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Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Religious rights scholar in running for UT Liberal Arts deanship
Among the finalists for the deanship of the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) at the University of Texas is a religious rights scholar who's worked at the university's new conservative-minded institute, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The appointment could set the trajectory of one of the university's most prominent divisions. Zoom in: Vincent Phillip Muñoz, a non-resident fellow at UT's Civitas Institute (formerly known as the Liberty Institute), is one of the five finalists for the COLA job, according to UT faculty members familiar with the job selection process. They asked for anonymity because they're not authorized to discuss personnel issues. Muñoz is also a professor at the University of Notre Dame and specializes in how the constitutional framers regarded religious liberty. He is the founding director of the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government at the University of Notre Dame — which receives money from foundations and families interested in promoting free enterprise and individual liberty, including the Charles Koch Foundation and the Menard family. "Through cultivating research and teaching excellence on constitutionalism and Catholicism," Muñoz said at the center's 2021 launch, "we will equip and empower a new generation to secure our God-given natural rights and liberties, exercise responsible self-government, and pursue the common good." Muñoz did not respond to an Axios interview request. Axios requested the names of the finalists under the Texas Public Information Act, but the university declined to provide them, citing the ongoing search. By the numbers: COLA has nearly 800 faculty members spanning 25 departments, over 600 staff members, and more than 10,000 students. Two of the other candidates have served as chairs of university departments — including one at UT — and two have served as deans. What's next: A new dean could be named soon, now that the university has named William Inboden as its new provost. Inboden did not respond to an Axios interview request about the deanship posting. Inboden could opt to name a dean outside the list of finalists. Meanwhile, the UT System Board of Regents this week is likely to name interim UT President Jim Davis, who previously worked as a deputy to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, to that position permanently. The big picture: Amid pressure on universities from the Trump administration over concerns of a woke agenda, conservative scholarship has been in ascendance at the University of Texas. This spring, the Regents — appointees of Gov. Greg Abbott — announced they were investing $100 million to renovate an old biology building as the permanent home of the recently launched School of Civic Leadership. The school houses the Civitas Institute, championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as a way to bring "intellectual diversity" and teaching on limited government and free markets to campus.
05-08-2025
- General
'I need somebody to take me seriously': More 911 calls released from Texas floods
When a Gillespie County, Texas, 911 dispatcher answered the phone on the Fourth of July and asked the caller the address of her emergency, the woman on the other end of the line did not respond with the name of a street. "The Guadalupe River in Kerrville," the caller said instead. "I need someone to take me seriously." As the Guadalupe River overflowed in Kerr County, calls like this one poured into emergency communications centers in neighboring counties like Kendall and Gillespie, according to dispatch recordings released in response to a request filed by ABC News under the Texas Public Information Act. The flooding led to more than 130 deaths in Central Texas. "I have two missing people that were swept away in their Airstream at 4:58 this morning," the caller explained to the Gillespie County operator. "However, one phone [of theirs] is still ringing." The tone of her voice grew more urgent. "If you could take my information and take the phone number, they might be able to be found," she continued, begging the operator not to redirect her to someone else. She went down a list of agencies she said she already called but had directed her elsewhere. "Please do not do this to me," the caller said. The operator told her that he was transferring her call to Kerr County, since Kerrville is not in Gillespie County. On another recording, a different dispatcher told a caller that there had not been any reports of Gillespie County flooding yet. "However, Kerr County is getting bad," the 911 operator said. "I don't know everywhere because their dispatch is, like, beyond swamped." One man called 911 trying to find out where his daughter, a camper at Camp Mystic in Kerr County, was located. He told a dispatcher that he heard an indirect report that she was airlifted from the river. "I'm trying to locate her whereabouts so I can meet her immediately," the camper's father said. Fears of flooding in that part of Texas date back generations. "I saw a post where they're comparing it to 2002," a dispatcher said in one of the recordings, referring to the floods 23 years ago that killed more than 200 people. "That is very unsettling for me."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Emails show dueling plans for Harlingen airport firefighting services
May 27—HARLINGEN — For months, city and airport officials have been debating two proposals known as Plan A and Plan B. In the last few weeks, Valley International Airport officials' Plan A has come to the forefront, a proposal to hire Pro-Tec Fire Services, an Appleton, Wisconsin, company that's become North America's biggest provider of aircraft rescue and firefighting services. At City Hall, airport officials' plan to terminate the city's $1.2 million agreement providing the Harlingen Fire Department's airport firefighting services is drawing opposition. In response to the plan, the Harlingen Professional Firefighters' Association is warning it would file a lawsuit against the city if the airport's board of directors hires Pro-Tec, arguing the move could lead to a violation of Civil Service law protecting firefighters' jobs. Meanwhile, Marv Esterly, the airport's aviation director, is standing behind the proposal to hire Pro-Tec. While Pro-Tec is offering its services for $973,000 as part of a proposed five-year contract, the city's planning to boost the fire department's fees by 7% next year and then by 8% in 2027. For the airport operating on a break-even budget, Pro-Tec, which serves more than 20 U.S. airports, would help save about $1.9 million during the next five years. Esterly has also expressed concern over the fire department's federal training violations. From 2017 to 2024, the FAA cited the department for three training violations while last year Esterly self-reported "misleading" entries raising concerns of the possibility of records falsifications in training logs stemming from two classes last June and July. THE PLANS An email thread helps outline officials' discussions over the proposal they call Plan A. In response to the Valley Morning Star's request filed under the Texas Public Information Act, Esterly released emails sent from April 29, 2024 to April 16. In a Feb. 26 email to Mayor Norma Sepulveda, Esterly addressed concerns leading him to propose hiring Pro-Tec. "The rising cost of ARFF services is placing significant strain on the airport's budget," he wrote. "The current ARFF arrangement is unsustainable, placing significant financial stain on the airport." Then Esterly pointed to what he described as "safety and regulatory compliance." "FAA-mandated training standards must be met to maintain (the airport's) Part 139 certification," he wrote to Sepulveda, referring to the FAA's airport operations certification. "Given budgetary constraints and critical safety and compliance concerns, Plan A remains the most prudent and responsible path forward to ensure regulatory compliance and public safety." Meanwhile, Plan B would consist of an overhaul of the fire department's ARFF program. Under Plan B, the department would "implement FAA-recommended best management practices to enhance compliance and transparency," Esterly wrote to Sepulveda, adding the proposal would "address systemic failures in training oversight and establish strict compliance measures to prevent future violations." Esterly then referred to a memorandum of understanding specifying firefighters' qualifications and requirements. While Plan B would call for a "cost-sharing strategy" to "develop a financially sustainable ARFF plan that aligns with federal regulations while balancing fiscal responsibility," the proposal would also "evaluate the current MOU to determine necessary modifications, replacement or possible termination," he wrote. In an April 29, 2024, email to City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez, Esterly expressed concern over what he described as rising costs stemming from fire department ARFF staffing leading to overtime pay. "It has come to our attention that there is a recurring practice of calling in ARFF alternatives from different shifts, rather than utilizing those assigned to the current shift," he wrote. "This has resulted in increased overtime costs that area subsequently billed to the airport." Esterly argued overtime billing violates the parties' agreement. "According to our current memorandum of understanding, the airport board should not have to bear the financial responsibility for overtime expenses that arise due to the city's failure to maintain adequate staffing levels, including the provision of designated alternatives for each shift," he wrote to Gonzalez. "Maintaining compliance with our MOU is crucial to ensure the cost-effectiveness and regulatory adherence of the ARFF services provided." In a Feb. 25 email, Sepulveda pointed to "legal challenges surrounding privatization," adding Gonzalez was working to address overtime costs. Meanwhile, City Attorney Mark Sossi argued the Texas Government Code's Civil Service stance prohibited the city from hiring a contractor such a Pro-Tec. "After review of the legal issues at hand, we believe that Chapter 143 of the Texas Local Government Code will be a legal bar to privatization of the firefighters positions," he wrote in a Dec. 2, 2024, email to Gene McCullough, the airport board's attorney. "This will also confirm that the city, as the airport sponsor, has not given its consent to the privatization of AARF functions at the Valley International Airport." Earlier this month, Evan Mann, president of the Harlingen Professional Firefighters Association, warned city commissioners the union would file a lawsuit against the city if they didn't stop the airport board from hiring a contractor. In an interview, Mann said the board's hiring of a contractor would violate Civil Service law protecting firefighters who could lose their jobs. Mann also claimed airport officials were overstating FAA reports citing "isolated" firefighter training violations as part of a plan to "discredit" the fire department in order to lead the airport board to terminate the city's $1.2 million agreement providing aircraft rescue and firefighting services. Esterly denied the claims. In February, the FAA closed a 2024 investigation stemming from Esterly's move to report "discrepancies" in two firefighter training classes held last June and July. "The FAA determined training and misleading entries to be directly isolated to the identified sessions and not systemic to the entire ARFF training program," Denson E. Stasher, the agency's safety and standards manager, wrote to Esterly in a Feb. 19 report closing the investigation. "In closing this case, we have considered all available facts and have concluded the matter does not warrant legal enforcement." In its investigation report, the FAA found the fire department's ARFF program in "full compliance," Erik Ramirez, the union's vice president, said in an interview. Meanwhile, Mann said airport officials were overlooking the fire department's five years of "perfect scores" on its annual FAA inspections. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill expanding school misconduct investigations, Do-Not-Hire registry heads to governor
AUSTIN (KXAN) – In a 134-2 vote on Tuesday, the Texas House gave initial approval to a bill targeting what Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, called 'dangerous loopholes' in the state's misconduct registries. Senate Bill 571 is expected to head to the governor's desk soon. Sen. Bettencourt vowed to pass a bill during the 89th legislative session to expand access to the state's Do Not Hire registries and expand the Texas Education Agency's ability to investigate misconduct following a KXAN investigation. Our investigation found that a former juvenile corrections officer was able to get a tutoring job at an Austin Independent School District campus, despite the Texas Juvenile Justice Department's Office of Inspector General already determining he had an inappropriate relationship with a juvenile. The former corrections officer, Isaiah Xavier Smith, is now in jail in Lee County, facing multiple charges of Indecency with a Minor related to his employment at Giddings State School and his time tutoring on an Austin ISD campus. Austin ISD officials said non-profit Austin Partners in Education hired Smith and assigned him as a tutor to one of their campuses. The non-profit told KXAN that Smith did not disclose during the hiring process that he was previously employed by TJJD or the allegations he was facing within the agency. The sweeping 72-page bill allows the Texas Education Agency to compel school districts to report when volunteers, contractors or subcontractors are suspected of misconduct. The bill would also grant contractors, like Austin Partners in Education, access to the Interagency Reportable Conduct Search Engine. When complete, the search engine will include state misconduct information from several agencies, including TEA, TJJD, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and Texas Health and Human Services. The database is not finished despite the legislature approving its creation in 2023. SB 571 also expands the list of convictions that would result in a mandatory termination and loss of certification to include felony offenses of public indecency or an improper relationship between an educator and a student. A bill analysis from the Senate Research Center explains that school employees, including third-party service providers, can be placed on TEA's Do Not Hire registry for inappropriate communications with students, failing to maintain appropriate boundaries with students, or physically mistreating or threatening violence to a student. The bill has received criticism over a confidentiality provision added to the bill that makes records related to the TEA or the State Board of Education Certification's review or investigation of a misconduct allegation confidential and not subject to disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Internal jail fence breach prompts Travis County Sheriff's Office probe
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Travis County Sheriff's Office internal affairs is investigating how an inmate slipped beneath an interior fence on May 15 and entered an unauthorized area within the Travis County Correctional Complex. The Sheriff's Office confirmed the event to KXAN, saying the man managed to shimmy under a chain-link fence in an internal mall area and made it about 50 feet before officers gained control of him. Internal affairs will be looking into the matter and possible policy violations that preceded it, according to the office. 'This was not an escape. He never made it out of our facility – out of the perimeter,' said Sheriff's Office spokesperson Kristen Dark. The sheriff's office said the man could face disciplinary measures, such as loss of privileges or change in housing. The Travis County Correctional Complex is located just east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Travis County gets $1.6M to combat overdose deaths tied to county jail The breach occurred one day before a major jailbreak in neighboring Louisiana where 10 inmates escaped the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans. As of Thursday, half were captured and the other five remained at large, according to news reports. In Texas, jails are required to report escapes from custody to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards within 24 hours, according to TCJS policies and procedures. The Travis County incident was not considered an escape reportable to the state. 'There is no statutory requirement to report attempted escapes to this agency, just the actual escapes,' TCJS told KXAN by email. So far in 2025 there have been six reported jail escapes in Texas, according to TCJS data obtained by KXAN through the Texas Public Information Act. Below is a breakdown of counties where the jail escapes occurred Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
