SB 8 “bathroom bill” Credit: Getty Images

Restroom Restrictions: As a result of Senate Bill 8, which was passed by the Texas Legislature and signed off on by Greg Abbott this past September, Thursday, Dec. 4 marks the first day with new guidelines that restrict which restrooms transgender individuals have access to in the state. A longtime priority of Texas Republicans – and part of an escalating right-wing campaign against trans rights in Texas – the new “bathroom bill” limits availability to restrooms within facilities that are owned and operated by political subdivisions and state agencies, such as county and city buildings, agency buildings, public universities, and public school and open-enrollment charter schools. While there are no specific instructions for institutions to follow in terms of enforcing the law, individuals have expressed concerns about having to provide identification or undergo physical inspections. Although violating SB8 would not result in consequences for an individual, the institution where the restroom is located could be fined or sued.

Women and Minorities Removed from HUB Program: The Historically Underutilized Business program, established to help uplift businesses owned by marginalized communities, is now picking and choosing which of those communities it wants to support. On Tuesday, Dec. 2, the Texas Comptroller’s office announced that it is removing women- and minority-owned businesses from the program’s umbrella. Instead, the program will be renamed the Veteran Heroes United in Business Program (VetHUB), and solely focus on assisting businesses owned by veterans with at least a 20% service-connected disability, according to the Texas Tribune.

A&M Student Found Unresponsive After Tailgate: After attending a tailgate for the UT vs. Texas A&M rivalry game, Brianna Aguilera, an A&M student and Laredo native, was found unresponsive at the 21 Rio Apartments in the early hours of Saturday morning. Reports say that the student fell from a balcony on the 17th floor, where she was visiting with friends. Since the incident, Lee Rogers, APD assistant police chief, has said that there has been no evidence that suggests Aguilera died by homicide, though the department says that it is continuing its investigation. Aguilera’s family has taken to social media to voice their opposition. “This was not accidental someone killed my brie,” Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, wrote on Facebook. Aguilera was a student in Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government & Public Service with hopes of becoming a lawyer.

An ICE officer coordinates with other officials during an enforcement operation in San Antonio Feb. 5 Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

ICE Ruins Boston Student’s Thanksgiving: When Any Lucia López Belloza arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Nov. 20, she was prepared to head back to Austin to spend Thanksgiving with family. Instead, she was detained by ICE and sent to Honduras. Following the Babson College student’s arrest, a federal judge signed an emergency order prohibiting officials from deporting her from the country for at least 72 hours, according to her attorney Todd Pomerleau. However, ICE persisted in removing her from the United States. According to the agency, López Belloza, who was born in Honduras and left when she was seven years old, has had an ongoing deportation order since 2015. Pomerleau says that the 19-year-old was unaware of the order, and records indicate that her case was closed in 2017. “That was my dream,” she said. “I’m losing everything.”

Texas Summer Camp Licensing Fees Soar: On Tuesday, Nov. 25, the Texas Department of State Health Services posted a draft of proposals to the Texas Register set to go into effect next year – one of which will increase licensing fees by as much as 4,000% for summer camps in the state. The proposal comes after the July 4 floods killed over 130 people, including 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic in Kerr County. “We are hopeful that once the program is fully reestablished and operating smoothly for several years, the fee levels can be reassessed and appropriately reduced,” said Dan Neal, a representative of camp lobbying firm Camping Association of Mutual Progress. The DSHS’s draft includes other changes aimed at mitigating the risks that come with potential future natural disasters.

Aftermath of July 4 floods Credit: Sarah Wolf

Counties Criticized for Rejecting State Flood Money: Shortly after the July 4 floods killed over 130 people, state lawmakers criticized leaders of Kerr County, the most affected area, for declining funds that would have helped create a warning system to alert residents of rapid floods. But Kerr was not the only county that denied this funding. According to ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, since the launch of the $1.4 billion state funding, nearly 100 local governments turned down the state grants and loans. But these local leaders have said that they turned down the offer because it was too small of an amount to help cover costs. Kerr was awarded a grant of just $50,000 for a $1 million flood warning system, with an option to borrow the additional $950,000 and pay it off over the next three decades with no interest. The two publications said that they heard from around 30 local governments that said the grants paid for too little of the projects’ total costs to effectively move forward.

AISD Set to Sell Former Campuses: Following the decision to close 11 schools within the district, AISD is now working to sell two of its school properties, in an effort to continue combating its budget, currently sitting at a $19.7 million deficit. According to Austin American-Statesman reporting, the district is attempting to sell the Brooke and former Rosedale campuses that have not been operating as traditional schools for years. Kenneth Walker, general counsel for AISD, said that the school district’s hands are tied, and without selling the properties, the budget deficit will increase. “We normally engage the community and make sure their input is reflected and in this instance, we’re pretty restrained,” he said.

Small Business Boost: With the ongoing construction taking place across the city, the Downtown Austin Alliance is partnering with Uber to make it easier to get to and from downtown this holiday season. According to KXAN, DAA and Uber are offering half-priced rides within a 30-mile radius of Sixth Street on trips that cost up to $80. The partnership has been presented as a way for small businesses to maintain consistent foot traffic throughout the month of December. “We are feeling the effects of the construction of the convention center. It certainly represented a big part of our revenue,” said Heather Potts, co-owner of Foxy’s Proper Pub and Cedar Door.

Credit: Getty Images

Waymo Puts AISD Students at Risk: After AISD released footage that shows Waymo vehicles illegally driving by parked school buses with flashing stop lights, the district is now requesting the company to pause operations between 5:20am and 9:30am and from 3pm to 7pm, according to reporting from CBS Austin. AISD’s footage shows 19 incidents where these traffic violations have occurred between Aug. 22 and Nov. 14. The school district is calling on Waymo to conduct software updates before resuming operations during these times. “Grown drivers have the ability to know what’s right and what’s wrong,” said Travis Pickford, AISD police assistant chief. “It does not appear as though the Waymo vehicles know the difference between right and wrong.”

Texas Tech Joins A&M in Silencing Gender Studies: According to a memo that was released on Monday, Dec. 1, the Texas Tech University System is banning any classes that mention more than two genders or advocate for race or gender “prejudice,” per Austin American-Statesman reporting. The announcement by Chancellor Brandon Creighton, a former Republican state senator and author of SB37, follows those of Texas A&M University System’s decision to ban any coursework that advocates for race or gender “ideology” without permission from the school’s president or designee. Due to the passing of SB37 this past summer, faculty members are now limited to Republican-backed teaching guidelines as the board of regents has ultimate authority over the curriculum.

Project Connect Receives Federal Approval: Last week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released its annual report on funding recommendations, giving the Austin Light Rail a “medium-high” rating. According to Austin American-Statesman reporting, the confidence from the FTA places Austin to compete among other large cities’ transit plans for a federal Capital Investment Grant, which would nail down around $4 billion in federal funding. The federal support of the light rail comes after numerous setbacks have raised concerns about the project’s success since voters approved Project Connect in 2020. With a plan to break ground in 2027, the FTA’s backing of the project offers a slight sigh of relief for Austinites hoping to see the boost in accessible public transportation come to fruition.

New City Stats: On December 1, the city of Austin released the 2025 Community Health Assessment for Travis County. Some findings: Black and Latine residents living in east and southeast Travis County are experiencing higher rates of chronic disease, violence exposure, housing instability, and limited access to healthcare. In Austin, the average cost of full-day childcare is $1,020 per month, or $12,240 annually – more than twice the affordability benchmark. The living wage in Austin for an adult with two kids is estimated to be $51.08 an hour. “These assessments give us a clear call to action – honest data and community voice to confront persistent inequities and advance a healthier Austin-Travis County for all,” Austin Public Health Director, Adrienne Sturrup, said.

North Austin Reservoir Renovation: At 826 Old Koenig, the city’s oldest water reservoir was replaced by the North Austin Reservoir and Pump Station, with an official ribbon cutting ceremony held on Tuesday, Dec. 2. According to Austin Water, the new reservoir holds 8 million gallons of water, and the pump station can provide 50 million gallons per day, replacing the structure that has served Brentwood, Allandale, Crestview, and other communities for over 100 years. “This project has modernized drinking water infrastructure in the heart of our city,” said Shay Ralls Roalson, director of Austin Water. “Our project team brought the new reservoir online a year ahead of schedule, further improving reliability for Austin Water’s customers.”

Austin History Center’s New Era: Eight years of work and nearly $15 million later, the Austin History Center will celebrate a grand reopening on Sunday, Dec. 7, as announced by the organization’s nonprofit partner, the Austin History Center Association, in a press release on Dec. 3. A public ceremony will be held at 1pm on Sunday, featuring Mayor Kirk Watson, Congressman LLoyd Doggett, and Council member Zo Qadri. “This newly renovated center expands our ability to keep Austin’s stories accessible, offering important context and insight as our city continues to grow and change,” Doggett said. The renovated center is open to the public each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from noon to 5pm.

National Guard Shooting Suspect Charged: The man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. last week appeared virtually in court Tuesday, and pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges, the Associated Press reports. Investigators believe Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, shot Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom, who were on duty as part of President Trump’s crime-reduction plan that deployed an initial 800 members of the National Guard to the city in August. Beckstrom died from her injuries on Thursday and Wolfe remains in serious condition. Lakanwal, an Afghan national, immigrated to the U.S. in 2021, and had been a member of a CIA-operated counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan, according to NPR. Since the shooting, the Trump administration has tightened legal migration pathways, including the pause of all asylum decisions and visa reviews for people from Afghanistan, NPR reported Monday. 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It’s going to have a drastic chilling effect. We’ve already seen that people are afraid to use restrooms, even in the Texas Capitol building.”

ACLU Senior Staff Attorney Brian Klosterboer to Chron about the anti-trans “bathroom bill,” SB 8, taking effect

Credit: aclutx.org/en/biographies/brian-klosterboer

This article appears in December 5 • 2025.

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