Austin’s Proposition 1, a ride-hailing ordinance supported by Uber and Lyft was defeated Saturday. With all precincts reporting late Saturday night, 48,673 voted against the ordinance and 38,539 voted for it.
Madlin Mekelburg
Madlin Mekelburg was a reporting fellow for the Tribune in 2015 and 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism and French. Madlin previously worked at the Houston Chronicle as both a metro intern in Houston and as an intern in their Austin bureau covering the Texas Legislature.
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Transportation
Austin Battle Over Ride-Hailing Will Resound Beyond City Limits
A hard-fought Austin special election over regulations for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft might signal the new normal as the companies aggressively battle to dominate the emerging industry on their own terms.
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Politics
Bryan Hughes, David Simpson Vie for Senate
A mere 13 votes allowed state Rep. David Simpson to sneak into a runoff in the Republican primary campaign to fill Sen. Kevin Eltife’s open seat. Now, he must try to catch fellow state Rep. Bryan Hughes.
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Demographics
Judge Blocks State From Licensing Family Detention Center
An Austin judge temporarily blocked the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from issuing a child-care license to an immigration detention center in Karnes City on Wednesday.
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Politics
Uber Sued Over “Robo-Texts” in Austin Election Battle
Ride-hailing company Uber was hit with a class-action lawsuit on Wednesday over “robo-text messages” the company has been sending Austin customers seeking their support for a controversial referendum on the ballot Saturday.
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Demographics
State Sued for Licensing Detention Center
A nonprofit organization has sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for issuing a temporary child-care license to an immigration detention facility that hold women and children from Central America.
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Criminal Justice
Paxton Wants Fantasy Sports Lawsuit Moved
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants a lawsuit filed against his office by fantasy sports site DraftKings moved to Travis County.
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Politics
For Cruz, Stressing Fiorina’s Texas Ties Could be a Stretch
When GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz announced Carly Fiorina as his would-be running mate Wednesday, he set the wheels in motion for a potential dual Texan ticket. Or at least Texanish.
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Transportation
Uber Annouces Plan to Leave Houston if City Keeps Existing Regulations
Uber announced Wednesday the company plans to cease operations in Houston if the city council does not repeal its existing regulations relating to vehicle-for-hire companies.
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Transportation
Company Says it Will Fill Gap if Uber, Lyft Leave Austin After Vote
Uber and Lyft have pledged to leave Austin if the city votes down an ordinance preventing fingerprint-based background checks. But a smaller Austin-based company called getme insists it can fill the gap.
