🦉 First Athena owlet has arrived!

Athena’s First Owlet Has Hatched

Athena, a great horned owl nesting at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, became a mom again! Her first owlet of the season hatched yesterday and the incredible moment was caught on the center’s camera. [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center]

Austin Facts That Sound Too Weird To Be True

Austin is full of great stories, from legendary tales to little-known local lore: People ate the first Bevo and Elvis Presley performed at what is now a CVS. But how many are actually true? [City Cast Austin 🎧]

AISD Facing $181 Million Deficit

Austin Independent School District is hoping to offset a budget deficit that could reach $181 million next year through staff layoffs and cuts to campus budgets. Low student enrollment numbers are contributing to the problem. [Austin American-Statesman]

Hemp Leaders Sue State Over New Rules

Hemp advocates have filed for a restraining order against the state in an effort to stop new rules that went into effect last month. The new regulations raised licensing and registration fees, and codified the legal purchasing age to 21. [The Texas Tribune]

Some Austin City Council members are calling for Cesar Chavez Street to be renamed after the New York Times reported several sexual assault allegations against the labor leader last month.

The investigation says Chavez abused women and girls, including Dolores Huerta, a fellow leader in the labor movement who Chavez worked with. Fallout from the report was swift — across the country, events honoring Chavez were canceled, statues were removed, and school curriculums edited Chavez out.

In Austin, four city council members — José Velásquez, Vanessa Fuentes, José “Chito” Vela, and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri — made a request earlier this month to change the name of Cesar Chavez Street.

Chavez died in April 1993 and that December, Austin’s First Street was renamed after him The street runs west to east from MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) to U.S. 183. El Concilio Mexican-American Landowners de East Austin, a local nonprofit, originally organized a call to rename First Street to honor Chavez. Now, the group wants the street changed back to its original name.

“It’s a lesson learned,” Gabino Fernandez Jr., an El Concilio leader with El Concilio, told KVUE. “Going back to First Street eliminates future discoveries about individuals that could lead to the same situation.”

The council request calls for City Manager T.C. Broadnax to develop a community outreach plan on whether or not to change the street name, and how much doing so would cost. It also asks Broadnax to report back to council on May 27.

“The city of Austin is committed to upholding the dignity and safety of all people and affirms its

unwavering support to survivors of sexual violence,” the request says.

We recently asked City Cast Austin readers what they think the street’s name should be and got quite a few responses.