Just before 3am, Ronald Hood sprints down Red River, the street lamps wobbling into stratified halos with each spongy footfall. The pills make it so he has no idea how fast he’s going, or how far the cops—well, he can hear them shouting still, but they could be right behind him or fifty yards back. Almost lost, or just about to bring him down by his sweat-soaked collar....

Austin aiming for zero landfill waste. Our fair city ranks #23 on the list of America's Most Literate Cities, beating out New York but not Portland. Brush fires in Hays County lead to home evacuations. ...