The State of Texas: March 22, 2016

Quote of the Day

“Ca$h truck,”

–Two unidentified graffiti vandals writing in gold spray paint on Texas’s famous Enchanted Rock. What’s it mean? Who knows. But the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says it could cause damage to the site for years to come.

Daily Roundup

Boiled Over — One of Texas’s most famous chefs was arrested and charged with assault after police found him at his Austin apartment covered in blood. According to KXAN, police responded to a call claiming Paul Qui and his girlfriend were fighting in their home on Saturday. From KXAN: “When Qui, 31, opened the door, officers noted he had ‘blood all over his face, arms, legs and clothing.’ Officers noticed the woman inside the apartment was crying and clutching a small child… the apartment was in disarray with furniture and glass broken—blood was also found smeared on the walls and the floor of the apartment, according to the affidavit.” Qui’s girlfriend told police that he attacked her in a drunken, drug-induced stupor, and allegedly kept her from fleeing the apartment with her son by throwing her against the walls. Qui was arrested, charged, and released on bond, and on Monday he released a statement to the Austin American-Statesman professing innocence in the assault charge, claiming that the argument “escalated” beyond his control. Qui also said he would be checking into a “treatment facility.” Qui won the 2009 season of Top Chef and earned a James Beard award in 2012, and he currently owns and operates several restaurants in Austin. Regardless of who you believe, the situation certainly leaves a bad aftertaste.

Island Flopping — As President Barack Obama paid a historic visit to Cuba, it was only natural that Texas’s Cuban-Canadian-in-residence would weigh in. As expected, Ted Cruz did not approve of Obama’s trip to the Caribbean island. “It is so sad, and so injurious to our future as well as Cuba’s, that Obama has chosen to legitimize the corrupt and oppressive Castro regime with his presence on the island,” Cruz wrote in an op-ed for Politico. Wait a minute; what did Cruz have to say when his buddy, Governor Greg Abbott, graced that same little island with his presence a few months earlier? Probably the same harsh words, right? Crickets. Even though the two trips shared almost identical mission statements, the Cruz campaign seems to think they are worlds apart. “You cannot equate the two,” a Cruz campaign spokesperson told the Houston Chronicle. “Cruz opposes President Obama’s policy to give an economic lifeline to Cuba. However, he understands the difficult position that governors are put in by this ill-advised policy, and the responsibility they have to promote and grow their own economies for their own states.” Alright, then.

Frat Woes — The Lambda Chi Alpha chapter at Southern Methodist University was shut down for very ambiguous “health and safety” issues, according to the fraternity’s national officials. As the Dallas Morning News noted on Monday, “no one’s come out and called it hazing,” but no one has said much else about it, either, which really lets the mind wander, especially considering the frat’s closure came soon after students returned from spring break. SMU’s student newspaper, The Daily Campus, first reported this last week, when the frat hung banners saying “The End is Near / The End is Now” from the group’s house. In a statement provided to the Daily Campus, the chapter’s student president maintained that nothing “extreme” happened. But SMU is certainly no stranger to frats behaving badly. Writes the Morning News: “In 2010, the national organization expelled 35 out of 92 active members for various reasons, including “conduct unbecoming a gentleman” and “failure to act for the good of the fraternity.” Not to mention that a “year before that, SMU punished the fraternity for damaging a park and fountain during a fundraising event in University Park.” In the fall, two other SMU frats caught heat for advertising a severely racist “Hip Hop” party, calling for attendees to “bring out your bling, jerseys, and inner thug.” Not cool, bros.