Former Austin biz editor, columnist dies

Michele Kay, the business editor at the Austin American-Statesman from 1989 to 1991 who was also a business columnist and business reporter at the paper, died Wednesday from brain cancer.

Chuck Lindell of the American-Statesman writes, “‘She was a good reporter — tough as nails, without fear or favor,’ said Austin political consultant Bill Miller, who met Kay when she was a Dallas business reporter in the 1980s. ‘She just didn’t put up with BS. She played you straight; she demanded that you play her straight.’

“Kay thought fast, wrote fast and spoke very fast. She disliked distractions, could be brusque and refused to suffer fools.

“She also made friends easily, shifting into a slower gear for the personal conversations she loved — filing away facts about birthdays, weddings, births and other life landmarks that she could recall years later.

“‘She knew so much more about the world than the average person on the street, or average reporter for that matter,’ said Bruce Todd, a former Austin mayor and longtime friend. ‘You always felt that her story, whether it was in your favor or against, was the correct story.'”

Read more here.