News: December 2008 Archives

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 continuing transformation. Here's November and December's recap.

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 continuing transformation. Here's September and October's recap.

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 continuing transformation. Here's July and August's recap.

Be prepared for these road closures tomorrow caused by First Night prep. A Travis County sheriff's car was stolen with thousands of dollars worth of equipment in it. KVUE newsvan flipped on IH35 in Round Rock; passengers are ok. Georgetown cop was assisting someone by the side of the road when a drunk driver seriously injured him last night. Fort Hood and UT partnering up to help military families who have children with disabilities. DMN names Dallas County DA Craig Watkins Texan of the Year (Laura Bush and Phil Gramm also make their list, though). One of the "Jena Six" attempts suicide after a shoplifting charge.

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 continuing transformation. Here's June's recap.

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 continuing transformation. Here's May's recap.

• Troubled Ill. Gov. Blagojevich makes his pick for Senate: former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris.
• Israel's air attack on Gaza just first stage of several.
• Divorce sucks, but especially in a recession.

Along with the rest of the -IST network, we've launched a new site layout today! It's not entirely finished yet—we're still making minor fixes here and there—but I'm hoping that the end result will mean a fresher, more intuitive, and generally more user-friendly experience for everyone. In the meantime, while we get our brand-spankin'-new site fully up and running, this affords us an excellent opportunity to put out our semiannual Call for New Contributors.

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 continuing transformation. Here's April's recap.

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 continuing transformation. Here's March's recap.

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 continuing transformation. Here's February's recap.

Austin Police Department is bringing back its "no refusal" policy on New Year's Eve, which requires that all DWI suspects who refuse a breathalyzer test be taken to Travis County Jail to have their blood drawn.

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 continuing transformation. Here's January's recap.

Israeli airstrikes continue to hit targets in Gaza. Thousands protest. Barack the Magic Negro? Really? Laura Bush, Condoleeza Rice defend W. In more positive news, the Statesman showcases eight great Austin arts achievements in 2008. To the north, "Obama Effect" cited in 2008 Williamson County Dem wins. Detroit Lions make NFL history.

• A Mexican beauty queen is arrested in a truck filled with guns and ammunition
• Double whammy: People cutting back on spending, companies eliminating jobs
• Resistance is growing against Caroline Kennedy's Senate interest

• Toyota sees its first operating loss in 70 years.
• Where'd the bailout money go? Shhhh, it's a secret.
• Will Obama press for the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"?

• Bush willing to loan $13.4 billion to automakers.
• W. Mark Felt, Watergate's 'Deep Throat,' Dies At 95
• Robert Mugabe: "Zimbabwe is mine."

The system maker, currently known more for its business-friendly desktops and notebooks rather than its design sensibilities, quietly shared some "early marketing collateral" to a publication about luxury goods. When NYTimes blogger Ashlee Vance queried Dell VP Michael Tatelman about the possibility of the company unveiling a Macbook Air-type product, Vance claims that "Mr. Tatelman’s mouth gaped open and his eyes darted away from my face."

Those wishing to honor Gale's memory may do so by donating to the House the Homeless Thermal Underwear Drive; $10 provides a full set of thermals; $25 provides thermals, a pair of socks, some gloves, and a winter hat. With another cold front headed our way this weekend, the timing couldn't be better to help out. The fundraiser has seen an impressive outpouring of support following the announcement of Gale's passing yesterday; thus far they've raised $1,500 out of their target goal of $18,000.

• UN Tribunal jails Rwanda genocide mastermind.
• WTF, Obama? A homophobic, pro-life, pro-assassination evangelical for the invocation? FAIL.
• Big surprise: white collar workers at Chrysler keep their jobs while everyone else goes hungry for a week.

Gov. Perry makes an aside about $15,000 retreat taken by UT Board of Regents. Texas House Speaker hopefuls want a secret ballot. City Council members remember Jennifer Gale. Rodney Reed's appeal rejected by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Judge says that Dallas red-light-camera firm needs an investigation license. Larger numbers of homeless needing help in Austin. Spanish clothing retailer Zara headed to Austin in 2009.

The deadline for submissions is midnight on January 9. [Texas Social Media Awards]

The Statesman just reported via Twitter that longtime Austinite and frequent political candidate Jennifer Gale has passed away.

• Time magazine names Barack Obama as its Person of the Year 2008
• Murder case of "America's Most Wanted" host's son closed after 27 years
• SEC missed repeated opportunities to uncover alleged Ponzi scheme

Current Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams wants KBH's Senate seat when she gives it up. Report released today on Pedernales Elecric CoOp finds intentional destruction (read: shredding) of important documents & over half a million dollars in unexplained payments to the CoOp's law firm. Shady! Rep. Michael McCaul signs on bill to eliminate BCS. City Manager Ott no longer receiving $4,500/month "temporary" housing allowance from the city. "Draft Lee Leffingwell" PAC held a rally yesterday. Girl's Christmas list wish leads to stepdad's arrest in Pharr. 29-year-old Austin runner dies over the weekend during a Dallas marathon.

This is probably welcome news to Brian Rodgers and the folks at ChangeAustin.org (the spawn of the Stop Domain Subsidies group, which got Proposition 2 on November's ballot). Even though Proposition 2 didn't pass, that group is hoping to continue to push its agenda by being involved in the upcoming mayoral and city council elections.

Bush makes surprise Baghdad trip. Iraqi journalist throws shoes at Bush during said trip. Senator Arlen Specter thinks Polish jokes funny, appropriate. Tells them. Wasilla Bible Church burned, arson suspected. SXSW now a player in the Oscar game. This isn't really news, but it still sounds delicious. Migas, si! Bummer. Amy Poehler bid goodbye to SNL.

The annual Trail of Lights at Zilker Park kicks off this Sunday night with a festive grand opening celebration featuring cameos by Santa, local dignitaries, and a fancy parade.

• Auto bailout fails in the Senate.
• Cheney says it will be "Herbert Hoover time" if there is no aid for automakers.
• Mexico deports Americans.

Update on the AISD teacher/Linux debacle: HeliOS Project head Ken Starks feels bad about blogosphere reaction, saying, "I'm really and sincerely sorry from the bottom of my heart that I caused her grief." The new central library will be designed by Lake/Flato and Shepley Bulfinch, City Council decided today. Colt McCoy a Heisman finalist. Police believe that the Steiner Ranch shooter may be dead; they are still looking for him (or his body). City approves $1 million settlement for the 2005 shooting death of Daniel Rocha. Woman assaulted last night while waiting at a UT bus stop on Dean Keeton. Drunk San Marcos woman backed her truck into the wall of an apartment, injuring a 12-year-old boy as he slept in his bedroom.

• Surge in unemployment claims is "unexpected." Are you kidding!?
• It's official: Daschle to lead HHS.
• Irony alert: Illegal immigrants used by cleaning firm employed by Immigration chief/head of Homeland Security Chertoff.

maczter/flickr
• A suspicious substance found in a letter mailed to Gov. Rick Perry was found to be non-hazardous
• Expect a hard freeze tonight, but no replay of last night's snowfall
• "Day Without a Gay" rally this afternoon at City Hall

In an age where Windows and OS X reign supreme, it's no wonder that a local AISD middle school teacher became enraged upon discovering one of her students distributing bootleg copies of an operating system in class.

• CNN: "Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich reportedly is planning to return to work Wednesday, a day after his indictment on federal corruption charges."
• Politico: "Even before Barack Obama won the presidential election, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was plotting how he could make money off it or steal political leverage from it."
• NPR: "Congressional Democrats and the Bush administration have agreed in principle to a $15 billion loan package for troubled automakers"

Tonight's snowy conditions won't last long, but the cold front is expected to stick around at least through Thursday. Jim Spencer at KXAN reports that today saw record daytime highs of over 80 degrees, which contrasts nicely with tonight's near-freezing lows. Enjoy the flurries while they're around, and share your flickr photos with us by tagging them 'austinist'.

Round Rock woman leaves 4 kids (all under 3 years old) from her in-home daycare alone at her house while she goes shopping, and later gets in a car accident. Man driving his scooter downtown on Saturday morning was hit and killed by a driver who ran a red light. ACLU doesn't like the new state drivers license rules. A former employee of a Steiner Ranch steakhouse shot and killed a current employee there yesterday; police are still searching for him. Area of Southeast Austin currently under a boil water notice. Whole Foods is suing the FTC. Texas' dental health ain't great.

• Fannie and Freddie to testify.
• Come on, just say it. Let's practice: Nation. National. Nationalize. Nationalization!
• Tribune Co is the latest to file for bankruptcy.

It's official: Brewster McCracken announced today that he's running for mayor in 2009. State House Parliamentarian Terry Keel in trouble with other Republican members of the House for being too much of a toady to Craddick. Democrat John Sharp plans to run for KBH's seat in the US Senate. Chief Acevedo makes arrests too. Thieves going after holiday yard decorations. A naked man jumping on top of a car in North Austin yesterday morning was tasered and arrested. Horns headed to the Fiesta Bowl (v. Ohio State) on Jan. 5.

Obama says to buckle up, economic ride going to get bumpier. Rove to name "Bush-haters" in new book. Ostensibly, that book will be very, very long. Iran doesn't like Satan-worshippy clothes, and will detain those who do. OJ Simpson sentenced to jail. Cate Blanchett gets her star. Scenes from Battlestar Galactica's final episodes all up on the web. David Gregory meets the press.

• This is what $140,000 of your tax dollars went towards, and probably the only way you'll get to see it (video - also at right).
• Southwestern U. student killed last night as he tried to cross Texas 29 on foot in Georgetown.
• 1.7 pounds of Black tar heroin found in a house off Clayton Ln.

According to the Statesman, the controversial triple-Marriott planned for Second and Congress is being put on hold due to economic difficulties. Most of the businesses that occupied the buildings being torn down to make room for the hotel have already closed or found other locations.

• U.S. job losses worst since 1974 as downturn deepens.
• Craigslist rant might land Colorado man in prison.
• Farmers upset about proposed law which would tax air-polluting animals.

Texas Ethics Commission says that Supreme Court Justice Hecht has to pay a fine of $29,000 for accepting a sketchy contribution. Last of the LBJ recordings released to the public today. LBJ ideas in an Obama administration. Rumor is that Rove is advising Kay Bailey Hutchison on her possible run for governor's office. Someone actually paid cash for a plane to fly around UT today carrying a banner saying "Mack Brown Quit Your Whining U Knew The Rules." Round Rock woman has donated 25 gallons of blood in 18 years. Two Border Patrol agents accused of working with drug traffickers crossing the South Texas border.

Two items of note regarding Texas Republicans have come out this week. First off, current Texas House Speaker Craddick faces an ethics complaint about payments to and insurance coverage for his adult daughter. A Houston man points out that Craddick has his daughter Christi on campaign payroll (at $12,000 a month), yet claims her as a dependent so that she is covered by his state health insurance. Another member of the GOP, current Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, today filed paperwork towards her expected run for governor in 2010. She's still in the exploratory stages, it seems, and the paperwork filed today set up an exploratory committee and campaign treasurer.

The following note was released by the White House today:

• More happy economy news! Layoffs for the holidays, yay!
• Any drunk frat boys on Sixth Street missing their parent's credit cards?
• KBR accused of using mortuary trucks that "still had traces of body fluids and putrefied remains in them" to ship ice to the troops.

93-year-old former Texas Supreme Court justice almost drove into Lady Bird Lake today. Current Texas Supreme Court Justice Hecht facing ethics charges after accepting a dicey contribution. Nine major companies (including GE, Dell, IBM and others) are partnering with the Pecan Street Project to bring clean energy & green jobs to Austin. Tech company Analog Devices Inc. shutting down its Austin location. Former American Cancer Society employee involved in cell phone fraud, swindling $590,000 from the non-profit. New York Times fashion critic stops in Austin before Thanksgiving weekend, really likes the Counter Cafe. Farm-to-table dinner tonight at Cipollina.

The Starr Building on Sixth just west of Congress is up for sale. The building is owned by the State of Texas. It is zoned CBD and it outside of the Capitol View Corridor, so height is unrestricted for the lot. There is no set price, so submit your best offer to the General Land Office. When it was built in 1955, the five story, 76,375 square foot Starr Building was the first major example of modernist architecture in Austin (and the first building in Austin with an escalator). The lobby hosts a mural by Seymour Fogel. Attempts are being made to save the mural, but it is unclear if they will be successful.

Texas continued its downward descent in the "Annual Health Rankings" published by the United Health Foundation, dropping from 37th to 46th in the United States.

News 8 Austin reports that companies wishing to use photographic evidence in court must possess a certain "private investigator's license"—neither the camera company used by the City of Austin nor the largest firm in Texas has this license.

• Automotive CEOs drove hybrids this time to ask Congress for money. Couldn't they carpool?
• Obama set to name Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce
• Folk singer Odetta, one of the voices of the civil rights movement, dies at 77

• Barack and Hillary bury the hatchet.
• But how *long* until Gitmo is closed?
• India to Pakistan: Give up the suspects! Or we'll...(that's the scary part.)

Last night, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization board voted to use funds from the 183-A toll road in Cedar Park to guarantee payments for the conversion of U.S. 290 East between 183 and Manor from an untolled four-lane highway to a tolled twelve-lane highway (three tolled lanes each direction, plus three free frontage roads each direction). The payment guarantee was required because traffic projections were too low to convince investors to pay for the road without it.

Pilgrim's Pride files for bankruptcy; perhaps Bo Pilgrim should have spent his lobbying monies better? Fed Chair Bernanke was in town and spoke at the Chamber of Commerce lunch this afternoon. UT Center for American History will now be named for former Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe in recognition of/gratitude for his $15 million gift to the school. APD going after street musicians? Prayers at Austin Hindu Temple for victims of Mumbai attacks. Texas Dems suing over recount in House District 105. Parents suing Lake Travis ISD over the system used to check the sexual offender database.