Democratic Senate candidates agree on legalizing pot

News and updates from Austin's news in your inbox Email not displaying correctly? [View Online]( [Statesman]( MORNING HEADLINES Start your day with a fresh roundup of news, features and commentary. Wednesday's Top Story [Democratic Senate candidates agree on legalizing pot]( [Democratic Senate candidates agree on legalizing pot]( The unwieldy field of Democratic Senate candidates saw mostly eye to eye on legalizing marijuana at a televised debate Tuesday, drawing attention to an issue on which they may be a bit closer to the center of gravity of public opinion in Texas than is U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the man they are hoping to unseat. [Read More »]( Local News [Austin City Council calls for timelines on homeless goals]( [Austin City Council calls for timelines on homeless goals]( Austin City Council members on Tuesday pressed the city's staff for firmer timelines on efforts addressing homelessness, both to help manage community expectations and to hold the city accountable as it forges ahead with several homelessness initiatives. [Read More »]( [Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy; local chapter steering clear of turmoil]( [Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy; local chapter steering clear of turmoil]( The future of the Boy Scouts of America remains uncertain after the group on Tuesday announced its plans to file for bankruptcy, but the Central Texas chapter should continue unscathed, despite the hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits looming at the national level. [Read More »]( [Austin Council weighs Muny negotiations with UT]( [Austin Council weighs Muny negotiations with UT]( The city of Austin and the University of Texas leaders are preparing to enter into negotiations on the fate of one of the city's largest green spaces - the Lions Municipal Golf Course. [Read More »]( [Race to replace Kirk Watson is underway]( [Race to replace Kirk Watson is underway]( The race to replace state Sen. Kirk Watson began shortly before news broke Tuesday that the Austin Democrat will leave office early. [Read More »]( [Man drove with mangled corpse after crash, police say]( [Man drove with ‘mangled corpse’ after crash, police say]( A driver has been accused of drunkenly hitting a pedestrian with his vehicle in South Austin over the weekend, traveling at least a half-mile with the body before stopping at a beer garden, according to court documents. [Read More »]( Business [Atlas Technical Consultants becomes Austin s newest publicly traded company]( [Atlas Technical Consultants becomes Austin’s newest publicly traded company]( Austin-based Atlas Technical Consultants celebrated its first day as a publicly traded company on Tuesday. [Read More »]( [Dell to sell security firm RSA for $2 billion]( [Dell to sell security firm RSA for $2 billion]( Round Rock-based Dell Technologies said Tuesday it is selling one of its businesses - network security firm RSA - for $2.075 billion in an effort to simplify its product portfolio. [Read More »]( [Austin real estate-tech firm Swivel scores $8M to expand]( [Austin real estate-tech firm Swivel scores $8M to expand]( Austin-based Swivel - which helps fast-growing companies find flexible office space - has raised $8 million for a nationwide expansion. [Read More »]( Sports [Bohls: Big 12, it s your turn to step up]( [Bohls: Big 12, it’s your turn to step up]( While I got ya, here are nine things and one crazy prediction:1. [Read More »]( [Soccer notebook: Fiddle stays hot heading to eMLS Cup at ACL Live]( [Soccer notebook: Fiddle stays hot heading to eMLS Cup at ACL Live]( One of Austin's iconic music venues is getting a transformation for South by Southwest. [Read More »]( [Photos: Hendrickson, Vista Ridge, Cedar Park claim bi-district wins in girls basketball playoffs]( [Photos: Hendrickson, Vista Ridge, Cedar Park claim bi-district wins in girls basketball playoffs]( Hawks, Rangers and Timberwolves all advance to area round matchups with wins in first round of postseason [Read More »]( [Hendrickson girls pull away for playoff-opening win]( [Hendrickson girls pull away for playoff-opening win]( COLLEGE STATION -- Zoe Nelson took a 3-pointer about a foot behind the line with less than a minute to go in the third quarter as her team held a fragile four-point lead in a very non-fragile game against Cypress Lakes in a Class 6A playoff opener Feb. 17 at A&M Consolidated High School. [Read More »]( [Westlake boys open lacrosse season with pair of wins]( [Westlake boys open lacrosse season with pair of wins]( Despite missing several of key offensive contributors from 2019 primarily because of injury and illness, Westlake's DI boys lacrosse team opened the season Feb. 12 with a 9-0 win over Anderson. [Read More »]( Opinion [Herman: Early voting is under way. Don t do it.]( [Herman: Early voting is under way. Don’t do it.]( Unlike those who do it and swear they're not, I'm here today to openly and blatantly attempt to suppress Democratic voter turnout this month. [Read More »]( [Opinion: It s vital that we know the real roots of human trafficking]( [Opinion: It’s vital that we know the real roots of human trafficking]( The recent commentary by Igor C. Magalhaes airs some reasonable ideas about stopping human trafficking. [Read More »]( Nation [In the spirit of Whitney: Houston Hologram tour set to begin]( [In the spirit of Whitney: Houston Hologram tour set to begin]( BURBANK, Calif. (AP) " Whitney Houston is about to appear on the concert stage again. [Read More »]( [Immigration agency subpoenas Oregon county over 2 inmates]( [Immigration agency subpoenas Oregon county over 2 inmates]( PORTLAND, Ore. [Read More »]( [Trial begins in lawsuit over missing woman s murdered sons]( [Trial begins in lawsuit over missing woman’s murdered sons]( TACOMA, Wash. [Read More »]( [Trump commutes former Illinois Gov. Blagojevich s sentence]( [Trump commutes former Illinois Gov. Blagojevich’s sentence]( CHICAGO (AP) " President Donald Trump on Tuesday commuted what he called the "ridiculous" 14-year prison sentence handed out to former Illinois Gov. [Read More »]( [Why treat people exposed to virus in Omaha? Why not?]( [Why treat people exposed to virus in Omaha? Why not?]( DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) " Of all places, why are 13 people potentially exposed to a viral outbreak being treated and observed in Omaha, Nebraska? [Read More »]( World [Turkish court to issue verdict in rights activists trial]( [Turkish court to issue verdict in rights activists’ trial]( ISTANBUL (AP) " A group of human rights activists were poised Wednesday to make final statements in their own defense before a court in Istanbul hands down a verdict in their closely-watched trial on charges of belonging to or aiding terror groups. [Read More »]( [China revokes 3 Wall Street Journal reporters credentials]( [China revokes 3 Wall Street Journal reporters’ credentials]( BEIJING (AP) " China on Wednesday said it has revoked the press credentials of three reporters for the U.S. newspaper Wall Street Journal over a headline for an opinion column deemed by the government to be racist and slanderous. [Read More »]( [Pompeo says South Africa land seizures would be disastrous ]( [Pompeo says South Africa land seizures would be ‘disastrous’]( ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) " America's top diplomat on Wednesday asserted that South Africa's plan to allow expropriation of private property without compensation would be 'disastrous' for the country's economy and its people. [Read More »]( [New virus cases in China fall for 2nd day, deaths top 2,000]( [New virus cases in China fall for 2nd day, deaths top 2,000]( BEIJING (AP) " New virus cases in China continued to fall Wednesday, with 1,749 new infections and 136 new deaths announced after China's leader said disease prevention and control was at 'a critical time.' [Read More »]( [Passengers begin leaving after ship s virus quarantine ends]( [Passengers begin leaving after ship’s virus quarantine ends]( YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) " Hundreds of passengers began leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship Wednesday after the end of a much-criticized, two-week quarantine that failed to stop the spread of a new virus among passengers and crew. [Read More »]( Austin360 [Broadway in Austin: Hadestown, Mean Girls, Wicked coming for 2020-21]( [Broadway in Austin: ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘Wicked’ coming for 2020-21]( It's a measure of Austin's growing importance as a theatrical market that big fresh shows - such as "Hadestown," "Tootsie" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" - are headed to Austin for the 2020-21 Broadway in Austin season. [Read More »]( [Norah Jones, Revivalists, more to play new event in Spicewood in May]( [Norah Jones, Revivalists, more to play new event in Spicewood in May]( Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones and New Orleans band the Revivalists are atop the lineup for A Day in the Vines, a new two-day event set for May 9-10 at Spicewood Vineyards about an hour west of Austin. [Read More »]( [ ACL announces new tapings with Avett Brothers, Tyler Childers, Luke Combs]( [‘ACL’ announces new tapings with Avett Brothers, Tyler Childers, Luke Combs]( Austin's signature television show "Austin City Limits" is currently taping episodes for its 46th season and on Tuesday, show runners announced three more artists who will be hitting the stage this spring. [Read More »]( [Listen: SXSW 101 for newbies]( [Listen: SXSW 101 for newbies]( Once they announce Kim Kardashian West as a speaker, you know it's officially time to start prepping your South by Southwest game. [Read More »]( [Team behind one of Austin s best restaurants opens burrito trailer]( [Team behind one of Austin’s best restaurants opens burrito trailer]( The tireless team behind Better Half, which also has a hand in Brew & Brew and a forthcoming brewery, Hold Out, is entering an underserved food niche in Austin -- the burrito market. [Read More »](   [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Manage Account]( | [Contact Us](mailto:customercare@statesman.com) | [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Newsletters]( We have an app for whatever you want - news, weather, entertainment and more. Statesman Live: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Statesman Weather: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Austin360: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Statesman does not participate in unsolicited email. 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