Results tagged “election08”

Michele Norris, host of NPR's All Things Considered, will be in town next week. The Mary Alice Distinguished Lectureship, William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Visiting Professionals and the School of Journalism at UT Austin are sponsoring her lecture titled "Listening to America in an Election Year: Did the Press Get it Right?" Her lecture next Thursday is free and open to the public.

• Oh, snap!
• Oh, snap! (Part Two)
• How much did it cost to create the CNN hologram?

Cornyn wins a second term in the US Senate. Seriously. Will Craddick keep his gavel? Governor's mansion is ready for restoration now. Tomorrow the city is expected to settle the lawsuit with Kevin Brown's family. Some drivers are crossing the CapMetro picket line. It's that time of year again: city workers today began setting up the Zilker Tree of Lights. Improvements to Zilker Park begin in January.

Now that you have voted (and picked up your freebies rewarding you for participating in our democratic process), perhaps you are wondering where you can watch the election results with people of like mind. Here are some options for you:

It's all going to go down much faster than you might think (well, hopefully). Everywhere, everywhere! Well, now, wasn't this convenient! Chicago really might be the place to be tonight. Japanese Obamatown is set to celebrate. Expanding ozone hole reminds us of how much this election matters (does Palin believe in ozone holes? Doubtful). Acorn's not alone.

Obama's grandmother died this morning of cancer. Travis County projects 80% voter turnout for the election (50% of registered voters already voted early). Public Safety Task Force met today to discuss crime statistics and red light cameras. Scalpers scammed 500 fans with counterfeit tickets to the UT-Tech game Saturday night. Robert A. Caro wins the Bookend Award at the Texas Book Festival this past weekend. "Watch the early vote totals. They likely will tell you whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain will carry Texas and by how much." Woman in camper at Texas Motor Speedway hit by stray bullet.

Today is most likely the busiest day of early voting in Travis County; in the end, half of the county's registered voters are expected to have voted early. Long lines to vote early in Williamson County. Review of DPS released yesterday comments on communication problems as well as other issues. New red light camera added off of Howard Ln/Wells Branch and Mopac. The bearded bank robber strikes again! This time at a Wells Fargo bank off William Cannon. Earthquake hits North Texas last night. 16.5% of Texans owe more than their house is worth, a new study says. That's still less than the national average.

It's Halloween, and the only thing stopping you from voting early this last day may be your political costume. Polls are open until 9pm tonight at various locations throughout town. Sure, it's great to vote on election day, but voting early doesn't mean your vote in this historic election counts any less. If you expect any issues with your voter registration or get impatient waiting in long lines, go today.

• News Flash: Obama is not Muslim.
• REMINDER: Early voting ends tomorrow. GO! GO! GO!
• In case you missed it, the Phillies win the World Series for the first time in 25 years.

Travis County asks you to please vote early if you can. KOOP will air a debate on Prop. 2 tomorrow afternoon. Police issue arrest warrant for Georgetown woman after her infant tests positive for meth exposure. The parents of a 3-year-old who was seriously injured in a Bastrop County car accident earlier this month are asking for a no-texting-while-driving law. Despite some parents' attempts, the Round Rock School Board votes to keep TTYL on the shelves of the middle school library. World's largest beach ball touches down in Dallas. Two men tried shoplifting equipment from a Kerrville WalMart to use in a planned robbery of a Super S store. They were not successful.

• Obama says: Assume nothing! Battle on.
• Finger-pointing rampant in the GOP camp, according to GeoSteph.
• Ted Stevens found guilty; knowing Alaska, will probably still win his race.
• Creepy skinhead plan to kill Obama is revealed. (One of them is, anyway.)
• Michelle shops at J. Crew. Prep.
• McCain advisor says carbon dioxide should not be treated as pollutant.
• Charles Barkley = Guv?
Continue reading "News Bits: T Minus Seven "

Second week of early voting begins - the last day to vote early is Friday! Ooops...South Austin polling site left open after hours on Saturday. Truck carrying pumpkins overturned on 183 near 970 after the driver fell asleep at the wheel early this morning. Was dragging death of Brandon McClelland in Northeast Texas race-related? The president at A&M has been given authorization to settle lawsuits over the bonfire collapse. Perhaps the lesson learned here is to keep your dog on a leash at parks that require them? A look at Concordia University's new campus.

• Could Dems take the State House this election? Related: video on the right.
• So single-stream recycling has started, but when will there be a facility for it in Austin?
• South Congress gas stations seem to have the lowest gas prices in the city.

Travis County clerk's office releases a voter's toolkit. We remind you: please review your final ballot before you hit the red button to cast it! With yesterday and Monday's totals, 58,808 have voted early so far. The Austin Live Music Task Force has released a draft report making many recommendations to the city. Jurors now deliberating on the punishment for the man charged with manslaughter for the Juneteenth death of David Morales. State Auditor's office says UT had the highest crime rate of any public university in the state between 2001-2006. Given that UT is one of the largest schools in the nation, maybe it's not that much of a surprise. City Council to consider Oak Hill Future Land Use Plan tomorrow at their meeting. Frisco residents enduring spaghetti sauce attacks.

gina pina/Flickr
• 32,607 people voted yesterday in Travis County's first day of early voting.
• Shenanigans yesterday as people tried to vote at a South Austin Randalls.
• Slow-going at early voting in Williamson County.

People lined up before the doors opened this morning at early voting. Statesman surprises by endorsing Obama. Chief Acevedo starting first "no refusal" operation for those suspected of driving drunk. Collin County man involved in "forbidden" dance lessons (no, it's nothing to do with the lambada). LBJ LASA students got to speak with Garriott in space over the weekend. Two men dead after cliff-diving at Lake Travis. Trial for suspect of 2007 Juneteenth beating death begins today.

Starting tomorrow and lasting through Halloween, early voting will be open at various locations throughout the county. The hours will be 7am-7pm on Monday - Saturday and noon-6pm on Sunday (with the polls staying open two hours later on the last three days of early voting). With the massive amount of voter registration that took place for this year's historic Presidential election, crowds at early voting will likely be larger than we've seen before. Still, it's a good idea to get your vote in early, because the crowds on election day are sure to be even larger -- plus, if you vote early, you have many locations available at which to vote, whereas on Nov. 4 you have to vote at your precinct. The League of Women Voters Austin Area has their Voter's Guide(pdf) available for download. Happy voting!

• NPR presidential debate fact check.
• Does Joe the Plumber know Joe Sixpack and Jane Winebox?
• Hurricane Omar is now a Category 3 storm.

After their win over OU Saturday, the Longhorns are now ranked #1 in the nation. Got any plans Election Day? Travis County needs poll workers. On Prop. 2 and Mueller development. Austin game designer Richard Garriott made it into space. Houston news copter crash kills two. Residents react to a hate crime that took place in Fort Hood last week.

Candidates for U.S. Senate Cornyn and Noriega will participate in a debate to be televised statewide on public television tomorrow evening (KLRU, 8pm). See Noriega and his mom cook Spanish rice in the video to the right. Record number of Austinites registered to vote in the crunch-time Oct. 6. Five people taken to Brackenridge Hospital after a multi-vehicle wreck on IH35 today. City of Austin sets up website to plug locally-owned small businesses. State Court of Criminal Appeals refuses to hear Pitonyak's case. Too bad if you wanted to get one of those fish pedicures in Texas. Death toll from Ike in Texas up to 37.

McCain's campaign still asserts that if the mortgage bailout doesn't happen on Friday, he won't show up. But both Obama and the Commission on Presidential Debates say the debate is on. Whoever ends up debating on Friday (and you know McCain will end up there eventually, despite these shenanigans), the Alamo has got your back. Both Village and South Lamar locations will be showing the debate. We attended the Clinton/Obama debate at the South Lamar location and assume the set-up will be about the same. McCain and Obama factions will be split down the middle, although this being Austin, the Obama voters will most likely outnumber McCain voters. Laughing at bogus answers is encouraged, but yelling "You're an idiot!" to the screen might get you in trouble.

Two town hall meeting-style forum opportunities have been offered to presidential candidates John McCain (GOP) and Barack Obama (Dem). The Johnson family has asked the candidates to hold a forum at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, and Nancy Reagan has asked them to hold a forum at the Reagan National Library in California. Both forums would be scheduled for July.

Candidate for City Council Cid Galindo failed to list over $60,000 worth of expenses on his campaign finance forms. 21-yr-old man accused of propositioning 12-yr-old boy at Ruiz Library. After this second alcohol-related arrest in a month, former Longhorn Cedric Benson is cut from the Chicago Bears. San Antonio man driving the wrong way on IH35 in Georgetown dies early this morning after hitting a truck head-on. Not really a surprise: burn ban set for Travis County.

State fire investigators wondering if the arsonist who set ablaze the Governor's Mansion acted alone. Cedar Park paramedic among those dead after a medical chopper crashes near Huntsville. Three boys may have been exposed to a rabid bat at the Northcross bus stop. CapMetro holding public meetings this week to take comment on proposed fare increases. FBI says crime nationwide has decreased, but in Austin it has increased.

Austin places #6 on Kiplinger's 10 Best Cities (Houston is #1). Suspect on the run after shooting someone in Southeast Austin yesterday afternoon. Early voting for the city council runoff starts today. Round Rock Roller Rink going out of business. FLDS kids on their way back to their families.

Police have identified more victims of former CASA volunteer who sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl. Far West Tropical Sno stand-owner protests against Kneaded Pleasures. Local reaction to McClellan's book, What Happened. "We should be appalled and enraged as Texans and as patriots at his behavior on the Senate floor," Democratic US Senate candidate Noriega said about current Senator Cornyn's vote against the GI Bill. Texas Observer poll shows that 2/3 of the Democrats who voted in the primary were new voters.

Although nowadays things are looking rosier for his candidate, McKinnon had to leave; he told people earlier this year that if Obama was the Democratic nominee, then he wouldn't keep working with the McCain campaign. Even though Obama isn't officially the Democratic nominee yet, it seems inevitable that he will be.

• South African mob violence leads to the deaths of 22 immigrants.
• Here's a nice piece on Bush's current efforts to lower oil prices before the the U.S. Presidential election.
• U.S. soldier is refusing to serve in America's "illegal war."

• Indiana and North Carolina vote today.
• Saddam thought that he might get VD from the American guards in his prison.
• Never let anyone tell you that European news is sooo much more dignified than American news. They are currently fascinated by this Austrian father-daughter sex slave story (but who can blame them?)