The amount of rainfall recorded today (at ABIA) is more than we received all last month. Pilot missing on his way home to Lockhart; he was last heard from yesterday afternoon in Giddings. Only about 71% of Texans who voted for Obama filled out the rest of the primary ballot. UT's Rick Barnes named Coach of the Year in the Big 12. Spammers may annoy you, but they won't kill you. Galveston-area district attorney's office says man had sex with his wife in an interrogation room days after he was accused of putting their baby in a microwave. ... [continue]

Photos from last night's historic CNN/Univision Debate between Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. All photos by Steve Hopson for Austinist.com. If you can't view the Flash slideshow above, an alternate version appears after the jump.... [continue]

AT&T Marathon this Sunday morning; watch out for street closures. Early voting starts next week, but you can't vote at Northcross! Bill Clinton will visit Hillary's new Austin campaign headquarters on Saturday night. Ack! 26,000 people so far have entered the raffle for the 100 seats at next week's debate. UT Associate Athletic Director Douglas George Wilson being investigated by Travis County and UT for possible theft of $60,000.... [continue]

Photo credits unknownPraising his commitment to an environmentally-conscious energy policy, Austin's green-friendly Mayor Will Wynn today officially endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president. "For too long, we've allowed old divisions to hold us back," Wynn said. "Recently I've had conversations about energy policy with presidential candidates from both parties, and I believe Senator Obama is the only person who can move us forward on this critical issue. "Barack Obama gets it. He offers a commitment... [continue]

Item: The organizers at SXSW have responded to years of complaints about long lines and short notice by dramatically revising the wristband system for the 2008 festival. 4,000 wristbands priced at $139 are reserved exclusively for Austinites and will be distributed via an online lottery system that commences at 9am on Thursday, February 21st. There is a four-day period for sign-up, then the festival will let the winners know they've been selected shortly thereafter. All registrants must live in the Austin area - a credit card with an Austin metro area billing zip code will be required (this generously stretches as far as San Marcos, Georgetown, and Taylor). One can purchase two wristbands, but one of them must be for the purchaser...and the recipient of the second one must be named when placing an order.... [continue]

At least it has a cool roofUPDATE: The Statesman has just released information from Hector Nieto of the Texas Democratic Party that attendance to the Feb. 21 Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton debate will be by invitation only. Well, while we were all was guessing The LBJ Library, Hogg Auditorium or The Frank Erwin Center, UT has announced that the February 21 Democratic Debate will officially be held at The Recreation Sports Center. Yes, this no name... [continue]

New study out of NYU "discovers" that blogosphere "chatter" about an album is directly correlated to that album's sales. Yahoo will reject Microsoft's buy-out bid of $44.6 billion, claiming that the figure "massively undervalues" the company. Analysts, on the other hand, believe that Yahoo's acceptance of the buy-out offer is only a matter of time. Today, Austin's City Hall will discuss a recent study showing the economic impact of a proposed medical school for the Austin area.... [continue]

In keeping with its aim of promoting exceptional artists to the unsuspecting masses, or “starting fires”, SureFire Media + Promotion presents an exciting line-up of local talent this Thursday at Antone’s. SureFire takes on responsibilities such as booking, publicity, and marketing for Austin acts with The Soldier Thread and The Mercers being just two of the bands on its roster. The Antone’s showcases are meant to bring a new set of local bands to the legendary venue -- according to SureFire’s Director of Media Relations, Stephen Tatton, “Antone's is really an Austin landmark, and I think that if we can do something there that helps everyone involved, then we've done our part.”... [continue]

Our Indieroke night returns this Tuesday to The Mohawk. What started out as a one-off fling with rock stardom has turned into a monthly gathering of like-minded folks craving that fleeting moment of exhilaration. If you haven’t made it to one yet, we strongly recommend getting there in a timely fashion to get your name and song on the list early…and often. (You know who you are!) We will have multiple song list books going forward to ease that pain.... [continue]

15% of items put out for recycling in Austin end up in a landfill anyway. Dewhurst doubts TxDOT's claims of being really low on funds. Speaking of TxDOT, you can vote on their site for the next state license plate design. Voting ends next Monday. Illegal immigrants moving to Texas in large numbers from . . . Oklahoma and Arizona?... [continue]

Seven-year-old boy found injured under "suspicious circumstances" at local charter school yesterday. Pedestrian hit this morning on Burnet Road. Now Gov. Perry is backing McCain (if anyone cares). Watch it now: Austin added to Homeland Security's list of cities with a high risk of terrorist attack.... [continue]

Think a giant, disembodied penis coming out of the sky to crush a frantic little animated cinnamon bun is funny? If you said "no", quit trying to act all genteel and get over to the Alamo Downtown for this year's edition of Spike and Mike's Sick & Twisted animation fest.... [continue]

Guess what! We're pulling out of Iraq today! Not. Kenyan politician, voice for peace is shot to death in his driveway. New York State archivist sells important documents from American history on Ebay. Those archivists - you just can't trust 'em. As if FEMA's reputation could get any worse... FOX News struggles with the plural form of "Kennedy". Is your HD DVD player totally lame now? Tom Brady attended practice yesterday, bootlessly. He's back...possibly.... [continue]

Whether Feinstein's motivation for setting a fire that caused over $300,000 in damages truly stemmed from an absurd disagreement over playlists remains to be determined. He now faces up to twenty years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. ... [continue]

Two Austin-based companies -- Whole Foods Market and National Instruments -- once again found themselves on Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For this year. ... [continue]

Photograph of the Trump Soho by Riccardo Sinti... [continue]

As we move to the next square on the calendar you're still out there trying to make a connection. Sadly you let most of them slip by without saying a word. We understand, no one wants to be overzealous and get shot down. If only you had some place to find a second chance. Oh yes, Missed Connections. If only you had someone to sort through and find the best of the above. Oh, right, read below....

Presidential Primaries: Hillary and Mitt Romney take Nevada, McCain takes South Carolina.... [continue]

Despite the obvious themes of power and faith, PT Anderson's vast, visionary epic There Will Be Blood isn’t primarily about oil, or about religion, or about extremism. Rather, it’s a thorough excavation of the foundation of American identity. And on top of all that, it’s the best film of the year.... [continue]

Directors Guild and studio reach deal. We're one step closer to less reality television! Suddenly everyone remembers it's about the economy. Everyone can relax, Paul McCartney is fine. Bush to reveal economic stimulus package today. CIA boss names Bhutto's killer. World Bank closes Washington office after bomb threat. Watch out for patches of ice on our bridges and overpasses!... [continue]