Poet and Austin fixture Raúl Salinas died yesterday morning."Ponytail bandit" caught in Thailand! Her bank-robber husband is still on the loose. Uno, whose handler used to live in Austin, is first beagle to win Westminster Dog Show. A tale of dog rustling: in which the mayor of Alice lied to her neighbors about the health and whereabouts of their Shih Tzu. Over the protestations of most El Pasoans, TCEQ renews smelter's air quality permit....

Image from www.sustain-a-ball.org Sustainable Shopper’s Ball, "Have a Green, Green Christmas!" FestivalSaturday, December 1Burger Center (3200 Jones Road)9am-2pm, FREE[info]It's time for the second annual Sustainable Shopper's Ball Green Holiday Festival! Over 60 local vendors will be at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market at Burger Center this Saturday with plenty of sustainable products and gift ideas to choose from. You can finally buy that sun oven for your brother-in-law, or an electronic motorcycle for yourself. You......

Image from Wild Sweet Orange’s MySpace, by Jason Wallis The Whigs & Wild Sweet OrangeThursday, November 15Stubbs (801 Red River)$10 | Doors 10:30 p.m. | Inside[info] | [tickets] | [The Whigs MySpace] | [Wild Sweet Orange MySpace]Wild Sweet Orange are in town this Thursday at Stubb’s to offer introspective dream-pop from their recently released The Whale EP, as well as their upcoming full-length for Canvasback Music. The Birmingham, Alabama act’s “Ten Dead Dogs” was featured......

A new academic study suggests that the appeal of curvy women is based on more than the purely physical. Homophobic Surgeon General nominee to be recess appointed by Bush? The 2008 Austin Firefighters Calendar is on sale, and we're thinking about next summer's dry spell already. WTF: Jump-roping dogs. The Austin Independent School District just started an outreach program that’s meant to enroll more African American students into its gifted and talented programs. In......

P&K Grocery, South Austin's fancy mom-and-pop corner store, has gone out of business. Though open for only a year and a half, the tiny market on West Mary became a neighborhood staple, offering, among a host of more exotic specialty foods, wonderful sandwiches, hot dogs, and (best of all) cupcakes. The store did what it could to help out the community, and, in turn, became a much-appreciated part of the community as well. "We are......

OMG, Barkitecture! Done laughing? Okay, if you love your dog bring your furry friend to 2nd Street District area tomorrow for Barkitecture Austin 2007 – a silent auction for dog-houses built by 20 of Austin’s architects, builders and designers. All proceeds go directly to Animal Trustees of Austin, Lucky Mutts, Austin Dog Rescue and Blue Dog Rescue, which find homes for stray dogs. Bidding starts at noon at Lofty Dog, there’s a live photo......

Weird: Finding a human leg in a smoker you bought at auction. Weirder: It wasn't from a murder, the owner of leg was too attached to let it go. Woman gives birth to 17-pound baby. And no, she's not American. SHOCK! Parts of the Patriot Act are unconstitutional. Not only was he making dogs kill each other, but he was smoking weed too. The U.S. Citizenship test just got a little bit harder. Not......

Starting October 1, it will be illegal to leave dogs unsupervised and chained or tethered in lawns. The City Council passed the ordinance in June; pamphlets telling people of the new ordinance were sent along with utility bills in August. Animal control won't be heading out randomly to houses, but will be working on a complaint-driven basis. Once a complaint is made to them by a neighbor or someone else, a warning notice will be......

Drippings Springs Baptist Church has been on fire since 3:30 this afternoon . . . and 290 (in Dripping Springs) is closed because of it. Inmate dies in Travis County jail. Perry and Dewhurst visit local schools to celebrate the signing of the 'defibrillators in schools' bill. Texas Historical Commission pays $490,000 for Davy Crockett's last letter. Animal control finds 41 dogs in a Round Rock home. Man saved from rising water in Leander early......

*Editors' Note: Clearly Austinist does not encourage anyone to get soused in front of their children, thereby damaging their fragile psyches. For those responsible enough to kick a couple back without ultimately taking the kids on a dangerous and terrifying road trip, we offer the following:* If your version of the three martini playdate is to sit and sip microbrew near a playscape in the heat, Austin options abound. Whether you are a stay at......

There’s a way to fundraise, that is. Established painter, photographer, and filmmaker William Wegman has a series of short works that will screen this Thursday, September 6th at The Design Center of Austin to benefit EmanciPET. It’s a collaboration made in doggy heaven, given that Wegman’s subjects are most often his own Weimaraners – a German breed of dogs known for their beautiful coats and haunting, gray eyes. On the subject of his medium-crossing......

JOSH RITTER What’s The Deal: Josh Ritter graduated from college with a major in American History through Narrative Folk Music, which makes the title of this folk-pop singer/songwriter’s recently released album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, fitting as well as boastful. He can boast all he wants with those hearty lyrics fat with imagery and the voluminous songwriting of this, his fifth album. Comparisons to Bob Dylan as well as John Lennon immediately come......

Low-income families in Central Texas hoping to replace their old cars may qualify for financial aid Put that pen down, sir: authorities are going after hot check writers across the state this month There's a Lady Bird Johnson tribute DVD out now, with proceeds going to the LBJ Wildflower Center Houston area man gets evicted, leaves behind hundreds of chickens Williamson County animal shelter accidentally euthanizes lost dog after only two days, owners show......

Just moved out of the family house and feeling lonely? Living in an apartment that won't allow dogs? Maybe you need a cat. Throughout the month of July, the Austin Humane Society and Town Lake Animal Center have lowered the adoption fee for cats to $35. This fee covers vaccination, microchipping, de-worming, flea/tick treatment, as well as spay/neuter procedure (if applicable). At this low cost, how can you pass this deal up? Even some......

Banner week for SFist as the site's new editor introduced himself -- hooray for Brock! While the NY Times weighed in on SF's mayoral race, only SFist had the (insert tongue firmly into cheek) hard-hitting latest on candidate/activist Josh Wolf. Coverage of a protest vs. gentrification spawned a fantastic debate amongst SFist's readers. Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous: video of a man that confused a Board of Supes meeting with "open mic......

The Starlight Mints might occasionally be dismissed as an oddity, but the Oklahoma band’s albums reveal an invigorating, stimulating product. The band sways between Beatles-esque pop and Flaming Lips like eccentricity without missing a beat, all while adding their unique flair and assorted instrumentation and orchestration to the tunes. Allan Vest’s vocal chops combine effortlessly with the wide range of sounds and “Eyes Of The Night” could should win over most skeptics. Their live shows......

These days, when it ain't raining, it's blazing hot--definite shorts weather. So put on your short-shorts and head over to Salvage Vanguard Theatre next Wednesday for an assortment of offbeat short movies, all of which will quench your thirst for knowledge just like a Shiner quenches actual thirst. From car crashes to dead dogs to hustlas from Galveston, these films have it all: The Aftermath on Meadowlark Lane (David and Nathan Zellner) A car crash......

Kind of a slow week for new releases here in Austin. You can either bro out and get amped on some new Die Hard, or submit to the CGI summer blockbuster force that is Ratatouille. Oh, and Michael Moore wanted to talk to you about some things. Live Free or Die Hard: John McClane is back! Now shorn bald (and resembling a very stern penis), he must jump off careening jets and donkey-punch the......

Police officers at the University of Texas have responded to an undisclosed "low-level threat" on campus. The following email was sent out earlier this morning: At about 9 a.m. The University of Texas at Austin Police Department (UTPD) received a report of a low-level threat to the University Teaching Center (UTC) near the intersection of 21st Street and Speedway. Police are investigating and sweeping the building with officers and their dogs in accordance with their......

Well, the title of this story pretty much says it all. Or, at least most of it. Men's Health magazine recently published a ranking of the top 50 dog-friendly cities in the country. Dear old Austin made the top ten, coming in at 7th place nationwide. Among the criteria that Men's Health considered were animal cruelty laws, the number of veterinarian clinics and the number of dog parks. This seems like a good ranking spot......

We expect this to be the most popular news bits ever, as well as the best day ever, since everybody's favorite drive-in eatery (Sonic, duh) is giving away FREE root beer floats tonight from 8pm till midnight. Go ahead, locate every Sonic in town and drive around getting free floats until you can't drink root beer floats anymore. This is such a big deal, even Forbes wrote about it. And if you don't get......

(FIRST) THURSDAY [7] party • Official Space Launch Celebration at Salvage Vanguard Theater (9:30pm) music • Go Motion! at Beauty Bar music • The Dollyrots, Alright Tonight, The Sweethearts, Abby Birds at Emo's music • Vietnam and Greg Ashley, The Strange Attractors, The Golden Boys at Emo's music • Scott Miller, The Commonwealth, The Gougers at Stubb's music • An Evening with Old Crow Medicine Show at The Parish Room music • Locals @ La......

Tonight, Alamo Music Mondays presents an encore screening of Philippe Puicouyoul's 1980 New Wave love story La Brune Et Moi. The story revolves around a hot young French girl who's desperate for punk-rock superstardom, and a rich businessman who tries his best to buy it for her. But of course, the underdeveloped plot is just an excuse to showcase a long list of French punk bands, including Ici Paris, Artefact, Astroflash, Edith Nylon, The Questions,......

Last Friday, Pets America delivered pet oxygen masks to City Hall; there are enough so that 100 local emergency vehicles can be outfitted with sets of three masks (cat, small dog and large dog). The funds for this project were raised in cooperation with Tomlinson's Pet Supplies, Lowe's, the Austin Community Foundation, and individual donors. Austinites helped raise over $5,500 to help save the lives of cats and dogs in need of oxygen in......

Hey all you vegetarians – you finally have that chance to fulfill your lifelong dream of winning a hotdog eating contest. (C'mon - you know you've always secretly wanted to.) Not only that, but you can gross out all the carnivores at the same time! (Those guys hate tofu.) Grease up your gullet and come on out to the Scoot Inn for the first ever Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest this Saturday, May 26,......

Austin has a love/hate relationship with bikes. Love Lance. Hate the Lance-wannabes cruising FM-1826, slowing down the burnt-orange pickups on their way to the Salt Lick. Love biking the Hike-and-Bike trail. Hate slaloming between kids and dogs on a busy Saturday. Love the idea of bike lanes and bike commuting. Hate actual bikers slowing down traffic and swerving into the street because of cars parked in the bike lanes. Love reducing traffic and pollution......

You look like you need a cupcake, and that is just what you will get tonight when the Austin Parks Foundation and the Alamo Drafthouse bring you Election, the second installment in the spring Movies in the Park series. However, that cupcake will be laced with arsenic icing and a heavy dose of satire extract. When we first saw Election back in the late 90’s, high school was still fresh enough in our minds that......

The weather's been turning your face into Crisco. Gas prices are exorbitant. Truly, there is no better time than the present to sit inside a cool, darkened theater and watch James Taylor (famous '70s male chanteuse!) and Dennis Wilson (the less-famous Beach Boy!) chase Warren Oates (not the dude from Hall & Oates!) across dusty stretches of highway at 140 mph in life-sized Hot Wheels. In Monte Hellman's Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), Taylor and Wilson portray......

Filmmaking legend Francis Ford Coppola needs little introduction, but it can be daunting to keep track of everything that this prolific director, producer, screenwriter, and (yes) winemaker has been responsible for. For instance, we'd completely forgotten that he directed the amazing 1986 3-D space opera, Captain EO (see below). Youth Without Youth, his first directorial effort in over a decade, is set to be released later this year. The romantic thriller is set in......

In the wake of a serious dog attack that left 69 year-old Genevia Bushnell recovering from 23 distinct bites, the Texas Legislature is considering a change in dog aggression laws. Current laws don't classify dogs as dangerous unless they've previously been reported for an act of aggression, allowing the dogs' owner, Janet Mott of Fredericksburg, to escape punishment even despite her indifference and inaction during the attack. (Allegedly, Janet stood idly by and even commented......