Year in Review: April
As we close out 2008, we're taking a moment to briefly revisit some of the articles that we published on Austinist this year. Whether poignant, sad, hilarious, or downright ludicrous, many of these stories probably affected your lives to some extent. Certainly, at the very least, they provided their own commentary on Austin's ongoing transformation.
Snapshots: Trouble in Paradise?
Vandals defaced banners advertising the new Bridges on the Park development, perhaps in response to the recent closure of the Shady Grove RV Park — which was actually prompted by a totally different condo project going up nearby.Beat Film Series Comes to the HRC
The Harry Ransom Center, The Austin Film Society, Austin Chronicle and Austinist teamed up to present a weekly series of rare and rarely-screened films from the era of Ginsberg, Kerouac and Burroughs. All told, there were 16 films jammed into four nights at the Alamo Downtown, where you unfortunately weren't able to smoke, but were definitely able to wear a beret and not work.Austin Almost Ready For Congestion Pricing
"NYC's City Council has approved congestion pricing for most of Manhattan. Why not Austin? We've got plenty of congestion - let's make some money off it! You want drive across the Colorado during rush hour? $8. We could use the proceeds to fund public transportation. Dedicated-lane streetcars everywhere! Austin traffic solved."Dell Says to Expect More Job Cuts
In a meeting with industry analysts, Dell CEO Michael Dell said his company would cut even more jobs than the 8,800 it predicted last year.Austin's Got a Brand New Bag
City Council approved a voluntary plan to get major local retailers to reduce the usage of plastic bags. The stores (H-E-B, Randall's, Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreen's and Whole Foods) would agree to purchase less than 1,280,000 pounds of plastic bags and recycle 600,000 pounds of plastic bags in the first half of 2009, compared to the 1,569,744 pounds they purchased the and 215,301 pounds they recycled in the first half of 2006.Driskill Hotel Awarded Most Pet-Friendly Hotel
Seeing that Austin is such an awesome pet-friendly town, it should come as no surprise that Animal Fair Magazine gave the historic and lovely Driskill Hotel one of seven "Five star Bone" awards in recognition of their Pampered Pet Program.Rising Down with the Roots at 40 Acres This Saturday
Keeping up with their trend of pleasant surprises, the 2008 40AF was headlined by Philadelphia hip-hop legends The Roots.
Were You Hit By This Morning's Hailstorm?
A so-called "supercell" thunderstorm raged across North Texas, dropping softball-sized hail in areas as close as Denton. Parts of North and Central Austin were ravaged by slightly smaller, but nevertheless damaging, balls of ice, leaving some cars badly dented.Put the Brakes on This Lost Highway
"Didn't we just pass a five billion dollar general obligation bond for TXDOT? Highways don't pay for themselves, even if you only compare gas tax revenues to construction and maintenance costs. Gas taxes generally pay for less than half of the construction and maintenance costs of any new highway. If you take costs associated with congestion, sprawl and global warming into account, highways look like an even bigger waste."Craigslist: Best of Craigslist Austin
We shared some of the Best of Craigslist posts from across the CL Austin universe from over the last few months.Truesday: Like A Duck
"They were out there, the dudes, standing with slumps, targeted by those police lights. Though appearing pretty sedated, their faces showed a curiously awed fear. Like they just woke up in a stranger's life. As if they'd Quantum Leaped, or got crossed-up in some weird Memento scenario, blinked, and WHOOSH - car is wrecked and cops are tapping their toes with expectation. Looking at them, you knew that they knew they were beyond help at that point. Chemicals moving through the system, dousing all attempts at neurological focus."Local Political Blog Pink Dome Turns Out the Lights
Pink Dome, a political blog that followed the hijinks of the Texas Legislature for some three years, closed down.Feature Review: Wait Til the Ice Melts--New [wordless] Music from the Lone Star State
"The here-and-there national media coverage that Wait Til the Ice Melts, an electronic music compilation, has received seems to suggest, not without a hint of mockery, that it's somehow a shock that the massive state of Texas can come up with anything beyond yokel-driven acoustic guitar and other brands of slack-jawed musical idiocy."Reblogging: LiveMom's Downtown Versus Suburbs
"We can't resist a post called "Downtown Versus Suburbs." The premise? There are "awesome benefits to living downtown," but there are also "wonderful aspects of living in the suburbs." The website walkscore.com can help you find locations that blend both. The problem? The areas suggested as alternatives to downtown living (Far West, Round Rock and Sunset Valley) don't score so hot on walkscore.com. Any help? Is there anywhere in or near Austin that is both affordable and walkable?"Documenting the Eastside: Q&A with Photographer John Langmore
Austinite John Langmore spent more than a year capturing on film the lives of those in East Austin. The result is a collection of intimate photographs that document the people, places and culture of the gentrified area where condos and new homes are replacing century-old houses and crumbling taquerias.
What Happens in Williamson County ...
A man bearing an uncanny resemblance to that unlucky sap on The Office was tossed in jail after reporting to the Williamson County courthouse for jury duty. That's because 47-year-old John Peter Shevetz, who was to serve on a jury in a DWI case, showed up completely soused himself.City Council Approves Mobile Loaves & Fishes Housing Plan
The Austin City Council unanimously approved a plan for a long-term lease to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a social outreach ministry to the homeless and indigent working poor, for 10 acres near Harold Court Road in East Austin.More News on the Polygamous Sect in West Texas
More information emerged about some of the goings-on at the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) compound near Eldorado. A witness told authorities that beds at the "temple" there was used by older men to deflower their young (underage) brides.I Am So Popular: Don't Shoot, Shoot, Shoot That Thing At Me
"My darling son called me a week or so ago in the middle of the day. Some of you might recall that Henry sometimes (like about 54 times in a row one semester) has a hard time getting up at the crack of 9 a.m. to get to chemistry class and, as a result, he's been afforded a priceless learning opportunity to find out, firsthand, what it's like to go to court for truancy. The judge, in addition to basically telling my son that he's stupid, informed him he better have a pristine attendance record when we show up for our next date, in June. Hence my son's call. He wanted to let me know that he'd left school in the middle of the day. His excuse? He found a bullet in the hallway. You know, live ammunition. He turned the bullet in to the school cop and principal and voiced his concerns about safety. Then he split."Butler Park: Austin's Newest City Park
In an effort to honor the who's-who of Austin legacies, City Council named the new city park near the south shore of Lady Bird Lake and just west of the Palmer events center (between Riverside Drive and Barton Springs Road) Butler Park, in honor of the Butler family that donated the land to the city. In the late 1800s, Butler was an Irish immigrant who ran a successful brick-making business on the land and ultimately his heirs donated the land to the city in 1941 for civic purposes.Austinist Interviews: Chef Jeff Blank of Hudson's On The Bend
We sat down with Blank one morning at Hudson's, sunlight filtering in through the wine glasses which stood at silent attention during these rare peaceful moments before the deliveries and phone calls begin, and long before the first customer touches lip to fork.Extra Extra: Central Texas Salary Survey
Find out how much money your neighbors make.Better Know a Candidate: Lee Leffingwell | Allen Demling | Jason Meeker | Jennifer Kim | Randi Shade | Ken Weiss | Cid Galindo | Robin Cravey | Laura Morrison
In the hopes of getting a little more information on how the candidates in the Austin City Council election may respond to issues facing Austin, we sent out a few questions and invited them to respond candidly.I Am So Popular: Peddling Creativity
"One of the ten million things I love about Austin is how well this town lends itself to the creative class--those of use dreamers who eschew cubicle jobs and want to figure how to put matzoh on the table through some fun, interesting endeavor that pays (I'm trying hard to avoid the word "work" here)."Arts & Drafts Celebrates First Anniversary
From hand guns to glue guns, since coming under new ownership Rio Rita Cafe y Cantina has been taken over by crafters. Weekly craft meetup Arts & and Drafts celebrated its one year anniversary of crafting at Rio Rita.Austin News Broadcasters Win Regional Murrow Awards
The Radio-Television News Directors Association's 2008 Regional Edward R. Murrow award-winners included several local news broadcasters.
Because It's Harder to Fight the Man When You're Nekkid
A group hoping to capitalize on the anti-gentrification push in East Austin began peddling a line of clothes emblazoned with the slogan "Defend East Austin."Beaumont Prisoner Runs Against Obama, Clinton in Idaho
In an election year already plagued by hijinks and absurdities, a prison inmate in Texas successfully conned his way onto the ballot for Idaho's upcoming Democratic primaries -- making him at least the second most questionable candidate in the running.CWS and STL Reach Agreement to Extend Trail
Developer CWS Capital reached an agreement with SaveTownLake.org and the South River City Neighborhood Association regarding the proposed redevelopment of 222/300 Riverside. The existing apartments would be torn down, with the 150 feet closest to Lady Bird Lake becoming parkland.Long Commutes Pushing Down Suburban Home Prices
The nationwide drop in home prices was disproportionately sharp for those houses farthest from employment centers -- the average price per square foot was down 2.21% overall as compared to last year.Truesday: Random Serendipity
"Some friends of mine were sitting at the Vietnamese sandwich stand on South Lamar, just south of Oltorf. You know the one, between the Office Depot and that tire shop that always blinds the shit out of me with thousand spoke rims shined to NASA specifications, all tethered together and splayed out near the bus stop to really piss off those who can't afford to do anything but ride the Metro downtown. Across from where that other tire shop used to be, where they had another thousand-spoke rim chained to their street sign, but the rim was about three feet in diameter. Like it was designed for a pimp's dumptruck or something. Shit was INSANE."Rolling Stone Declares Stubb's "Best Rock Club"
Earlier this year, Austin bar the Mohawk earned the "Best Bar in America" title from Esquire readers. Now, on the cusp of the summer tour circuits, Rolling Stone declared Stubb's BBQ "Best Rock Club" in America.Burnt Orange Bandit Holding Up Asian Students
For the third time that month, a UT student was held up at gunpoint by a man described as standing approximately 6 feet tall with a "medium to muscular build." In each case, the assailant donned a mask and gloves. More disturbingly, the suspect thus far seemed to be solely targeting Asian students.Trouble Looms for Arts on Real
Arts on Real's General Manager, Blake Yelavich, sent out the call: "With the value of property sky-rocketing in the East Side neighborhoods, it is increasingly difficult to meet the demands of leases and taxes desired by the property owners." Arts on Real needed to raise $7500 by the end of April or it would shutter its doors by the end of May.Dell May Be Courting Radioshack
Though still in the process of axeing nearly 9,000 of its current employees, Dell was rumored to be entertaining thoughts of purchasing RadioShack.I Am So Popular: Duty and the Beasts
"The best way to efficiently kill a chicken, as far as I know, is to lop off its head. Next best is to break its neck. Neither method appeals to me. I don't eat chickens--I certainly don't want to kill them."Get More Drunk At The Alamo!
Hard drinkers rejoice! After serving its audiences measly draft brew, wine and 5-beer buckets for the last 10 years, the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz finally obtained a TABC liquor license.
Snapshots: Eeyore's Birthday
Photo's from Eeyore's 45th Birthday at Pease Park.Austin's Backyard Ampitheater Announces Final Season
Backyard owner Tim O'Connor announced the live oak amphitheater's final season, calling it quits after sixteen seasons in the hill country.Urban vs. Suburban - The Street Grid, Or: Hyde Park Hates Pedestrians
Councilmembers acceded to demands from the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association to deny pedestrian and bicycle access between Hyde Park and a new development on 51st Street.New Willie Nelson Documentary on KUT
The patron saint of Outlaw Country - Mr. Willie Nelson himself - turned seventy-five years old. To celebrate the man and his career, Texas Music Matters produced an hour-long documentary about the redheaded stranger, entitled "Amazing Grace: The Story of Willie Nelson."Austin Ventures Commits $50 Million to Create Social Enterprise Software and Services Company
Local venture capital firm Austin Ventures pledged to contribute up to $50 million to create a company that will build a social networking platform for corporations.Watch Tim Gunn Bring Style to Austin
Project Runway's Tim Gunn visited Barton Creek Square Mall.Truesday: A Move To Reset
"Sometimes we need to go back to basics. Pure, basic-basics. The bare minimum required. And thankfully, now that I'm old enough to recognize the signs of impending disaster, I can (hopefully) head that bad-boy off at the pass and keep things as kosher as possible for another round or two. At least I'll live to fight another day. Anyone with any sort of body cleansing procedure, no matter how fucked up and disturbed... my liver's listening. Intently."UT Austin Student in Hot Water for Terroristic Threats
A student at UT faced a third-degree felony charge after making terroristic threats. 20-year-old Justin Levi McCelvey, a self-described Spurs fan (based off a now-deleted Myspace account), was overheard bemoaning that he "wished he could go into a classroom and shoot everybody,"Overheard in Austin: These May Make You Sick
Overheard came back, however briefly, with an edition courtesy of Sarah Jones, Hunter Warren, John Bacon, Robert F, "Blah Haha," and Henri Mazza.Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
