Growth and development reporter for the Austin Current. Almost never on this site. Reach me at [email protected]
Austin, TX
Joined July 2008
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Andrea Ball retweeted
This is a huge deal, thank you Mayor!
Interested to see what council says as it sounds like the trade is to allow dense development on lady bird lake around here and I don’t think most council members are pro-golf
Also it may divide some of the ‘save muny’ movement if that really is the trade
Latest #WatsonWire: The Magic of Saving Muny. The public golf course that most of us call “Muny” is an important Austin asset. It’s officially called Lions Municipal Golf Course. For many years, there’s been uncertainty surrounding its future. Would it remain greenspace, would it stay a golf course, or would it be developed?
I’m happy to announce that there’s finally an excellent path forward that includes Muny belonging to the City of Austin and the WAYA campus belonging to WAYA.
Muny became the first public golf course in Austin when it was constructed in 1924 on University of Texas land. It’s still owned by UT. It’s been leased and operated by the City pretty much since the beginning. In 1950, it was the first public golf course in the South to desegregate, and it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a civil rights landmark.
Read more: bit.ly/MunyWire
Austin City Council has borrowed $566 million without voter approval since 2024, a surge driven largely by one main reason: real estate.
austincurrent.org/2026/10/14…
The borrowing, through certificates of obligation, accounts for more than 60% of the $883 million Austin has issued over the last decade.Council members say it’s largely to buy or fix up buildings, a strategic move intended to save money.
But these bonds, which don’t go before voters, come at a cost. Austin repays the debt through property taxes, along with tens of millions of dollars in interest.
Read more at austincurrent.org
Andrea Ball retweeted
A Q&A with U.S. Senate candidates James Talarico, Ken Paxton and Ted Brown
( Paxton did not respond so the @TexasTribune filled out his responses based on past statements)
texastribune.org/2026/10/13/…
Andrea Ball retweeted
The PUC doesn’t want to release records regarding its water & energy survey. The commission is suing the AG saying releasing a data center facility’s county and its regional water planning area to the public could aid terrorists. For @TexasTribune texastribune.org/2026/10/06/…
Andrea Ball retweeted
Cash-strapped @AustinISD faces big changes under a potential state takeover. It could also face increased costs at a time when reserves are running dry.
via @andreeball for @_AustinCurrent
austincurrent.org/2026/10/06…
Andrea Ball retweeted
INBOX: @GregAbbott_TX will be at the opening of the Dr. Ron A. McMurry Mediplex in Jasper, TX
In 2023, we wrote about Dr. McMurry and his often Sisphyean fight to deliver babies in East Texas - and later learned he was @HicklandHillary’s father!
Andrea Ball retweeted
Breaking: The Texas Tribune has identified the ICE agent who witnesses say fired through an open van window and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston nearly three months ago. bit.ly/4z7IdLs
Last month, Paige Ellis submitted a petition that would have allowed her to run for a third consecutive term.
She fell short. What happened?
austincurrent.org/2026/09/28…
City Councilman @MikeSiegelD7 speaks to @_AustinCurrent reporter Sam Stark at about the ICE shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant earlier this week. #tribfest #texastribune
instagram.com/reel/DdrD5A_Rz…
Andrea Ball retweeted
.@AustinISD is on the path to state intervention. Explore @andreeball's interactive timeline to see how the district got here. 👇
austincurrent.org/2026/09/22… #txed #aisd
Andrea Ball retweeted
Six @AustinISD schools inherited the failing histories of campuses the district closed. AISD now has nine schools carrying up to four unacceptable ratings, creating new paths to state intervention as soon as next year. austincurrent.org/2026/09/21… #txed
Andrea Ball retweeted
Rents are falling in Austin. Eviction filings are still climbing.
BASTA counted 10,732 filings through late Aug, about 900 more than this point last year. @austintexasgov Council now wants to rethink how Austin intervenes before tenants lose their homes.
austincurrent.org/2026/08/28…
Andrea Ball retweeted
NEW: More than six weeks after flooding hit southwest Texas, including Kerr County again, FEMA still hasn't cleared most requested funding for individuals and governments. That leaves people without help for things like temporary housing and home repairs. texastribune.org/2026/08/28/…
Andrea Ball retweeted
Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras.
The order came as @texastribune was preparing an investigation detailing how a state agency has devoted at least $30M to building the state’s Flock network. texastribune.org/2026/08/28/…
Andrea Ball retweeted
Also in this story: ICE alleges in a federal document released this week that it was @TxDPS which provided the initial, apparently incorrect tip, that led to the pursuit and fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado.
DPS denies this and ICE didn't respond.
texastribune.org/2026/08/28/…
“We have now kind of put together as much physical evidence as we think we’re going to get and so the next step is to begin to get witnesses into the grand jury,” @SeanTeareHCDAO on Houston ICE shooting & fighting @DHSgov for info.
texastribune.org/2026/08/28/…
Andrea Ball retweeted
After being told we were fired for insubordination, my colleagues and I today filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, Sean Parnell and Andrew Brey seeking to protect our First Amendment rights.
Everyone deserves the right to a free and independent press, especially our service members. This lawsuit is about safeguarding the mission of Stars and Stripes journalists so they can continue to do their jobs without fear or retaliation.
washingtonpost.com/business/…
