Austin, TX
Travis County Attorney drops charges against 79 more UT-Austin protesters
:focal(0x0:3000x2000)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/ac9c35a1d8bb26cb58aa84ed1d380d30/0429%20UT%20Protest%20LS%20TT%2001.jpg?ssl=1 "Travis County Attorney drops charges against 79 more UT-Austin protesters")
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Criminal charges were dropped against 79 people arrested at a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Texas at Austin on April 29. Travis County Attorney Delia Garza announced the charges would be dismissed at a press conference on Wednesday.
The protesters were charged with criminal trespass, a Class B misdemeanor. Although the arrests met the initial requirements for probable cause, the County Attorney’s Office could not meet their legal burden to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt, Garza said.
There are still a number of other cases with more serious charges related to the April 29 arrests which are still under review, Garza said.
The April 29 arrests were the result of the second police crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations at UT-Austin. The first protest, on April 24, resulted in 57 arrests, most of whom were also charged with criminal trespass. Those charges, however, were quickly dismissed because law enforcement lacked probable cause, Garza said.
The police crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests on April 24 and April 29 at the University of Texas at Austin are part of a larger wave of law enforcement and university administrators responding to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
:focal(1x147:2999x2000)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/34d5db424f9e9fae283781df6bfcbaea/0206%20Air%20Travel%20EH%20TT%2003.jpg?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Multiple Texas airports are refusing to play video from DHS’ Noem blaming Democrats for government shutdown")
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AUSTIN, Texas (KVIA) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that Southwest Airlines will establish a new pilot and flight attendant crew base in Austin.
Abbott joined the Austin mayor at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to make the announcement today.
The expansion to Austin will lay the groundwork for future operational growth in Texas. It is expected to generate 2,000 jobs in Austin by mid-2027. In addition to the pilots and flight attendants, Austin will now also be home to managerial and support staff. The new crew base will have an average salary of $180,000 a year, the Governor’s Office says.
The state is extending a $14 million Texas Enterprise Fund to the airline, as well as a $375,000 Veteran Created Job Bonus.
“Southwest Airlines was born and raised in Texas and has been a core element of the economic growth we have seen in our state,” said Governor Abbott. “We are excited to announce that today Southwest Airlines will add over 2,000 high paying jobs right here in Texas. We are the home of economic opportunity for our fellow Texans more than any other state in the United States, and we know a key reason for that is because of everything Southwest Airlines provides. We are proud to partner with everybody connected with Southwest as well as the City of Austin on such a huge announcement for our state.”
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin firefighters battled their second major fire Thursday afternoon, responding to an abandoned East Austin auto shop engulfed in flames.
Crews responded to 3100 Manor Road around 4 p.m., AFD said.
No injuries were reported and no one was inside the building.
ALSO | 40+ residents displaced in North Austin third-alarm apartment fire, no injuries reported
The incident was called in as a first alarm. The building is a total loss, according to officials.
CBS Austin has a crew on the way to the scene.
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Earlier in the afternoon, firefighters extinguished a three-alarm fire in north Austin.
AUSTIN, Texas – The suspect in a violent road rage incident on the Capital of Texas Highway has been identified and charged, according to court paperwork.
The altercation was caught on camera.
What we know:
34-year-old Ian Kevin Brinkmeyer has been charged with criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor, in connection with the Dec. 5 incident.
At around 2 p.m. that day, officers responded to a call for service on Capital of Texas Highway, where they spoke with Brinkmeyer and another man.
The affidavit says Brinkmeyer “engaged in a road rage” with the other man while traveling north on Capital of Texas Highway. Brinkmeyer drove around the other man, changed lanes in front of him and cut him off before stopping his car.
Brinkmeyer then allegedly got out of his vehicle holding a “steel knife sharpening rod”, walked over to the other man’s car and struck the driver’s side door window with the rod, shattering the entire window.
The affidavit says Brinkmeyer then quickly walked back to his car and drove off.
The entire incident was caught on video by other drivers and posted on social media.
The affidavit says that the repairs to the shattered window cost about $480, making this a case of criminal mischief with a value between $100 and $750.
What’s next:
A warrant has been issued for Brinkmeyer’s arrest. As of 12 p.m. Dec. 11, he is not in custody.
The Source: Information in this report comes from court paperwork and previous reporting.
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