News Values

Prominence

I think this article's Prominence because it is the newsworthiness of an individual which in this case is the founder of Chick-Fil-A.

From- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/08/chick-fil-a-founder-s-truett-cathy-dies/15270625/

Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy dies at 93

S. Truett Cathy, the billionaire founder of the privately held Chick-fil-A restaurant chain that famously closes on Sundays but also drew unwanted attention on gay marriage in recent years because of his family's conservative views, died early Monday, a company spokesman said. He was 93.Chick-fil-A spokesman Mark Baldwin told The Associated Press that Cathy died at home surrounded by members of his family. Funeral plans had not yet been finalized, he said.

Cathy opened his first postwar diner in an Atlanta suburb in 1946 and by 1967 he had founded and opened his first Chick-fil-A Inc. restaurant in Atlanta. Over ensuing decades, the chain's boneless chicken sandwich he is credited with inventing would propel Chick-fil-A expansion to more than 1,800 outlets in 39 states and the nation's capital. By early 2013, the company says on its website, annual sales topped $5 billion as the chain offered up a taste of the South that went beyond chicken to such offerings as sweet tea, biscuits and gravy.

Under the religiously conservative founder, the chain gained prominence for its Bible Belt observance of Sunday — none of its hundreds of restaurants are open on that day, to allow employees a day of rest. Its executives often said the chain made as much money in six days as its competitors do in seven.

Those religious views helped win Cathy and his family loyal following from conservative customers, but also invited protests when Cathy's son denounced gay marriage.

Cathy's son, Dan, who is currently chairman and president of the chain, had told the Baptist Press in 2012 that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family." Gay rights groups and others called for boycotts and kiss-ins at Cathy's restaurants. The Jim Henson Co. pulled its Muppet toys from kids' meals, while politicians in Boston and Chicago told the chain it is not welcome there.

The controversy later subsided.

The family-owned company has said it has had 46 consecutive years of positive sales growth. Cathy's $6 billion fortune as the founder of Chick-fil-A puts him on the yearly Forbes magazine list of the wealthiest Americans in the country. The company has listed him on its website as its chairman emeritus after he left day-to-day operations to younger generations.

Truett Cathy began his career in the restaurant business by opening with his brother in 1946 an Atlanta diner called The Dwarf Grill, which was named for the short and stout shape of the restaurant.

He has attributed his hardworking nature — even as a little boy he made money by selling six bottles of Coca-Cola for a quarter — to growing up poor.

"I've experienced poverty and plenty and there's a lesson to be learned when you're brought up in poverty," he said in 2007. "I had to create some good work habits and attitude."

Even well into his 80s, Cathy was actively involved in the chain's operations, including setting up a contract with his children that said they may sell the privately-owned chain in the future but the company must never go public.

"Why would I retire from something I enjoy doing?" Cathy said in a 2007 interview. "I can hardly wait to get here."

An opportunity in 1961 led to the development of the restaurant chain's trademark chicken sandwich when a company that cooked boneless, skinless chicken for airline meals wanted to sell him pieces that were too big for the airline customer's needs. Cathy took those pieces and cooked them in a pressure cooker and served them in buttered buns.

The sandwich was sold at independent restaurants for a few years before he opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant at an Atlanta shopping mall in 1967.

Cathy also was known for his efforts to help youth. In 1984 he created the WinShape Foundation to help "shape winners" through youth support programs and scholarships. He also created a long-term program for foster children that has foster care homes in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Brazil.

His sympathy for children was demonstrated in August 2008 when he worked out a deal with the parents of two girls who were accused of causing $30,000 in damage to a home he owned in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The girls were banned from watching TV and playing video games. They also had to write "I will not vandalize other people's property" 1,000 times.

He told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that he didn't want to have them prosecuted and left with a criminal record.

As the author of several books, his 2007 book "How Did You Do It, Truett?" outlined his strategy for success that included setting priorities, being courteous, cautiously expanding a business and not being burdened with debt.

"There's really no secret for success," he said then. "I hope it will open eyes for people. They don't have to follow my recipe but this is what works for me."

Conflict

This was a meeting of two opposing forces which was physical because people are getting an unidentified respiratory virus and that is fighting the people.

 http://www.kvue.com/story/news/health/2014/09/08/unidentified-respiratory-virus-likely-to-hit-kids-across-country/15273551/

Unidentified respiratory virus likely to hit kids across country.

The disease hasn't been officially identified but officials suspect a rare respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is related to the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.

According to Mark Pallansch, director of the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC, similar cases to the ones in Colorado have been cropping up across the U.S. At least 10 states -- Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia -- have reported suspected outbreaks of human enterovirus 68 and requested CDC support.

"Viruses don't tend to respect borders," ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser said. "It is only 10 states now, but it's going to be across the country. So if your state doesn't have it now, watch for it, it's coming."

Doctors say they are not even sure yet how this particular virus spreads, though the back-to-school season is a normal time for illnesses to spread among children.

"This is a very common time for outbreaks. Kids come back to school, they like to share things, they bring them home to their little brothers and sisters, and enteroviruses tend to occur in the summer," Besser said. "But this one, this particular Enterovirus 68, is very rare and they have no idea why it showed up this year."

At Children's Hospital Colorado in Denver, officials say that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, doctors saw more than 900 pediatric patients with symptoms of the respiratory virus in the emergency room. Of those who came in, 86 were admitted into the hospital and a handful ended up in the intensive care unit.

"It can start just like a cold -- runny nose, sneezing, coughs -- but it's the wheezing you have to watch out for," Besser said.

Dr. Christine Nyquist, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital Colorado, said the virus usually ends up appearing similar to a severe cold but can be particularly dangerous for children with asthmabecause of how it affects the respiratory system.

"The kids are coming in with respiratory symptoms, their asthma is exacerbated," Nyquist said. "Kids with no wheezing are having wheezing."

Doctors Probe Polio-Like Illness in California

Life Saving Dog Sniffs Out Girl's Disease

Girl 'Cured' Of HIV at Birth Now Has Virus

At Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Dr. Raju Meyappan, a pediatric critical care physician, said he's seen at multiple children end up in the pediatric intensive care unit after being infected with the virus and that children under the age of 5 or those with asthma appear to be most at risk.

In one particularly severe case, Meyappan said a 13-year-old asthmatic patient ended up in the emergency room just one day after showing basic cold-like symptoms, including cough and runny nose.

His asthma became so severe on the second day the teenager turned blue and was rushed to the emergency room, where doctors gave him an emergency breathing tube.

The patient was one of multiple asthmatic pediatric patients who ended up sedated in the intensive care unit with a breathing tube, Meyappan said. Patients who needed breathing tubes spent between four to seven days sedated and intubated as they recovered, he said.

"As a pediatric ICU doctor, we try our best not to intubate kids with asthma at any point in time," said Meyappan, who added that only the most severe cases warranted intubation. "They all needed it. The onset [of the virus] is severe."

Meyappan said currently four patients were in the pediatric ICU recovering.

There are multiple reasons why the outbreak was hitting Denver now, instead of later in the fall or winter when flu.htm" id="ramplink_cold and flu_" target="_blank">cold and flu infections start to rise, Nyquist said.

In addition to school starting, Nyquist said, some children with asthma could have seasonalallergies that are exacerbated by the virus.

"Any kind of viral infection can kick off wheezing and asthmas," she said. "People with asthma know what triggers their asthma. A viral infection is one thing and this is the one that is circulating."

To stay healthy, the CDC recommends basic sanitary practices to avoid spreading the virus, including washing hands, avoiding those who are sick, and covering the nose and mouth during sneezes or coughs.

Meyappan said parents of asthmatic children should make sure that their children's inhalers are easily accessible and that there is a treatment plan in place if an asthma attack continues to get worse.

"Make sure [parents] talk to all their caregivers about what to do if [the child has] an asthma attack and where to go if they need help," Meyappan said. "I think having a game plan in place helps."

Timeliness

This is timeliness because it is current news about the current torrential rain that has been happening recently.

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/09/08/phoenix-arizona-rainfall-flooding/15284743/

Record rainfall swamps Southwest.

Torrential rain from the remnants of a Pacific Ocean hurricane swamped the Desert Southwest Monday, with Phoenix and Tucson seeing some of the worst flooding.Rain and floods also soaked parts of Southern California and Nevada.

In Phoenix, the rain turned freeways into lakes and forced the closure of highways, streets and schools throughout the region.

In Tucson, one woman died after her car was swept away by heavy floods and became trapped against a bridge.

Monday was the rainiest single day in the history of Phoenix, where weather records go back to 1895.

More rain was in the forecast for Monday night and early Tuesday.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport recorded 3.29 inches of rain, which broke the all-time calendar day record total of 2.91 inches, the National Weather Service reported.

That record was set in 1933.

In Nevada, an Indian reservation was evacuated after more than four inches of rain fell on the town of Moapa in a two-hour period. Heavy rains were threatening to breach a dam on the Muddy River, which feeds the already swollen Virgin River. That could send water into homes in Moapa, northeast of Las Vegas, officials said.

Authorities said vehicles on I-15 near Moapa were washed off the road by flooding.

IN Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer ordered non-essential state employees to stay home Monday and declared a "statewide emergency for areas impacted by today's severe rainfall and flooding."

School administrators throughout the Valley canceled and delayed classes as a result of the massive storm.

The 3 inches of rain is more than the Arizona capital usually gets in the entire three months of July, August and September.

Channel 12 meteorologist James Quiñones said already the region was coping with the biggest flood in 44 years.

The rain was due in part to the remnants of eastern Pacific Hurricane Norbert. These tropical-type storms occur only once every five to 10 years in Arizona and result in prolonged, widespread rain. Monsoon storms, by comparison, are shorter and much more isolated.

"This is pretty historic, what we're seeing," said Randy Cerveny, a weather expert and professor of geological sciences at Arizona State University.

The storm system brought a rare, brief rainfall to Los Angeles and parts of Southern California, and heavier amounts caused flash flooding on highways in desert and other inland areas.

Around Palm Springs, more than 40 water-related rescues were reported Monday morning and at least one school was evacuated because of flooding, The Desert Sun reported. A slow-moving thunderstorm knocked out power in some areas and created a traffic mess on heavily traveled Interstate 10.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Radford said the rain left "tons of debris" on highways and flooded side roads throughout the Coachella Valley desert.

"This is definitely one of the worst storms I've seen'' in the valley, Radford told The Desert Sun.

Parts of five western states -- California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado -- were under flood watches or warnings as of late afternoon, the National Weather Service reported.

Human Interest

This article is human interest because this is a tragedy of a very famous comedian dying and many people are affected by it.

 http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/joan-rivers-dead-81-article-1.1928159#bmb=1

Joan Rivers dead at 81: Tragedy ends life of legendary comedian and ‘Fashion Police’ host.

For eight excruciating days, the family, friends and fans of comatose comedienne Joan Rivers prayed for a miracle that never came.

Rivers, 81, the snarky stand-up comic who loudly conquered the worlds of talk shows, fashion and reality TV, died quietly Thursday afternoon in a Manhattan hospital suite, her daughter said.

The room was filled with music, flowers, plants and bows after Melissa Rivers reached the heartbreaking decision to take her mother off life support.

“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,” the comic’s only child announced in a three-paragraph statement. “She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends.

“My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.”

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi David Wexler for New York Daily News Melissa Rivers arrives at mother Joan Rivers' townhouse Thursday following the announcement of the death.

Her daughter made sure Rivers’ hair and makeup were done before the final moments inside Mount Sinai Hospital.

Rivers was admitted on Aug. 28 after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest at Yorkville Endoscopy on E. 93rd St. while undergoing a minor procedure. That facility is now the subject of a state Health Department investigation.

Condolences flooded social media after her death.

“A legend, a friend, a mentor, an icon, and wildly funny,” tweeted comedienne Kathy Griffin, one of Rivers’ many acolytes. “One of a kind. RIP.”

Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa Rivers at an event at the 92nd Street Y on January 22. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa Rivers at an event at the 92nd Street Y on January 22.

Rivers became a trailblazer for funny females in an era of male domination, staying in the spotlight for six decades after smashing through the industry’s glass ceiling.

“Joan Rivers will always be a pioneer,” tweeted comic Ellen DeGeneres.

Rivers unleashed a take-no-prisoners style that put her at odds with some of her targets — like Elizabeth Taylor, the butt of many fat jokes, or the first family of self-promotion, the Kardashians.

“I took Elizabeth Taylor to McDonald’s and she got stuck in the arch,” was a typical blast delivered in her trademark rasp.

Her influence extended across the comedic spectrum. Louis C.K., who featured Rivers on his Emmy-winning sitcom “Louie,” called her “prolific and unpredictable” — and a good comedy role model.

“I looked up to her,” he said. “I learned from her. I loved her. I liked her. And I already miss her very much. It really (expletive) sucks that she had to die all of a sudden.”

The Brooklyn-born Rivers became almost as famous for her unapologetic love of plastic surgery as her barbed humor during a tumultuous career that seemed to pick up speed each passing year.

By the time of her death, Rivers had just finished her 12th book and co-hosted the E! show “Fashion Police” with Kelly Osbourne.

Edgar Rosenberg pictured with Joan Rivers in Los Angeles on June 19, 1987, just a few months before his death. Ron Galella/WireImage Edgar Rosenberg pictured with Joan Rivers in Los Angeles on June 19, 1987, just a few months before his death. Enlarge

19385 NO SALES Anonymous/ASSOCIATED PRESS Joan Rivers with daughter Melissa as they leave Lenox Hill Hospital in Jan. 1968, where the baby was born on January 20. Enlarge

“I’m completely heartbroken by the loss of my beloved Joan,” Kelly Osbourne posted on Facebook. “Laughter will be difficult for a while, but when I’m sad, lonely or upset all I will have to do is think of Joan and a smile will cross my face.”

Rivers and her daughter co-starred in “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” for the Oxygen channel.

Longtime friend Nancy Reagan recalled Rivers’ endless capacity to make people smile.

“Joan Rivers was not only a dear friend, but one of the kindest and funniest people I ever knew,” said the former First Lady. “I doubt there's anyone who hasn't laughed at her or with her until they cried. Today our tears are those of sadness.”

    American televison host Mac McGarry (right) interviews popular entertainer Joan Rivers on the set of the tv show 'Capital Tieline,' Washington DC, 1968. On the show, viewers called in to the number of McGarry's desk to ask questions or voice their own opinions.

A Sunday service was set for Temple Emanu-El near Rivers’ East Side apartment, although it was unclear if the public would be invited.

In her 2012 book “I Hate Everyone ... Starting With Me,” Rivers said she expected a full-on Hollywood extravaganza after her death.

“I don’t want some rabbi rambling on; I want Meryl Streep crying in five difference accents,” she wrote. “I want to look gorgeous, better dead than I do alive. I want to be buried in a Valentino dress and I want (jeweler) Harry Winston to make me a toe tag.”

Rivers burst into national prominence with a 1965 guest spot on “The Tonight Show,” and eventually became one of Johnny Carson’s regular guests and his permanent substitute host. The host, wiping tears from his eyes after her debut, declared, “God, you’re funny. You’re going to be a star.”

Comedian Joan Rivers Dead at 81

Joan Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81....

Carson was right.

But there was an ugly and permanent falling out with her mentor when Rivers decided to launch her own short-lived late night show on the Fox network in 1986. A reinvented Rivers, though banned from “Tonight,” emerged as an unflinching red carpet fashion critic, a cable TV jewelry peddler and a reality show co-star with her daughter.

She soldiered on even after husband Edgar Rosenberg committed suicide after 22 years of marriage.

Her daytime talk show earned Rivers an Emmy Award in 1990, with the program earning another six nominations in the next three years.

Joan Rivers welcomes photographers with open arms in New York City on Dec. 26, 2013. Josiah Kamau/BuzzFoto/FilmMagic Enlarge

Joan Rivers, pictured at An Evening With Joan And Melissa Rivers on Jan. 22. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images Enlarge

Joan Rivers became a pioneer for women in comedy in an era of male domination.

She also garnered a Tony nomination for her star turn in “Sally Marr ... and Her Escorts,” a Broadway play that she co-wrote about Lenny Bruce’s mother.because

It was a stand-up gig by the doomed Bruce that convinced Rivers to try her hand at comedy.

The catch phrase “Can we talk?” became one of her comedic calling cards. Years later, on the red carpet, Rivers inquired, “Who are you wearing?” — before unloading on the unfortunate fashion victim.

Her falling out with Carson started a stretch of hard times: After her show was canceled, she had trouble finding work — and husband Edgar Rosenberg killed himself after 22 years of marriage.

Joan Rivers with daughter Melissa on the red carpet at the Academy Awards in 2006. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Joan Rivers with daughter Melissa on the red carpet at the Academy Awards in 2006.

Rivers acknowledged years later that his sudden death left her bulimic and suicidal until professional help lifted her out of the funk.

The politically-incorrect Rivers remained active into her 80s, continuing with a reality show co-starring her only child Melissa. Her 12th book — titled “Diary of a Mad Diva” — was released this summer.

She even did a stand-up show at a small 42nd St. theater just 12 hours before falling irreversibly ill.

She finally returned to “The Tonight Show” this year after Jimmy Fallon took over, ending her 28-year Carson-imposed ban.

Fans turned out Thursday at both the hospital and the comic’s E. 62nd St. apartment. Two mourners left bouquets of roses — one pink, the other white. Melissa Rivers emerged from a Cadillac Escalade, as onlookers expressed their condolences outside her mom’s home.

“Thank you,” she said, barely eclipsing a whisper.

Longtime Rivers friend Henry Schlieff said the hardest part was imagining New York without Joan Rivers.

“Most people in their 80s, when they pass, you say, ‘They had a good life,’” he said. “Joan had another 80 years ahead of her.”

Impact

This is impact because these new gadgets coming out will affect the audience by enticing them and eventually getting them to buy it.

From American Statesman

Apple plans smartwatch, larger iPhones.

On Tuesday, Apple is set to unveil a set of long-anticipated products: two iPhones with larger screens and a wearable computer that the media has nicknamed the iWatch. The so-called smartwatch will be the first brand-new product unveiled under Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, who took the helm three years ago, shortly before Steve Jobs’ death. It is expected to come in two sizes and combine functions

like health and fitness monitoring with mobile computing tasks like displaying maps.

It will have a flexible screen and, like the new phones, will support technology that allows people to pay for things wirelessly. “I believe it’s going to be historic,” said Tim Bajarin, a consumer technology analyst for Creative Strategies who attended the original Mac event in 1984. He added,

“The design of this product is all Tim’s fingerprints.” Apple has not officially commented on any of the new products. But multiple employees of Apple and its partners who were briefed on the products shared some details on the condition that they not be identified. With its first wearable computer,

Apple will enter a growing market for fitness-tracking gadgets and smartwatches from Fitbit, Nike and Samsung Electronics. And with the two larger phones, Apple will fight back against Samsung, whose bigscreen Galaxy smartphones have wrested sales away. While the iPhones are expected to be released in the coming weeks, the watch is unlikely to be in stores until next year, several of the people with knowledge of the products said. The price of the new devices is not yet publicly known. Some said the smartwatch was one of Apple’s most ambitious projects to date. The company put an enormous amount of time and money into designing the wearable device’s sensors so that they can track movements

and vital signs, like heart rate and footsteps, much more accurately than existing fitness devices, two

employees said

Novelty

This is Novelty because the night owls at ACL is a weird event to write a story.

From Austin American statesman.

Nightowls on a roll with an ACL gig.

Ryan Harkrider wasn’t expecting the moon when he wrote to local concert promoter C3 Presents to ask about a gig on the indoor stage at Stubb’s, where his band the Nightowls has played several times over the past year or two. So imagine his surprise when he ended up on the bill for C3’s marquee event, the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

   “I had emailed, saying, ‘Hey, we want to do another show at Stubb’s, can you please please let us in?’ And they said, ‘Sure, how about you play ACL, too?’ I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”

   It was a very nice surprise for the 10-piece Austin soul revue, though not entirely out of the blue given the dues the Nightowls have paid since forming in 2011. After building a devoted local fan base playing early week residency gigs at South Lamar hangouts the Highball and One-2-One Bar and Rainey Street indoor/outdoor bar Icenhauer’s, the band put out a record last year with the express purpose of raising the stakes.

   “When we made the album in August, that’s essentially when we signed on and hired McGuckin (a local public relations firm) to work for us,” Harkrider says. “And our specific goals were: We want to play Blues on the Green, we want to play ACL. Let’s do that in two years.”

   They realized both goals a year ahead of schedule, playing KGSR’s popular Blues on the Green series in Zilker Park this past July as a prelude to next month’s ACL gig. They’ll play Oct. 11 at noon on the Austin Ventures stage, following Riders Against the Storm in a one-two punch that should kick off the fest’s final Saturday with a prime local flair.

   “Good As Gold,” the album the Nightowls released last December, brought fresh focus to a band that had established itself as a worthy pairing with the local cover act Matchmaker at the “Motown Monday” series, which recently returned to the reopened Highball after an extended stay at the One-2-One Bar.

   Like Matchmaker, the Nightowls are adept at churning out entertaining versions of Motown classics. This past Sunday at Icenhauer’s, the back patio was filled with patrons basking in the sun and snacking on free chick- in the sun and snacking on free chicken and waffles as singers Harkrider and Tara Williamson and seven backing musicians ran through hits such as “Heat Wave,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

   But “Good As Gold” proved the group is fully capable of bringing its own original material to the fore. Renowned local jazz guitarist Jake Langley helped the Nightowls craft nine songs that represent their stylistic range as well as their tight professionalism with arrangements and production.

   Four more cuts that didn’t make it onto the album have been gathered on a follow-up EP, “Good As Gold B-Sides,” which receives a formal release party this Friday at Stubb’s. Among the highlights is “Nobody Ever Wants To Leave,” a song Harkrider wrote five years ago for an Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau contest. Harkrider’s tune ended up winning the contest and was adopted as the bureau’s official theme song for the city.

   “I traveled all over the U.S. with the bureau,” Harkrider says, recounting trips to locales including Chicago and Alaska. “Sometimes when they’re bidding on a convention for Austin, they’ll send me as an Austin ambassador to go sing this song.”

   Lyrically it’s a pretty simple tune, and not overly specific to Austin; other than brief references to the Hill Country and Congress Avenue, it could probably be adapted for other cities. Musically, though, it’s an instantly likable and memorable number, one that seemed ripe for revisiting beyond the initial recording Harkrider made in 2009.

   An Austin native, Harkrider finished up a music degree at the University of Texas that year and was recording his solo debut, “Days Like This.” But he’s learned a lot since then, and that experience is brought to bear on the new version of “Nobody Ever Wants To Leave,” which streamlines some of the verses and punches up the instrumentation with a more sophisticated touch.

   The first recording “was part of my first attempt at making a record as myself,” says Harkrider, who gigged around town in high school and early college with the band Hallow. “The learning curve was very high at that point. I feel like, five years later, I have a better grasp on what works and what doesn’t. And I’ve got a better band.”

   Harkrider refers to guitarist Amos Traystman, also a principle in Matchmaker, as “my right hand man” and a key player in planning the group’s business affairs in addition to his onstage contributions. Bassist Rob Alton, a graduate of Boston’s renowned Berklee College of Music, is the band’s musical director.

   At the fore vocally along with Harkrider are Williamson, a recent West Coast transplant, and Harkrider’s wife, Ellie Carroll. Drummer Ben Petree and keyboardist Oscar Interiano fill out the back line, with Austin scene veteran Sweney Tidball sometimes filling in for Interiano on keys.

   Out front with the vocalists are the “Fresh 2 Def Horns” – Javier Stuppard on trombone, Michael Rey on trumpet and Joseph Serrato on saxophone. (Williamson’s husband, Justin Smith, sometimes fills in on trumpet.)

   Though the band celebrates the new EP at Stubb’s this Friday, Harkrider is already excited about a new recording the band made last month at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., where much of the iconic soul music that has influenced the Nightowls was made in the 1960s and ’70s.

   “We wanted to make a pilgrimage to one of the birthplaces of Southern soul music,” Harkrider says, noting that they enlisted house studio greats including Spooner Oldham and David Hood to play on the sessions. “We wanted to challenge ourselves to write something on the fly, be inspired by the history of the studio, and allow that inspiration to come out creatively.

   “And it was terrifying!” he adds with a laugh. “But we’re really proud of it. I think that it’s going to be something special. We definitely want to reach a bigger audience with this thing. It ties into the history of soul music for the last 50 years, so there’s definitely a wider appeal for it.”

   Black Ball

   The big event for Black Fret, the new local organization giving out 10 grants of $10,000 each to Austin musicians this year, is coming up Nov. 8 at the Paramount Theatre. At the “Black Ball,” this year’s 10 grant recipients, chosen by Black Fret members, will be announced from a group of 20 nominees.

   An event on Saturday at Arlyn Studios for members, who pay $1,500 annual dues, included performances by East Cameron Folkcore, Gina Chavez and Wild Child, all of whom were nominated for grants. The rest of the nominees are: Amy Cook, Danny Malone, Dawn & Hawkes, Elias Haslanger & Church on Monday, Elizabeth McQueen, Emily Bell, Erin Ivey, Graham Wilkinson, Jitterbug Vipers, Jonny Gray, Lincoln Durham, Little Radar, Mother Falcon, Quiet Company, the Rocketboys, the Whiskey Sisters and Zeale.

   Black Fret founders Colin Kendrick and Matt Ott announced before the performance that the organization now has 150 members. They plan to cap membership at 1,300.

Proximity

This is related to Proximity because it is about Austin and that is where I live.

From Austin American Statesman

Council votes to seek Bull Creek Road land

Austin will buy out 300 more homes on flood-prone creeks.

By Sarah Coppola SCOPPOLA@STATESMAN.COM  

   Two major land purchases dominated the Tuesday meeting at which the Austin City Council approved a $3.5 billion budget for the coming year.

   The City Council agreed to negotiate with the state to buy 75 acres of highly coveted land at Bull Creek Road and 45th Street for nearly $29 million. It also decided to spend $78 million to buy out about 300 more homes along flood-prone Onion Creek and Williamson Creek.

   The city will have to borrow money for both purchases. It will also have to increase property taxes in future years to pay back that debt, budget staffers said.

   Mayor Lee Leffingwell was the lone vote against both plans.

   “The big hang-up for me is we are taking the first step to borrow a large sum of money that will impact property taxes, without voter approval,” he said of the Bull Creek Road tract.

   During two days of budget talks, Leffingwell was often the lone dissenter. He voted against adding several items to the budget, including more money for after-school programs, library hours and job training for low-income residents.

   He even voted against the final budget, saying the council didn’t try hard enough to cut the property tax rate.    Under the new budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, the typical Austin homeowner will pay $150 more in city property taxes and utility bills for water, electricity and trash pickup.

   The budget will add 228 jobs to the city’s 12,800-person payroll. Those new hires will include 59 police officers to keep pace with the city’s policy of two officers per 1,000 residents, and 21 more 911 call-takers.

   Police and paramedics will get the 1 percent raises dictated by their city contracts; non-public-safety workers, who have no bargaining rights, will get 3.5-percent raises. Firefighters are still negotiating their pay with the city.

   The property tax rate will drop from 50.27 cents per $100 of property value to 48.09 cents. But because home values are rising, most homeowners will pay more. The owner of a median-value home of $202,254 will pay $973 next year, $42 more than this year.

   Bull Creek Road vote

   The Bull Creek Road vote was the surprise of the day.

   The state is required to first offer the land to governmental entities at fair market value ($28.5 million) before selling it to private developers. It gave the city a few weeks to decide.

   Council Members Laura Morrison, Kathie Tovo and Bill Spelman wanted the city to buy, saying it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

   Neighborhood groups have long feared that private developers will turn the parcel into a densely packed project that could fell large trees, generate traffic and pollute nearby Shoal Creek.

   Morrison and Tovo said the land would be perfect for affordable housing, parks and some mixed-use development. The city would have more power to shape what gets built if it owns the property, and it could recoup the cost by partnering with a private firm on the development, the two said.

   Leffingwell opposed the idea, noting the city could still influence the look and feel of a privately built project through its zoning rules.

   Council Members Chris Riley, Sheryl Cole and Mike Martinez had concerns about the transaction’s cost and the speed leading up to the vote. But on Tuesday, their concerns seem to be assuaged by changes made to the plan.

   The City Council decided just to negotiate with the state, not purchase the land outright. And it agreed to do an appraisal, an environmental study and a financial review of the land to see if it would be a good deal before buying.

   It’s not clear if the state will wait for all that work to wrap up.

   The state wants to sell the tract “in the near term” and it “welcomes all interest” in the land, said Veronica Bey-er, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation, which owns and has offices on the land.

   If the city decides to buy, the sale would have to be OK’d by the Transportation Commission, the attorney general’s office and the governor, Beyer said.

   Onion Creek buyouts

   The city had already bought 323 homes along Onion Creek before an October 2013 flood devastated that Southeast Austin area. Since the flood, the city has bought or agreed to buy 250 more homes that the federal government has identified as being most at risk of flooding.

   But a few council members, led by Martinez, have been pushing to buy out even more homes that have a slightly lower flood risk and sit in 100-year floodplains. The goal is to get more residents out of harm’s way, Martinez said.

   With the $78 million approved Tuesday, the city plans to buy 230 homes along Onion Creek and 70 homes along Williamson Creek over the next two years. The city will issue debt to buy the homes, then increase property taxes to pay off the debt. The tax hike (about $11 more per year for the typical homeowner) won’t kick in for another year or two, Martinez said.

   Leffingwell said there are more than 5,000 buildings citywide that sit in 100-year floodplains, and buying a handful of them will set an expensive precedent. “Once again, I just can’t support this,” he said.