Axios Austin

May 17, 2022
It's Tuesday! Thanks for joining us.
βοΈ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 97.
π§ Sounds un-like: "Singin' in the Rain."
Today's newsletter is 913 words β a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Baby formula shortage worsens

The worsening baby formula shortage is putting a major strain on U.S. families.
Why it matters: The scarcity impacts most children, as three in four babies are fed formula by 6 months old, Axios' Nathan Bomey writes.
What's happening: A cascade of issues with formula production and distribution are to blame for the shortage, which began late last year and has gotten precipitously worse in recent weeks.
- Abbott Nutrition, one of the country's largest suppliers of formula, reached a deal with the FDA to reopen its manufacturing plant in Michigan, which would help ease the shortage in as early as eight weeks, the company announced Monday.
Zoom in: A cursory check of local stores indicates this is being felt in Central Texas.
- The baby food section at the H-E-B on Oltorf and South Congress on Monday afternoon had a few jugs and cans of formula available β some behind security shields βΒ but mostly the shelves were bare.
- H-E-B is limiting the amount of baby formula that can be purchased per customer.

At stake: Baby formula has become an unlikely political cudgel.
- Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott called it "shameful" that the Biden administration was providing baby formula to kids whose parents may have crossed the border illegally.
- "While mothers and fathers stare at empty grocery store shelves in a panic, the Biden Administration is happy to provide baby formula to illegal immigrants coming across our southern border," Abbott said in a statement.
- Yes, but: The federal government is required to provide food and water to migrant children detained at the border, part of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit from 1997.
π¬ We want to hear from readers: Is the formula shortage impacting your family? If so, how are you dealing with this problem?
2. The top Texas baby names of 2021
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Speaking of babies β¦ turns out they just keep coming.
Texas' class of 2039 will be dominated by Liams and Olivias.
Driving the news: The Social Security Administration just released its 2021 list of the most popular baby names.
Zoom in: Here are the most popular names in Texas.
Boys:
- Liam
- Noah
- Elijah
- Mateo
- Sebastian
Girls:
- Olivia
- Emma
- Camila
- Isabella
- Mia
Flashback: Two decades ago, Asher ranked 483rd in baby name popularity nationally β and wasn't even in the top 1,000 before 1983.
- Today, the name ranks 25th nationally.
- π€« Shhh: Asher β the co-writer of this newsletter β secretly slightly resents all the new, little Ashers who, collectively, make him feel less special.
3. π€ The Roundup: Wrangling the news
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
π£ββοΈ The Waller Creek Rowing Club will relocate east of the interstate since its current boathouse will be torn down to make way for Austin's new Blue Line light rail. (KVUE)
π₯ The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians wants $1 million from the city for health care coverage for local musicians. (Austin Monitor)
π The Supreme Court sided with Sen. Ted Cruz in his challenge to a federal cap on post-election political donations that help campaigns repay personal loans from candidates. (Axios)
4. Salon shooting latest anti-Asian hate crime

Last week's shooting of three women at a Korean hair salon in Dallas is being investigated by police as a hate crime and believed to be connected to at least two other attacks.
Between the lines: Anti-Asian racism has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some people wrongly blaming Asian Americans for the disease, reported Axios' Russell Contreras and Shawna Chen.
- More than 10,300 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander people were reported to Stop AAPI Hate between March 2020 and September 2021; 62% of the incidents were directed at women.
5. Bite club: Ng'ombe edition
Food from The Kibanda β ng'ombe, top left, with collard greens and chapati; in foil, the rolex; and smoked sausage, bottom. Photo: Asher Price/Axios
Craving something different, Asher recently tried The Kibanda, a new Kenyan eatery operating out of GhostLine Kitchens, which is basically a stylish commissary deluxe off East Ben White Boulevard in Southeast Austin.
- There's no table service at GhostLine β instead you order at a window, or online, and your food is presented at a pick-up window.
- There are plenty of shaded picnic tables for dining.
Unexpected β and happy β marriages of flavors abound at The Kibanda. Asher ordered:
- The rolex β a delicious Kenyan omelet stuffed with beef and cabbage and rolled in a flaky chapati;
- Smoked sausage topped with a fresh tomato and onion relish known as kachumbari;
- And, the winner, ng'ombe β a tender beef stew, served with sukuma wiki β bright-tasting collard greens.
After the meal he caught up with Eva Bundi, the cook and proprietor, who grew up in central Kenya.
- Back home, a kibanda is "basically a semi-permanent place where middle class and working class go to grab a good meal that is not expensive," she said β and that's the idea behind GhostLine. "It's good food without the frills of a fine-dining restaurant."
- She moved to Austin toward the end of 2020, amid the tumult of the pandemic, after stints in Seattle and South Carolina.
The bottom line: "I realized there's no Kenyan restaurant and decided to go for it," she said.
Fresh openings from the job board
πΌ New job, new me. Check out the latest job openings.
- Social Media Manager at Securitize.
- Director, Data and Insights at Hero Digital.
- Sr. Manager, Compensation Strategy & Design at Financial Force.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
6. Austin's top travel-ready snack
Perhaps shelled pecans are what we ought to bring up to D.C. Photo: Chicago Tribune / Contributor via Getty Images
Axios employees meet in Washington, D.C., later this week for a company-wide retreat and reporters from across the country are bringing snacks from their respective cities to compare.
- We have to figure out Central Texas' best snack.
Yes, but: Barbecue probably won't travel well, so La Barbecue is out.
- Same for tacos and queso.
We need your help: This is where you come in. Help us show our colleagues that Central Texas can snack with the best of them.
π€ Got a great travel-ready food idea? Hit reply, and tell us.
π£ Asher considers himself an excellent selector of baby names and is happy to chime in if you don't want to consult yet another book.
πββοΈ Nicole is headed to Morning Jo's.
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