despite a countywide ban on bars and nightclubs, and at least seven complaints that were filed against the venue for allegedly violating pandemic orders since the opening.</p><p>El Nocturno's opening Friday was preceded by two visits from Austin code inspectors, who found nothing wrong, <a href="https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/health/coronavirus/north-austin-nightclub-open-code-inspectors-have-not-witnessed-violations/269-763e50fd-1850-4339-8bd4-646c3cb2da85" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KVUE reported</a>. However, those inspectors may have missed the crowds because they arrived around 7 p.m., two hours before the club's advertised opening at 9 p.m. </p><p>A statement from the city shared with the news station said its COVID compliance teams must witness violations first-hand, and do not consider video footage as evidence.<br/></p><p>Videos uploaded by the club, now deleted, show what would be clear violations. The videos are available on <a href="https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/health/coronavirus/north-austin-nightclub-open-code-inspectors-have-not-witnessed-violations/269-763e50fd-1850-4339-8bd4-646c3cb2da85" target="_blank">KVUE</a>. </p><p>One reason code inspectors arrived so early may have to do with the department's hours, which end at 8 p.m.</p><p>A city spokesperson told Austonia the code department is not the only department to respond to COVID compliance calls. Other departments, such as the Austin Police Department and Fire Department, operate after 8 p.m.<br/></p><div>At least seven complaints were filed with Austin 311 against the nightclub since its Friday opening for violating pandemic orders, <a href="https://www.kvue.com/amp/article/news/health/coronavirus/north-austin-nightclub-open-code-inspectors-have-not-witnessed-violations/269-763e50fd-1850-4339-8bd4-646c3cb2da85" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">KVUE reported</a>. </div><p>The bigger mystery, perhaps, is not how El Nocturno escaped enforcement but why it was able to open in the first place. </p><p>A countywide ban on bars and nightclubs is keeping these establishments closed, though some have gotten special permission to operate as restaurants by offering minimal food services. A top city health official recently called the exception a "<a href="https://austonia.com/austin-bars-stay-open" target="_self">loophole.</a>"</p><p>But El Nocturno doesn't have that—or any permit whatsoever from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The agency confirmed that the nightclub's permit for selling alcohol expired in February.</p><p>The club is not advertised as BYOB, and Facebook posts on its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ElNocturnoAustinTx/" target="_blank">page</a> boast a $2 drink special. </p><p>Late Sunday night, the club posted a status on its Facebook in Spanish that masks are required to enter. </p>
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(Texas State)
Texas State football player Khambrail Winters was killed in a shooting last night in San Marcos.
<p>In a marijuana deal gone wrong, the 20-year-old football player was found with a gunshot wound to his chest Tuesday night. <a href="https://www.sanmarcostx.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1582" target="_blank">San Marcos police</a> responded to a call at The Lodge Apartments shortly after 9 p.m., following reports of gunshots and people seen running from the area. </p><p>Winters and two other individuals, Enalisa Blackman and Michael Ifeanacho, planned to buy a couple ounces of marijuana. During the drug deal, gun shots were fired and Winters was shot.</p><p>Blackman and Ifeanacho, both 20, were arrested and charged with capital murder. Both are being held in the Hays County Jail. Police are investigating the identities of the other people involved in the shooting, as well as any other witnesses. </p><p>Those with information are asked to contact Detective Templeton at 512-753-2317 or btempleton@sanmarcostx.gov. </p><p>Winters, 20, was an honorable mention All-Sun Belt selection as a freshman football player in 2019. He had nine starts and played in 11 games with 52 tackles and four pass breakups. He did not play any games in 2020, because of <a href="https://www.statesman.com/sports/20201104/texas-state-unsettled-at-quarterback-after-mcbridersquos-struggles" target="_blank">a torn ACL.</a> </p><p>Texas State Head Coach Jake Spavital released<a href="https://txstatebobcats.com/news/2020/11/25/a-statement-from-texas-state-university-football-coach-jake-spavital.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> a statement</a>: "Our Texas State University football team is deeply saddened by the death of our team member, and friend, Khambrail Winters. I met with players [Wednesday] morning to share this news about Khambrail. We will stand together as a team and support one and other during this very difficult time. Our thoughts and condolences are with Khabrail's family and loved ones."</p>
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(Williamsom County)
Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell reportedly violated his own stay-at-home order by attending a family birthday party in the spring.
<p>Gravell will <a href="https://www.statesman.com/news/20201124/williamson-county-judge-cited-for-violating-stay-at-home-order" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">plead guilty</a> to a misdemeanor related to the episode and pay a $1,000 fine, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday. </p><p>A criminal complaint about the incident prompted the appointment of a special prosecutor and an investigation by the Texas Rangers. </p><p>Gravell's attorney Bill Hines said his client is the only person in the county to be prosecuted for the order, and that the Rangers found no other wrongdoing, the Statesman reported.</p><p>Georgetown attorney Robert McCabe filed the complaint in April, accusing Gravell of violating his own stay-at-home order, as well as official oppression and abuse of official capacity.</p><p>A week earlier, on April 7, a Twitter account posted pictures it said were of Gravell arriving at a gathering, "driven by a deputy." Gravell was wearing a fireman's suit with a special breathing apparatus.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8635b2a2011beedbb709d111f5a0b81a" id="4df46"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1247613312327716866"><div style="margin:1em 0">These photos provided by a very annoyed neighbor apparently, who is sick of the rules not applying to everybody. Is… https://t.co/pdRuzued6Y</div> — Buddy Falcon (@Buddy Falcon)<a href="https://twitter.com/buddy_falcon/statuses/1247613312327716866">1586289167.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Williamson County residents expressed disapproval of the posted photos.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="242ea3bd7aabf636424e70719b12a2cd" id="2ca3a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1247679009896398850"><div style="margin:1em 0">@buddy_falcon @BillGravell @SheriffChody This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Smh 🙄 Hope he is held accountable.</div> — Scott Phillip Lewis (@Scott Phillip Lewis)<a href="https://twitter.com/THETRUTH_ABC/statuses/1247679009896398850">1586304831.0</a></blockquote></div><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="26fadea8e963ce6d1f90ae5c6a81fca1" id="4f7ff"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1247621635949113345"><div style="margin:1em 0">@buddy_falcon @BillGravell @SheriffChody This is wrong on so my level. @BillGravell You’re so out of touch with reality it’s scary God</div> — Michael Novick (@Michael Novick)<a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelNovick5/statuses/1247621635949113345">1586291152.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Williamson County Fire Chief Mark McAdams told <a href="https://www.kxan.com/investigations/special-prosecutor-appointed-to-lead-criminal-investigation-into-judge-bill-gravell/" target="_blank">KXAN</a> Gravell borrowed the fire equipment as a COVID safety measure during his visit to his grandson's party.<br/></p><p>County residents at the time were barred from gatherings, following Gravell's <a href="https://communityimpact.com/austin/georgetown/coronavirus/2020/03/24/just-in-williamson-county-issues-stay-at-home-order-through-april-13/" target="_blank">stay-at-home order</a> that forbade residents from leaving their home except for essential business. The order was in effect from March 24 through April 30. </p><p>After Williamson County attorney Dee Hobbs recused himself from the case, the criminal complaint zigzagged through courts for nearly two months, as officials grappled with how to handle the investigation. The Texas Supreme Court ultimately decided to appoint Milam County District Attorney Bill Torrey as special prosecutor.</p><p>Earlier this month, amid a new surge in COVID cases, Gravell said <a href="https://communityimpact.com/austin/georgetown/coronavirus/2020/11/12/county-judge-no-stay-at-home-order-for-williamson-county/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">he would not close the county</a> with another stay-at-home order.</p><p>Gravell was sworn into office on the first day of the year in 2019. He previously had served as a Justice of the Peace from 2015 to 2018.</p>
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(TechCrunch/CC)
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 on September 5, 2018 in San Francisco.
The CEO of Dropbox, one of the most popular cloud storage services, is planning a move to Austin.
<p>Drew Houston, whose net worth is about <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/drew-houston/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$1.4 billion</a>, has purchased a home in Austin that he plans to make his full-time residence, according to <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/tech-ceos-are-saying-goodbye-to-san-francisco" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a report from The Information</a>.</p><p>Houston is the latest tech mogul to make a high-profile departure from Silicon Valley, a trend that has only accelerated under the pandemic. As remote work policies loosen across the tech industry, executives and workers alike have been pouring into the nation's more affordable interior.</p><p>In October, Dropbox announced it would stop asking employees to come into its offices and instead make remote work the standard practice, even after the pandemic ends. </p><p>Houston isn't the first Silicon Valley capitalist to hang his hat in Austin. Douglas Merritt, the CEO of software company Splunk, also recently purchased an Austin home. While Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale already lives in Austin, he recently confirmed that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-lonsdale-palantir-8vc-firm-moving-sf-to-austin-2020-11" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the VC firm will also be making the move to the capital of Texas.</a></p><p>Austin has been a growing hotspot for tech startups since Dell's founding in the mid 80's. Tesla's announcement earlier this year of plans to build its next Tesla Gigafactory arrived with a thump, electrifying critics and supporters by <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2020/11/04/austin-tesla-factory-affordability-jobs-concerns.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">accelerating the city's transformation</a> into a tech city. Tesla founder <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj5zrexwpvtAhUG2qwKHaUXBTIQFjAAegQIBRAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bizjournals.com%2Faustin%2Fnews%2F2020%2F10%2F22%2Felon-musk-austin-factory-timeline.html&usg=AOvVaw3gFSlmZWXrtjMXtB8SwC5F" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a> has said he plans to spend more time in the city, even teasing moving the Tesla headquarters to Austin.</p><p>The reasons for the exodus from California to Austin can be attributed to costs. California has some of the highest taxes in the nation, and San Francisco is one the most expensive housing markets in the country. The median rental price for a two-bedroom apartment is the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-expensive-cities-worldwide-to-rent-an-apartment-2019-5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">highest in the nation.</a></p><p>Austin, meanwhile, has a friendly character that is inviting with Texas' lack of personal income tax. </p>
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(DMTX Realty Group)
Thrifty millennials who plan on skipping their daily coffee for several decades have a new shot at home ownership. In the Hill Country, a 90-acre ranch is selling for a few grand short of a whopping $9 million.
<p>The listing for <a href="https://dmtx.com/property/barefoot-ranch/" target="_blank">Barefoot Ranch</a>, near Dripping Springs, promises "absolute privacy." The crown jewel is a 7,805 square-foot home with six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms. It was originally the headquarters of Arrowhead Ranch, now the name of a nearby gated community.</p><p>The estate includes hiking trails, a spring-fed creek with two dams, a fishing hole and a "resort-style pool." That is, of course, in addition to an enormous barn. Horses not included.</p><p>Inside, the living room is looked over by second-floor balconies, and warmed by an enormous stone fireplace. A private study comes with tall, inset bookshelves and equipped with a fancy rolling ladder seen in movies.</p><p>The typical house in the Dripping Springs area goes for roughly half a million dollars, according to Zillow.</p><p>If $9 million is too hefty to carry, the realtors of the property also advertise a humbler, 60-acre version available for just $4 million. </p>
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(Austonia staff)
A small private plane with a flat tire delayed flights out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for several hours on Sunday evening.
<p>The airplane, which busted its tire shortly before 6 p.m., was towed off the south end of the west side runway around 9 p.m. </p><p>During those hours it blocked part of the airport's only remaining runway, as the other has been temporarily closed for maintenance. </p><p>The blockage primarily impacted inbound flights, ABIA spokeswoman Mandy McClendon said. It also caused diversions for internal Texas flights. <br/></p><p>Some travelers affected by the delays took to social media.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="05dc1322eebe689a391893078a917f8e" id="2e0ba"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330763559073177601"><div style="margin:1em 0">@bravogolf @AUStinAirport Do you know what took so long? I was on a flight that got diverted back to DFW 3 minutes… https://t.co/dkEN8Py6Ha</div> — Doug Hjornevik (@Doug Hjornevik)<a href="https://twitter.com/rr1955/statuses/1330763559073177601">1606113731.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><br/></p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3bd7c7181f7643e65cff3deb4065d5f4" id="cb10a"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1330792384238657537"><div style="margin:1em 0">@JamesMendezATX @JackFromHawaii @AUStinAirport @SouthwestAir Safe but real mad once I found out reason. Someone sho… https://t.co/hBrksrbWtJ</div> — Doug Hjornevik (@Doug Hjornevik)<a href="https://twitter.com/rr1955/statuses/1330792384238657537">1606120603.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>More than one million people traveled by plan in the U.S. on Sunday, <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput" target="_blank">according to TSA checkpoint travel numbers</a>. This represents less than half the number of fliers who traveled on the same day last year. </p>
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Triple A help wanted: Round Rock Express to get new affiliate after Astros announce departure
23 November
(Keeton Gale/Shutterstock)
The Round Rock Express Minor League Baseball team plays out of Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Minor League Baseball team Round Rock Express is looking for a new Major League affiliate after the Houston Astros announced the end of their 12-year partnership.
Some speculate that the Texas Rangers could return to Round Rock, where its Triple A franchise played for eight years before moving to Nashville in 2019, in the wake of the Astros' departure.
<p>The Astros announced Friday they will move their Triple A franchise, one of its seven Minor League affiliates, from Round Rock to Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston, as part of an agreement with Major League Baseball and the city of Sugar Land. The deal also gives the Astros majority ownership of a different local affiliate in Houston, the Sugar Land Skeeters.<br/></p><p>The Round Rock Express plans to announce a new Major League affiliate, which will bring with it a new roster of players and coaches, according to a statement issued by its president Chris Almendarez. </p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="528fef188fbe944280d16ceb92338707" id="31b5b"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1329848057844920323"><div style="margin:1em 0">#CantStopThisTrain
https://t.co/MrYMhJ7EJU https://t.co/42GF63etJL</div> — Round Rock Express (@Round Rock Express)<a href="https://twitter.com/RRExpress/statuses/1329848057844920323">1605895459.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"Round Rock, Texas is the best Minor League Baseball city in America and we cannot wait to provide the exceptional gameday experience that Central Texas baseball fans have come to expect at Dell Diamond in 2021," Almendarez said.<br/></p><p>The Dallas Morning News <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2020/11/16/sources-rangers-reunion-with-aaa-round-rock-possible/" target="_blank">reported earlier this month</a> that the Rangers are poised to reunite with the Round Rock Express. The Rangers are owned by Nolan Ryan, a former MLB pitcher nicknamed the "Ryan Express."</p><p>Ryan, who previously served as CEO of the Rangers and an executive advisor to the Astros, co-owns the Round Rock Express, which was named in his honor. </p><p>The affiliation partnership between Round Rock Express and the Astro's lasted 12 years, including the last two as the club's Triple-A affiliate. </p><p>During Round Rock Express' 20<sup>th</sup> season in 2019, the Express posted an 84-56 record. This year's season was canceled due to the pandemic.</p><p>The affiliate shakeup is part of the takeover of MiLB by MLB, which was announced in October, <a href="https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/11/02/details-of-mlb-takeover-of-milb-emerge/" target="_blank">according to Ballpark Digest</a>. </p><p><br/></p>
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Austin health official concerned about bars "masquerading as restaurants" to stay open amid COVID surge
20 November
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
As local caseloads climb, Austin's top health official raised concerned about a recent trend of bars "masquerading as restaurants" to get around pandemic orders.
<p>Dr. Mark Escott, Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority, said bars offering "very minimal food services" have attracted large crowds on Sixth Street, and that they have remained open under a "loophole." </p><p>Although Texas Gov. Greg Abbott granted county judges the authority to reopen bars, under certain conditions, Travis County officials have not done so, citing the rising number of new COVID cases and related hospitalizations. </p><p>However, many local bars with on-site food service facilities, such as food trucks, have reclassified as restaurants, according to permit records from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.</p><p>Austonia <a href="https://austonia.com/map-of-austin-bars-open" target="_self">reported in October</a> that more than 200 bars had submitted paperwork proving they provided certain food services, allowing them to remain open at a reduced capacity.</p><p>This is concerning to Escott. </p><p>"We know the nature of a bar is that people are drinking alcohol," he said at a press conference on Thursday. "People are often face-to-face. Those two things combined for this pandemic creates a scenario that is very dangerous, particularly in a time when cases are rapidly increasing."</p><p>In Travis County, bars have only been allowed to reopen for a five-week period, from the end of the initial lockdown in mid-May through late June, when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott imposed new statewide restrictions. </p><p>Although Escott acknowledged the burden of COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, he said the bar industry should "work hard to sort out how to do this better."</p><p>James S., a bartender and manager of a downtown bar who asked that the business not be named at the owner's request, said the bar did change its license to reclassify as a restaurant but that operations haven't changed much. </p><p><span></span>The bar, like many others around Austin, relies on food trucks to serve their grub. </p><p>"Licensed or not, it's the same because (food is) always available and we always close whenever the food trucks close regardless, so if there's no food available, we don't stay open," James said. "That was before everything had to be a restaurant as well."</p><p>James said the bar is strict to observe its sanitizing and mask policies and that he does not feel unsafe coming to work. </p><p>If bars had to shut down again, it would put a hole in his pocket.</p><p>"Being back open, we're trying to regain what we would have made, you know, especially being closed during South by Southwest," James said. "(Closing would) hurt my pocket a lot, because I'll have to go back to unemployment. Having to go back to that you know, that's not guaranteed. They tell you one thing, then you end up getting something else, and it's kind of hard to pay bills with."</p><p>Although COVID-19 cases are on the rise in many Texas jurisdictions, Abbott said earlier this week that another shut down is <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/11/18/texas-coronavirus-lockdown/" target="_blank">out of the question</a>.</p><p>Bengie Beshear, co-owner of the Iron Bear, said in a September interview with Austonia that the business moved from West 8th Street to West 6th Street three weeks before the onset of COVID-19. </p><p>Until the pandemic arrived, business was booming. "Before COVID, on the weekends it was just constant, constant traffic," he said.</p><p>Once cases started occurring in Austin, Beshear said most customers complied with the new regulations, "but you still get the ones that come in late, they want to party and they want to, you know, act like it's still a bar and nothing's changed. Everything's changed and they have to remind themselves of that."</p><p>However, now that the bar has switched its license, Beshear has no intention of violating rules or operating his business in an unsafe way. He has seen bars forced to shut down in the area and said sustaining another shutdown would be devastating for the business.</p><p>"I'm on 6th Street, so my rent is sky high," Beshear said. "I've kind of drained all my options at this point. This is the kind of a last ditch thing with changing over to a restaurant. It'd be hard pressed to stay open much longer."</p>
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