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The parents of an 8-year-old Austinite still missing after last July’s flooding in Texas have filed a lawsuit against Camp Mystic. It’s the fifth such lawsuit against the camp in the Hill Country where campers and counselors drowned in the floodwaters. We’ll have more about that lawsuit.
Early voting in the primaries gets going next week and folks in southeast Travis County will elect a new leader for the first time in decades. We’ll hear about the candidates running for Precinct 4 commissioner.
It’s Black History Month all February long, and our sister station KUTX has been highlighting Black music history in Austin. We’ll hear about a historic music venue on the East side of town that dates back to World War II.
The fight to protect Austin’s first Black cemetery: We’ll delve into the history at the heart of Bethany Cemetery.
Plus, an update on the future of Austin’s Convention Center.
The full transcript of this episode of Austin Signal is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:08] The parents of an eight-year-old Austinite still missing after last July’s flooding in Texas have filed a lawsuit against Camp Mystic. It’s the fifth such lawsuit against the camp in the Hill Country, where campers and counselors drowned in the floodwaters. We’re gonna have more about the latest lawsuit. Plus, early voting in the primaries gets going next week and folks in southeastern Travis County will elect a new leader for the first time in decades. Hear about the candidates running for precinct four commissioner? That’s coming up on today’s show.
KUT Announcer: Laurie Gallardo [00:00:37] The Austin Signal is a production of KUT News, hosted by Jerry Quijano.
Jerry Quijano [00:00:43] Plus the fight to protect Austin’s first black cemetery, the history at the heart of Bethany Cemetery, and an update on the future of Austin’s convention center. We’ve got those stories and more that’s coming up today on Austin Signal. Howdy out there, thank you for tuning in. This is Austin Signal on listener-powered public radio KUT News. It is Monday, February 9th. I’m your host, Jerry Quijano, and thank you for starting the week off here with us. Eight-year-old Cecilia Stewart from Austin remains missing following last year’s July 4th flooding at Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country. Stewart’s parents filed suit this month against the camp, marking the fifth legal challenge of the campus scene since the floods. For more about this story, we are talking with Lucio Vasquez. He is a breaking news reporter for the Texas newsroom. Lucio, thank you for speaking with us.
Lucio Vazquez [00:01:46] Thanks for having me.
Jerry Quijano [00:01:47] So tell us first a little bit more who are.
Lucio Vazquez [00:01:50] The stewards. Yes, this is Will and C.C. Stewart. They had filed the lawsuit just last week. Their eight-year-old girl, Cecilia Stewart, was at Camp Mystic when the floodwaters came through. She’s still considered missing, although the lawsuit does say that she’s presumed to be deceased at this point. The lawsuit says that basically a series of decisions by camp leadership, specifically the Eastlands, put campers in danger. And it’s now like you just said, the fifth lawsuit filed against the camp since the flood and really speaks to basically families still searching for answers as to what exactly happened that night.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:26] And can you tell us a little bit more about those rules that the Eastland set?
Lucio Vazquez [00:02:31] To boil it all down, the Eastlands allegedly told campers to stay put even as waters continued to rise and attorneys essentially argue that this was more or less a death sentence for a lot of the younger campers. Specifically, the lawsuit that was just filed says that the younger campus were staying in a cabin that was closer to the Guadalupe River. So whenever the water started to rise, they were specifically more in danger whenever the waters started to come into the cabin.
Jerry Quijano [00:02:59] Dick Eastland, one of the owners of Camp Mystic, he was killed also in the flooding. What has Camp Mystice had to say so far in regards to these suits?
Lucio Vazquez [00:03:08] Yeah, Camp Mystic’s attorneys say that they disagree with what they call misinformation in the lawsuits, not just this one, but all of them, and they plan to respond to the legal process. That’ll be depositions, discovery, et cetera, et cetera. They’ve expressed sympathy for the families, and it’s worth remembering that the camp’s long-time owner, like you said, just died, so it really does underscore how sudden and chaotic the disaster was. The attorneys essentially argue that it was an unprecedented event in that. They couldn’t have done anything to avoid what had happened.
Jerry Quijano [00:03:40] So what sort of accountability are the stewards seeking in this lawsuit against Cammystic and its owners?
Lucio Vazquez [00:03:46] Yeah, so when it comes to accountability, I think this lawsuit and the others actually are asking for all the same thing, basically canceling the reopening of Camp Mystic later this year. Despite the legal issues and the process behind closed doors, the camp is going to be reopening its doors later this and a lot of families take issue with that.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:08] And I wanted to ask Cecilia Stewart, the eight-year-old from Austin, as you said, still missing, presumed to be deceased according to this lawsuit. Is she the only person who is still missing after last July’s flooding? She is not. I believe.
Lucio Vazquez [00:04:23] Here. Let me pull up my notes. I’m sorry about that. No worries, no worries. So, uh, she is not. No, uh. As of this point, there’s a 63 year old man, a father named Jeff Ramsey, who is still missing. Again, it’s been months and months since the flood took hold of the hill country. So we can assume that Jeff Ramse also is deceased, but again, his body has not been recovered as of now.
Jerry Quijano [00:04:45] Lucio you are the breaking news reporter for the Texas newsroom, but you have been covering stories around the flooding since it happened. What are you still reporting on as part of the Texas Newsroom in regards to the floods?
Lucio Vazquez [00:04:58] You know, I think there’s a lot of aftermath, you know, this is a very small community that was ravaged by a natural disaster, the likes that Texas has rarely seen. And, you know going there just days after the flood, you can really tell that it was a very, very shocking situation. You know being a journalist, we go in and then we have the privilege of leaving, of going home, right? And these people don’t have that same kind of luxury. They’re living with it. Day-to-day and shops are open again. You know, the river is quiet now, but it’s still lingering. There’s an undercurrent, lack of a better term, of the flood still there. You can still see the Kerrville strong signs up. And again, two people are still missing. And there’s a lot of questions as of right now as to where exactly all the money went. There were a lot of donations and people, small businesses, they’re still struggling to get back on their feet.
Jerry Quijano [00:05:56] We have been speaking with Lucio Vasquez. He is breaking news reporter at the Texas newsroom. We will have a link to his reporting in our show notes for today’s podcast. Lucio, thanks for talking with us on Austin Signal. Of course, thanks. Early voting for the primary elections in Texas starts a week from tomorrow. Voters will choose nominees for dozens of state and federal races, and some local ones too. As KUT’s Katy McAfee reports, a race in southeastern Travis County is energizing voters there for the first time in decades.
Katy McAfee [00:06:33] It was a packed room at the Central Health Clinic in Far East Austin on a Saturday late last month. People in the neighborhood were crowding in to hear from the four Democrats running to be the next Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 4. The election is a big deal for folks in Precint 4, which covers a big chunk of South and Southeast Austin. That’s because this area hasn’t seen new leadership since 1995. Whoever wins will replace Margaret Gomez. She’s retiring at the end of her term after 31 years in office. No Republicans are running, which means whoever wins the Democratic primary next month will run unopposed in November. The promise of a new leader is bringing hope to people in Far East Austin who have been advocating for more services to come to the area for decades. This is East Austin resident Richard Franklin.
Richard Franklin [00:07:21] Historically, we have been left out of the conversation. Every commissioner we’ve had to date hasn’t done a damn thing in our community.
Katy McAfee [00:07:30] Precinct four has a high minority population and some of the lowest median household incomes in the county, according to the US Census. Many neighborhoods in the precinct are classified as food deserts by the US Department of Agriculture. And some neighborhoods do not have access to clean, affordable water. Even the clinic the community meeting is in opened less than three years ago. Before that, people in the Hornsby-Benn neighborhood had to drive at least 12 miles to see a doctor.
Richard Franklin [00:07:58] How will we balance? Filing eyes.
Katy McAfee [00:08:01] Huddled in the community room at the clinic, people asked candidates what they would do about immigration raids in the area, how they would improve transportation, increase food access, spur economic growth. There’s a lot to tackle in precinct 4, but there can only be one commissioner. So what are the candidates’ number one priorities? After the meeting, I called each of them up to ask.
George Morales [00:08:27] So I’m George Morales, the third. I was born and raised in Precinct Four in the community of Del Springs.
Katy McAfee [00:08:34] Morales has been in law enforcement for 26 years. He was elected the Travis County Precinct for Constable in 2016 and has held the title ever since. Morales is big on healthcare. During the pandemic, he says he helped bring 380,000 vaccines to East Austin. But he says his focus as commissioner would be improving transportation.
George Morales [00:08:55] That’s gonna be my main first priority is to go in there and say how can we fix these roads? How can we get access for the people to drive through these roads safely?
Katy McAfee [00:09:04] Improving roads in East Austin is also a priority for Susanna Ledesma Woody. Ledesima Woody has been on the Dell Valley ISD School Board for 15 years. This is her third time running for the precinct four commissioner seat. She says she was inspired to run after her calls to the commissioner’s court to bring grocery stores and hospitals to the area continued to go unanswered.
Ledesima Woody [00:09:25] And so we were just like, what’s the next step? How can we really push this needle? And it was just run for the position, right? If you really want to make a difference, you have to scare these politicians that this seat is not theirs.
Katy McAfee [00:09:40] Ledezma Woody lost the last Democratic primary for the seat back in 2022 by less than 250 votes. This go-around, she says, her top priority will be investing in equitable infrastructure for the area.
Ledesima Woody [00:09:52] I think once we get the infrastructure in place, we can tackle a lot of the other issues that plague the community.
Katy McAfee [00:09:59] She says equitable infrastructure means focusing on neighborhoods that still lack basic needs. Some areas don’t have access to electricity or clean water.
Ledesima Woody [00:10:08] And they’re having to go to HEB that’s 15, 20 minutes away to fill up their jugs of water so they have water in their home.
Katy McAfee [00:10:18] Next is Ophelia Maldonado Zapata. She’s a former Austin ISD School Board trustee. Maldinado Zapada says she’s not a politician. She calls herself a community organizer and says her experience growing up visually impaired inspired her to help others.
Ophelia Maldonado Zapata [00:10:32] So that’s how I began my work and I’ve started learning how to organize because one thing I learned is that, you know, we can be angry about the injustices that we’re living in or we can do something about it.
Katy McAfee [00:10:47] Maldonado Zapata says her top priority in office will be improving water quality in some eastern Travis County neighborhoods that she says get water at a high price from for-profit utilities.
Ophelia Maldonado Zapata [00:10:57] It’s not fair, it’s wrong. We should stop, we should get every company in Austin that has water to give to this community and stop paying that water company.
Katy McAfee [00:11:09] The final candidate is Gavino Fernandez. Fernandez was born in Austin, and he has some experience overseeing this area. He worked on the precinct for commissioner staff from 1991 to 1994. Fernandez has a clear goal if he’s elected.
George Morales [00:11:25] No tax increases.
Katy McAfee [00:11:28] Affordability in East Austin is his number one priority. He says he’ll oppose any tax hikes and wants to audit the county’s existing contracts to see where money can be saved. I asked Fernandez how he might navigate a situation where he’s the only commissioner on the dais against a potential tax increase. He had a clear answer for that, too. If it’s approved, the money better be going to precinct four. I’m Katy McAfee in Austin.
Jerry Quijano [00:11:57] Last week here on Austin Signal, we brought you the story about the uncertainty around the future of Austin’s Convention Center. Well, a court over the weekend ruled that the city can still continue building a new one. For more about this story, we are talking with KUT’s City Hall reporter, Luz Moreno Lozano, who has been following it. Luz, thanks for joining us on this Monday.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:12:16] Thanks for having me back.
Jerry Quijano [00:12:17] So last week on Austin Signal for our diehard listeners, we had a feature story that was reported by you. Now we have you in the studio. So can you just remind us why this question of should a new convention center be built where the old one stood? Why was that a question even before the courts in the first place?
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:12:32] Yeah, it’s a good question. There was some groups of people who were of the belief that the Austin Convention Center wasn’t being used as it should, you know, like who really uses it besides South by Southwest?
Jerry Quijano [00:12:45] Besides people who are visiting town, right? Tourists, things like that.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:12:48] Right, right. So, was it worth the investment of all the billions of dollars that the city is putting toward redeveloping it and expanding it to make it bigger, especially if it’s not really benefiting the people of Austin? But in a way, it kind of does, right? Because those people are coming and they’re spending money at hotels and restaurants, and it’s generating tourism, and all of some of that money goes back to the city, which builds roads, libraries, you know, those kinds of things.
Jerry Quijano [00:13:15] So what was the ruling and what does it mean? Is it like a done deal now that the convention center can go forward?
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:13:21] So the Convention Center can move forward, the judge basically sided with the city and believes that the city’s denial of the petition based on the lack of valid signatures was warranted. I don’t think it’s over, I spoke with Bill Bunch on Saturday, Saturday morning, and he says that the group is exploring some appeal options.
Lucio Vazquez [00:13:42] OK.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:13:42] That could still allow them to put this particular measure before voters in May. If not, they’re still working to get it in front of voters in November. So, still something that they are pursuing as this project continues.
Jerry Quijano [00:13:56] Well, one thing that we heard about in your story last week that is, you know, while this ruling was up before the courts, there was still some work that was being done. You know, there’s some demolition, things going down, things coming up. Did this whole ruling, did it create any kind of time dent in the city’s timeline for how the Convention Center should go or how long it should take to be renovated?
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:14:18] It’s still on track. I spoke with someone from the Austin Convention Center who basically was like, we’re on budget, we are on track, we’re hoping to open in time for South by Southwest in 2029. So yeah, it didn’t put any kind of halts on it. If the petition had gone forward and people had voted for it, it would have definitely paused the project for several years.
Jerry Quijano [00:14:38] Okay well you can read more from Luce’s reporting over at KUT.org. We’re going to include a link in our show notes for today as well. Luce Moreno Lozano is KUT’s City Hall reporter, we’re glad to have her on Austin Signal today. Luce, great to see you.
Luz Moreno-Lozano [00:14:53] Thanks, Jerry.
Jerry Quijano [00:15:00] This is Austin Signal, welcome back. It is Black History Month all February long and Myles Bloxson from our sister station, KUTX, has for a few years now been highlighting black music history here in Austin. We’ve heard about a few artists this month here on Austin Signal but today we’re gonna hear about an historic music venue on the east side of town that dates back to World War II.
Miles Bloxson [00:15:33] February is Black History Month and all month we’re highlighting black people in places that help shape the Austin music scene. The Victory Grill was founded in 1945 by Johnny Holmes, a booking agent and band manager. He opened the restaurant on V-Day for black soldiers returning from World War II. And at this time, the South was segregated and black servicemen couldn’t just walk into any music venue, club, restaurant, or place of business. The venues throughout certain parts of the United States that allowed blacks to perform were referred to as the Chitlin Circuit. The victory reel quickly became a part of this circuit and a go-to place for music lovers. At the height of the club’s popularity in the 50s, most of the popular black national blues, rhythm and blues and jazz acts that played in Austin played at the victory grill. Ike and Tina Turner, James Brown, Etta James, Billie Holiday, and Janis Joplin.
Katy McAfee [00:16:42] At last, my love has come to an end.
Miles Bloxson [00:16:54] The Victory Grill was also the happening spot for a lot of popular local legends to show off their musical talents as well. Blues boy Hubbard, W.C. Clark and T.D. Bell were just a few of the local acts that graced the stage.
*Music* [00:17:08] Why don’t you love me, baby? Why don’t you love baby?
Miles Bloxson [00:17:17] After integration, the chilling circuit went away because black entertainers had more options when it came to venues that they could actually perform at. As a result of this, in the 70s, Holmes was forced to close the club portion of the venue and keep the restaurant portion open. In the late 80s, a fire broke out, causing extensive damage, and Victory Grill was closed until a friend of Holmes, R.V. Adams, began restoration efforts and reopened the venue in 1996. Today the Victory Grill is one of the few standing spots on the Chitlin circuit, and it claims a spot on the National Registry of Historic Places. The establishment continues to thrive, offering Southern comfort food and entertainment to all its guests. The Victory Grill remains a true testament to the thriving Black community, music scene and culture that once flourished on the east side of Austin. To learn more about the Victory Grill, you can visit KUTX.org. For KUTx, I’m Miles Bloxin.
Jerry Quijano [00:18:26] As gentrification on Austin’s east side has increased over the years, landmarks with historical significance to the city’s black and Latino communities have slowly been erased. Now Austin’s first black cemetery is on the verge of being forgotten. Sam Stark covered this story for The Austin Current. They are KUT’s collaborator on the Austin Signal and a partner with KUT newsroom in covering the city of Austin. Sam is joining us now on Austin Signal. Thanks for being here today. Thanks so much for having me. So tell us a little bit first about Sue Spears, you know, saving the cemetery in your story. You say it started out kind of as a nuisance for her, but turned into her life’s work.
Sam Stark [00:19:03] Who is she? So yeah, Sue Spears has an amazing story. She lived in Austin all her life and her kids were going to school at Sims Elementary, which is right across the street from Bethany Cemetery, which has now closed. So she was on the PTA board and the kids were going through the cemetery, which was overgrown with shrubs and tangled trees. So kind of presented as like this safety concern. So, she was looking into who owned the property and and started to recognize that. There were people that were enslaved buried there. She, once she started looking, she saw stones and grave markers and then, you know, really started to advocate for the property and is now the president of the Bethany Cemetery Association.
Jerry Quijano [00:19:46] Yeah, we’re going to have a link to the story in our show notes. So she had these really great archival photos of what the cemetery used to look like, which is just these really high overgrown grasses all around it. And then a picture a few years later, I guess, where you can see everything so very clearly. So what do we know about Bethany Cemetery’s history? Like, how long does it go back?
Sam Stark [00:20:07] So it goes back to the 1890s. So the Oakwood Cemetery, which is the first city owned cemetery, they sanctioned off a little plot of land for people of color that quickly filled up. And so then they went looking for another place to bury some of the first African-Americans of the time. So there’s a few hundred people living there, many of whom were enslaved at some point. There were Buffalo soldiers who fought in wars. Um, after 1866, they’re were some people who were enslaved by some of the first governors of Texas.
Jerry Quijano [00:20:42] What do we know about the sorts of designations or protections that the cemetery currently does have?
Sam Stark [00:20:49] So it is, the state of Texas has considered it historic, but it lacks a key designation that will ensure that it is preserved for generations to come. And that’s sort of what’s happening at the moment. It’s going through the process to be considered a historic landmark through the city, which will essentially, you know, if anybody wants to develop on the land, they would have to have a very good reason. They’d have to go in front of the Historic Landmark Commission to get approval. Where it stands now, the Historic Landmark Commission has already recommended that it is zoned as a historic landmark. Next it goes to the Planning Commission and a couple weeks before the Austin City Council will eventually vote on that.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:31] And these are long processes that play out over a long time. How tedious is the process of securing this kind of designation?
Sam Stark [00:21:38] You know, it requires a lot of money and research. So Preservation Austin has put a lot of effort into trying to get this designation going forward. They said that they’re honestly shocked that this plot of land with all this rich history doesn’t have this designation already. So they’re really trying to push that through the process.
Jerry Quijano [00:21:58] You mentioned that we might see a little bit of movement on that process this month. What would that look like?
Sam Stark [00:22:02] So essentially, all of the facts will be presented to the Planning Commission over the next couple of weeks. Then they’ll essentially just have their vote and they will either recommend or not recommend that it should be a historic landmark. And if they do recommend that, then it’ll go in front of the Austin City Council.
Jerry Quijano [00:22:23] One thing that I wanted to bring up in your story is you talked to the man behind Black Austin Tours, I believe his name is Javier Wallace, and he is somebody who goes around the city and shares a black history with all these people on this bike tour. He found out a little bit of history that he didn’t even know he had at Bethany Cemetery, correct?
Sam Stark [00:22:42] Yeah, that’s what’s so fascinating about this space. He, similar to Sue Spears, grew up in Austin, had no idea about what was buried beneath these grounds in this central part of East Austin. He obviously is quite into history. That’s why he founded his company. But he connected with Sue Spear and found out that some of his relatives are buried there. So he agrees that this place should be recognized for its historical significance. And so others can connect with Austin’s rich black history.
Jerry Quijano [00:23:12] All right, we have been speaking with Sam Stark again as the government reporter for the Austin Current. They are KUT’s collaborator on the Austin Signal and a partner with KUT newsroom in covering Austin. So we’ll be speaking with him in the future. Sam, thanks for coming on the show today. Thanks so much. And thank you out there for spending part of your Monday here with us on Austin Signal. That is it for today’s show. We will be back tomorrow at one o’clock. You can find more from us at kut.org slash signal. Thank you to Lucio Vasquez, Katy McAfee, Luz Moreno Lozano, Miles Bloxson, and Sam Star for their help with today’s episode. Thank you, to Kristen Cabrera and Rayna Sevilla. I’m your host, Jerry Quijano. We will be back with you tomorrow.
This transcript was transcribed by AI, and lightly edited by a human. Accuracy may vary. This text may be revised in the future.
