Break Fourth

Red, weird and blue: Celebrate the Fourth of July with these signatureAustin-only events

Every Fourth of July since I was 17 has basically included the same exact things: swimming, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, apple pie and blowing shit up. (Beer was added a few years afterward.) Sounds like a pretty standard Independence Day, right?

But since we live in a city that is far more creative than the rest of the country, why succumb to the dreaded “norm” again this year? We've compiled some much-needed Fourth of July remedies to make your day off awesome instead of the usual drunk, sunburned get-together that has become the standard for Fireworks Day.

Fitness doesn't take a day off for many Austinites. Before the cracking of beers commences, you can get your run on at the 6th Annual Freedom 5000 at Camp Mabry. The race begins at 8 a.m., (which is about five hours too early for me), but it will let you get a leg up on the 5k before the rest of the day's festivities start. Then you'll feel as though you earned that bacon cheeseburger and apple pie.

For those who don't take a day off from making change happen, Occupy Austin has an entire day’s worth of civic-minded events planned. An all-day occupation of the Texas State Capitol is planned from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Protest music and rallying speeches will fill the full day, concluding with a dinner at Austin City Hall (8 p.m.). This is likely to be one of the most interesting Fourth of July events of the year.

As with most holidays, there are plenty of events adults and munchkins alike can enjoy. The City of Round Rock is hosting its annual July 4th Frontier Days Celebration at Old Settlers Park (10 a.m. - 11 p.m.). Enjoy watching or participating in the jalapeño eating contest (3 p.m.), just pack the large bottle of Pepto Bismol if you plan on participating. Other events throughout the day include a re-enactment of the Sam Bass shootout (12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.), live music by the Austin Symphonic Band (8:30 p.m.), and a fireworks show at the end of the night (9:30 p.m.).

For a more “adult” celebration of American independence, the Bat City Bombshells are holding their 2nd Annual Pasties for Patriots Burlesque Benefit Show at the Parish (9:30 p.m.). Just like in the old days, this sexy show will benefit the USO and feature the burlesque dancers from Bat City Bombshells along with their special guests.

Austin's community of movie buffs and Jeff Goldblum fans are in luck this holiday, too. The Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In is hosting their first movie of the summer season: Independence Day (9 p.m.). This eternal Fourth of July classic will also be the first movie Blue Starlite shows at the new Austin Studios location.

For everyone who wants to chug some freedom fuel and exercise their right to party, Think Lizzy, the Austin-based Thin Lizzy cover band, is performing at Yellow Jacket Social Club. With an on-site water slide (12 p.m. - 4 p.m.), a wet t-shirt contest (8:30 p.m.), as well as arm-wrestling and bench press competitions (5 p.m. - 7 p.m.), this is sure to be a salute to the true 'merican way to party.

There's a celebration for the digital music fan and nocturnal partier, too: Yo(u)nite’s 4th of July Special (4 p.m.) at Lanai. Hosted by local fan-favorite, DJ Mark Denim, this is a must attend party for all of the bass-heads in Austin. The best part: adult snow cones served all night long.

Say so long to another typical Fourth of July and exercise your right as an Austinite to make this the most memorable (or not) Independence Day yet.

unspecified

Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

Getty Images

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

tesla elon musk safety