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.
Amidst a $10 million renovation effort, the historic Governor's Mansion caught fire and nearly burned to the ground before firefighters were able to put out the blaze.
Austin businessman Billy Dan Carroll's descent to infamy was swift as details continued to emerge in this gruesome case of pedophilia and serial rape.
A Lufkin, Texas nurse was arrested for allegedly injecting two patients with bleach.
Just 15 minutes in, the third annual Matamoros-Bagdad Cycling Tour in Mexico was plunged into chaos when a drunk driver from Texas smashed head-on into the group of riders. (Warning: photo is graphic)
As seen in the past, shopping at Wal-Mart can on rare occasion be a scary proposition, but the last thing we expected was to get screwed by the discount retailer itself.
Back in late March, Carrie Miller was riding home on Guadalupe when she was struck by a hit-and-run driver and thrown from her bike. The driver, whose passenger side mirror struck Miller, may not have stopped, but he left her with a key piece of evidence -- evidence that would lead Miller back to her own apartment building.
A partier on Sixty Street chose to take out her drunken aggression on a four-legged officer of the law - stoic yet graceful Dusty the Police Horse.
Drunk driver Allen William Owen won't be eligible for parole until he's an octogenarian, thanks to a grand jury in Williamson County that convicted him of his third DWI.
A salmonella bacteria outbreak initially linked to raw tomatoes affected nine states, including Texas.
Just when you thought Travis County couldn't get any darker blue, The Texas Democratic Convention brought an estimated 15 thousand people to the capital city--a 50% increase from recent conventions hosted by the party of Jackson.
Angry about getting bitten by the German sheperd, a drunken Cedar Park man shot his girlfriend's dog with a razor-tipped hunting arrow.
"TE is a new sort of entertainment group that not only looks at the independent music experience, but supports those that create it and connects those that love to see it," said James Moody, co-founder of Transmission. "We are working to make change happen in a somewhat confusing music industry, and we think we can do it right. We have been music fans for so long, its now time for us to really contribute to protecting that and helping it grow."
An event that police called a "freak accident" took the life of a driver who fell from the Ben White overpass above I-35.
The Texas Governor's Press Office released photos of the interior of the Governor's Mansion, showing the full extent of the fire damage caused by an arson attack, while officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) were on the lookout for a 'person of interest' was reportedly caught on video.
Domy Books, an independent bookseller stocked with special editions, hard-to-find periodicals and various media-related goodies, celebrated the grand opening of its Austin store on Saturday.
"There are a number of ways in which one can adapt the female-to-female connector issue here. Most are unreliable, and some are almost guaranteed to fail. The most common solution is a ring of wax. That's right, your body secretions just sort of slide between the two open holes through a brief tunnel of brown wax. It's like cave science, but in your home."
"One day last year, I asked my young, hot boyfriend, Warren, what I might knit for him. I'd already made him a whimsical cock sock featuring three little airplane buttons with real moving propellers. For my next woolly gift of love, he suggested the following: a Jesus suit, chaps, handcuffs. I'm a halfway decent knitter, making up with compulsion what I lack in technical skill. While I liked the idea of the challenge of the first two choices, I knew they'd take a lot of time. As I am ever eager to bestow gifts upon my man at frequent intervals, I therefore opted for choice c) handcuffs. I didn't have a pattern or much of an idea how to knit bondage devices. But I got out some leftover yarn from my stash and knitted on the fly."
Just days before it was set to launch, the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter decided to pull its week-long "Black is Beautiful" campaign, meant to spur adoption of the center's black-coated dogs and cats.
When the Dallas Cowboys move into their new stadium for the 2009 season, fans will enjoy the action on the biggest high-definition screen in the world.
During the State Republican convention, Sen. Cornyn's folks put together a little something-something to show the convention attendees: this laugh-out-loud introduction/refresher on "Big John" Cornyn. Only in about 15 seconds of the video is Cornyn shown without a cowboy hat, while a man with a deep bass voice tells us that John "is doing the Lord's work for Texas" (oh, God was against the updated GI Bill?) and a choir keeps singing in the background, "
Big Johhhhhn."
ZENN Motor Company, a Canadian operation, features Austin/Cedar Park's own secretive company, EEEstor, and claimed to have a "super-capacitor" in the works that they say has a range of 400+ miles per 4 hour charge.
Shooting guard AJ Abrams withdrew from this year's NBA Draft to return to the University of Texas for his senior season.
Republican Market, a Florida-based website devoted to all things GOP, was spotted at the Republican State Convention in Houston with a booth offering the latest round of politically shallow and morally irresponsible pins declaring, "If Obama is President...will we still call it the White House?"
With a shape-conforming bed, internet-enabled pillow and massaging bathtub, the hotel room of the future was put on display at the Austin Convention Center.
East Austin metalheads and punk fiends were offered a new place to party called The Broken Neck, a converted warehouse space next to River City Automotive that contains ample room for a band, a half-pipe, and a nasty enough bathroom to give Emo's a run for its money.
For the second time in two months, Austin Ventures committed $50 million toward the creation of an online startup company.
Nearly 300 Austinites went to eat and compete in iLoveMikeLitt's 2nd Annual Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest at Scholz Garten.
Former Longhorn running back Cedric Benson was ordered to install an ignition interlock breathalyzer in his car during a court appearance.
A spectacular water main break near City Hall filled the construction site at the soon-to-be W Hotel with a hell of a lot of water.
City Council unanimously declared Trammell Crow the winner in the contest for rights to redevelop the Green Water Treatment Plant and the Energy Control Center.
Two big wins for the patriots fighting to keep Allandale among the least dense, slowest growing neighborhoods in central Austin. First, Wal-Mart abandoned any pretext of urbanity at their proposed Northcross location. Second, City Council acceded to Allandale's demands to opt out almost all of its eligible tracts from VMU zoning (all that they added was the Wal-Mart/Northcross location and a lot that is already VMU).
The Austin Ice Bats, who entertained hockey fans in these parts for more than a decade, received a well-deserved tribute in the
New York Times.
The City of Austin, the LCRA, the City of Dripping Springs and two groundwater conservation districts approved a settlement agreement that would allow the Belterra subdivision to dump 350,000 gallons a day of treated sewage into Bear Creek, which feeds the Barton Springs portion of the Edwards Aquifer.
Austin City Council unanimously elected Council Member Brewster McCracken to the position of Mayor Pro Tem, replacing outgoing Council Member Betty Dunkerley, who retired earlier in the month.
"Back in the old days, when I still drank, I'd finish up a bartending shift on 6th Street, by which I mean throw back a few cocktails. Then I'd float, heavily buzzed, on down to the 311 Club to see CJ. The 311 was not really "my" kind of place. Except for CJ, a bartender so amazingly skilled I would go just to watch him. Okay, well that and get a little drunker. The thing about CJ was that he could make any customer--big, small, young, old, stupid, suave--feel like his one true love in the few moments it took him to mix a drink, run a charge card, and wink like he meant it. Maybe it was an act, all this showmanship, but I had the feeling that CJ genuinely liked people and wasn't just shaking it for tips."
The U.S. Drought Monitor's map for the past week showed Travis County split between severe and extreme drought.
In a move sure to piss a lot of people off (and conversely make others rejoice) Dell announced that they will make all of their U.S. campuses smoke-free by January 1, 2009.
The worst episode from last summer's string of UT football players getting into trouble with the law neared its conclusion as two former players pleaded guilty to robbery.
As part of the construction of the BartonPlace condos at the former site of the Shady Grove RV Park, several big pecan trees were removed. The
Statesman noticed and so did Marcia Ball, who apparently mentioned something about it while on stage at a Blues on the Green appearance. BartonPlace developer Larry Warshaw felt both the
Statesman and Marcia Ball were unfair about the tree removal, noting that BartonPlace complied with the law and agreements with the neighborhoods, unlike another developer that clear-cut hundreds of large oak trees in Oak Hill.
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SXSW Announces a Couple Hundred More Showcasing Bands for 2010 [Lots of Austin Bands in the Mix]
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Preview: Legs Against Arms EP Release [Club de Ville / Saturday]
Pecan Street Project Gets $10.4 Million Stimulus Grant
Schieffer's Out of Gov Race
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