News: October 2008 Archives

Today is most likely the busiest day of early voting in Travis County; in the end, half of the county's registered voters are expected to have voted early. Long lines to vote early in Williamson County. Review of DPS released yesterday comments on communication problems as well as other issues. New red light camera added off of Howard Ln/Wells Branch and Mopac. The bearded bank robber strikes again! This time at a Wells Fargo bank off William Cannon. Earthquake hits North Texas last night. 16.5% of Texans owe more than their house is worth, a new study says. That's still less than the national average.

Jay Wyatt, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1091, said the Cap Metro bus drivers, mechanics and maintenance workers in the union will begin a strike Wednesday morning in response to continued failure to reach a settlement in contract negotiations. It is possible that an agreement will be reached before Wednesday. If not, CapMetro will run a reduced schedule and charge no fares.

• News Flash: Obama is not Muslim.
• REMINDER: Early voting ends tomorrow. GO! GO! GO!
• In case you missed it, the Phillies win the World Series for the first time in 25 years.

CapMetro will offer free bus rides on Election Day, so there goes that excuse. After her Obama sign was stolen, a Northwest Austin resident painted another sign ... on her lawn. This weekend, APD will accept no refusals if you drink and drive. Chef at Burnet restaurant fixed a, um, special recipe for the chief of police there. Gov. Perry's data consolidation deal with IBM isn't working out well. You can meet and greet the candidates for Fire Chief on Nov. 3. People are expressing concern over the location of the new biological defense lab; it's set to open in Galveston in November.

Sunday, October 19, Speaker Tom Craddick and his District 82 opponent, Bill Dingus, squared off in a televised debate in Midland. Candidates discussed issues from the merits of CHIP, TxDOT, property taxes, and lobbyists. The surprise at the debate, however, was that Leslie Ward, a vice president and lobbyist for AT&T, was allowed to sit at the table with local journalists and have a turn at asking questions. AT&T was the debate's official sponsor, and its Political Action Committee (PAC) recently donated an even 50 G to Craddick's own PAC three days before the debate.

Last Thursday, city council heard presentations from the three contenders vying for the opportunity to design the new central library. The contenders are Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects and Taniguchi with Holzman Moss, Lake | Flato and Shepley Bulfinch, and PageSoutherlandPage and Patkau Architects. The presentations and pdfs of the proposals are on the city's website. Also on that page are comment forms soliciting public comment on each proposal. Public input will be only accepted through Friday, October 31, 2008. The presentations and pdfs provide a lot of information about the design process and the teams' relevant past work, but they don't contain much information about what any of the teams would actually build at the site.

• The 30-minute Obama-mercial blankets the primetime airwaves tonight
• Earthquake in southwestern Pakistan kills at least 160
• North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is, well, very ill

Travis County asks you to please vote early if you can. KOOP will air a debate on Prop. 2 tomorrow afternoon. Police issue arrest warrant for Georgetown woman after her infant tests positive for meth exposure. The parents of a 3-year-old who was seriously injured in a Bastrop County car accident earlier this month are asking for a no-texting-while-driving law. Despite some parents' attempts, the Round Rock School Board votes to keep TTYL on the shelves of the middle school library. World's largest beach ball touches down in Dallas. Two men tried shoplifting equipment from a Kerrville WalMart to use in a planned robbery of a Super S store. They were not successful.

There will be a meeting of the Austin Live Music Task Force this Wednesday night at 7:30 pm at City Hall (301 West 2nd Street) to hear public comments on the task force's draft recommendations. Those recommendations include establishing a music department to help promote live music in Austin; reducing costs associated with operating live music venues; assisting with health care, housing, parking and business services for musicians; measuring and managing music sound control, sound attenuation and responses to noise complaints; allowing "Outdoor Live Music" as a permitted accessory use in certain commercial base zoning districts; creating additional entertainment districts throughout the city; and expanding the existing entertainment districts (Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Streets between Congress and I-35 and the area between Congress and Guadalupe and Cesar Chavez and Fifth) to cover most of downtown.

• Obama says: Assume nothing! Battle on.
• Finger-pointing rampant in the GOP camp, according to GeoSteph.
• Ted Stevens found guilty; knowing Alaska, will probably still win his race.
• Creepy skinhead plan to kill Obama is revealed. (One of them is, anyway.)
• Michelle shops at J. Crew. Prep.
• McCain advisor says carbon dioxide should not be treated as pollutant.
• Charles Barkley = Guv?
Continue reading "News Bits: T Minus Seven "

Second week of early voting begins - the last day to vote early is Friday! Ooops...South Austin polling site left open after hours on Saturday. Truck carrying pumpkins overturned on 183 near 970 after the driver fell asleep at the wheel early this morning. Was dragging death of Brandon McClelland in Northeast Texas race-related? The president at A&M has been given authorization to settle lawsuits over the bonfire collapse. Perhaps the lesson learned here is to keep your dog on a leash at parks that require them? A look at Concordia University's new campus.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1091, which represents CapMetro bus drivers and maintenance workers, has rejected a "final" offer from StarTran, Inc. According to the Statesman, that offer included a one-time $1,000 payment instead of a percentage raise for the 2007-08 contract year and a starting salary for some new drivers $6/hour under the current rate. Union president Jay Wyatt is expected to announce on Friday whether the union will strike. If they do, CapMetro will run a reduced schedule and charge no fares.

US strikes Syria over the weekend. English cops to scan fingerprints all over the place. Jennifer Hudson puts up $100,000 reward for missing nephew. Brutally beaten anchorwoman dies. While putting together a story on ethanol and the election, the Guardian runs into a plant manager convinced Obama is the antichrist. Alaska's largest newspaper endorses ... Obama? Gas way down.

But, as it turns out, that initial was better served standing in for the word "bullshit," as authorities now believe that Todd faked the attack, and that the injuries were self-inflicted.

• McCain focuses on Florida; Obama campaigns in Indiana.
• The electronic voting machine glitches begin.
• Woman says attack on her linked to McCain bumper sticker.

• Could Dems take the State House this election? Related: video on the right.
• So single-stream recycling has started, but when will there be a facility for it in Austin?
• South Congress gas stations seem to have the lowest gas prices in the city.

• You can package it "green." You can market it as "sustainability." It is still Wal-Mart.
• Palin is just a wolf/pitbull/hockey mom in $150,000 worth of clothing.
• World Series: Phillies up one.

Travis County clerk's office releases a voter's toolkit. We remind you: please review your final ballot before you hit the red button to cast it! With yesterday and Monday's totals, 58,808 have voted early so far. The Austin Live Music Task Force has released a draft report making many recommendations to the city. Jurors now deliberating on the punishment for the man charged with manslaughter for the Juneteenth death of David Morales. State Auditor's office says UT had the highest crime rate of any public university in the state between 2001-2006. Given that UT is one of the largest schools in the nation, maybe it's not that much of a surprise. City Council to consider Oak Hill Future Land Use Plan tomorrow at their meeting. Frisco residents enduring spaghetti sauce attacks.

• Report: Republican National Committee shells out $150,000 on Palin's wardrobe
• Stocks slumped this morning as fear of a recession mounted
• Hacker who published provocative Miley Cyrus photos raided by FBI

gina pina/Flickr
• 32,607 people voted yesterday in Travis County's first day of early voting.
• Shenanigans yesterday as people tried to vote at a South Austin Randalls.
• Slow-going at early voting in Williamson County.

The current election ballot in Austin includes a proposition for an amendment to the city charter to "prohibit the City from providing financial incentives ... for projects that include one or more retail uses." The proposition is the result of a signature drive by Stop Domain Subsidies.

• Obama to leave the trail for two days to visit his grandma.
• Bush wants to close down Gitmo? Depends on what you mean by "wants."
• Department of the Obvious: The downturn's not so bad, if you have money.

People lined up before the doors opened this morning at early voting. Statesman surprises by endorsing Obama. Chief Acevedo starting first "no refusal" operation for those suspected of driving drunk. Collin County man involved in "forbidden" dance lessons (no, it's nothing to do with the lambada). LBJ LASA students got to speak with Garriott in space over the weekend. Two men dead after cliff-diving at Lake Travis. Trial for suspect of 2007 Juneteenth beating death begins today.

C. Po backs Barack. "Looking for bottom." Sarah Palin. Hil-AR-ious. (Read with sarcasm). ACORN squash. Turnabout. Fair play? Speaking of controversial choices. Maybe she had her learner's permit?

The AltCar Expo and Conference, taking place at Palmer Events Center today and tomorrow, is being touted as the region's "largest collection of alternative fuel vehicles and technologies," with over one hundred autos to be showcased. Alternative fuel vehicles are everything from electric cars and trucks (considered "zero emission," electricity generation notwithstanding) to those powered by natural gas, propane, biodiesel and ethanol.

Forbes magazine's latest survey of America's Best-Value Cities places Austin at the top of the list, thanks to our stellar job growth projections (also ranked at #1), low inflation rating (#24), and respectable median cost of living rank (#5). We weren't the only place in the Lone Star State to earn such recognition, either: San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston are all among the top ten.

The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (DANA) is holding its 5th Annual Downtown Living Tour Sunday, October 19th, from noon to 5 pm, showcasing homes and the benefits of living in downtown Austin. This year's tour includes Gables West Avenue, 360 Condominiums, AMLI on 2nd, AMLI Downtown, Austonian, Plaza Lofts, The Monarch and Brazos Place. Tourgoers will get complimentary food and beverages after the tour at the Belmont. VIP ticket holders are invited to enjoy music, food and drinks poolside at the 360 Condominiums on Saturday night.

• NPR presidential debate fact check.
• Does Joe the Plumber know Joe Sixpack and Jane Winebox?
• Hurricane Omar is now a Category 3 storm.

Political sign vandalism and theft a problem this election season. Thieves targeting cars parked near Lady Bird Lake. Email being sent around the state says that voting for a straight-Dem ticket won't count towards Obama (but it really will). Community rallies around Reagan as the high school faces possible closure. Baylor University is financially rewarding incoming students who retake the SAT. Sen. Cornyn wants the Justice Department to look into the "criminal enterprise" of ACORN.

• Stakes are high as Obama and McCain head for final debate
• President Bush says he's confident that the economy will come back "in the long run"
• Hurricane Omar nears Puerto Rico with 80-mph winds

• McCain introduces his economic plan today.
• Are we living through a fundamental reorganization of the concepts of government and the market?
• Obama proposes a couple of breaks.

After their win over OU Saturday, the Longhorns are now ranked #1 in the nation. Got any plans Election Day? Travis County needs poll workers. On Prop. 2 and Mueller development. Austin game designer Richard Garriott made it into space. Houston news copter crash kills two. Residents react to a hate crime that took place in Fort Hood last week.

Axis of evil - now with less Korea. W, meet F. F, W. Tight trouser crackdown. I'm not Iron Man, nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh, Sherlock Holmes. More childhood memories being exploited for profit. Cross your reptilian fingers. La la la la la. This woman takes the fun out of everything.

Yesterday afternoon UT President Bill Powers announced that a temporary rule would allow such signs in dorm windows, and that a committee of students and university officials will look into whether the UT housing division could change the no-signs-in-dorm-windows rule permanently. Powers told The Daily Texan that the media attention isn't what led him to think the policy might need changing, but Jeff Graves, UT VP for Legal Affairs, said that the response from alumni and other members of the community did do something to affect the school's decision.

• Cindy McCain accuses Barack Obama of endangering her son in Iraq.
• Pickens brings energy plan to Austin.
• Economy going to hell in a handbasket.

Some parents of LBJ High School students are "outraged" over the t-shirt design, shown above, intended to show school spirit in advance of a big football game against Reagan High School on Halloween.

White House tells you to "get a job!" Diddy is pissed at McCain. The economy is shot but the Neiman Marcus Holiday catalog wants you to buy a life-sized Lego replica of you and your partner for $60K. Hef is shocked one of his bunnies has left the ranch. Didn't the 54-year age difference give him a clue? How long would an unchained bike last in Austin before it got stolen? Hash or Chocolate? Canadian Border Control can't tell. Mighty Murder Morphin Power Ranger Trial.

Candidates for U.S. Senate Cornyn and Noriega will participate in a debate to be televised statewide on public television tomorrow evening (KLRU, 8pm). See Noriega and his mom cook Spanish rice in the video to the right. Record number of Austinites registered to vote in the crunch-time Oct. 6. Five people taken to Brackenridge Hospital after a multi-vehicle wreck on IH35 today. City of Austin sets up website to plug locally-owned small businesses. State Court of Criminal Appeals refuses to hear Pitonyak's case. Too bad if you wanted to get one of those fish pedicures in Texas. Death toll from Ike in Texas up to 37.

• The second presidential debate: "remarkably sedate", "low-voltage", "tedious"
• The Federal Reserve and other world banks enact an emergency rate cut
• Work with glowing jellyfish leads to Nobel Prize in chemistry

Chaos in Bangkok as groups protest a speech by the new Prime Minister. It's the credit markets, stupid. At least a quarter of world's wild mammal species are facing extinction thanks to over-harvesting and habitat destruction. Some rally attendees at McCain and Palin's speeches are keeping it classy. Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley does a radio ad for Obama in Virginia - is that why his poll numbers are up there? Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley does a radio ad for Obama in Virginia - is that why his poll numbers are up there? NPR visits Topolobampo, favorite restaurant of the Obamas. It will make you hungry for interior Mexican food! McCain to reconcile with Letterman, reports say.

BOR has put together a nifty map of Austin locations accepting voter registration til the midnight cut-off. Have we emphasized this enough today? Please register to vote! The city's new single-stream recycling program starts today! Shooting this afternoon near Jordan Elementary School in Northeast Austin. Bomb threat made at the North Austin Muslim Community Center yesterday. Fire this morning at the Pickle Research campus. South Austin seems the best place to get gas right now (two locations have it for below $3/gallon). Gov. Rick Perry: "My instinct is if you gave every governor truth serum across the country that they would all dearly love to have the Texas economy in their state."

Ifill: Palin "blew me off." Obama raises shocking possibility of Republican smear tactics. One more month. Tina Fey. Total hoot. Hollaback, Hasselbeck. Regarding chicken: cook it.

If you walked down the drag yesterday hoping to grab a barbacoa burrito at Chipotle, you may have been interrupted by a throng protesting the chain's alleged poor payment of Florida tomato pickers. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), from Immokalee, Florida, is on a small "Chipocrasy" tour, on its way to the company's home base in Denver. The CIW's complaint is that workers are paid 40 or 50 cents per 32 lb. bucket of tomatoes, the same price paid in 1978.

Today we're presenting our interview with Jeff Simmermon, Director of Digital Communications for Time Warner Cable, in the hopes of providing both perspectives on this ongoing—and very public—dispute.

• Palin gets back on track, but Biden wins debate.
• Pro-war group offered cash for Frats to demonstrate at VP debate.
• Another swing state yielded to Obama.

It's looking more and more likely that KXAN will go off Time Warner Cable at midnight. APD Chief Acevedo says that ARCH should be moved because it's too close to "temptation" for the homeless. Voter registration at ARCH is up this year. Hillary Clinton will be fundraising for Democratic candidate for Senate Rick Noriega in McAllen tonight. AG Abbott suing two hotels for price-gouging during Ike.

In this case, make it the lipsticked underdog.

• Senate passes bailout plan "leading us into the pit of socialism" per Senator Jim DeMint.
• McCain says he is "running an honorable campaign."
• Obama has significant lead in polls.

And because there's nothing quite like reveling in the democratic process with your fellow boozed-up Austinites—whether their affiliations lean blue or red—we're maintaining this list of places where you'll be able to catch the debates in a public setting. If we've missed any (and we're sure we have), let us know in the comments section!