Things to know this week:
- It’s been a week for debates. Monday, candidates for Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick (R) and Leticia Van de Putte (D), went head to head in Austin. Last night, Greg Abbott (R) and Wendy Davis (D) duked it out in Dallas. Today’s release of the Texas Lyceum poll shows Greg Abbott leading by 9 points—49 to Wendy Davis’ 40; and Dan Patrick leading by 14 points—47 to Leticia Van de Putte’s 33.
- Election Day will be here before you know it. There are 5 days left to register to vote and 19 days until early voting starts. Find everything you need to know about voting at votetexas.gov.
- The Texas Permanent School Fund has hit a record $37.7 billion, making it the largest education endowment in the country. Proceeds from the sale of sulfur and water royalties, and oil and gas leases feed the fund managed by the State Board of Education, the General Land Office, and the Texas Education Agency. A portion of the fund is allocated annually to Texas school districts to assist with the purchase of instructional materials and other education costs.
- The Austin City Limits Music Festival has expanded to two full weekends, October 3-5 and October 10-12. The first weekend of ACL starts Friday. Parts of Zilker Park have been closed for over a week in preparation for the masses that will flock to listen to the extensive lineup. Did you get your wristband?
Only in Austin…
Forty years ago today, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre premiered in Austin, Texas. The original slasher film was written, directed, and filmed by Austinite Tobe Hooper on a shoestring budget of $83,500. Although many other adaptations have tried, none can match the original Leatherface and the isolated farmhouse atop Quick Hill off of Old County Road 172 in Austin.