News: February 2009 Archives

• Bastrop has been declared a disaster area today after a downed power line started a now-650-acre-large wildfire near Bastrop State Park. Because of the powerful winds, firefighters have only been able to control a portion of the fire. So far 10 homes have been destroyed by the fire, with 80 homes being evacuated in Bastrop and Smithville. [KXAN]
• The ceiling collapsed above the serving line at the Luby's on Oltorf this afternoon, leaving two injured. 37 people were evaluated by EMS. [KEYE]

• Unseasonably warm weather today, but a cold front is coming!
• Soft toilet paper makes polar bears cry.
• City of Austin to take, dole out fed funding.

• Gov. Jindal loves science!
• The robots are taking over.
• Rise in unemployment numbers: not really considered news anymore.

Centuries from now, aliens from Alpha Centauri will land on our post-zombie-apocalypse-ravaged planet, digging beneath the gnarled metal of rusted Hummers and blood-spatteredPlayboy magazines to unearth the only surviving artifacts from a glorious civilization gone awry.

• At least nine people dead as Turkish plane crashes in Amsterdam
• Obama takes optimistic tone in speech to Congress
• Toddler among seven people injured in a Mardi Gras afternoon shooting

The Austonian is a residential skyscraper currently under construction in Austin at the corner of Congress Avenue and Second Street. Upon completion in 2009, the building will be the tallest in Austin at 683 feet tall with 56 floors. When these photographs were taken, construction was up to the 33rd floor. The interior shots were taken on the 25th floor.

• Obama delivering a sort of state of the union speech tonight to Congress and America.
• Obama administration may set national policy for automobile emissions standards.
• Rupert Murdoch himself personally apologizes for last week's controversial cartoon in the New York Post.

Making bomb jokes at the security checkpoint at ABIA is not a bright idea. 50-year-old woman charged with impersonating an officer to steal a stereo. Federal judge in Houston pleads guilty to obstruction of justice, retires from bench; now he doesn't have to face trial over sexual abuse accusations. Car accident this morning on E. 51st Street leaves one driver dead and another injured. Gov. Perry picky about which parts of the stimulus package he plans to accept. Spansion announces layoffs. Two State Reps propose changes for state schools.

Terrain.org has an interesting case study of Plum Creek, a 2,200 acre Muelleresque development north of Kyle. Plum Creek hasn't gotten nearly as much publicity as Mueller, despite implementing similar techniques and being much larger.

Voices speak out about Ott's proposed budget cuts at last night's public meeting. Robbery spree last night in Central and East Austin; police suspect the same group of guys did it all. Man tried to stop his girlfriend from reporting his abusive treatment to the cops by kidnapping her from in front of a police substation (she escaped). Hilton employees open a strangely marked FedEx package addressed to "MTP" to find 6 lbs of pot; police arrest the man who signs for it. Sen. Cornyn is keeping money donated by Stanford. Some Texas GOP politicians (including Cornyn) support proposed bill that would require ISPs/WiFi-providers to keep user records for 2 years to assist police investigations. Mayor's Book Club pick for 2009: The Septembers of Shiraz.

Someone in a white Ford Explorer plowed through the front window of a Texadelphia earlier this morning. No one, including the driver, was injured.

• So, the Qur'an is written in "Islamic" huh?
• Several GOP governors (including our own) are considering rejecting any money from the stimulus package that just passed.
• Hate and ignorance incarnate in Utah State Senator Chris Buttars.

Wildflower displays this year expected to be only moderate since there wasn't much rain this fall. Hard hit by drought, Bastrop County asks Gov. Perry for state of emergency status. San Antonio and Austin city leaders working together to lure solar companies to Central Texas. Capital Metro rail test today showed that cars at 53rd Street are not stopping far enough away from the tracks. Three-alarm fire sparked at a Northeast Austin business at about midnight this morning. Is the honeymoon over? Speaker Straus refuses to hear a motion to allow Reps to voluntarily switch committee assignments. Whole Foods profits down 17.4%.

The initial round of 4000 wristbands will only be available to Austin residents and will be discounted to the price of $129 (includes tax and service charge) which is $10 less than in 2008. When the $129 wristbands sell out, or after Mar 9, 2009, additional wristbands will go on sale at a higher price to be announced. The list price for SXSW '09 wristbands is $180 each.

According to the D.P.S., Bradley Danz was speeding and driving his pickup on the wrong side of the road when he hit and killed Adam Raymond, who was biking in the other direction on Mount Gainor Road in Dripping Springs. Hays County District Attorney Sherri Tibbe brought a charge of "criminally negligent homicide" before a Hays County grand jury, but it decided not to indict Danz. Tibbe tried again, charging Danz with reckless driving. He was convicted last Friday. His punishment will be two-years probation.

• GM and Chrysler need billions more; Saturn, Saab, and Hummer are done for
• President Obama to outline plan today to stop foreclosure flood
• Facebook does an about-face on changes to terms of service

Westwood High student Sherman Merritt's day went from bad to ludicrously bad after an argument with his teacher escalated into a full on fracas that ended with him getting Tasered by a school official.

Thanks to Mashable, we're trying out a new web service that makes it easy for groups to create websites to house their news, photos, message boards, and events. It's called GroupieGuide, and it recently launched a private invite-only alpha test.

In a fitting twist, the tables were turned when the younger couple arrived to rescue Pitts. Ochoa-Hernandez, in a panic, fled the scene with ice cream cart in tow, screaming "Please don't kill me!" while throwing cash at the couple.

• Obama to sign the stimulus bill in Denver.
• Oooh. Real mature: House Minority Whip creates YouTube video bragging about the lack of Republicans voting for the stimulus bill.
• Wal-Mart takes one more step toward world dominance.

Texas Monthly founder and former publisher Mike Levy has dropped out of this year's mayoral race. In a written statement, Levy attributed his decision to "very personal and family considerations," including the recent death of his mother.

Initial reports speculated that the falling object was debris from two satellites that collided in space earlier last week. U.S. Strategic Command debunked that theory this morning, with one agency representative stating "there is no correlation." The Dallas Examiner has one former NASA spokesperson blogging that the space agency's "Meteoroid Environment Office" positively ID'ed it as an ordinary meteor, but we haven't found any other press releases to that effect.

C-SPAN says George Bush a better president than Millard Fillmore. The Simpsons changes opening titles. Fireball! Sonic Boom! Texas sky an interesting place this weekend. Obama says Air Force One is a spiffy ride. Term limits, shmerm limits. Chávez is in, baby. There may be billions of earth-like planets. Years later, Ken Starr continues to be big, juicy, cold, wet blanket.

You may be SOL if you had paid Image Tile for work yet to be done. Three men put out a truck fire in South Austin yesterday, saving the life of the passenger. Austin man steals $178,000 worth of NASCAR tickets and tries to sell them on Craigslist. Body found 26 years ago finally identified. Austin marathon will have many streets closed on Sunday. City Council postpones public hearing and vote on Wildflower Commons. How the recession will affect Texas social services programs.

City Manager Ott's budget shaving would cut library hours from 50 a week to 40. Spansion seized for $9 million owed in taxes. House committee assignments made today: Rep. Strama to chair the Technology, Economic Development and Workforce committee. Travis County authorities trying to get a 23-year-old woman extradited from Mexico for the videotaped sexual assault of two children. City Council says no to South Texas Nuclear Plant expansion. Lesbian couple tries to get a marriage certificate in Dallas County, taking part in National Freedom to Marry Day. Preservation Texas announces the most endangered historical buildings in the state.

• Jerks who will never learn...and the taxpayers who will pay for them.
• Speaking of boatloads of money...
• Peanut Co. President pleads the Fifth.

Although most local stations (KXAN, KVUE, and even FOX7), are sticking with analog past February, the Washington Post reports today that about 500 stations nationwide are going ahead with the digital transition on the originally scheduled date of February 17. Given this tweet posted yesterday saying "KEYE will stop broadcasting its analog feed on the original planned digital conversion date, Feb. 17," KEYE looks to be one of them. Also: KLRU CEO on the delayed switch.

• Eight people killed as tornadoes sweep through Oklahoma
• CEOs of nation's banks expect grilling before Congress
• Negotiations intensify on final stimulus plan

Storm system that brought tornadoes to OK this afternoon is headed our way. Two women robbed a man in his North Austin apartment and attacked him with a frying pan and knife; one of them has been arrested. Speaker Straus making House committee assignments this week. Texas Medical Association joins class-action lawsuit against CIGNA and Aetna Insurance companies. AMD not able to reach shareholder quorum on spinoff vote. Peanut Corporation of America suspends operations at its Plainview plant after the salmonella outbreak. Obama Interior Sec. Salazar scraps W's offshore drilling plan.

• Pres gets sorta apocalyptic with it.
• GM cuts 10,000 jobs - of the management variety.
• Good to see the energy efficiency question is still out there, despite cheap gas.

Last week we sat down for a brief chat with Roy Spence, co-founder and CEO of GSD&M Idea City. Over the course of a career spanning nearly four decades, Spence has helped grow a tiny upstart agency in Austin into a global advertising powerhouse, which today represents giant firms such as BMW, Southwest Airlines, and American Red Cross. Spence has a new business book out today, entitled It's Not What You Sell, It's What You Stand For, which argues that "purpose"—a "definitive statement about the difference you are trying to make in the world"—is the secret ingredient in any recipe for success.

Angela Merkel calls Pope. Obama up for big hairy week? Did US troops shoot Shiite pilgrims? Media Matters says Hannity, Rush big source of misinformation. Oh, whoops. This is supposed to be news. All My Children: All your Prego Heart Smart Sauces are belong to us. Whitney back? Oh, A-Roid.

Three local environmental groups are running assorted outreach efforts tomorrow, and still looking for volunteers to participate:

• NPR: "More Americans lost jobs in January than in any month in the past 34 years."
• Austin a location contender for possible car battery manufacturing plant.
• ACC breaks ground on Round Rock campus.

Around 5:30 a.m., Blind Pig Pub caught on fire, quickly spreading to Maggie Mae's next door. Firefighters were able to contain the initial blaze in under half an hour. Shortly afterwards, Vice Bar, which sits several units away, also caught on fire. It appears that authorities had the second one under control much quicker.

Five men get away with stealing a tacky $17,000 piece of jewelry from a Highland Mall store by distracting the store clerks. Man could be sentenced to two years in jail after stealing three boxes of condoms from the CVS on S. Congress. 14-yr-old girl running away from OK (with a 40-yr-old man) is expected to attend this weekend's anime convention. Tim Cole's family hopes to have his name cleared this Thursday in court. Recent jump in local domestic abuse cases; no doubt the tight economic times are partially to blame. Looking for a job? Houston ISD is searching for a new superintendent. Concert at Bates Recital Hall this Saturday night will celebrate Black composers.

Acting on a search warrant earlier this week, APD conducted a search of Clayton's house and storage unit, uncovering roughly $60k worth of bikes and parts. Clayton had allegedly been running a "chop shop" from home for some time, stealing bikes from his friends and selling the parts on the internet. It is believed to have been his primary source of income.

According to Stuart Strong, acting director of the Austin Parks and Recreation, the department has already received feedback from people on both sides of the leash issue but it will be holding an upcoming meeting later this month to discuss this and other concerns facing Auditorium Shores improvements. Once the department has a sense for the public's stance on the issue, it will present the final plan to the City Council for approval.

• Girl accuses boy of eating all the Girl Scout cookies, boy chokes girl with a Wiimote.
• Are you missing a pricey bike?
• Barry Bonds used steroids (according to documents released yesterday).

Around lunchtime, many people spotted smoke coming up from the West Campus area. The photo at the left was the view from Whitis and Dean Keeton.

Obama apologizes for not scrutinizing some of his Cabinet picks close enough. Immigrant raid program that was supposed to focus on criminals and terrorism suspects ended up going after those with no criminal record and no deportation orders, because they were easier to find. Government to set cap on executive pay for companies receiving bailout funds. JPMorgan Chase CEO says general criticism of executive pay is not fair. Google Earth now includes the oceans. Shocker: Nadya Suleman (the woman who just had octuplets) shopping around for a media deal. Eminem: The fall and rise of a superstar

This can only benefit KBH: Sarah Palin endorses Gov. Rick Perry for re-election. State lawmakers heart green/solar energy? More on last night's explosion in Hyde Park: high gas costs for the month before led the family to call in a plumber yesterday to check for a leak. APD looking for four men who attacked a couple near Fourth and Colorado on a late Saturday night in January. Austin man turns himself in for charges of making child pornography. How the recession is hurting local nonprofits. Butterfly tagged in Virginia has made its way to Austin.

StimulusWatch.org is a volunteer-compiled wiki that lists all of the proposed "shovel-ready" projects that each city has proposed. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as the stimulus package is officially called, won't directly fund any of these projects, but if passed will allocate the money necessary to enable some of these.

During a standard patrol in Webb County last Saturday, a DPS Highway Patrol trooper accidentally stumbled upon an abandoned school bus. Hidden inside was a whopping 9,210 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated street value of nearly $4 million.

Stick some more $$ in there - who's counting? 1 million Iraqis. Seriously. Iran has its own Sputnik. Not so sure about Daschle anymore... Want to hear about some entitled whining? Click here! Turning poo into gold? Leave it to Japan. Indian court dismisses criminal proceedings held against a couple caught kissing publicly in Delhi.

As planned, Austin Flash Mob's latest caper took place this past Saturday at Whole Foods Market downtown, with some 200 agents simultaneously 'freezing' near the prepared foods section.