REPORTER’S NOTES
Data Centers, Data Centers, and More Data Centers
In terms of time and word count, data centers are the hottest topic in local government.
You’re probably not able to scroll through your Facebook page without being inundated with posts, articles, and of course: A.I. generated memes about data center development in Texas.
Since April, we’ve seen many major public meetings regarding the topic, including a special session of San Angelo city council on April 22. City council in San Angelo have gone forward with land use regulations for data centers, but plans to create a city commission dedicated to data centers with a citizen presence were set for next meeting’s agenda.
Comment Heats Up at City Council
Animal Shelter, Data Center Regs Top Agenda at Council
San Angelo Data Center Meeting
21st Century Policing Reaches San Angelo
After requesting a review of automatic license plate reader data, Police Chief Travis Griffith showed us the SAPD’s newest resource: the Aviation and Real Time Information Center. In this article, we take a look at what information goes where within the local San Angelo system.
What We Learned About Flock Cameras
Recall Campaigns, Budget Woes, and New Management
A campaign against mayor Tom Thompson has a steep hill to climb to reach the required signatures. Former Mayor Pro Tem and Concho Observer senior editor Jon Mark Hogg looked into the role of the mayor in city business, and if the campaign has a case.
Recall Election Would Be A First For San Angelo
Does The Recall Campaign Have a Case?
Daniel Valenzuela is on his way out as city manager, retiring later this summer. His last year in office has been defined by a massive budget shortfall on the horizon for San Angelo: a property tax freeze from Austin means that budget planners are looking to consolidate and bring in more revenue for the city.
Valenzuela Outlines Budget Process
City Bosses Tighten Budgets Ahead of Funding Gap
Balancing Services, Costs a Constant Challenge
Arts and Performance
At Angelo State University, cutting edge ceramic and visual arts occupied students and teachers from across the country, during the first Mayer National Juried Student Ceramic Competition in April. We chatted with artists Steve Hilton and Von Venhuizen about their artistic philosophies, and what the arts can bring to community.
During dress rehearsals at Angelo Civic Theatre, director Anthony ‘Ani’ Galindo sums up ‘Streetcar’ quite simply:
“I would introduce it as one of the greatest plays ever written — the epitome of what a play should be.”
‘A Streetcar Names Desire’ at ACT
Protests Catch Rush Hour Attention
On April 16, Protestors assembled signs reading “Turn Files Into Trials” over the Highway 87 pedestrian bridge on South Bryant Boulevard, right as rush hour traffic hit San Angelo city limits, referencing the now infamous Epstein Files.
If honking is any indication of public opinion, hundreds of people heading back into San Angelo around rush hour expressed their support of the protest.
Protesters Want Justice For Epstein Victims
In The County
While the City of San Angelo is working to regulate proposed data centers, other developers have turned to the areas beyond city control.
Like many rural spots in Texas, opposition to the ongoing wave of proposed data center developments is growing in Tom Green and Irion counties, particularly along Spring Creek, a spring-fed tributary of the Concho River.
