• Irony?: Perry's comments yesterday on possible secession may have made a Presidential run in 2012 more plausible.
• Meanwhile, Texas Dems say Perry should take back his sorta-secessionist comments.
• Oh, and Perry says he never called for secession.

• Uno visits the Capitol.
• Waco man stabbed for his flatulence.
• Local auto theft on the rise.

• Tarp-wrapped body of Houston-area high school senior found after man confessed to the killing.
• Former Austinite and "Charlie’s Angels" star Farrah Fawcett is hospitalized in LA with a cancer-treatment side-effect.
• Did they discuss this over dinner? Bills in the Lege would ban trans fats in restaurants.

• We only thought the hail was gone: on the surprise showers and hail this morning.
• Round Rock cutting down on school bus routes.
• Veteran political reporter part of the cuts at the ; today was Clay Robison's last day.

• Credit card numbers stolen from Magnolia Cafe on S. Congress (and CT Nail Salon on N. Lamar).
• Counterfeit $50 bills used in Giddings.
• Cop pulls gun on Texans player (and his wife) as the player was stopped on the way to visit his mother-in-law in a Plano hospital.

• Dell to lay off hundreds of employees.
• New Austin superintendent hasn't stuck with a position for longer than 3 years since the mid-90's.
• When you went to bed last night, the State Senate was still working on the Voter ID bill.

• Winter storm warning update
• Weather closings and postponements (will keep updating)
• On Perry's State of the State speech today. . .

Freescale will cut 90 jobs in March. Texas Instruments to cut 1,800 jobs. Austin's Capital Area Food Bank makes an appearance in WaPo article on how best to serve the hungry. Bikers visit Capitol today to protest helmet laws. wo Pflugerville students accused of hacking into the district's system Today's fog factored in to almost two dozen crashes. The misty weather is also blamed for power outages in various areas of town. Federal court grants stay of execution to Texas inmate Larry Swearingen, who had been scheduled for execution tomorrow. more ›

Lee Leffingwell joins the Austin mayor's race. City of Austin under a hiring freeze as of today. The Austin woman accused of hitting a police horse with her shoe has been sentenced to 5 years probation. Austin-based B-Side Entertainment lands millions in new financing and will soon enter the feature distribution business. Environmentalists want more regulation of coal ash disposal in Texas. No Special Session this year on KLRU. San Antonio Toyota plant still on single shift as part of the automaker's national slowdown on vehicle production. more ›

Texas' Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives includes an Austinite. State Senate still arguing this afternoon about that two-thirds majority thing. Civil rights advocates suing DPS over new driver's license requirements for immigrants. City Council will vote on Barton Springs Pool Master Plan tomorrow. Local activist and Executive Director of Austin Free Net Ana Sisnett died yesterday. Man steals 350 medical records from St. David's Hospital on Monday instead of taking them to the archiving company. New study says that Ike damaged about half the homes in Harris County and left over 18,000 houses uninhabitable. more ›

Despite controversy, the new wind farm at the Kenedy Ranch in South Texas has started operating. Texas State student dies after being shot in the abdomen last night; authorities believe the shooting was accidental. One person dead, one injured after a shooting off Dessau Rd. this afternoon. One of the Austinites accused of planning an attack at the RNC convention pleads guilty. Limited space at Austin cemeteries. The city loves surveys. There's currently one available through Jan. 22 on the form and character of the Downtown Austin districts. Cityism: new board game tests your Austin trivia skillz. more ›

Midland will host welcome home celebration for Bush on January 20th. City of Austin's lobbyists gearing up for the upcoming Texas Legislative session. Ok, so Straus isn't officially Speaker yet. Council to vote on historical marker status for Lions Municipal Golf Course next week. Austin's first bank robbery of the year took place today at the Chase bank on N. Lamar. House near 183 and Duval caught fire this afternoon; authorities are investigating the possible cause. Despite rumors to the contrary, Major Applewhite is staying at UT. more ›

Gov. Perry makes an aside about $15,000 retreat taken by UT Board of Regents. Texas House Speaker hopefuls want a secret ballot. City Council members remember Jennifer Gale. Rodney Reed's appeal rejected by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Judge says that Dallas red-light-camera firm needs an investigation license. Larger numbers of homeless needing help in Austin. Spanish clothing retailer Zara headed to Austin in 2009. more ›

Current Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams wants KBH's Senate seat when she gives it up. Report released today on Pedernales Elecric CoOp finds intentional destruction (read: shredding) of important documents & over half a million dollars in unexplained payments to the CoOp's law firm. Shady! Rep. Michael McCaul signs on bill to eliminate BCS. City Manager Ott no longer receiving $4,500/month "temporary" housing allowance from the city. "Draft Lee Leffingwell" PAC held a rally yesterday. Girl's Christmas list wish leads to stepdad's arrest in Pharr. 29-year-old Austin runner dies over the weekend during a Dallas marathon. more ›

Update on the AISD teacher/Linux debacle: HeliOS Project head Ken Starks feels bad about blogosphere reaction, saying, "I'm really and sincerely sorry from the bottom of my heart that I caused her grief." The new central library will be designed by Lake/Flato and Shepley Bulfinch, City Council decided today. Colt McCoy a Heisman finalist. Police believe that the Steiner Ranch shooter may be dead; they are still looking for him (or his body). City approves $1 million settlement for the 2005 shooting death of Daniel Rocha. Woman assaulted last night while waiting at a UT bus stop on Dean Keeton. Drunk San Marcos woman backed her truck into the wall of an apartment, injuring a 12-year-old boy as he slept in his bedroom. more ›

maczter/flickr
• A suspicious substance found in a letter mailed to Gov. Rick Perry was found to be non-hazardous
• Expect a hard freeze tonight, but no replay of last night's snowfall
• "Day Without a Gay" rally this afternoon at City Hall

Round Rock woman leaves 4 kids (all under 3 years old) from her in-home daycare alone at her house while she goes shopping, and later gets in a car accident. Man driving his scooter downtown on Saturday morning was hit and killed by a driver who ran a red light. ACLU doesn't like the new state drivers license rules. A former employee of a Steiner Ranch steakhouse shot and killed a current employee there yesterday; police are still searching for him. Area of Southeast Austin currently under a boil water notice. Whole Foods is suing the FTC. Texas' dental health ain't great. more ›

It's official: Brewster McCracken announced today that he's running for mayor in 2009. State House Parliamentarian Terry Keel in trouble with other Republican members of the House for being too much of a toady to Craddick. Democrat John Sharp plans to run for KBH's seat in the US Senate. Chief Acevedo makes arrests too. Thieves going after holiday yard decorations. A naked man jumping on top of a car in North Austin yesterday morning was tasered and arrested. Horns headed to the Fiesta Bowl (v. Ohio State) on Jan. 5. more ›

• This is what $140,000 of your tax dollars went towards, and probably the only way you'll get to see it (video - also at right).
• Southwestern U. student killed last night as he tried to cross Texas 29 on foot in Georgetown.
• 1.7 pounds of Black tar heroin found in a house off Clayton Ln.

Texas Ethics Commission says that Supreme Court Justice Hecht has to pay a fine of $29,000 for accepting a sketchy contribution. Last of the LBJ recordings released to the public today. LBJ ideas in an Obama administration. Rumor is that Rove is advising Kay Bailey Hutchison on her possible run for governor's office. Someone actually paid cash for a plane to fly around UT today carrying a banner saying "Mack Brown Quit Your Whining U Knew The Rules." Round Rock woman has donated 25 gallons of blood in 18 years. Two Border Patrol agents accused of working with drug traffickers crossing the South Texas border. more ›

Pilgrim's Pride files for bankruptcy; perhaps Bo Pilgrim should have spent his lobbying monies better? Fed Chair Bernanke was in town and spoke at the Chamber of Commerce lunch this afternoon. UT Center for American History will now be named for former Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe in recognition of/gratitude for his $15 million gift to the school. APD going after street musicians? Prayers at Austin Hindu Temple for victims of Mumbai attacks. Texas Dems suing over recount in House District 105. Parents suing Lake Travis ISD over the system used to check the sexual offender database. more ›

Thousands are expected to attend the Feast of Sharing downtown this evening. On this busy travel weekend, APD is keeping an eye out for aggressive drivers. City of Austin now looking into the financial impact of city employees who drive their work vehicles to their out-of-town homes. Next year's Parade of Homes will focus on million-dollar homes in the Mueller area. Jim Mattox's body laid in state at the Capitol yesterday; his funeral was today. Texas' renewable energy economy likely to benefit when Obama's economic team takes over. Teen mother from the FLDS compound refuses to tell authorities where her child is. more ›

Former Texas Attorney General and Democratic politician Jim Mattox died last night in his sleep; he was 65. Water tower explosion in Giddings leaves 3 injured (one critically so). Rhoda Mae Kerr is now officially Austin's first female fire chief. Arrest warrant out for RRISD Special Education TA after he allegedly had an improper relationship with a 17-year-old student. North Village branch of the APL is closing as of Monday, Dec. 1 (until the new building is ready in the spring). Woman showering in an East Austin group home was injured by a bullet from a drive-by last night. Eyewitness ID process needs improvement in Texas. more ›

This week is Homeless Awareness Week.Local non-profit Front Steps asks for donations of sleeping bags and blankets; they will be distributed at ARCH (Austin Resource Center for the Homeless). Travis County owes the City of Austin $4,820.50 in unpaid parking tickets and the City wants its money. WilCo State Rep. Krusee cleared of drunk driving charges. Drunk Austinite makes terroristic threats (whilst wearing a ski mask) on a flight to Dallas. SEC charging Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban with insider trading. The New Yorker's Calvin Trillin stops by Lexington for the best Texas BBQ in the world. more ›

Two bills submitted to the state Lege by Republican lawmakers would require doctors to show ultrasounds to women about to get abortions, and would have the doctor play the audio of the baby's heartbeat. Another bill submitted to the Legislature would re-regulate tuition increases at state schools. Middle-schooler's mom takes complaint on TTYL to the Round Rock School Board. It seems the Dallas reunion this weekend at Southfork stunk; people are blaming the Austin-based event organizer. Grapevine pastor asks married couples (and only them) to have sex once a day for a week. Houston man breaks through sheetrock in vacant apartment's wall to stab woman living in neighboring apartment. more ›

Domestic disturbance in Dripping Springs trailer park leads to SWAT standoff with one death. 22 Bastrop students and their bus driver sent to the hospital after the vehicle drove off the road and into a barbed wire fence this morning. Austin sex offender arrested after not staying at home on Halloween. About half of those who were pulled over on "No Refusal Weekend" had over 2 times the legal amount of alcohol in their systems. If you ride the bus, you likely already know, but the CapMetro strike is over. Really, the headline says it all. Lame duck George W. Bush will give the December commencement speech at A&M. more ›

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. more ›

CapMetro will offer free bus rides on Election Day, so there goes that excuse. After her Obama sign was stolen, a Northwest Austin resident painted another sign ... on her lawn. This weekend, APD will accept no refusals if you drink and drive. Chef at Burnet restaurant fixed a, um, special recipe for the chief of police there. Gov. Perry's data consolidation deal with IBM isn't working out well. You can meet and greet the candidates for Fire Chief on Nov. 3. People are expressing concern over the location of the new biological defense lab; it's set to open in Galveston in November. more ›

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. more ›

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. more ›