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Study: There are now more dogs than children in east Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Institute for Urban Policy Research Analysis at the University of Texas at Austin found dogs now outnumber children in east Austin nearly two to one, a statistic they say is a signifier that gentrification is alive and well there.

They did their research on either side of the Texas State Cemetery in Census tract 901 and asking people whether they had dogs or children. The study found the number of children under the age of 17 falls well below the city and regional averages.

"A profound absence of children, not an abundance of dogs, explains the disparity. Dog ownership rates in the neighborhood appear to be on par with national averages," the researchers wrote in their findings. "Moreover, one can assume that the majority of these losses were among children of color."

They surveyed 55 percent of eligible households in the neighborhood, finding 116 dogs and 66 children. Additionally, of the 171 houses they surveyed, 40 percent of them had neither dogs nor children.

MORE: City moves to protect homeowners from predatory home flipping

The researchers noted that between 2000-2010, the neighborhood’s black population decreased by 60 percent, its Latino population decreased by 33 percent and its white population increased by 442 percent.They reported that Austin was the only fast-growing major city in the U.S. to show a decline in African Americans between 2000 and 2010.

The research, which was published this spring, documented a trend of longtime east Austin families and communities of color being pushed out of the area. It was during these interviews that they heard neighbors saying that dogs outnumbered children, which prompted them to start this second part of their research.

UT graduate Olivia Sullings contributed as well and explained that 76 percent of the homes in the east Austin neighborhood bloc they surveyed were without children.

"When you say it right off, it kind of seems like almost an attack at the newcomers — eccentric dog owners — but it’s not that at all, it’s just the severe lack of children," she said.

"So the loss of children in certain sectors of the city doesn’t make sense if the rest of the city is growing at a rapid clip," said Eric Tang, associate professor of Black Studies at UT, who led this research.

Tang hopes that city leaders have an "elevated sense of urgency" to improve Austin’s affordability after hearing about these findings.

"The existing housing that is being built at the market is not attracting families with children," Tang explained, noting that after looking at Austin Independent School District data, they found that out of the 1,900 Austin apartment units built in the last several years, only six children were living in those units.

"The only way to see more children in east Austin see more families in east Austin is if more affordable housing is built and existing affordable housing maintained," Tang said.

The earlier research they published has prompted the Austin City Council to consider a "Right to Return Policy" which would try to reverse the tide of gentrification by adding affordable housing and working to incentivize families who have been pushed out of the east side to move back.

"I think that’s a very important policy, but in order for it to not just be symbolic, it has to go hand in hand with affordable housing," Tang said, noting that even if people have protections that help them move back, they’ll need to be able to afford living there for the long term.

People who grew up in or presently live in east Austin tell KXAN they are already noticing the impacts of this lack of families.

Erika Jasper, who grew up in east Austin in the 1970s and lives there currently, said that children today have a much different experience.

"We would play basketball on the street, ride the bikes on the street, we were a family, the neighborhood was a family," Jasper said, describing her childhood as "really fun."

Now, she estimates that in any given hour, she’ll see five dogs outside, but no children out playing.

"They walk their dog, their dog is in our yard using our grass as their deposit spot," she laughed.

"More than that there’s not really the unity," she added. "The kindness, I mean people walk up the street, ride their bikes and may not even speak or say hello."

She believes these changes go along with the disappearance of places that were community landmarks in her childhood.

These changes are especially significant for black Austin families like Jasper’s. East Austin was racially segregated in 1928, under Jim Crow laws which aimed to bring black residents to one area.

For decades, black Austinites developed thriving communities that endured east of where Interstate 35 now runs.

"It kind of bothers me because my kids won’t experience what I experienced, I have to describe to them what I experienced growing up," she said. Jasper goes out of her way to teach her children the history of black Austinites and to take them to black cultural centers in town, but notes that they see fewer kids who look like them in school.

Jasper said she couldn’t afford to live in east Austin on her own and moved to Pflugerville. She more recently moved back to the neighborhood so that she could care for her grandparents and says she can only afford to live there because her grandparents already own the home.

Bertha Marie Delgado, who is an activist on behalf of East Austin Schools and Children, agreed that a big piece of the puzzle is finding a way to ensure more affordable housing for east Austin. "What we’re seeing is we’re losing our homes and losing our families, next we will be losing our schools and losing our parks," said Delgado who explained she’s been seeing this decline for 10 years now.

Delgado noted that Metz, the east Austin elementary school she attended, has been impacted by this declining youth population.

She added that there are plans in the not too distant future to add more affordable housing to east Austin and she hopes that those plans are factored into the bigger picture of how students are enrolled in and transported to east Austin schools.

Austin’s city leaders have been actively using this UT data to help them with policies. Their research guided the anti-displacement plan additions to CodeNEXT which the planning commission just passed.

Conor Kenny, a planning commissioner who helped spearhead the anti-displacement plan, said the commission recommends that council work to protect the entire "Eastern Crescent" of Austin from the pressures of gentrification.

Under their CodeNEXT recommendations, none of the east side would be up-zoned for single or multi-family properties, which means that no additional density could be added unless developers add to affordable housing in the area.

He said the planning commission sought to highlight the areas of Austin where the median income is below $50,000 per year or where the rate of gentrification is high, which is how they came up with the "Eastern Crescent."

The planning commission recently submitted their recommendations for CodeNEXT, the overhaul of the city’s land use development code, to the city council and council is gathering public feedback this week about the new code.

An image of the "Eastern Crescent" area which Austin Planning Commissioners recommend should not receive additional housing density under CodeNEXT. (Photo from a Planning Commission PowerPoint/ Courtesy Conor Kenny).

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The Operating Room of the Future

The operating room is getting smarter, more effective—and a lot less risky for patients.

Hospitals are investing in new devices, designs and digital technologies that promise a new era of innovation for surgery. The moves are part of a growing shift away from traditional open procedures that involve big incisions, lots of blood loss and long hospitalizations. They point toward a future where more patients can choose minimally invasive outpatient surgeries, with faster recoveries, fewer complications, and less pain and scarring.

These new technologies cover a range of advances. With some, surgeons can control robot cameras with eye movements as they move into patients’ bodies through tiny incisions. With others, doctors can create a GPS-like map projected onto a patient’s body to virtually see inside the anatomy before an operation, track their surgical tools and help them operate more precisely.

Other advances aim to reshape the operating room itself, by adding more space for surgeons to work as well as imaging equipment that lets patients receive X-rays and other tests on the operating table instead of getting shuttled around the hospital. And machine learning and artificial-intelligence technology is being developed to let surgeons tap into big data before, during and after they work, to get guidance from computer systems that have analyzed the procedures and learned to make recommendations.

If successful, these changes could have a profound effect on patients. Despite years of progress, surgery remains a risky field. Infections are a frequent complication and can cause death. Studies have shown that even in the same hospital there are large variations in outcomes among surgeons, related to differences in judgment, skills and individual capabilities. Lower-skilled surgeons have higher rates of complications, readmissions to the hospital and repeat operations. New technology could help level the playing field.

“The field of surgery is evolving very fast, and technological advances are making it more efficient and effective and improving patient outcomes,” says Santiago Horgan, chief of the division of minimally invasive surgery at the University of California, San Diego, and director of its Center for the Future of Surgery, which is equipped with the latest technology to train surgeons with simulated procedures. While surgery may never be fully automated, Dr. Horgan says, “in the future robots will be smarter and more interactive, bringing as much information to surgeons as possible during surgery.”

Of course, many technologies are still in development, and others have yet to be widely adopted or fully evaluated for safety and cost-effectiveness. And some in the health-care industry warn about embracing new technologies too quickly.

“We don’t want to get into an arms race of creating ever more costly therapies, and we have to be careful we are not adopting technology unless it is more effective and improves outcomes over time,” says Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which is affiliated with Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Here’s a look at some of the new technologies out there, and how they promise to reshape patient treatment in years to come.

Expanding operating rooms

One of the most basic changes in store is the redesign of the operating room. Some hospitals are creating “hybrid” facilities that combine conventional operating rooms with imaging equipment used in minimally invasive treatments that rely on tiny tubes inserted in a blood vessel or a body cavity. That way doctors can do both open surgery and minimally invasive procedures instead of scheduling them at different times. For patients, it means avoiding two separate procedures under anesthesia, and less time in the hospital and recovery.

For an idea of how this could improve treatment, consider cardiac catheterization, a so-called interventional procedure, where a tube is inserted through a blood vessel to reach coronary arteries. Doctors might use the catheter to insert a stent to improve blood flow to the arteries, but patients might also need open surgery to bypass the blocked artery. In a hybrid operating room, doctors can immediately shift from the less invasive interventional procedure to open surgery.

Another effort under way is to simply make better use of the typical 600-square-foot operating room. “ORs are often so cramped with no space to walk in and people climbing over carts and bending over equipment, which makes for an extremely unsafe environment,” says Anjali Joseph, director of the Center for Health Facilities Design and Testing at Clemson University. Dr. Joseph is coleading a federally funded project with Scott Reeves, an anesthesiologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, to design an operating room that increases patient safety and is easier for OR teams to maneuver around.

A prototype unveiled in January will allow researchers to perform surgical simulations and test such improvements as reorganizing equipment storage to bring tools closer to the operating table and keep doctors’ focus on the patients, as well as improving traffic flow.

The team is also studying the traditional approach of having a “sterile corridor” between adjacent operating rooms to cut down on infection risk. While the idea is that it reduces infections by decreasing traffic from contaminated areas, the project’s preliminary data suggest that the number of times the door to an operating room is opened and not the presence or absence of a sterile core is what’s important. “This will go against 50 years of conventional OR design,” Dr. Reeves says.

Among other recommendations from the project team are mobile staff workstations, digital displays high on the walls so everyone on the operating-room team can see the procedure in real time, and “plug and play” ceiling-mounted surgical booms to accommodate new technologies such as advanced imaging.

This outpatient operating room in the NewYork-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center, which opened in April, aims to provide more versatility, reduce infection risks, and improve the surgical team’s views and workflow. NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian has incorporated a number of new approaches into its new David H. Koch Center, opened in April with 12 outpatient operating rooms, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging and other services.

The facilities also try to address another persistent problem in operating rooms: infection. The floors are terrazzo, which doesn’t support bacterial growth, while a stainless-steel wall system is easy to keep sterile and can be adjusted to accommodate new equipment. Three surgical booms with extra-long reach allow equipment to be suspended from the ceiling, removing the hazard of cords and cables on the floor. LED lights provide illumination with less heat, promoting airflow that minimizes airborne micro-organisms.

Technology will also help patients have a better experience, Dr. Corwin says. Before surgery at the new center, patients and families will be able to complete paperwork remotely and get a personalized “smart band” with information about their schedule and directions to their own pre-op and recovery room. A screen in the room, where families can stay while the patient is in surgery, will display information about the medical team, and families will get electronic updates about the patient’s status and when they are out of the OR.

More responsive robots

Research is mixed on the benefit of robotic-assisted surgery, introduced nearly two decades ago as a more precise alternative to conventional minimally invasive surgeries, or “keyhole” surgeries, in which surgeons make small incisions and use a laparoscope—a thin telescope with light and a video camera—to insert special tools with long, thin instruments. Many studies suggest robotic surgery has fewer complications and shorter hospital stays, but others show lower success rates in some types of surgery and other negatives, including higher costs.

Developers are working to make such systems smarter, cheaper and more autonomous. For example, researchers are working on programming robots to do such tasks as stitch up tissue after a surgeon is done, which could help prevent problems for patients such as leakage from sutures that aren’t consistently tight.

The Surgeon’s Toolkit Operating-room procedures by technique in the U.S., 2017

Source: Decision Resources Group

The field is dominated by Intuitive Surgical Inc.’s da Vinci Surgical System, which has been used in more than five million surgeries world-wide. Surgeons sit at a console with a video monitor, using robotic arms to manipulate tiny instruments through small incisions. In addition to better visuals of the patient’s anatomy, it also filters out hand tremors and is designed to keep the surgeon in a relaxed, comfortable position for long, complex procedures. Intuitive is developing enhancements for its systems, including a flexible robotic catheter to make it easier for surgeons to navigate into the lung to obtain tissue samples while reducing the risk of harm to patients.

Intuitive CEO Gary Guthart says the company is also working on more advanced robots that will offer “increasing collaboration and control between the computer and the surgeon,” much like that between aircraft pilots and modern automated control systems.

A number of new companies are also entering the market, including medical-device giant Medtronic PLC and TransEnterix Inc., which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration last year for its Senhance Surgical System in some surgical procedures.

The Senhance system has optical sensors that allow surgeons to move the camera and select commands with eye movements and offers haptic feedback, which provides a sense of touch and feel during surgery based on pressure and tension in the instruments, “much as a driver would feel on a steering wheel going over a speed bump,” says Todd M. Pope, TransEnterix’s founder and CEO.

Better decisions with big data

A new generation of digital surgery tools aims to combine robotics, big data and other technologies to let surgeons make much better decisions when working on patients.

The most closely watched new entrant in this field is startup Verb Surgical Inc., a partnership between Google parent Alphabet Inc.’s Verily Life Sciences unit and Johnson & Johnson ’s Ethicon surgical-equipment division. The partners are referring to their concept as “surgery 4.0,” the next step after traditional open procedures, minimally invasive surgery and the introduction of robotics.

Verb is offering scant details on how the system will work. But the idea involves using a type of artificial intelligence known as machine learning—computer programs that can crunch data from thousands of past surgical procedures to identify best practices and potential errors.

The system, Verb says, could let surgeons train before an operation, and then assess how they did after the operation, measuring things like procedure time, economy of motion, and the number and type of instruments used. Eventually, the company says, the system will help surgeons make decisions in the midst of an operation, from suggesting the right technique in a particular surgery to warning of potential mistakes such as the severing of a blood vessel.

The Senhance robotic surgery system gives surgeons a sense of touch and feel based on pressure and tension in the instruments. Photo: TransEnterix Inc.

Verb plans to release its first product in 2020, and says it has already demonstrated a fully working system to its parent companies. “Right now, we have a very disconnected OR, with isolated equipment and robots, like a disconnected 1970s car without any sensors or connectivity,” says Verb Surgical CEO Scott Huennekens. “Our vision is that eventually a connected system will be in every OR, giving surgeons the tools to take the variability out of surgery.”

Some surgeons have expressed interest in the possibilities. “Decisions need to be made in a matter of minutes during surgery, and there is an unmet need in translating existing data on outcomes to the immediate needs of surgeons,” says Umamaheswar Duvvuri, a head and neck surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh and medical director of its new surgical innovation center. “If we could have big data crunched and available at the time we are doing surgery,” he adds, it would be akin to being able to say, ‘Hey Siri, if I cut this nerve, what happens?’ ”

Clearer views inside the patient

A variety of technologies aim to let surgeons better see what they are working on inside patients as they operate.

Take the case of cancer surgeons. Removing a tumor is a delicate balancing act between cutting out disease and leaving healthy parts of the anatomy intact. But the contrast dye often used to light up diseased areas must be injected into patients well in advance, and may not always work as hoped for. The dyes are also toxic and can cause allergic reactions.

The University of Pittsburgh is working with ChemImage Corp. , which is developing a method that it says lets doctors better visualize organs and tissues in real time, such as showing where a tumor ends and healthy tissue begins. Its technology, Molecular Chemical Imaging, or MCI, combines spectroscopy, the use of light to measure materials, and digital imaging.

Patrick Treado, founder and chief technology officer of ChemImage, says the technology is broadly applicable and will be designed in the future for use with endoscopy procedures, in which doctors insert a tube with a camera that allows them to view and operate on organs. It produces images in real time based on the evaluation of distinct colors in the visible light spectrum and beyond what the eye can see in the near-infrared light spectrum. MCI uses more colors overall than current cameras, which only use red, blue and green in the visible light spectrum.

“Our objective is to provide advanced visualization to the surgeon without changing how the surgeon currently performs surgery, but rather to provide them more and better information, on demand,” Mr. Treado says. For example, the images could make it easier during a hysterectomy to identify the tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the bladder so surgeons don’t inadvertently cut one. In addition to seeing tissues better through fat, overlying tissue and blood, MCI has the potential to make surgeons more efficient with less training.

Another effort to improve what surgeons can see is under development by a Cleveland Clinic spinoff, Centerline Biomedical. The idea is an alternative to fluoroscopy guided procedures, the X-ray technology that doctors now use to place a stent graft within an artery.

The traditional approach not only relies on contrast dyes but also exposes doctors and patients to continuous high doses of radiation. The images produced by fluoroscopy are also only 2-D grayscale images.

So, Centerline is developing a system to reduce the need for fluoroscopy and prevent the harmful effects of radiation. Using a mathematical algorithm and safe electromagnetic tracking, it provides 3-D color visualization and allows a surgeon to follow the position of instruments within the patient’s anatomy on a screen with a high level of accuracy—similar to GPS for cars.

With a new federal grant, Centerline is now testing the system with HoloLens, the mixed-reality smart glasses made by Microsoft Corp. The glasses will superimpose a 3-D outline of the patient’s vascular system onto a doctor’s field of view, “like having X-ray vision,” says Karl West, a mechanical engineer and director of medical-device solutions for Cleveland Clinic and scientific adviser to Centerline.

At Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, affiliated with Stanford University, Frandics Chan, a pediatric radiologist, worked with EchoPixel Inc.to develop an augmented-reality technology called True3D. The technology converts MRI, CT and ultrasound scans into a 3-D image that can be viewed with polarized glasses that filter the images to the left and right eye in front of a monitor while operating. Surgeons use a stylus to rotate and examine every layer of anatomy, getting more information than from 2-D imaging. The system was used in the 17-hour 2016 separation of conjoined twins at Packard Children’s.

EchoPixel has since found a way for surgeons to see the images without the glasses by using a monitor that can channel the correct images to the left and right eyes. Dr. Chan says that eliminates the need to change glasses during the operation and the risk of contaminating the sterile surgical field. The new approach will be used in the hospital’s new surgery center opening in July.

“We are really hoping that this technology will help surgeons be secure at every step so there is no need to guess something,” Dr. Chan says.

Ms. Landro, a former Wall Street Journal assistant managing editor, is the author of “Survivor: Taking Control of Your Fight Against Cancer.” She can be reached at [email protected].

Appeared in the May 29, 2018, print edition as ‘The Operating Room Of the Future.’

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Additional Information About 5708 Teri Rd, Austin, TX 78744

5708 Teri Rd, Austin, TX 78744 5708 Teri Rd, Austin, TX 78744 Year Taxes Land Additions Total Assessment 2017 $4,152 $50,000 + $136,180 = $186,180 2016 $3,437 $20,000 + $134,132 = $154,132 2015 $3,080 $20,000 + $114,132 = $134,132

The price and tax history data displayed is obtained from public records and/or MLS feeds from the local jurisdiction. Contact your REALTOR® directly in order to obtain the most up-to-date information available.

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GRUMET: Austin sees value of housing safety net — even if D.C. doesn’t

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A woman makes her way into her home with her children last year in Chalmers Courts, one of the Austin Housing Authority’s affordable housing communities.

Mary Apostolou is closely watching the developments in Washington, D.C. If it comes down to it, she figures, she could part with her car — the practical sedan she uses to ferry neighbors in East Austin to the grocery store, doctors’ appointments and the occasional trip to the hospital.

“I still have a car payment and insurance,” the retired nanny told me. In her estimation, that’s the only place left to cut.

A few weeks ago, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson unveiled a proposal to raise the rents on millions of households that receive federal housing aid. “The current system isn’t working very well,” Carson told reporters, according to the Washington Post. “Doing nothing is not an option.”

But apparently doing something heartless and myopic is.

Carson’s proposal would require public housing tenants to put a larger percentage of their meager incomes toward their rent, a cruel squeeze considering these tenants get housing aid because they have very little money — but more on that in a minute. Under the HUD secretary’s scenario, Apostolou said the monthly rent for her unit in the Chalmers Courts complex could go from $279 to $360 — though she could catch a break if the rent hike doesn’t apply to seniors.

Be grateful for your good fortune if you don’t know how deeply an $81 rent hike cuts for someone like Apostolou, 66, who stretches her dollars just to meet her grocery bills.

“Toward the end of the month, we’re all scratching the bottom of the barrel, reaching for the canned goods,” said Apostolou, who compares notes with others as a tenants’ representative on the local housing authority board and a volunteer at the Central Texas Food Bank.

ALSO READ: Report says Austin workers need to make $23 an hour to afford rent

Carson’s rent-raising gambit would need Congress’ approval, and it’s unclear anyone on the Hill wants to touch it in a midterm election year. Political will is a fickle thing. This is an awkward time for Carson to lecture poor people on money management, after he and his wife ordered a $31,000 mahogany dining set on the taxpayers’ dime for Carson’s HUD office. (Carson canceled the galling purchase after it came to light).

But the stereotypes that have animated welfare overhaul efforts over the years — that people on public assistance are lazy and disinterested in improving their lives without the prodding of the federal government — are demeaning, ignorant and enduring. You haven’t heard the last of this discussion.

When I caught up last week with Michael Gerber, president and CEO of Austin’s housing authority, the agency’s tenants did not have the look of a people under political siege. The authority was holding its carnival-themed Senior Mayfest at an East Austin bingo hall, with generously donated catfish platters, balloon-animal hats for everyone and a clown playing a small accordion. The smell of buttered popcorn hung in the air.

“Public housing residents are remarkably just like every other person,” Gerber said. “They love their kids. They want to keep their family together. They want to work. They want to have strong communities. They want to have a more productive and successful and healthier life.”

Typically, they’re in public housing, Gerber said, because “they have fallen victim to some great challenge. What’s the saying? ‘We’re all two paychecks away from losing our homes?‘”

Some tenants lost a job, lost a spouse, lost a pension, suffered an injury or never got the proper care for mental illness. Often, they’re sharing their roof with others.

By managing public housing complexes and providing vouchers to help cover the rent at privately-owned apartments, Austin’s housing authority is serving about 19,000 people as we speak. Nearly half of them are kids. More than a quarter are disabled, and about 10 percent are seniors.

That leaves roughly 3,000 tenants who are able-bodied adults, typically single parents. Carson’s proposed rent hike seems to be designed to get them “back to work.” But many are already working; they just don’t make a lot of money. For the year, they might pull in $11,000 to $13,000, Gerber said.

“Those are the people that we’re pushing very, very hard to get into job training programs,” Gerber said. The Austin housing authority has seen promising results with an initiative — Jobs Plus — it’s testing at two housing complexes, he said, using an older HUD grant to provide access to job training programs and other support. In its first year, the program in Austin helped 113 families boost their income by a combined total of $183,176, and it paid out $15,000 in child care assistance to help working parents.

Sort of the carrot to Carson’s stick.

I understand the desire to make sure a safety net doesn’t become a hammock. But that fear ignores the reality of why people sometimes slip on life’s high-wire act. Maybe they need more education or training. Maybe they simply caught a tough break and need an opportunity to regroup.

Either way, you help people bounce back by making the net stronger and more buoyant — not by taking it away.

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Jersey Mike’s Adds To Real Estate Team To Help Fuel Aggressive Growth In 2018

Leading Fast Casual Sandwich Concept’s Newest Team Members to Help Drive Expansion in Northeast and South Central Markets; Duo to Meet with Real Estate Professionals at ICSC RECon May 20-23

“Our goal in 2018 is to continue the explosive growth and momentum that Jersey Mike’s experienced last year. As our brand continues to saturate the U.S., we’re energized to add two talented and knowledgeable industry vets like Paul and Cortney to the team,” said Jersey Mike’s Senior Vice President of Real Estate Mike Parkhill. “We are focused on securing 300 quality sites for our franchise partners in the coming year, and look forward to meeting with retail real estate professionals at this year’s RECon Convention to help assist us with our site selection.”

Williams has extensive experience in restaurant and retail real estate, most recently serving as a real estate manager for Jack in the Box, Inc., where he led corporate and franchise real estate development in a six-state territory for the Jack in the Box and Qdoba Mexican Grill brands. Prior to, he was a development manager for Dunkin’ Brands in several markets throughout Texas including Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Lubbock. In his new role, Williams will continue to drive Jersey Mike’s development in South Central parts of the U.S.

Additionally, Rickle joins Jersey Mike’s after spending six years with Paramount Realty Services, Inc. as a leasing agent, where she specialized in leasing to new franchisees and regional tenants in New Jersey. Her robust career in retail real estate, coupled with her knowledge of the franchising industry will prove invaluable as she spearheads Jersey Mike’s real estate development throughout the Northeast region. The two hires come on the heels of Jersey Mike’s recent additions to the franchise sales team. In March, the company added senior franchise sales executives Stephen Sweetman and Corby Cronin to help lead franchise development efforts nationwide.

Driven by Jersey Mike’s high-quality product and people, the fast casual sub sandwich franchise is targeting expansion in markets throughout the U.S. To meet its goal, Jersey Mike’s is seeking quality real estate for these restaurant openings and will be exhibiting in the South Hall at booth 494 Q Street at this year’s ICSC RECon show. Landlords and real estate professionals interested in discussing opportunities and sampling Jersey Mike’s fresh, hand-sliced sub products are encouraged to stop by during the convention.

For more information about real estate opportunities, or to submit a site, visit https://www.jerseymikes.com/real-estate.

About Jersey Mike’s

Jersey Mike’s is the nation’s leading fast casual sub sandwich franchise, with more than 1,500 locations open and under development throughout the U.S. Founded in 1956, the brand has been offering customers its signature authentic fresh sliced subs on freshly baked bread for more than 60 years. Since 2010, Jersey Mike’s locations throughout the country have raised more than $28 million for worthy local charities and distributed more than two million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes. The company was ranked #1 on Franchise Times’ 2017 Fast & Serious list and #24 on Entrepreneur’s 2018 Franchise 500® list of the top franchises in the world. Jersey Mike’s is on track to have more than 2,000 stores open nationwide by 2020, and is currently seeking qualified single- and multi-unit operators to join the brand’s rapid expansion. For more information about Jersey Mike’s franchise opportunities, visit www.jerseymikes.com/franchise or call 732-292-8272.

SOURCE Jersey Mike’s

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Austin Region Under Flash Flood Warning

AUSTIN, TX — The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning until 1 p.m. in the wake of heavy thunderstorms that descended on the area Friday morning.

A Flash Flood Warning is issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring in the warned area. A flash flood is a sudden, violent flood after a heavy rain. The warning expires at 1:30 p.m., officials said.

Motorists are strongly urged to avoid low water crossings. Many drivers often try to cross such points, thinking their cars can pass safely through raging waters. Often, that decision proves fatal given the deceptively strong nature of running water that is capable of sweeping cars through its torrents.

The website ATXfloods.com lists all of the dangerous low water crossings in the region that are closed due to heavy run-off. Currently, 42 such crossings have been closed to traffic given raging waters present there.

Related story: Strong Thunderstorms Expected In Austin Area On Friday, May 4

Local forecasters are reporting that up to 3 inches of rain have already fallen in parts of western Travis and northern Hays counties after storms broke out this morning. Communities in the area subject to the flash warning include not only Austin but Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville, according to the NSA. The warning also includes outlying communities including Bee Cave, Buda, Dripping Springs, Kyle, Lago Vista, Lake Hills, Lakeway, Manor, Rollingwood, West Lake Hills and Wimberly.

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Turmoil in Toyland

The demise of Toys “R” Us is hitting toy makers and clearly separating the weak from the strong.

The chain, which is liquidating its U.S. stores and considering the fate of its Asia and Europe operations, was a major driver of the $27 billion industry. Its 50,000 square-foot stores were cathedrals to play, places where children explored and discovered new toys. General merchandise retailers like Walmart or Target simply don’t have the space for that.

Last week both Hasbro HAS 1.81% and Mattel MAT 1.36% posted declining sales and losses for the first quarter. Lost sales from Toys “R” Us were partially to blame, but the companies also held back products from competing retailers, which would have been tempted to match the liquidating chain’s hugely discounted prices.

Toy manufacturers are in “self-preservation mode,” says Stephanie Wissink, an analyst at Jefferies LLC. “They’re protecting their brand equity so they don’t get tangled up in a price erosion they can’t unwind,” she added.

On Thursday Mattel, maker of Barbie dolls, American Girl dolls, Fisher-Price, and Hot Wheels toys, had a loss that was almost three times bigger than the same period last year. Revenue also fell to $708.4 million from $735.6 million a year ago, though it beat expectations.

Hasbro, which owns Transformers, My Little Pony, and the rights to Disney franchises “Frozen” and “Star Wars,” and has a market value more than twice as big as Mattel’s, suffered too. In the U.S. and Canada, sales fell 19%. (It was comparing against a very strong period last year, whereas Mattel was comparing against a very weak one.) The company reported a first-quarter loss of $112.5 million or 90 cents a share, and revenue dropped to $716.3 million.

Yet the disruption is likely a transitory one. Other retailers, including Amazon.com , are rushing to take Toys “R” Us’s market share and increase their toy offerings. Meanwhile, manufacturers are building out their e-commerce capabilities, which have lagged behind. Only about 20% of Hasbro’s sales occur online.

Of the two manufacturers, Hasbro is far better positioned to evolve with the industry. Unlike Mattel, Hasbro isn’t constrained by debt and it has more continuity and stability in its management team, which has been together for eight years. Mattel, which recently named a new CEO, has seen several abrupt pivots in leadership. It also has debt coming due beginning next year.

With a debt-adjusted market value about 50% higher than Mattel’s, Hasbro is the more expensive stock. But it has options and that is what the market values. One might be to take over Mattel. An offer it made last fall came to nothing. The timing may be right to revive that discussion. At its current level, Mattel is ripe for the taking.

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Trends keynote speaker: Real estate industry can lead Baton Rouge out of mediocrity

On paper, there’s no reason for Baton Rouge not being like the often-compared Texas capital city of Austin, said economist John Tuccillo, who delivered the keynote address today at the 2018 Trends in Baton Rouge Real Estate seminar.

Maybe. But no one at the moment is confusing Baton Rouge with Austin.

What makes the Texas capital city more attractive than Louisiana’s, says Tuccillo, are quality of life factors like schools, transportation, health care and vibrant urban development—all of which he suggests can be improved here with the help of the Baton Rouge real estate industry.

“The real estate industry should make it its primary business to be involved in economic development and planning for the whole region,” he told a packed gathering at the L’Auberge Casino and Hotel.

Tuccillo, an author and real estate and finance economist, examined the year ahead from an economic standpoint, bringing it back to the Baton Rouge real estate market. He argues Baton Rouge should not settle for mediocrity, especially when it comes to infrastructure, transportation, flood recovery as well as maintaining its relatively stable economic base.

Daily Report has the full story.

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Sundyne Showcases Pumps & Compressors at GPA Midstream Convention in Austin, TX – Denver Business Journal

ARVADA, Colo., April 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Sundyne, a global leader in the design and manufacture of pumps and compressors, today announced that it is showcasing its portfolio of midstream gas processing technology at this week’s GPA Midstream Convention in Austin.

"The abundance of natural gas discoveries in the Permian Basin are creating new opportunities for chemical & petrochemical feedstocks, and for using gas as a dominant source in power generation – plus advancements in LNG processing are cultivating export opportunities to reach new customers around the globe," said Sundyne’s Jason Fouraker. "In order to capitalize on these opportunities, midstream operators are investing heavily in pipelines and processing equipment, and Sundyne’s technology plays a key role within this infrastructure."

At the GPA Midstream Convention this week, Sundyne is illustrating the role its technology plays in natural gas processing:

1. Sundyne’s Sealless Magnetic Drive API 685 and ANSI B73.3 pumps are widely used in Hot Oil and Amine treating applications that remove hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from natural gas. 2. Sunflo high pressure pumps are popular for reflux applications with low NPSH requirements. 3. Sundyne’s integrally-geared centrifugal compressors are used for Molecular sieve regeneration, overhead, and demethanizer applications, which strip out NGLs (such as butane, propane and ethane) from gas streams. 4. Sundyne LMV-803Lr OH3 and OH5 process pumps, as well as API 685 sealless magnetic drive pumps are used for bottoms pumps, booster pumps, and for transferring light hydrocarbons.

"The design elements that Sundyne is known for – multi stage performance in a single stage design; unmatched low flow, high head output; stainless steel & higher alloy construction; safe sealless magnetic drive pumps that don’t leak; and a proven track record for minimal maintenance – are all critical features for midstream applications," concludes Jason Fouraker.

To learn more about Sundyne’s Midstream product portfolio, please visit: http://sundyne.com/Products/Pumps/Markets/Midstream-Natural-Gas.

About Sundyne: Headquartered in Arvada, Colorado, Sundyne is a leading manufacturer of highly reliable and efficient centrifugal pumps and compressors for use in oil and gas production, refining, chemical, petro-chemical, power generation and water processing industries. Sundyne is the world leader in delivering low-flow, high-head integrally geared centrifugal pumps and compressors; as well as safe and efficient sealless magnetic drive pumps. Sundyne pumps and compressors meet stringent API and ISO standards. To learn more about the Sundyne family of precision engineered pumps and compressors, please visit http://www.sundyne.com. Sundyne is owned and operated by Accudyne Industries.

About Accudyne Industries: Accudyne Industries is a global provider of precision-engineered flow control and compressor systems responsible for powering the world’s most economically vital industries. These process-critical machines deliver unflagging performance in incredibly demanding environments, giving confidence to the mission of their customers. Today, Accudyne is powered by more than 2,800 employees at 13 manufacturing facilities. For more information, visit http://www.accudyneindustries.com.

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Austin Bombings: Affidavit Outlines Timeline Of Terror

AUSTIN, TX — Law enforcement officials staged a press conference on Monday ostensibly designed to provide more details into the serial bombings that terrorized the Austin residents in March. While short on details, the document outlined some key dates of the terror campaign and concurrent investigation.

Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, blew himself up on March 21 in Round Rock after being identified as the person behind the bombings. An early-morning standoff led to Conditt inadvertently driving into a ditch as he tried to escape capture, detonating himself with one of the same parcel bombs with which he spread death and violence in an 18-day terror campaign that killed two and injured others.

Some had expected police to release an audio confession they say Conditt left behind, or maybe the dashcam footage of his deadly last stand after which he detonated a bomb on himself. But officials suggested the footage won’t be released anytime soon, possibly never. The confession might inspire similar actions from copycats, and FBI agent said, explaining why it may never be released publicly. The footage of Conditt’s take-down by police is part of an ongoing investigation, Austin Police Department Interim Chief Brian Manley said in justifying its not being released to the public.

Somewhat anemic in terms of new details, the partially redacted affidavit did yield a more definitive timeline into the course of events that threw an entire city into panic throughout the month of March. The grim chronology starts March 2 with the first bombing and concludes with the police pursuit of Conditt by police March 21 — the span between the dates book-ended with violent death.

The following chronology of events is drawn largely from an affidavit released on April 9 during a press conference spearheaded by U.S. Attorney John F. Bash. The 5 p.m. press conference took place on the 10th floor of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in downtown Austin at 816 Congress Ave.

It includes dates of each detonation and those before the pattern of serial bombings began investigators later learned during the course of their investigation.

On or about Feb. 27, a customer purchased several items at Frye’s Electronics store at 12707 N. MoPac Expressway, although the materials bought are heavily redacted in the affidavit. "The items included five [redacted] Battery Holder With Snap Connector," the affidavit reads. "Preliminary analysis of the explosive device revealed that all six explosive devices utilized a [redacted] Battery Holder With Snap Connector. The customer utilized a U.A. bank credit card issued to Mark Conditt, who according to Texas Department of Public Safety drivers’s license records, resides at 403 2nd St., Pflugerville, TX 78660." That knowledge led officials to learn of Conditt’s ownership of a red pickup truck that matched store surveillance camera footage.

March 2, 2018: At around 6:55 a.m., at 1112 Haverford Dr. in Northeast Austin, a parcel bomb left on the front porch of the single-story home results in the death of Anthony S. House. The father of an eight-year-old girl would be the first to die in the terror campaign, the first to handle a benign-looking package left on a doorstep, triggering the explosive device within. "Analysis of this explosive device by the ATF lab determined that the powder found inside the device was [redacted] powder," the partially censored affidavit reads of the package that detonated on the front porch.

March 12, 2018: At around 6:44 a.m. at 4806 Oldfort Hill Dr. in Northeast Austin, an explosion that occurred inside the residence results in the death of Draylen Mason, 17, a promising musician. His mother was seriously injured in the blast, but is expected to recover. "Preliminary analysis of the explosive device revealed that it utilized [redacted] as part of the triggering mechanism."

March 12, 2018: At around 11:50 a.m. at 6705 Galindo St. in East Austin, an explosion occurred inside the residence sending Esperanza Herrera, 75, to the hospital with multiple injuries. "Based on communications from the victim, the package containing the explosive device may have had the address 6705 Galindo written on it," the affidavit reads. "Preliminary analysis of the explosive device revealed that it utilized [redacted] as part of the triggering mechanism."

On or before March 13, 2018: At around 6:30 p.m., a red truck arrived at a Home Depot in Round Rock frm which a white male emerged before waling into the hardware store. He purchased several items, including a sign with red background and white lettering reading "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here." That sign would figure prominently during a March 18 attack that left a pair of bicyclists injured.

March 18, 2018: Sometime before 9 p.m., an explosion occurred near the block of 4800 Dawn Song Drive and 4721 Eagle Feather Drive in Southwest Austin, injuring two men pushing their bicycles along the street. This bombing departed from the previous three in that it was left on the street curb rather on a front porch or at a doorstep. Investigators revealed a yard sign with a red backing and white letters that read "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here" was used to conceal the package. Colton Mathes and Will Grote were injured in the ensuing blast that occurred when they inadvertently engaged a trip wire used as triggering device for exploding package.

March 18, 2018: Officials would later learn that two packages to be sent via FedEx (see below) were processed on this date. a conclusion drawn on the basis of store surveillance camera footage. "Information from FedEx revealed that both packages discovered on March 20, 2018, (see below) wre sent by the same individual at a FedEx location in Austin, Texas, on Brodie Lane," the affidavit reads. "Video footage was recovered from the FedEx and revealed that a single white male individual shipped both packages. He was wearing gloves and a hat in the store. He paid in cash. It appeared that he was wearing a wig."

March 20, 2018: At around 12:45 a.m. at the FedEx processing center in Schertz, Texas — located some 65 miles south of Austin — another package exploded. At around 7 a.m. the same day, another package was located at the FedEx facility located near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 4117 McKinney Falls Parkway, intercepted before it detonated. "That package was X-rayed and an explosive device was found inside," the affidavit reads. "Law enforcement was able to render the device safe."

March 20, 2018: A confidential source is shown a photo of Conditt to prove his identity, cross-checked with surveillance camera footage from Home Depot taken March 13. The witness gives police a 98 percent certainty that the person shown in the footage was Conditt.

March 20, 2018: This is when police start closing in on Conditt a full 18 days since the first explosion. They take photograph of 403 2nd St. in Pflugerville where he lived, and conduct surveillance. Investigators also spot a 2002 red Ford Ranger pickup truck matching witness descriptions and store surveillance camera footage. "The [redacted] footage revealed multiple items in the bed of the pickup truck," Reynaldo Alatorre Jr., special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) wrote in the affidavit. "I have seen the [redacted] exterior camera footage of the red pickup truck, and believe that the items in the bed of the truck in that footage are consisistent with the items captured in the [redacted] photograps of the truck at 403 2nd Street N. discussed above."

March 21, 2018: In the early morning hours, Conditt is located inside his vehicle in a parking lot outside a Round Rock hotel. A police chase ensues, leading the suspect to inadvertently drive his vehicle into a ditch. Cornered, he blows himself up with one of the same detonation devices he used to unleash terror on unsuspecting victims.

Site of the first lethal parcel bomb detonated at 1112 Haverford Dr.

Site of the second lethal parcel bomb at 4806 Oldfort Hill Dr.

Site of the third blast that seriously injured 75-year-old Esperanza Herrera.

Site of March 18 blast injuring two inadvertently tripping wire

>>> Top image: U.S. Attorney John F. Bash flanked by other law enforcement officials during press conference updating serial bombings investigation on April 9, by Tony Cantú,

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Mueller to write report on findings in stages

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East Austin Man Accused Of Throwing Toddler From 3rd-Floor Window

EAST AUSTIN, TX — A man was arrested this week after being accused of throwing his toddler son from a third-story window, according to reports.

Fnu Faizullah, 32, is accused of tossing his two-year-old son from an apartment window at 2104 East Anderson Lane in East Austin, according to reports. In an arrest affidavit referenced by KXAN, Faizullah initially claimed the toddler fell out of the window after running toward it, showing a cut on his arm as supposed evidence he tried to prevent the child.

But a witness at a picnic table adjacent to the apartment building told police she heard screaming from the apartment unit before seeing the screen window before removed and thrown to the ground. The witness told police she then saw a pair of arms consistent with those of an adult male throwing the child from the third-floor window, the news station reported.

The child fell 20 feet, narrowly missing the sidewalk and an air conditioning unit before landing on landscape rock. A woman retrieved the child, who was then rushed to the hospital for treatment of cuts and bruises. According to the affidavit, the stories told by Faizullah and his wife didn’t match up — he insisting the child fell and she saying the toddler had fallen at the park earlier.

Faizullah was booked into the Travis County Jail on a third-degree felony charge of injury to a child. His bond was set at $30,000.

Fnu Faizullah booking photo courtesy of Austin Police Department

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Lance Armstrong’s Old West Austin estate cycles back onto the market — with new price

The Windsor Road property is across from Pease Park. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate The entrance area. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate The kitchen. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate Armstrong orginally put the house on the market for $8.25 million in 2016. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate The home was built in 1924 and updated in 2007. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate The living room. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate One of the main house’s six full bathrooms. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate The wine cellar. Photo courtesy of Gottesman Residential Real Estate

Perhaps the second time will be the charm. Former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong has put his almost century-old estate in Austin’s Old Enfield neighborhood on the market for $7.5 million, two years after it went up for sale at $8.25 million.

Located in the southernmost part of Old West Austin, the Mediterranean-style estate at 1704 Windsor Rd., across from Pease Park, was built in 1924 and remodeled in 2007. It covers close to half an acre. Laura Gottesman of Austin’s Gottesman Residential Real Estate has the listing.

Armstrong, whose cycling career came crashing down in the wake of a doping scandal, bought the gated 8,158-square-foot mansion in 2013 from former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes. It features five bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, an underground wine cellar, a wood-burning fireplace, and a swimming pool. The estate’s pool house contains the property’s sixth bedroom, as well as another full bathroom and kitchenette.

Armstrong reportedly lives at the mansion with his five children and fiancée, Anna Hansen.

For years, Armstrong has been buying and selling homes in the Austin area. For example, Armstrong sold his Lake Austin home in 2013, just a few days before buying the Old Enfield mansion.

Since stepping away from cycling in 2011 and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles a year later due to the doping scandal, Armstrong has fought legal battles; engaged in charity work; focused on his Austin bicycle shop, Mellow Johnny’s; launched a sports brand called Wedu; and started two podcasts, “The Forward” and “Stages.”

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This Austin Village Is Helping Homeless Citizens

Austin, Texas is home to incredible sites like Hamilton Pool, mouth-watering eats like Smitty’s Barbecue, and a woman who’s called the Boot Whisperer. No doubt it’s an awesome place, but the way the community is striving to give its homeless citizens a better life is what truly makes it a beautiful city.

Community First! Village is a development stretching over 27 acres. It provides affordable, permanent housing for people in Central Texas who are disabled or chronically homeless. Not only does it provide homes, but it also helps these people find jobs and purpose.

In 2017, men and women earned $400,000 through the micro-enterprise programs at the Village. So the mission isn’t just to give them places to live, but to also help integrate them back into society. See what the Village’s residents are saying …

More Things Happening in Austin:

Did you know we have a BEST Austin page on Facebook? Follow here!

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BTS’ ARMY wins 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards’ ‘Best Fan Army’ category

BTS has won the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards’ ‘Best Fan Army’ category.

ARMYs were up against other giant fandoms such as EXO-Ls, Arianataors, Beliebers, Camilizers, Harmonizers, and more. Fans were able to vote through social media by using the relevant hashtags to their fandom. BTS’ ARMY ended up winning the category, as announced during the awards ceremony on the 11th.

You did it #BTSArmy! Congratulations on winning the @tacobell #BestFanArmy Award at our #iHeartAwards2018. And now a message from @BTS_twt! pic.twitter.com/sdLwEpoMDB

— iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) March 12, 2018

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High Dem Turnout In TX May Not Be Enough To Make Dent In GOP Dominated State

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats turned out in force ahead of the first-in-the-nation primary Tuesday in what could be an early hint of a midterm election backlash against President Donald Trump, but their party remains a longshot to make much of a dent in Republican political dominance of the state.

Democratic early voting across Texas’ 15 most-populous counties, the only figures available, more than doubled that of the last non-presidential cycle in 2014, while the number of Republican early ballots cast increased only slightly. Total Democratic early votes exceeded Republican ones roughly 465,000 to 420,000, though those figures combined accounted for less than 9 percent of the state’s total registered voters.

Democrats haven’t won any of Texas’ 29 statewide offices since 1994, the nation’s longest losing streak. That’s expected to continue this cycle despite any possible “Trump effect” because Democrats fielded little-known candidates against top Republicans such as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Even Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been indicted on felony securities fraud charges, remains favored for re-election.

A record six Texas Republicans and two Democrats are leaving Congress, meaning the state will be losing clout on key House committees. But none of those open seats are expected to flip. They’ve drawn so many hopefuls from each party, that most primary races won’t have anyone winning a majority of Tuesday’s votes, meaning runoff elections May 22 will determine who will be on November’s general election ballot.

Democrats have a better shot in November of unseating three Republican congressional incumbents — Rep. Pete Sessions in Dallas, Rep. John Culberson in Houston and Rep. Will Hurd in a district stretching hundreds of miles from San Antonio to El Paso. Hillary Clinton beat Trump in all three districts in 2016, but primary runoffs are likely in each of those races.

One of the Democrats leaving his House seat, former punk rock guitarist Beto O’Rourke, has generated national buzz in his uphill bid against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Neither faced serious primary challengers but O’Rourke has outraised Cruz and the incumbent has warned conservatives against complacency, suggesting that liberals will “crawl over broken glass in November to vote,” against Trump and the GOP.

The Democrats have had their own internal strife in Texas over congressional hopeful Laura Moser, who moved from Washington to her native Houston to try and unseat Culberson. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, fearing Moser may be too liberal to win the general election, blistered her for comments from a 2014 Washingtonian magazine article in which Moser said she’d “rather have her teeth pulled out” than live in rural Paris, Texas. Strategists will be watching if she advances to a runoff despite attacks from fellow Democrats.

Despite that, Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa has remained optimistic, noting that Trump beat Clinton by fewer than 10 percentage points in Texas in 2016, the smallest margin of victory for a Republican White House candidate since 1996.

“Texas is the fastest growing state in the country, we’re getting younger and increasingly diverse,” Hinojosa said. “These demographic shifts are a positive trendline for a big-tent progressive political party.”

Republican political consultant Derek Ryan noted that only about 3 percent of those casting ballots early in the Democratic primary were first-time voters, meaning most Texans participating “were probably voting Democrat in general elections in previous cycles.”

“Three percent, that could make a difference in some smaller races, but in a statewide election I don’t think that’s enough to sway anything,” Ryan said. “Democrats are showing up in the primary election, does that mean more are going to show up in the general election?”

A close Republican primary race Tuesday could be for Land Commissioner, where George P. Bush was the first member of his family to win his first election four years ago but drew an unlikely challenger in Jerry Patterson, a former Bush supporter who preceded him as land commissioner.

Another key contest is the Democratic gubernatorial primary, where the top two contenders in a crowded field are former Dallas County Sherriff Lupe Valdez, backed by the party’s establishment, and Andrew White, who opposes abortion and whose father, Mark, was governor in the 1980s. Neither White nor Valdez may win a majority of Tuesday’s votes, though.

Abbott has an eye-popping $43 million in campaign cash, tops among gubernatorial hopefuls nationwide, and isn’t expected to be seriously challenged by any Democrat. Instead, he’s focused on attempting to unseat members of his own party, endorsing the Republican primary challengers to three state House incumbents who backed past ethics reform measures that might have limited gubernatorial power. That includes state Rep. Sarah Davis, a suburban Houston Republican who supports abortion rights.

Davis counters that her district’s residents “will not be told for whom to vote.”

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UT-Austin Falls To His Death From 4th Floor Of Student Apartments

AUSTIN, TX — A University of Texas at Austin student plunged to his death from a fourth-floor balcony of a student housing complex over the weekend.

The incident occurred Saturday at the six-story Texan Tower, 2505 San Gabriel St., just after 10 p.m., university police confirmed to KXAN. The student was rushed to Dell Seton Medical Center, where he later died. It’s unclear if alcohol was a factor in the death, the news station reported.

Police identified the student as Lawrence Ray Emanuel III. He was as senior in the College of Education.

"The loss of Lawrence is devastating to our entire university," University of Texas Police Department officials said in a statement. "We express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. The university said the school’s counseling services and other programs will be available for students as they mourn."

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