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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · 1d

"John Jones was out of options and low on cash."

So starts this exceptionally well written piece by @England_Weber on the heinous crime that haunted Austin, and brought decades of grief, trauma and wrongful incarceration.

Read it, even if you already know the story.
www.kut.org/crime-justic...

Making sense of the 'senseless' after a breakthrough in Austin's yogurt shop murders case

The brutal murder of four teen girls in 1991 shook Austin to its core. Now, families — and the city — can finally move forward.

www.kut.org

Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · 14d

City of Taylor Econ. Development Corp. sold land that was "to be held in trust for future use as parkland" to a data center developer.

Deed restriction is from 1999, not so long ago.

Neighbors outraged. City not commenting. Interesting story from Kailey Hunt!

www.kut.org/energy-envir...

It was supposed to be a park. Instead, this property in Taylor is being turned into a data center.

Neighbors that live near a proposed data center project in Taylor have filed a lawsuit aiming to stop all commercial development and construction on the site.

www.kut.org

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · 17d

I had the same thought.

Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · 18d

Notable comment from head of Austin Resource Recovery in recent city audit.

He says only 65% landfill diversion rate is acheivable "Even with perfect recycling behavior."

City goal is 90 percent.

www.austintexas.gov/sites/defaul...

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Sep 5

Austinite Corey Pudhorodsky is about halfway into a 50 hour stay on the Texas state capitol grounds, sharing 50 facts about climate change.

He's doing it for his 50th birthday!

Corey Pudhorodsky @coreypud.bsky.social · Sep 5

Fact 27: 1 gallon of gasoline turns into 20 pounds of CO2 when burned

I enjoyed this one and the chat with friends after!
#50for50 #climatefacts

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Sep 4

First Monarch I've seen in Austin since early summer.

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Sep 4

aaand. Im just reading this now. So hard to keep up with all the social platforms on top of everything else! But knowing that there is interest should motivate.

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Reposted by Mose Buchele

Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · Sep 3

Breaking | GHF whistleblower Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar says he has been interviewed by the International Criminal Court, which is probing alleged violations of the Geneva Conventions at Gaza aid sites.

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Jun 19

Last year Austin's water utility lost 9.3 billion gallons of water because of a leaky distribution system. That's enough to fill Lady Bird Lake about four times over and 31 percent rise from the previous year.
Why the big jump? Some of it might be improved monitoring.
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Austin is losing even more water to leaky city pipes than previously thought

Austin Water said improvements in how it monitors the system and an increase in water line breaks pushed up estimates from last year.

www.kut.org

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Jun 6

Saharan dust is back! It will hurt air quality this weekend, so stay safe. But also, take a moment to marvel at this natural phenonenon. This stuff rides winds all the way from Africa to get here. And that's just the start of what make it soo fascinating.
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Hazed and confused? That smog you're noticing over Austin is dust from the Sahara

The dust can be dangerous, especially for people with lung conditions or otherwise compromised health. But it can also quell hurricane activity in the Atlantic, fertilize depleted soils and bring stri...

www.kut.org

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Jun 5

"You all spoke so passionately and you burned valuable time of your life. " Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said. “We can do absolutely nothing about it."
Great piece from @mayafawaz.bsky.social on what happens when a data center wants to move next door.
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Hays County residents aren't happy about a new neighbor moving in: a data center

CloudBurst Data Centers is planning to build a facility south of San Marcos that could be leased to an AI firm or other tech company. Residents are concerned about the potential health and environment...

www.kut.org

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Jun 3

May was our first month with above average rainfall since last July, all thanks to last week's storms.

Still, it was not enough to bring us out of a longterm rain deficit. This spring was also the hottest ever recorded at Austin's Camp Mabry.
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Late May storms flip the script on what was about to be a very dry spring in Austin

The Camp Mabry weather station recorded 5 inches of rain from last week's storms. The precipitation “tipped us over the scale for the month of May,” one meteorologist said.

www.kut.org

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · Jun 3

May was our first month with above average rainfall since last July, all thanks to last week's storms.

Still, it was not enough to bring us out of a longterm rain deficit. This spring was also the hottest ever recorded at Austin's Camp Mabry.

www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Late May storms flip the script on what was about to be a very dry spring in Austin

The Camp Mabry weather station recorded 5 inches of rain from last week's storms. The precipitation “tipped us over the scale for the month of May,” one meteorologist said.

www.kut.org

Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Gas utility stories are tough to find visuals for. Everyone's done the meter, the stovetop flame. Looking for something new, KUT's Michael Minasi took a gag reference I put in the audio for this story and came up with this great illustration. More please!
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Austin gas rates are up and they're set to go higher. Here's why.

Texas Gas Service customers have noticed different fees and charges on their bills have jumped in cost since the beginning of the year.

www.kut.org

Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Meanwhile, Robbins and others are looking ahead to next year. 2026 is when Texas Gas Service's 20 year contract with Austin expires. That gives the city an chance to find a new gas company, or even try to buy the system and run it as a city owned utility. 11/11
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Austin gas rates are up and they're set to go higher. Here's why.

Texas Gas Service customers have noticed different fees and charges on their bills have jumped in cost since the beginning of the year.

www.kut.org

Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

One thing that seems clear? Rates will only go higher. The utility plans to raise them agains starting in June as part of a "Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program," that lets it increase bills to recoup losses on system investment. 10/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

“I cannot make sense of it. It’s like, are they building a bridge to nowhere? Are they padding(..) so that they can claim an expense and then claim a capital return on an expense that may not be needed?” Robbins said. “The question has never been put to rest for me." 9/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Some consumer advocates have accused the utility of over-charging. Longtime critic Paul Robbins, says the money the utility says it needs just doesn't compute when you consider the market it serves here in Austin.. 8/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Texas Gas Service says its customers have options. They can choose to be charged under two different teirs "Large Residential" or "Small residential." The utility says that choice may help lower peoples bills depending on their gas use. But... 7/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Investing in infrastructure and maintenance, covering depreciating value of its assets and bringing in profits for investors, money for all that (and more) is lumped into this line item called a delivery charge. Thats why it's up by so much now. 6/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Another big jump in peoples gas bills is in a line item called a "delivery charge." The name obscures what this charge is really for. In fact, the "delivery charge" is where the utility extracts a lot of money for the very things it wanted to raise rates for. Things like.. 5/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

The cost of gas is also higher because that's where the utility pulls extra money from its customers to pay off the debt it accrued during Winter Storm Uri. That's when gas prices went sky high right as Texans needed gas to survive in the cold. 5/
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Lawsuit alleging massive energy fraud during 2021 winter storm heads to appeals court

The company CirclesX says it can prove widespread natural gas market manipulation. So far, its case has gained no traction in court.

www.kut.org

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

Anyway, when people noticed these high bills they started asking KUT "why?" Well, part of the increase last winter was because of the higher cost of gas. The commodity price of gas is always passed directly through to the consumer. So when it goes up, customers pay more. But.. 4/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

That's because Austin's two other big utilities, its Water and Electric services are city-owned. Their profits are re-invested into the utility or put towards other city programs. Texas Gas is investor-owned and so gaurantees a rate of return to investors 3/

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Mose Buchele @mosebuchele.bsky.social · May 28

The reason is a rate increase from the city's gas utility, Texas Gas Service, approved by state regulators last November. The utility said higher rates were needed to maintain and grow its system and pay off its investors. That last part may give pause to some Austinites... 2/

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