News

Sen. Cornyn speaks out against Rush and Newt's comments on Sotomayor's "racism." Obama to name a "cyber czar." Texas Senate passes the budget. Dell income plunges 63% in early 2009. Austin woman charged in death of husband. Actress urged me to take ecstasy, says doctor in sex scandal trial. Bye, Jay. Heeeeeere's Conan! more ›

Members of a rap group fired gunshots outside hip-hop club Spiros on Red River last night, just after downtown bars had closed. According to police, the scuffle started when members of one of the groups performing at the club earlier in the evening were forced to leave the venue. Later, around 2:15 a.m., two of them came back and opened fire on the crowd. At least six people were sent to hospitals for non-life threatening injuries. Authorities are still unclear as to whether the incident happened inside or outside the venue. Neither men have been identified, an the investigation is pending. [Blotter] more ›

As anticipated, the State Senate struck down Gov. Perry's attempted re-nomination of creationism-touting Sunday school teacher Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education. more ›

AMBER ALERT Time Warner breaks up with AOL. Sotomayor on the abortion fence? 'Cuz we totally need another war. Madoff scam keeps innocent people behind bars? Dog custody battle. Frozen mom found in fridge 20 years later. more ›

• GM = Government Motors? U.S. could own as much as 70% of carmaker
• Republicans face delicate task in opposing Supreme Court pick Sotomajor
• Amid Prop. 8 protests, advocates begin planning next phase of same-sex marriage fight

House Dems spent the weekend "chubbing" various bills to put off the vote on the Voter ID bill. State Rep. Raymond shares why he is doing his part to block the Voter ID Bill. McLeroy, Perry's pick for Chair of State Board of Education, may not make it through Senate confirmation. Texans react to Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court. KXAN: "Naked man bites cop, shot with Taser." NAACP meeting tonight will focus on community involvement and the shooting death of Nathaniel Sanders. Does Austin have too many non-profit organizations? more ›

The California Supreme Court today ruled in favor of upholding Prop 8, the gay marriage ban whose campaign was financed largely by religious zealots (including several here in Travis County) and fueled by public misconceptions and outright lies. Understandably, the internet's become a shitstorm of outrage and general disbelief, with many on Twitter echoing the previously silly but increasingly logical declaration that Iowa has somehow become more progressive than the Golden State (no offense meant to Iowans). more ›

And it's...Sotomayor. Prop 8 opponents wait with bated breath. North Korea doesn't respond well to condemnations. Young principals in NYC schools raise eyebrows. Mike Tyson's little daughter's sad and bizarre accident. A wedding worry we hadn't even thought to consider. This is a labor of love we can get behind. more ›

Obama pays Memorial Day respects to African-American and Confederate Civil War soldiers Advocates awaiting details of Obama vets' programs US troops weathering IED threat with technology, skills, and (at last!) MRAPs Vietnam veteran fights to get benefits for uninsured vets WWII fly girls finally get their rightful props WWII vet still seeking family of fallen friend Unexpected mementos adorn Arlington Cemetery graves Dear Donna: A pinup so swell she kept GI mail more ›

After hearing testimony from several of the hundreds of people that signed up to speak in favor of the 2009 Bicycle Master Plan (and four people that signed up to speak as opposed to the plan, but turned out to only be opposed to a particular bridge included in the plan), City Council appeared ready to pass the plan, but then they didn't. No vote, just some kind of procedural glitch. They are going to do the vote on June 11. more ›

Consumerist reports that there's an internship opportunity available at the Austin branch of Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports (and Consumerist itself). "This is a part-time, year-long internship with the Share Your Story team, based in CU's Austin, TX, office," says the post. "Responsibilities will include reading through stories submitted by consumers, writing case studies for CU sites, and helping to identify ways to solve consumer problems. Applicants should live in the Austin area." Might be a good opportunity for local college students hoping to add a little something to their resumes in these competitive times. [Consumerist] more ›

J.W. Lown, who served three terms already as mayor of the town of San Angelo, announced that he was resigning his office before being sworn into his fourth term this week. He chose his personal life over his political one; he has been romantically involved with a non-citizen since March (the relationship started after the filing deadline for this past election), and is currently in Mexico while his partner tries to get a visa allowing him back to the States. Town leaders seemed stunned by Lown's decision, speaking to his accomplishments as mayor. Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Jon Mark Hogg told the San Angelo Standard-Times, "I think it goes without saying we lost a great public servant with Mayor Lown." [San Angelo Standard-Times] more ›

Amidst a massive budget shortfall, City of Austin is considering whether or not to cancel this year's Trail of Lights at Zilker Park. more ›

Taking a cue from successful local business models like Soup Peddler and Dishalicious, Whole Foods Market's flagship store at 6th and Lamar is launching a new lunch and dinner delivery by bicycle. more ›

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, all state and local sales taxes are being waved for Energy Star-qualifying appliances and household items. Eligible products include A/Cs, clothes washers (not dryers), ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, light bulbs, programmable thermostats, and refrigerators. For more info, check out the Comptroller's website. [Tax Holiday] more ›

With all the bad news today, any chance for a little non-ironic cheer is most welcome. A couple of weeks ago, Austin’s Samaritan Counseling Center launched a new social media site, www.RecognizeGood.com, to offer antidotes-via-anecdotes, encouraging public recognition of good news as a counterbalance to all the crap bogging us down. The site is a public forum where anyone can post thank-you notes to acknowledge and honor good deeds done by others. Not only that, but the organization makes charitable donations in honor of the good deed doers. more ›

House passes proposal allowing concealed, loaded handguns in national parks. Rail = jobs. Minnesota parent and cancer-stricken son on the run. American Idol results: we're still totally stunned anyone cares. Making his party proud. OpenAustin: crowdsourcing the unemployed for the city's new website. The Uber-Rich meet about "philanthropy." more ›

GOP women and Hutchison supporters raising a ruckus over "whorehouse" comment made by Perry strategist. House Dems say that bringing up the voter ID bill might mean less time for other important legislation this session Robbie Knievel will jump Congress Avenue at 11th Street as part of the ROT Bike Rally in June. Good news: number of cars being stolen in the state is decreasing. Bad news: number of car break-ins is way up. City releases 911 calls from last week's shootings near Springdale. Oops: Austin ambulance was seriously damaged when it smashed into a toll booth barrier on 45 near 130 last week. There was no patient in it at the time. Pat Forgione gives his last press conference as AISD superintendent. Kid from The Colony wins the National Geography Bee. more ›

• Suspended NFL quarterback Michael Vick leaves prison for home confinement
• Iran says they test-fired a missile capable of hitting Israel
• Search continues for Minnesota mom, son resisting chemotherapy order

Concealed handguns on their way to a campus near you? State Senate gave preliminary approval today to a bill allowing concealed handguns on public university campuses.Police searching for the suspect from a mugging at UT this morning. The Statesman now has a nifty online crime map. Round Rock ISD employee steals 100 computers from the district, tries to sell them on Craigslist. CapMetro set to use $10 million loan, if needed. Statewide smoking ban bill, we hardly knew ye. 4-year-old Waco man in stable condition after being stung more than 250 times by bees. more ›

A new survey by Priceline.com ranks Austin's downtown area as the 13th hottest destination for Memorial Day vacationers. As the rankings are based on hotel bookings, other cities on the list are listed multiple times, split into various districts — New York City, for example, is listed no fewer than four times among the top 15. Among cities, Austin is the 9th most popular for this upcoming holiday. [Austin Business Journal] more ›

Tomorrow night (Wednesday, May 20th, 2009), cyclists all over the world will participate in the 7th annual Ride of Silence in honor and in memory of fellow cyclists that have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. In Austin TX, we will start an eight-mile ride originating and ending on the Pfluger Bridge. Dedications and announcements start at 6:15pm. The ride starts at 7pm and will last approximately one hour. more ›

• Texas A&M scientists are starting the zombie invasion. Texas ranchers are actually excited about this.
• Dallas couple found Jesus in a Cheeto. They nicknamed it "Cheesus."
• An 11 year-old Lakeway boy is among the people protesting the removal of trees at Barton Springs Pool. He even has a website and an online petition!

In an editorial for yesterday's issue of the , Rick Perry writes, "I have never advocated for secession and never will." Perhaps he has never out-and-out advocated for secession; he's just made not-so-subtle hints to it, such as, "if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that." [HuffPo] Given recent poll numbers, a good number of Texas Republicans are totally fine with the secessionist talk. If that's the case, then with this editorial is Perry seriously trying to clear his name, or just trying to keep it in the papers? [Perry's OpEd for the Statesman] more ›

Pres. Obama seeks (again) "common ground" with antis Recession threatens child health, safety, education improvements What is it about the green ones? (Industry subtly intrigued by Obama climate plan) Gov. Perry's secession chatter scoring big points against Kay Bailey Uruguay lifts ban on gays in military, crops do not fail Oopsie of the day: Biden reveals location of secret bunker Tasteful, socially beneficial" sex theme park closes in China more ›

Discount airliner VivaAerobus, which launched last year amidst a splashy ad campaign touting flights to Cancun for less than ten bucks, announced today that it is axing all flights to and from Austin at the end of the month and abandoning the city altogether. more ›

Wednesday afternoon, under a Barton Springs pecan tree wrapped in a pink ribbon, about 50 people gathered for a tree walk sponsored by Save Our Springs (SOS). They came to inspect some of the 28 trees selected for removal and listen to Don Gardner, an arborist retained by SOS to write an independent report. “Once you start looking at a whole bunch of trees,” Gardner told the crowd, “guess what folks, you’re going to find some that should just not be standing any longer.” Though he did not agree with all the recommendations, he praised Austin’s Urban Forestry Program Manager, Walter Passmore, for performing the first comprehensive inspection in one of the region’s most beloved areas. Gardner then delivered the good news/bad news: “My list says 4-6 trees pretty soon, right away, yesterday, and 5 or 6 others that may have to be taken down once we’ve done some more investigating. more ›

CIA contractors behind harsh interrogation methods? Rove will be interviewed by federal prosecutors for the criminal investigation into the Bush administration attorney firings. Military tribunals will be held at Gitmo again, with some changes. Texas Parks and Wildlife suspending their Wildlife Expo for two years citing sponsorship revenue decline. Our governor still hinting at secession. "The old adage that 'first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage' just no longer holds true." Happy Americorps week! more ›

Gov. Rick Perry has signed a journalist shield law, making Texas the 37th state to enact legislation protecting journalists from having to reveal certain confidential sources in court. more ›

An argument over a pet dog turned ugly earlier this week, culminating in one Austin lady zapping her roommate with a cattle prod. more ›

Williamson County Sheriff were dispatched to a house in Round Rock on Tuesday, after someone at the residence called 9-1-1 and hung up. One resident at the address, 42-year-old Cong Van Pham, appeared to be "very nervous" when questioned by police, and, according to the Sheriff's report, tried to shut the door on authorities. Deputies entered the house nevertheless, and came upon what appeared to be a modest marijuana-growing operation, with nearly the entire house being used to grow weed. All told, some 760 marijuana plants were seized. Pham now faces federal charges of manufacturing marijuana. more ›

Many folks on Twitter are reporting that Gmail and assorted Google services are currently down for them. We're pulling up ours ok, but an informal survey shows that many around downtown (@bnl771), on UT campus (@anorwood), or just around town (@mavsmom) are experiencing errors. The problem seems to be hit or miss, as @recoveringlazy and @mavsmom aren't seeing any issues. In other internet news, there's a Woot-Off going on right now. more ›

Jobless numbers up, again. Unemployed get access to free Viagra. What better to do with all that free time? We're so broke, we're eating roadkill. Clinton (Bill) makes snarky comment at Cheney. Even Sony feels the recession. Awful: motorcyclist killed in Buda yesterday when a dump truck ran over him. Westheimer Apartments' fire report released. more ›

Medical records dropped off at a Cedar Park recycling bin. Seguin Rep. Ed Kuempel collapsed late last night in a Capitol elevator from a heart attack, and is now in a medically-induced coma. Democrat Mark Thompson plans to run for governor. More on the shootings Monday off of Springdale. Police searching for man who sexually assaulted a woman in Northwest Austin Tuesday night. Body of missing kayaker was found this afternoon in Lake Austin. Georgetown police chief placed on administrative leave. more ›

• Seeking an "unfiltered forum", Palin signs book deal to write her memoirs
• Americans not concerned with diversity on Supreme Court, poll shows
• Records show billions withdrawn before Madoff arrest: Why this may be good news

The Waller Creek Citizen Advisory Committee invites members of the community to attend a Master Plan Workshop on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 from 6-9 p.m. It will be held at the Austin Convention Center in Ballroom C. more ›

American forces in Afghanistan: Gen. David D. McKiernan out, Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal is in. American soldier kills five fellow servicemen at a combat stress clinic in Baghdad. Love among the ruins of Sichuan. During his visit, Pope disappoints many residents of the Holy Land with his lack of specifics. NPR's Adam Davidson argues with bailout monitor Elizabeth Warren. Florida's Governor Crist wants to be Senator Crist. Aziz Ansari on the great IMAX swindle. more ›

Watch a recently found full-color film detailing the brutal aftermath of the May 11, 1953 Waco tornado. (If you've ever wondered why half of downtown Waco is a parking lot, here's your answer. It wasn't like that until the tornado.) Be careful about jaywalking in front of any cop near UT! Finals week: Don’t forget to have your brain blessed! Gail Collins of The New York Times Op-Ed page calls Texas “a teen pregnancy disaster zone.” (Expert opinion claims abstinence-only education makes Texas a baby-makin’ factory!) Legendary Texas writer Bud Shrake had a fantastic life, and wound up with this great obit. He was even part of history: years ago, he told us that Jack Ruby was sitting on his newsroom desk when JFK was shot. Read his book "Strange Peaches" if you aren't going to his service tomorrow. Students sprinting in skivvies at UT! (SFW) more ›

Details are still a little hazy on what City Manager Ott referred to as "an unfortunate set of circumstances," but a press conference held this afternoon has cleared up some confusion. Here's what we know so far... more ›

Mayoral candidate Brewster McCracken sent out an email this morning announcing that he has decided not to pursue the June runoff election. more ›

Reporter Saberi freed from Iranian jail Obama tells Google and Apple to stop playing footsie Some banks feeling much better, thanks Back to the moon, NASA? Really? Churches getting religion on marketing That's "Dr. Dolly" to all y'all Opinion: Don't just legalize it, tax the hell out of it more ›

Brewster McCracken and Lee Leffingwell will need a runoff election to determine Austin's next mayor. The runoff election will be June 13, with early voting beginning May 27. Chris Riley, Bill Spelman, Mike Martinez and Sheryl Cole each won their respective city council elections. See full results here. more ›

Wouldn't it be sad if after such an awesome turnout for the national election, the following municipal election had record low turnout? Answer: yes. So don't forget to vote tomorrow! City Hall Hustle dissects the campaign ads in this election. Members of the House worked late into the night on changes to TxDOT. Passenger angrily pees on back of Austin cab, cabbie runs over his legs. Obama's budget proposal would leave the border fence unfinished. Texan author Bud Shrake died today. more ›

10 good reasons why you should vote on Saturday. New unemployment claims drop. Prejean keeping it classy. Now, someone take away her title. Kthxbai. Santa Barbara still on fire. Infuriating story on dumped dogs in Malaysia. Do you read your news online? (Ahem!) Get ready to pay for it. Texas smoking ban bill about to die. more ›

This poll illustrates why you need to vote on Saturday (if you haven't already)!! Campaign finance complaints traded between Leffingwell and McCracken. No sunset review of the State Board of Education after the House defeats a bill that would have done so. Budget shortfall leads KLRU to lay off 12 employees, including the two Docubloggers producers. Canada's Open Text Corp. is set to buy Austin's Vignette Corp. for $310 million. Richard Garriott suing NCsoft. Dispute between spouses at an auto shop this weekend: wife drove over her husband's leg with a customer's car. more ›

Red light cameras have been in use for almost a year now; since late May of 2008 they have captured images of over 36 APD officers running red lights, KXAN reports. more ›

Low turnout for early voting so far. Firefighters talk about yesterday's apartment fire. DPS director resigns amid allegations of touching women in his office inappropriately and other unprofessional behavior. Bill up before state legislature would require sex offenders to register online. Hill Country Galleria files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. UT student may have swine flu. Do you know how much your school district superintendent makes? more ›

Got Saturday plans? Feed your political beast today before 7pm and pick the next Mayor and Council Members of the city where you live, drink booze, and eat tacos. Elise Hu has a slick map of early voting polling places, and the League of Women Voters has a tidy little questionnaire for you to catch up on your research. Don't forget your ID (or voter registration card) — Happy voting Austin! more ›

Murtha's nephew got $$ in contracts. Torture critics remind us: it rarely happens like it does on TV. Swine flu: stay out of our swine. Mutiny in Tbilsi has been put down. Obama to National Academy of Sciences: Help kids make, not just buy. US soldiers out to convert Afghans? Janet's boob is still in court. more ›

East Austin apartment fire has people jumping from the second story to avoid the flames. Horrific roof collapse at the Dallas Cowboys' training facility this weekend injured 12 people, some still hospitalized. Watch raw video footage of the collapse of the Cowboys' training facility, taken by WFAA-TV photojournalist Arnold Payne. Think you can’t afford a house in Central Austin? You might be right. Original handwritten formula for Dr. Pepper discovered? You might be able to more easily buy a fifth in Lubbock soon… This is good news if you've spent time in Lubbock. more ›

If you parked at a meter downtown this weekend, you may have gotten a "Violation" like the one shown here, saying that Lee Leffingwell wants you to pay to park on nights and weekends. The violation flyers were distributed by a group called BrewsterNation.com, which has posted Leffingwell's unedited response on YouTube. The question, which was asked by the author of this post at the Austin Super Forum, was "Should the city start generating more revenue from street parking by charging people to park at night and on the weekends?" more ›

U.S. Guantanamo request fires up German political debate The latest iPhone app: Swine flu tracker Flu economics, part two Journalist group: US reporter hospitalized in Iran Australian court grants teen breast removal Potential porn star politico launches "Listening Tour" across Louisiana Google Earth reveals Japanese secrets Obama all in on health care reform more ›

Brewster McCracken posted a YouTube video trashing St. Louis. It may not be a masterpiece of comic timing, but it has become one of the more widely covered moments of the current mayoral campaign. St. Louis does have some problems, but picking a fight with another city seems feisty. more ›

State Senate approves bill which would have doctors offer ultrasound to women seeking abortion, and more. more ›

• MoPac open again after fatal accident this morning.
• Items the Austin City Council approved Thursday.
• Police seek man on the run after SWAT call in East Austin.