Austin Airport Severely Understaffed

New FAA data reveals that only 32 air traffic controller positions out of a target of 60 are currently filled at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA).

Last month’s deadly collision between an airliner and a military helicopter in Washington DC, as well as several near misses over the last few years at ABIA, have prompted U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) to raise the alarm about the severity of the understaffing at ABIA.

“We are in the top five airports with the greatest shortage of air traffic controllers,” said Doggett, who added he’s concerned that President Trump’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government won’t help the situation.

ABIA recently installed ground tracking devices to assist air traffic controllers, but Doggett said they’re “not a panacea.” Airport officials said they are working with the FAA “to implement a staffing plan that meets the growing needs of AUS.”

50501 Movement Hits Texas

Texans opposed to President Trump’s approach to deporting illegal immigrants and reforming the federal government took to the streets in Austin and San Antonio on Wednesday. They joined protesters gathering in state capitols around the nation as part of the 50501 movement.  

Around 500 people marched through downtown Austin and picketed at the Capitol throughout the day, chanting slogans and holding signs with messages like “Fight Ignorance Not Immigrants,” “Screw The Coup,” and “Arrest Elon Musk.”

In San Antonio, hundreds of students at several area high schools walked out of class and gathered outside of City Hall. Administrators expressed their support for students’ engagement in activism but encouraged them to do so on their respective campuses.

Musk Mural Defaced, Transformed

After a mural of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was vandalized in Brownsville earlier this week, the artist behind the work incorporated the message scribbled across the tech mogul’s face with a new addition to the mural, reportedly at the billionaire’s request.

Police have not found the person who defaced the “Boca Chica To Mars” mural by drawing an anarchist symbol and writing “Deny, Defend, Depose”—the words scratched into the shell casings discovered at the site where Luigi Mangione allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO in December.

The artist who created the mural, Alexandro Gonzalez-Hernandez, has removed the graffiti, but he added a name tag to Musk’s shirt that reads “Hello, I’m Luigi M.” Gonzalez-Hernandez said the mural’s new message is “Deny destruction. Defend creativity. Depose hate,” explaining that “art is about creation, not destruction.”

Although Musk has not commented publicly about the incident, Gonzalez-Hernandez said the billionaire suggested the change. When asked to verify that, the artist suggested that AI might have inspired the addition.

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➤ Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked Dallas ISD and Irving ISD for documents pertaining to their policies on transgender athletes. This follows the release of a secretly recorded video of administrators discussing how to avoid a state law prohibiting student-athletes from competing for a team other than that designated for their biological sex. (More)

➤ Fort Worth: Police arrested three alleged thieves accused of stealing copper cables on Monday when they were found with 155 pounds of wire worth approximately $675. Thefts of AT&T copper cables have increased 500% over the past two years. (More)

➤ Socorro: An ordinance prohibiting the use of untreated pecan shells for gardening or landscaping has gone into effect, with fines of up to $500 per violation. The ordinance was passed in response to an infestation of red flour beetles. (More)

➤ Comal County: A court officially designated Desiree Hamm, 37, as a sexually violent predator last week. This is the first such designation applied to a female offender in state history. In 2011, she was convicted of preying on two teenage girls. (More)

➤ Frisco: The city council approved a $160 million bond proposition for a performing arts center that would be built in conjunction with Prosper ISD. Voters will get to weigh in on the proposal in May. (See Details)

➤ Houston: Controller Chris Hollins called on Mayor John Whitmire and the city council to create a task force to address an annual deficit of more than $200 million. The deficit is compounded by a recent Texas Supreme Court decision requiring the city to invest an additional $100 million a year on roads and drainage projects. (More)

➤ Sugar Land: Crews broke ground on a $231 million expansion of the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital last week. With a projected completion sometime next year, the expansion will add 52 beds, surgical suites, and a neonatal intensive care unit. (See Rendering)

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➤ Victor Wembanyama sank a game-winning free throw in the final seconds of Wednesday’s 126-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks, saving the Spurs from an embarrassing loss after nearly blowing a 20-point lead. (Watch Video)

➤ The Texas Rangers are favored to win the American League West this season with over 89 wins, according to a recent projection. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: PGA | LPGA | NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ Zillow’s co-founder Spencer Rascoff has been named the CEO of Dallas-based Match Group Inc., the owner of Tinder, OkCupid, and multiple other online dating services. (More)

➤ Austin-based cybersecurity firm Sailpoint announced plans for a $1 billion initial public offering that pegs the company’s valuation at around $11.5 billion. Sailpoint was publicly traded prior to 2022 when current owner Thoma Bravo took the company private. (More)

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➤ Mansfield husband and father Tadd Crosslin, 49, underwent a double lung transplant in September at a hospital in Chicago after years of battling cancer. He’s one of 12 patients to receive vital organs preserved in a special refrigerator pioneered in Canada and Europe. (See Details)

➤ Meghan Taylor is the new owner of Diamondback’s Steakhouse in Waco, which she describes as “a dream come true.” Taylor started working at the restaurant in 2014 as an event coordinator and was promoted to director of hospitality in 2022. (More)

➤ Bioluminescent plankton, called “sea sparkle,” have reappeared off the Texas coast. The glow-in-the-dark phenomenon is an annual occurrence resulting from rapid cell growth in these algae-like organisms. (See Photos)

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Would you mind if a nuclear power plant were built in your town?

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