PORTLAND, Ore. — The FBI is asking for the public’s help in locating a Georgia man wanted in connection with a 2020 arson attack on a federal building in Atlanta. Authorities believe the suspect may be in the Portland metro area.
Ronald Watson, 28, of Kennesaw, Georgia—also known by aliases Sarah Watson, Miranda Kyle, and Emily Smith—is wanted for setting fire to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in downtown Atlanta during the summer of 2020. Federal prosecutors allege Watson intentionally damaged the property during a period of heightened protests and civil unrest.
Watson, a convicted felon, now faces federal charges including arson and destruction of government property. A federal arrest warrant has been issued, and investigators believe he may have traveled to or is currently hiding in or around Portland.
The agency urges anyone with information about his whereabouts to submit tips at tips.fbi.gov.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has issued a “Be on the Lookout” alert for Shahzaib Ahmed Khan, who is accused of fatally shooting David Donahue-Alayon at a Kissimmee hotel early Wednesday morning.Captain Kim Montes, the public information officer for the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, said, “You know unfortunately, we do suspect it could have been an argument over some kind of drug transaction or involving some type of drugs.”Deputies were called to the Irlo Hotel on West Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee around 1 a.m., where they found Donahue-Alayon dead and face down on the ground. “We had the medical examiner come out and reveal to us he had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest so now we have a murder,” Montes explained.Investigators believe both the victim and the suspect knew each other and are known to law enforcement. “Both men have a long history with law enforcement including drugs and weapons charges but that still does not excuse somebody for taking somebody’s life,” Montes said.Khan, 33, is considered armed and dangerous, and authorities are unsure if he remains in the Kissimmee area. “We do believe he’s still armed, so we don’t want anyone approaching him. We’re not sure if he’s still in Osceola County so we have put this bolo out to other surrounding counties, to other agencies,” Montes said.Anyone who comes in contact with Khan is urged to notify the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, call 911, or contact Crime Line.
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office has issued a “Be on the Lookout” alert for Shahzaib Ahmed Khan, who is accused of fatally shooting David Donahue-Alayon at a Kissimmee hotel early Wednesday morning.
Captain Kim Montes, the public information officer for the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, said, “You know unfortunately, we do suspect it could have been an argument over some kind of drug transaction or involving some type of drugs.”
Deputies were called to the Irlo Hotel on West Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee around 1 a.m., where they found Donahue-Alayon dead and face down on the ground. “We had the medical examiner come out and reveal to us he had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest so now we have a murder,” Montes explained.
Investigators believe both the victim and the suspect knew each other and are known to law enforcement. “Both men have a long history with law enforcement including drugs and weapons charges but that still does not excuse somebody for taking somebody’s life,” Montes said.
Khan, 33, is considered armed and dangerous, and authorities are unsure if he remains in the Kissimmee area. “We do believe he’s still armed, so we don’t want anyone approaching him. We’re not sure if he’s still in Osceola County so we have put this bolo out to other surrounding counties, to other agencies,” Montes said.
Anyone who comes in contact with Khan is urged to notify the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, call 911, or contact Crime Line.
Photo of Liam, provided by the Gresham Police Department
Gresham, OR – Authorities are now offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of three suspects connected to the tragic killing of 13-year-old Liam Spahnle-Bailey, who was fatally struck by a stray bullet while he slept on April 27.
The Gresham Police Department, Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service are seeking the public’s help in locating Anthony Hunter Jr., Xavier Hirsch, and Terrell Coy. All three are wanted in connection with the shooting.
Investigators believe the suspects may have fled the Portland area. Hunter and Hirsch reportedly have ties to the Dallas/Fort Worth region in Texas, while Coy is believed to have connections in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
“This was a senseless and heartbreaking act of violence,” said a spokesperson for Gresham Police. “We are urging anyone with information to come forward.”
How to Help
Anyone with tips can contact the Gresham Police Department tip line at 503-618-2719 or toll-free at 1-888-989-3505. You can also email detectives directly at:
Kieran Bew knows the power of good facial hair. He credits the look for Hugh Hammer’s success taming the massive Vermithor in House of the Dragon’s seventh episode of the season, “The Red Sowing.”
“I had a big beard, and everybody was discussing whether I should shave it off or not,” Bew says. “And I just said: I love Vermithor’s design of his teeth, sort of looking like they’re going in all different directions; like if he bit you, it would be the most painful thing, almost like being trapped in an Iron Maiden or something. And I felt like it was a slightly funny joke about people who have dogs, end up looking like their dogs.”
Bew was aware that Hugh’s whole season arc was leading up to his showdown with Vermithor, and aware of how many aesthetic choices were there to set up the depth of the decision to go to Dragonstone: He kept the beard, and his hair the same color as Daemon’s (if not Viserys’), with a bit of Bew’s own natural hue mixed own. And as he watched Hugh’s agitation with the ruling class of King’s Landing grow, Bew found the role in little beats, like being so desperate for food that he punches a fellow commoner to get a bag.
To him, the scenes were “always like a skeleton” for the larger character arc. But like any good actor (or, as is the case with interpreting a lot of Fire & Blood’s textbook-like account, historian), it was his job to piece together the lived humanity between that.
“To get given a scene where my character is revealing to his wife something enormous […] and he’s arguing to go on a suicide mission,” Bew marvels. “That’s how much he’s decided to keep that a secret. Because of shame, because of how [his mom] behaved, because of his upbringing, because of how painful it was.
“He’s been trying to do something else. And now he’s saying: Actually this is the only thing I can do. I’m in so much pain; I’ve got to do something, I’ve got to do this.”
And so, Bew took all that energy into that final scene of episode 7, where Rhaenyra’s plans to find Vermithor a rider go awry. To him, Hugh’s desperation — to do something, to matter — was near suicidal, even if he’s still afraid in the moment. “He’s come all this way, the stakes are so high, he thinks the dice is slightly loaded in his favor. But it’s still fucking terrifying,” Bew says. “How do you strategize against something that can move so quickly and squash you and drop people on your head on fire?”
Of course, his delay had some upside. “The one thing about [it] going to shit is: the odds improve.”
For inspiration for what the ultimate moment of connection should feel like for Hugh and the Bronze Fury, Bew drew from his time on set — specifically, approaching a crew member’s little Yorkshire terrier on set, who kept trying to go for the tennis ball eyes of pre-CG Vermithor.
“At the moment of claiming, it has to be this, where this dog likes me, this dog is connecting to me,” Bew says, acknowledging there is a difference between a tiny terrier and a dragon the size of four houses. “It’s a connection that’s, like, that delicate. But before we get there, it’s overwhelming. And it’s terrifying. And it requires throwing everything in.”
And in Bew’s mind, everything about the way Hugh claims Vermithor comes from that desperation. Unlike other dragons, Vermithor is looking for a rider who can, as the saying goes, match his freak. So it’s no surprise that Hugh’s aggressive approach spoke to the mighty dragon, given that nothing about the way Hugh claims Vermithor is selfless, in that regard — even stepping in as the dragon targets another Targaryen bastard. After all, there’s nothing like the fear of failure to turn something impossible into a race.
“He’s been pushed to this. Something about growing up underneath the shadow of the aristocracy, the family that he has been rejected from that he’s not part of — he’s not only not part of it, he’s connected to it in a way that is full of shame, that he’s angry about,” Bew says. “If Vermithor chooses her, then what happens to me?”
Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer wasn’t way off, for once, when, with typical Bachelor bombast, he proclaimed that the dating show’s climax would “change all of Bachelor Nation forever.” Whoever’s hosting a Bachelor finale has to make such statements, but rarely is a “stunning,” “shocking,” or “most dramatic” conclusion truly transformative for viewers who go way back with Bach. This time, it was true.
Here’s how I know: In the back half of Thursday’s tear-filled finale—which ended not just with an engagement, but also with a wedding date—ABC aired a hype package for Bachelorette Season 20 runner-up Joey Graziadei’s upcoming debut as the Bachelor. The traditional teaser contained all the requisite intrigue: frolicking, smooching, and inevitably, a sudden turn toward discord and dissolution. Joey may make a fine Bachelor, but as the drama ramped up, I found myself wondering: So what if it doesn’t work out? Joey is 28 years old. The dude has several decades to look for love. And if he fails to find it for the next 45 years, he might have a happy ending: He could be the Golden Bachelor.
With that, I realized that the latest Bachelor spinoff had unseated the supposed flagship shows in my affections, just as Theresa Nist toppled Leslie Fhima in the televised pursuit of Gerry Turner’s heart. I can’t speak for Bachelor Nation (though Bachelor Nation has spoken for itself through resurgent TV ratings). But in my household, the hierarchy of power in the Bachelor universe has changed. All other Bachelor shows will merely mark the time until the franchise gets Golden again.
Granted, I was growing apart from the franchise before The Golden Bachelor began. For years, my wife and I were Bachelor and Bachelorette regulars who treated each two-hour Bachelor block as appointment TV and dabbled in international spinoffs when we ran out of domestic supply. But in 2022, we quit cold turkey and never regretted reclaiming our Monday evenings. The proximate cause of our Bachelor breakup was a brutal back-to-back Bachelor combo of Matt James and Clayton Echard, followed by a bifurcated Bachelorette Season 19. But maybe, in our mid-30s with a kid to care for, we were just aging out of Bachelor Nation. Maybe it just seemed as if we’d seen it all.
It’s funny how fast you can go from being on a one-way first-name basis with legions of good-looking TV contestants to not knowing one aspiring influencer from another. Check out of the franchise for a season or two, and almost everyone’s a stranger, which makes it even harder to continue to care. Just as I renounced my Bachelor Nation citizenship, though, The Golden Bachelor arrived to restore my attachment.It wasn’t just a new and different Bachelor; it was a betterBachelor. Picture the Distracted Boyfriend or the guy from the “friendship ended with Mudasir” meme. That’s me moving on from my former Bachelor relationship and forming a Golden Bachelor bond.
I was one of millions of viewers who flocked back to the Bachelor banner (or tuned in for the first time) to watch the 72-year-old Gerry become the first over-40 lead in the franchise’s history. (The series debuted in 2002, back when Gerry was just 51—or more than a decade older than any other active Bachelor has been.) As of November 22, The Golden Bachelor’s premiere had drawn almost 12 million spectators across all platforms, making it the most viewed installment of any Bachelor show since the “After the Final Rose” episode of Peter Weber’s Bachelor Season 24in March 2020 (and the most watched episode of any ABC unscripted series ever on Hulu). Later episodes of Gerry’s season appear poised to top the premiere’s 35-day viewing totals. After years of declining ratings and resultantfrettingaboutthefranchise’sfuture, The Golden Bachelor has single-handedly brought backThe Bachelor’s luster. Bach was broken, but now it’s Golden.
With apologies to ostensible star Gerry (whose name is almost as hard to remember as another Indianan’s, the mayor of Pawnee), the real lead of The Golden Bachelor’s long-awaited inaugural season was mortality. “At this age we don’t know how long we have,” eventual winner Theresa told her future fiancé’s family in the pretaped portion of the finale. “We want to make the most of every moment.” Later, eventual also-ran Leslie, her hopes of a proposal sunk, sobbed, “Time is running out … time is running out.”
Leslie wasn’t lamenting the approaching end of her screen time. She was calculating the mileage left in her lifetime. How could I not feel for someone who can credibly believe that a breakup closes the door on finding a partner to spend their dwindling days with? How can I go back to watching pretty young things act like their lives are over if they don’t secure a rose when, through a Golden Bachelor lens, their journeys have barely begun? How can I stomach their confessional conversations on one-on-one dates when few of them have loved and lost like The Golden Bachelor’s septuagenarian widower and 60- or 70-something widows and divorcées? How can a regular reality show, its artificial stakes manufactured by a broadcast schedule, compete with that loudest of ticking clocks?
Like Gerry and Theresa, The Golden Bachelor tried to make the most of every moment. The series mercifully cut back on Bachelor bloat by trimming its pre-finale episodes to one hour instead of two or three. That tighter running time required difficult cuts: As Walt Disney Television executive Rob Mills told my colleague Juliet Litman on Bachelor Party, ABC resorted to airing fewer casting calls to save precious seconds. According to Mills, other series under the Bachelor umbrella may borrow aspects of this season’s successful format, whether it be briefer episodes, simpler dates, cold opens, or an emphasis on what Mills called the “three H’s”—humor, heart, and hope.
Replicating the “hope” part of the package won’t be as simple as porting the spinoff’s structure to a preexisting series. That hope is inherent in the premise of rekindling confidence and desire in a group of grief-stricken singles who’ve all but resigned themselves to surrendering sex and/or romance, in contrast to the expectant 20- and 30-somethings who typically populate Bachelor casts. As someone who watches reality TV selectively, I’ve gravitated toward The Bachelor because, more than most such series, it promises substance: true, lasting love. Like most aspects of reality TV, this is largely fiction: only sporadically does the franchise deliver engagements that don’t disintegrate soon after the new couple returns to real life. But the franchise sells itself through the spectacle of whirlwind romance and the potential for enduring relationships. On The Golden Bachelor, that’s an easier sell.
On most seasons of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise, some contestants (often egged on by producers) insist on being messy bitches who live for drama. The Golden Bachelor proved that the more reliable route to a “most dramatic” finish is a focus on the simple stakes of people’s lives. By Bachelor standards, there was scant infighting at the mansion. The squabbling was largely limited to Theresa and Kathy’s bickering about Theresa’s alleged oversharing about her connection to Gerry, highlighted by the acerbic Kathy’s instruction to “zip it.” Neither woman’s stance was entirely unreasonable, and the dispute didn’t spiral or last very long. On The Golden Bachelor,neither the contestants nor ABC had time to waste.
Refreshingly, there was next to no hand-wringing about being “ready for marriage”—why would there be, when everyone involved was familiar with making that commitment and (relative to most younger groups of contestants) emotionally mature? And with a less extremely online, Instagram-oriented cast than the franchise usually features, no one questioned whether other contestants were there for “the right reasons.” All of the energy was devoted to working through feelings for Gerry or forming friendships in the house, and not once did I wish there were a “villain” who derailed either effort. As it turns out, The Bachelor is better when viewers are sorry to see contestants sent home, not relieved to be rid of them.
That’s not to say that The Golden Bachelor always felt fully authentic. Gerry’s super-expressive, preacherly vibe and guidance counselor cadence sometimes seemed more calculated than his Hollywood glow-up, especially after The Hollywood Reporter’s recent exposé about his pre–Golden Bachelor life. The report revealed that he’d continued to work part-time after retiring (though what could be more on brand for a Bachelor than hot tub installation?); that he’d started seriously dating not long after his wife’s death, despite claiming not to have dated at all; and that he hadn’t always been as considerate and sensitive a partner as he’d portrayed himself to be on the show. That’s pretty tame stuff, by reality TV standards—especially if, as some post-exposéspin suggested, he had acknowledged the dating before—but it struck a phony note toward the end of what had seemed to be an unusually sincere season.
(Of course, this is a show where viewers and participants alike have little idea what anyone’s lives are like outside the Bachelor bubble. Gerry didn’t seem to be sold on Theresa until their fantasy suites date, when, seemingly for the first time—and at Theresa’s urging—he learned that she has a career. I wasn’t taken aback by The Hollywood Reporter’s disclosures about Gerry’s postretirement employment because I’d completely forgotten what his preretirement occupation was. Andwas everyone else aware that Gerry’s dad is still alive?)
In Thursday’s pretaped footage, a jilted, devastated Leslie accused Gerry of lying about his feelings for her. But her hurt was as real and raw as Theresa’s joy, and by episode’s end, the announcement that the “newest, oldest couple” will wed on January 4—and that Bachelor Nation is invited via the franchise’s first full wedding special since 2014—brought back the sense that this season had transcended the trappings of reality TV to become more of a shoot than a work. It seemed, at times, almost too real: “Had I known this is how much pain I would cause someone, I would have never taken the first step on this journey,” Gerry claimed. The next step comes soon: He and Theresa may not stay together till death does them part, but they’re going to get hitched. That alone sets this season apart from most Bachelor runs, on which even the lovebirds who agree to get engaged seem a long way away from walking down the aisle. This was my face for much of the finale:
ABC
One of the episode’s legitimately stunning developments—or in this case, nondevelopments—was that ABC didn’t capitalize on the Golden Bachelor buzz by confirming plans for The Golden Bachelorette. Leslie’s heartbroken but defiant reaction to getting dumped on the eve of a possible proposal positioned her as the sympathetic favorite: Her worst fears were confirmed when the man of her dreams didn’t choose her, but maybe a broadcast network will. (It might be better that way: I thought Leslie would’ve been bored by Gerry long term.) But the bench was so deep in the mansion this season that any number of women would make excellent selections, including two other late cuts, Faith and incomparable “pickleball cocaptain” Ellen. Perhaps ABC will save the news for the wedding special, as a figurative tossing of the bridal bouquet.
In the finale, Theresa described the competition she “won” thusly: “It was like a cultural moment; it wasn’t just a show.” The Bachelor has been a cultural phenomenon before, but never in quite this way. Golden Bach was embraced as a bastion of 60-plus representation, celebrated by the AARP and by think pieces in prominentpapersandmagazines. Its conception reflected how (and how long) we live:An aging population wants to see itself on-screen. But it’s true that despite the demographics, mainstream TV rarely highlights so many hearing aids, grieving senior citizens, and surviving spouses pining for departed partners—with heart and, yes, with humor. I’ve never laughed harder at a line in The Bachelor than I did at Palmer’s commentary during the pickleball group date: “I want to point out that Sandra is playing with two artificial knees, and she’s also missing her daughter’s wedding.”
Throughout the season, Gerry repeatedly recycled a line that wasn’t quite as clever as he seemed to find it—and which, tweaked and repeated mid-proposal with a pregnant pause, seemed kind of cruel: I’m not looking for a woman I can live with. I’m looking for a woman I can’t live without. After many letdowns, I was no longer looking for a Bachelor showI could live with watching. ButI’ve found the brand of Bachelor I can’t watch without.
Whether your dog sleeps curled up at the foot of your bed, or your cat sleeps resting peacefully at the top of your pillow, one thing can be guaranteed — a bed without a pet is not a bed at all.
At APA!, we dream of a day that every shelter pet is invited into a home — foster or adoptive, with the opportunity to jump into a bed and snuggle up with a human who cares for them. Until then, we’ll be here to give them the love and care they need and deserve until they find a family to call their very own. And right now, our friends at Factory Mattress are supporting our mission to provide resources to the pets in our care!
Now through September, Factory Mattress is donating 5% of all mattress proceeds in the Greater Austin Area to Austin Pets Alive! — that’s some cozy support! “Factory Mattress wanted to work with APA! because we’re an Austin family business and strive to give back to the community as often as we can. Our family wouldn’t be complete without our pets, so we wanted to support APA! to help others add furry friends to their families,” says Stephen Frey, Factory Mattress’ President.
Factory Mattress has a long history of supporting local nonprofits.This philanthropic business has supported missions such as SAFE Alliance and has participated in The Statesman Season For Caring for 10 years! We’re honored to be included in this family owned and operated business’ giving program.
Our organization depends on the support of our community. Our programs are successful because of individuals and businesses who believe in what we do, who believe that every pet deserves a chance at life so when a business like Factory Mattress asks to fundraise on our behalf, we are nothing but grateful!
“Our corporate partners are critical to our lifesaving mission, allowing us to keep Austin the largest No Kill city in the country. Businesses and their employees who support APA! can feel good knowing their donations are used across our innovative programs that help to save Central Texas’ most vulnerable cats and dogs, ” says APA!’s Sr. Corporate Relations Officer, Tara McKenney.
This fundraiser supports pets like Ruthie and Rio. Ruthie has spent over a year in the shelter. She started her journey with APA! as a tiny puppy fighting parvovirus. After surviving parvo, she was adopted and was returned to the shelter after living with her family for 4 years. The beginning of September will mark Rio’s 1 year of waiting for a family. This young kitty came to our organization in need of medical support; she was found with a broken jaw. She’s had breaks from the shelter by going into foster homes, then being returned. Wouldn’t it be great if these two pets could get tucked into a bed (whether pet or human) knowing they’ve made it home?
Thank you to our friends at Factory Mattress for joining our lifesaving journey by generously offering this fundraising opportunity!
I’ve been trying to get this 1CC for a while now. And now I got it! Havin a good ******* night and I just wanted to share the good vibes cause this ******* challenge was way harder than I thought it was gonna be. That final level is brutal even when you know what you’re doing.
Together with you, we have the opportunity to share so many stories here at APA!.
Your love of the pets with the greatest needs inspires us to continue saving lives every single day. Today, we wanted to share one of YOUR stories.
Alyson and her partner visited APA! just two weeks after moving to Austin. “I was insistent on getting an adult or senior cat,” said Alyson. “At the time, that meant between ages five and 10, a cat that was calm and liked cuddles as much as me. Those were the parameters I relayed to the APA! worker, who immediately directed me towards Roscoe.”
“I sat on the bench in the group cage. Roscoe was almost invisible in the back corner of the only cubby. After knowing Roscoe, I realized it was because of his missing claws, he felt extremely vulnerable with other cats. But I sat next to the entrance and began to softly stroke his cheek. He crawled out slowly, rested half of his 16-lb self on my leg, and lightly purred. It was quiet and comforting; it was what I wanted. I don’t remember how many cats I met that day, but I remember knowing that he was mine.”
“Roscoe beyond everything was simply the ideal companion. We bought him a backpack, in which we would take him on trail rides and harnessed walks through the summer heat. We enjoyed watching him explore the cypress roots and the waterfronts.”
“I will never know whether it was the wisdom of age or his personality that made him such an emotive companion. We had bright days, cuddles on the couch, and danced in the kitchen. But he also held space for us in times of darkness. His patience lasted for a time when I stopped going to work. He slept on my arm as I scrolled through the devastating news. He fell asleep next to me when my fiancé went home to Slovenia, and Roscoe and I were left alone in that little apartment, to fend for ourselves in times of fear and death. Even though the emptiness of that house was harrowing, his afternoon cries for playtime, and evening snores brought me a sense of steadiness and purpose. He reminded me every day that there was a reason to stay alive and to keep moving through the routines.”
“Roscoe loved me unconditionally.Through the sleepless nights of nothingness, through the complete dismantlement of our home; through the angry phone calls and my stress pacing as I quit my job”
“To his last days, he never wanted to be apart from us. Even when he felt tired, sick, and scared, he never hid. Until his last heartbeats, I never doubted that he loved me. And as hard as we fought to save him, he fought equally hard to keep going. The last thing I said to him was, “thank you,” for his companionship, strength, and effortless love that he gave me in the two years of chaos, excitement, and change. I told him he could let go. We would be okay. I would be okay.”
“I chose to donate to Austin Pets Alive! as a thank you for giving me the gift of friendship and purpose. In the days following his passing, I was looking for ways to memorialize lost pets. One of the first recommendations was donating to an organization in their honor, and making even a small donation to his previous caretakers was the first thing I knew I had to do. Roscoe was my dearest friend, and I am grateful for the two and a half years that I spent with him. I have never forgotten where he came from and Austin Pets Alive! was always featured in the story I would retell to anyone who would listen.”
“I was sometimes questioned about my decision to adopt an elderly cat. But it was a decision I never once regretted. I know there are more animals like him in your care, and I want them to know that I love them, too.”
As the second installment in a short series of letters meant to inform you of APA!’s relationship with the City of Austin, we wanted to bring you up to speed on the Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) property and how it impacts the renegotiation of our license agreement to operate APA!.
Built in the 1950s, the TLAC facility was a huge improvement over what existed before, which was a structure somewhere in Austin that held all the animals in a massive concrete pen without adequate food and water until they were all shot, in front of an audience, when their time was up. The beginning of sheltering in Austin, as in the entire United States, was rooted in the fear of a nationwide pandemic of Rabies.
Austin American Statesman, 1951Austin American Statesman, 1956, laying the pad for the original Ringworm facility and the original Building C
As such, from 1950 all the way until 2008, the intention of housing the animals was never to save them all or any percent close to that. The original purpose of this facility, in fact, was to continue ridding Austin of dogs and cats who didn’t have owners with the means to reclaim them. TLAC and the structures that still stand today serve as an important reminder for all of us of a past that we never want to go back to.
Austin American Statesman, 1977, when TLAC was occupied by the Humane Society
In 2007, the city made the decision to vacate TLAC and embarked on hiring an architect to build a new shelter in East Austin. There was a lot of controversy over the planned move because it would involve removing lost and homeless animals from downtown Austin. The concerns were threefold:
A lack of visibility would lead to more deaths (now substantiated by the commercial market). Then mayor, Lee Leffingwell, compromised, promising the citizens of Austin there would always be an adoption center at TLAC, even after the move.
The new shelter had fewer kennels than TLAC. Staff asserted that more animals could be co-housed at the new shelter so it actually served the same number of pets. Unfortunately, at the time, almost all big dogs were being killed so co-housing was only intended for little dogs.
The addition at the new site of a huge incinerator so the pets who were killed would no longer have to be sent to the city dump in large truck fulls. Luckily, this was struck from the final plans because it was a big expense for a practice that was going to stop.
In the end, the new shelter was approved and slated to open in mid 2011 with the understanding that the old TLAC facility, already in disrepair, would be demolished.
By 2008, APA! started rescue work and began pulling animals from the TLAC euthanasia list so that we could make a measurable impact on the live release rate in the City of Austin. Our goal was to make Austin a No Kill City as fast as humanly possible. At this time, the city was at only a 45% live release rate with 10,000 to 14,000 animals dying every year. APA! volunteers showed up every day to see the animals listed to be killed by 11:30am the following morning, and pull as many as we could into foster homes.
By 2010, when Austin had a 72% live release rate (largely up because of APA!), the city council, championed by Mike Martinez and Laura Morrison and at the recommendation of the Animal Advisory Commission, voted to formally make Austin a No Kill City with a goal of a 90% live release. In the No Kill Implementation Plan that was passed with this vote, a section included keeping open an adoption center at TLAC, specifically by using the Davenport Building (TLAC’s main admin building), after the city shelter moved to its new location. Of course, we already had our eye on using TLAC as our future facility though we heard from Council offices we had a 0% chance of getting it.
By 2011, the year of the city shelter move, APA! helped the city achieve an 89% live release rate. And now we were openly advocating for taking over the old shelter (TLAC) so that we could continue to help Austin and have a building for our organization.
Surprisingly, APA! had to overcome massive obstacles to be able to occupy TLAC, even though it was empty and even though we were the driver of No Kill. The city had plans to tear it down, due to the dilapidated conditions that existed well before we started rescue. The city couldn’t sell it or use it to build anything other than a park or animal shelter since it is dedicated park land with a grandfather clause for animals. At the time, we had a rocky relationship with the city shelter staff due to the nature of how we supported them, by pulling animals off the euthanasia list rather than taking animals they wanted us to take who may or may not ever have been in danger of euthanasia. Although we were awarded the temporary use of TLAC, that relationship made it very hard to keep Lamar Beach for animals, even after we moved in.
In 2017, city council voted, this time championed by council members Kathie Tovo, Leslie Pool, Alison Alter, Steve Adler, Greg Casar to allow APA! to rebuild at TLAC and stay for 75 years, basing future plans on a document called the Lamar Beach Master Plan, that showed the general space we would occupy and what our buildings might look like.
Essentially, in Phase II of the master plan, with an unknown timeline, Cesar Chavez would be moved away from the lake and cross right through our current footprint. To accommodate that, APA! needed to move back towards the YMCA and the railroad track. In that vote, the council directed city staff to “negotiate and execute” the 75 year agreement over the next four years.
You might be thinking, who would want to build when we are sandwiched between Cesar Chavez and the railroad tracks? We would! We had looked for other property throughout Austin but faced neighborhood overlays that have a blanket clause requiring kennels to be voted on by the neighborhood. That was a painful and exhausting process and it was clear the only neighborhood in Austin that wanted us was the one right around TLAC. With the neighborhood restrictions throughout the City of Austin, we faced finding a property outside the city limits which would eliminate visibility of our important work. At the time, we abandoned the idea of an alternate location.
We began these negotiations, sure about our ability to rebuild based on the Master Plan, and expected to get to the 75 year contract signing quickly. However, as soon as the surveyors and architects got busy, it was made clear to us that land issues would halt immediate plans to fundraise and improve the shelter facilities at TLAC. These issues are detailed below:
The power lines over us are the heaviest duty type of transmission power line there is, meaning they cannot be buried. We worked hard with Austin Energy and there is no way around them. Nothing can be built on 30 feet of either side of them. We have TWO sets that run from one side to the other, eliminating over 120 feet of buildable space in a longitudinal section.
We have broached the subject of heavy renovations under the power lines since the power lines were raised after our buildings were built, but Austin Energy has assured us that any site plan request that comes through for renovation will be denied because they believe it is in our best interest to get out from under the lines.
There is a 72” water main that runs from the railroad tracks down to Cesar Chavez that cannot be built over and cannot be moved.
The railroad hill is partially owned by the railroad company and would cost $1M to purchase each of two small chunks that would be technically on our property.
The floodplain is outside the land we would be building on but it prevents us from moving our footprint anywhere else on the land and going through the process of demanding that the master plan be reviewed again.
The property known to us as the “Y Field” in the northeast corner behind us, is where we would be pushed to and it is currently owned by YMCA. In order for us to gain formal access to it, the Y and the city have to finish the agreement that requires the city to build a parking garage on Y property, closer to Cesar Chavez. The status of this is unclear, holding up our ability to formally attain the Y field that would be needed for us to build on.
There are many heritage trees on the property that we do not want to harm and that would be quite expensive to move.
After years of discussion with many city departments that control the entities above, it is clear that whatever space we have left at TLAC will likely be a fourth to a third of the size of the footprint we use today.
As a result, we believe we have no choice but to purchase another property, hopefully for use in addition to TLAC, in order to serve our full mission. This will prove difficult because of the neighborhood restrictions that exist in seemingly every neighborhood within the city limits. We are currently pursuing all leads on land within 30 minutes of downtown Austin for what we hope is ultimately a satellite facility.
So what does that have to do with the negotiation of our license agreement? It means that after years of discussion with many city departments, we have come to learn whatever space we have left at TLAC will likely be just a quarter to third of the footprint we use today. We are bitterly disappointed with this outcome and believe we have no choice but to add a second site because the city cannot fulfill all of our land needs as we once thought. The bottom line is the millions of dollars our non-profit organization provides in lifesaving services to the City of Austin annually, and will spend building at the site, far exceeds the value of having free land to build upon.
I want to be clear, we still want to rebuild whatever we can at TLAC because we believe the extra cost to us is worth it for our mission and for Austin. We know it is necessary for pets to be front and center in our city and if we leave, TLAC will never be used to help animals again. We know our city believes in No Kill as one of its core community principles. Our vision for the future of this land is to use it to show the world that No Kill is a crown jewel of Austin. It should serve as a Phoenix, rising from the ashes of the 500,000 pets that needlessly lost their lives at this site over the last 70 years, and be a sign that history will never repeat itself on Austin’s watch again.
We will continue to keep you updated on these matters and hope you, as one of our valued supporters, will help advocate for keeping the TLAC property for the animals after this short letter series ends. We will continue to look for new property regardless of what happens at TLAC and appreciate the leads our supporters send us. If you think you might have a land lead to send our way, you can find details of what we are looking for here.
As always, we are grateful for the support you have shown to APA! staff and to the pets that are counting on us. If our history has taught us anything, it’s that Austin believes in the value that animals bring to all of our lives and expects us to do everything we can to save them. Thank you for joining us and committing so much to this mission.
Thank you,
Ellen Jefferson, DVM President and CEO Austin Pets Alive!/American Pets Alive!
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