Just one week after suspending his campaign, Perry is about to oversee his 239th execution, making him the number one governor for executions ever. Well, at least he's number one at something. more ›

Duane Buck, sentenced to death for a 1995 double homicide in Houston, is breathing a little easier this morning. Two hours into last night's six hour execution window (he'd even eaten his "last meal" already), the US Supreme Court stayed his execution. Gov. Perry and other officials had made no move to even postpone the execution date after questions of his race being a factor in his sentencing were raised. Buck's lawyers assert that he is due a new sentencing hearing; the Supreme Court has temporarily postponed his execution while they review the lawyers' claims. You can read more about Buck's case in yesterday's post. more ›

During his ten-plus years as Governor of Texas, Rick Perry has presided over 234 death row executions. That number will likely increase by one come 6:00 pm tonight, when Duane Edward Buck is scheduled to be put to death. more ›

• NASA's Endeavour shuttle launched for the last time. (This is kind of a big deal for Mission Control in Houston.)
• Westlake's own Terrence Malick gets some interesting reviews at Cannes for his locally shot film Tree of Life.
• There's a high-end DJ living in suburban South Austin. Who knew?

• Libyan rebel forces retreating from oil town Ras Lanuf.
• Guardian reporter missing in Libya.
• Earthquake in China near border with Burma.

• Rio police concentrating more on favelas in prep for 2016 Olympic games.
• Freezing weather shuts down Gatwick airport.
• FTC wants more privacy protection for online users.

PBS' article last year looked deeply into the way the arson investigation was carried out (using faulty, outdated techniques). [Frontline] more ›

• Israel brushes off Obama criticism over Jerusalem.
• US urges release of citizen held in China for two years.
• Russia moves one step closer to death penalty abolition.

• No mo' death penalty in N.M.
• 90% tax on AIG bonuses?
• Colin Powell's Chief of Staff calls Cheney "evil" (as if we already didn't know).

• Scientists in the Congo discover a previously unknown group of 125,000 gorillas
• Over the objections of pretty much everyone, Texas executed a convicted rapist and murderer Tuesday night
• Perchlorate (a salt used in rocket fuel) found in Martian soil

Having won the Iowa Democratic Primary, U.S. Presidential candidate Barack Obama appears to be rocking and rolling with new momentum. The latest numbers show Obama leading the pack in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, with Hillary Clinton lagging in second place by a 10 point gap. What's going on here? more ›

• Democrats debate in Iowa, everybody yawns.
• Al Gore blames you.
• "If you wanna get down, down on the ground..."

Wait a minute; monkeys actually DO steal stuff in real life, not just in movies? Desertion rate in the Army is 80% higher than it was in 2003 when we invaded Iraq. Austin concert promoter C3 Presents encountering political obstacles in bringing music festival to Philadelphia. The first completely legal mp3 blog, RCRD LBL, went up Thursday. That girl who was asked by Southwest Airlines personnel to show less skin before boarding is now... more ›

As Kenneth Foster was facing execution tonight (and as his execution finally started receiving national media coverage), Governor Perry accepted the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and this afternoon commuted Foster's death sentence to one of life imprisonment. Kenneth Foster had been put on death row for his involvement in a murder in San Antonio over ten years ago: he drove the car the murderer was in, and received the same sentence as the murderer. more ›

Tonight, unless an unlikely eleventh-hour reprieve is granted, Texas will execute its 400th inmate since the state resumed the practice in 1982. Johnny Ray Conner32-year-old Johnny Ray Conner was convicted for murdering Houston resident Kathyanna Nguyen during a grocery store robbery in 1998. Nguyen, the store's owner, had been trapped behind the counter and was surrounded by a bulletproof enclosure; the killer reached his gun through the change slot and shot her in the head.... more ›

Texas Death Row: Executions in the Modern Era is too small (and probably too grim) to make a good coffee table book. It is too stark and bare to be considered literature, or even a “true crime” book. The book is merely a distillation of the public domain information preserved by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. But none of this takes away from the creepy and bone chilling, if understated, weight of this book.... more ›

Hall of Famer and Lady Longhorns coach Judy Conradt resigned earlier this week after 31 seasons at UT. MTV is in town this week filming for a special on alternative spring breaks. The Austin crew will be focusing on the "Anti-Death Penalty Alternative Spring Break" activities going on at UT. State Rep. Garnet Coleman has put forth a bill in the Lege that would supply free condoms to Texas inmates. Warning to City of... more ›

As the campaigns head to the wire, it's time for our batch of gubernatorial candidates to address the hot-button issues. With this political installment, let's see where the people who want to live in that big pretty house pictured above stand on dealing with sex crimes against children. more ›

Had I been teaching a classroom full of expectant mothers, my number one forbidden topic would have been diapers: cloth versus disposable. This is such a hot-button issue that I hesitate to bring it up, but it's also a subject that has more depth than I ever imagined possible. more ›

*The views expressed in Bun in the Oven are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole.* -The Editors As my belly grows and grows, I've learned that there's not one, not two, but about a jillion incredibly sensitive, pregnancy-related subjects that most mamas will hold forth on, ad infinitum. Lifelong friendships and familial relations have been severed in grudge-matches about these powderkeg issues. It's like nothing I've ever encountered.... more ›

Trish Abbott of the Fellowship for Reconciliation will be on hand at Monkey Wrench Books this evening for a presentation and slide show about the current human rights situation in Colombia and the role of the US in said. more ›

Post by Spencer Sharp The Texas District and County Attorneys Association (TDCAA), a non-profit organization dedicated to serving Texas prosecutors and attorneys in government representation, claims that, under Texas law, doctors who perform an illegal abortion can be convicted of capital murder and given the death penalty. This is a concern held by many across the state. And, looking at the legal language itself, technically, their concern is valid. The explanation: In 2003, the Texas... more ›

MONDAY [8] [music] Art Brut, Birdmonster, The Robocop Kraus at Emo's (link) [music] She Wants Revenge and OKGO at Stubb's (link) [music] The Lashes at Waterloo (Free, 5pm) (link) [film] Amelie (with FREE crème brulee) at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] L.A. Confidential at Austin Java (8pm, FREE) (link) [film] Anime Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm, FREE) (link) [film] Wet Hot American Summer at Rounders Pizzeria (6pm, FREE) (link) [film] School of Rock at... more ›

The Senate is really close to finalizing the controversial immigration bill. The proposed bill separates illegal immigrants into three categories and just seems like it will be a big mess. A teacher who kept a 40mm shell on his desk as a fancy-schmancy paperweight, tried to squish a bug with it and blew off his hand instead. We are hoping the bug survived because, now, we believe in karma. We think, that between "M^!*#r... more ›

Five people in as many states are scheduled to be executed this week, bringing the total count in our country to 1,002 since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Texas, not surprisingly, leads the pack with 355 executions. Combined with Virginia and Oklahoma, the three account for over half of all executions performed in this country. Recently, public support for capital punishment has waned considerably: The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that... more ›

The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Roper v. Simmons earlier this year, abolishing the death penalty for convicted killers who were under 18 at the time of their crimes. more ›