Austin, TX
Oklahoma judge arrested in Austin, accused of shooting parked cars and causing collision
An Oklahoma judge was arrested in Austin last week after authorities say he opened fire on parked vehicles while out driving, striking at least one of them, and intentionally crashed into a woman’s vehicle, telling officers later that she had cut him off.
Brian Lovell, an associate district judge in Garfield County, Oklahoma, was arrested Sept. 11 on a misdemeanor count of reckless driving. A felony count of engaging in deadly conduct with a firearm was forwarded to a grand jury for consideration.
Lovell was released on $10,000 bond and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
“We have zero comment,” said a woman who answered a phone call Friday to a number listed as Lovell’s. The woman identified herself as Lovell’s wife but declined to give her name.
Lovell didn’t immediately reply to a phone message left at another number listed as his, and he declined to comment to a KFOR-TV reporter who went to his home in Waukomis, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Oklahoma City.
According to an Austin police affidavit, officers were called just after 4 p.m. on Sept. 11 by a witness who reported a man firing “approximately five times while driving down the street,” striking at least one of the parked vehicles.
About 90 minutes later, police responded to a call about a crash less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the shooting scene, where a woman said a man had deliberately collided with the rear of her vehicle twice.
Lovell and his SUV matched the description of the shooter, according to the affidavit.
He told police he believed the woman had cut him off in traffic and although he acknowledged their vehicles had collided, he “did not admit the collisions were intentional,” according to the document.
Lovell told police there were two handguns in his vehicle, but he said “he did not know why he would have shot his gun and could not recall any part of the shooting incident,” according to the affidavit.
Paul Woodward, the presiding administrative judge for the Garfield County district, said Lovell agreed to not preside over any cases until his own case is resolved.
“He’s been a good friend and colleague for years. It’s hard for me to believe any of this,” Woodward said.
With South by Southwest (SXSW) in full swing, Austinites are keeping an eye out for celebrity sightings around the city. Last week’s Texas Film Awards offered an opportunity to see several celebs gathered in one place. Honoring legends of the Texas film industry, the annual fundraising event inducted new members into the Texas Film Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Austin Film Society (AFS), the milestone year for the Texas Film Hall of Fame welcomed new members Michelle Rodriguez, Tim and Karrie League, and Noah Hawley. Before the event, CultureMap caught up with AFS founder and film director Richard Linklater about the anniversary.
Richard LinklaterPhoto by David Brendan Hall
“It’s very cool,” he said, “Forty years is wild. You can’t help but reflect back to year one. We grew with Austin: as Austin has grown, so have we.”
Sharing the impact of AFS grants on stage during the event, Linklater elaborated further on this symbiotic growth.
“The rising tide of Austin lifted our boat, and we grew when we needed to [without] losing our fundamental film freakiness,” Linklater said. “Forty years in, I know two things to be true: community is everything. Watching movies together connects us and builds that community. And, the love and appreciation of cinema knows no bounds: if you nurture it, it feeds you back ten fold.”Linklater is on a recent awards streak, having been honored with a Texas Medal of Arts Award in late February.
Presenting to Killeen-born and San Antonio-raised Michelle Rodriguez, director Robert Rodriguez spoke about the actress’s “unshakeable swagger” and how he wrote the character of Luz with her in mind after seeing Girl Fight.
Robert Rodriguez and Michelle RodriguezPhoto by Lauren Slusher
He also introduced a surprise guest to the event, Vin Diesel, who co-starred with Rodriguez in the Fast and Furious franchise. Sauntering onto the stage in a black cowboy hat, Diesel shared that he recently discovered his Texan roots and that their Texan identity was one of many things that bind him to Rodriguez as his ride-or-die.
Vin DieselDavid Brendan Hall
Actor and one-time Austinite Elijah Wood presented the award to Tim and Karrie League, founders of the Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest.
Elijah Wood, Tim and Karrie LeaguePhoto by Lauren Slusher
Wood praised the Leagues for their impact not just on the Austin film industry but the wider film community by redefining what a theater could be, “a place that embraces both first-run studio films, independent and international gems, and the most obscure oddities dug from the archives; a place where you can pair dinner with a movie; where themed screenings create memories beyond the film itself.”
On the red carpet before the event, Wood told CultureMap what he most misses about Austin:
“I don’t live here anymore, but it still feels like home,” he shared. “I miss the food, tons of restaurants I love like Emmer & Rye, Loro, pizza from Via 313, Olamaie, Clark’s, Fresa’s.”
For the final award of the night, Atlanta actress Zazie Beetz and Fargo actor David Rysdahl presented the award to writer and producer Noah Hawley, who is currently working on Fargo and Alien: Earth.
David Rysdahl, Noah Hawley, and Zazie BeetzPhoto by Lauren Slusher
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AUSTIN, TEXAS (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
AUSTIN – A new study shows how much a person in Austin needs to make in order to be considered middle-class.
The annual study from SmartAsset calculated the middle-class income ranges for 100 major U.S. cities and all 50 states.
Middle-class in Texas
By the numbers:
In order to be considered middle-class in Texas, you need to make between $50,515 and $151,560, according to the study.
The same study last year found the range to be considered middle-class in Texas to be from $48,185 to $144,568.
SmartAsset’s study considers middle-class to be two-thirds to double the median household income.
Texas finished in the middle of the pack in the rankings.
The median household income in the state is $75,780.
That put the Lone Star State as the 23rd highest of the 50 states.
What is considered middle-class in North Texas
By the numbers:
The study also looked at what is considered to be middle-class in 100 cities around the country.
Austin’s median household income was $91,501, the 18th highest on the list.
That means, in order to be considered middle-class in Austin, you need to make between $60,995 and $183,002.
Other Texas cities to make the list include Plano (7), Irving (43), Fort Worth (46), Garland (55), Dallas (59), Arlington (61) Corpus Christi (73), Houston (75), San Antonio (78), Laredo (82), El Paso (86) and Lubbock (92).
Middle-class for each U.S. state
- Massachusetts, $66,565-$199,716
- New Jersey, $66,514-$199,562
- Maryland, $65,779-$197,356
- New Hampshire, $64,552-$193,676
- California, $63,674-$191,042
- Hawaii, $63,542-$190,644
- Washington, $63,064-$189,210
- Utah, $62,274-$186,842
- Colorado, $61,934-$185,822
- Connecticut, $61,104-$183,330
- Virginia, $59,948-$179,862
- Alaska, $57,748-$173,262
- Minnesota, $56,718-$170,172
- Rhode Island, $56,642-$169,944
- New York, $54,725-$164,190
- Delaware, $54,235-$162,722
- Vermont, $54,135-$162,422
- Illinois, $53,532-$160,612
- Oregon, $53,435-$160,320
- Arizona, $51,538-$154,630
- North Dakota, $51,012-$153,050
- Nevada, $50,904-$152,728
- Texas, $50,515-$151,560
- Idaho, $49,956-$149,884
- Georgia, $49,750-$149,264
- Wisconsin, $49,749-$149,262
- Nebraska, $49,722-$149,180
- Pennsylvania, $49,211-$147,648
- Maine, $49,150-$147,466
- Florida, $48,869-$146,622
- Wyoming, $48,272-$144,830
- South Dakota, $47,869-$143,620
- Iowa, $47,617-$142,866
- Montana, $47,198-$141,608
- North Carolina, $47,198-$141,608
- Kansas, $46,884-$140,666
- Indiana, $46,313-$138,954
- Michigan, $46,117-$138,366
- Missouri, $45,692-$137,090
- South Carolina, $45,198-$135,608
- Ohio, $45,175-$135,538
- Tennessee, $45,083-$135,262
- New Mexico, $41,508-$124,536
- Alabama, $41,471-$124,424
- Oklahoma, $41,421-$124,276
- Kentucky, $40,741-$122,236
- Arkansas, $39,129-$117,400
- Louisiana, $38,815-$116,458
- West Virginia, $37,295-$111,896
- Mississippi, $36,132-$108,406
What is considered middle-class in U.S. cities
- Arlington, Virginia, $93,470-$280,438
- San Jose, California, $90,810-$272,458
- Irvine, California, $85,317-$255,978
- San Francisco, California, $84,478-$253,460
- Gilbert, Arizona, $81,622-$244,890
- Seattle, Washington, $80,397-$241,216
- Plano, Texas, $72,389-$217,188
- Washington, District of Columbia, $72,133-$216,420
- Chula Vista, California, $71,075-$213,246
- Scottsdale, Arizona, $70,698-$212,116
- San Diego, California, $70,513-$211,560
- Chandler, Arizona, $70,255-$210,786
- Boston, Massachusetts, $64,614-$193,862
- Oakland, California, $64,546-$193,656
- Anchorage, Alaska, $62,952-$188,874
- Denver, Colorado, $62,765-$188,314
- Chesapeake, Virginia, $61,749-$185,266
- Austin, Texas, $60,995-$183,002
- Jersey City, New Jersey, $60,851-$182,572
- Enterprise, Nevada, $60,811-$182,450
- Virginia Beach, Virginia, $60,755-$182,282
- Aurora, Colorado, $59,527-$178,600
- Riverside, California, $58,777-$176,350
- Raleigh, North Carolina, $57,534-$172,618
- Portland, Oregon, $57,366-$172,114
- Sacramento, California, $57,280-$171,856
- Santa Ana, California, $57,270-$171,828
- Atlanta, Georgia, $57,248-$171,760
- Honolulu, Hawaii, $56,599-$169,814
- Anaheim, California, $56,576-$169,744
- Colorado Springs, Colorado, $55,471-$166,430
- Henderson, Nevada, $54,979-$164,952
- Long Beach, California, $54,399-$163,212
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, $53,995-$162,002
- Charlotte, North Carolina, $53,715-$161,162
- Reno, Nevada, $53,571-$160,730
- Nashville, Tennessee, $53,473-$160,434
- Durham, North Carolina, $53,371-$160,128
- Boise City, Idaho, $53,313-$159,954
- Los Angeles, California, $53,129-$159,402
- Phoenix, Arizona, $53,104-$159,328
- Bakersfield, California, $52,898-$158,710
- Irving, Texas, $52,885-$158,670
- Mesa, Arizona, $52,758-$158,290
- North Las Vegas, Nevada, $52,627-$157,898
- Fort Worth, Texas, $51,383-$154,164
- New York, New York, $51,046-$153,154
- Stockton, California, $50,789-$152,382
- Port St. Lucie, Florida, $49,947-$149,856
- Chicago, Illinois, $49,644-$148,948
- St. Paul, Minnesota, $49,312-$147,950
- Las Vegas, Nevada, $49,184-$147,568
- Tampa, Florida, $48,562-$145,702
- St. Petersburg, Florida, $47,824-$143,486
- Garland, Texas, $47,815-$143,458
- Omaha, Nebraska, $47,487-$142,476
- Glendale, Arizona, $47,062-$141,200
- Madison, Wisconsin, $46,985-$140,968
- Dallas, Texas, $46,743-$140,242
- Orlando, Florida, $46,271-$138,828
- Arlington, Texas, $46,134-$138,416
- Miami, Florida, $45,752-$137,270
- Jacksonville, Florida, $45,375-$136,138
- Lincoln, Nebraska, $45,362-$136,100
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, $45,267-$135,814
- Fresno, California, $45,064-$135,206
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, $44,672-$134,030
- Indianapolis, Indiana, $44,415-$133,258
- Lexington, Kentucky, $44,257-$132,784
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, $44,142-$132,438
- Richmond, Virginia, $43,762-$131,300
- Kansas City, Missouri, $43,479-$130,450
- Corpus Christi, Texas, $43,421-$130,276
- Spokane, Washington, $43,340-$130,032
- Houston, Texas, $41,754-$125,274
- Norfolk, Virginia, $41,584-$124,764
- Columbus, Ohio, $41,563-$124,700
- San Antonio, Texas, $41,544-$124,644
- Greensboro, North Carolina, $41,161-$123,494
- Louisville, Kentucky, $40,988-$122,976
- Wichita, Kansas, $40,850-$122,562
- Laredo, Texas, $40,476-$121,440
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $40,197-$120,604
- Baltimore, Maryland, $39,715-$119,158
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina, $39,455-$118,378
- El Paso, Texas, $38,208-$114,634
- Fort Wayne, Indiana, $38,088-$114,276
- Tulsa, Oklahoma, $37,877-$113,642
- St. Louis, Missouri, $37,493-$112,490
- Tucson, Arizona, $37,135-$111,416
- New Orleans, Louisiana, $37,050-$111,160
- Lubbock, Texas, $36,297-$108,902
- Cincinnati, Ohio, $36,206-$108,628
- Newark, New Jersey, $35,875-$107,636
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, $35,324-$105,984
- Memphis, Tennessee, $34,263-$102,798
- Buffalo, New York, $30,969-$92,916
- Toledo, Ohio, $30,865-$92,604
- Cleveland, Ohio, $26,025-$78,082
- Detroit, Michigan, $25,384-$76,160
The Source: Information in this article comes from SmartAsset’s yearly analysis. To determine what is considered middle class SmartAsset looked at the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 1-year American Community Survey data for the median household income in 100 of the largest U.S. cities, as well as all 50 states. The company then used the Pew Research definition of middle class, which is ⅔ to double the median household income.
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