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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

Axios Austin Thought Bubble

Axios Austin

Lawrence Wright, the famed Austin-based chronicler of Scientology and al-Qaeda, among many other subjects, has a new piece in The New Yorker examining change in his hometown.

Driving the news: In "No City Limits," Wright has put together a kaleidoscopic portrait of Austin, a city he first moved to in 1980.

Then, he writes, it was "offbeat, affordable, spontaneous, blithe, and slyly amused, as if we were in on some hilarious secret the rest of the world was unaware of."

Of note: Wright plays keyboard for the blues band WhoDo.

What they're saying: The piece gets at the oft-noted tensions about a fast-growing Austin. 

"Austin will open up its Rolodex to you as a visitor or a newcomer quicker than any other place I’ve been," actor Matthew McConaughey told Wright. "But we also have to be wise. You don’t want to let a tyrant in your kitchen."

"I tend to be more of a pro-change guy," Michael Dell, Austin's first homegrown billionaire, says. "If you're not comfortable with that, you're gonna have a really hard time."

"There's nothing sinister about the desire to buy, develop, and earn income," Tam Hawkins, the head of the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, told Wright, about how the influx of tech workers has transformed the racial demographics of the city. "What's sinister is that certain ethnicities aren't part of that process." 

The bottom line: Every day, Austin "becomes more unknowable and unlimited," Wright writes.

"But it remains a part of my psyche. It's home."

Lawrence Wright turns gaze on Austin in New Yorker piece

The famed chronicler turns his gaze on his hometown.

Writer Lawrenece Wright has written a new piece about how Austin is changing. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for The New Yorker

Lawrence Wright, the famed Austin-based chronicler of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Scientology" data-vars-click-url="https://www.amazon.com/Going-Clear-Scientology-Hollywood-Prison/dp/0307745309" data-vars-content-id="153af00b-c546-49d6-a152-941575a1bfcd" data-vars-headline="Lawrence Wright turns gaze on Austin in New Yorker piece" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.amazon.com/Going-Clear-Scientology-Hollywood-Prison/dp/0307745309" target="_blank">Scientology</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="al-Qaeda" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/lawrence-wright" data-vars-content-id="153af00b-c546-49d6-a152-941575a1bfcd" data-vars-headline="Lawrence Wright turns gaze on Austin in New Yorker piece" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/lawrence-wright" target="_blank">al-Qaeda</a>, among many other subjects, has a<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" new piece" data-vars-click-url="https://eden.axios.com/editor/story/153af00b-c546-49d6-a152-941575a1bfcd/content" data-vars-content-id="153af00b-c546-49d6-a152-941575a1bfcd" data-vars-headline="Lawrence Wright turns gaze on Austin in New Yorker piece" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://eden.axios.com/editor/story/153af00b-c546-49d6-a152-941575a1bfcd/content" target="_blank"> new piece</a> in The New Yorker examining change in his hometown.Driving the news: In &quot;No City Limits,&quot; Wright has put together a kaleidoscopic portrait of Austin, a city he first moved to in 1980.

News

As they begin to apportion blame for the handling of last week's winter storm response, Austin City Council members today will scrutinize the actions of the city's top staffer. 

Driving the news: Mayor Kirk Watson put an emergency item on today's agenda to evaluate the employment of City Manager Spencer Cronk after city officials, to growing frustration, fumbled basic questions about power outages.

“The performance review … is to listen to his explanation and hold him accountable,"Council Member Jose "Chito" Vela III, a cosponsor of the item, told Axios in a statement. "All options are on the table.”

Why it matters: The discussion has turned to accountability for a disaster that left thousands of households without power for five days or more.

As of 6am Thursday, 310 Austin households remained without power.

Flashback: In December, council members approved a nearly 11% raise for Cronk, raising his salary to about $388,000 a year.

But only four people who approved that raise are still on the council — and two of those, Vela and Vanessa Fuentes, cosponsored Watson's emergency item.

Other council members unlikely to support Cronk include Alison Alter and Paige Ellis, who did not support last year's pay raise, and Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, who described "a wholesale loss of trust in city management" in a note posted on a public city message board.

The other side: "I respect and honor the mayor and council's role to ask questions, gather information and consider decisions in the best interest of the City," Cronk said in a statement earlier this week. 

"My focus and attention remain 100 percent on supporting city departments and marshaling resources to continue power restoration and debris cleanup, and to continue providing assistance and aid to residents and businesses who need it."

Between the lines: At that December meeting, Alter said she had "deep concerns" regarding Cronk's performance in handling staffing vacancies, disruptions in basic city functions and police oversight.

His relationship with some council members grew frayed over the proliferation of homeless encampments and after he declined to demote or fire the police chief following the summer 2020 clashes between police and racial justice protesters. 

The math: It would take six votes — out of 10 council members and the mayor — to fire the city manager.

If six materialize, look for the remaining council members to support the move.

Cronk is entitled to a year of pay if he is fired.

Of note: The emergency item is not posted for action, so under open meetings rules no actual vote will come today.

The council could choose to issue a letter of reprimand. 

What we're watching: Whether Cronk resigns to save face, and negotiates a severance payout, if potential votes are arrayed against him.

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk on thin ice

Spencer Cronk faces reckoning after power outages.

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk. Photo courtesy City of Austin

As they begin to apportion blame for the handling of last week&#x27;s winter storm response, Austin City Council members today will scrutinize the actions of the city&#x27;s top staffer. Driving the news: Mayor Kirk Watson <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="put an emergency item" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/KirkPWatson/status/1622640138785259533" data-vars-content-id="43d3e8cf-f9b5-48b3-b417-9d0fb1792046" data-vars-headline="Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk on thin ice" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/KirkPWatson/status/1622640138785259533" target="_blank">put an emergency item</a> on today&#x27;s agenda to evaluate the employment of City Manager Spencer Cronk after city officials, to growing frustration, fumbled basic questions about power outages.

Politics

You parked your 2015 Toyota Corolla on your pretty Austin street innocently enough, but a pecan tree branch, heaving with ice, gave up the ghost due to the ice storm this week. Now your car looks like a John Chamberlain sculpture.

Driving the news: A lot of Austinites, despondent over roof or car damage from falling trees, are now looking for help.

What they're saying: "I don't have tree insurance, what am I gonna do?" one person in West Campus lamented on Tik Tok about his devastated truck.

Be smart: If a tree falls on your house or car, take photos of the damage before you do any repairs, per the Texas Department of Insurance.

After you make temporary repairs to prevent further damage, contact your agent or insurance company.

Details: Many homeowners policies pay to fix damage from falling objects, like trees, and offer at least some coverage to remove trees or limbs that fall due to storm damage, per TDI.

If a neighbor's tree falls on your house, your neighbor's homeowners policy probably won't cover the damage — unless your neighbor was at fault. 

The thinking: Your neighbor isn’t responsible for acts of nature. 

Between the lines: "The big question for this storm — an ice storm where primarily damage is caused by trees or branches falling on houses or other buildings — is it enough damage to exceed the deductible on the policy, which has increased over the years," Jim Beneke, president and founder of Austin-based Beneke Company/Adjusters International, tells Axios.

Most policies have a 2-3% deductible, so it "takes pretty sizable damage to make a claim. If a tree falls on a power line causing a house to burn, then obviously you have a significant claim."

On a house valued at $500,000, that could mean the claim needs to exceed $10,000-$15,000 before it vaults the deductible, Beneke observed.

And as for your scrunched up car — your auto policy will pay for damages if you have comprehensive coverage, which typically carries a flat deductible of $250 or $500.

Bottom line: Finding your car or home damaged is awful — and scary — but this is what insurance is for.

Insurance claims set to mount as Austin thaws

Here's what to do if you've had home or auto damage.

A fallen limb rests on the back of a car.

A fallen limb atop the back of a car in South Austin. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios

You parked your 2015 Toyota Corolla on your pretty Austin street innocently enough, but a pecan tree branch, heaving with ice, gave up the ghost due to the ice storm this week. Now your car looks like <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a John Chamberlain sculpture" data-vars-click-url="https://milenaolesinska77.medium.com/metal-art-sculpture-car-part-john-chamberlain-831cf38514dd" data-vars-content-id="b00c145b-7b94-4f49-aa16-a4399b0dc859" data-vars-headline="Insurance claims set to mount as Austin thaws" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://milenaolesinska77.medium.com/metal-art-sculpture-car-part-john-chamberlain-831cf38514dd" target="_blank">a John Chamberlain sculpture</a>.Driving the news: A lot of Austinites, despondent over roof or car damage from falling trees, are now looking for help.

One of the casualties of last week's freeze: Perfectly good food.

Why it matters: That tragic moment of tossing fast-spoiling food from unlit fridges has played out countless times across Austin.

Zoom in: Austin ISD's central warehouse, where thousands of pounds of refrigerated and frozen food are stored for distribution to school kitchens, lost power last week 

The warehouse is located in South Austin near St. Edward's University.

What they're saying: "We have grounds crews picking up limbs, of course, but also electricians, other trades and emergency management team members unloading spoiling food,” AISD chief of operations Christine Steenport said.

Between the lines: Last week was a sad mess.

Poke Poke restaurant owner Jason McVearry told the American-Statesman he was losing tens of thousands of dollars in revenue because of the loss of fresh food inventory.

Maybe you saw the viral, post-apocalyptic video of crowds dumpster diving outside an H-E-B.

Flashback: On Saturday, a long line of cars assembled for a free food distribution event in Southeast Austin.

"I will say the heartbreaking thing is that we've had cars in line since 6am," Austin City Council member Vanessa Fuentes told KVUE. "This food distribution started at 9am. It's a mile long with cars."

Be smart: If an outage lasts longer than four hours, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends throwing out all perishable foods in your fridge. 

The USDA says items kept in a full freezer can stay safe for approximately 48 hours.

Worth noting: Some homeowner and renter policies will pay up to $500 for spoiled food if the power fails, per the Texas Department of Insurance. 

Call your agent or company to ask if your policy will pay. Sometimes there is not a deductible.

If you snapped pictures of your spoiling food — ewww — keep them for the insurance company — or put together a list of the food that spoiled.

Massive food spoilage casualty of Austin freeze

That tragic moment of tossing fast-spoiling food from unlit fridges.

Illustration of a slice of bread with peanut butter in the shape of a worried face

One of the casualties of last week&#x27;s freeze: Perfectly good food.Why it matters: That tragic moment of tossing fast-spoiling food from unlit fridges has played out countless times across Austin.

Food and Drink

He campaigned as someone who could solve Austin's big problems, but weeks into his tenure as mayor, Kirk Watson finds himself on an abject apology tour. 

The big picture: “The city has let its citizens down," Watson said at a news conference on Friday, as Austin Energy officials once more dodged questions about when power would be fully restored. "It’s unacceptable and I’m sorry."

Utility officials tweeted Wednesday morning, "It's possible some customers may be without power for 12-24 hours."

They amended that timeline late Wednesday, saying "major restoration efforts" would be wrapped up by Friday evening.

On Thursday, they backtracked again, saying they couldn't forecast when lights across the city would be back on.

On Friday, the utility reported "400 highly skilled professionals" working to restore power, including line workers from Houston and San Antonio.

The irony: The new mayor, who's gregarious and folksy, generally excels as a communicator.

But Watson held his first press conference on Thursday — more than 24 hours into a crisis that caused hundreds of thousands of his constituents to lose power.

Of note: He disclosed he tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.   

Flashback: Watson returned to City Hall after narrowly winning a runoff against fellow Democrat Celia Israel in December.

He previously held the post in the late 1990s, before becoming a state senator.

What they're saying: "Austin Energy, Watson failed to communicate during storm" was the headline of a front-page rebuke in Friday's Austin American-Statesman.

 "There’s a lot elected officials are doing behind the scenes, but you need to be out there early showing you're actively involved — and expressing compassion about what people are experiencing," Keri Stephens, a professor specializing in crisis communications at the University of Texas, tells Axios. "The faster you jump on and acknowledge these things the better — otherwise frustration builds over time." 

What we're asking: We've filed open records requests to examine whether city officials ignored warnings about the freeze and how they communicated internally as the crisis unfolded.

Plus, with questions remaining about why more branches weren't trimmed away from power lines ahead of the storm, we're asking for city tree-cutting contracts.

What we're watching: Who will lose their job?

Austin Water General Manager Greg Meszaros stepped down last year after a four-day boil-water debacle.

Jackie Sargent has held the chief post at Austin Energy since 2016.

On Monday, Watson announced he had added an emergency item to Thursday's  city council agenda to evaluate the employment of City Manager Spencer Cronk, hired in 2017, in the wake of the winter storm  

What's next: Restoring power to remaining customers will likely be more difficult and take longer, per Austin Energy officials, with damaged lines in hard-to-reach areas like greenbelts or buried beneath heavy debris.

Austin Energy officials say some customers may be without power until next Sunday

Former City Council member Ellen Troxclair, now a Republican state lawmaker, is threatening to strip Austin Energy of its monopoly power.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson falters in power outage crisis

Kirk Watson faltered in communicating during power crisis.

Photo illustration of Austin Mayor Kirk Watson with lines radiating from him.

Photo Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Hutton Supanci/Getty Images

He campaigned as someone who could <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="solve Austin&#x27;s big problems" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2022/12/14/kirk-watson-celia-israel-austin-mayoral-race" data-vars-content-id="f44a41ec-71af-40d8-b9e0-257c4b95baae" data-vars-headline="Austin Mayor Kirk Watson falters in power outage crisis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2022/12/14/kirk-watson-celia-israel-austin-mayoral-race" target="_self">solve Austin&#x27;s big problems</a>, but weeks into his tenure as mayor, Kirk Watson finds himself on an abject apology tour. The big picture: “The city has let its citizens down,&quot; Watson said at a news conference on Friday, as Austin Energy officials once more dodged questions about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="when power would be fully restored" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/02/03/thousands-of-austin-households-still-without-power" data-vars-content-id="f44a41ec-71af-40d8-b9e0-257c4b95baae" data-vars-headline="Austin Mayor Kirk Watson falters in power outage crisis" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/02/03/thousands-of-austin-households-still-without-power" target="_self">when power would be fully restored</a>. &quot;It’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.&quot;

Asher Price

Featured stories

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk on thin ice

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson falters in power outage crisis

Massive food spoilage casualty of Austin freeze

Lawrence Wright turns gaze on Austin in New Yorker piece

Insurance claims set to mount as Austin thaws